Cal and Derek spend a night at a gay bar, and it's the only time we see Cal unfettered, unburdened, and free. The summer before college, he and his best friend Derek begin to explore their feelings with each other, but are cut short when Cal's then-girlfriend Marsha announces that she's pregnant. This season, as Cal unravels on his warpath to retrieve a tape of his night with Jules ( Hunter Schafer), the trans high school girl his son is secretly in love with, we're given a glimpse into his own youth in flashbacks. His toxic masculinity has metastasized into his son Nate ( Jacob Elordi), whose even more violent tendencies are rooted in his own struggles with sexual insecurity. Cal (played by Eric Dane) has long been the alpha dog of his community, but his machismo hides a lifelong struggle with his sexuality, which manifests as hook-ups with young gay men and trans women that he secretly films.
But the messiest shenanigans of Season 2, Episode 4 didn't come from the show's young ensemble, but from one of their parents. It's depiction of teen angst is dialed up to 11, causing more than a few parents watching the show to panic just a little. E uphoria has a reputation for doing the most.
