Euphoria Season 2 Episode 2 review: The melodrama returns at the risk of being repetitive

The episode brings the series back down to earth from the dizzying heights of the first episode

Rating: 3/5

Story:

Nate is discharged from the hospital earlier than expected, as he attempts to find the right balance between Cassie and Maddy. Kat’s seemingly perfect relationship with Ethan is on the rocks, whereas Jules is jealous of Rue’s new friendship with fellow drug addict Elliot, and Lexi is struggling to come to terms with Fezco’s actions, who himself has new problems to deal with.

Review:

Euphoria’s most redeeming quality is how it can make even the cheesiest of narratives, often seen in high-school teenage dramas, appear as a mature thought-provoking story. While it does use several mature themes in its narrative, with the sex, nudity, drugs, and violence to match it, when stripped down to its bare bones it remains an expensive version of shows similar to Riverdale. Calling it similar to Riverdale would be a disservice, a more appropriate compassion would be calling it Sex Education on ecstasy. But of course, Sex Education is an exceptionally well-written production, and the only department it might come second best to Euphoria is set-design, visuals, and music.

The episode titled Out of Touch opens with a Rue with yet another backstory on everyone’s favourite bad guy, Nate Jacobs. It compels the audience to sympathise with the upbringing that has led him down the path of being a manipulative and abusive sociopath. It could be the narrative asking the audience to introspect whether finding joy in Nate getting beaten half to death is reflective of a darker side within everyone. Regardless of how one’s perception might change about Nate, it is very unlikely he will receive the empathy Abby, from The Last of Us Part II, managed to attain — which in itself took some convincing considering the backlash her character initially received.

The first episode worked so well because it gave the audience something new to look forward to with regards to Lexi’s and Fezco’s new arcs. Which also happens to be the most intriguing aspect of the series. Unfortunately, the second does very little to expand on their story. The addition of a new drug addict under Fezco’s wing appears to be put in place for the sake of making everything more dramatic. Fezco’s drug business has the potential to be as riveting as Breaking Bad, or least close to it. The Jules/Rue love story has lost its magic and it gives the impression that the writers are unsure of what to do with them, and the addition of Elliot to the equation is cliched, even though his character does offer mystery and intrigue.

Elsewhere. Cassie has gone from a sweet person, as described by Rue herself, in season one, to being desperate for love come season two, even if it means if it is someone as despicable as Nate. If it is the naivety of the young and stupid the writers are attempting to focus through these characters, they may have gone overboard with it, since apart from Lexi, none of the characters appears to have a semblance of common sense or logic. If 17-year olds across the globe are in fact as naive and gullible as the ones portrayed in Euphoria, the very future of human civilization could be under threat if it isn’t already.

Verdict:

The second episode of the season falls short in terms of matching the brilliance of the first episode of season two. The various storylines risk being repetitive, and it has become a tedious ordeal to root for some of the main characters, apart from Lexi and Fezco.

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