In the third episode of Euphoria's third season, titled 'The Ballad of Paladin,' Nate and Cassie tie the knot in a lavish ceremony that spirals into violence. Jules delves into her past as a sugar baby, while Rue advances a plot against a drug lord's pet parrot. The wedding night ends with Nate losing a toe to debt collectors.
The episode opens with Jules' origin story as a sugar baby. Her art-school roommate Vivian introduces her to the arrangement, advising her to wait for the right price. Jules starts with a lawyer fond of nylons, then connects with a married plastic surgeon named Ellis, who wraps her body in plastic wrap and declares, 'I just might keep you forever.' She drops out of school to focus on him exclusively, earning more money than expected, as Rue narrates via voiceover. Meanwhile, Rue works as an arms dealer for Alamo at the Silver Slipper strip club, plotting to kill Laurie's parrot, Paladin, after Alamo shoots a rogue pig there. Rue invites Jules as her paid date to the wedding, joking, 'I'm your sugar daddy now. Dress sexy.' Jules arrives in a precarious gown, catching Cal's eye across the aisle. Maddy appears in a striking green dress, while Marsha questions Jules' identity. Backstage, a nauseous Nate rallies for the ceremony, where Cassie's mother warns of marital woes while walking her down the aisle. Cassie arrives in tears. At the reception, Cal apologizes to Jules for their past encounter, admitting he recorded it and ended up on the sex-offender registry. Naz, a funeral supplier Nate owes money to, confronts the couple during their awkward first dance. Cassie insists, 'I don't want to be poor,' rejecting cutbacks. Later, Nate and Cassie argue; she accidentally hits him with a champagne cork. Debt enforcers ambush them at home, beating Nate and shoving Cassie, who injures her face. They sever Nate's toe before fleeing. Rue and Bishop poison Paladin, who later seizes. Rue gets pulled over by a DEA agent.
