After Episode 7 of Euphoria completely shattered fans emotionally with Nate Jacobs’ horrifying death, Colman Domingo is now teasing that the Season 3 finale is somehow even crazier. And honestly? That sounds terrifying. In a brand-new interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Domingo opened up about Ali finally stepping out from behind the “wise diner mentor” role and becoming one of the emotional centers of the season. According to him, the groundwork for the finale has apparently been building “for seasons,” and viewers genuinely “do not see it coming.”
His exact words?
“It’s going to smack people in the face.”
Yeah. That does not sound good for Rue.
Episode 7 already felt like the beginning of the end for multiple characters. Nate Jacobs, played by Jacob Elordi, died in one of the most disturbing scenes the show has ever done after being buried alive and bitten by a rattlesnake inside a coffin. Even Jacob Elordi himself later admitted he thought the death scene was “cool” and strangely “peaceful” to film.
But while fans were busy processing Nate’s death, Ali quietly became the emotional core of the episode.
For the first time ever, Euphoria finally showed Ali’s past in full detail instead of just hinting at it through conversations. The flashback revealed him abusing drugs, cheating on his wife with another addict played by Natasha Lyonne, and bringing violent anger back home to his family.
According to Domingo, that darker side was necessary because he did not want Ali to remain “just Buddha at a diner” forever.
“We already did that,” he said.
And we know, he’s right.
This season feels much darker, heavier, and far more spiritual than previous seasons. Ali’s scenes with Zendaya’s Rue now feel less like sponsor meetings and more like a father desperately trying to save someone before it’s too late.
One of the most heartbreaking reveals from the interview is that Ali keeps a notebook filled with the names of recovering addicts he’s lost over the years. Domingo explained that Ali helping Rue is not entirely selfless anymore. In his mind, keeping Rue alive is also keeping himself alive.
That line genuinely changes the way you view every interaction between them.
Meanwhile, Rue’s situation has become completely catastrophic.
She’s now trapped between rival drug gangs, the DEA, Laurie’s stolen money, and her increasingly fractured relationships with everybody around her. Even when Rue tells the truth now, nobody believes her anymore. Lexi thinks she’s using again. Jules has emotionally disconnected. Everybody keeps assuming she’s lying because that’s all they’ve known from her for years.
And honestly, Euphoria has been throwing death symbolism around Rue nonstop this season.
Near-death accidents. Religious imagery. Redemption scenes. Ali literally discussing all the addicts he couldn’t save. It genuinely feels like the show is preparing viewers emotionally for something devastating.
Domingo even described the entire season as being deeply shaped by grief and death, both inside and outside the show.
“There was death all around us,” he explained.
That honestly explains why Season 3 feels so emotionally exhausting compared to previous seasons. Even when characters are trying to help each other, everything still feels doomed somehow.
At the same time, Domingo defended creator Sam Levinson’s larger vision for the series, calling Euphoria “cinema” rather than television. He even compared the show’s structure to a modern Western, with morality, addiction, power, sex, faith, and survival all crashing into each other.
And whether people love this season or hate it, one thing is undeniable:
Nobody can predict where this finale is going anymore.
Nate is dead. Cassie is spiraling. Maddie is becoming terrifyingly controlling. Rue is cornered from every direction. Ali is emotionally breaking apart. And now the cast themselves are warning fans that the finale is about to completely blindside everyone.
At this point, all we know for sure is this:
Next Sunday is probably going to emotionally destroy the internet.