Jules’ character is supposed to make the audience feel bad for her for being in love with an

addict, but instead it provides the audience with a character to hate.

Rue formulated an idea about running away with Jules, which wouldn’t have worked in the end
because Rue is an addict and Jules doesn’t have the capabilities to handle that in the most effective way,
however this plan soon fell apart once Rue got cold feet. However, Jules still decided to leave without
Rue, which prompted Rue’s almost immediate relapse. This isn’t to say that Jules is to blame for Rue’s
impulse control or addiction, but rather to explain how Jules is only concerned and aware of herself and to
illustrate the fact that she is unable to realize how her actions will affect others. Jules continually makes
impulsive choices with little regard for the people around her, which is especially prominent throughout
Season 2.
Jules and Rue both make the conscious choice to be in a relationship as implied from the
difference in their dynamic during the last episode of Season 1 and the first episode of Season 2. Jules
decides to completely disregard this fact when she cheats on Rue with Elliot, who Jules herself was
concerned that Rue had feelings for. Not only is Jules a cheater, but she also dares Rue to kiss Elliot and
then gets mad when she complies. In her jealousy, she makes sexual advances onto Elliot right in front of
Rue, blatantly disrespecting her and Rue’s pre-established relationship.
The introduction of Elliot and Jules’ relationship into Euphoria is nothing short of manipulative
and overall has an extremely negative effect on Rue. Elliot continuously manipulates both Rue and Jules
when he does drugs with Rue in secret and then snitches on her not only to her mother, but also to Jules,
conveniently leaving out the fact that he himself is also an addict. His only interest here is getting into
Jules’ pants, again with no regard for who he hurts in doing so. We see in Episode 4 of Season 2 that
Jules and Elliot steal liquor from a convenience store and essentially wreck it in the process. They then
get mad when Rue partakes in drinking the liquor that they stole, even though it was Elliot’s idea in the
first place. This was Elliot’s attempt to have an excuse to reveal Rue’s secrets so that he would have Jules
all to himself.
Both Jules and Elliot know that they are friends with an addict and unfairly take advantage of her
because of this. Preying on someone’s weaknesses is not what a friend or partner does, and the fact that
Jules and Elliot do this so effortlessly shows that they never really cared about Rue in the first place.