Last week, the HBO program Euphoria, starring the Emmy Award winning actress Zendaya, premiered a new episode. Born out of the pandemic, the second installment of character-centered episodes is not officially a part of any particular season. The episodes are treated as more in-between cushions to hold fans over until a proper second season is finalized amid the lifting of pandemic orders. However, just because these episodes are not linked to either season does not mean that they are not important to the overall narrative of Euphoria.
If you have not watched any of Euphoria, be warned, there are spoilers ahead. Another heads up, the show warrants a trigger warning because these episodes dwell heavily on addiction, depression, and other emotional topics. Euphoria is a riveting original series that captures the complicated lives of teenagers living in a world with social media, drug addiction, sex, and other issues in an honest and authentic manner from the perspective of the teens that are subjugated to this journey.
On Dec. 4, 2020, the episode “Trouble Don’t Last Always” focused on Zendaya’s character Rue, as she and fellow recovered drug addict Ali talk about the hardships of life, such as love, addiction, and the struggle to stay clean. Overall, the episode was mostly a conversation between the two characters with incredible chemistry and extremely heartfelt performances by both Zendaya and Coleman Domingo.
This episode takes a peek inside Rue’s mind and let’s the audience see how deeply rooted her issues with addiction really are and why she feels reluctant to ever fully recover. Rue also brings up the topic of her and Jules’ relationship and how hurt she was when Jules ran away. This part of the conversation set the foundation for the following episode, “Fuck Anyone Who’s Not a Sea Blob.”
“Sea Blob” centers around Hunter Schafer’s character as she sits in a therapy session discussing topics such as femininity, false relationships, and her mother’s alcohol addiction. Again, these episodes are pretty intense emotionally and may be difficult to digest.
In Euphoria fashion, the episode begins with an artsy opening montage, close in on Jules’ eyes, as they reflect many of the events that led up to her sitting on a couch across from a therapist. The montage is scored by the gut-wrenching Lorde song, “Liability.” The lyrics, being almost too accurate, saying, “They say, you’re a little much for me. You’re a liability.”
Early in the episode, Jules discusses her disinterest in men and trying to appeal to what they want. She also talks about her transition and the concept of how “femininity conquered me.” The therapist allows Jules to channel these thoughts into whatever shape they may take, very sparingly asking questions to dig a bit deeper. Jules brings up this idea of having a million layers and how the person she is evolves into a mix of everyone she has ever interacted with throughout her life.
Along with the concept of femininity, Jules speaks on her fond memories of being on the beach and how the ocean felt like a connection to her feminine side. From a directorial point of view, “Sea Blob” is beautifully shot. Although it is a rather simple concept of a conversation taking place in a therapist’s office, Schafer’s performance is so raw and emotional. There are plenty of long, close up shots on her face that display her outstanding acting abilities.
The episode is also inter-spliced with scenes of Jules and Rue together, as well as, Jules and her anonymous online lover. The scenes are sensual, but are played as mere fantasy of her love life and her inability to fully understand what is real and what is not. The trip journey explores the vulnerable and heartbreaking world of Jules and explains why she ran away from Rue at the end of season 1.
While recapping the episodes conveys as a summarization, it’s essential to unravel the contextual buildup of the characters and their emotional states to even begin to feel like one can review this show. Euphoria is a show rooted in brutally honest storytelling with captivating imagery, and these two episodes are no different.
“Trouble Don’t Last Always” and “Sea Blob” do so much with very little. Although both episodes revolve around conversations, the heart of each conversation is incredibly heavy and establishes the deeply rooted essence of Euphoria — there’s beauty in the ashes. The focus of the show is on fleshing out emotions and depth in every character rather than the exciting plot points that have so often ridden dramatic series about teens.
You can watch the latest episodes of Euphoria on HBO and HBO Max.
