Euphoria Season 2 Review
Was the most talked about show on HBO worth the hype?
Euphoria season 2 ended, with many feeling like there were many plot points left unanswered. Credit: @euphoria on Instagram
The night of Sunday, Feb. 27, was the premiere of the season finale of HBO’s most talked about series. Whether you’re an avid watcher or not, Euphoria has dominated all screens for the past eight weeks. The critically-acclaimed HBO Max series returned to television earlier this year for its highly anticipated second season after its debut in 2019. Starring Zendaya, Hunter Schafer and many other notable names, the show tackles heavy issues such as substance abuse, domestic violence and mental health.
After years of development and production hindrance due to the pandemic, fans had high hopes for the show’s second season. Despite the disturbances, the show’s creator and director, Sam Levinson, did not disappoint. The second season follows Zendaya’s character Rue Bennett after a relapse, where she must navigate her home and social life on a rocky path towards sobriety. The actress won her first Emmy award for her portrayal of Rue in the first season, and it is indisputable that she might secure another win for her heartbreaking performance this season. Zendaya embarks on this character with such respect and authenticity, making this season truly stick out from the start.
Another stellar performance of the season came from supporting actress, Sydney Sweeney, in her role as Cassie Howard. While slowly spiraling into an unhealthy relationship with Nate Jacobs (Jacob Elordi), Cassie spends this season trying to cope with betraying her best friend Maddy Perez, played by Alexa Demie. Throughout the season, Cassie was continually battling her self-destructive desire to be loved. Despite Cassie’s questionable behavior, Sweeney’s raw, gripping performance had fans praising her acting all season.
Season two was partially kept afloat each week by the show’s introduction to a new, unexpected romance that fans instantly adored. Early in the season, the reserved and insightful Lexi Howard (Maude Apatow) took a sudden liking to Fezco (Angus Cloud), a mellow yet protective drug dealer. Given the ship name “Fexi” by fans after the first episode, the season consisted of wholesome moments between the two polar opposite characters. Their chemistry, despite their differences, made them one of the major points of hype surrounding this season.
With the show already renewed for a third season, this finale had the highest viewership in series history (via @PopBase on Twitter). When the episode picked up on where Lexi’s notorious, expository play left off, fans were hoping for many loose ends of the season to be tied up. However, Marist students felt that this wasn’t the case. “I think the ending was very underwhelming and left too much to the imagination,” said Hannah Belleville ‘24, “It gave almost no closure to certain situations or didn’t give enough scenes with specific characters.”
Brooke Stickles ‘24 had a similar opinion. “I feel like it was a good ending to the chapter but there are still a lot of unanswered questions. There were major plot points that were ignored in the finale,” Stickles said.
Many beloved characters did not seem to get the closure Marist students thought they deserved. Stickles was especially frustrated by the lack of closure between Lexi and Fezco. “They really played up Fexi the whole season and gave us nothing in the end,” she added.
Other characters were also met with various inconsistencies. “It was ironic that Elliot [played by Dominic Fike], the one who enabled Rue’s addiction this season, sang a song to her about how they could be friends even though he made her addiction worse and hooked up with her girlfriend,” said Belleville. “You can’t just become friends after something like that. He was in the wrong in every way.”
Aside from some discontent with how the season wrapped up, there were parts of the episodes students enjoyed. “The concept of the finale was a creative way to show reflection and growth of Rue’s character,” said Stickles. “I don’t think we would’ve gotten that in a typical episode without [Lexi’s] play.”
Season three of Euphoria is scheduled to premiere on HBO Max in 2024.