Euphoria season 2 is so focused on redeeming Nate Jacobs and making him a hero that it doesn't realize that's not necessary for his character in the first place. Nate Jacobs, played by Jacob Elordi, has always been one of the worst out of Euphoria's many characters, from his catfishing and blackmailing of Jules (Hunter Schafer) to his abusive and toxic behavior towards ex-girlfriend Maddy (Alexa Demie). Despite all this, Euphoria season 2 was focused on turning this around, dissecting Nate as a character and his relationship with his father Cal (Eric Dane). Nate also entered into a secret relationship with Cassie (Sydney Sweeney), Maddy's best friend, adding to the overall confusion as to what was really going on with Nate as a character.
While Elordi turns in a great performance as Nate, the writing around his character has caused many to question why the show wants audiences to sympathize with him. Instead of making Nate a villain, which he very much is, Euphoria is insistent on trying to dig deeper into Nate but inadvertently falls into harmful tropes like conflating confusion around one's sexuality with violent and abusive behavior. This all culminated in Nate's baffling dream in Euphoria episode 7 and his decision to turn his father into the police in the season 2 finale.
Nate's decision to turn Cal into the police isn't played like a straight hero moment, but the implication is there. His conversation with one of the police officers hints at the close relationship the Jacobs family has had with the East Highland police department and the situation itself is portrayed as retribution for what Cal has done to Nate and the rest of their family.
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