Warning: This article contains content which some readers may find distressing
As the first two episodes brought us a whole load of Sydney Sweeney nudes, the third episode of Euphoria season three shows a dangerous kink.
While Cassie (Sweeney) has taken up OnlyFans to help afford her wedding dreams, Jules (Hunter Schafer) appears to have become a sugar baby.
This season of the HBO hit show has picked up five years from where we last left the characters as high schoolers as they all embark on their unique (and of course, unusual) lives.
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Far from Rue’s (Zendaya) gig as a drug mule, Jules is living in a fancy apartment and as the show’s creator, Sam Levinson, assured, we got to see her in art school.
But as this latest episode shows, she became a sugar baby for men with 'anything' being 'better than retail' and eventually quit school. And then she met Ellis (Sam Trammell), a wealthy plastic surgeon who's put her up in her home. The pair discuss her transition as he describes her as 'poreless' and then soon comes the more Euphoria side to their sexual relationship, with Jules topless as we witness a 'mummification' BDSM scene.
Mummification
Warning: Spoilers for Euphoria season three, episode three
We learn from Rue's voiceover that Ellis becomes Jules' only client as she makes more money than she could've 'ever imagined'.
And in the new episode, Schafer's character stands totally nude bar a black thong and heels as he directs her to hold her arms up in the air. He then walks in circles around Jules, wrapping her entirely in cling film from the ankles up. A gap is left for her mouth as she stands totally covered up to her wrists, stared at by Ellis as he tells her: “I just might keep you forever," before walking over and kissing her mouth.
A form of BDSM bondage, mummification sees a person get fully wrapped in the likes of cling film as well as bandages or tape to restrict their movement. It’s said to create a sensation of ‘tightness and restriction’.
Breaking down different kinks, BDSM and ethical non-monogamy Consent Culture explains: “This form of bondage can enhance feelings of vulnerability and helplessness, often appealing to those who enjoy sensory deprivation and the psychological aspects of restraint.”
In the Euphoria scene, it portrays Ellis as the ‘dom’ in this practice, mummifying Jules. Essentially using a plastic wrap, this form of BDSM is said to combine ‘physical restriction with psychological elements’ thus: “creating a unique experience that requires clear communication, consent, and a focus on safety to ensure a pleasurable and consensual encounter.”
It can vary from light wrapping for ‘sensory deprivation’ to more intensely wrapping a person for ‘full immobilisation’ as well as placing all the power here in Ellis' hands.
Dangers of mummification
When this is being practiced, it’s essential that safety precautions are taken to ensure the person can breathe properly and maintains circulation as well as having scissors or another tool nearby to be able to quickly cut through the wrap.
Risks can include the likes of overheating, restricted circulation or anxiety. And due to the various dangers of this BDSM practice, there is potential for it to go wrong with it having previously ended in death.
In 2014, Richard Bowler was found guilty of manslaughter through gross negligence over the death of Alun Williams.
The 47-year-old died from a heart attack after being wrapped up in cling film during a bondage session. A post-mortem said it had caused him to dehydrate.
The court heard how Williams was unable to regulate his body temperature after being ‘mummified’, something he had an interest in alongside bondage, having met men online for sex. A number of drugs including ketamine and cocaine were found in his rucksack and the court said he was ‘left alone for extended periods of time’.
Topics: Euphoria, HBO, Sex and Relationships, TV and Film
Jess Battison