Euphoria: Fiction or Reality?
Avery Hayden-Calhoun
After a hiatus of two years, season two of HBO's Euphoria is finally here. Euphoria is known for its take on topics such as drug addiction, mental illness, domestic violence, and sexual expression. Deep topics such as these often produce controversy and debates among viewers.
Season one introduced the show's dark themes with cinematography and colorful, high-contrast lighting that gives off a histrionic feeling. Marcell Rév, the show’s cinematographer, commented: “Levinson [the show’s creator] explained that he wanted the show to look the way teenagers imagine their lives to be.” Euphoria’s main characters are all teenagers dealing with the difficulties of adolescence. However, when watching Euphoria, the show’s mature themes make it easy to forget the show is based on teens. Many question if Euphoria is an accurate depiction of what teens actually go through.
Euphoria's first season captured viewers’ attention by following the life of 17-year-old Rue Bennet. Rue is a drug addict who was just released from rehab with no intention of getting clean. Throughout the chronicling of Rue’s story, many different characters are introduced. Each have their own storyline, and become established as main characters. Euphoria’s main characters include: Jules—a transgender girl struggling with self-identity, Nate Jacobs—a jock with sexual insecurities that manifest as anger issues, Cassie Howard—a girl who struggles with self-worth and a sexual history that haunts her, and Kat Hernandez—a teen exploring her sexuality while struggling with body image. At first glance, it can be easy for teens to relate to these archetypes. As the story progresses, the line between unrealistic and realistic does get blurred.
The second season is a lot more provocative than the first, and some think that certain mature themes are unnecessary and unrealistic. With only three episodes released so far, there have already been many scenes that were uncomfortable to sit through. When real life adolescents were asked whether or not Euphoria depicted teenagers accurately, many were conflicted. Kayla Howard, 20, explains: ”They’re dealing with a lot of heavy stuff that needs to be talked about, so I respect them for that, but overall I think they’re normalizing it and making it seem like all of these problems are happening within the world of one person." This can cause an issue for teenagers.
Euphoria not only normalizes this high-risk behavior—the show glamorizes it. Tik Tok is a good example of how abusive relationships, drug abuse, and the overall life of these characters are being romanticized. Of course, it is not exactly the show’s fault that these mature themes are being glorified, but it is still harmful to today’s youth.
Even with all the questionable things in the show, a viewer can still find comfort within Euphoria. Rue’s depression might be the most relatable topic and does not fail to make affected viewers feel seen. In a powerful monologue, Rue ruminates on depression: “Suddenly, you find your whole days blending together to create one endless and suffocating loop. So you find yourself trying to remember the things that made you happy. But, slowly, your brain begins to erase every memory that ever brought you joy. And, eventually, all you can think about is how life has always been this way. And will only continue to be this way." Euphoria is able to depict depression in the most painfully accurate way. Kat’s body issues are another serious problem this new generation shares. With ever-changing, harsh beauty standards and toxic social media, many can see their own insecurities reflected in Kat. The reason the first season was so good was because of how validated and seen it made viewers feel through its representation of today's problems.
We are only three episodes into the second season, so we can’t fully form opinions quite yet. The show has evoked conversations that weren’t as talked about before like mental illness, sexuality, and self-identity. Today, we have so many different platforms of media that it is hard not to indulge in them. With social media comes harmful trends that seem to just generate insecurities that were not present before. Difficult but real topics like this are reflected in Euphoria and help validate teenagers’ experiences. Recent generations quickly mature and stop acting like kids at a young age, reflected in the narrative of the show. There always has been an obsession with growing up, and it appears to be amplifying with the social media epidemic. In some ways, Euphoria does accurately depict and successfully acknowledge the struggles of life today.
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