Euphoria viewers are convinced they have cracked the mystery of who survives the show’s season finale — and they believe the answer lies not in season three itself, but in a cancelled HBO series from three years ago.
With the eighth and final episode of the third season, titled “In God We Trust,” airing on Sunday 31 May on HBO in the US — and landing on Sky Atlantic and NOW in the UK on Monday 1 June — fans have been furiously theorising ahead of what has been billed as the most explosive finale in the show’s history. The 93-minute episode will be the longest in Euphoria’s history.
The theory gaining the most traction centres on Maddy Perez, played by Alexa Demie. Despite Maddy being deeply entangled in the dangerous criminal fallout surrounding Nate Jacobs’s death, viewers are pointing to her cameo appearance in Sam Levinson’s 2023 series The Idol as proof she cannot be killed off. The logic is straightforward: if The Idol exists in the same universe as Euphoria — and show creator Levinson has confirmed it does — then Maddy’s appearance in it must take place after the events currently unfolding in season three, placing her firmly in the land of the living beyond the finale.
Fans took to X in their thousands to make the case. “Maddy appears in The Idol, which takes place after the events of Euphoria. I don’t know if this means anything, nobody watched The Idol,” wrote one viewer. Another added: “Y’all keep saying ‘Maddy is gonna die’… but did we not forget she’s literally in The Idol which takes place AFTER season three.” A third wrote: “The Idol must take place after Euphoria. Maddy was all partying with Jocelyn who Maddy uses as a connect since she big star.”
In the season’s penultimate episode, Episode 7 “Rain or Shine,” which aired on 24 May, Maddy returned after a prolonged absence from the season. Following the show’s five-year time jump, she has evolved from a troubled teenager into a high-powered casting director in Hollywood. Her re-emergence came at a particularly dangerous moment in the narrative, as the fallout from Nate’s death places both her and Cassie in the grip of criminal financier Alamo.
The death that shocked viewers came in episode seven, when Jacob Elordi’s Nate Jacobs was buried alive in a coffin by gangster Naz and subsequently killed by a rattlesnake that found its way down a breathing pipe. Cassie and Maddy had raced to save him but arrived too late. The Australian actor, who recently starred in Saltburn, took the exit with characteristic good humour — posting behind-the-scenes photographs on Euphoria’s Instagram account, in one of which he can be seen throwing a rock sign from inside the wooden coffin.
Speaking to HBO in a post-episode recap, Elordi described the filming experience in characteristically understated terms. “It was really nice, actually — it was quite peaceful in there,” he said of the coffin. He added that a boa constrictor used in the snake sequence was “super cute” and “really sleepy,” requiring some encouragement to move. “He kind of just sidled up next to me and it was nice,” he said. On his character’s end, he was reflective. “Nate was someone who has made so many mistakes and so many dark choices. It’s cool to see it all come to what it’s come to.” He called the exit bittersweet after 23 episodes across three seasons.
Fans had been speculating for some time that Elordi was keen to leave the show, and many were openly delighted on his behalf. “Jacob Elordi really wanted f***ing out of Euphoria,” wrote one viewer on X. “I know Jacob Elordi was happy asf when he saw his character was dying,” wrote another. A third was more measured: “This show is a waste. Guy has real talent. On to better things.”
Among the wider finale theories circulating, Maddy is considered by many observers the character most likely to survive. “Maddy has always understood power better than anyone else on the show. While everyone around her mistakes confidence for invincibility, Maddy actually adapts,” noted one analysis.
Whether the Levinson universe theory holds — or whether the writers have something more shocking in store — will become clear when the finale airs this weekend.
