‘Euphoria’ and ‘Hacks’ say goodbye. Plus, ‘Star City’ takes off

The finale of HBO's 'Euphoria' — a sprawling, hour-and-45-minute conclusion — is dissected not as a traditional series wrap-up, but as a radical artistic statement on addiction, grief, and the power of cinematic mythmaking. Chris Ryan and Aidan Greenwald confront the show’s polarizing ending: Rue’s death from a fentanyl overdose, framed not as a heroic sacrifice but as a quiet, almost accidental extinction. They argue that Sam Levinson’s decision to let Rue die without redemption or second chances is not a failure of storytelling, but a devastating commentary on the reality that most addicts don’t get a comeback. The episode’s surreal, genre-blending climax — a fantasy sequence where Rue imagines a final day of reconciliation, followed by a violent, Tarantino-esque revenge fantasy led by Ali — is defended not as chaos, but as a deliberate emotional excavation. The hosts find profound sincerity in the show’s use of religion, cinema, and myth as lifelines for characters drowning in trauma. They also praise the poignant, canonically respectful tribute to Angus Cloud, who played Fez, whose real-life death from fentanyl-laced drugs reshaped the finale’s trajectory. In contrast, they reflect on the more conventional, emotionally safe ending of 'Hacks', where Debra’s cancer diagnosis leads not to death, but to a return to life — a choice that, while satisfying, lacks the raw honesty of 'Euphoria'.