Euphoria ended with Ali, but who was he really to Rue? Colman Domingo explains their bond

After all the chaos, deaths, betrayals and genuinely ridiculous plot twists in the Euphoria finale, it actually ended on a surprisingly peaceful note, with Ali seeing and hearing Rue after her brutal death.

For a series that started with Rue’s addiction and followed her through years of relapses, heartbreak and self-destruction, it’s kind of fitting that the final person standing beside her story was Ali.

But if you’re wondering why the finale put so much focus on him, there’s actually a pretty emotional answer.

Ali was much more than Rue’s sponsor

via HBO

When Ali first appeared in season one, he was introduced as Rue’s Narcotics Anonymous sponsor. On paper, that was his role. But over time, he became something much bigger.

Ali understood Rue in a way that very few people did. He knew what addiction looked like because he’d lived through it himself. Before getting sober, he lost his marriage, damaged his relationship with his daughters and spent years battling substance abuse.

Throughout the series, he was one of the only adults willing to be completely honest with Rue. He challenged her, called out her lies and refused to sugar-coat anything.

At the same time, he never gave up on her.

Colman Domingo says Rue became like a daughter to Ali

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According to Ali actor Colman Domingo, their relationship eventually became deeply personal. Speaking to Variety, he explained that Ali saw Rue as a second chance at redemption.

“I think he believed that Rue was his last chance. If he could help her, he would feel redeemed for his own tragedies and faults and addiction. If he could do good with Rue, he felt like a better person.”

Domingo went on to explain that Ali’s bond with Rue slowly became similar to a father-daughter relationship.

“He started to invest himself in Rue and got to know her tenderness and her hopes, her dreams, her aspirations, her faults. He fell in love with her. That’s like his daughter.”

It’s actually one of the saddest parts of the finale when you think about it. Ali spent years trying to help Rue survive, only to lose her in the end. Domingo explained that Ali immediately understood the gravity of the situation.

“This loss is deep, but he’s still activated to find out what happened. Who are these people? What’s behind this?”

A lot of people saw Ali killing Alamo as simple revenge. But according to Domingo, it came from a much deeper place. After losing Rue, Ali felt he had failed the person he cared about most.

As Domingo explained, “Rue was like a surrogate for him and he was a surrogate for her.”

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