Rated TV-MA
Minor spoilers ahead about Euphoria.
I am back with yet another HBO show to recommend on this recurring column because, frankly, HBO has put out some of the best and most critically-acclaimed shows of the decade; they’re also not afraid to push boundaries, which is exactly what they have done with their newest show, Euphoria. Created by Sam Levinson and executively produced by Drake, Euphoria emphasizes the latest generation to become young adults, the so-called “Generation Z,” and how Generation Z navigates the constantly changing world they were brought into. As someone a part of that generation, I have never seen a show that so precisely captures our daily life and how we handle the troubles that are presented to us. It’s a must-see for parents, today’s teenagers, and anyone who wants to understand our generation in eight very raw episodes.
Euphoria focuses on an intertwined group of teenagers at a high school called East Highland. And you may think, “Here we go again; we get the jocks, the nerds, the stereotypical high school cliques that we’ve seen since the beginning of teen dramas,” but none of the characters falls directly into a distinct clique. There may be those who are more athletic and others who are more avant-garde, but everyone is still connected and aware of each other. It’s very refreshing to see, and I think it accurately depicts the current high school climate. Each episode centers around one particular character and tells about their adolescence in order for the audience to view both the internal and external conflicts they’ve gone through and are still resolving to the current day.
“Feel something” is what’s written in Euphoria’s official twitter bio, and it highlights my favorite thing about the show – it’s truly an experience. You really feel each trial and tribulation every character undergoes, mostly thanks to the realistic writing and superb acting. They don’t hold back when it comes to depicting themes like drug addiction, love and friendship, physical and mental health, childhood trauma, and social media. But what makes this show different than the average teen drama? The answer is the issues they bring up and the conversation they’re pushing everyone to have with each other about the unique world we’re living in now.
For example, the main character, Rue, played by Zendaya, starts using drugs at the time her father is battling cancer, causing many medications to be left lying around that Rue, unsupervised, begins to abuse. She describes the feeling she gets when using drugs as the “feeling [she has] been searching for her entire life for as long as [she] could remember.” Rue suffers from OCD, depression, and the show hinted at her suffering from bipolar disorder, too; since she’s only 17, it was quite astonishing to see someone so young being plagued by such difficulty in life and resorting to drugs to feel some sort of peace. There’s a chilling scene in Euphoria where we see Rue pleading and then eventually screaming at her drug dealer, who’s actually one of her good friends, and blaming him for getting her addicted to drugs. It’s such a vulnerable scene that feels as if we’re intruding on the moment of her life that she’s reached rock bottom and is most exposed. And that’s why Euphoria is different. Because in Rue, you can see your best friend, your girlfriend, your daughter, your granddaughter – a young 17-year old-girl who is plainly suffering. And it’s like that with every character. The show makes you empathize and wonder how we can absorb the lesson Euphoria presents and apply them to our own interpersonal relationships.
And to prove its worth, the Euphoria social media accounts announced its renewal for a second season, after the fourth episode of the series premiered on July 11. The season ended with multiple cliffhangers of several beloved characters, so I’m very excited to see what the creators behind Euphoria come up with for the second season, which is rumored to be released sometime next year. How I’m going to wait until then, I don’t know, but I guess I’ll just have to binge-watch the first season again to hold me over in times of desperation!
Euphoria also has several resources posted on the HBO website for those in need of any crisis support. Visit https://www.hbo.com/euphoria/resources for more information if you’re in need of support.
