'Euphoria' review: Zendaya gives another Emmy-worthy performance in relentless Season 2
There's rarely been a more persuasive PSA for home schooling than HBO's "Euphoria."
In the punishing and provocative teen drama (Sundays, 9 EST/PST, ★★★ out of four), high school is Babylon by way of Southern California: a playground for hedonistic youngsters trying to numb life's pain through popping pills, promiscuous sex, binge drinking and brutal violence. They snort cocaine with the vigor of Tony Montana and watch porn that would make even Samantha Jones blush. Through Rue (Zendaya), a recovering addict, creator Sam Levinson delves into an adolescent's brain on drugs – and trust us, it's not sunny side up.
"Euphoria" premiered in 2019 to much handwringing over the show's deluge of gratuitous nudity (most depicting teenagers, played by adult actors). But that didn't deter Emmy voters from giving Zendaya, 25, the award for best actress in a drama for her shattering performance, making her the youngest person to ever win the category.
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The "Spider-Man" star could make a well-deserved return to the podium this year for her astounding work in the transfixing but uneven Season 2, as she oscillates between wryly funny, terrifying and tragic – often in the same scene. In seven episodes made available for review, Rue cautiously reconnects with her ex-flame, Jules (Hunter Schafer), and the two decide to give a real relationship a try. But that becomes complicated as Rue starts using drugs again with her new friend, Elliot (Dominic Fike), whose easy charisma creates sexual tension among the trio.
The scenes with Zendaya, Schafer and Fike are some of the strongest in the new season, adding welcome humor and heat to a show that frequently prefers to stew in its characters' misery. Schafer, especially, anchors the episodes with tenderness and quiet fortitude, as she wrestles with how best to be there for Rue without compromising her own mental well-being.
Rue's drug use puts her in increasingly dangerous situations as the season goes on, leading to an explosive confrontation with her mom (Nika King) and younger sister (Storm Reid). The 15-minute scene may rank as the single most harrowing moment in the drama's troubling history, and rings heartbreakingly familiar for those of us who've watched a loved one struggle with addiction. Both feral and pathetic, Zendaya achingly conveys Rue's hopelessness about ever getting better, as she wonders aloud whether she's even someone worth saving.
Unfortunately, the new episodes are much less captivating when they shift their focus away from Rue and Jules. After significant storylines about abusive relationships and abortion in Season 1, popular girls Maddy (Alexa Demie) and Cassie (Sydney Sweeney) are reduced to fighting over a boy. Sweeney, an acerbic presence in last summer's HBO hit "The White Lotus," is especially wasted this season, with most of her screen time spent either screaming, crying or being ogled by the camera.
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Breakout character Kat (Barbie Ferreira), who struggles with body dysmorphia, is similarly underused in Season 2. After giving up her online dominatrix gig and landing a seemingly perfect boyfriend (Austin Abrams) who treats her well, Kat feels reluctant to admit that she's sexually unsatisfied – a complex but necessary conversation that's relegated to just a few short scenes. Instead, ample time is devoted to volatile high school athlete Nate (Jacob Elordi) and his equally reprehensible dad, Cal (Eric Dane). Cal's repressed sexuality is movingly explored in a flashback, but not nearly enough to make us sympathize or care for a man who filmed himself having violent sex with an underage girl last season.
One of the only supporting characters to be meaningfully fleshed out is Lexi (Maude Apatow), Cassie's sensible younger sister, whose passion for theater and filmmaking brings some fantastically meta elements into this season. These scenes show real self-awareness and creativity on the part of Levinson, who tends to overcompensate for thinly drawn characters with endless needle drops and dreamy cinematography.
"Euphoria" ultimately leans into its best and worst impulses in Season 2: It's grating, but intoxicating; implausible but grounded; severe but deeply emotional whenever it cedes the spotlight to Rue and Jules. And like the show's glitter-covered miscreants, we just can't help but keep chasing that high.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Review: 'Euphoria' is at its best (and worst) in brutal Season 2
