Why we should care about Euphoria

We’re three episodes of 11  into Season 2 of Euphoria (new episodes land every Monday on Showmax express from the US) and there are so many conversations to be had. If you haven’t watched the first season of Euphoria and the first three episodes of Euphoria Season 2, stop reading here and catch up before you continue!

First of all, events that are teased in the trailer are unfolding and being placed in context, with Rue (Zendaya) providing the narration.

Maddy (Alexa Demie) admiring herself in the mirror at school and saying how great she would look if she were pregnant was really just a throwaway line (although we can’t rule out the possibility later in the season). What actually happened in episode 2 was Nate’s (Jacob Elordi) fantasy/dream/hallucination after the episode 1 beating by Fezco (Angus Cloud) that put him in the hospital about what might have been if he’d chosen Cassie (Sydney Sweeney) from the beginning instead of Maddy. In that scenario, Cassie was with child – not for the first time if you cast your mind back to Season 1 (all episodes are also streaming on Showmax).

In episode 3, another bathroom scene plays out in full, the one in which Cassie is called out for her outfit (sort-of sexy country hick but we can totally picture Dolly Parton wearing it), the result of her obsessive three-hour morning beauty and fashion regimens in an effort to catch Nate’s eye in the hallway. At the same time, we hear her explosive confession, which reaches its climax with her screaming “and I couldn’t be any happier!”

In a nutshell: expect a Cassie-Maddy-Nate triangle, resting entirely on Nate and Maddy being broken up because, girl code, but also on the down-low, and Nate is still a jerk.

It’s back to school after the New Year’s Eve party of episode 1, which laid the foundation for the season. In keeping with the theme of back stories, we found out about Fezco and his streetwise, hardened-beyond-his-tender-years little brother Ashtray (Javon “Wanna” Walton). A new character, Elliot (Dominic Fike) was introduced, with whom Rue made fast (in both senses of the word) friends the way those with a mutual interest in all the drugs do.

Thus far, it’s just that – friendship – but Jules (Hunter Schafer), lovingly reunited with Rue at the party, is instantly hurt and jealous when she finds out. She doesn’t know about Rue’s relapse, or the basis of her relationship with Elliot but her intuition is telling her something is not as it seems, especially since Rue pulls a really bad fake “oh right, now I remember meeting him at the party” move.

Rue presents a tutorial on how to be a drug addict, and she also comes up with a genius idea to get free drugs from the dealer she met with Fezco in episode 1. I’m not quite sure how her plan is supposed to work without getting her killed or sold into sex slavery, but I’m deeply anxious that she hasn’t thought this through and will consume all the drugs in the suitcase that we see in the trailer and not sell any of them. There’s a Big Moment between Rue and Ali (Colman Domingo), which you’ll catch if you’ve watched the first Euphoria special.

Before I write an entire book about just three episodes of a series I’m enjoying way more now than before – and even finding the occasional chuckle moment, which is a bit of a surprise, I must draw your attention to episode 3, which begins with a 13-minute back story about Cal (Eric Dane adult, Elias Kacavas teen), Nate’s dad, which is hinted at in episode 2. It’s so poignant and tragic, and not only reveals Cal’s history, but how toxic father-son relationships are perpetuated. 

If you’re new to Euphoria, you need to be aware that it does not follow a linear format (much like this review), with flashbacks, back stories, and lucid imaginary recollections in between the current action. In the wrong hands this could be super confusing; some filmmakers use filters to differentiate time frames, which is not a technique used here, but it works remarkably well and is not difficult to follow if you lean into it.

For the easily baffled, such as myself, this is nothing short of utter brilliance. It’s a small and subtle detail, but I’m loving Rue’s facial expressions, some of which break the fourth wall, and say so much. What has annoyed me, however, is that Fezco’s white top remained blood-splatter-free after Nate’s beating, and Nate retained a set of perfect white teeth thereafter. C’mon guys – everywhere else is dirty reality. Unless it’s some obscure metaphor.

Euphoria will be praised and condemned in equal measure for its depiction of adolescent sex and drug use, as well as violence and mental health issues – depending on where your confirmation bias lies. It paints a vivid picture of what young humans navigate on a daily basis, and as much as there are the freedoms to behave, speak and dress in certain ways, the angst and drama of these turbulent years makes us wish we were young again and simultaneously feel grateful that we are not.