Now That Nate Jacobs Is Dead, Will Jacob Elordi Leave ‘Euphoria’?

Jacob Elordi did not quietly slip away from ‘Euphoria.’ He got buried alive, lost a finger and a toe, and was ultimately killed by a rattlesnake sliding through a coffin vent pipe. Nate Jacobs, the HBO drama’s most prominent male character, is gone, and with him exits the actor who has quietly become one of Hollywood’s most in-demand stars over the past several years.

The death arrived in the penultimate episode of the show’s third and final season, rattling fans across social media and closing one of the most discussed character arcs in prestige television. Elordi’s exit marks the first time the series has killed off one of its original characters, and the circumstances around it reveal as much about where Sam Levinson’s creative vision was headed as they do about where Elordi’s career is going next.

Nate Jacobs’ Season 3 Downfall and the Debt That Sealed His Fate

Since taking over his father’s business, Nate had been financially irresponsible and spiralled into debt. At the beginning of season three, he entered a business arrangement that left him owing money to a loan shark named Naz. What followed was a slow, punishing spiral that unfolded across the season before it reached its grotesque conclusion.

Nate racked up a debt of one million dollars with loan sharks, resulting in violent attacks. Many severed fingers and toes later, the sharks buried him in a coffin beneath his own development project. The brutality was methodical and escalating, designed to squeeze every last drop of tension from Nate’s predicament before the show delivered its final verdict.

In episode seven, Naz buried Nate alive on a property he was trying to develop. A 72-hour window was given because that is how long it would take for Nate to die of dehydration. But things moved far quicker than expected when a snake slithered down the air pipe Naz had left for him. Nate went from thinking someone was coming to help him to realising he was about to die.

Cassie and Maddy were eventually able to kill Naz with Alamo’s help, only to find Nate’s long-dead body when they lifted the coffin lid. The rescue arrived too late. It was a conclusion designed to deny the audience any clean resolution, which was entirely the point.

Sam Levinson Explains Why He Decided to Kill Off Nate

According to reporting, Levinson knew from the very beginning of season three that Nate was finished. Nate, who endured grief, trauma and violence throughout the first two seasons, showed glimpses of humanity in season three because Levinson deliberately muddied the moral waters, and that shift was a setup for what unfolded in episode seven.

Speaking to Esquire, The Hollywood Reporter recounted Levinson’s candid explanation of his thinking. The showrunner described a dynamic between himself and the audience built around justice and consequence: he knows what viewers want in terms of karma, and his instinct is always to find a way to give it to them while making it so horrific that by the time it happens, they are no longer sure they actually wanted it.

Levinson reflected on the complicity he was building with the audience, noting that after watching Nate’s more humane moments in season three, the viewer is left questioning whether he deserved such a fate. He put it plainly: the audience ends up asking themselves whether he should have had it better.

The death also carried a clear structural logic for the show’s final chapter. Nate’s gruesome end is being read by many critics as ‘Euphoria’ at its most fearless, a fitting close for a character who was terrifying at the start but had become increasingly pathetic as his circumstances collapsed around him.

Jacob Elordi’s Reaction to His ‘Euphoria’ Exit

Elordi reflected on bidding farewell to his character after nearly seven years with the show. In a post-episode featurette, he described the snake death as a cool way to go, adding that Nate was someone who made so many mistakes and dark choices, and that it was meaningful to see it all come to what it came to.

He also called the snake he shared the coffin with during filming surprisingly charming, describing it as real cuddly and noting that it saddled up next to him and made the experience more peaceful than expected. In a moment of characteristic self-awareness, Elordi expressed genuine pride in having been part of ‘Euphoria’, calling it a massive part of not just his career but his life.

Behind the scenes, the production used a boa constrictor with a rattle attached to it rather than an actual rattlesnake for safety reasons, while the wider shots of the snake approaching the air pipe used a real rattlesnake. The technical effort to make the sequence feel grounded only added to the absurdity of one of television’s most talked-about death scenes in recent memory.

From East Highland to Oscar Nominee: The Bigger Picture of Elordi’s Exit

Elordi’s departure from ‘Euphoria’ did not happen in a vacuum. It happened at the precise moment his film career accelerated to a level that few could have predicted when he first appeared as Nate Jacobs back in the show’s debut year.

Elordi earned an Oscar nomination for his portrayal of the creature in Guillermo del Toro’s ‘Frankenstein’, and has since starred in Emerald Fennell’s ‘Wuthering Heights’ alongside Margot Robbie, establishing himself as one of the most sought-after leading men working today.

Elordi himself has spoken about how his outlook as an actor has evolved, noting that early in his career with projects like ‘Euphoria’ and ‘The Kissing Booth’, he felt like he was acting for his life, driven by pure desire to be taken seriously. His work on more recent films has given him a sense of deliberateness and control he did not previously have, leaving him feeling re-energised and positive about his choices.

As one industry observer noted, Elordi is now firmly a movie star, and his exit from ‘Euphoria’ was not surprising given the trajectory he has been on. His name has even been circulating in conversations about the next James Bond, particularly following the boost that his Oscar nomination gave to his industry standing.

Looking ahead, Elordi is set to star in Ridley Scott’s post-apocalyptic thriller ‘The Dog Stars’ and may also appear in an adaptation of Cormac McCarthy’s ‘Outer Dark’. His trajectory suggests that the Oscar nomination is only the beginning of a new phase in his career.

Euphoria’s Final Season and What Nate’s Death Means for the Show’s Legacy

The long road to season three was shaped by tragedy and disruption, including the death of cast member Angus Cloud, who played Fez, the passing of executive producer Kevin Turen, and the Hollywood strikes of 2023, all of which contributed to years of delays before production could begin in earnest.

When Elordi first teased the season, he described it as incredibly liberating, noting that he got to play something far out from what he had done before. He praised Levinson for constructing something incredibly clever and cinematic, and expressed genuine excitement about watching the finished show as a fan alongside everyone else.

The series received 25 Emmy nominations and won nine awards across its first two seasons, cementing its reputation as one of the defining prestige dramas of its era. Whether season three lands as the definitive final statement the show’s fans have been waiting for remains to be seen, but the death of Nate Jacobs has undeniably given it a jolt of raw, unforgettable television.

Now that Nate is gone, do you think ‘Euphoria’ gave him the ending he deserved, or did losing Elordi cost the show’s finale its most compelling presence?