Euphoria season 2 is so focused on redeeming Nate Jacobs that it doesn’t realize that it may not be necessary for his character in the first place.

Euphoria season 2 is so focused on redeeming Nate Jacobs and making him a hero that it doesn’t realize that’s not necessary for his character in the first place. Nate Jacobs, played by Jacob Elordi, has always been one of the worst out of Euphoria’s many characters, from his catfishing and blackmailing of Jules (Hunter Schafer) to his abusive and toxic behavior towards ex-girlfriend Maddy (Alexa Demie). Despite all this, Euphoria season 2 was focused on turning this around, dissecting Nate as a character and his relationship with his father Cal (Eric Dane). Nate also entered into a secret relationship with Cassie (Sydney Sweeney), Maddy’s best friend, adding to the overall confusion as to what was really going on with Nate as a character.

While Elordi turns in a great performance as Nate, the writing around his character has caused many to question why the show wants audiences to sympathize with him. Instead of making Nate a villain, which he very much is, Euphoria is insistent on trying to dig deeper into Nate but inadvertently falls into harmful tropes like conflating confusion around one’s sexuality with violent and abusive behavior. This all culminated in Nate’s baffling dream in Euphoria episode 7 and his decision to turn his father into the police in the season 2 finale.

Nate’s decision to turn Cal into the police isn’t played like a straight hero moment, but the implication is there. His conversation with one of the police officers hints at the close relationship the Jacobs family has had with the East Highland police department and the situation itself is portrayed as retribution for what Cal has done to Nate and the rest of their family. Still, the moment doesn’t quite work for a few reasons, one of them being that just a few episodes prior to the finale, Nate was convinced he had to keep his father’s crimes a secret to save the Jacobs family’s construction business.

This heel turn, coupled with Euphoria season 2’s efforts to make Cal sympathetic, ultimately came together to send a mixed message in the finale. From the inconsistent characterization of both Nate and Cal to the confusing plot twist of Nate turning in him, the story about the Jacobs family ultimately amounted to a big question mark. Nate is no hero for turning his father in – he’s merely doing the right thing, something that is certainly out of character for him. The fact that it would have made more sense for Nate to commit some sort of violent act against his father goes to show the twisted logic of Euphoria (and the series certainly hinted this could happen as Nate showed up with a gun to confront Cal).

Euphoria’s focus on Nate and the Jacobs family looks set to continue in season 3. Cal actor Eric Dane has commented that there is some potential redemption for his character in the next batch of episodes and, like creator Sam Levinson’s fascination with Cassie, Nate has always been a focus of the show. Instead of making either of the Jacobs men heroes, though, Euphoria needs to lean into the fact that they’re villains instead of trying to convince audiences to root for these potentially irredeemable characters.

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