One of the most interesting things about HBO's Euphoria is the way the show dives into the backstories of each main character. All but one episode in season 1 opened by detailing what various characters had been through before the series actually premiered. For the most part, these were very tragic.
Each of these characters is a flawed person who was ultimately shaped by the events of their childhood. In some cases, things like death and drug addiction molded them. Meanwhile, there are others who were bullied or surrounded by toxic masculinity. Some are in sadder situations than others but most didn't really have it easy.
Updated on February 22nd, 2022 by Kevin Pantoja: Euphoria season 2 has changed things up in of the show's format. Only two episodes have provided a new backstory for characters before diving into the present-day content. Still, the series does give a look at smaller aspects of what these people have been through with flashbacks and Rue's narration. That means that even without a ton of new information given out, audiences are able to learn a bit more about their trauma and it helps them sympathize with them even if these are characters who go on to do terrible things in the future.
Cal Jacobs
Most fans were likely not expecting to have an episode begin with a 10-15 minute backstory for Cal Jacobs. In season 1, he was seen as the guy who helped turn Nate into a troubled person, held secrets from his entire family, and was sleeping with underage people.
Some of those things are certainly unforgivable and his past didn't do much to change the audience's view of him. Cal was a lot like Nate growing up in that he seemed to have everything but was forced to hide his true sexuality from a seemingly abusive father. His one moment of true happiness saw him have sex with his friend Derek, only to find out that his girlfriend was pregnant, putting him on his current life path.
Kat Hernandez
When Kat Hernandez's past was discussed, which came in "Made You Look," it began by explaining her weight gain. It happened when she was on vacation and consumed dozens of piña coladas in a short time. Returning to school after gaining that weight caused things to drastically change for her.
The boy she liked started to ignore her and people treated her differently. Kat had moments where she was bullied and it caused her to become something of an introvert. Even amongst her friends like Maddy, she was kind of the outcast. It's only when she embraces her sexuality and gains confidence that things turn around for her.
Fezco
Despite arguably being the most likable person on the show, Fezco is one of the only people to not get an episode dedicated to his past in season 1. He's one of the two drug dealers who viewers see, alongside his young buddy Ash Tray. Although he played a part in Rue's addiction, he's actually a good person.
Season 2 revealed that Fezco was left in the care of his grandmother, who treated him as her partner in crime but certainly cared for him. He ended up having a pretty good childhood due to it and formed a bond with Ash Tray once he was abandoned by his mother. Things turned truly tragic for Fezco when his grandmother got sick. He now had to take care of her, look after Ash Tray, and run a drug business on his own.
Christopher McKay
At a glance, Christopher McKay seems to have a pretty good life. He has trained since childhood to be a football player and starred in the sport while he was in high school. He also dated Cassie and seemed to genuinely care for her. Alas, there are several issues with his life that are shown in "The Next Episode."
When McKay gets to college, he quickly realizes that dedicating himself to football was kind of a waste since he's most likely not going to the NFL. His father is hard on him for it and doesn't grasp that his son is struggling. Toxic masculinity plays a huge part as it forces him to have issues with how people view him. That led him to mistreat Cassie and follow other toxic people. Alas, he has barely been around in season 2 so far.
Maddy Perez
The episode "'03 Bonnie and Clyde," directed by actress Jennifer Morrison, put the focus on Maddy Perez's past. Unlike nearly everyone else on the show, there wasn't anything particularly tragic that happened to her. She competed in beauty pageants and was generally happy. Other than her parents having a lame relationship without love, Maddy's life was shown to be really easy in season 1.
However, season 2 revealed a bit more. Maddy's parents actually fought a lot to the point where she had to stay at Cassie and Lexi's house. While there, she let her guard down and cried in Cassie's bed, at least according to Lexi's play. Although a lot of her relationship with Nate happened during the show, there's no doubt that it has continued to cause her pain.
Lexi Howard
Similar to Fezco, Lexi Howard is a very likable person. Also similar to him, she doesn't have an episode centered on her life but she has played a much bigger part in season 2. Her history is also seen in "The Trials and Tribulations of Trying to Pee While Depressed," which focuses on her sister Cassie. Lexi has had to deal with her father leaving and becoming a drug addict, which helped shape her future.
Moments that Cassie re as sweet are shown to be traumatizing for Lexi, including getting in the car with her drunk father behind the wheel. Lexi also struggles in the shadow of her sister throughout her life, which is tough to handle. On top of it all, Lexi also feels like she failed at helping Rue before her overdose since she chose not to say something about her addiction.
Nate Jacobs
Along the same lines as Christopher McKay, Nate Jacobs seems like a guy who has everything and that's mostly true. He's wealthy, his father helped build most of the town they live in, he's a football star, and his family is a perfect picture. Of course, that's all kind of a sham. It's seen in "Stuntin' Like My Daddy" that Nate found videos of his dad's sexual exploits with gay men and trans women when he was a kid.
That has played into Nate's struggles with his sexuality and his strained relationship with his dad. That was clear when he had an emotional breakdown in the finale while fighting with him. Nate harbors legitimate anger for his father and is happy when Cal walks out but also still tormented by that past. His mother even pinpointed that the videos he saw changed him (she didn't know what he saw, just when something changed for him) and it made him who he is today, which is a horrible person.
Cassie Howard
As noted in the entry about Lexi, Cassie Howard had to deal with what happened to her parents. However, things were tougher for her. Part of why Lexi was in her shadow was because Cassie developed into a beautiful young woman, which brought her unwanted attention from friends and various creepy family .
Her father's drug addiction also hurt her much more. In "The Trials and Tribulations of Trying to Pee While Depressed," it's shown that after being away for a long time, Cassie's dad sent her a text to see her. When he did, she saw how damaged he looked and he only ed her to use her.
Rue Bennett
The protagonist of Euphoria is Rue Bennett. There's a lot that goes wrong for her during her time before the series officially gets going. For starters, her father gets sick and spends months in bed before he es away. That's difficult on its own but then you consider what happened next.
Rue started doing drugs and ultimately became addicted. That drove her to have a tumultuous relationship with her mother that included threatening to kill her at one point. It reached its boiling point when she overdosed and was discovered by her little sister Gia, which traumatized her. Rue's past put her down a very tough path and things have only gotten more dire in season 2.
Jules Vaughn
"Shook Ones, Pt. II" is arguably the best episode of the series so far. It centers on what happened to Jules Vaughn in her past. When she was 11-years-old, her mother horrifically had her committed to a psychiatric hospital due to her gender dysphoria. These issues led her to self-harm.
Watching her cry out for help as her mom tricked her into the hospital for unjust reasons was heartbreaking. The special episode dedicated to her only added to these sad scenes as her relationship with her mother never really got better and she harbors resentment for it even as her father attempts to bring them back together a bit.
