Euphoria: Season One Review

[rogueslayer452]

Euphoria is an HBO series (an American adaptation of an Israeli series), that follows a group of teenagers as they navigate through the trials and tribulations, the hardships and the emotional highs and lows of being a teenager in today's modern age. The series focuses on serious subject matters such as drug addiction, abusive relationships, and mental illness.

This is, of course, an oversimplified version of the show, but it's difficult to summarize it in a single paragraph since there's a lot to unpack when it comes to this series, because believe me, it's a lot.

What drew me to this show was Zendaya, naturally, however what kept me watching was not only the rest of the performances by everyone else in the cast but also the storytelling and how everything was unfolding. This isn't a lighthearted show, and to be honest I actually had to take a break midway through because it was giving me anxiety. But once I did continue and finish the first season, I had so much more appreciation of what this show had to offer. Visually, everything in this show is absolutely stunning. From the cinematography, the use of vivid colors and lighting, the imagery in every shot, just the meticulous attention to the details and the effort placed into everything makes the show such a visual treat. This show is purposefully stylistic for the metaphor of being a teenager, as well as just being very distinctive from other shows and how it presents itself. Plus, I love the juxtaposition of using vivid colors and imagery alongside the dark, bleak, and depressing moments of the show. It demonstrates that it can be glamorous visually without glamorizing the difficult issues that it deals with, which I really appreciate.

Another thing I appreciated was how it deals with these subject matters. The show doesn't preach at you nor is it careless or thoughtless either, it's just very raw and honest and very matter-of-fact. The showrunner himself, Sam Levinson, is a recovering drug addict and also suffers from mental illness and he's been very open and earnest with his struggles, so it's reassuring to know that these issues are being handled respectfully and with enough sensitivity and care that it doesn't devolve into the areas of exploitation and shock value. Yes, the show goes to graphic and uncomfortable places, but it never sensationalizes these issues, and I really respect the show to doing that. Another thing that I liked was the tackling of particular subject matters that I haven't really seen done as accurately as this show does, such as demonstrating the damaging effects of toxic masculinity. We have characters like Nate Jacobs who is basically the personification of white male privilege and toxic masculinity, but we also see how other characters are affected by it as well, such as with McKay, who seems like a nice and decent guy at first but we start seeing how he's influenced by this dangerous mentality. It may not be as overt as Nate is, but it's still there regardless. So seeing these different examples was scary and uncomfortable, but refreshing since we don't really see this presented in such a way in media. We often just see the more obvious somewhat stereotypical side of it, but never the subtler ways it can be harmful.

There are a lot of things I could discuss about Euphoria, because the more I think about it the more things I discover that I want to further examine and talk about. Basically, this show is a stunning visual representation that repeats the same issues that many other teen dramas have shown before, just updated through the lens of what the current generation of youths are going through. And the way the show is written, structured, and shot, they take a lot of time to present these things accurately and in a sensitive, smart way that doesn't overdo or undersell the subject matters and issues they're trying to represent.


Little things I liked about the show:

** My favorite characters on the show are Rue, Jules, and Maddy. I have a soft spot for Cassie, I love Fez and want to know more about him. I also want to know more about Lexi too, and hopefully she gets an episode dedicated to her in season two. And I'm intrigued by Bebe, she's essentially a minor character but I'm curious about her deal.

** The fact that the show probably has the most accurate representation of how teenagers are in school, particularly friend groups. Instead of going for the typical high school clique that is so commonly seen in media, the show actually has characters who know each other and are interconnected with their friend groups that even if we don't see them interacting as much as they're going through their own storylines, we have no doubt that they're still friendly towards one another. We see this demonstrated in the season finale when all the girls are sitting together at the school dance, they clearly know each other and talk with one another in a casual way that further shows us that this is true. This is very true to how school was in my own experience. You didn't have cliques, you had friends, and friend groups that interacted and knew other friend groups that interconnected with one another.

** This leads me to how none of the characters are stereotypes. For example, in any other show, Maddy would've been that vapid popular mean girl stereotype, but in the show she is not that at all. I mean, she knows and is friends with Rue. She's friendly with Jules. She's only mean if you cross her, but that's no different from any other character on the show. Hell, even characters like Nate Jacobs, who is basically toxic masculinity personified, is more complex than what you'd normally expect. And Jules, instead of her being the token trans character, her storyline doesn't exist solely to address the fact that she's trans (yes, it's a part of her arc, but not the only thing which is the difference).

** The music in this show is simply amazing, particularly the fact that they got Labrinth to be a huge influence on the main music, and then they also had Zendaya do a cover of "All For Us" in the actual show. Beautiful, stunning, phenomenal, etc.

** As I mentioned, this show has such amazing attention to detail, that it's amazing reading up on how intricate it all is. It's just amazing knowing how much thought they put into everything, from each individual character's fashion choices and makeup to represent them and how they are emotionally and their evolution throughout the season, to the choices in music and the lighting and cinematography and just, ugh. It's so, so amazing how much work goes into this show.

** This show does feature nudity, however I would say that the majority of nudity comes in the form of penises than the exploitation of women's bodies. In fact, this show features a lot of cock shots, more than any other show I've seen, including Spartacus. Like, they had a scene specifically with Rue explaining and showing the differences of dickpics. No other show has ever featured this kind of content in such a manner. However, the only reason why it's shocking isn't because it's so blatant, but because we hardly, if ever, get to see full frontal male nudity in shows that feature nudity. It's always been women who are fully naked. Even though it's graphic, it's a nice turn of the tables.

** The handling of mental illness, particularly depression, was well-done. They took it seriously and was able to really articulate the highs and lows without demeaning or reducing it down to "oh take pills then it'll be all good". Having a character like Rue, who not only suffers from drug addiction, but also mental illness and seeing her struggle with these highs and lows, the "waxing and waning", of her depression, really hit home for me. Many shows and things in media try to convey this, and it's not that some don't try or don't do a good job, but this is the first time I've seen it laid out so plainly and easy to understand how the effects of mental illness is with someone. Much of this is due to not only the writing, but Zendaya's convincing performance.


Overall: Euphoria was a genuine surprise for me, because I didn't know what I was expecting. Zendaya blew me away with her acting, as did everyone else, and everything else about this show was so phenomenally done. Yes, it did stress me out at times and gave me anxiety, but once I got passed that I appreciated what was happening, and it made me appreciate the storytelling so much more. I grew attached to the characters, and I want to see the outcome of their individual storylines, which makes me anticipate the second season especially where things left off in the season one finale. I cannot wait.


TL;DR: I will admit that while Euphoria is a fantastic show, it might not be for everyone considering the content it features. The subject matters it explores can be triggering, anxiety-inducing, and uncomfortable and hard to watch at times, but nevertheless it's not exploitative and manages to handle difficult issues with dignity and respect. Also, keep in mind that this is a show on HBO, it's a series about teenagers for a mature audience, similar to that of UK's Skins, for example.

For anyone wanting more insight, the cast did a Q&A at the ATX Festival where they showed the pilot episode before the show premiered, and they talk and answer questions in regards to the show, the process, etc. It's a great way of getting to know what the show is likely about without getting too spoiled. It's also good to hear how eloquently Zendaya answers questions, which I've watched her interviews before but the way she talks about this show, especially with the showrunner/creator, it proves just how passionate she is about this role.

Comments

[sixphanel.livejournal.com]

I watched Euphoria last summer and I second everything you said. I went to a friend's and she insisted that I needed to watch the first episode. I think we ended up watching 4 or 5, I can't remember. I was mesmerized by it, and so shocked... because this high school experience looks nothing like mine (and honestly? I'm glad)

It's so beautiful, and so heartbreaking... Zendaya deserves all the awards from the complexity she shows as Rue, she's brilliant. And as for other characters... I can't wait to see more of Lexi. I want to see more of her and Rue, like you, I'm also hoping we'll get an episode dedicated to her in s2. And okay, okay, there might be a small part of me that ships her with Rue because hello? she clearly cares, give me more of them! (But that's not the only reason why I'm interested)

One of the things that I loved the most about this show was how it's able to make you feel all these things. The anxiety you mention, I felt it too. It was uncomfortable to watch and experience, but it's so *good* because of it. It's not something easy, but it's good that they deal with these issues like that. They're not hidden, they're not made more "digestible" for the people watching. It is what it is, and it's not a good thing.

I'm glad you watched it, and as usual... thanks for spending time writing this <3 it's awesome.

[rogueslayer452.livejournal.com]

Zendaya deserves all the awards from the complexity she shows as Rue, she's brilliant.

Seriously, and learning that this was the biggest departure from her filmography because everything she had done up until auditioning and getting this role was more Disney-fied and family-friendly. She truly is branching out and it shows how versatile she is as an actor. She gave such a raw performance and it shows how she cares so much about this character and the story being told. She deserves awards. Hell, all the actors do for this show. Learning that for some of them these are their first acting roles is astonishing.

And that's something I appreciate, too. They have Zendaya be a big name and she clearly is the main character, but you also are introduced to all these other relatively unknown actors and you come to love what they do in the show, as well.

I definitely read that as well, in regards to Rue and Lexi. I mean, I'm still rooting for Rue/Jules, but I couldn't help but notice something when it came to Lexi. Like, perhaps we'll find out that she is questioning her sexuality, and maybe Rue was kind of an unrequited crush she didn't know she had, and it wasn't until either when Rue had taught her how to kiss that's what sparked this confusing questioning and then when she saw Rue and Jules together that she really started questioning. I don't know. It's all speculation, but it makes me really anticipate what the next season will bring because I do want to know more about Lexi as a person and what arc she'll have.

It's not something easy, but it's good that they deal with these issues like that. They're not hidden, they're not made more "digestible" for the people watching.

Precisely. There's no sugarcoating it or trying to do scare tactics, it's just there, take it or leave it. Unlike a lot of teen shows that attempt to cover these issues but often sensationalize these issues in unrealistic ways, this show manages to tackle them in a sensible manner that is probably more realistic than most are prepared for. It's uncomfortable, and it's meant to be, not in a shock value kind of way but more of a "this is the reality, for better or worse" kind of way. And the show works because of that.

I'm glad you watched it, and as usual... thanks for spending time writing this <3 it's awesome.

Thank you for commenting! :D