Euphoria - Stuntin' With My Daddy _ Piece 2

Nate's story gets a lot of development as the episode, "Stuntin' Like My Daddy", takes through some "highlights" of his life, such as when he finds a DVD as a kid of his father fucking different people, including a homosexual relationship that startles him. The thumb in the mouth technique Nate's dad, Cal, used on Jules in the Pilot is used on a young gay man in a hotel room (perhaps the same hotel room as Jules?). So there is this past about Cal beyond just hotel trysts with underage girls (though, Jules told him that she wasn't a minor), among other people he was able to charm into sex. Nate's particular interests in girls, his likes and dislikes are run through by Rue's narration as different teenagers are "examined".  Even how girls posture themselves, certain physical characteristics, certain behaviors, all brought up...how Rue knew that was anyone's guess. Rue is more or less an all-seeing eye for the writer's room, I guess. The talk between father and son with Nate about what he would face as a success story, how his father had faith in him, but the sex vids really remain staunchly embedded in his psyche. Nate hates locker rooms where the dicks hang (and this show doesn't pull away from all of that) while he tries to not look down, and Maddy is the dream girl who fits within his framework of the perfect woman for him. So Tyler fucking her in the pool at his party left this maddening itch he needed to scratch which resulted in Nate sneaking into his apartment, leaving him with such a beating, he was practically paralyzed and bloodied on the floor. Nate even cleans up and lets himself out in the apartment; this serves as a reminder to Tyler that he isn't to ever touch Maddy or look her way again. That anger, rage, obsession, and jealousy drives out this darkness from Nate that one could only assume might lead to something far worse down the road. 

The talk of the "lesser" brother and "weak" mother in the family is briefly established with a family photo, but they are still out of the picture while Nate continues to be the focus. When Nate is revealed to be a texting partner with Jules, I do admit that I found that unexpected and rather jarring. I can't see those two ever hooking up or getting together. Their previous encounter in the Pilot didn't go over too smoothly!

All the Maddy and Nate relationship drama was interesting to me as an outside observer, but I feel like I'm past my prime for this kind of show. Nate seeing himself as a type of protector of Maddy, thinking about how she would be a victim for sex slavers and rapists, bound and determined not to let that happen, this is all certainly a motivation behind his scary behavior. Tyler, welling with fear-filled (and tear-filled) eyes as he finds Nate in his apartment gives us an exact view of the kid at his most monstrous. 

There is also Cassie and McKay meeting up, Cassie's drunk mother making a fool of herself to McKay, and McKay trying to discuss his freshman football troubles with Cassie, but she seems to only be invested in whether they fuck or not. McKay seems interested in an actual romantic relationship while it seems Cassie is confused when there is any focus beyond the physical. 

Also, Kat's sex with just a random asshole who taped it, posts that online and she has to go into damage control mode, with one particularly yikes scene with her poor principal, who seems startled by her shaming him for believing that the woman in the video (because she was plus-sized) was her, just because of the weight discrepancy. She goes to Troy to work over his friends into not believing it was Kat. And Kat actually meets a nice young man named Ethan (Austin Abrams), who she worries might be a school shooter, with him rather alarmed by that remark at first. Soon he eases her mind and even seems to appeal to her with a good sense of humor and sweetness. What left me rather disconcerted is her excitement in how guys on a porn site found her sex video hot...this is a road I worry she'll perhaps pursue.