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[This story contains spoilers from Euphoria season 3, episode 7.]
Colman Domingo had only briefly appeared in Euphoria’s long-awaited third season over its first six episodes, but on Sunday night, the actor’s Emmy-winning portrayal of Ali, the recovering addict who’s acted as sponsor and mentor to Rue (Zendaya) since season one, took center stage like never before. The season’s penultimate episode, “Rain or Shine,” opened with a moving glimpse into Ali’s past, showing viewers, for the first time, the darker side he’s often alluded to. He’s shown getting high and cheating on his wife with a fellow junkie (played by Natasha Lyonne), then bringing an abusive temper back home.
This leads into a key moment between Ali and Rue in the present, as he learns of her precarious situation trying to navigate her tenuous relationships with two rival drug gangs — and the DEA as an informant. She details her elaborate, life-or-death plan to Ali to escape the situation, which he listens in on nervously. Given the new context we get about the man, when he steps in to help, we understand it not only for the love he has for Rue, but also for how he believes he must operate in the world after causing so much pain and experiencing so much loss.
