"The Theater and Its Double" is the seventh episode of the second season of Euphoria, and the seventeenth episode of the series overall. It was released on February 20, 2022 on HBO and HBO Max.[1]
Premise[]
Art imitates life as the East Highland crew watches their complicated dynamics reflected in Lexi's long-awaited play. Meanwhile, Fezco gets ready to attend.
Plots[]
Lexi calmly awaits for her play "This is Life" to begin, when Bobbi tells her it's ready, she smiles. The play opens with Lexi at Rue's father's wake. Lexi sees Rue snort drugs and reads her a poem to comfort her. Rue watches from the audience. Kat, Cassie, and Maddy are disturbed by seeing satirized versions of themselves on stage, realizing the play is about them.
Prior to the play's showing, Lexi and Fezco discuss the production with each other over the phone. Lexi is initially apprehensive about creating the play, fearful that the people she depicts misinterpret her intentions, but Fez reassures her that she should proceed with writing it.
Fez prepares to go to Lexi's play. Custer arrives at Fezco's apartment, intending to record a conversation about Mouse's murder. As the play goes on, Lexi eagerly awaits for Fezco to arrive, whose seat is still empty. During a flashback, a young Lexi and Cassie spend time with their father who is high and barely awake, Lexi cries to herself in the backseat.
Gia and Rue lie awake in bed, Gia asks Rue if they'll have less memories of their father as they get older. Rue continues giving her eulogy for her father as an emotional Lexi watches. In another scene from the play, Lexi and her family happily dance together as an emotional Suze and Cassie watch.
Rue and Fezco tease Lexi as she smokes weed for the first time. Again, Lexi disappointedly sees Fezco's seat still empty. Custer calls Faye over, telling her to stay relaxed. A suspicious Ashtray watches this interaction.
Rue and Jules ignore each other in the school bathroom, Rue lamenting their lack of relationship. Leslie tells Rue that she can no longer look out for Rue as she gets closer to adulthood and that she's going to focus on Gia.
Lexi recounts how she was unsure about her feelings toward Maddy's at first. However, they quickly warmed up as Maddy taught Lexi how to be confident with herself. Maddy and Cassie begin to get emotional as their old friendship plays out on stage. Right after Rue exposes Cassie and Nate's relationship, Cassie locks herself in the bathroom. Maddy rattles the doorknob and bangs on the door, begging her ex-friend to open it. She tells Cassie that she never would've done that to her. Cassie gets up to leave the auditorium as Maddy and Lexi watch. Lexi begins to feel regret about showing the play.
Cassie smiles to herself in the restroom, fighting back tears. During the play, Kat's secret occupation as a camgirl is exposed. Nate has a nightmare that Cal sexually assaults him, he is comforted by Cassie after waking up. Jules destroys the recording of her and Cal having sex.
Maddy tells Samantha that she is leaving her job babysitting for them. Samantha gives her a gift, the same purple dress that she wore.
An impatient Custer waits to speak to Fez and Ashtray sits next to Custer, staring at him.
A scene plays that characterizes East Highland's athletic team as being homoerotic. A musical number to "Holding Out For a Hero" plays, where the choreography features sexual acts between the male actors. Nate watches from his seat, humiliated and shaking. Meanwhile, the audience cheers and stare at him. Nate storms out of the play, lambasting it as being homophobic. He blames Cassie and tells her to leave his house.
The episode ends with an enraged Cassie staring at the play through a window, breathing on it heavily.
Credits[]
Cast[]
Crew[]
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Directed By Written By
Created By
Executive Producers
Producers Co-Producers Director of Photography Production Designer Edited By
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Music Composed By Casting By NY Casting By Choreography By Unit Production Manager
First Assistant Directors Second Assistant Directors Costume Designer Associate Producer Music Supervisor Sound Designer Consultants |
Trivia[]
- The title of this episode is a reference to the Antonin Artaud book of the same name from 1938.
- This is the only episode in the series (so far) that has a character who isn't Rue narrate. Lexi narrates this episode as viewers get a look into her view.
Soundtrack[]
| Song | Artist | Album | Scene |
|---|---|---|---|
| Amore mio aiutami - Version 2 | Piero Piccioni | Amore mio aiutami (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) | Overture flower picture; Lexi's play starts. |
| Minuet in A major, D. 334 | Gerhard Oppitz | Schubert: Piano Works, Vol. 8 | Everyone talks at the funeral. |
| Rêverie, L. 68: Reverie | Claude Debussy, Jean-Yves Thibaudet | Debussy: Classical Study & Focus | Lexi reads a poem to Rue. |
| Love Will Keep Us Together | Captain & Tennille | Love Will Keep Us Together | Intro to all the characters in Lexi's play. |
| Uno che grida amore - Colonna sonora del film "Metti una sera a cena" | Ennio Morricone | Cinevox Best B-sides (Top 100 Tracks from the Label's 45rpms) | Lexi and Fez talk on the phone. |
| Luna, amore e no | Piero Piccioni | Amore mio aiutami (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) | In the play, Lexi talks about after high school how beautiful she will be. |
| The Word Hurricane | Air | The Virgin Suicides (Original Motion Picture Score) | Lexi talks about having a good body in the play; Maddy and Kat watch Cassie and Nate walk down the hall. |
| Vivre Pour Vivre | Francis Lai | Le Cinéma De Francis Lai | Lexi narrates in the play about falling in love. |
| Count My Blessings | Fleacoo | Count My Blessings | Lexi watches Rue and Fez talk in the store. |
| E' vero ogni mondo è felice | Piero Piccioni | Scacco alla regina (Original soundtrack from "Scacco alla regina") | Lexi and Rue talk on the roof. |
| Ti prego amami - Film Version | Ennio Morricone | Metti una sera a cena (Gold Tracks) | Maddy opens Samantha's gift. |
| More - Remastered 2004 | Bobby Darin | The Legendary Bobby Darin | Lexi dances with her father. |
| Spartacus - Love Theme | Alex North | Movie Memories - Music From the Greatest Films | Lexi reminisces on love; Nate and Cassie dance and kiss; In the play, Jade convinces Lexi to smoke. |
| Oops (Oh My) [feat. Missy Elliott] | Missy Elliott, Tweet | Southern Hummingbird | Hallie, Marta and the cheerleaders do a routine onstage. |
| Surrender | Armando Trovajoli | Commissario Pepe - Police Chief Pepe - Le fouineur (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) | Cassie is crying in the bathroom; Kat dances; Cassie and Nate kiss. |
| Holding Out for a Hero - From "Footloose" Soundtrack | Bonnie Tyler | Secret Dreams and Forbidden Fire | In the play, Jake weight lifts and lip syncs while stretching. |
| Cannibal Holocaust (Main Theme) | Riz Ortolani | Cannibal Holocaust | Cassie watches the end of the play. |
Gallery[]
.jpeg "EP 207 Fezco (2).jpeg (93 KB)")
