Therapist Reacts to EUPHORIA 3x6 | Cassie's REAL Breakdown & Alamo's Mother Wound

Added: 2026-05-22

[00:00:00]Hello and welcome or welcome back. My name is Dr. Courtney Tracy. I'm known online as the truth doctor and I'm a licensed clinical social worker and almost a licensed psychologist in the state of California. On this show, I break down psychological concepts using pop culture and the media as my medium.

[00:00:15]I'm known as your psychological companion to all of your favorite shows.

[00:00:18]So, be sure to subscribe, hit that notification bell, and like this video if you like it. Today, I am wearing my Mercy shirt. I am wearing my Mercy shirt and I have my Euphoria mug. Water and God. Water and God. I feel like that's what I need today because did she die? I got comments on my reaction from last week this morning saying I need you to react to today's episode because so much happened in it. It's Monday morning.

[00:00:42]I've been staying off of the internet. I do not know if she died or not, but I am about to find out. And I am dressed for a funeral. And here we go. Alamo, show me a little clip of little Alamo. I want to see it so bad.

[00:00:56]>> Nice. cuz he could love me.

[00:01:00]But that don't mean nothing if you don't love you too.

[00:01:02]>> Cuz you the most important thing in the world to me.

[00:01:06]>> Is that true? Please be true.

[00:01:10]>> I'm Preston.

[00:01:11]>> Nice to finally meet you.

[00:01:13]>> Hi, Preston.

[00:01:14]>> Nice to meet you, too.

[00:01:16]>> Nice firm handshake you got there.

[00:01:18]>> Thanks.

[00:01:19]>> I love this show. Alamo didn't know him back then. He worked at a chemical factory until a vat blew up in his face.

[00:01:27]You know, when I get this money, >> we going to send you to one of those white schools.

[00:01:33]>> You might have to wear a uniform. When you get back home, I'm ask your mama to marry you.

[00:01:41]>> Oh, >> had a tough time with your daddy, >> but I want to try to make up for that.

[00:01:50]>> Oh.

[00:01:57]Alamo.

[00:01:58]>> His mama wanted to take him and leave.

[00:02:00]>> Okay, Alamo, time to go.

[00:02:02]>> Oh no, >> baby.

[00:02:07]Baby, please just don't don't do this. I can fix this. I promise. Baby, >> ain't nothing for you to fix.

[00:02:16]>> Check out the new digs, baby.

[00:02:20]>> Who is that?

[00:02:22]Oh no. Who is that?

[00:02:25]and closed the door. Broke my cat. The >> cat looked fond to me.

[00:02:34]>> I'm talking about my >> never again would a [ __ ] outsmart him.

[00:02:40]>> The coldest woman Alamo ever knew was his mother. Think about the emotions that Alamo as a little boy may have been experiencing in that moment when he realized that he was conned by his own mother. that the bond that he created with Preston was used as a ploy in order to get all of Preston's belongings and to go back to whoever it was that his mother was with. There was obviously a pause that I had when his mom said to him, "You're the most important thing to me." And I wanted so deeply to believe that that was true. It is so hard for parents to see at times that what they're doing when they think it's in the best interest for their children, it's ultimately not. Now, we know that Alamo's mother was doing a con job to get all of these belongings, but even parents that are well-intentioned, that believe that they're doing the best thing that they can for their children, may not be. Before knowing that this was a con, the first thing that went through my mind was that his mother was not capable of accepting that she was going to have to start over, of going back to the roots where she was. To be in that room by yourself with no father figure, with a mother who says that you're the most important thing to her, but you're actually not is absolutely devastating.

[00:03:51]And you can see that not only did Alamo not express the emotions that he may have been experiencing in that moment, but what he also did was make that promise to himself that he would never let another [ __ ] con him. And now you can see that what he does is con the [ __ ] Now, I'm not saying that they're [ __ ] but he does. That's what he believes in the story of his life. Now, does she die? Come on. Just Okay. So, now this is Alamo talking to his mother. Are you kidding?

[00:04:32]>> I know her. Her name IS HER NAME IS I CAN CALL HER. I can call her. I get your money back. I can get it back.

[00:04:38]>> And uh if you do this for me, I could uh let you let you keep some money.

[00:04:45]>> Like rob them. I'm not going to rob them.

[00:04:48]>> Only thing you ought to be carrying in that belly is some fair skin babies.

[00:04:52]>> M Don't have babies right now.

[00:04:57]Oh >> wait.

[00:05:03]Oh my god. Y'all, please.

[00:05:07]>> You promise I can keep the money.

[00:05:11]>> Valuing money over your life.

[00:05:14]>> Look, whatever my baby needs, she gets.

[00:05:16]Okay.

[00:05:18]Do you like that?

[00:05:19]>> You like the sound of that?

[00:05:20]>> I love it.

[00:05:21]>> Yeah.

[00:05:22]When you're not able to consume the materials that are available in society and your number one mindset is the high-end appearance of yourself to other people and being able to get luxury goods, it can be so easy to miss the actual luxuries of life. In the conversation that they were just having, FA is completely dismissed. Completely dismissed. He is promising to overcome the socioeconomic level that they're at right now and to provide her all of these things, manny petties and luxury goods, but what human beings really need is the ability to be respected and seen and connected to. And so, yes, they're madly in love with one another. Sure, that's a totally different experience than respecting one another and finding the kind of love that can last long term. There's little Alamo all grown up.

[00:06:18]Damn, it's a showdown. God, what's going to happen?

[00:06:23]>> Oh, I bet you would, Cracker.

[00:06:26]>> I've got something better in mind. You and a company called Gold Rush Medical Services.

[00:06:31]>> I owe me a lot of businesses. Mother [ __ ] you asking.

[00:06:36]So if you were to go down to bolt some boobs onto one of your [ __ ] it wouldn't be that difficult to bring something back.

[00:06:44]>> You talking fat? Why y'all dumb [ __ ] want to kill the customer?

[00:06:49]>> The real question is why does the customer want to buy something that can kill them? Pausing there. As somebody that owns a rehab, that's done drugs, that's sold drugs, that treats people who are addicted to drugs, that treats people who want to come off of them. I understand so much of this industry and that is actually a really really good point. Even the war on drugs back in the day wasn't a war on drugs. It was definitely political and governmental.

[00:07:14]The reality is that people use drugs because they're in pain. That's the entire point of this show is we seek this feeling of euphoria because what life throws at us can often be so much suffering and so much pain. However, the justification to be a drug dealer specifically that is dealing fentinyl that you know is going to kill people isn't a good enough justification. And I actually think it's really fascinating.

[00:07:39]See, I wish that we could have a backstory on Lori when Alamo is saying that he doesn't understand the business model. Why would you want to sell people fentinyl that's going to kill them? He doesn't want people to necessarily die.

[00:07:50]And I think that maybe that roots back to him being a child and he wasn't an aggressive young boy. He was somebody who was deeply deeply emotionally scarred by his mother and decided to never allow that to happen to him again.

[00:08:06]Lori is a very timid emotional person almost the opposite of Alamo. People who are very aggressive and emotional and outward do often have a counter to that where they have the opposite of the anger. They have a sadness. That's Alamo. With Lori here again with that timidness, that um flat affect, the blunted emotions. I'd be very curious to know what her internal emotional experience is actually like and her level of empathy. Who do you believe has more empathy for others, Alamo or Lori?

[00:08:42]And why? And keeping in mind there are different kinds of empathy here, but I'm not sort of going into that. I just want a generalization of what you think.

[00:08:50]>> How much am I carry?

[00:08:51]>> 80 kilos.

[00:08:58]>> Got a brand new mule.

[00:09:02]>> Oh my god.

[00:09:06]deal.

[00:09:10]Deal.

[00:09:15]>> Mhm.

[00:09:20]>> God damn it. Ru in the slightest. Even put a pinky up my I'm going come down on you like Hiroshima Nakasaki. Not a mother.

[00:09:32]>> Okay. So, uh what about me? You did your job. You kept your word. The US attorney will look at your case favorably.

[00:09:40]>> So that's it >> for the time being.

[00:09:43]>> I tried to warn Maddie about Alamo.

[00:09:45]>> I'm a big girl. R scared of him.

[00:09:49]>> And this last week had laid the groundwork.

[00:09:56]>> You got good taste.

[00:09:59]>> Tell something I don't know.

[00:10:01]>> Alamo's taste. I don't know if you noticed this, but the strip club and the house that he lives in are very similar to the way that his mother and Preston had that apartment or condo decorated before everything got stolen. He is stuck in that day psychologically. He is stuck in wanting to remove the emotions that he experienced when his mother conned him. He wants to never experience the vulnerability that goes along with trusting and bonding with somebody that somebody can just immediately take away at any moment. And you can see that he's stuck with the lifestyle that he was given for a short period of time. But he's trapped in it in terms of pain, not in terms of happiness.

[00:10:46]>> It would be good if you gave the girls some time off so I could take them out, introduce them to people, start building their profiles.

[00:10:53]>> You talking about time off? I'm not trying to take your girls, >> Bishop.

[00:10:58]>> Do I look like a wet?

[00:11:00]>> No.

[00:11:01]>> Why do I feel like everybody's trying to >> How one feels is irrelevant.

[00:11:07]>> Relevant >> mother. You got eyes and ears, don't you?

[00:11:10]>> Yes, I do.

[00:11:11]>> And what they seen and heard.

[00:11:15]>> There are people trying to you.

[00:11:18]>> I don't know if Maddie Perez is one of them.

[00:11:20]>> Maybe every mistake I've made led me to the right place after all.

[00:11:27]I have no responsibilities to anyone except myself.

[00:11:31]I think that's why I have so much anxiety and depression. Now, if I had kids, I think it'd be different.

[00:11:40]>> I don't know if you're ready for kids, R. Nobody's ready for kids, right? But they just do it.

[00:11:47]And your problems aren't about yourself anymore.

[00:11:51]No, there is a phenomenon where people who had really difficult childhoods want to have the opportunity to recreate their own childhood and or just have the experience of childhood by having their own children. And often times the belief is that you will overcome it. You will be able to undo. You will be able to redo. You will be able to have those memories and those experiences. The problem is is that the childhood that we originally had developed patterns, emotions, thought processes, pain, gaps, holes, and or filled those gaps and holes with other experiences that have made us into the adults that we are today.

[00:12:32]>> What you're talking about is fantasy.

[00:12:36]>> What you're doing is kind of a fantasy.

[00:12:40]>> Saying that to Jules because I I have to live for something greater than myself.

[00:12:45]You show up, you disappear, you make plans, you don't follow through, and now you're here like professing your love.

[00:12:52]>> Where's our relationship?

[00:12:54]In your head. It almost cost me my relationship.

[00:12:58]This place? Literally everything I'm working towards.

[00:13:01]>> So, this is your future now. It's like be hidden in this place here.

[00:13:07]>> His wife knows about me.

[00:13:09]>> What does that mean, Jules? It's a little toy that keeps locked in a little room. Don't go anywhere. I don't see anyone. Just Just stay there and paint until I [ __ ] you.

[00:13:22]>> Oh [ __ ] Oh my god.

[00:13:28]Think about arguments that you have had with the people closest to you. Whether they've said things to you because they know you so well or you've unfortunately said things to them because you know them so well. and you say it because it's true, but you say it and you shouldn't because it's not respectful and it's not kind and it's not seeing the pain and suffering of the person in front of you and tending to it in a compassionate manner. The way that Ru was specifically describing the relationship that Ellis and Jules have was bringing Jules back to being in the room where nobody cares about you and you're hidden and it's not really a relationship. Jules is deep in the fact that Ellis's relationship with her is different than the other relationships that she's had. But when Rue was saying what she was saying, the emotions were surfacing that were similar because Jules knows in a way that that's not true. Jules just did to Ru what Ellis did to Jules. It is an inability to deal with the emotions that we are experiencing. We have reached a state of disregulation where we are unable to live in the values that we would want to. We are not able to engage in the behaviors that we would necessarily want to. Now to talk about regulation for one moment. Maybe Jules wanted to do that. Maybe even Ellis wanted to do that. But when we feel guilt and shame after we engage in those types of behaviors, it often means that if we could in the moment regulate differently, reduce our disregulation, and see more clearly, being out of a state of fear that we often would. Now, Rue being in the elevator, crying in the way that she's crying, for me, what came up was that I felt like I was seeing real Ru. And those tears are because Ru understands that she is still little Ru.

[00:15:19]She's just in a really, really, really big world. and she's made one of the biggest mistakes that she can make, which is to hurt somebody that actually sees her. She's done this time and time again. She gets in her sister's face.

[00:15:33]She gets in her mom's face. She lies constantly. And yes, all of these behaviors are a result of what she's been through and what she's avoiding and why she's avoiding it. But she's still the little girl who is dealing with grief and mental health issues and doesn't know where to turn. And now she may have nowhere to turn because Jules just kicked her out.

[00:15:54]>> Cassie only had a few lines.

[00:15:55]>> Girl sound.

[00:15:59]>> Sound speeds.

[00:16:00]>> But she studied them religiously.

[00:16:01]>> Mark, >> let's just say uh you're not the first girl to come running once the honeymoon's over.

[00:16:11]>> Oh no. It hit her. It triggered her. Oh no.

[00:16:14]>> The honeymoon.

[00:16:17]>> Okay. So, in this moment, she's actively triggered. What's likely happening is her prefrontal cortex isn't as activated. Her amygdala is activated.

[00:16:27]She's becoming emotional, and her reality is fading back to these traumatic moments. She's in a flashback, dissociated from the moment, and in her response.

[00:16:43]>> No woman deserves to get hit.

[00:16:45]>> No, but I do. I stole him from my best friend. I mean, >> wow.

[00:16:51]>> I think this is the price they pay.

[00:16:53]>> It's very compelling, but how does this fit into the script?

[00:16:56]>> I don't know. It feels fresh and it's given me the feels. So, what do you do for a living?

[00:17:01]>> I create content >> for Only Fans.

[00:17:03]>> Only fans.

[00:17:05]>> That's site.

[00:17:07]>> Mhm.

[00:17:08]>> So, you pose nude.

[00:17:09]>> Oh, no. Not fully nude.

[00:17:11]>> You post fully nude? No.

[00:17:13]>> How does that affect you?

[00:17:16]emotionally.

[00:17:17]The >> hardest part is how people treat me.

[00:17:19]>> Oh, >> yeah. Even my own family.

[00:17:22]>> But it's also very empowering.

[00:17:24]>> Like a new sort of feminism.

[00:17:27]>> Exactly. That's debatable.

[00:17:30]>> I see. So brilliant.

[00:17:32]>> Well, unfortunately, a job applicant only has one scene, >> does she?

[00:17:38]>> Oh, >> yeah. And then we >> never see her again.

[00:17:42]>> Maybe we do. You ready to leave that world behind? Not just for us, but for your sister.

[00:17:49]>> The answer you're searching for.

[00:17:52]>> Yes, ma'am. Thank you.

[00:17:58]>> Oh, no.

[00:18:00]Okay, before we get to whether or not she's going to be able to delete her Only Fans, if she's going to turn into Godzilla again, that's what it sounds like. Let's talk about Lexi trying to not allow Cassie to enter into this other type of entertainment industry.

[00:18:14]Lexi has not had good experiences from people coming into her line of work and wanting to be a part of it. She allowed it to happen. She's going to support her. But that's the thing is Lexi does that. Lexi has what we call porous boundaries where she may have an opinion about something. She may want something to be a certain way, but she won't actually hold a rigid boundary when it could be beneficial to her. Now, holding a rigid boundary could actually be not beneficial to her because she was trapped in a bit triangulated by Cassie and her boss and then her and trying to figure out what the best move is for her to still come off as the professional that just generally wants her sister to succeed and who doesn't have really intense family dynamics. That would be embarrassing. So Lexi decided ultimately to go with, "Okay, well at least this will make me and her look better together, which will ultimately make me look better by myself." The conversation that they had about Only Fans, so many girls wanting to be on Only Fans, it being empowering, but it also being emotionally overwhelming. Cassie saying that she doesn't like the way that she's treated, especially from her family.

[00:19:18]Those are all the dynamics that go into this type of conversation. And Cassie is perhaps a little bit different than what we've seen in some of these other girls in their reactions. Holding up the check, crying after they had the experience in the private room at the strip club. We haven't really seen Cassie have these negative emotions tied to what it is that she's doing. And so when she says that it's empowering, and when she says that the only thing that actually is impacting her negatively is the way that people treat her, that may in fact be true for Cassie. And one of the reasons for this could be the lack of insight that Cassie has into seeing that the reason that she's engaging in this behavior is because of this need for attention and connection, but she's confusing the two like we've talked about many times in the past episode reactions. Now, will she be able to quit Only Fans? She gets so much attention from the Only Fans. There's the potential for her to get connection in this next level of entertainment, but the gap in between her already having it and getting it again may be too wide for her to do it, but the opportunity may be alluring enough. Let's see.

[00:20:29]But I mean, just archive it.

[00:20:32]You don't have to delete it. And it's so interesting. So Cassie is emotionally supporting these men. And these men are complaining about their wives, talking to their kids about them, how their wives are never happy. And she's coming back with, "That's not right. You deserve someone that makes you feel appreciated and so loved."

[00:20:56]>> Oh, >> answer the [ __ ] phone. I need your advice.

[00:21:00]>> Oh, yeah. Where are you, Nate? But Nate needed the money from Only Fans.

[00:21:11]Oh my god.

[00:21:14]Oh, it's permanently gone. Cassie, this moment, Cassie is being asked to make a really big decision, and she's making it on her own. Here, we're able to see Cassie have to form some sense of self in order to make this decision. And as soon as she makes the decision, you can see that there's a moment where she realizes that this monumental decision that she's made actually doesn't feel as monumental. And I think perhaps in that moment, what was happening where there was this shift of like this is going to be so intense. This is so intense. Oh, wait. This is actually fine. Is her being afraid of being independent and of being on her own, but then doing it and realizing that it's not as hard as it seemed.

[00:21:56]You seem to have a pretty good inside track on it.

[00:22:01]Why don't you take a stab at it?

[00:22:07]>> What do you mean >> write it? Why don't you write it?

[00:22:11]>> Me? I think I said in the last reaction, everybody's gotten what they wanted except for Lexi. Okay. I'm super excited. I'm just excited because I like when people get what it is that they deserve. Honestly, either way, good or bad. But that's just me being an honest human. Lexi had to make a very difficult decision to allow her sister to enter into this space. Her boss is like, "Act like you deserve it." Her boss sees her.

[00:22:39]Her boss sees her. The thing is, Lexi doesn't see herself. She's still questioning, "Is this what my boss is actually saying?" If you are someone who has had experiences similar to Lexi, then you would be concerned. You would be confused. Am I actually getting an opportunity that I deserve, even by way of my friends or family, because this never happens? I'm so happy for her.

[00:23:03]Let's just hope it actually works out and it doesn't blow up in her face.

[00:23:09]Okay, they have the key.

[00:23:14]>> Oh, yo, what's up, Mom?

[00:23:21]It is mom. Uh, sorry. I uh I thought you were someone else.

[00:23:29]>> Mom, >> too.

[00:23:32]>> Oh, I could cry. Yeah, I'm good. I mean, I believe in God.

[00:23:43]I guess I just figured if he exists and so does redemption.

[00:23:53]Kind of need that.

[00:23:55]>> I'm emotional because I want R to go home to her mom. Just um it's hard to change. All I can think about is all the bad things you've done.

[00:24:10]I love you so much and I'm sorry if I made it harder.

[00:24:17]I didn't really realize how tough it is to be out here by yourself.

[00:24:26]I love you, Ro.

[00:24:39]That conversation may have been the most important psychological moment that has happened in the series of Euphoria. And the reason for that is because everything that we have seen Ru do, experience, decide, not decide over the last three seasons have been because she's running from feelings that are too difficult for her to face. And the acknowledgment of that, the insight that she just shared with her mother is something that I work so hard to have my clients experience.

[00:25:20]And one of the hardest parts of seeing my clients reach that moment is that so many of them reach that moment and then go on to lead beautiful lives. So many of them also reach that moment and then find themselves a month later dancing around in a house like Alamos again because running from the ways that they feel that they don't want to feel is such an easier decision to make than to face the feelings that you have or the feelings that you have caused. Wanting to start over, being deeply afraid and wanting to go home makes a lot of sense.

[00:25:57]The problem is that we can't start over.

[00:26:00]We can't start over when we have made the decisions that we have made. When we find ourselves where we find ourselves and to everyone that has received that phone call to every parent, to every child, you can overcome addiction and you can find yourself out of these situations. You just have to keep going.

[00:26:22]You know, people say a lot about this show and there is a lot to be said, but at the same time, the storyline of substance use disorder and addiction and mental health and power and greed and exploitation. These are beautiful stories and they are accurate stories and they do need to be told. And so many scenes throughout this series really do hit the reality of what it's like to live in this world.

[00:26:49]>> Wow. Why don't you just kill her character?

[00:26:52]>> Cuz I'm supposed to build her up.

[00:26:58]>> It's going to be Nate's finger, isn't it?

[00:27:15]Oh no. Oh, okay. He's not dead, but the flowers are.

[00:27:22]>> This is ridiculous.

[00:27:30]>> You don't need it.

[00:27:31]>> You need it more than I do.

[00:27:36]>> What's your plan?

[00:27:39]>> It's supper time.

[00:27:41]>> Oh, what?

[00:27:43]Oh, okay. I thought they were going to make her eat it. My god.

[00:27:48]>> And the reason it ain't eaten is because it's preparing for a much larger meal.

[00:27:54]He gave her 10 bands for a snake she'd have given him for free.

[00:28:00]>> Why?

[00:28:02]>> Because it's a reminder.

[00:28:05]You never really know a motherfucker's true intentions.

[00:28:09]You going to get inside that safe?

[00:28:11]>> Yeah.

[00:28:14]Good.

[00:28:16]It'd be real awkward if I lied to your mother.

[00:28:23]>> My mother Lesie.

[00:28:29]>> Oh, come on.

[00:28:32]It's never gotten that far.

[00:28:36]Okay.

[00:28:40]made green.

[00:28:45]>> Come on.

[00:28:47]>> She's not going to Don't get in an accident, right?

[00:28:50]Are you kidding me? You're kidding.

[00:28:58]>> [ __ ] [ __ ] OH, there it is. I feel completely traumatized from this show. Now, I understand that the word trauma is frequently used to describe things that aren't necessarily trauma, but I feel like I have experienced some traumatic stress here. And that's actually the definition of trauma is traumatic stress. It is a level of stress or a repeated level of stress that is traumatizing to the body and results in a shift of some kind that otherwise would not result if that thing did not happen. And often times that shift is negative or difficult for the person who is experiencing it. Keep her alive.

[00:29:40]Let's how about that? The throwing the Nate in this episode was a little strange. It was funny to see aspects of Nate's like anger come out towards Flowers. Flowers have been very much against Nate in this season. Cassie and Lexi, what an interesting idea to take their sister dynamics and to sort of explode them and implode them into the same entertainment industry with the same company and sort of see how that plays out. Them involving Ru's mother takes this entire show to a different level. Leslie has never been under this amount of threat and Ru's life decisions have never impacted her family to this degree. Yes, it impacted her relationship with Gia. Yes, it impacted her relationship with her mom. And yes, there were many moments inside their family household that took place because of the substances that Ru was using in the lifestyle that she's in. But this is different. This is her mom's life, potentially her sister's life, at least her mom's life, in threat, at risk of losing her life. And Ru is in a position right now where she has to do something that could get her killed. Now she has to do something that could get her mom killed. This industry is one to stay out of. If this show is not an indicator that you should stay out of this environment, I don't quite know what would be. We have two episodes left before the end of this series. I have a feeling that there's going to be a season 4. So, that's kind of what's going on in my mind right now. I want to know what questions you have for me in terms of the characters and the season that we've been in so far as we are on our way to wrapping it up. I also want to let you know that I've made the decision that I am going to be reacting to the final three episodes of The Last of Us. Please make sure that you like this video if you haven't liked it and hit that subscribe button and the notification button so you don't miss out on any of my future videos. Thank you so much for watching this week's episode. My name is Dr. Courtney Tracy.

[00:31:43]I'm known online as the truth doctor and I am so glad that you exist.