*spoiler warning*
Euphoria has undoubtedly been the show of the year so far. Sunday after Sunday, we have patiently waited for the new episode to premiere at 9 pm on HBO Max. It only took a couple of hours for all social media platforms to be filled with spoilers, with people giving their opinions on specific scenes and making predictions of what could possibly happen next. In hallways and classrooms, you could actually listen to people actively discussing the latest developments on the show (funnily enough, in my First-Year Seminar class, Euphoria seems to be quite a recurring topic in our class discussions. Sorry, Professor!). After 8 episodes full of drama, tension, and plot twists, the Euphoria Season 2 Finale, “All My Life, My Heart Has Yearned For A Thing I Cannot Name,” premiered on Sunday, February 27th. In this article, we will compile people’s opinions on everything that has happened (and everything we wish had happened).
First, let’s summarize what we saw. This episode continued with Lexi’s play, while revealing the developments of the characters’ chaotic lives. Cassie interrupted Lexi’s play to express her frustration against her sister after Nate broke up with her, Maddy confronted Cassie onstage, Nate confronted Cal about the trauma that he caused him and called the police on him (as he should!), Ash was killed by the police after a devastating showdown in Fezco’s house, and Rue was finally sober (at least in this episode, and as she mentions, for the rest of the school year), and Rue left Jules knowing that it’s the best for them both. The episode closed with Rue’s voice-over detailing a hopeful future.
Now, to the spicy part: what did people think? Long story short, it was a huge mixed bag of emotions and opinions. On the bright side, people and critics alike praised the consistent narrative structure, as well as the careful portrayal of heavy topics such as grief, addiction, and trauma. In this episode, we had a snippet of Rue being sober and being the true self her loved ones used to know. We greatly appreciate having had the opportunity to see this part of Rue through her heart-felt and emotionally-mature conversations with Lexi, Jules, and Elliot. Particularly, in Jule’s scene, we could see how she has grown throughout the season and how this newfound sobriety allowed her to let go even when it hurt her the most. Nate’s and Cal’s scene is also one to highlight; it was very significant that Nate finally voiced his trauma against Cal, holding him accountable for what he did and didn’t do as a father. Nate allowed himself to be both vulnerable and strong enough to stand up to his father. Are you wondering about the, “I love you,” Cal finally expressed? Unfortunately, it came too late.
However, fans were not happy, to say the least, about some parts of the show. Specifically, I’m talking about Elliot’s Song which was, as the name suggests, performed by Elliot (played by singer Dominic Fike). While Dominic is a brilliant performer and the song in itself was sweet and carefully thought through (added to the fact that it was co-written by Zendaya), people felt it was unnecessarily long. The producers could have used that time to fill some of the many plot holes and loose ends that this season has (there are just so many!) or give some needed screentime to relevant but forgotten characters as Jules and Kat. In regards to this, people have harshly criticized how Kat and Jules, who are supposedly main characters in the show, were left in the dark in this episode. Their storylines deserved to be further developed and explored and it’s such a shame that the producers lost the opportunity to do so. Hopefully, in the next seasons, we hope to see a change in this aspect.
Euphoria Season 2 left us with a lot to reflect on by touching on important topics that many teenagers deal with – grief, loneliness, addiction, trauma, complicated friendships, and relationships. Since we love Euphoria, we truly hope the next seasons do not disappoint.