![]() Rue finds herself captivated by Jules and the two begin an intense friendship, but one that might struggle to weather the storm that’s about to engulf them all.Īside from its buzzy cast of up-and-comers, headlined by Disney star done good Zendaya, Euphoria has its cool points stocked up behind the camera, too, with boutique indie studio A24 and executive producer Drake to give it at least a superficial air of authenticity. Her life intersects with a distinctive subsection of peers, from swaggering sociopathic jock Nate (The Kissing Booth’s Jacob Elordi) to sexually unsure college freshman Chris (The Hate U Give’s Algee Smith) to body-conscious Kat (model Barbie Ferreira) to, most notably, new girl Jules (trans activist Hunter Schafer). It’s not one that she’s comfortable stepping away from just yet, choosing to continue abusing while pretending to her fraught mother that she’s getting better. While something of an ensemble piece, Euphoria’s main focus is the post-rehab journey of Rue (Zendaya), an anxiety-ridden 17-year-old returning to school with a dark cloud hovering over her head. It’s still probably going to piss parents off (there are more dicks in the first few episodes than I could count) but there’s more on its mind than simply courting controversy. It’s a delicate balancing act, making a show about teens that feels both unfiltered yet careful but somehow, Assassination Nation writer-director Sam Levinson has crafted something that succeeds in every way 13 Reasons Why failed. ![]() ![]() But, while bracingly frank, it’s also able to balance any shock appeal with surprising sensitivity. It’s a show that deals with addiction, sexuality, porn, body-shaming, drugs, sexual assault, toxic masculinity, self-harm and pretty much every other One Million Moms-angering issue you can think of … and that’s just in the four episodes available to critics. There’s then something rather daring, perhaps even dangerous, about the idea of Euphoria, HBO’s splashy, explicit high school drama premiering in the midst of this ongoing furore. ![]()
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