'Euphoria' Gave Cal Jacobs a Tragically Gay Villain Origin Story

Last night's episode of HBO Max's dark teen drama Euphoria dove into the backstory of Cal Jacobs, and the fan reaction has been as chaotic as you'd expect.

Spoilers ahead...

Last season, Cal, who is a serial cheater, was caught secretly recording his motel hookups by his deviant son, Nate. Jules, Nate's underage classmate who he has complicated feelings for, was one of the recorded hookups. Once he was caught, Cal used his stature in the community to try and intimidate the high schoolers involved to keep quiet. 

Season two, episode three, "Ruminations: Big and Little Bullys," goes back in time to when Cal was in high school. Cal and his best friend Derek are inseparable, even when they both get girlfriends and are headed to different colleges. What begins with fleeting glances and playful touch is so obviously something more and the tension between the boys is thick in the air.

After graduation, Derek wants to celebrate and knows a place that'll serve them alcohol. The two hesitantly walk into a gay bar, have some drinks, and their platonic friendship quickly evaporates when "Never Tear Us Apart" by INXS comes on and they press their bodies together, dance, and even kiss. 

Cue the gay squeals. 

But any future Cal and Derek might've had together is promptly cut short. Not only do they have the homophobia of America in the 1980s working against them, Cal learns that his girlfriend is pregnant. Any glimmer of a romance with Derek evaporates, and Cal sobs into his pillow just before the title sequence comes on screen.  

Twitter exploded over Cal's tragic gay backstory.

With that comment came the fancams, and, of course, the thirst:

Though Cal's newly revealed backstory makes him more human, some don't believe it excuses his predatory behavior.

It's clear that Cal, who later in the episode has an explosive confrontation with Fezco and Ashtray, is in his flop era. We'll see how he bounces back as the season goes on.