Why Rue Is Working With The DEA

Last episode, Alamo hatched a plot to hit Laurie (Martha Kelly) where it would hurt her most. He had Bishop (Darrel Britt-Gibson) kill her bird, Paladin, under the guise of buying more drugs from Laurie. Rue had the stash in her van when she was pulled over by DEA agents, Jimenez (Hemky Madera) and Bowman (Bill Bodner).

She tried to act like she didn’t know why she was brought in. They let her spin a fumbling lie about never having been to Mexico and made her believe that they’d only found weed in her vehicle. Once they showed their hand, which included a photo of her speaking to a cartel member in Mexico and an evidence bag full of product, they had her on the hook.

Rue was told she was looking at 20 years in a federal prison at minimum unless she cooperated and helped the DEA catch dealers in the act. She agreed and they put a bug in her phone under her Mom’s contact so that they could listen in on her conversations in the hopes of overhearing something that could be used to bring these drug operations down.

But Alamo decided that he wasn’t going to get drugs from Laurie anymore now that he’d enacted sufficient enough revenge for Tish’s death (Emma Kotos) and the queenpin calling him a pig. This put Rue in a difficult position as she awkwardly asked him if they could get a new dealer while playing a round of poker.

She survived that interaction without getting caught because Alamo assumed she’d relapsed and was just looking for more drugs. But it was her heart that nearly got her caught by Big Eddy (Kadeem Hardison), thanks to a series of questions she asked Kitty (Anna Van Patten) without knowing Magick (Rosalía) was in the bathroom with them.

What Happened To Kitty In ‘Euphoria’ Season 3?

Kitty was hired to replace Angel (Priscilla Delgado) at the Silver Slipper. Rue had taken Angel to rehab in episode 2, “America My Dream,” but she supposedly ran away from the facility. Her disappearance reminded Rue that Angel was sure that she wouldn’t be back. Though Rue accepted the story, she kept an eye on Kitty.

Alamo seemed to have an affinity for the new dancer. But he was most interested in seeing how she’d attract the white clientele. This led to her being involved in a group sex session with men who’d paid for her services. However, they didn’t treat Kitty well. Rue caught their actions on the surveillance camera and checked in on her afterward.

She helped Kitty clean her face, and asked if she was alright. But Rue took it a step further than she has before. She asked Kitty if the men hurt her. When Kitty shook her head no, Rue asked if she was being forced to work at the club. Magick overheard her and made her presence known once Kitty said that she likes to dance.

Magick went straight to Eddy, which triggered an impromptu interrogation on his part because on top of the suspicious line of questioning, Rue had left her phone in his office. The DEA agents had been listening, they called Rue’s phone to warn her that she’d been made. Eddy thought she was answering a call from her mom, but that only bought Rue a little bit of time.

She had to come up with a plan on the fly and it seemed to be centered around calling Magick a liar, jealous of Kitty, and stealing drugs for herself. Rue said that they were in Magick’s locker and all they needed to do was check it. As the ladies yelled at one another, the club was being busted into by two men who coerced the bouncer to send security to the parking lot so they could burst into Eddy’s office undetected.

Laurie’s Crew Ups The Ante With Alamo

The men were armed and disguised with fabric masks with President Obama’s face on them. They wanted the contents of Eddy’s safe. But he wouldn’t tell them where it was, not even when one of them threatened to shoot Magick and Rue. The man counted down and then yelled, “Boom,” to make his point.

Eddy’s willingness to let them die so as not to incur Alamo’s wrath, but getting up to unlock the safe once he’d been shot and threatened with the loss of his manhood, was another shift in Rue’s perspective on the men she works for.

Still, she put pressure on his wound once the men left with the goods from the safe and urged Bishop (Darrell Britt-Gibson) to get Eddy to a hospital. But he wouldn’t until they knew for certain who’d robbed the Slipper.

Magick was combing through the surveillance footage. She wasn’t able to pick up a license plate because the thieves’ getaway truck didn’t have one. But she got a decent view of the driver, and that’s when Rue realized Faye (Chloe Cherry) was a part of this scheme that nearly cost Rue her life.

That means the culprits were likely Wayne (Toby Wallace) and Harley (James Landry Hébert), Laurie’s partners in the drug business who’d been plotting a way to get back at Alamo for Paladin’s death. Harley had wanted to kill everyone a part of Alamo’s operation, but thought that wouldn’t be painful enough. So this robbery is likely only the start of what’s to come and its poured gasoline on a roaring fire.

New episodes of Euphoria season 3 air Sundays at 9 p.m. ET on HBO and stream exclusively on HBO Max. Follow me on Forbes for weekly coverage of the season and news about the business of TV.