WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Euphoria Season 2, Episode 8, “All My Life, My Heart Has Yearned For A Thing I Cannot Name,” now streaming on HBO Max.
Season 2 of HBO’s Euphoria brought the hammer down on the Jacobs’ household, culminating in Cal (Eric Dane) leaving. He grew tired of living this fake life, opting to abandon ship in a profane-laced rant about how he regretted marrying Marsha and had to hide his sexuality. He also blamed them for his illegal activities and the fact he became a sexual predator, which is what pissed Nate off. The season finale finally saw the two clash, airing out their grievances in a calm manner; however, rather than some sort of reconciliation and forgiveness, his son made secret moves to give the villain what he deserved.
Nate left home with Cal’s gun, loaded and seemingly intent on killing him. He found his dad in a lurid get-together with some friends. It was obvious Cal wasn’t missing his family, living out decades of repressed urges. Nate revealed, in front the party, how he found his dad’s stash of sex tapes at 11 and how he illegally recorded people at motels. This led to him being scared his dad would molest him, which informed why Nate developed nightmares. When the people left, scarred about Cal’s truths, Nate pulled the gun on his dad.
He made it clear he wanted revenge and no amount of tears or Cal saying he was sorry would make up for it. Nate was adamant his dad loved hurting people, which is what made the teen a monster too. Rather than kill him, Nate gave him a USB with all the sex videos, revealing he’ll now rot in jail. The cops pulled up and arrested Cal, thanking Nate for informing them of the criminal activities.
As they took Cal in, Nate was relieved because now his mom and brother were free of Cal’s sins; plus, they didn’t have to shoulder the burden of ratting him out. Nate wanted to be better, and this was the first act in a hopeful rebirth. He already gave Jules her sex tape, leading to the minor destroying it. While he played Jules in the past, he does seem to have feelings, so Jules may forgive him on her journey of self-discovery.
Nate was genuine in wanting to be free of Cal’s range and influence, after all, which did have a part to play in how he treated Jules, and the likes of Maddy and Cassie, who may even be pregnant for Nate. He hurt them all because that’s all he saw Cal do, which left fans without an ounce of sympathy for his dad.
Sure, it was sad knowing Cal got Marsha pregnant and had to pretend to be someone he wasn’t, but he damaged a lot of people by being a pervert and manipulator for no reason. It remains to be seen how Nate’s family will react to his snitching and what will be Cal’s punishment in Season 3. Ultimately, it will play a big part in them healing, as well as any other victims Cal left in his wake.
Both seasons of Euphoria are available on HBO and HBO Max.
About The Author
