Euphoria season 3 episode 3 gave us everything and more with the wedding, Nate getting beaten to a pulp, Maddy serving in an olive green dress, and the surprising reunion between Nate and Jules.
It's not like we didn't know from the promotional images that Jules would be at the wedding; it's just more of a surprise that she would interact with Nate, considering their complicated dynamic and other off-screen problems. But HBO has a great way of creating character dynamics and making us root for the wrong relationships.
Still, that one scene where they share a cigarette in the garden is never beating the insane chemistry allegations, and here are the reasons why.
In my humble opinion, Nate always had a thing for Jules but felt like he couldn't act on it. In episode 1, he shows hostility to her at a house party after he finds out she had a sexual encounter with his dad, Cal Jacobs (Eric Dane). Nate's a reputation-based man, and he does not like his or his family's image called into question.
Nate's agression is driven by a number of things. I believe it's a combination of fear, self-loathing, and jealousy. Yes, walk with me here. Nate is jealous that Jules, a transgender woman, can openly express herself and be free about her sexuality. Nate, on the other hand, cannot.
It's established that Nate is repressed in his sexuality or his attraction to other people. Being attracted to Jules, a trans woman, is not part of the masculine jock image he or his family pushed onto him. Therefore, Jules represents something different. He can't access a side of himself he won't allow himself to discover. Yet, he still indulges.
It's canon that Nate has explicit pictures of other men on his phone, so his sexuality isn't awakened by Jules, but it's fair to say he has some kind of attraction or obsession with her.
He creates a fake identity just to talk to her
In season 1, the dynamic of Jules and Nate is complicated, but they have more chemistry because the show builds tension between them, rather than having them fall into a relationship like Nate and Cassie or become stuck in a trauma bond like Nate and Maddy. In season 1 episode 4, Nate meets up with Jules, pretending to be a guy named Tyler.
We all know Nate Jacobs has a control kink, but he's not simply trying to control Jules at that moment. He's surveying with the intention of trying to preserve his family's reputation and stop his father's dirty secrets from coming out.
Still, even when she sees him and is disgusted, he repeats, "I'm not trying to hurt you." Against all his anger, Nate doesn't attempt to hurt Jules like he does others. He's afraid of his own secrets getting out, like his closeted sexuality and his dad's dirty ways, but he's gentle with her in a weird twisted way.
And did we mention, they share a kiss?! Even if he's a manipulative freak, the kiss feels real, and so does the meet-up. Really, if we look at the "Tyler" identity, he feels authentic, and he's vulnerable and patient with Jules, something Nate never is, but maybe wants to be with her. Or hey, I could be delusional, but the signs are there!
Nate gives Jules the tape back
One of the most baffling and strangely unselfish things that Nate does, showing his soft spot for Jules, happens in season 2 episode 6 when he gives Jules back a tape of her and his dad being intimate. While he does something horrible to get it, he doesn't keep it for himself, and I think that speaks volumes to how he somehow regards Jules highly. While she is a threat to his family in season 1 if she threatens to out his dad, he realizes the lasting impact later, giving her back the tape.
In season 3, episode 3, Cal says as much as he tells Jules she must have "someone looking out for her," and she smiles knowingly, turning to look at Nate. It's the fact that, given the blackmail Nate has on his hands, he doesn't immediately try to destroy Jules. Instead, he uses it as leverage, but with Jules, he lets that go. The hesitation to do anything with the tape suggests he has doubts about it, and on some level, he cares about the outcome with Jules. Because a tape like that could ruin her life, job prospects, and dating life, but in the end, her future is preserved.
Jules provokes intense reactions from Nate not always centered in anger
An interesting way Nate reacts to Jules is with intense emotion. It isn't the typical anger or violence he responds with to Maddy, or the roughness he shows Cassie; it's something more. When they see each other in the school hallway, Nate is shaken up, to say the least. He's not happy, but he looks undone in a way he isn't with his other girlfriends.
Jules and her presence unnerve him for whatever reason, and her unwillingness to bend to his will is intriguing. Nate is used to being the golden boy, the king jock, and the desired boy, but Jules undoes that. She unpacks his masculinity and makes him question his preferences, and he doesn't like that. Still, Jules doesn't bow to his intimidation techniques. The reactions vary from anger, to irritation, to confusion, proving how layered their dynamic is.
There is a constant shift between how they interact
In addition to Nate having mixed reactions to Jules, their dynamic constantly shifts. In the beginning of season 1, it starts with Nate trying to pick up Jules off the side of the road as she rides her bike. It shifts again when Jules goes to the house party Nate's at, and he decides to provoke her, starting their enemies dynamic and being hateful.
However, you'd think this is where the dynamic stays, but it doesn't. From the beginning, Jules stands up to Nate, pulling a knife on him when he threatens her. Really, this changes when Nate transforms himself into the Tyler identity, and it sheds some light on why he targets Jules in the beginning.
There's a constant flip between softness and anger that is fascinating with these two. Particularly with Nate, who can't seem to leave her alone, even when he's at his own wedding! And it's not just Nate who is emotionally invested in Jules. She finds connection in him through Tyler, sharing her thoughts about her transgender identity and feelings on intimate topics. Even if she believes she's talking to another boy, it shows the connection isn't one-sided, and even when face-to-face with Nate, he makes her feel those complicated emotions. She could've walked away and not let him kiss her, but she did.
The dynamic may be messed up, complicated, and confusing, but it's one of the most compelling relationships in Euphoria, and there's an intense chemistry between Vaugn and Elordi that's sadly slept on.
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