“Euphoria” leaves viewers on edge
Capturing the suspenseful highs and lows of high school, the show “Euphoria” directed by Sam Levinson depicts the struggles of a drug addicted teenager, Rue, and her complex relationship with her transgender best friend, Jules, in a town full of secrets. The show uses dramatic music, scenes, and makeup to emphasize a plethora of intense emotions these teenagers are facing. The first season left everyone on edge when Jules left Rue in an attempt to run away, and I couldn’t wait to see more. With the new year upon us, the new season of Euphoria was released on HBO with new episodes every Sunday.
In contrast to the previous season, which features dark, colorful, in the moment scenes with heavy use of glitter and black light, directors aimed for this season to feel more like a flashback to high school, with more retrospective tones. Cinematographers use Kodak Ektachrome film and convinced Kodak to reproduce this discontinued film just for this season to get a worn out, vintage effect. In addition, the music choices of season two have a slower pace and more western tones in contrast to the strong vocal and dramatic soundtrack of season one, further emphasizing a vintage effect.
In the first three released episodes, viewers are caught up with the status of characters from the previous season, and are enlightened to the back stories of several side characters, including Fezco, a drug dealer, and the true intentions of Nate, the main antagonist. Many characters who played minor roles in the first season are getting more limelight, and new characters are introduced such as Elliot, played by famous singer Dominic Fike. Elliot adds a new, interesting dynamic and tension to the girls’ friendship, and viewers grow more and more curious to his back story.
Cal, Nate’s father is featured more as he tries to protect his name after a videotape of his perverse actions gets lost. Although Nate and Cal are seen as the primary antagonists, the directors highlight the characters’ past struggles with homosexuality to get a better understanding of their mindset. Levinson mastered the use of flashback scenes to show all perspectives of the story in this small town and shine sympathetic light on those normally seen as fiends in society.
Each released episode leaves viewers on the edge of their seats amidst the small town crisis, but also gives in-depth understanding as to why people do what they do. It is most definitely necessary to watch season one in order to comprehend season two, but both seasons are artistically mastered and unique to their own. Directors of the show made perfect aesthetic and narrative decisions to make the new season engaging, unique, and even more exciting.
