Does Euphoria have anything valuable to say?
The first season of this show was delicious and salacious in a way that only hot new teen shows can be. But I've spent most of season 2 wondering a few things, like: is the Nate/Cassie/Maddy storyline just a hacky and more melodramatic Archie/Betty/Veronica story? And wasn't there already a teen show that was literally just a hacky more melodramatic Archie/Betty/Veronica story?
Secondly, does anyone ever like, just go to Biology class in this school? Are there grades? And while the Cal storyline was heart-wrenching to watch it stops short of reaching any sort of valuable thesis.
It skirts up toward some sort of message about what? Maybe if white men were less bounded by the dictates of heteronormative society they would not only have a greater slice of personal freedom but they wouldn't perpetuate harmful cycles of masculinity on their male offspring. Ok, we kinda get that point and are clearly meant to feel sorry for Cal but, um why exactly? Why does this man deserve our sympathy?
Yeah, his love story with his bro friend didn't ever get to be fully realized because he is "trapped" by his now-wife. But it's not like Cal stopped doing whatever the fuck he wanted. He even says so in his grand dick-out monologue. He still pursued sex from whomever he wanted even children, still carried on a portion of the life he wanted and we're supposed to feel bad because he only got a version of what he wanted and not all of it? What? When you pull back, ultimately that storyline boils down to: white man does whatever he wants while running from the consequences.
Jules has always been one of the more complex characters on the show and she remains so this season even if she is mostly on the margins more compared to last season. "You sound like you are navigating a Twitter thread" remains one of the best lines of the season and her game of "do I touch the stove" with her flirtation with face tat boy is interesting if not expected. Jules is a curious explorer of life and experiences. So the flirtation is consistent and a devastating reinforcement of the gulf between her and Rue. It is also yet another example of Jules’ self-destructive taste in partners.
Kat got fully retconned this season and why? They reduced what was an interesting and twisted coming of age moment into an " oh that didn't really happen" fantasy. Now the character literally just eats chips in cut scenes and hates her boyfriend. Furthermore, that Instagram influencer scene was actively one of the worst most hack trash things I have ever seen on television. I am pretty sure I actually said " are they kidding me with this" out loud while watching. Give us cool Kat back, I want kitty kat mask, findom horror movie nun Kat back. Justice for Kat.
What's her name's play storyline is boring and straight up a rip off of a storyline on Saved by the Bell this season— down to the fake Lexi reality show. Side note: New Saved by the Bell is really fucking funny below is just a clip of the best character being hilarious. Enjoy!
Rue, Rue, Rue... Zendaya is acting her ass off, she really makes this character real. Her work specifically in S2 E5: Stand Still Like the Hummingbird, and the episode right before it is wrenching. It's actively becoming hard to watch owing to her complete commitment to the role. The same can be said of Sydney Sweeney's Cassie.
The work of these talented actresses is the high point of the show. While the show itself may not have much to say, they are able to carve out creative contributions inside their own character portrayals that give the show gravitas and depth. In general, this show is stacked with good performance, Alexa Demie is fully iconic as the toxic but fragile Maddy and Hunter Schafer adds layers to Jules etc etc.
It's not all bad this season, we did get some genuinely hilarious scenes. Nearly everything that has taken place in a bathroom this season has been iconic, from Maddy banging down the door and Cassie hiding in a tub to the laugh-out loud funny "Oklahoma" bathroom scene that is played on a wire’s edge. The memes this season are hot!
If only the show had more to contribute than just aesthetics.