Editor’s Note: This review contains spoilers. Also beware that “Euphoria” contains quite a few scenes that may be triggering to some people.
Imagine stealing your best friend’s boyfriend, cracking a glass bottle over the head of your worst enemy, lying to your entire family regarding your sexuality, and planning to indulge in a suitcase worth of drugs. Welcome to “Euphoria,” the hugely popular HBO show that just finished its second season.
Created and written by Sam Levinson, “Euphoria” follows a group of teenagers through experiences with drug abuse, falling in love, learning to hate, and the ultimate struggle of finding oneself. The show has grown exponentially between its release in June 2019 and its season two finale, which aired Sunday, Feb. 27.
Watching “Euphoria” and never knowing what comes next is thrilling, and season two ramps up the chaos that began in season one. Although the show’s melodramatic rollercoaster ride is not a realistic depiction of life for most teenagers, many of the storylines end up being relatable and inspiring in the way they deal with themes such as insecurities, relationship issues and identity.
Emma Gomez
Arts & Entertainment Editor
The show stars Zendaya Coleman as the narrator, Ruby (“Rue”) Bennett. Other actors include Sydney Sweeney as Cassie Howard, Jacob Elordi as Nate Jacobs, Maude Apatow as Lexi Howard, Angus Cloud as Fezco “Fez”, Eric Dane as Cal Jacobs, Alexa Demie as Maddy Perez, Barbie Ferreira as Kat Hernandez, and Hunter Schafer as Jules Vaughn.
In the first season, we meet these interesting characters. The show begins by introducing Rue, a troubled character who struggles with drug abuse after losing her father to cancer. It’s emotional watching her spiral out of control, especially as she stumbles to keep up with everyone else around her.
In season one, we are also introduced to Nate and Maddy who are in an on-again-off-again relationship. As the show progresses, we watch their relationship turn sour, with physical and mental abuse taking place. Maddy makes a common mistake, confusing abuse for love.
Meanwhile, Cassie (Maddy’s best friend) is in her own relationship, but she struggles opening up to her partner due to her past relationships being based on physical attraction.
We also witness another character, Kat, as she struggles to find her identity and self-worth after being body shamed most of her life. This storyline is very real to many teenage girls, so when Kat finally starts expressing herself, it is more than inspiring.
In season two, the chaos and drama become even more intense, immediately springing into action when Nate (Maddy’s now ex-boyfriend) finds Cassie sitting at a gas station, drunk and shoving her face with donuts. What starts as a coincidental meeting leads to their love affair throughout the season.
Rue continues to struggle with her addiction, falling in and out of sobriety, and it becomes really difficult as a viewer to keep siding with her character as she keeps doing things that deeply hurt those around her.
We also watch Kat get a boyfriend, a character named Ethan. Though some would say he is the picture-perfect boyfriend, I think that is exactly the issue: he’s way too nice. Kat struggles because although he is a good person, that’s just not enough for her, which leads her to feel guilty and eventually end the relationship by claiming she has a brain disorder–which is false.
Despite all the crazy storylines, “Euphoria” portrays real issues in a way that has viewers seeing truths. A big reason is the quality of the acting, with the standout throughout the series being Zendaya. Playing a drug addict can’t be easy, but she does it in such a way that sometimes it’s almost too believable. Her acting is outstanding and demands a reaction from her audience.
Season three of “Euphoria” has been confirmed, with a release date in 2024. The delay isn’t sitting well with fans after being left on a cliffhanger in the season two finale, but I’m sure we can look forward to another rollercoaster ride.
Overall, I give the series 5/5 stars.
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