Euphoria – Cinephile Pile

Season 1-2

Created by Sam Levinson

Cast: Zendaya, Hunter Schafer, Angus Cloud, Jacob Elordi, Alexa Demie, Sydney Sweeney

This is a review for seasons 1 and 2 because I just finished watching them with my girlfriend. Basically, my biggest takeaway is that this show is doing the best it can possibly do with the high school drama structure that it chose to follow. Similar to Riverdale or countless others, Euphoria follows the overdramatized lives of students at a high school and their struggles with drugs and sex and family. What makes Euphoria different from other similar shows is that it truly gives depth and nuance to every character. Multiple characters are introduced as being absolutely terrible people, and then by the time you really get to understand who they are, you can’t help but feel bad for them or at least understand what they have been through. The best example of this is Cal. He is introduced in the worst way imaginable, and by his big episode in season 2, I actually thought he was a really interesting character. It also helps that basically every actor in this is incredible. Sydney Sweeney is on my radar now because she even though her character is the absolute worst, she plays the part perfectly. Perhaps the best part of this show is the focus on production quality. From innovative and experimental cinematography, to really creative lighting and storytelling structure, it really keeps you on your toes. The episodes that thrive on this the most, which are my top two favorite episodes, are the ones were everyone is together in one location for the whole time: namely, the one at the fair and the new years party. As the camera bounces from one interaction to the next and swoops around the set, we get an overwhelming and building sense of drama and tension between everyone. It is just great craftsmanship from all involved. The biggest valid criticism of this show is the normalization of teens having sex with everyone in sight and doing all drugs on the face of the planet. But for the sake of entertainment, and because I don’t have kids, this does not bother me. I almost wish they wrapped this up in two seasons because I don’t know how much longer these actors can pretend to be teenagers. But they definitely left a lot of stories unresolved and incomplete so I hope they keep doing the same quality work for Season 3.

8/10

Favorite Characters:

Fezco