Euphoria : The show that has left me so conflicted

Yes I know, I have been pestering many of you with my thoughts about the show 'Euphoria'. It's almost as if I am obsessed with the show - I finished season 1 in 2 days and now, all caught up with Season 2. But my obsession with the show is not necessarily because of how good or pathbreaking it is (in many ways it is) but also with how frustrating my experience was with some aspects of this suburban drama of high school teenagers, obviously played by real-life twenty somethings.

Right at the outset, let me admit that despite some flaws, Season 1 is a lot more watchable than Season 2 has been so far. I will get to Season 2 a bit later. But first Season 1. And its wonderful breakout star - Zendaya who plays Rue, a high school girl struggling with drug addiction and potential bipolar disorder - to perfection! She embodies the soul of this show. And her performance is nothing what I have seen anywhere in recent times. Wonderfully shot, bleak, and edgy, Season 1 had so many wonderful moments. Unlike other shows of this genre (Gossip Girl, Never have I ever), Season 1 of 'Euphoria' is not so much interested in soapy love triangles but instead goes into the darker territories of teenagers struggling with depression, substance use, body image issues. The show, also in many ways becomes a commentary on the deadly Opioid crisis in suburban America, partly caused by Pharma promoted addictive painkillers. One of the characters gets into a major car accident - and instead of easily killing the character off, the show actually goes on to show the aftermath of this surgery and the subsequent administering of Fentanyl, leading to his addiction issues. I commend the show for these insights. Equally commendable is the character of Jules, a trans girl who becomes friends with a broken Rue and brings a purpose in her life with her glowing spirit and positivity. As mentioned before, the show is wonderfully shot and edited - it jumps back and forth between the present and the past. There is also a lot of violence, penises, other graphic imagery that can be very unsettling to watch. And this brings me to the first big problem with the show overall (both Season 1 and 2) - the edginess and the constant attempt to provoke. At the risk of sounding prude, I wonder whether so much nudity, gruesome violence was necessary? I understand that a lot of deep rooted anger and influence of social media may have been the trigger of the rough sex that these high school kids are often shown to indulge in, but after a while, the scenes just become repetitive and belabor the obvious point that creator, Sam Levinson is trying to make.

But despite all its flaws, Season 1 of 'Euphoria' does break new grounds in terms of its dark themes, performances and its visual storytelling. And while Season 2 matches season 1 in terms of edginess and maybe goes far beyond, there is more of style this time and little of substance. There are a few exceptions such as the wonderfully cast drug kingpin - Laurie, played to deadpan perfection by Martha Kelly. I definitely want to see more of this evil character who is an absolute fun to watch. And yes Zendaya continues to shine as the relapsing drug addict. But her relationship with Jules which was the highlight of Season 1, is muddled up with the introduction of a new character, Elliot. Scenes of jealousy seem repetitive and those of truth-or-dare seem silly, serving no purpose at all. But the bigger problem for me is with where I think the show is headed. A lot of Season 2 revolves around this messy love triangle among three of the characters, one of which is the monstrous and abusive high school jock, Jacob. My stomach cannot swallow how this season so far has almost avoided mentioning about all his previous monstrosities, but instead focused on how he is the object of affection of two best friend who are fully aware of his abusive traits. There is a lot of social media buzz over which girl should win this so-called race, polls on who people are rooting for, forgetting obviously that the guy in question is the real villain here. Some of the other characters such as Kat are either sidelined or their non-stories are stretched, while some others such as Mckay are made to abruptly disappear. 

Euphoria is at its best when it focuses on the things that set the show apart from the other teenage shows. It doesn't hesitate to talk about the rampant substance abuse, about depression and other mental health issues. But my fear is that since it is already such a huge hit with its target viewers, it has been succumbing and will continue to succumb to what its fans probably want more to see - more nudity, violence and soapiness. If that is just what makes for great TV, then count me out.