If any show has made a hit on social media so far, it’s absolutely been Euphoria (I look forward to Euphoria Sunday every single week and it may or may not be the highlight of my week) After watching all these episodes, I have three words: Rue. Jules. Elliott.
I know the majority of the season has been primarily focused on Nate and Cassie, as well as Rue’s battle with her addiction and Maddy being blissfully unaware of Nate and Cassie’s relationship (at least up until the last few episodes) but I am disappointed that Sam Levinson didn’t focus on Rue’s and Jules’ relationship more- I mean, that’s what the special episodes were for, right? They were intended to give a deeper insight into Rue and Jules, their relationship, and to set it up for Season Two. And Kat, who was my absolute favorite last season, has had about as much screen time as BB the vape girl. Mckay, who was another favorite of mine, has also become non-existent this season.
Don’t get me wrong, this season has been great! I loved getting to see Cal’s backstory, the dynamics between the entire Jacobs family (poor Aaron), Lexi and Fez, the entire dynamic between Nate and Cassie, and Rue’s battle against addiction and how it’s destroying her family. However, there definitely are criticisms to be made about this season and how it compares to season one.
For one, the lack of Rue and Jules has been somewhat significant compared to the amount of screen time that’s been spent focusing on Nate and Cassie. Their relationship was such a significant part of Season One and it’s disappointing that it has taken a back-seat this season, especially with Jules cheating on Rue with Elliott while leaving Rue stranded on the road (I love you Jules, but girl, that was not it). I think Rue and Jules have a shot of working it out but definitely not anytime soon, especially with Elliott in the picture.
Nate and Cassie have also been incredibly interesting this season. I absolutely adored Cassie in Season One, but I don’t think I have ever seen a television character slip as bad as she has (give Sydney Sweeney all the rewards for this season’s performance). To see Cassie betray her best friend, ruin her relationships and friendships, and make herself the doormat for Nate Jacobs of all people has been almost difficult to watch, but Cassie has been fascinating to watch this season. As we saw in the last episode, after Lexi’s play, Nate ended things with Cassie and told her to move out of his house, which I am so thrilled to see how it plays out (maybe Cassie is actually crazier than Maddie). Nonetheless, this season has been great and we have gotten to see a different side of so many characters.
We’ve seen an even softer side of Fez with how he treats Lexi, his grandmother, and Rue, who is basically a sister to him. I’ve already decided that if anything happens to Fez or Ashtray in the finale of this season I’ll officially be done watching Euphoria. We’ve got an insight into Cal’s past and the end of his heartbreaking first love with Derek and how it has affected his marriage with Marsha and his double-life that has traumatized his family, especially Nate. We’ve seen how Nate has struggled deeply because of his father’s actions and cheating on his mother, especially with his classmate Jules. We’ve seen how Nate has become even more abusive, horrible, and how terribly he treats all of the women in his life- Maddie, Cassie, and Jules. We got to see Lexi break out of her shell and discover herself and feel seen in her play. We got to see Ethan kill it in literally every single one of his roles in Lexi’s play after him and Kat’s breakup (which we all knew was coming, but it was still pretty hard to watch), We got to see more of Maddy as a person and how she’s really not the mean girl everyone has made her out to be.
Overall, this season has been pretty solid and I’m excited to see where Sam Levinson decides to take the finale! (as long as Cassie and Nate are done for good, Fez and Ashtray are safe, and Jules and Rue decide to work on themselves).