When the HBO original Euphoria premiered in June of 2019, it was met with high praise from both critics and fans alike. When the long-awaited season two premiered in January 2022, the show became the second most watched show on the site, after Game of Thrones. With one episode coming out at 9pm EST each Sunday, millions of people tuned in to not only watch the show, but also discuss it across various social media sites like Twitter and Instagram. The show focuses on a group of suburban high schoolers as they make their way through the trials and tribulations of being a teen. No topic is too sensitive, with addiction, self-harm, gender identity, sexuality, trauma, relationships, sex, love, and family at the forefront. Their stories are narrated by Rue, played by Zendaya, a young drug addict fighting to find her place in the world. Scored by English singer, songwriter, and record producer Labrinth and featuring popular songs from various genres and artists like Billie Eilish, Lana Del Rey, and Lenny Kravitz, the soundtrack alone is worthy of a fan base. Euphoria inspired makeup looks and outfits featured on the show have become a huge genre in pop culture. Despite all its success and praise, the show still faces significant backlash.
One of the most common critiques is the age of the characters in relation to the subject matter. The show portrays high schoolers, who around the ages of 16 and 17, having sex, doing drugs, and engaging in other illicit behaviors. Obviously the actors are all of legal age, but it can still be unsettling to viewers to see children doing and experiencing these things. Some people argue that the show would have been better and more ethical if it had been based on college students. There is also the issue of nudity. In each episode, especially the second season, there is at least one scene with some sort of nudity. Both male and female genitalia of all forms are shown throughout the seasons, and there are arguments that it is only done for shock value and does not add anything to the actual plot. One actress in particular, Sydney Sweeney, had multiple topless scenes and there was a lot of discussion about whether or not the director, Sam Levinson, was exploiting her. Lastly there is the show’s portrayal of drug usage. Groups like the Drug Abuse Resistance Education program (D.A.R.E), have called out Euphoria for how it depicts drug use. They claim that drug use is glorified and elevated in the show, and others share this complaint. Drug use is featured heavily in the episode, but so are the negative effects of it.
Despite all the controversy surrounding Euphoria, HBO has renewed the show for a third season. It will be interesting to see the direction the show takes and if the writers, producers, and directors will take these critiques into consideration. Millions of people tuned in for season two, and are anxiously awaiting to do the same for season three.
cwillis
Related posts:
Hollywood Plagiarism
Looking to Pirate a Show or Film? Click Here!
The Magic and Menace of Makeovers
Scarlett Johansson Sues Disney over Black Widow Release
Double Standards of the Female Actress
Do we love antiheroes a little too much?
Hollywood: Guilty Until Proven Innocent
Powered by YARPP.
When Euphoria season 2 came out I remember being excited to continue watching the plot unfold. Every week I would tune in and talk about it with my classmates the next day at school. While it was interesting and highly talked about, I do agree that a lot of the explicitness of it was unnecessary. With the creative scenes and cinematography, drug use was inevitably glorified. I was a big fan of the makeup and costumes but it all added onto the “aesthetic” of being high and going about life not caring. While the show did do a good job of showing the reality of drug use, I think a lot of young viewers related to the feeling of escapism that Rue mainly went through which added onto the glorification. I also do agree on the fact that the nudity was extremely unnecessary at times and added no further context to the plot. While there a lot of things Euphoria could do better on, I do think it’s a very well scripted show and entertaining for many audiences.
As an adamant Euphoria fan, I also wondered the same thing as I watched more and more episodes. Although critics are upset with the significant scenes glorifying drug-use, sex, and nudity, these are all consequential factors that yes, even as young as 16/17 year olds experience. Surely the show did not need to include scenes as often as they did, yet the show is rated MA suggesting viewers are aware and mature of sensitive topics like these. I personally really loved the show though I did have thoughts from time to time about how graphic the directors highlighted these problems with drugs. The show is almost scary at some points with near-death and even some death experiences due to drugs. I actually admired the rawness of the scenes to viewers because it shows real life lessons and experiences that happen everyday. Censoring this content would be negligent to people who actually have problems with this. As much as the exposure to drugs in the show can be overwhelming, I personally believe the show was interesting and yes it may have seemed to “promote” drug-use, it also very openly highlighted the negative effects of it as well. As for the age of the characters, the scene was set to highschoolers. Maybe the crew could have opted for college students, but the reality is that people of all ages fall to drug-use everyday. Reconsidering the age range of the cast would be better yet attempting to label drug-users and college students when it really can be anyone of any age. Though the show primarily focuses on drugs, it can be seen as an eye opener to people to be more aware of how easy it is to get hooked, and to help someone who needs it.
When I first saw Euphoria trending on social media, I wanted to watch it but was quickly surprised by how graphic it was once I started the first season. What was particularly shocking is that this is a show meant for teenagers. If you can get past that, it’s a great show. I think it really captures the experience of depression and addiction well. Since the show has such great cinematography, it attracts a lot of viewers but it does contribute to the feeling that substance use is romanticized. I think some aspects of the show would be helpful for viewers that may have loved ones experiencing addiction and may want to understand more about what they’re going through. This is evident in the special episodes, such as Rue and Ali conversing at the diner.
I have seen the show Euphoria and would watch the episodes when they would premier with a friend of mine. While the show is an incredible production in the sense of acting, makeup, and music, I do think there are some problems with it as the author mentions. I’ve had multiple conversations with friends about how we find it odd that the show takes place in high school and not in college as it reflects more adult-like issues and shouldn’t focus on nudity in minors. I agree that I think the nude scenes don’t add to the plot and could be done away with, especially since they are all supposed to be depicting younger people.