Why Do Fez and Nate Have Beef on Euphoria? A Breakdown of Their Heated Rivalry

Euphoria has quickly become one of the most talked about and addicting shows on television right now. The HBO drama follows a group of high school students as they deal with relationships trauma, identity drugs, sex, and more. Within this chaotic world, a heated rivalry has emerged between two of the main characters – local drug dealer Fez and antagonist jock Nate. Their escalating beef and animosity has led to tense confrontations, violence, and high stakes drama.

Background on Fez and Nate

To understand this bitter feud let’s first get some background on Fez and Nate

• Fez – Played by Angus Cloud, Fez is the local drug dealer who supplies substances like weed, pills, and other drugs to students. He’s best friends with Rue and acts as a protective, brotherly figure who looks out for her Fez was raised by his grandmother who got him involved in drug dealing at a young age He’s often seen casually hanging around parties with his younger partner in crime, Ashtray.

• Nate – Played by Jacob Elordi, Nate is a star football player at East Highland High School who dates Maddy on and off, though he hooks up with other girls. He’s the main antagonist of the show who manipulates situations and people to his advantage. Nate exhibits abusive and controlling tendencies that likely stem from having an abusive father. He also becomes obsessed with Jules after finding out she hooked up with his dad.

How Their Beef Started in Season 1

The conflict between Fez and Nate traces back to key events involving Nate’s disturbing obsession with Jules in season 1:

• Nate catfishes Jules by pretending to be another guy named Tyler and sexts with her.

• He secretly takes photos of Jules and his dad Cal hooking up and uses them to blackmail her.

• This causes emotional distress for Jules who distances herself from Rue as a result.

• Rue begs Fez to intimidate Nate so he’ll leave Jules alone.

• Fez confronts Nate at the convenience store he works at and directly threatens him to stay away from Jules and Rue.

• In retaliation, Nate anonymously tips off the police about Fez’s drug dealing operation.

• Fez’s home gets raided by police, forcing him to quickly dispose of his drug stash and lose money.

It’s very clear why Fez resents Nate – his vindictive actions directly led to legal troubles and major financial losses for Fez’s business. Nate shows no remorse and even seems to take pleasure in antagonizing Fez. This kicked off their beef which would further explode in season 2.

How Their Rivalry Boiled Over in the Season 2 Premiere

The season 2 premiere episode picks up after the dramatic events of season 1 at a New Year’s Eve party. With tensions already sky high between them, things completely boil over when:

• At the party, Nate jokingly references Fez’s prior threat to kill him.

• Fez takes this as a challenge and makes the split second decision to follow through on the threat.

• He smashes a bottle over Nate’s head and proceeds to savagely beat him up, leaving him bleeding and mangled on the floor.

• It’s unclear if Nate will survive the brutal attack.

For Fez, this was the last straw after all the havoc Nate had wreaked on his life and business. He was likely still fuming about having his drug dealing operation dismantled. The violent attack shows how far their rivalry has now escalated from simple threats and intimidation to outright life-threatening violence.

Nate’s arrogance and complete lack of care for how his vindictive actions severely impact others pushed Fez over the edge into uncontrolled rage. Their long simmering beef finally reached a bloody breaking point that could potentially leave Nate dead.

Other Factors Fueling Their Mutual Hatred

Aside from the major incidents outlined above, there are some additional factors that contribute to the explosive tensions between Fez and Nate:

• Differing backgrounds – As a drug dealer, Fez resents the privileged life Nate leads compared to his own struggles with poverty and crime. Nate looks down on Fez in classist, condescending ways.

• Protectiveness towards friends – Both young men exhibit fierce protectiveness towards their own friends (Rue for Fez, Maddy for Nate). This instinct amplifies their beef.

• Toxic masculinity – They both embody masculine archetypes of the “tough guy” and “jock” which leads to macho posturing, lack of communication, and escalating conflicts.

• Mutual lack of empathy – Neither Fez nor Nate tries to understand the other’s perspective or see their shared humanity. This prevents them from defusing issues peacefully.

How Their Heated Rivalry May Play Out in Season 2

Assuming Nate survives the brutal attack, here are a few likely ways the bad blood between him and Fez could shape events in Euphoria season 2:

• Nate may press charges against Fez and try to get him sent to prison for assault or attempted murder.

• Their conflict could further divide characters, rupturing friendships and destabilizing relationships.

• Fez may go after Nate again in retaliation, or vice versa, devolving into an endless cycle of violence.

• The simmering rivalry could finally reach a tragic climax resulting in the death of either Nate or Fez.

At this point, their toxic beef seems deeply entrenched in bitterness, resentment, and a desire for vengeance. It’s very likely that the show will continue using this explosive feud to propel the plot forward through more violent confrontations and devastating fallout. Given their stubborn natures, neither Fez nor Nate will back down easily from this unstable rivalry teetering on mutually assured destruction.

The extremely volatile dynamic between Fez and Nate has become a powder keg perpetually threatening to destroy both characters’ lives. Their escalating beef stems from clashing backgrounds, personalities, and values that sparked a chain reaction of threats, intimidation, and now near-fatal violence. Moving forward, the bitter rivalry between Fez and Nate seems destined to shape character arcs and raise the stakes as we wait breathlessly to see who comes out on top in this fiercely heated suburban feud.