Euphoria follows fictional high school students' experiences of drug addiction, relationships, and trauma. Season one begins from the first day of junior year and we first meet 17 year old Rue, a drug addict who has no plans to stay clean. She befriends Jules, a carefree transgender girl who has just moved into town, and through Rue's narration we encounter others in her year; Nate, a jock whose anger issues mask sexual insecurities, McKay, a college football player, Cassie, who's sexual history continue's to follow her, Maddy, who experiences physical and emotional troubles in her relationship, and Kat, a self-conscious teen exploring her sexuality. As the teens struggle to make sense of their futures, the series tackles the teenage landscape from partying to anxiety-ridden day-to-day life.
The series has a prominent theme of sexuality, which was handled with a realistic approach. Rue (Zendaya) and Jules (Hunter Schafer) are, although not confirmed, thought to be atleast bisexual or pansexual by the majority of viewers. The presentation of LGBTQ+ characters are much more realistic in this series than in other shows in the sense that teenagers who question their sexual identities probably won't be able to identify with a label straight away - which makes sense; people grow constantly - and change their interests, which would make it hard to stick with one label and think that they would stay with that label for the rest of their life. In this show however, it's obvious that these characters aren't straight but the ambiguity of their sexual identities makes the representation better as we're really seeing the journey of these characters, and perhaps later on in the show they will figure out what they identify as.
As been constantly pointed out on social media; the makeup, cinematography and editing (my personal favourite part) of Euphoria is really only a few of it's unique selling points (along with the hard-hitting storylines). The makeup is quite out there and elaborate, but it's hard not to appreciate it when watching - it's just so aesthetically pleasing, especially in party scenes or even at scenes set at dawn or in broad daylight. The lighting is really flattering on the girls.
Speaking of the girls, Kat's (Barbie Ferreira) storyline was the most engaging; she's a curvy teenage girl who is very different from other "fat friend" tropes found in other shows and films. There just isn't any other curvy girls on screen right now that has her complexity and unapologetic personality. Out of her friends, she is the central focus and isn't just defined by her appearance, which is more than what mainstream media needs right now. As Kat said in episode five, "there's nothing more powerful than a fat girl who doesn't give a f***", which shows Kat's start to growing more confidence within herself, and the idea that what is powerful is being yourself and not caring about what others think. Though in a way she uses her sexuality as a tool to hide who she truly is deep inside - she behaves in the way she thinks boys want her to be. This only seems to work for her temporarily as it stems from her insecurities that still evidently exist, showing that even those who try to appear confident aren't always. Though Kat is definitely heading towards the person she wants to be, which we see a glimpse of in the season finale.
Whilst watching I found myself to feel indifferent towards Rue as character and also her relationship with Jules. Her bluntness towards her family and that one odd-hypocritical moment she had (she only ever talked with Lexi when in need by didn't want her around when Lexi asked if she was okay) made her personality unlikeable and uninteresting, and was hardly even necessary. That being said though, her story of experiences of depression and as a drug addict were explored quite well and were definitely thought-provoking. It's important that character and story are discussed separately as they are obviously very different, and Rue's situation and background are unfortunate. Although as a main character (and narrator) Rue's character isn't perhaps the most interesting, her experiences should not be disregarded as representation (not glamorisation!) of drug abuse and mental illnesses in POC's are rare in mainstream television.
As for Rue and Jules' relationship, I'm even more unsure of how I feel towards them; on the one hand, they have incredible chemistry and it's clear they care for each other, though regardless neither are mentally ready for a genuine relationship, let alone a relationship with each other. As we see towards the end of season one, Rue is heavily dependant upon Jules, which could be a reason as to why Jules started to distance herself. It's unhealthy for a single person to be the source of your happiness, and given that Jules never showed that she was genuinely serious about the relationship, it isn't fair on either of them. Being with Jules would actually be damaging for Rue rather than benefitting. They fell in 'love' with each other immediately, but their relationship (if you could even call it that) would (and is starting to) fall apart already. Toxic seems like such a strong word to use that is thrown around constantly over fictional ships, but Rue and Jules at this point should really take time to themselves before they start a proper relationship.
Overall, Euphoria definitely starts important conversations needed to be had and doesn't oversimplify characters or their stories, making them more enjoyable for mature audiences. Though the finale, personally felt underwhelming - not necessary because of the strange scene with Rue in the final minutes, but because there's not really a concrete plot of the show. There's obviously a story.. but eight or so of them are being shown at once, and they don't all necessarily link, or just had a very (again) underwhelming end. Also, (perhaps this is controversial) besides Nate, Jules, Kat, Fezco and Cassie i feel as though the other characters' personalities are unlikable and/or underwhelming such as Rue and Maddy. Of course, no one on Euphoria is perfect and that is also what makes this show realistic - the writers aren't trying to sell us Mary-Sue-esque teen characters because they don't exist in real life - however there comes a point where a character becomes so unlikable that their way of thinking or acting is barely understandable or justified.
For a short series, Euphoria has more strengths than weaknesses given that it is the first season, such as how mental illnesses, body insecurities and other mature themes were explored and the phenomenal acting, though personally I can't see the longevity of the show if season two (expected release is Spring/Summer 2020) does not have many sustainable characters or an over-arching plot line.
Feel free to share your thoughts and opinions in the comments below; did you like Euphoria? Who were your favourite characters/storylines?
- Edna
Whilst watching I found myself to feel indifferent towards Rue as character and also her relationship with Jules. Her bluntness towards her family and that one odd-hypocritical moment she had (she only ever talked with Lexi when in need by didn't want her around when Lexi asked if she was okay) made her personality unlikeable and uninteresting, and was hardly even necessary. That being said though, her story of experiences of depression and as a drug addict were explored quite well and were definitely thought-provoking. It's important that character and story are discussed separately as they are obviously very different, and Rue's situation and background are unfortunate. Although as a main character (and narrator) Rue's character isn't perhaps the most interesting, her experiences should not be disregarded as representation (not glamorisation!) of drug abuse and mental illnesses in POC's are rare in mainstream television.
As for Rue and Jules' relationship, I'm even more unsure of how I feel towards them; on the one hand, they have incredible chemistry and it's clear they care for each other, though regardless neither are mentally ready for a genuine relationship, let alone a relationship with each other. As we see towards the end of season one, Rue is heavily dependant upon Jules, which could be a reason as to why Jules started to distance herself. It's unhealthy for a single person to be the source of your happiness, and given that Jules never showed that she was genuinely serious about the relationship, it isn't fair on either of them. Being with Jules would actually be damaging for Rue rather than benefitting. They fell in 'love' with each other immediately, but their relationship (if you could even call it that) would (and is starting to) fall apart already. Toxic seems like such a strong word to use that is thrown around constantly over fictional ships, but Rue and Jules at this point should really take time to themselves before they start a proper relationship.
Overall, Euphoria definitely starts important conversations needed to be had and doesn't oversimplify characters or their stories, making them more enjoyable for mature audiences. Though the finale, personally felt underwhelming - not necessary because of the strange scene with Rue in the final minutes, but because there's not really a concrete plot of the show. There's obviously a story.. but eight or so of them are being shown at once, and they don't all necessarily link, or just had a very (again) underwhelming end. Also, (perhaps this is controversial) besides Nate, Jules, Kat, Fezco and Cassie i feel as though the other characters' personalities are unlikable and/or underwhelming such as Rue and Maddy. Of course, no one on Euphoria is perfect and that is also what makes this show realistic - the writers aren't trying to sell us Mary-Sue-esque teen characters because they don't exist in real life - however there comes a point where a character becomes so unlikable that their way of thinking or acting is barely understandable or justified.
For a short series, Euphoria has more strengths than weaknesses given that it is the first season, such as how mental illnesses, body insecurities and other mature themes were explored and the phenomenal acting, though personally I can't see the longevity of the show if season two (expected release is Spring/Summer 2020) does not have many sustainable characters or an over-arching plot line.
Feel free to share your thoughts and opinions in the comments below; did you like Euphoria? Who were your favourite characters/storylines?
- Edna
