Euphoria is the new smash hit featuring Zendaya Coleman on HBO that many viewers just can’t get enough of on Sunday nights. However, in the latest episode, there was a scene involving McKay that has many viewers scratching their heads. They want to know if McKay was raped or if the disturbing bedroom scene was a hazing ritual gone way too far.
Prior to THAT scene, we get a good idea of what makes McKay (Algee Smith) tick as his love of football and his belief that he will play professionally is explored. When he entered college, McKay had it all. He had the prettiest girl, he was the best football player in his school and he just knew he would be rich and famous for doing what he loved.
Once he got to college, McKay realized that he wasn’t all that. Instead, it was obvious very quickly that he was just as good as everyone else on the team but nothing special as he previously had thought. That realization sent him into a spiral, as now he had no idea what to do with his life.
On top of that, McKay and Cassie (Sydney Sweeney) weren’t exactly on steady ground. He was having trouble calling her his girlfriend and in turn, she made out with one of her high school classmates. Knowing that every guy in high school wanted to steal his girlfriend didn’t help either and though he put on a good front, McKay is very insecure.
McKay and Cassie interrupted
It’s Halloween night in the latest episode of Euphoria and while the focus is on Christopher McKay, the story focuses on a series of Halloween parties. After leaving a party together (where Cassie was dressed up very proactively as Patricia Arquette’s character in True Romance), they head back to McKay’s dorm room to enjoy a little alone time.
And they were alone until a group of frat boys burst in and snatch a naked McKay off of Cassie, who scrambles to cover up while screaming at them to stop. The group of guys, in their underwear, continue to straddle McKay, calling him “McGay” before yelling “Sig Pi Nu, b***h!” Then they left the dorm room as quickly as they showed up.
Did McKay get raped in Euphoria?
The scene was disturbing enough on its own, as it looked like McKay was part of some inappropriate hazing. In the chaos of the scene, it didn’t look like any of the guys actually raped McKay though he was clearly sexually assaulted as they were simulating sex acts while holding him down.
Nonetheless, that moment was clearly disturbing for McKay, who started crying after they left before locking himself in the bathroom for quite some time.
Cassie, not knowing what to do, stayed on the bed and waited for her boyfriend to get himself together. Rather than going to comfort him, she stayed on the bed, playing with her phone until he came out.
McKay was seen inside the bathroom as he continued to cry before taking a long look in the mirror and making himself push all that upset inside so he can exit the bathroom tear-free.
While it’s not entirely clear what happened during that scene, it likely will be explained later as the story plays out. In a bit of foreshadowing earlier in the episode, we saw McKay with his father when he was just a kid and he was taught to toughen up and suck up his anger so he can let it all out on the football field. Now we can’t help but wonder what he might do on the football field (or elsewhere) when this upset comes bursting back out.
Euphoria airs Sundays at 10/9c on HBO.