This Is The Most Disturbing Part Of Euphoria Episode 7

Euphoria has always had a bit of a dreamlike quality to it, ever since the show's debut. Between Rue's intoxicated state, the arty shots of teen parties, and the nebulous space between childhood and adulthood, there's a trippy impermanence to everything. Lexi's theatrical debut in Season 2, Episode 7 was the perfect example of this. But wasn’t her play that left fans desperate for the next episode — it’s who didn’t attend the show. If you’re a Euphoria fan asking why Fez didn’t show up at Lexi's play, despite their growing relationship, you’re not alone.

Warning: Spoilers for Euphoria Season 2, Episode 7 follow. Season 2's penultimate episode, "The Theater and Its Double," was one of the series’ strangest conceits to date. After spending two seasons as the vaguely virginal and sober character, Lexi Howard took the trauma of her adolescence and put it front and center on stage. From the shock of watching Cassie go through puberty to the horror of seeing Rue's substance use disorder develop, Lexi let it all hang out. Her recreation of the drama fans already knew was brutally honest, severely funny, and deeply aware of how it might come across to those who inspired it.

Lexi agonized ahead of the show's debut that her friends and family would not be able to see the place of love and honesty her work sprang from. (Though, true to form, it seems the only one who really couldn't was Nate.) Fez was there every step of the way for her, encouraging her art and promising he'd be there to applaud and cheer her on.

Except that every time the camera panned to where he should have been sitting, the chair was empty. And Lexi, unable to stop the show and ask why, simply had to plaster a smile on her face and keep everything going.

The worst part is that between the flashbacks to the past and its recreations onstage, the show kept cutting to Fez’s apartment, where the lovable dealer was shown nervously preparing to go to the theater. Dressed to the nines, with a bouquet of red roses in hand for the playwright and star, Fez seemed to be set on keeping his word to Lexi.

So, what happened? The answer may lie in Faye and Custer’s behavior as Fez was getting ready.

Since the beginning of the season, Faye has been hanging around Fez’s home after Custer stashed her there to evade police. She’s floated around the place like a mournful ghost, casually dropping some of the season’s funniest lines. But Episode 6 saw her secretly meet up with Custer, which is when she learned from Custer that cops are asking questions about Mouse's murder. (Ashtray took him out with a hammer.) Custer implied he’s cooperating with the police, and he told Faye he’d be going to Fez’s place soon to feed the cops some info. This meeting serves both as a warning for Faye to not implicate herself, and as a directive for her to make sure Fez talks, which would take the heat off her and Custer.

Custer’s arrival at Fez’s place in Episode 7 brought all the bad vibes, especially once he leaned down and whispered something in Faye’s ear after telling her not to react. Fans don’t know what he said, though Ashtray clocked the exchange. Could he have told her the cops are coming for Fez and Ashtray? Did he tell her to stay quiet and wait it out?

The dreamlike quality of the scene also aids the show in keeping from viewers what Faye may have done in between her encounter with Custer in Episode 6 and now. From steaming Fez’s shirt to helping him prep for Lexi’s show, it seemed like she was all in on helping him. Does this mean she warned him about the cops too? Or is she ironing his best suit to send him directly into the waiting arms of the police?

Fans didn’t get an answer, as the last they saw of Fez was him about to head out to the theater. And then it was back to Lexi’s show and a story “To Be Continued.”

Euphoria’s Season 2 finale arrives Feb. 20, 2022, at 9 p.m. ET on HBO and HBO Max.