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Episode Four

In episode four from season one called “Shook One PT 2”. In this particular episode it begins by talking about a character named Jules. They show her when she was young, she struggled with her mental health and was very uncomfortable in her own skin. She grows into her body spends a lot of time by having sex with white males who often degrade her. In the episode prior Jules best friend, Rue who is female, kisses her but the feeling's not mutual and it made their relationship a little bit awkward. The episode takes place at a carnival we get to see a lot of different people and their relationships with each other. Maddy and her boyfriend Nate get into an argument because he thinks what she is wearing is too scandalous. He tells her to go home and change. Meanwhile, Chris is with Cassie and they are talking to Nate and he asks Chris if him and Cassie are in a relationship which he responds and says, “No, we just chillin”. This makes Cassie upset with Chris because he said they weren’t together so they part ways for the night. This is when Maddy and Cassie meet up and they decide to take Molly because they are mad at Chris and Nate. While this is happening Rue and Jules meet up and get over the awkward kiss. As they are walking around the carnival Jules sees an older man at the chili booth and tells Rue it ism the aggressive man she had sex with in the motel. Rue doesn’t because she is Nate's dad so Jules walks right up not him and asks for a cup of chili. This makes him very nervous because he knows what he did could get him in very big legal trouble. Going back to Maddy and Cassie that took Molly and started to feel very confident. They announce the winner of the chili contest and it is Nate's dad. Maddy hates Nate's family so she walks up to them and the crowd of people and yells at them and knocks all the chili over. This makes Nate very angry and he grabs her by the arm and drags her behind the buildings and aggressively pins her to the wall by her neck. Nate's dad finds Jules and begs her to tell anyone about their sexual encounter and she agrees. Jules has been talking to a boy online that goes by the name “Tyler'' but the audience actually knows it is Nate. Over the past couple weeks they have been talking and sending nude pictures to each other. “Tyler” asks Jules to hang out, when they meet she finds out he is Nate and threatens to use her nude pictures against her if she ever talks about her sexual encounter with his dad. Jules then goes to Rue's house very upset and they end up in bed together kissing. 

Another important aspect of this show and episode is how they represent gender. There seems to be a lot of positivity towards gender fluidity and a lot of diversity. We see in this episode that when Jules was growing up she was uncomfortable in her skin but as she grew up and transitioned into a woman she found confidence and happiness being female. Gender is also represented by Nate in this episode. He makes himself appear to be the stereotypical white cis-gender male but as we find out more about him we discover that he might be hiding the fact that he is homosexual. Although he is male, gender comes into play here because it seems like he overcompensates for those feelings by having toxic masculinity and trying to prove thatcher is manly. He is often aggressive and dominant with Maddy. 

One of the important things to look at from this show and more particularly the episode is how sexuality is represented. Since I am talking about episode four from season one we still have a lot to learn about the characters sexual orientation but things about their sexuality are starting to become more clear. We learn that Jules is transgender and that she is happy in her body identifying as a women. In the episode Rue goes to kiss Jules but she pulls back until we find them in bed together at the end of the episode. It appears in this episode that Rue is openly homosexual. By the end of the episode it seems that Jules are and Rue are happy and comfortable with being in a relationship with each other. Another big part of this episode focuses on Nates sexual orientation. It seems as though he is a closeted homosexual and makes up for this with toxic masculinity. 

One aspect to look at is how race is represented in this show. From this particular episode there are a couple instances with Nate where it seems like he uses his gender and race to his advantage. He is very aggressive with Maddy and makes it clear to her that he has power over her. It is not explicitly said that he acts the way he does with her because he is a white cis-gender male, but that factor alone gives him power. This part of the show and these characters bring the issue in our society of white cis-gender male having a lot of power to the surface. Other than that this episode seems to focus more on the characters sexual orientation. 

Coleman, Z. C. (narrator). (2019, June 16) 

        Levinson, S. L. (executive producer). Euphoria [TV Show]

https://images.app.goo.gl/yQ61Mf7XENkkZsLy5

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Episode Three

The episode begins with a flashback to the childhood of Kat, revealing she went on a vacation in middle school and drank more than her fair share of virgin piña coladas. As a result she gained some weight, and her boyfriend broke up with her. In the present, Kat begins to cam and discovers her appeal as a dominatrix to self proclaimed “cash pigs”. Following this flashback, Jules tells Rue that if she doesn’t stop doing drugs she will no longer associate with her. Rue agrees, and leaves Jules for her NA meeting. A veteran of the group looks on suspiciously as Rue talks about her 60 day milestone that, by her omnipotent omission, proves falsely gained. Later that week, Jules continues to text the mysterious “Tyler” and tells Rue of her growing infatuation. As Rue departs from Jules’ house later that evening, she steals some of her father’s pills. She immediately bikes over to her NA meeting, where an NA veteran tells her that he can tell she isn't sober, and offers a meal if she ever wants to leave the drugs behind. Later on, Cassy leaves for a weekend at McKay’s frat initiation and Maddy discovers some suspicious pictures on Nate’s phone of multiple penises. Kat uses the money from her “cash pigs” to buy a new wardrobe. The next morning, Jules comes up to Rue during school and tells her of her plans to meet “Tyler” at a remote park after the coming carnival. Rue grows concerned, and tells her she thinks it is unnecessarily dangerous. Jules gets angry and storms off. After school, Rue goes over to Jules house and tells her she doesn’t want to argue anymore and suddenly kisses her. Believing her feelings aren’t reciprocated, she contacts her drug dealer for some pills to cope and he refuses. She panics and becomes belligerent, but once she realizes he will not comply, she leaves and calls the man from the NA meeting and asks about his previous meal offer.

This is the first episode of the season where it is explicitly outlined that Jules is indeed trans, and that Nate may be a closeted homosexual. As is highlighted in previous episodes, it is clear that Nate has a lot of internalized homophobia and his perspective juxtaposed with Jules’ very open one creates a kind of tug-of-war. Jules is unaware of Nate's identity as “Tyler” but the watcher is made aware of this fact almost immediately upon the onset of the relationship. This choice not only serves to create suspense for the sake of dramatic effect, but can easily begin a dialogue about the spectrum of sexuality in the scope of different family dynamics and society in itself. Jules is shown to have a great relationship with her father who encourages her to do as she wishes, whereas Nate has something of a hyper-masculine father that preaches his duty as a man while engaging in the same sexual inclinations as his son. Dually, Jules is very direct with the way she presents herself, and Nate is so far in the closet that it is hard for his own girlfriend to believe the evidence of it that she finds on his phone. Another interesting aspect of sexuality in the show is that of Kat. She begins her storyline with no sexual experience, and by the third episode is dabbling in her first experience as a dominatrix. At no point is this addressed in a shameful manner, in fact the undertones of her actions are presented in an empowering way. It’s uncommon, even today, for a person seen as sexually adventurous on any accord to not be shamed at least for the sake of the plot, but we see none of that in Euphoria.

I wouldn’t say that the main characters rely on stereotypes, in fact the diversity of the cast is acknowledged so little in the scope of the show that it may be considered a detriment. For all its positives, such as its manner of sex positivity and acceptance of gender fluidity, race isn’t much of a pressed upon topic. That’s not to say that its connotations aren’t present, simply that they aren’t addressed in as forward a manner as may do them justice. Therefore, it seems safe to assume that “whiteness” is the overarching norm of this show. The cast is more diverse than most, yet the interracial relationships within it aren’t given a platform to comment on any relevant issues. Cassy and Jules present themselves in a very feminine manner, which might play into the tropes they establish of being meek in relation to their sexual partners. Jules mentions when arguing with Rue about her choice to meet up with “Tyler” that she has been in many more dangerous situations involving one night stands with older men. Rue states that this doesn’t negate that she is putting herself in a compromising situation, to which Jules storms off. 

As far as gender goes, the entire cast defines themselves as either “male” or “female” throughout the course of the show. This particular episode is dominated by the female characters and their individual circumstances. Kat’s situation in particular stands as a unique perspective not often celebrated in modern television, an outlook from within the growing internet porn industry. With the establishment of sites like “OnlyFans”, many women have made money on their own terms without the overhead of a porn producer/director twisting their image. Kat serves as a relevant example of a woman in today’s society taking back her power as a Latinx woman and making money off an industry that has simultaneously exploited and blamed women of the past for their involvement in it.  

Euphoria’s undertone of drug addiction may seem to be a glamorization to some, but seems in all its bluntness to instead serve as an unforgiving reminder of the paths addiction can take someone. Jules’ assertion that she cannot be around someone that is using serves as a reminder of the sort of ostracization that can occur in otherwise happy relationships, and Rue’s adamant acknowledgment and then immediate violation creates a domino effect in the mind of the consumer about what exactly she may do next. Rue’s struggle as a drug addicted person is present throughout the show, but becomes especially poignant when seen through the eyes of her older NA counterpart, Ali. He immediately sees through her guise of sobriety and invites her to call him when she decides to sober up. While she only does this in a moment of crisis, it feels like a lifesaver in the face of what can come with drug addiction over the course of a lifetime. 

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Episode 2

In the second episode of “Euphoria” it starts out with Rue narrating Nate how Nate grew up and how he has come to be the man he is in the present day. The episode moves forward as a video that was taken of Kat having sex, without her consent, is leaked to the internet and thus the students at her high school. Maddy, having slept with Tyler at the party, tells Nate that she was blacked out. Nate stalks and breaks into Tyler’s apartment and beats him into the hospital and directly after takes Maddy out on a date. This all presents the main characters of the episode being Nate, Maddy, and Kat.

Gender in this episode is represented largely by Nate and his relationship with Maddy. Nate is a white cis-gender male and serves to represent the stereotype of such. He despises weakness and has been taught to be a “strong man”. He is the quarterback and captain of the football team at his school, portrayed the classic male and white jock. He and his father also have a very ‘masculine’ relationship as they do activities like going shooting together but never really have any type of conversation. Nate believes that every guy has anger management issues, another sign of him being a symbol of toxic masculinity. Nate, being the embodiment of traditional masculinity, is attracted to the traditional embodiment of femininity. It is narrated that Nate “hated girls who sat like boys, talked like boys, [and] acted like boys”. It also clearly listed that he hates body hair on women and he liked Maddy because she was hairless. Maddy is a Latin American cis-gender female that fits the definition of Eurocentric beauty standards that Nate looks for being; “small noses”, “thigh gaps” and “slender shoulders”. She is portrayed in Nate’s eyes as being defenseless and in need of protection. He fantasies about protecting her from all the men who would try to attack or harm her. This entire episode centers around Maddy and Nate’s relationship and represents the larger image of the conventional man and woman and their conventional relationship. This being defined as a strong and straight white male protecting and taking care of the cis-gender female who is beautiful and helpless. 

Another key part of the episode is how sexuality and sex is shown in the episode. For starters, it’s no shock that Nate is disgusted and made extremely uncomfortable by other men being naked in the locker room. He also, when being Tyler, calls him a homophobic slur. The toxic masculinity that is clearly present in Nate causes him to reject all forms of sexuality besides straight, to the point of disgust. The episode additionally looks at sex through a video of Kat having sex being leaked. Kat is embarrassed and violated and chooses to deny it completely even to the principal. It is clearly illegal on the part of the man she slept with, so she uses it to her advantage to get the video removed and forced him to take her on a large shopping spree so she doesn’t tell. This is the opposite of the ‘normal’ depiction of sexuality for women in which they are pure or let the man have control. She instead takes back her power and uses it to her advantage, not being embarrassed anymore. The episode shows a range of takes on sexuality within men and women. 

All of these subplots in the episode are an attempt to illuminate standing institutionalized ideas of men, women, and race. This is important to look at as they are all intertwined. In “Gendered Lives” by Gwyn Kirk and Margo Okazawa-Rey, it addresses how issues of race and gender are intersectional. In this case, the show critiques these conventional stereotypes by showing the extreme prototypes of masculinity in a white male and femininity in a conventionally beautiful woman. The critique lies in the portrayal of how toxic Nate is as a person, how he is violent and has warped logic when it comes to his view of women and all others different than himself. He represents a larger problem in society which rejects all other perspectives regarding race, gender, and sexuality. This episode also alludes to larger issues in society. After Kat speaks to the principal and refuses to tell the truth about the sex tape it is narrated as she leaves the office that “in the same way mass shootings, sex scandals, and stolen elections do, the whole thing blew over pretty quickly and we all moved on to the next thing”. This is a commentary of the complacency of citizens in society. There is uproar about an issue when it happens, but there is little change and little effort to change the injustices that take place in society. “Euphoria” was also created in 2019, which reveals the show is implying that the election of Trump was stolen from the people. The show insinuates a jab at American citizens because although at first there was riot over the decision, citizens soon conceded and forgot the infringement and unfairness. 

Coleman, Z. C. (narrator). (2019, June 16) Levinson, S. L. (executive producer). Euphoria [TV Show]

[Introduction]. (2020). In 1050627432 802457467 G. Kirk & 1050627433        802457467 M.   Okazawa-Rey (Authors), Gendered lives: Intersectional    perspectives (pp. 1-23). New York: Oxford University Press.

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EPISODE ONE

17-year-old Rue (the main character), returns home from rehab with no plans of staying sober. Rue quickly buys drugs and begins using again. Promptly after, her mom forces her to take a drug test- which she fakes giving her the clear to go out tonight. To commemorate the last week of summer before school starts, there is a party at Chris’s house (football jock but a nice guy). Before the party, a new girl in town Jules has an aggressive hookup with a much older man. Nate (popular high school quarterback with toxic masculinity problems), and Maddy (Nate’s on again off again girl), spend the night trying to make each other jealous. Chris and Cassie (Chris’s crush), have an interesting sex scene. At the party, a group of guys asks Kat (Maddy’s friend), if she is a “Prude or a slut,” soon after she loses her virginity. At the end of the party, Nate stands over Jules, pulls a knife on her, and says,- “you want some attention”. She screams, pulling the knife on him and slitting her arm. Rue follows Jules out of the party and asks to go home with her. Rue takes care of Jule’s wounds as she undresses. The episode ends with them in bed, looking at each other with major sexual tension, and the final words of the episode is Rue saying, “wanna get high”. 

There is a lot to unpack in this episode but I am going to begin with how race is represented. Rue comes from a middle class mixed background, her mother Black, and her father white. This alone defies racial stereotypes, that people of color are only supporting roles, not the lead. This can be supported by the UCLA Hollywood Diversity Report of 2019, which states, “only 2.2 of 10 lead actors in scripted TV are people of color”(15). In the series, the characters are shown questioning their sexuality and gender, although the actual cast is almost entirely cisgender, majority straight, mainly white, and vaguely diverse. In this episode, of the main speaking characters, two are Black, one is Latinx, one is Brazilian, and 4 are white. It is also important to keep in mind that the creator of this show is a white man, writing for a Black woman with no understanding of her identity. Missing in his “writer’s room,” would have been a Black woman who can touch on these issues more closely- a missed opportunity. One instance where race and gender could have functioned in this episode was a sexual encounter with Cassie(white) and Chris (Black). Chris tries a new sexual technique on Cassie by choking her, she is extremely appalled, and when she asks him to stop he does. Did he stop because he is a good guy that likes her, yes most likely? But there is underlying white-privilege and gender privilege that could have functioned if he had not have stopped. This is an interlocking system of oppression that we discussed in Professor Judd’s first academic lecture. She says, “The stratification of racial power in this country uses gender and gender-stereotyped to shape racial ideology”. In this situation, the stereotypes at play are: 1) white women are fragile and need protection, and 2) Black men are potentially dangerous. 

Joan Scott writes the article, Gender: Still a Useful Category of Analysis? to show society that gender and sex do not exist independently of the connotations produced by them. She writes, “The deconstruction insisted that sex, like gender, had to be understood as a  system of attributed meaning;  neither was about nature,  both were products of culture”(11). It is important to recognize this and understand that gender, and therefore gender norms are socially constructed and not a basis of sex. Given this, I am going to analyze gender norms as social and separate from sexual identity. Also, since this is only the first episode, there is not enough information to presume any of the characters' genders as other than cisgender. There are a lot of instances in this episode where gender norms played a role, one of the first being Jules’s hookup with an older man. Both of these characters are white, so race is probably not a contributor but the man is much older and Jules is an insecure minor. Much of the encounter shows him standing over her and petting her, exposing this toxic function of power that this male has. He treats her like a pet telling her she is “clean,” and a “good girl”. Jules lets this happen but this encounter is statutory rape regardless. Why she lets this happen could be several things. It is exposed at the end of the episode that she may be lesbian or bisexual as she and Rue show a lot of sexual tension, so in this scenario, she may be struggling with underlying questions of sexuality. Also, he is portrayed as a strong powerful man who may hurt Jules if she does not comply- which plays on a socially constructed gender stereotype. There are lots of instances in this episode where men are shown verbally objectifying women, another common gender stereotype. In one instance a group of guys ask Kat if she is a “prude or a slut,” and she answers because this sexualization of women by men is accepted, and they then take this a step further saying,”Fat girls give the best head”.  In 30 seconds these men have objectified her physically and sexually and her perceived role as a woman is to comply. 

In this first episode, people’s sexual orientation has not yet had time to come to light, at this point we can only presume that people are heterosexual except for Rue and Jules. At the end of the episode, they show Rue holding onto Jules while romantically riding the bike, and at the end of the episode, they show Rue and Jules looking into each other's eyes in bed- foreshadowing at a potential sexual interest. Through research, I learned that Jules injects herself with hormones in this episode. To me, I thought she injected herself with drugs or something therefore forcing me to realize my shortcomings. I am analyzing this show as a white, cisgender woman who has little knowledge about the techniques of drug use or the appearance of hormones. With this new knowledge, I can make a presumption that Jules may be transgender, which in the landscape of media is groundbreaking to feature a queer romance with the main character. My oblivion to Jules’s possibility of being transgender may mean that the show defied common transgender stereotypes in media. According to the 2020 movie, Disclosure, transgender people were portrayed as perverts, psychopaths, dangerous, prostitutes, hyper-sexualized, and humorous, and in this episode none of these stereotypes took place. 

Samuel Levinson has said that one of his goals in creating Euphoria was to start a conversation, but who has access? Euphoria is an HBO show which comes with a $15 a month price tag, compared to Netflix’s $8.99, and is only available to HULU users with a premium membership. Samuel’s desire to create open dialogue may not be widely available to people under different socioeconomic circumstances which according to the 2016 Census is largely determined by race and ethnicity. One lurking political implication of the show is the role of makeup. Even in the first episode, there are many instances where makeup looks are very unique and push society’s expectations. Samuel says, “Makeup is a way of transcending mainstream archetypes and stereotypes by embracing a more fluid, boundary-pushing mode of self-expression.” This quote reminds me of reading in Gendered Lives: Intersectional Perspectives, when Loan Tran says, “the way gender is embodied indicates a tremendous blossoming of human possibility”(38). This way of thinking about gender expression as a beautiful “possibility” is a wonderful concept and one I believe Sam is bringing to life. 

Bureau, U. C. (n.d.). Census.gov. Census.Gov. Retrieved November 12, 2020, from https://www.census.gov/en.html

Disclosure | netflix official site. (n.d.). Retrieved November 12, 2020, from https://www.netflix.com/title/81284247

Hollywood diversity report 2020. (n.d.). Social Sciences. Retrieved November 12, 2020, from https://socialsciences.ucla.edu/hollywood-diversity-report-2020/

Jafar, S. (n.d.). The overarching cultural impact of hbo’s new show, ‘euphoria.’ The Science Survey. Retrieved November 12, 2020, from https://thesciencesurvey.com/arts-entertainment/2019/11/24/the-overarching-cultural-impact-of-hbos-new-show-euphoria/

Nissen, D., & Nissen, D. (2019, June 5). ‘Euphoria’ creator sam levinson opens up about drug addiction at premiere. Variety. https://variety.com/2019/scene/news/euphoria-creator-sam-levinson-opens-up-drug-addiction-1203233881/

Tran, Loan. “Does Gender Matter? Notes Toward Gender Liberation.” Gendered Lives: 

Intersectional Perspectives, 7th ed., Oxford University Press, 2019.

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Background

The show we chose was “Euphoria”. We selected this show because we thought it had a good representation of a variety of characters with different genders, sexualities, races, and ideals. The show can definitely be applied to real world issues as well, another reason why it was selected.

A brief overview of the series' themes and characters:

The series has a variety of themes and characters, a lot being incredibly serious and/or dark. The themes include sex, sexual awakenings, porn, drugs, drug addictions, mental illness, body-shaming, and pretty much any and all topics relating to such. The main characters are Rue Bennett, Nate Jacobs, Jules Vaughn, Maddy Perez, Cassie Howard, Kat Hernandez, and Fezco. Rue Bennett is a recovering drug addict who is exploring her sexuality. It follows her ups and down of recovering and her being bipolar. Nate Jacobs is an angry, protective, and oftentimes violent character. Most of her anger stems from an ideal of being tough or manly. Jules Vaughn is a new student at the high-school as is a trans-gender woman who also is exploring her sexuality. Cassie Howard is displayed as a girl who is promiscuous or overly-sexual. Maddy Perez is outgoing and very feminine. She is a cheerleader at the school and is dating Nate. Kat Hernandez is a sexually liberated character who finds herself using her sexuality as a way to make money and take control of men. Lastly, Fezco is a drug-dealer that is close friends with and cares about Rue. 

American actor and filmmaker, Samuel Levinson is most famous for the creation of this HBO series. He is also known for movies- Another Happy Day (2011), and Assanation Nation (2018). Another Happy Day is a dark comedy about a family weekend gone wrong, the cast is overwhelmingly white. Assassination Nation has been described by The Verge as, “a horror film about misogyny,” and Wikipedia describes it as a “socio-political black comedy horror-thriller film.” The New York Times lists some of the movies “trigger warnings,” including guns, transphobia, and bullying. In the movie, the main characters are described as feminist, and concerned with patriarchy. Sam seems to produce shows (including euphoria) that include lots of social satire to expose societal prejudices and critique intersectionality. According to an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Sam includes controversial topics in his work in hopes of “opening up a dialogue,” which is important to consider when analyzing Euphoria. Sam is a white, assumingly cisgender, heterosexual, and Jewish man, who recently seems to be using his privilege in a valuable way, as he continues to work on projects that are diverse in terms of race, sexuality, and gender. On the contrary, his choice to write his words for a Black woman as a white man is something to think about. If he cast her based on underrepresentation maybe he should dive deeper into her racial identity in the show instead of just focusing on drug usage. Zendaya (Rue) is an audience grab and extremely talented actress which could be why Sam chose her, but I think there was room for more.

Assassination nation. (2020). In Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Assassination_Nation&oldid=987491600

Harris, A. (2018, September 20). Review: ‘Assassination nation’ bluntly calls out all-american misogyny(Published 2018). The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2018/09/20/movies/assassination-nation-review.html

Robertson, A. (2018, January 24). Assassination Nation is a vicious, cathartic horror film about misogyny. The Verge. https://www.theverge.com/2018/1/24/16921552/sundance-2018-assassination-nation-film-review-sam-levinson