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Episode 2, “Stuntin’ Like My Daddy” - Melissa Merdzo

Here is a little recap of what happens in Episode 2, Season 1 of Euphoria. Rue, the main character (who is played by Zendaya, a mixed (half Black half white) cisgender female actress), had her first day of school after summer and panicked when she was put on the spotlight to talk about her summer, which consisted of her overdosing on drugs and her younger sister finding her passed out. Later on in the episode, Rue showed up to her drug dealer friend Fez’s house to get drugs at the wrong time and was pressured into taking Fentanyl by Fez’s supplier. This episode we also learned a ton about another important character, Nate, who is played by a white cis gender male. During Nate’s childhood, he found and watched his fathers porn collection, which consisted of his dads personal sex tapes with queer men and transgender women. This was when Nate found out his dad was into penis, as he is married to Nate’s mom, a cis gender woman. Nate’s girlfriend, Maddy, who is played by a mixed (half white half Mexican) cisgender woman, falsely accuses a man of raping her while she was “blacked out,” even though it was consensual sex, because she doesn’t want to upset Nate by admitting she had sex with another man named Tyler. This causes Nate to lash out, and due to the fact that he is obsessive, possessive and insane, he stalks Tyler for days and finds out where he works and lives. He breaks into Tyler's apartment while he’s gone and when Tyler comes home, Nates ties him up and beats the shit out of him for “raping” Maddy. To be fair - Maddy was 17 when they had sex and Tyler was 22, so although he wasn’t aware, he did have sex with a minor which is illegal and makes him a pedofile. Jules, Rue’s best friend in the show, is played by a transgender white woman. She is using a dating app and starts talking to a guy who keeps himself anonymous and lies to her about who he is - but in the end of the episode, it is revealed that the guy is Nate, who turns out to also be closeted like his father and struggling with his own sexuality. Another important character that the episode focuses on is Kat, who is played by a white Brazilian cisgender woman. Kat loses her virginity to a stranger at a party because she feels pressured by stigma. Shortly after, her sex tape from that night got leaked to her school. She quickly has it taken down because it is child pornography. Even though the video got deleted, it got reposted by another user. Kat reads the comments under the new video and is inspired to sign up for the website's cam program.

I would say that the cast of Euphoria is decently diverse compared to other popular shows in this age. It showcases a spectrum of of different races, ethnicities, sexualities and gender identities, from white, Black, Hispanic to cisgender and transgender, to an array sexuality. We do see lack of Asian, Native and gender non conforming representation in season one. McKay is one of the only Black characters we see in Euphoria, who is there mainly showcased as Nate Jacobs (white man) best friend and Cassie's (white woman) boyfriend. He doesn’t have much of his own storyline, but it is a bit of a stereotypical role as we see him forced into college football by his dad. Moving on to gender indentity, it’s rare to see transgender people in television and I think that the transgender character Jules is represented in a non harmful way and it’s a really great, positive thing that Euphoria included this character. Also, sexuality is represented very well in Euphoria I would say. I don’t think I could pin down Nate and his fathers sexuality, but neither of them are straight which shows a spectrum of sexuality in Euphoria. Nate and his dad are shown struggling with internalized homophobia, fear and sexual confusion, and they deal with that through violence. Later on in Euphoria, Rue and Jules end up catching feelings for each other and making out so we can conclude that neither of them is straight as well. Something we see in this show later on is Rue’s mom accepting Rue’s sexuality, which breaks typical stereotypes for queer characters in televesion as we are typically fed the idea of parents being non accepting of their childrens sexuality. It’s great for LGTBQ+ representation that these character are multidimensional and being queer or trans is not their only personality trait - they all have incredible background stories and struggles that they deal with aside from their sexuality and gender identity. Next to cisgender characters in Euphoria, Jules (transgender woman - the only non cisgender character in the show) has a ton of speaking parts in the show as she is one of the main characters. Jules has her own storyline like other main characters - there is an episode glimpsing into her own pre-transition and traumatic experiences. I believe that Euphoria definitely shatters a ton of stereotypes seen in society. One take on this is Rue, a cisgender woman, hating the idea of gender roles and being feminine - we see her saying she hates the idea of wearing a dresses. Although some characters break stereotypes, Nate Jacobs is the epitome of toxic masculinity and gender roles. He believes that girls need to act, dress and extremely stereotypically feminine, as well as be “pure” virgins for him to have sex with them.

I think that the television show Euphoria does not touch on political issues very much, although it does touch on some issues that seem private but do have political implications, such as drug abuse, mental health issues and abortion. Rue is shown dealing with her own drug abuse journey throughout the season, which began with her mental health issues. Rue suffers from depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, ADD and OCD. When she was younger and her father was struggling with cancer, she took one of his pills and that's where her drug journey began. After her father passes, she uses drugs as a coping mechanism and becomes addicted. On the other hand, Euphoria showcases abortion near the end of the season when character Cassie ends up in a teen pregnancy after finding out her boyfriend impregnated her. When she opens up to him about being pregnant, he freaks out and tells her he isn’t ready to be a father and he pressures her to get an aboriton. Later on, Cassie breaks down to her mom asking her for advice as she is unsure if she wants to keep the baby, like she wants, or get an abortion, as her boyfriend McKay wants.

Levinson, Sam. “Euphoria - Stuntin’ Like My Daddy” Episode. HBO Max 1, no. 1. New York, New York: HBO, June 16, 2019.

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“Pilot”-E1 Karli Heikkila

Diving right in, this review will be based on Euphoria season 1, Episode 1. Let me just say, it is a lot to grasp in 50 minutes. Right off the bat, Rue the main character gives a monologue about her life story leading up to her current state. She addresses her mental health issues and how she was prescribed drugs at a young age which led to her turning to drugs later on as a coping mechanism, which then led her to drug addiction, and almost an overdose. This experience forced her into rehab, the beginning monologue closes off with a powerful statement; “I know it all seems sad, but guess what? I didn’t build this system, nor did I fuck it up.” A powerful message that resonates. The transition after this last statement goes from her monologue straight into a scene where she is walking through a party, the lights flashing a deep pink and blue, there’s loud music, and she is drinking. It shows her eyes go into a sorrowed state. This transition felt powerful because the cinematic experience leaves you feeling connected to the music and the moment all the while allowing you to visually analyze the fact that Rue being fresh out of rehab is going straight back into her cycle with substance abuse. During this scene, she addresses how she chases the moment where she can have the “2 seconds of nothingness,” through the use of drugs and alcohol to numb the overwhelming state of her mind. This scene being the introduction to the first episode of the series is important because It not only introduces Rue and her struggles with addiction, but it highlights a deeper rooted issue within the system that is the mental health industry and the prescribing of what are highly addictive pain pills or opioids (Big Pharma) to younger children, especially young black children in America. Rue also is depicted as defying her gendered role as a female because it shows her dressing in a predominately masculine way.

Then the episode goes onto introducing the other main pivotal characters through Rue’s narration. To start we have Jules the new girl in town who is shown at the start on a dating app connecting with an ab photo of an older man whom she plans to meet up with the night of the first party she was invited to. This party was being thrown by the high school stereotyped jock Nate Jacobs. The embodiment of toxic masculinity, Nate is at the center of his male athletic peer group. The male athletic peer-group theory talked about in a book by Michael Messner is a theory that is justified through this first episode. The structure of the male athletic peer group provides an understanding of the enablement of power and inappropriate actions or words that male athletes in high schools have and act on. Nate is at the center of the structure. Then follows Mckay who is introduced as a college boy who is pining after a high school girl whose name is Cassie, Nate introduces Cassie by calling her a whore and showing the entire group of men who they are with before the party videos of her having sex with other men. Mind you she’s in high school. This makes Mckay feel bad but he doesn’t tell Nate what he’s doing is wrong he just tells him to turn the videos off and moves on from the situation. Nate and Mckay play into the ultra-masculine athletic stereotypes that exist in current high schools. Cassie is then introduced as this hypersexual, and a sexualized girl that is sweet, along with her best friend Maddy who is introduced as self-serving and manipulative. Ultimately rues introductions give insight into the stereotypes these main characters have while also giving some backstory to create this multidimensional understanding of who they are and what they are going through behind the surface level judgment and intertwined portrayals.

Overall this first episode transcends any other narrative that assumes and tries to tackle the issues that are relevant in current high school populations. It gives a thoughtful and triggering description of each of these characters' lives and issues. The complexity of the storyline deals with the relationships these teenagers have with themselves and others. Euphoria breaks boundaries by showing the graphic and raw aspects of these teenagers' lives that are a reality for a lot of kids today. Aspects such as Jules being a transgender woman. In this first episode, Jules goes to have sex with the older man she matched with at the beginning of the show. This man graphically dominates her in this episode. Jules then proceeds to go to her first party in this new town where she then proceeds to get verbally assaulted by Nate Jacobs who is “joking” while yelling at her, however, after being yelled at Jules rather than breaking down, screamed back at Nate and had an overwhelming amount of anger that the viewers can determine stems from her bad experience with the older man she had had right before the party. After this scene the episode closes off with Rue the main character asking Jules if she is okay and introducing herself, Rue then goes home with Jules where she strips down into undergarments revealing her transgender body, both of them climb into bed and share an intimate moment through their gaze. The surprising twist right before the episode ends and after this scene between Jules and Rue switches to showing Nate's family photo revealing to the viewers that Nate's dad is the older man who met up with underage Jules to have sex. Right after this reveal, the episode closes with rue saying to Jules while laying next to each other in bed; “Ive got an idea, wanna get high?” This closing statement is the most ingenious way to end the first episode because after they revealed a shocking moment and It just ends with rue saying they should get high connecting her idea of using drugs to mask the complex issues in her mind. So by her saying this, it reveals that all of the problems these teenagers are having can be avoided or suppressed through the use of drugs or other vices. This episode is just the beginning of a storyline that not only breaks down stereotypes but also grapples with gender roles and how they play into the identity of each of these characters and their experiences with life, substances, relationships, social media, and more. An intricate and volatile expose that uses creative cinematography, makeup, and narration to create a heightened experience for the viewers watching the show. The scenes that are shot are very obviously creative and give off “euphoric feelings” create a lens's to Mimic the feeling of drugs or substances that rue uses to numb herself. We as viewers are bombarded with these really graphic, deep, and sometimes interconnected narratives that are a lot to take in, so at random points, there will be scenes that make us feel this euphoric feeling through the music, lighting, and makeup. The same way drugs for rue mask the chaos in her mind, the creative scenes shot in the show are used to mask these storylines making it exciting and addicting to watch based on the feeling you get as a viewer.

Levinson, Sam. “Euphoria - Pilot” Episode. HBO Max 1, no. 1. New York, New York: HBO, June 16, 2019.

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“Made You Look” -Nantahala Kerns

 Episode 3, “Made You Look”, focuses on Kat, Jules, Rue, and Nate. The episode explores sex work, consensual vs non consensual actions online, body image issues, diet culture, addiction, sexuality and coming out of the closet, and toxic romantic and platonic relationships. 

The episode begins with the narrator, Rue, telling the audience about Kat. Kat is a white cisgender 18 year old woman.  The story focuses around eleven year old Kat gaining weight on a trip to Sandals, Jamaica, from drinking virgin pina coladas. When Kat gets home from the trip her boyfriend Daniel dumps her presumably because of her weight gain. Kat throws herself into fantasy love affairs from tv shows and movies and eventually starts writing fan fiction. As Kat’s popularity online grows it contrasts her real life insecurities and sexuality. After a video of Kat having sex is published and goes viral she feels her fans still love her and “they wanted to fuck her”. Kat decides to start camming anonymously. Kat uses camming to reclaim her sexuality from both her insecurities around her weight and to take power away from the video posted without her consent. Kats character also explores current diet culture fads with the character currently being on the “grapefruit diet” but by the end of the episode Kat has changed her appearance through bolder clothes and a new outlook around her body.

Rue’s first scene in episode 3, is receiving her 60 days chip from a narcotics anonymous meeting. Rue, the main character and narrator, is a black cisgender 17 year old woman. Rue has not actually been clean for sixty days but does not want to disappoint the people at the meeting. Rue also feels she is doing really well because she has been clean for two weeks. After attending a narcotics anonymous meeting another attendee calls Rue out for lying about being clean and trying to remind her of her motivations to stay clean. Rue ends up relapsing when she is confronted with her feelings for Jules because she’s spending so much time on “ShyGuy118”. Rue tries to apologize to Jules which leads to her kissing her and then leaving. This is the first time Rue’s sexuality is really shown making it clear her feelings and attachment to Jules is not just platonic. After the kiss Rue tries to buy drugs but is cut off by her dealer. Rue loses it at her dealer who she also considers a friend showing the low she hit from both her addiction and feelings for Jules.

During episode three Jules, a transgender woman, matches with “ShyGuy118” on a gay dating app. “ShyGuy118” is actually Nate, a stereotypical jock, but tells Jules he is Tyler from a private school. Nate is a white cisgender man who is dating Maddy. Nate creates the dating profile to protect his father who slept with Jules in the first episode but becomes conflicted when talking to Jules. In an earlier episode Nate listed the very specific things he likes and dislikes for girls to do but Jules meets his idea of femininity: she has a slender neck and shoulders, wears girly clothes, and is completely hairless. The two begin exchanging nudes. This leads to Rue analyzing the art of “dick pics” bringing up “unsolicited or solicited” in other words whether or not the nudes were consensual. This discussion around “dick pics” also connects to the video posted of Kat without her consent. Throughout the show nudes and home sex tapes are discussed casually as they are with most high schoolers a lot of the repercussions are also brought up from Kat’s video going viral to threats of child pornography charges. 

Levinson, Sam. “Euphoria - Made You Look.” Episode. HBO Max 1, no. 3. New York, New York: HBO, June 30, 2019.

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Euphoria Synopsis

This blog is reviewing the show Euphoria. This series was selected because it tackles a lot of serious topics that many people can relate to and/or learn more about. This series explores the lives of a group of high school students as they navigate addiction, sexual orientation, domestic violence, mental illness, sexism, and body positivity among other important topics. The series generally follows Rue Bennet as she struggles with depression, anxiety, and drug addiction. It begins with her being picked up from rehab, and as the season continues the show introduces Jules Vaughn, Cassie Howard, Kat Hernandez, Nate Jacobs, and Maddy Perez. Each character has their own demons to face that usually intertwine with the other characters’ storylines.

The show was created and written by actor and director Sam Levinson. He has also directed Assassination Nation, Another Happy Day, and Malcolm & Marie. Levinson has starred in Bandits, What Just Happened, Toys, and Stoic. This is relevant when thinking about the show because Levinson struggled with drug addiction as a teenager and spent a majority of his teenage years in hospitals, rehabs, and halfway houses, which is depicted through the main character, Rue.

During the Emmy’s, Euphoria won the Primetime Emmy award for Outstanding Original Music and Lyrics (2020) and the Primetime Emmy award for Outstanding Makeup for a Single-Camera Series (Non-Prosthetic) (2020). It was nominated for the Best Original Music award, the Outstanding Contemporary Costumes award, and the Outstanding Music Supervision award. The shows lead, Zendaya, won Lead Actress in a Drama Series award and became the youngest recipient of the award and the second-ever Black woman to win the category.

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Euphoria S1E4 Review - Olivia Higgins

In episode four of season one, the audience gets a glimpse into Jules’ childhood and experience with being transgender. The main character, Rue Bennett tries to get clean for Jules Vaughn, her love interest and current best friend. Jules previously revealed to Rue that she cannot be around her if she is going to continue down the path that she is on. Rue uses drugs on a lethal level but works on stopping in this episode. Rue attends a carnival with Jules, and chaperones, her sister, Gia Bennett. Jules encounters Cal, a man she had sex with who is also the father of a boy she goes to school with, while he is with his family. This encounter creates tension between the two of them, when they realize the circumstances. Cassie and Maddy, annoyed at their boyfriends for not prioritizing them, decide to do molly together to let loose, while at the carnival. Maddy then goes on to sabotage, her boyfriend, Nate’s chili booth where his family is competing for best chili recipe. He then has an outburst of rage and ends up physically abusing Maddy. This outburst involved severe choking and slamming Maddy against a trailer. Kat hangs out with her friend Ethan, who she is also romantically interested in, until she misreads a situation thinking that he is flirting with another girl who is later revealed to be a family friend.

The episode begins with a recount of Jules Vaughn early childhood. She is a transgender woman, who had a difficult coming out experience. It takes the audience through her time at psychiatric hospital, where she was admitted for depression at the age of 11. She struggled with bouts of depression, largely stemming from gender dysphoria. It goes through her experience mentally with accepting her gender identity. She would cut herself, which landed her in the psychiatric hospital. When she got out, she started to transition and feel a bit better emotionally. By the time she was 16, she started having sex with men she found online, who would invalidate her gender by assuring her that they are “completely straight”. This implication invalidates her gender by implying that because she is trans she is not a “real woman” and therefore the clarification must be made that they are straight.

Most of the characters are cisgender, but Jules, who is an important character and love interest to the main character Rue, is a transgender woman. She is the second character introduced in the series, so she speaks a lot throughout the series and specifically this episode, since the first part is centered around her experiences. Jules is very involved in the main storyline of the show since Rue relies on her friendship to stay sober. This show does not necessarily rely on stereotypes, but it does showcase a lot of general issues that certain groups face. An example of this would be when Jules’ recounts her experience with depression within the psychiatric hospital. Even though this does not happen with every transgender person, depression is common throughout the community for a variety of reasons, like discrimination, low self-esteem, etc.

Sexuality plays a large role in this episode, from sexual orientation to sexual expression. In this episode Rue tries to confront her feelings for Jules. She realizes that she is not sure how she wants to go about addressing those feelings. This is the first girl that she has had feelings for, but Jules’ is also her best friend, so she does not want to jeopardize their relationship. On another note, Kat decides to lose her virginity to a random guy she met at the carnival. She does this after leaving her friend Ethan. Kat does this to feel empowered, which happens when she expresses herself sexually.

Although Euphoria mainly focuses on a young queer Black woman, there is not a lot of talk of how race or ethnicity plays into the specific issues of each of the characters. For example, Rue also deals with addiction and mental illness, but they never address how race plays into her treatment for those issues or how she is treated by medical professionals. This also happens with the characters from the Latinx community, their ethnicity is never considered when addressing their lives. The way they paint race and ethnicity makes it seem like these factors have no impact on their lives.

This show addresses very private and personal issues that have political implications. These issues include sexual orientation, sexual expression, domestic violence, gender identity, drug addiction, sex work, body image, and sexual assault. The show addresses these issues by giving the characters general problems that go along with these identities and topics. The show then provides an internal perspective by taking the viewers through the thoughts of the characters and giving a more personal point of view.

Sources

Levinson, Sam. “Euphoria - Shook Ones Pt. II.” Episode. HBO Max 1, no. 4. New York, New York: HBO, July 7, 2019.