Laurie and Rue are two main characters in the hit HBO drama series Euphoria. The show explores mature themes around high school students as they navigate relationships, identity, drugs, sex, and more. One of the central relationships is between Rue, played by Zendaya, and her best friend Laurie, played by Maude Apatow.
Throughout the first season, Rue struggles with drug addiction and dependence on various substances. Laurie serves as both an enabler and a support system for Rue, though her intentions are not always clear. This leads to an important question for viewers – does Laurie lie to Rue?
Laurie’s Character
To analyze Laurie’s truthfulness, it’s important to first understand her character. Laurie comes from an upper middle class background and attends the same high school as Rue and their friend group. She seems like a typical suburban teenager on the surface. However, Laurie has her own family struggles, including a distant relationship with her mother.
Laurie cares deeply for Rue and wants to be there for her. Throughout season 1, she attends parties with Rue, tries to protect her from dangerous situations, and lends emotional support during Rue’s breakdowns. However, Laurie also enables some of Rue’s self-destructive behavior by buying drugs and alcohol for her. She is both an angel and a demon on Rue’s shoulder.
Moments of Dishonesty
Though well-intentioned, Laurie does lie to Rue or omit the full truth in key moments. Here are some examples:
Rue’s Drug Use
Laurie downplays how much she enables Rue’s drug addiction. At parties, she shrugs off Rue’s drug intake as normal teenage experimentation. But in reality, Rue is doing dangerous amounts of substances like morphine and fentanyl that could kill her. Laurie knows the extent of the drug use but doesn’t fully admit it.
The Drug Deal
When Rue needs morphine, Laurie sets up a drug deal with her scary dealer Fezco. But she lies to Rue and says Fezco is giving them drugs for free to help Rue out, when in reality she paid for them. Laurie doesn’t want Rue to feel guilty about the cost.
Her Own Drug Use
Laurie also lies about the extent of her own recreational drug use. She makes it seem like she just drinks socially, when in fact she also does drugs like Rue. Laurie likely hides this to avoid enabling Rue even more.
Moments of Truth
However, Laurie does show she cares about Rue through moments of brutal honesty:
Her Concern for Rue’s Health
When Rue is hospitalized after an overdose, Laurie tearfully confesses she’s been covering up how severe Rue’s addiction is. She admits Rue needs real help and can’t go on this way, even if the truth hurts.
Her Disapproval of Dangerous Behavior
Laurie confronts Rue about putting herself in risky situations, like going to Fezco’s house alone. She does not hide her concern, even when Rue accuses her of being overprotective.
Her Own Mental Health
In emotional scenes, Laurie opens up to Rue about her struggles with depression, eating disorders, and loneliness. She does not pretend to have it all together.
Laurie’s Motivations
What motivates Laurie’s half-truths? As her friend, she likely wants to:
– Avoid conflict and keep Rue calm
– Shield Rue from feeling guilty or ashamed
– Protect their friendship by hiding her own flaws
– Rationalize her enabling as normal teenage behavior
The lies often come from care for Rue, even if misguided. Laurie does not have many close friends – she can’t bear to lose Rue.
The Verdict
So, does Laurie lie to Rue? The answer is yes, but with nuance.
The Lies
Laurie clearly lies about or downplays:
– The severity of Rue’s drug addiction
– Her own drug use
– Enabling Rue by buying her drugs
The Intentions
However, Laurie’s intentions are more complicated than simple deception:
– She wants to help Rue in misguided ways
– She seeks to avoid conflict and preserve their friendship
– She feels immense care and concern for Rue’s wellbeing
Conclusion
Laurie does lie to Rue repeatedly throughout Euphoria season 1. She hides key truths about Rue’s drug use, her own drug use, and her enabling behaviors. However, her motivations for lying come from a place of misguided care and protectiveness as Rue’s friend, not malice.
Ultimately, Laurie needs to be honest with both Rue and herself if she wants to truly help Rue. Their friendship runs deep, but it remains Tumultuous when built on half-truths. Laurie lies out of love, but telling the truth is an act of love too.
| Lie | Truth |
|---|---|
| Downplaying Rue’s addiction and drug use | Rue is abusing dangerous substances like morphine and fentanyl that could kill her |
| Hiding her own drug use | Laurie also abuses drugs recreationally |
| Saying she got Rue drugs for free | She actually paid their scary dealer Fezco for the drugs |
References
Euphoria, Season 1, Episode 1-8, HBO, 2019.
Wang, Amy X. “Euphoria’s Laurie Explained: Who Is the Shady Drug Dealer?”Observer, Observer, 17 July 2019, https://observer.com/2019/07/euphoria-hbo-laurie-drug-dealer/.
Schwartz, Dana. “Euphoria: Who Is Laurie, and What Does She Want with Rue?”The Ringer, The Ringer, 8 July 2019, https://www.theringer.com/tv/2019/7/8/20686193/euphoria-hbo-rue-laurie-storm-reid-nika-king.