Fuck Anyone Who's Not a Sea Blob
A bottle episode exploring Jules's therapy session.
"Fuck Anyone Who's Not a Sea Blob" is the second of two special episodes that aired between the first and second seasons of *Euphoria*. Written by actor Hunter Schafer and series creator Sam Levinson, with Levinson directing, it first streamed on HBO Max as "Part 2: Jules" on January 21, 2021, and later aired on HBO three days later. The episode is a bottle episode centered on Jules Vaughn (Schafer), a transgender teenage girl, as she talks with her therapist Dr. Mardy Nichols (Lauren Weedman) during the Christmas and holiday season. Their conversation covers Jules’ gender transition, her relationship with her on-and-off girlfriend Rue Bennett (Zendaya), and her lingering feelings for Nate Jacobs (Jacob Elordi), who catfished her using the fake identity "Tyler."
Critics universally praised the episode, especially for Schafer’s acting and writing. The show received three Primetime Emmy Award nominations for its specials as a whole, including Outstanding Contemporary Costumes and Outstanding Makeup (Non-Prosthetic).
**Plot**
Jules is grounded and in a therapy session. Dr. Nichols begins by asking why Jules ran away, but Jules is focused on stopping hormone replacement therapy. The therapist asks if this detransition is well-considered. Jules explains she built her identity around what men want, leading Dr. Nichols to question whether Jules’ personality is truly that reactive. After thinking it over, Jules agrees. Dr. Nichols pushes further, and Jules complains that women scrutinize each other, measuring their femininity against an ideal and ranking one another accordingly. Dr. Nichols notes that Rue doesn’t do this. The discussion returns to Jules’ wish to stop puberty blockers. She once feared puberty would make femininity impossible, but now sees the ocean as both feminine and "deep" and "thick" like masculinity. Jules describes being transgender as spiritual. She expresses bitter anger that Rue’s sobriety depended entirely on her. A flashback shows Jules’s drug-addicted mother (credited as "Jules's Mom") overdosing. Dr. Nichols draws a comparison between Amy and Rue. Jules feels she still loves Nate Jacobs’ online persona "ShyGuy118" or "Tyler." She considers their sexting a perfect sexual experience because it was left to imagination.
- Episode
- Fuck Anyone Who's Not a Sea Blob
- Series
- Euphoria
- Release
- January 21, 2021 (HBO Max); January 24, 2021 (HBO)
- Writers
- Hunter Schafer and Sam Levinson
- Director
- Sam Levinson
- Genre
- Drama, Special Episode
Lore & Background
The episode follows Jules Vaughn in a psychotherapy session with Dr. Mardy Nichols. Jules is grounded and initially focused on getting off hormone replacement therapy. The conversation explores her gender transition, her relationship with on-and-off girlfriend Rue Bennett (Zendaya), and her lingering love for Nate Jacobs (Jacob Elordi), who catfished her under the persona "Tyler". Jules discusses her fear that puberty would make femininity unattainable, but she realized the ocean is feminine yet "deep" and "thick" like masculinity. She expresses bitter anger that Rue's sobriety depended singularly on her, and a flashback shows Jules's drug-addicted mother (credited as "Jules's Mom") overdosing. Dr. Nichols asserts a comparison between Jules's mother and Rue.
Reader's Guide
The episode was written by Hunter Schafer and Sam Levinson, with Schafer executive producing. Schafer is the only person to write for Euphoria other than Levinson. The title "Sea Blob" was inspired by a deep sea creature called the sea angel. Levinson said the decision to work with Schafer came from his appall that viewers might see Jules as a villain; he wanted to force the audience to understand the burden of loving an addict. Schafer contributed a poem she wrote at sixteen about the ocean and its femininity and strength, which became actual dialogue. The beach scene flashbacks were filmed at Robert H. Meyer Memorial State Beach in Malibu, California. The small cast and lack of locations were limitations brought about when filming of season 2 was impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Both this episode and the last special "Trouble Don't Last Always" were shot adhering to COVID-19 safety guidelines. Schafer was involved in every step of the process and made storyboards for the special. The soundtrack includes "Lo Vas a Olvidar" by Billie Eilish and Rosalía, "Liability" by Lorde, "Stabat Mater" by Arvo Pärt, and "Love Me Low" by Ai Bendr. The episode received widespread critical acclaim, with particular praise for Schafer's performance and writing. On Rotten Tomatoes, it has a score of 96% based on 23 critical reviews. On Metacritic, it has an average weighted score of 78 out of 100 based on 10 reviews. TVLine named Schafer their "Performer of the Week" on January 30, 2021. The episode received two Primetime Emmy Award nominations: Outstanding Contemporary Costumes and Outstanding Makeup (Non-Prosthetic).
Creative Genesis and Collaborative Writing
HBO first revealed in October 2020 that two specials would bridge the gap between Euphoria's first and second seasons, and by December 7 of that year the network confirmed one would center on Jules Vaughn's perspective. What followed was a writing process unlike anything the series had seen before. Hunter Schafer, who portrays Jules on screen, stepped into the role of co-writer and executive producer alongside showrunner Sam Levinson, making her the sole other person to pen a script for the show. In a Twitter Q&A, Schafer explained the title's inspiration came from a deep-sea creature she called the sea angel—essentially a gelatinous blob with wings that flaps through the water. Levinson later told GQ that the decision to collaborate with Schafer stemmed from his frustration that viewers had labeled Jules a villain. He wanted an episode that would force audiences to see the world through her eyes and comprehend the weight of loving an addict. Their conversation turned to a poem Schafer had written at sixteen about the ocean's femininity and strength, and within four days they had a co-written draft in hand.
A Single Room, a Full Life: Narrative and Theme
The special is structured as a bottle episode, confining its runtime to a psychotherapy session between Jules Vaughn and her therapist Dr. Mardy Nichols around the Christmas season. Jules opens by insisting she wants off hormone replacement therapy, prompting Dr. Nichols to probe whether the decision has been carefully considered. She reflects on building her identity around what men desire and acknowledges her reactive nature. The dialogue expands into a meditation on how women scrutinize one another, ranking femininity on a hierarchy, before Dr. Nichols notes that Rue does not operate that way. Jules reframes her fear of puberty by comparing the ocean to something both feminine and thick, deep, and masculine. She describes being transgender as spiritual, vents frustration that Rue's sobriety hinged entirely on her, and revisits the catfishing incident with Nate Jacobs under the handle 'Tyler.' A dream sequence imagines Jules living with Rue in a New York studio apartment while Rue's addiction deepens, and a flashback returns to her mother Amy's overdose. The episode closes with Rue visiting the grounded Jules, both breaking down in tears before Rue wishes her a merry Christmas and leaves.
Critical Acclaim and Industry Recognition
The special premiered on HBO Max on January 21, 2021, before moving to the main HBO channel three days later, and the critical response was immediate and overwhelming. Reviewers granted it universal acclaim, with particular emphasis on Hunter Schafer's dual contribution as both performer and writer. The episode demonstrated that her work extended well beyond acting; the script she co-authored with Levinson gave Jules a voice of extraordinary specificity and emotional honesty that resonated far beyond the screen. In terms of formal industry recognition, the two Euphoria specials together earned three Primetime Emmy Award nominations, and two of those three went directly to this episode: Outstanding Contemporary Costumes and Outstanding Makeup (Non-Prosthetic). Those nominations underscored how the production design and the physicality of Schafer's performance were integral to the storytelling. The episode's success also cemented Schafer's reputation as a creative force in the industry, not merely an actress delivering someone else's words, and it set a benchmark for how a single-character special could function as both narrative bridge and standalone artistic statement within a serialized drama.
Pandemic Constraints and Artistic Process
Filming for the special was shaped by the practical realities of the COVID-19 pandemic, which had already disrupted the production of Euphoria's second season. The result was a deliberately small cast and a limited number of locations, constraints that the creative team turned into a feature rather than a limitation. The beach flashback scenes were shot at Robert H. Meyer Memorial State Beach in Malibu, California, and both this episode and its companion special 'Trouble Don't Last Always' were filmed under strict pandemic safety protocols. Behind the scenes, Schafer's involvement went far beyond her on-camera performance. In a behind-the-scenes video on Euphoria's YouTube channel, she described herself as 'involved in every step of the process' and called the experience a 'huge learning experience.' Levinson highlighted that she approached the work from the perspective of a visual artist—someone who paints and draws—and she personally created storyboards for the special. The musical choices also carried weight: Billie Eilish and Rosalía announced on January 19, 2021, that their collaboration 'Lo Vas a Olvidar' would feature in the soundtrack, while Lorde's 'Liability' plays in full over an extreme close-up of Jules' eye, anchoring the episode's emotional core in sound.
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