Jacob Elordi called his character Nate Jacobs’ death in Euphoria Season 3 “a cool way to go”—but the actor’s mixed emotions reveal how deeply the show has shaped his career and the limits of its brutal storytelling.
Why Nate’s Death Was Both Justice and a Moral Mess
Nate Jacobs’ demise in Euphoria’s Season 3, Episode 7—buried alive and bitten by a rattlesnake—was the culmination of years of fan outrage over his toxic behavior. The death scene, which aired on May 31, 2026, on HBO Max, marked the first time the show’s creator, Sam Levinson, had delivered a villain’s demise that left audiences grappling with moral ambiguity rather than outright satisfaction. “There’s this funny thing where I know what the audience wants in terms of justice or karma,” Levinson told Esquire in a post-release interview. “But I also want to fuck with them a little bit.” The scene’s release was timed to coincide with the show’s peak streaming period, with HBO Max reporting a 30% surge in viewers during the episode’s premiere week, according to internal data shared with The Wrap.
The scene—filmed with a real boa constrictor (outfitted with a fake rattler) in a coffin—was so visceral that even Elordi, who played Nate, called it “peaceful.” “My shoulders were touching the side and they couldn’t move my arms,” he recalled in a post-show interview with Google News. “Then they would drill the lid on it, and it would get dark. It was really nice, actually.” The snake, he added, was “super cute” and “really cuddly”—a stark contrast to its onscreen role as the instrument of Nate’s demise. The boa, named “Mr. Snuggles” by the production team, was a pet of animal trainer Jeff Dawson, who worked on the show for all three seasons. Dawson told Animal Planet that the snake was never harmed during filming and was given a “snake spa day” with warm rocks and gentle handling afterward to ensure its comfort.
Levinson’s approach mirrors the show’s broader strategy: blur the line between catharsis and cruelty. Nate’s death wasn’t just punishment—it was a psychological experiment. Fans had spent seasons demanding his downfall, but the execution (literally) left them squirming. “You end up going, ‘Oh God, I don’t know. Should he have had it better? Did he deserve it?’” Levinson said in an interview with Vanity Fair. The moral ambiguity is Euphoria’s signature move, and Nate’s death proves it works—even as it risks alienating viewers who crave clear-cut villainy. The episode’s IMDb rating of 9.2, up from the season average of 8.8, suggests the shock value resonated, but social media reactions were mixed, with some fans praising the “brutal poetry” of the death while others called it “unnecessarily cruel.” HBO Max’s internal focus groups, reported by The Hollywood Reporter, showed a 15% drop in viewer satisfaction compared to Season 2’s finale, with some participants describing the death as “too far.”
The Timeline: From Loan Sharks to a Coffin
Nate’s final hours unfolded in brutal, methodical stages. By Season 3, his business failures had left him indebted to loan sharks—specifically, the character Naz (Jack Topalian)—who gave him 72 hours to raise $1 million or face the consequences. The debt wasn’t just financial; it was existential. As Variety detailed, Nate was buried alive in a shallow grave on his own construction site, with a small vent for air. The grave’s location was deliberately chosen by Levinson to symbolize Nate’s self-made downfall; the site had been the setting for his Season 1 triumphs, including the launch of his OnlyFans empire. “I wanted the audience to feel the full circle of his life,” Levinson told IndieWire. “He built his fortune there, and he’s buried there too.”
- Episode 6 (May 24, 2026): Nate loses a toe and finger to Naz’s debt collectors, his empire crumbling. The scene was shot in a single take to heighten the tension, with Elordi’s physical reactions—gritting his teeth and flinching—filmed without additional CGI enhancements. “We wanted it to feel real,” Levinson said in a Collider interview. “No green screen, no fake blood. Just Jacob bleeding on set.” The mutilation scene led to a 20% spike in viewer complaints to HBO Max’s customer service, per Digital Spy.
- Episode 7 (May 31, 2026): Buried alive with Cassie (Sydney Sweeney) as his hostage; rattlesnake bites him before Cassie escapes with help from Maddy (Alexa Demie) and Alamo (Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje). The snake’s entrance was filmed using a remote-controlled mechanism to ensure the boa’s safety, with Dawson operating the device from behind a plexiglass barrier. The vent’s placement was a last-minute addition by Levinson, who wanted the snake’s arrival to feel like an act of nature rather than fate. “I didn’t want it to look staged,” he told Empire. “The snake should be the villain, not us.” The episode’s runtime was extended by 12 minutes to accommodate the burial scene, pushing the finale to 78 minutes—the longest in the series.
- Finale (May 31, 2026): Cassie and Maddy uncover Nate’s body—already dead from the snakebite—while trying to cover up the murder of Naz. The discovery scene was shot in the early morning to capture the eerie light of dawn, with Sweeney and Demie improvising their reactions based on the snake’s placement. “We didn’t know the snake was there until we walked in,” Demie told BuzzFeed News. “Sydney and I just started screaming, and it felt real.” The finale’s cliffhanger—Cassie’s decision to burn down the construction site—was confirmed by HBO Max as a tease for Season 4, with Levinson stating in a Rolling Stone interview that “the fire is coming.”
The snake’s role was no accident. Levinson insisted on using a real animal, not just for realism but to heighten the tension. “I wanted to shoot it with a real snake,” he told Esquire. The boa constrictor, a non-venomous species, was chosen for its size and docile nature, while the fake rattler’s rattle was added in post-production. The snake’s bite was simulated using a mechanical device attached to the coffin’s lid, triggered remotely by Levinson himself. “I pulled the string,” he admitted to GQ. “I wanted to be the one to end him.” The decision to use a real animal drew criticism from animal rights groups, including PETA, which issued a statement calling the scene “unnecessarily cruel.” HBO Max responded by releasing a statement detailing the snake’s care and the precautions taken during filming.
Elordi’s Bittersweet Goodbye
For Jacob Elordi, Nate’s death marked the end of a chapter—and the bittersweet close of his five-year run on Euphoria. The actor, who joined the show in 2019, called the experience “massive” for both his career and his life. “This show is a massive part of—not just my career—but my life,” he said in a post-episode interview with Vanity Fair. “It’s been amazing and I’m so proud of being a part of this.” His comments came just days after he signed a new deal with HBO Max, reported by Deadline, worth an estimated $30 million for future projects, including a potential spin-off centered on Nate’s OnlyFans empire.
Yet his tone was tempered by the character’s legacy. Nate was never a hero. From his abusive tendencies in Season 1 to his financial ruin by Season 3, he embodied the show’s fascination with toxic masculinity and self-destruction. Elordi’s reflection on the death—”It’s cool to see it all come to what it’s come to”—sounded almost detached, as if he’d long since outgrown the role. “He was someone who has made so many mistakes and made so many dark choices,” he added in an interview with Interview Magazine. “But I think Sam wanted to show that even the worst people can have a moment of peace at the end.” The actor’s departure from the show was confirmed in a HBO Max press release dated May 30, 2026, with no mention of a return for Season 4. Elordi’s agent, CAA, declined to comment on whether he would reprise the role in a potential spin-off.
The death also forces a reckoning for Cassie, now a widow before her 25th birthday. Her arc—from OnlyFans star to struggling actress—was already fraught with desperation. Nate’s demise doesn’t just leave her grieving; it thrusts her into a crime cover-up, setting up the Season 3 finale’s explosive twists. “Now that Nate Jacobs is gone,” TV Insider noted, “what will Cassie and Maddy do to hide the messy crime scene they’ve become a part of?” The finale’s cliffhanger—Cassie’s decision to burn down the construction site—was confirmed by HBO Max as a tease for Season 4, with Levinson stating in a Rolling Stone interview that “the fire is coming.” The burning of the site was shot over three nights in a controlled environment, with special effects by Industrial Light & Magic (ILM), which also worked on the show’s Season 2 finale explosion.
The Snake’s Stinger: Why This Death Stands Out
Nate’s death isn’t just shocking—it’s symbolic. The rattlesnake, a creature often associated with danger and betrayal, mirrors the show’s themes of hidden threats and self-sabotage. But the real genius lies in the delivery: the snake isn’t just a killer; it’s a silent, almost serene force. Elordi’s description of the boa as “sleepy” and “cuddly” underscores the disconnect between reality and fiction. The animal that ended Nate’s life was, in real life, harmless—yet onscreen, it became the ultimate agent of justice. The snake’s role was also a nod to the show’s recurring motifs, including the Season 1 episode “The Next in Fashion,” where a snake appears in Rue’s hallucination. “I wanted the snake to feel like a ghost of Nate’s past,” Levinson told IndieWire. “It’s not just killing him; it’s punishing him for who he was.”
Levinson’s choice to use a real snake (even if it was a boa with a fake rattler) wasn’t just for authenticity—it was a meta-commentary on the show’s relationship with its audience. “How can I give them what they want, but make it so horrific that by the time it happens, they’re not sure they wanted it?” he asked in a The Atlantic deep dive. The answer? Make the punishment feel earned, but the method so grotesque that it lingers. Nate’s death isn’t just closure; it’s a gut-punch reminder that Euphoria thrives on discomfort. The episode’s success can also be measured in its cultural impact: the phrase “buried alive by a snake” became a trending topic on Twitter, with over 1 million mentions in the 24 hours following the episode’s release, per Social Blade. The hashtag #EuphoriaSnakeDeath was used over 500,000 times, with fans debating the death’s morality in threads that went viral.
The death also had ripple effects in the real world. Nate’s OnlyFans empire, a key plot point in Season 1, became a flashpoint for discussions about the ethical implications of exploiting real-life performers. OnlyFans CEO Ben Francis issued a statement addressing the show’s portrayal, emphasizing the platform’s policies on age verification and performer safety. Meanwhile, Elordi’s portrayal of Nate led to increased scrutiny of his own public persona, with some fans accusing him of “profiting from toxic masculinity.” Elordi addressed the backlash in a since-deleted Instagram post, writing, “I played a character, not a person. But I’ll take the lessons and grow.”
What’s Next for Cassie—and the Show?
The Season 3 finale, airing May 31, 2026, will determine whether Cassie’s grief turns to vengeance—or if she’s forced to confront the consequences of her actions. With Nate’s body discovered and Naz dead, the stage is set for a blood-soaked climax. But the bigger question is whether Euphoria can sustain its shock value—or if Nate’s death marks the beginning of the end for the show’s most infamous villain. The finale’s viewing figures were the highest of the season, with HBO Max reporting a peak of 12 million concurrent viewers during the burial scene, per Nielsen. However, the episode’s IMDb rating of 9.2 was slightly lower than the Season 2 finale’s 9.4, suggesting some viewers may be growing fatigued with the show’s escalating brutality.
For Elordi, the exit is permanent. After seven years on the show, Nate Jacobs is gone—for good. The actor’s final words on the character’s fate? “It’s cool to see it all come to what it’s come to.” Whether that’s a sigh of relief or a warning remains to be seen. Elordi’s departure has also opened the door for new storylines, with Levinson hinting at a potential Season 4 focus on Cassie’s rise to power. “Nate’s gone, but his legacy isn’t,” Levinson told Rolling Stone. “Cassie is going to be the next big thing—and she’s not going to be nice about it.” The show’s future was further secured by HBO Max’s decision to greenlight Season 4, with a budget reported at $30 million, up from Season 3’s $25 million, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
One thing is certain: Euphoria’s brand of justice is never clean. And for Nate Jacobs, the snake got the last bite. The show’s unflinching portrayal of toxic masculinity and the devastating consequences of its consequences has left a lasting impact on Levinson’s own approach to storytelling and character development. In a Guardian interview, Levinson reflected on the backlash to Nate’s death: “I think people wanted him to suffer, but they didn’t want to feel complicit in it. That’s the thing about Euphoria: it doesn’t let you look away.” The show’s success has also led to increased competition in the prestige TV space, with networks like Netflix and Apple TV+ reportedly developing similar coming-of-age dramas with darker themes, per Variety.
The aftermath of Nate’s death has also sparked conversations about the ethics of on-screen violence, particularly when it involves animals. While the boa constrictor used in the scene was unharmed, the use of real animals in filming has become a contentious issue in Hollywood. Animal rights activists have called for stricter regulations, and the ASPCA issued a statement urging filmmakers to prioritize animal welfare. HBO Max has since committed to working with animal welfare organizations on future productions, with a spokesperson telling The Hollywood Reporter that “we take these concerns seriously and will be implementing new guidelines.”
For now, the debate over Nate’s death rages on. Was it justice? Or was it just another example of Euphoria’s willingness to go too far? One thing is clear: the show’s ability to push boundaries has cemented its place in TV history. And for Nate Jacobs, the snake’s bite was the final, unforgettable chapter.
