‘Euphoria’ Special Episode Trailer Picks Up the Pieces After Rue’s Season Finale Relapse

[Editor’s Note: The following article contains slight spoilers for “Euphoria” Season 1.]

The first season finale of “Euphoria” left viewers buzzing about the fate of Rue, the series’ protagonist played by Zendaya in an Emmy-winning performance. Season 1’s final episode ended in ambiguous fashion after Rue relapsed and got thrown into a surreal musical fantasia that left some fans convinced the character was dead.

The cast of the hit HBO series quickly shut down those theories (Rue is alive, rest assured), and now viewers will get to see the aftermath of Rue’s relapse in a special “Euphoria” Christmas episode airing in December. The episode is one of two new “Euphoria” installments that will bridge the first and second seasons.

The official “Euphoria” episode synopsis from HBO reads:

“In the aftermath of being left by Jules at the train station and relapsing, the first special episode follows Rue as she celebrates Christmas. Written and directed by series creator Sam Levinson, the episode, titled “Trouble Don’t Last Always,” also stars Colman Domingo, who appeared in season one. The title and date of the second episode are forthcoming. Both special episodes were produced under COVID-19 guidelines.”

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The new “Euphoria” episode is coming in the wake of the show’s strong showing at the 2020 Emmys, where the Sam Levinson-created high school drama took home three prizes. The series’ biggest Emmy win was for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series, which made Zendaya the category’s youngest winner in history. “Euphoria” also won Emmys for Outstanding Contemporary Makeup and Outstanding Original Music and Lyrics.

HBO president Casey Bloys confirmed to Deadline after the Emmys that “Euphoria” Season 2 is currently targeting a production start in early 2021. Levinson and the cast were gearing up to begin filming Season 2 back in March, just days before Hollywood shut down because of the coronavirus pandemic. With filming delayed until 2021, Levinson came up with an idea to create bridge episodes to hold fans over during the long wait between the first and second seasons. The show’s eight-episode first season wrapped its run over a year ago on August 4, 2019.

The “Euphoria” Christmas episode airs December 6 on HBO. Watch the trailer for the special in the video below.