If there’s ever been a show that depicts realistic aspects of addiction, love, the dangers of social media and more, Euphoria would blow it out of the water.
The first two episodes of the new HBO show are incredibly honest, graphic and certainly upsetting. The show is about high schoolers but made for adults. For parents wondering about teenagers or young adults seeking to understand different stereotypes of people, Euphoria not only dives deep into plenty of social issues, but it also shows the audience there are times where you just can’t assume.
Last week’s pilot episode introduced the characters, gave us some backstory into the things that different people and friend groups are dealing with but also gave the audience a surprise ending when Jules’ (Hunter Schafer) hookup with DominantDaddy (Eric Dane) turned out to be Nate’s (Jacob Eldori) dad.
Just when things couldn’t get any more messed up or complicated, this week’s episode rolls around.
This week’s episode follows a lot of Nate’s backstory, including how he was deeply scarred as a child by his father’s pornographic behavior with people who weren’t his mother, and his father’s explanation to Nate about how he wouldn’t ever really be a good guy. Basically, Nate has daddy issues for days and desperately needs a therapist.
Meanwhile, a beautiful friendship forms between Jules and Rue (Zendaya). After recently getting out of rehab, Rue is happy to have someone she feels she can rely on, especially after she was horrible to her oldest friend, Lexi (Maude Apatow).
Rue, still battling with her drug addiction, goes to her dealer, Fezco (Angus Cloud) to get more but runs into trouble when some of his more rough customers pay them a visit. One of the guys tries to get Rue to try fentanyl, to which Rue and Fezco protest, but she is forced to take it, and Fezco is forced to pay $600 to get the man to leave Rue alone.
Once Rue is under the influence, she isn’t doing well, and Fezco calls Jules for help.
“Yo, what’s up? It’s Fez; yeah, look, I’m going to need a little help with Rue,” Fezco says. “Yeah, ASAP.”
After the wild party that prompted most of the cast’s problems, Kat (Barbie Ferreira) also finds herself in trouble when the guy she lost her virginity to releases their sex tape. However, once she convinces everyone to take down the video and spread around school that it isn’t her, she realizes people on the porn website liked it and that she could make some money creating those videos. This prompts Kat to create a porn account and leaves the audience wondering if she’s going to begin monetizing her videos.
The big reveal at the end of this week’s episode, however, is when the latest guy Jules is direct messaging turns out to be Nate, posing under the handle “ShyGuy,” and then telling Jules his name is Tyler.
Euphoria is more than just a great show addressing a lot of important issues like drugs, social media and sex, but it’s also a work of art. The camerawork, soundtrack and acting all contribute to making the show the masterpiece it is. It’s the perfect example of no one’s stories ever being what you think they are. With the incredible acting, whirlwind storylines and disturbing content, the season is going to be a wild one.
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Euphoria airs Sundays at 10 p.m. on HBO.
