On-screen disaster weddings are not new. Think of Ross calling out “Rachel” in Friends, the horrendous fight between Emma (Anne Hathaway), and Liv (Kate Hudson), at the end Bride Wars, or the bomb scare that occurred at Jake and Amy’s wedding in Brooklyn Nine-Nine, to name just a few. In the end, however, everything works out: Rachel is able to tell Ross that she got off the flight; Liv, Emma, and Jake get married outside of the precinct. The current trend is to have a wedding on screen that has a horror-style ending. Nate’s (Jacob Elordi and Cassie’s) nuptials have plenty of drama, especially after it was revealed that Nate had borrowed money from a loan shark in order to pay for a part of their eyewateringly expensive marriage. Things get ugly when Cassie finds out that Nate borrowed money from a friend and wedding guest, and Heather calls him out on it. The bloody aftermath of this wedding, in which the couple is attacked by loan sharks (Nate’s toe was cut off with pliers and Cassie received a blow to the nose), has been compared by some fans to Game of Thrones’ Red Wedding. We see the worst of the characters on this milestone day. Cassie screams “This is unfair” as Nate’s betrayal comes to light. It was supposed be the best day of your life” as blood spatters on her wedding dress with no apparent concern for her seriously wounded husband. Euphoria, especially this season with Cassie’s painfully 2-dimensional portrayal of an OnlyFans creator, and sexworker, is known for its controversial stories. Could the fact that other shows are exploring weddings on-screen through a horror lens mean that we’re entering an era where more nuanced stories are being told beyond the picture-perfect, princess-bride-in-the-puffy-dress-style day? You could also argue it’s a fresh take on a real-life market that has become cripplingly expensive. A real-life horror.
