“Euphoria,” an HBO-original drama directed by Sam Levinson, concluded its second season on Sunday. The show details the intertwining lives of high school teenagers as they experience addiction, trauma and love.
Many viewers had anticipated the show’s season finale after sex scandals were revealed and characters hit their breaking points.
The majority of the second season featured main character Rue, played by American actress Zendaya, spiraling through her frenzied drug addiction.
During the second half of the season, Rue experiences a gut-wrenching relapse, leaving her feeling hopeless and broken.
Zendaya’s acting throughout the entire season was phenomenal, showing the unfathomable feeling of hitting rock bottom as a substance abuser.
As a viewer, I’ve always supported Rue – not because addiction should be romanticized, but because the show unravels the real-life journey of someone who falls into the dangerous cycle of drug abuse.
While to many it may not seem the substance abuse is realistic, the themes are relevant to the ongoing drug crisis among youth in the U.S.
Illicit or injection drugs including cocaine and heroin were used by 15% of high school students and 14% of students reported misusing prescription opioids, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention adolescent and school health webpage last updated Oct. 2020.
After Rue’s father dies in her early teens she experiences anguish and sorrow, which the show alludes to being a contributing factor to her addiction.
The harrowing effects of Rue’s addiction hurt the people around her, specifically her mother and sister, as they endure the traumatic effects of just trying to keep her alive.
The show also addresses betrayal between friends in the midst of a drug withdrawal. Rue reveals that her friend Cassie, played by American actress Sydney Sweeney, has been sleeping with her best friend’s former boyfriend, Nate, who is played by Jacob Elordi.
This jaw-dropping moment occurs during an intervention for Rue, but she reveals this secret in an effort to distract the group from her addiction and she runs away as the chaos erupts.
Rue’s actions in this episode show how some suffering from drug abuse go to extremes to satisfy their unbearable withdrawals, even if it means hurting others.
The final episode of Euphoria had fans itching to see how all the intertwining plots would resolve, but many fans were left disappointed because of the unfinished conflicts.
Early in the season, Rue collaborates with chillingly quiet drug dealer Laurie, played by Martha Kelly, but soon Rue’s mother dumps the drugs her daughter acquired down the toilet.
Rue becomes manic, as she freaks out about the disposed drugs and suddenly owes thousands of dollars to a drug lord.
We never find out what happens in this storyline; Laurie just disappears from the show and Rue goes about her merry way.
While “Euphoria” tells multifaceted stories of people of color, women, and LGBTQ individuals the show doesn’t have a writers room, according to a Monday New York Times article.
Levinson wrote every episode solo, which could explain his inability to develop the complex stories of these characters.
The final episode’s pinnacle occurs during the play created by Lexi Howard, who’s played by Maude Apatow.
The play consisted of the life events of her friends and family, including Rue, Cassie, and Maddy.
At one point, Lexi’s play reveals Cassie’s sex scandal, prompting Cassie to run on stage and have a tantrum similar to a toddler who didn’t get what they want.
From the audience, Maddy then says “Somebody needs to put this bitch down,” and runs on stage, in front of the whole school, to slap Cassie in the face.
This moment had fans, including myself, rooting for Maddy, who didn’t even break a nail.
Despite the plot holes the artistic choices in the season, especially in the season finale, were memorable.
The finale was ultimately focused on Lexi’s play at its surface, but viewers were able to connect to the deeper stories of the characters as the scenes changed from past to present.
In the play, Lexi portrays the passing of Rue’s father as a pivotal moment in her life that moves her to take on the role of a caretaker for her friend.
Despite such phenomenal actors and meaningful themes, the writing was mostly disappointing, but I was pleased with Rue’s journey at the end of the final episode.
During the entire series, Rue despises herself for her addiction because she lost control of her life and hurt those around her.
Viewers can empathize with Rue and realize she’s a victim of a mental health and drug crisis. This is ultimately why so many fans love Rue despite her actions.
Lexi’s play makes Rue realize what her life looks like from the eyes of others and she seems to forgive herself, realizing that she’s not the villain she thought she was.
Rue was constantly hard on herself throughout the show, which perhaps parallels the behavior of real-life drug addicts who get lost in their lives and lack self-forgiveness.
Rue’s resolution is beautiful, as she starts to recover from the nightmare addiction phase that we’ve witnessed through the two seasons.
The latest season of Euphoria was vertigo-inducing, unsettling and dazzling all at once.
