Audiences have been obsessing over the show Euphoria since it first launched in Jun of 2019. The series, which can be found on HBO Max, has stirred up a lot of buzz due to its intense dive into teenage drug addiction, trauma, and the complex lives of present-day high schoolers.
Celebrities gushed over Zendaya’s historic Emmy win in 2020 for Lead Actress in a Drama Series, and fans wonder if season 2 of the show will lead to yet another nomination for the actress.
Audiences expected Euphoria's second season to continue to push boundaries.
Still, some say that the show may have gone too far. Season two becomes even darker in content as the main character, Rue, completely relapses, and other characters fall into patterns of bad decision-making.
The first season had glimpses of a silver-lining at times as characters Rue and Jules watch their relationship grow from friendship to love, but there seems to be much less hope for the characters in season two.
'Euphoria' Season 2, Episode 5 Was Intense
The show’s fifth episode in season 2, “Stand Still Like The Hummingbird”, was a major turning point for many viewers who now consider no longer watching the show. The episode follows Zendaya’s character Rue through her beginning stages of withdrawal.
Audiences watch as Rue becomes unglued upon learning that her mom has found out about her relapse, and has taken the drugs that she has been hiding in a suitcase under her bed. This is a major turning point in the series, as Rue’s addiction is once again causing her to make questionable decisions.
Zendaya’s character gets into a physical altercation with her mom, breaking down the door to her little sister’s bedroom, spewing hurtful comments that sober-Rue is sure to regret, but actress Zendaya delivers with a lot of conviction.
After Rue is reduced to sobs over her missing pills, she discovers that Jules has overheard the entire fight in the other room. It is revealed that Hunter Schafer’s Jules and Dominic Fike’s Elliot, who have confirmed their relationship in real life, betray Rue for her own good.
This leads to a long night of fleeing from parents, cops, and mistakes for Rue’s character, and leads her to expose the biggest secret of the season — Cassie and Nate’s relationship.
Why Was This Episode Of 'Euphoria' So Intense?
Euphoria has never hesitated to tackle the difficult, uncomfortable, or taboo. The show has consistently had images of full-frontal nudity, domestic abuse, and more.
What made this episode stand out so much to audiences?
Many point to the intimacy and character-building that the episode dedicates to Rue, which highlights the full capacity of her ability and willingness to manipulate people she cares about for her own gain.
Characters throughout the episodes this season are constantly questioning whether they are good people or not. Many of them come to the conclusion that they aren’t, and run from that realization instead of working on it.
'Euphoria' Deals With Difficult Topics
Audiences are shown that Rue’s character will do just about anything to avoid going through withdrawals.
In episode five alone she destroys her house, tipping over glass breakables, shelves, everything in her mom's bedroom. She smashes through the door of her kid sister’s bedroom and fistfights her mom, all of which keep the pressure of the episode building.
One of the most poignant scenes shows Rue agreeing to use morphine to give her some relief while going through withdrawals. Audiences watch as the camera zooms in on Rue’s blood entering the syringe and mixing with the clear morphine.
No doubt symbolism for just how clouded and contaminated her morals have become since relapsing.
Relationships Are Intense On-Screen In 'Euphoria'
Zendaya’s character uses her words to cut like a knife through the bonds she has created with her mother, sister, friends, and girlfriend in episode five.
She accuses her mother of not doing a good job of raising her and blames her for her own addiction. Rue then applies pressure to her sister by telling her that she really has to focus on making something of herself now that her older sister is a lost cause.
Jules arguably faces the most verbal violence in the episode. Rue calls her a “leach’ and a “vampire” that sucks the life out of everyone around her, words that are fueled by Jules’ betrayal of Rue’s relapse secret.
The couple, once filled with budding love in the first season, and that just reconnected and affirmed their love in season two’s opener, seem to already be falling apart once again.
Rue tells Jules that meeting her was one of the worst things that ever happened to her in her life, very much mirroring the way she tells Jules that she caused her relapse in episode one of the new season.
Will 'Euphoria' Become Even More Shocking?
After the violence, betrayal, and heart-wrenching fall of a beloved character, it’s understandable why some fans are thinking about not continuing the show. Euphoria gives a lot in its show, but in that, they also give audiences a lot to handle. That may be the blessing and the curse of a show that aims to continue to be raw and break barriers.
