by Mike Hilty, Contributing Writer
When I was in high school, I had a close knit group of friends that I knew from my church. We all lived in the same neighborhood, were similar ages, had all grown up together, and our group was our primary friend group. We were a bit of an oddball church group. We were all extremely close, not the most religious, but still hung out consistently (and still do). What separated us from other friend groups was this was a pre-social media and pre-cell phones age. The most advanced we got in terms of communication was AOL Instant Messenger.
Boy, things have certainly changed for teenagers, haven’t they…
Euphoria, HBO’s hit show, returns for season two after a pandemic hiatus. We continue to follow our main character Rue (played by Emmy award winner Zendaya) as she navigates high school and a drug addiction. She’s surrounded by fellow high schoolers who are struggling to get by as well as an endless stream of drama.
Season two picks up after Rue’s relapse when Jules (Hunter Schafer) leaves her to go into the city in the season one finale. It’s a devastating moment for Rue, who’s already had a tough few years with the passing of her father. This is not a show to pick up in the second season. Not only is viewing season one necessary, but the two standalone episodes released at the end of 2021 about Rue and Jules respectively are necessary as well.
Season two has a lot going on. A lot of season one characters have more going on to progress their stories. Some characters that were relegated to bit parts in season one have more time to shine, which is greatly appreciated. Some characters that have more of a spotlight fade to the background. Thankfully, there are also a relatively small number of new characters introduced in season two.
Zendaya continues to do the best work of her career with Rue. After a well-deserved Emmy win for season one, she certainly deserves at minimum a nomination for her work in season two. Rue’s addiction in season two takes her in some pretty dark directions, and her relationships are constantly in peril. Rue’s character is all over the place in season two. She already dove deep into drug abuse and is in the process of destroying all the relationships around her. She’s telling lies and makes a giant mistake regarding a deal with a local drug kingpin. All the betrayal leads to a scene of the ages where Rue gets into an argument with everyone around her, leading to an intervention in hopes of saving her life. This scene in episode five is arguably the best of the season, maybe even the best of the entire series. It’s so raw with emotions and it makes you truly believe that Zendaya is an addict spiraling out of control.
Season two opens with an amazing New Year’s Eve party that triggers many events of the season. The first episode dives into one of season one’s unsung heroes who finally gets a little time in the spotlight, Fezco (Angus Cloud). Fezco’s backstory about how he became a rising star in the local drug trade, how he came to be the caretaker for his brother Ashtray (Javon “Wanna” Walton), and why he is the way he is was some of the best storytelling of the season. It gives nuance to a bit player from the previous season and gives him more room to shine. Some of the season two’s best moments involve Fezco. In addition to Fezco, Lexi (Maude Apatow) also gets more to do this season by putting on a play that mimics the lives of all her friends. Lexi also catches the attention of Fezco, which I absolutely loved.
While other characters get a chance to shine, some characters are curiously sidelined. Kat (Barbie Ferreira) and McKay (Algee Smith) have been relegated to very small, reactionary roles this season. While it’s understandable that McKay’s character gets phased out a little bit since he’s in college, it’s odd that his story comes to a sudden halt at a critical juncture in his life when something happens involving his fraternity. It’s puzzling that this is never addressed, but since season three is coming, maybe we will go back to it soon. What’s way more frustrating is Kat’s story being shelved almost entirely. Her storyline from season one was an important one to tell about self-acceptance and body positivity. For that storyline to be abandoned so that Kat’s relationship with Ethan (Austin Abrams) suffers and Kat herself is relegated to a person who reacts to other people’s stories is a little baffling. More than McKay’s story, Kat’s will be in serious need of more screen time for season three.
The rest of the characters are used in interesting ways. I was a little concerned with the amount of story taken up to help explain why Cal (Eric Dane) is the way that he is. Although there is some form of resolution, I still wonder why there was a focus on him in the first place. Cassie’s (Sydney Sweeney) story for the season, although interesting, was all over the place in terms of focus. I found myself feeling bad for her, while at the same time being utterly perplexed by the decisions she was making. Cassie does have one of the funnier moments in the season during Maddy’s (Alexa Demie) birthday, but I found myself banging my head against the wall wondering why on Earth Cassie makes the decisions that she does. Nate (Jacob Elordi), Maddy, and Jules’ stories are fine, but they’re generally not as big of a focus. The main new character of the season, Eliot (Dominic Fike), a fellow drug user who befriends Rue and Jules, has some really powerful things to say. He has a moment with Rue in the season finale that is beautiful. He has sincerity, a guitar, and a song that was moving, and it made me hope for more of him in coming seasons.
Beyond Rue’s intervention scene and the New Years Eve party, I find myself loving moments with Rue’s sponsor Ali, played to perfection by Colman Domingo. What I love so much about Ali’s character is he feels like the only adult in the room amongst drug addicts, melodramatic teenagers, and angry or hurt adults. Ali’s a stabilizing force and Domingo’s acting is top notch. I can’t help but root for Ali, not just to help Rue and stay sober, but for Domingo to get more recognition. He’s beautiful in the standalone Rue episode, but he has two significant moments in season two — first, when Rue says something bad about him, which results in a very strong reaction, and second, when he makes dinner for Rue’s family. Both of these shows how he’s being set up as a father figure for Rue, one she desperately needs right now.
The final two episodes revolve around a play Lexi wrote about her life and how hard it’s been being in high school, drifting apart from friends, and day-to-day struggles of being a teenager, sister, and friend. The two episodes put together were shot like a play, which was a really effective for telling the story. There were funny moments, sad moments, and cathartic moments. It was well done, and kudos to Apatow for an amazing performance in those two episodes. It really makes you wonder why they don’t use her more. A lot has changed with almost all the characters.
At the end of the season, everyone’s trajectory may have changed. Some characters will change forever. Fezco in particular will have a lot going on for season three after the events of the season two finale. Cal is another character who has a rather complicated ending to the season. Some characters are set adrift to uncharted territory. Cassie, Nate, and Maddy have a complicated time ahead of them. Jules will be in a weird situation, particularly with Rue and maybe even Eliot. Lexi will have to deal with the aftermath of the play and the aftermath of the events taking place during the play. Rue’s story ends on a good trajectory. As crazy as some of the moments were in the final episode of the season, it ends on a high note, which was appreciated.
Euphoria season two is anxiety-inducing and tense. I did not like it as much as season one, but I still enjoyed Zendaya’s performance, Fezco and Lexi getting more screen time, and some truly beautiful moments involving Eliot and Lexi’s play. Although I found the way some of the characters were used to be puzzling and frustrating at times, there were emotional moments that I loved. Season two has been one of growing pains, which is pretty typical of season twos I’ve been seeing lately, as they struggle to balance storylines with such a large and talented cast. I certainly hope that season three will not be as long of a wait, because I’m already wanting more.
Grade: B+
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