Shook Ones Pt. II (Euphoria)
A carnival brings secrets and confrontations to East Highland.
"Shook Ones Pt. II" is the fourth episode of Euphoria's first season. Series creator Sam Levinson both wrote and directed it, and it debuted on HBO on July 7, 2019. The episode takes its name from a 1995 Mobb Deep track of the same title. Critics widely praised the installment.
The cold open shows a young Jules Vaughn being placed in a psychiatric hospital by her mother against her will. As a teenager, she engages in casual sex with older men. The main plot follows a traveling carnival arriving in town, where Jules realizes that "Tyler" is actually Nate.
In the child portion of the plot, Jules's mother has her involuntarily committed. Jules struggles with gender dysphoria and turns to self-harm. After her parents divorce, she begins medical transition and has multiple casual encounters with older men. She moves to East Highland with her father David, befriends Rue, and develops feelings for the online persona "ShyGuy118."
Present-day, Ali compares Rue's fixation on Jules to an addiction. Days later, a carnival comes to East Highland. Nate mocks Maddy's revealing outfit. Jules tells Rue their kiss didn't make things awkward. Cassie storms off from Chris McKay when he won't call her his girlfriend. Fed up with their boyfriends, Maddy and Cassie take MDMA. Kat misreads a chat between Ethan and Becky, then leaves angrily to hook up with former student Luke Kasten. Jules recognizes Cal as the man she slept with. Rue, incredulous, explains he's Nate's father and a local power figure. Jules proves her claim by approaching Cal's chili stand, visibly rattling him.
Rue's mother Leslie calls to say Gia isn't answering her phone. Rue and Jules search the crowded carnival for her. Fireworks burst overhead as Cassie loudly orgasms on the carousel. Nate angrily chokes Maddy after she causes a scene at his family's chili stand, leading to a fight over dick pics on his phone. Rue eventually finds Gia smoking cannabis with McKay's twin brothers. Cal approaches Jules and begs her not to ruin his life. Jules, bewildered, says she had no such intention, relieving him.
Rue and Gia head home. Jules meets "Tyler" for the first time, and Nate reveals himself.
- Series
- Euphoria
- Season episode
- Season 1, Episode 4
- Air date
- July 7, 2019
- Network
- HBO
- Writer director
- Sam Levinson
- Title reference
- 1995 song by Mobb Deep
- Runtime
- Not specified in article
Lore & Background
The episode's cold open introduces Jules Vaughn (Hunter Schafer) being involuntarily committed to a psychiatric hospital by her mother as a child, and later engaging in casual sex with older men as a teenager. In the episode proper, a traveling carnival arrives in town, and Jules discovers "Tyler" is Nate.
Reader's Guide
The episode was filmed at Pann's Restaurant in Westchester, Los Angeles for the diner scene, while the carnival was built from scratch using rented rides two days before shooting. A ten-minute tracking shot introduces characters using a camera dolly, technocrane, and four invisible cuts. The final sequence used a horizontally rotating shot around Rue and Jules in bed, achieved by building the set upright with forced perspective. Music includes Anohni's "In My Dreams" and Pino Donaggio's "Laura's Theme" from Don't Look Now. The episode drew 2,112,000 viewers on its first day and received a Metacritic score of 88 out of 100 based on four user ratings. BuzzFeed ranked it the best episode of the series, and IndieWire placed it fourth in a list including season three's premiere.
Did You Know?
- The episode's title references the 1995 Mobb Deep song 'Shook Ones Pt. II'.
- The carnival was built from scratch using rented amusement rides two days before shooting began.
- The final scene's rotating shot was achieved by building the set upright with actors standing, using forced perspective to appear lying down.
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