By Tyler Banark

Stand Still and See finally gives exposition on a NEW character: Alamo. The episode opens by showing what made him become the man he is in the show: a tragic backstory, with Danielle Deadwyler making her series debut. Since the list of recurring and guest cast members was announced, I’ve been eager to see how Deadwyler will fit into Euphoria. Now that we know that she plays Alamo’s mother, it honestly feels like the most fitting role she could’ve played on this show. Luckily, her time on the episode isn’t wasted as Alamo’s backstory is simple but compelling. As for the episode itself, Stand Still and See continues the streak of Euphoria not being more of a headache than it already is. 

If it hasn’t been made clear already, this season has been at its strongest when it focuses on Rue’s subplot. Here, it takes a turn where we could have a shocking final two episodes of the season because it seems stuff is about to hit the fan. Rue gets Alamo and Laurie in the same room to talk and set up a smuggling that the DEA tunes in on. This episode really made it seem like everything is starting to go Rue’s way, but part of me believes that that won’t last long. Not only is the feud between Alamo and Laurie looking to rear its head, but Rue also speaks to her mother for the first time this season. She talks on how she’s let God into her life and how she no longer wants to be haunted by the mistakes of her past. It makes you feel for Rue, and Zendaya conveys this very well in her acting. 

Furthermore, things continue to heat up for Cassie as she gets her shot on LA Nights. Initially written for one scene, her character, simply titled Job Applicant, finds herself in a situation where it’s reminiscent of Cassie’s money situation with Nate. She decides to improvise the scene making it different than what the director and producer intend it to be. They become so convinced by Cassie’s acting that they decide to write a subplot for the show. The take we see them shoot for LA Nights is by far the best acting we’ve seen from Sydney Sweeney thus far in the season. However, when the director tells Cassie that she’d be willing to give her a shot to make her a bigger character than intended for the show, she tells her that she must delete her OnlyFans. Cassie reluctantly does so, but knowing this show, it’s going to come back and be a decision she may regret.

Has this show changed the way I view it over the last two episodes? No, but I am becoming more and more optimistic that Euphoria Season 3 could end on a better note than it started. It may be phoning in certain aspects of the show (Nate has one scene where he, once again, gets beaten up and loses a finger), but Stand Still and See reminded me that when the show isn’t focusing on exploiting sexualization, it can feel like you’re not watching something that’s burning your eyes. This was easily the strongest episode of the season, and I hope it’ll continue to build on the momentum that this episode and last episode had. I’m cautious of it, though, as that could all change at the flip of a switch. For now, I’m feeling alright going into the penultimate episode of the season. 

Rating: 4 out of 5