Warning: This story contains spoilers about episode four of season two of Euphoria.
When viewers sat down to watch Euphoria on Sunday, Jan. 30, they probably didn't expect the episode to conclude with Cal Jacobs coming clean to his family about his double life.
Fans more likely guessed that he would crash his white Jeep while driving home from the gay bar. But Eric Dane knew his character would make it out of episode four unscathed, telling E! News, "I knew I was there for the rest of the season."
And with four episodes left of season two, that means a lot could happen for Cal. Yes, he may have bid farewell to Nate (Jacob Elordi) and Aaron (Zak Steiner), ordering them to clean up his pee and taking a family portrait in the process. But Eric shared, "Cal's not leaving for good. He's just leaving the house."
"I think we're gonna have to go through a little more struggle before the healing process begins," he continued. "He said some pretty nasty things to his kids."
Cal was particularly cruel to Nate, telling him, "You wanna know my biggest regret? You are."
Fans were outraged at the admission, with one person tweeting, "Cal tryna blame his family for everything like wearing a condom wouldn't have even prevented this timeline from happening like please f--k off."
But Eric doesn't think it's that simple. "I'm not so sure that he meant that him being born was his biggest regret," he explained. "I think the way that Cal parented Nate is where the regret comes in."
Cal himself told Nate that he doesn't understand his own son and thinks he messed him up. But the Grey's Anatomy alum noted that the characters share more in common than they think, saying, "A lot of the times we see in others what we hate most about ourselves. And I think Cal and Nate resent each other but also love each other."
From an outsider's perspective, it may seem that there's no way forward for the Jacobs family after Cal's drunken confrontation. After all, he called out Aaron for his snuff porn and accused Marsha (Paula Marshall) of having an emotional affair. But Eric says not all hope is lost: "I wholeheartedly think Cal will be accepted back into the family."
As for the recent backlash to nudity and drug use in the series, Eric defended Euphoria creator Sam Levinson. "It's all got a purpose," he stated. "And as long as it's purposeful in the context of the story, then I think it's useful. As far as the drugs go, you know, I never thought this show is a love letter to drugs. It's, as far as I've seen, nothing I want to partake in. In fact, it to me it seems more like a cautionary tale."
Euphoria airs on HBO Sundays at 9 p.m.