The grittiest and most stylized teen drama is back with a bang. After a hiatus of over two years, excepting the pair of one-offs, HBO’s and A24’s collaboration “Euphoria” returned on Sunday night.
As per “Euphoria” tradition, the episode opened by giving a backstory to one of its characters. This week, we focused on drug dealer Fezco (Angus Cloud). In the first minutes of the show, a pistol-bearing woman walks through a strip club, shoots a guy’s knees (narrowly dodging his exposed penis), and struts back into her convertible where a young Fez awaits. He apparently inherited his business from her, his grandmother, who later adopted his partner-in-crime, the frighteningly young Ashtray (Javon Walton). It’s a shame that such a beloved character as Fez should have to split his background story cold open with Ashtray’s, but it sheds some needed light onto his behaviors.
The rest of the episode has its characters in alarmingly dangerous situations that test the limits even for “Euphoria.” In our first glimpse of protagonist Rue (Zendaya), she accompanies Fez and Ash to a deal. The dealer, paranoid about the feds, requires them all to strip naked. When Rue refuses, she’s dragged into a bathroom until she complies. When Rue jokes about it later, Fezco is angry at her nonchalance, for even he is visibly shaken by the encounter.
We find Cassie (Sydney Sweeney) buying junk food from a gas station, only to be picked up by the infamous Nate Jacobs (Jacob Elordi). He offers her a ride to the party, and during the drive he coolly sips a beer as he tops 100 miles per hour and Cassie leans out the window, “Hereditary” style.
We finally get to the party and it’s essentially like every other party that “Euphoria” has ever shown – flashy, overcrowded, and a drug-induced haze of chaos. The episode spends the rest of its time jumping between conversations and events at the party. Lexi (Maude Apatow) and Fez somehow end up flirting on a couch, Cassie hides in a bathtub after she hooks up with Nate and her best friend (and Nate’s ex) unknowingly walks in, and Rue does a lot of drugs with new character Elliot (Dominic Fike).
The episode proves that the days of the quietly focused special episodes are over. Creator and director Sam Levinson mimics the party environment by cutting away just as individual moments get interesting or any substantial character growth happens. I couldn’t help but yearn back to the days of those special episodes, which spent a borderline uncomfortable amount of time with just one character that allowed them to fully exist as human beings. In particular, the episode focused on Jules (Hunter Schafer) proved that the show can effectively balance impressive character work and its trademark flashiness; the season two premiere seemed to abandon that strategy and focus solely on the latter.
The premiere did have moments of intimacy though, in which Levinson was able to create pockets of genuine connection in the chaotic environment. In particular, they come when the show’s star-crossed duo Rue and Jules reunite. Zendaya and Schafer’s palpable chemistry is apparent as their characters navigate such significant obstacles as addiction and codependency. I’m excited to see where their relationship goes and if Levinson will give it the space it deserves.
The episode ends with Fez beating Nate to a bloody pulp after he caused the police to raid Fez’s house last season. It’s a shocking moment that only makes sense with his backstory introduction earlier, so kudos to Levinson for bringing us full circle.
In all, it’s a standard “Euphoria” party episode: illicit hookups and an unrealistic amount of drugs highlighted by exaggerated yet brilliant lighting schemes while featuring roughly one minute of emotional tension and character work. Still, it works almost frustratingly well. If this episode is any indication, we’re in for another season of classic “Euphoria” with a bit more danger sprinkled in.
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Emmy is a big fan of all things TV and movies. Among her current favorites are The Matrix, Midsommar, Titane, and Fleabag. Catch her on Letterboxd @ewenstrup !
