Like many dramas, the pandemic put the momentum of Sam Levinson’s perils-of-teendom and addiction series “Euphoria” on pause. After an acclaimed first season that won an Emmy for star Zendaya, HBO’s plans for a sophomore year for the hit series were put on hold, but Levinson filled in the space with two sparse, excellent standalone episodes. “Trouble Don’t Last Always” was a two-hander between Zendaya’s Rue and her sponsor Ali, played brilliantly by Colman Domingo, and it was one of the best hours of television in 2020. “Fuck Anyone Who’s Not a Sea Blob” followed seven weeks later and centered Rue’s better half, Jules (Hunter Schafer).
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A little under a year later, the whole team is finally reunited for an eight-episode arc that picks up with both Rue and Jules but also brings back the rest of this talented ensemble. After a powerful premiere that really sets the narrative in motion for the entire season, the drama spins its wheels a bit for a few episodes, displaying more uncertainty about tone and plot than it ever did in year one. Still, Levinson regains complete control in episode five, which is one of the series’ best, and that strength maintains through six and seven. Since HBO didn’t send the season finale for press, it could all derail again in the last episode, but it’s safe to say that fans will be satisfied by the season, one that once again captures how coming of age is different in the era of opioids and social media than it ever was before.
After a fascinating prologue that sets up the history of fan-favorite Fezco (Angus Cloud) in a way that ripples through his arc this season, the premiere primarily takes place at a New Year’s party, bringing us back into the lives of basically everyone at the venue. HBO has asked that critics be very light on spoilers, but it’s no surprise to reveal that Rue has relapsed already. She meets a fellow user at the party named Elliot (Dominic Fike), who will change the trajectory of her still-struggling relationship with Jules. Rue’s arc this season is again about her fighting her addiction and what it does to the people around her, allowing for a return by Domingo and phenomenal work from Storm Reid as her sister Gia. It may feel a bit repetitive to her arc in season one, but that’s part of the point here—addiction is about cycles of recovery and relapse. And Zendaya is undeniably great, especially in the powerful fifth episode of the season.
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While it felt like Zendaya and Schafer were centered for much of season one (and the specials), season two shifts some of the focus. In fact, one could argue that Schafer isn’t given quite enough character to work with this season (although that could change in the finale), and fans of Kat (Barbie Ferreira) may feel like she’s been short-changed this year too. On the other end of the spectrum, Sydney Sweeney and Maude Apatow shine in more vital roles that feel more like lead characters.
Sweeney’s Cassie ends up hooking up with the disturbed Nate (Jacob Elordi), who is the on-and-off-again boyfriend of Cassie’s BFF Maddy (Alexa Demie). While Nate’s home life with his abusive father, Cal (Eric Dane), unravels, Cassie tries to keep the betrayal secret from Maddy. Watching all of this is Lexi (Apatow), who Levinson kind of turns into something of a surrogate for himself and viewers as she writes a play about the lives of her friends. Being Cassie’s sister and Rue’s former best friend has given Lexi a lot of material to work with, and Apatow gets some complex beats this season regarding how artists use their real life in their art (and some charming scenes with Cloud that break up the misery that can dominate the tone).
Love triangles, drug spirals, unexpected violence—the second season of “Euphoria” feels familiar in ways that some critics could call repetitive, and that feeling really sinks the series of episodes right after the premiere. The first episode blazes with creativity and visual passion, but then everything kind of treads water for a bit, as if Levinson can’t focus on what’s next (although one could argue that lack of focus is kind of embedded here in that it’s just a part of teenage life). It feels almost like he wrote the back half of the season and the premiere but never quite figured out how to connect them.
The truth is that Levinson is better when he’s really digging into emotion, such as the intensity of what’s on the line between Ali and Rue in their standalone episode or what unfolds in the back half of season two. His casual “teen life” stuff feels over-written. It may be a show that leans into melodrama, but that’s actually where it feels richest. The “hangout” stuff doesn’t register as quite as genuine (except for Cloud, who nails his likable drug dealer with affable, easygoing charm).
Luckily, Levinson figures out where to take these characters before too long, plunging Rue into a nightmare, blowing up some social circles and a home life, and building Lexi into a more complete character. And his sometimes-overcooked visual flourishes find a home in episodes five-seven as well, which were shot on film. Five has the gritty, violent energy of an indie thriller, while seven is his most complex in terms of ambitious narrative construction.
Levinson is also an underrated director when it comes to performance. Zendaya is fearless here; Apatow has more range than she’s been allowed before; Sweeney captures Cassie’s needy insecurity perfectly; Domingo can do no wrong; Cloud steals scenes just by being natural; Schafer is a performer who never feels false. Every time that “Euphoria” threatens to sink into one of its less believable valleys—such as in Cal’s over-written arc this season—one of the young performers brings it back with an interesting choice or unexpected grace note. They’re all so very present in every scene of this show, creating characters who feel vibrantly alive. [B+]