The writer explained that the story was “a tragic one in the end — but it’s also the truth”

Euphoria is officially over. The tumultuous drama series came to an end on HBO on Sunday night with the Season 3 finale, concluding with the death of Zendaya‘s character Rue from an accidental overdose.

In a behind-the-scenes segment that aired on HBO after the finale, creator Sam Levinson said, “It felt like an honest ending. The honest ending is people like Rue don’t make it. … I think in the end, I wanted to tell an honest story about addiction. I also wanted to tell a story about grief and the emotional turmoil that it can create.”

As Rue overdoses, she has a dream about Fezco, who was played by Angus Cloud before his death in 2023. The sequence features unused footage of the two actors. “I wanted to tell the story for Angus and for people who weren’t granted a second chance,” Levinson noted on the clip.

Levinson also told the New York Times that Season 3 is the official ending of the series. “In terms of the story that we set out to tell, which is a story about addiction and its consequences, this feels like the end to me,” he said.

He added that he had originally written a “different trajectory for the character of Rue.” The news of Cloud’s death impacted how he eventually sculpted the final season. “I’d always been really concerned about the prevalence of fentanyl and it’s something we’ve dealt with over the seasons. But once he passed away I had to re-conceive the script and I thought, ‘You can’t tell a story about addiction today without the very real consequences. Most people don’t get a second chance.'”

Levinson explained that the show’s story is “a tragic one in the end — but it’s also the truth.” “If you are experimenting or taking drugs today, it’s very possible it’ll kill you.”

Earlier this year, Levinson told Rolling Stone that he wanted to keep Cloud’s character alive on the show. “Keeping Angus alive in the story, it was like, if I couldn’t control it in life, at least I can control it in the work,” he explained. “The grief with Angus deeply informed the season. He was someone I loved very much. And someone I fought very hard for. Look, I’ve dealt with addiction. I’m well-versed in it. So you’re always kind of prepared, but losing Angus really shook me and made me angry for a lot of reasons.”

Zendaya previously hinted that Season 3 would be Euphoria‘s last. During an interview on The Drew Barrymore Show in April, Barrymore asked straight-up if this would be the last season, to which Zendaya replied: “I think so, yeah.” She added, “That closure is coming.”