Pilot

## *Euphoria*

"**Pilot**" is the first episode of the first season of *Euphoria*, and the first episode of the series overall. It was released on June 16, 2019 on HBO.

*For the episode's transcript, see here.*

## Premise

Seventeen-year-old Rue returns home from rehab with no plans to stay clean. She meets Jules, who's new in town, at a party at McKay's house. Nate gets in McKay's head when McKay takes an interest in Cassie. Nate and Maddy, who have broken up once again, attempt to make each other jealous. Meanwhile, Kat is pressured to lose something.

## Plot

Narrated by main character Rue Bennett, the show begins with a look at her past life and descent into depression, with an increasing reliance on drugs and alcohol as she reaches her teenage years. The summer before junior year was spent in rehab, but she had no intention of staying clean, going to ask Fezco and Ashtray for drugs. After getting out of rehab, Rue continues to do drugs before we cut out and follow Nate Jacobs as he drives along, taunting Jules Vaughn on her bike.

Jules happens to live in the suburbs but is new to the neighbourhood, finding solace in her friend Kat Hernandez, whom she texts after trying to find a hook up for the night on her phone. Her text to Kat then jumps perspectives to Kat, Maddy Perez, and Barbara Brookes as they prepare for the upcoming party at Chris McKay's.

Later, Rue arrives home to Leslie, her mom, berating her for leaving. She's forced to do a urine test to prove that she's clean, but before she does, she heads to her friend Lexi Howard's house to get a fresh sample.

Jules proceeds to hook up with a married man while McKay's party begins. A group of topless guys huddle around McKay’s phone, sharing nudes of Cassie Howard which causes him to feel uncomfortable and awkward. Later that night though, he hooks up with Cassie and things get heavy, leading to him becoming rough and choking her; a nod toward one of the themes of the episode: the similarities between intimate sex and porn.

As we jump back to Rue, we see her taking drugs before stumbling out into the hallway. The hallway rotates in a full 360 degree angle while she scrambles up the walls and ceiling before touching the ground again. She stumbles downstairs, but the camera defiantly steers away from her, traveling into a room with Kat accompanied by Roy McKay, Troy McKay, and Wes smoking weed. Struggling to fight against peer pressure and ridicule, Kat tells the boys she's not a virgin, and she is then pressured into taking her top off.

Nate calls off the party upon seeing his ex, Maddy, hooking up with Tyler Clarkson, but when he enters the kitchen again, he sees Jules, who has just arrived. Nate takes his frustration out on her, threatening to hurt her, until Jules grabs a nearby knife and turns the tables on Nate. She slashes her own arm and smears the blood on Nate before introducing herself to the onlooking crowd, which includes an impressed Rue. The two formally introduce themselves as the party clears out, and they head to Jules' house to spend the rest of the night together.

Eventually, the party ends and Nate arrives home near dawn. As he climbs up the stairs, we are shown the family picture that was on the lock-screen of the man Jules had sex with: Cal Jacobs, Nate's father.

## Credits

### Cast

* Zendaya as Rue Bennett
* Maude Apatow as Lexi Howard
* Angus Cloud as Fezco
* Eric Dane as Cal Jacobs
* Alexa Demie as Maddy Perez
* Jacob Elordi as Nate Jacobs
* Barbie Ferreira as Kat Hernandez
* Nika King as Leslie Bennett
* Storm Reid as Gia Bennett
* Hunter Schafer as Jules Vaughn
* Algee Smith as Chris McKay
* Sydney Sweeney as Cassie Howard

**Guest Starring**
* Alanna Ubach as Suze
* Lukas Gage as Tyler
* John Ales as David
* Tyler Timmons as Troy
* Tristan Timmons as Roy
* Javon Walton as Ashtray
* Sophia Rose Wilson as BB
* Bruce Wexler as Robert
* Janet Song as Therapist
* Janice LeAnn Brown as 4-Year-Old Rue
* McKenna Rae Roberts as 10-Year-Old Rue
* Jared Jordan as Jake
* Ruben Dario as Ted
* Nolan Bateman as Wes
* Olivia Grace Applegate as Ms. Kelly
* Jeffrey Barnett as Vincent Van Gogh
* Cyntrea Cotton as Leslie's Photo Double
* Hyla Rayne Fontenot as 7-Year-Old Gia
* Alex Joseph as Jockey Bro
* Montanna Gillis as Random Hot Girl

### Crew

* Augustine Frizzell

**Teleplay By**
* Sam Levinson

**Created By**
* Sam Levinson

**Executive Producers**
* Sam Levinson
* Kevin Turen
* Ravi Nandan
* Drake
* Adel "Future" Nur
* Ron Leshem
* Daphna Levin
* Hadas Mozes Lichtenstein
* Gary Lennon
* Mirit Toovi
* Tmira Yardeni
* Yoram Mokady

**Produced By**
* Tyler Romary

**Co-Producers**
* Allen Marshall Palmer
* Michael Carroll

**Director of Photography**
* Marcell Rév

**Production Designer**
* Michael Grasley

**Edited By**
* Julio C. Perez IV

**Music Composed By**
* Labrinth
* Jennifer Venditti

**Los Angeles Casting By**
* Jessica Kelly
* Mary Vernieu

**Co-Executive Producer**
* Augustine Frizzell

**Consulting Producer**
* Chrisann Verges

**Unit Production Manager**
* Tyler Romary

**First Assistant Directors**
* Angie Meyer
* Jason Z. Kemp

**Second Assistant Directors**
* Samantha Hollingsworth
* Cindy A. Taylor

**Costume Designer**
* Heidi Bivens

**Supervising Editor**
* Julio C. Perez IV

**Associate Producer**
* Harrison Kreiss

**Music Supervisors**
* Jen Malone
* Adam Leber

**Consultant**
* Scott Turner Schofield

## Trivia

* In a supposed original script, Nate Jacobs was supposed to be murdered by Rue Bennett.
	+ It isn't revealed how he dies, but he was found in a cornfield.
	+ This idea was still incorporated into "And Salt the Earth Behind You", where Rue unloads a full clip on Nate, who is tied to a chair and on fire.
		- Nate's funeral was also the cold open and it happened 4 months before said cold open which is when Jules Vaughn arrived in town in August 2018.
		- Nate was beaten so badly the cops could only identify him by the monogram on his jacket.
		- In the original script, the cops ask Rue what happened the night of August 24, which was also the day of McKay's party.
			* Rue Bennett showed her phone's photo album: years of memories from soccer games to birthday parties to her family, sleepovers with best friends, dance routines, selfies, makeup and school. Furthermore, there were supposed to be home videos shown with Robert Bennett.
			* Rue also showed more photos: more sexual, more obsessive, more focused on how she looks: pushing her boobs together in a mirror, her butt propped up against a sink, her lips, her mouth, more makeup, more disaffected, skirts, shorts, bras. panties, the gap between her legs, the side of her face that looks best, her stomach from the front, the side, standing, laying down, relaxed and sucked in.
			* Maddy Perez was originally Madison.
			* Ashtray was originally supposed to have Asperger's syndrome.
			* McKay was originally supposed to have one brother named Skylar, whose friend's name was Nick (Wes).
* While he's driving past Rue, Nate shouts out "I'd do it for Rue!" before throwing up the Three Finger Salute from *The Hunger Games*.
* In a flashback by Rue explaining how she didn’t remember much from ages 8-12, the boy that pushes past her is young Nate Jacobs.

## Gallery

*See also: Category:Images from Pilot*
* Videos
* Images

Euphoria full episode (season 1 episode 1 ) HBOEuphoria storyboard to scene episode 1 (hbo)Euphoria unfiltered zendaya discusses series premiere (hbo)Euphoria rotating room scene breakdown - behind the scenes of season 1 episode 1 HBO

## References

1. ↑ Euphoria Ep 1: Pilot | Official Website for the HBO Series | HBO.com
2. ↑ ‘Euphoria’ Episode 8 Finale Spoilers: Pilot Script Might Leak Major Death
3. ↑ 'Euphoria' 101 Pilot Script