Here’s what money Rue actually owes Laurie by season three (as Euphoria gets this wrong)

Euphoria season three kicks off when Laurie rocks up at Rue’s work and tells Rue she owes her money. The numbers Laurie mentions are astronomical, and a bit confusing. It’s literally been years since we saw Rue strike a deal with Laurie. So, how much money does Rue actually owe Laurie by season three of Euphoria? Here’s Rue’s debt, broken down. Laurie actually gets the maths wrong. Oopsie.

Why does Rue even owe Laurie money?

I’ll spare you from rewatching season two of Euphoria. In episode three, Ruminations, Rue makes the objectively terrible decision to embark in a career in drug dealing. She strikes a deal with Laurie, who fronts her a suitcase of fentanyl worth $10,000 (£8,705). Rue is meant to pay Laurie back within a month. In season two episode five, Rue’s mother Leslie finds the suitcase. Leslie doesn’t understand Rue’s plans, and flushes the drugs down the loo.

Is that interest correct?

When Laurie hunts down Rue in season three episode one, she says Rue’s debt has increased. Laurie says that once interest is applied to the $10,000, it becomes $43 million.

The actor Martha Kelly told The Hollywood Reporter that when she delivered her lines, she believed “this must be a joke” or “an exaggeration”.

She explained in a TikTok: “I could calculate the number that Rue owes Laurie … I don’t want to. It does sound awfully high to me. It sounds made-up … Laurie is herself a drug addict. That was explicitly stated in season two. She’s been living a rough and tumble life, and she looks pretty rough and tumble. I think she is so addicted to drugs, Why would we rely on her math for anything?”

If you grab your calculator and your GCSE revision notes, you’ll see that $10,000 at 20 per cent monthly compound interest for 46 months is $43,887,143.86 (£32,442,473.92). That’s actually quite a lot more money than Laurie says in the show. You’re missing out, girl!

The amounts of money are a mistake

Laurie seems to have forgotten this part happened
(Image via HBO)

Most Read

Katy Perry’s Teenage Dream BF detailed her alleged sexual misconduct before Ruby Rose’s claims

Revealed: The awful screenshot ‘receipts’ of texts Bec sent about other MAFS brides

Hailey Bieber gave an insight into her s*x life with Justin, and guys I’m actually blushing

The thing is, Rue owed Laurie more than $10,000. That was only the value of the drugs that went down the loo. As part of the deal, Rue was to pay Laurie $3,000 after a month.

In season two episode five, Rue did attempt to pay off some of the debt. She offered Laurie $2,000 in cash, plus approximately $1,000 of jewellery that she stole. Laurie rejects the jewellery as she is “not a porn shop” but takes the cash.

So, Rue should owe Laurie $11,000 within season two. By the time of season three, at Laurie’s ridiculous interest rates, Rue would actually owe Laurie $48,275,858.24 (£35,658,962.69)

How much money does Alamo end up paying Laurie?

I feel ill (Image via HBO)

Laurie decides to “call it” $100,000. Wow, how merciful. Rue enters a sort of indentured servitude to pay off this debt. Now, according to this article from The New York Times, people are generally offered between $1,000 to $10,000 to smuggle fentanyl from Mexico to the USA.

Rue does a dozen runs over two years. Although she works her way up to being Laurie’s “number one mule”, I’m going to assume Laurie doesn’t exactly offer her a favourable rate. So, Rue likely still owed Laurie tens of thousands, which Alamo paid off in season three episode two.

For more like this, like The Tab on Facebook.

Featured images via HBO.