Season 2 of ‘Euphoria’ Is An Emotionally Intense Rollercoaster

Photo courtesy of HBO and HBO Max.

TRIGGER WARNING.

Euphoria is a teen drama series that was originally released in 2019. Season 2 premiered on January 9, 2022 on HBO and HBO Max. The series follows a group of teenagers as they navigate trauma, drugs, sex, love, identity, and friendships. The finale just aired this past Sunday and I knew from when the season premiered that I wanted to review it for you guys. Let’s get into it. Please don’t continue to read this review if you haven’t watched season 2 yet or if you find anything discussed above triggering.

Season 2 starts on New Year’s Eve where we see these characters on our screen for the first time since 2019.

I can tell you right now the acting in this show is some of the best acting I’ve ever watched.

Zendaya is absolutely incredible in this season to no surprise since we all know how talented she is. She brings so much humanity and depth to Rue Bennett. Rue goes on quite the heartbreaking journey and it was a privilege to experience how much authenticity Zendaya brings to the character. Don’t worry, no spoilers here.

I was blown away by Sydney Sweeney this season. I absolutely couldn’t stand Cassie Howard this season because of what happened. Sweeney stepped it up. If she doesn’t get nominated for any awards, I will be fuming. Her acting felt real. There were some points where I was scared of Cassie because of what she got into this season.

What surprised me is how much I loved Maddy Perez (Alexa Demie) this season. I found her so annoying last season but I enjoyed her character arc a lot. She deserves better.

There’s a reason why I used a picture of Lexi Howard (Maude Apatow) as the featured image for this review. She’s my favorite character. Yes, she’s my favorite character in the entire show. Here’s why. I relate to her a lot because she’s so grounded but also she goes through things in silence without telling a soul. Apatow brings her life in such a genuine light. I couldn’t imagine anyone else portraying Lexi but her.

We were introduced to new characters this season. Elliot (Dominic Fike) befriends Rue and turns her life upside down and Faye (Chloe Cherry) gets tangled up in the craziness of Fez (Angus Cloud) and Ashtray’s (Javon Walton) lives.

Overall, this season as a whole was a rollercoaster. I enjoyed it a lot more than season 1. I was more invested in the storylines and character development.

Euphoria got renewed for a third season! I’m curious to see what direction Sam Levinson decides to go story-wise. Guess we’ll have to wait and see.

 

 

Euphoria is exclusively streaming on HBO Max and available to watch on HBO.

Director: Sam Levinson

Cast: Zendaya, Hunter Schafer, Sydney Sweeney, Alexa Demie, Maude Apatow, Jacob Elordi, Barbie Ferreira

Producers: Zendaya, Drake, Sam Levinson