Why Alanna Ubach Deserved an Emmy Nomination for Euphoria

HBO’s zeitgeisty phenomenon Euphoria picked up a massive sixteen Emmy nominations this week, including a handful of well-deserved acting nominations for Zendaya, Sydney Sweeney, Colman Domingo, and Martha Kelly. Curiously absent from the show’s recognized performers is Alanna Ubach, who stole nearly every scene in which she was featured and became one of Season 2’s breakout stars. Ubach became a fan-favorite this year due to her expanded role on the show, her endlessly quotable dialogue, and a series of viral TikTok videos where young people discover Ubach also stars in some of their favorite films (Legally Blonde, Coco, etc.). Though a key player in the series’ cultural domination, Ubach did not receive a nomination this year for her outstanding performance, which she absolutely deserves.

Ubach stars as Suze Howard, the mother of Cassie (Sweeney) and Lexi (Maude Apatow). In the first season, Suze is featured as a minor character, who is shown to be both a functional alcoholic and a concerned mother. Though Ubach plays both facets of her characterization perfectly, there is limited room for her character to receive the dimensionality others do. Season 2, though, sees Suze’s role expanded dramatically and with complexity. The increased presence of Suze allows Ubach to more fully demonstrate just how committed to this character she is. With more room to embody the role, Ubach turned Suze from a minor figure to one of the series’ most captivating characters.

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Ubach’s pitch perfect performance perfectly balances the series’ mix of meme-able comedy and wrenching melodrama. As anyone with social media knows, Euphoria dominates a substantial portion of the internet when it airs. The show is a quote factory, and Ubach’s comic timing and commitment contributes to what makes the show so quotable. During one of Cassie’s breakdowns, Suze hands Lexi a bowl of the house’s knives. With complete conviction, she says, “Take these in the back and hide them in the bushes.” After an increasingly tense argument with Cassie, Suze screams, “I just want to watch my Millionaire Matchmaker in peace for one hour!” During Rue’s (Zendaya) infamous withdrawal, Suze greets her with, “You look terrible, I mean really terrible.” The line yields no judgement, only concern, compassion, and a hint of skepticism. Each line’s quotability reflects just how committed Ubach is to delivering what could be over-the-top dialogue with complete conviction. Rather than playing the lines for laughs, Ubach grounds them with naturalism. Her performance imbues the lines with a sense of realism that makes them even more hilarious.

In addition to her scene-stealing comic delivery, Ubach brings sincerity to the show’s drama. When Cassie leaves her house to move in with Nate (Jacob Elordi) in Season 2’s sixth episode, “A Thousand Little Trees of Blood,” she briefly turns back to see her mother sitting in the dining room. Ubach expresses worlds of emotion without a single line of dialogue. As the camera slowly zooms in, she opens and closes her mouth ever so slightly. There is so much that needs to be said between these characters but cannot be. Suze longingly looks at Cassie, silently pleading for her not to make this mistake. After Cassie leaves, the camera cuts to a close-up of Suze. Ubach gently closes her eyes and turns her head to the ceiling, holding back tears. She communicates just how much she cares about her daughter while wishing she knew how to get her stay.

No scenes in Season 2 better highlight Ubach’s commitment than those featuring the infamous play, Our Life. Taking place over the season’s final two episodes, “The Theater and Its Double” and “All My Life, My Heart Has Yearned for a Thing I Cannot Name,” Our Life is staged by Suze’s far less melodramatic daughter, Lexi. The play is an autobiographical account of Lexi’s life featuring barely-fictionalized versions of Lexi’s friends and family. Of course, Suze receives the fictionalized treatment, and her theater double is played by Ethan (Austin Abrams). The first time Ethan’s Suze character sassily enters her daughters’ room with a glass of wine, Suze screeches in the audience, joyfully howling at her theatrical counterpart. Ubach’s beaming expression expresses not only her joy at seeing herself brought to life on stage, but also her pride in her daughter. Here is a mom who is truly ecstatic to see her daughter thriving. This recolors the earlier scenes with Cassie, too, as it demonstrates how much admiration she could offer her wayward daughter. Ubach’s rich reactions give the Euphoria-obsessed the “overly supportive mom” brand of memes they crave (á la Amy Poehler in Mean Girls or Kris Jenner in life) without veering into absurdity.

Later in the play, Lexi stages a flashback in which she dances with her late father. In her reaction shot, Ubach is framed in a close-up profile. Her eyes water but tears do not stream down her face. The tissue in her hand, gently pressed up against her nose, shakes ever so slightly as she silently cries. For a character who is never afraid to be outrageous, Ubach’s restraint is especially tender. In this moment, Ubach demonstrates the grief and loss Suze feels after losing her husband. This is a pain Suze keeps inside and medicates with wine. Ubach’s control conveys just how much she keeps this pain internalized.

In the season finale, Cassie storms into the auditorium and disrupts the play. She makes her way on stage confronting the audience and Lexi’s depiction of her. The scene calls for Ubach to fire on all cylinders, from her commitment to grounded humor to her complex depiction of parental support. When Cassie begins her onstage rant, Suze attempts to cut her off from the audience. Ubach keeps these attempts almost at a whisper and waits the perfect beat in between them for their hilarity to land. When Cassie brings Lexi onstage to confront her, though, Suze hops on stage to defuse the situation. Ubach effortlessly transitions from a mom trying to save face in front of the audience to a stern parent trying to get her rebellious daughter to listen. In her addresses to the audience, Ubach even pulls off one of the most difficult acting skills, playing a character who themselves is performing.

Whether she is committedly declaring her daughter “needs a fucking exorcism!” or adding rich layers to her character with restraint, Alanna Ubach absolutely gives her everything to Suze Howard in Euphoria’s second season. Her performance elevates each scene she is in, as well as the performances of her scene partners. Euphoria is absolutely deserving of every nomination it received this year, it is just a shame to see one of this year’s greatest supporting performances go unrecognized.