Euphoria is over 

I felt like Ash behaving the way he did really solidified that as much as he seemed grown enough to be exposed to that life, he still has the decision making skills of a child.

The person that yelled "that's racist!" in the audience had me laughing the most in the finale.

the most unrealistic thing was the budget lexi had for her play. i can’t tell you how many stage props i’ve had to repaint for every single play we performed lol i saw the moving stage and gasped. like… y’all got Hamilton level money in ur program?!

I think what you said about seeing Rue’s addiction drag on is so spot on. Coming from someone who has seen someone in my family deal with addiction, it’s exactly what it feels like. Like a thread that keeps being pulled and then for a second you think they finally got it, their gonna be okay. Then they relapse, they yell at you, say awful things but you still love them. It’s this long painful journey that you hope ends in recovery, but as much you want to save them you can’t they have to make that decision themselves. Honestly watching Rue was kind of the catharsis that I needed.

I think the most unrealistic thing about the last two episodes of Euphoria S2 is that anyone who works at East Highland would let this play go on for as long as it did. But overall, the message within the season 2 finale for Rue hit home for me.

I feel like people don't praise Jacob Elordi's acting nearly as much as other actors like Zendaya and Sydney. Dude is phenomenal!

It's annoying how unresolved the suitcase issue was left. She's the main character and they didn't even hint at anything that might come of it.

The problem with this season was that it started strong & ended weak. Also, there were ICONIC moments like rue & jules recreating art, the first episode of the play, the episode where rue runs across the city in the middle of a bender. So many good points that fail to connect with each other. The good points are great, the weak points made me incredibly upset. Lol

this season had a lot of great moments, but I think that overall it failed in creating a cohesive story and utilizing its characters and existing plotlines to its advantage

The cinematography and superb acting are this show's saving grace. The dialogue can be downright cringy, but the actors are all so good they make it believable. The story is inconsistent but when its good it's really good. The finale was mostly trash though. I hate that it ended with 27 story lines left unresolved, yet the last shot was Rue walking slowly into the sunset with her voice over telling us what she did for the rest of the year. It was shot like a story that had been resolved but nothing was resolved.

sam levinson did jules so dirty. her special episode was so amazing, and i was so excited to see where she went from there, but we only got hints at possible plot lines that didn't go anywhere. the show could've gone in depth with her guilt about elliot. but no. it didn't go anywhere. and the part about her identity? all they threw in was her wearing a binder and didn't unpack it at all. i feel like season 1 and the specials handled her identity very carefully and honestly, and this just felt like they threw all that in the garbage. the show did the one thing it set out to challenge: the reduction of her character to those 2 things.

As soon as Elliot started singing, I knew that the show had a lot of potential to become a comedy.

Sam Levinson is a phenomenal director but he's gotta get some other people in the writer's room. Dude thinks he can be Spielberg and Sorkin at once.

For a show about trauma, I'm shocked how positively the show portrayed Lexi's play. She's literally airing out people's lives, (without their permission) to their classmates, and anyone with a brain can use context clues to figure out who's who and what event is referencing what.

Noel has such an impressive way of respectfully delivering valid criticism. Not a lot of people have that

Great acting, great cinematography, killer music, but the writing was just bad most of the time. The best drama comes from characters whose motivations we understand coming into tension with each other, responding in ways that make sense for them. Apart from Rue, Fez and maybe Maddy, you never "get" why anybody is doing the insane stuff they're doing this season. I also don't think it's a coincidence that these are the three most popular characters on the show. With everyone else you're watching a trainwreck, with these 3 you're on the train with them.

Elliot singing did not have to take up 3 whole minutes of this finale 💀

I think the fact they're in high school is so important when you think about the family relationships they have. They still rely on their parents for housing, support etc and are still in these spaces where, for Rue, she's living in the shell of a family home her dad died in, that shit hangs around like a ghost if you're still in that space. I think people also don't think about the fact that in high school there are kids who get into hard drugs and end up in a tonne of shit because they aren't well mentally, and Rue's introduction into drugs was really well done.

I felt the majority of the world collectively rolling their eyes when Elliot started singing.

Agree with a lot of what was said here. A lot of the time jumps forward and backward were so clunky writing wise, it was hard to stay in it. The moment of Lexi and Rue on the couch seemed like it occurred after the play and then all of the sudden it’s a scene in the play. There’s a giant fight scene - you see Cassie’s head smashed against a brick wall and then you don’t see what happens after that for like another 20 minutes into the show?? You can’t really be present with a character when you’re questioning in the back of your mind “what the hell happened with this other character?” “wait where in the timeline did this happen?” etc. i don’t think audiences need to be spoon fed and I understand the need to build suspense but like you said the show really draws out everything and only certain storylines and characters got the pay off that was worthy of how damn long it was drawn out. Ashtray’s arc had insane payoff, where as the main plot (behind Rue’s) between Cassie and Maddie was tied up with a quick two line scene that didn’t feel fitting for what had just happened between them. We also only get a couple lines from Rue saying “I stayed clean through the end of the school year” which was so jarring because again everything gets drawn out.

Thank u so much for giving miss Bobbi her flowers. As the only dark skin girl on the show she for real carried Lexi’s play. I really hope we see more of her in season 3 cuz every word that comes out of her mouth is gold.

Trying to convince myself that something had to happen on set that threw off Sams writing. Theres no way he wouldve disregarded every character like that and added so many filler scenes. Most of the season seemed like scenes that would have been cut out before the final release. Too many storylines were introduced with absolutely zero development or- at the least- focus on those storylines (kat/ethan relationship, rue/jules/elliot love triangle, jules reassessing her gender identity/ loving nate bc she met him online before knowing him irl, Kats ED relapse, even fexis relationship which could have been included through out all the episodes to make us more hooked on their relationship rather than packing their whole romantic history into two episodes). I feel like i could summarize this season in 3 minutes to someone who hasnt watched it. Not to mention the fact that the season was supposed to be extremely triggering and harrowing, but there were barely any relatable scenes throughout the series. I feel like thats what made season one good, because every character had a storyline that at least one person out there could relate to.

I like that the show blurs the lines between something thats super grounded and realistic and something a bit more symbolic and creative. The mix of having the main cast on stage for scenes during the play and hiding cuts between on stage and flashbacks was so entertaining to watch. Super ambitious as a tv show and I think for what they tried to do you have to commend them for it. Even if it lacked in some parts

Music: astounding. Labrinth somehow composed music that conveys the emotion in the scenes incredibly, even during some of the weirder scenes where the score would need to be very specific. “Nate growing up” is all over the place, but it works, and i find myself listening to it outside of the show casually. Acting: incredible. Some of the best acting I’ve seen recently. Sydney, Alexa, Zendaya and Hunter are so good at showing how their characters are feeling, and Angus is just superb in all of his scenes. Writing: mid but the acting makes it better than it is Storyline: very good for some characters (like Rues path to getting clean, relapsing etc, ashtray and Fez were written really well and Cal’s story were well written imo) however some kind of lacked and felt rushed (like how we were only introduced to the idea of Lexi’s playwriting in the second season, and had no clue during the first season or first few episodes of s2, and Kat was well written for S1, but was near enough completely ignored for s2). I would’ve liked to see more on ashtrays story, and more on Kat in s2 since her story was one of the more important ones in terms of promoting a message and her character shift from shy to confident is inspiring in a way. The show is exaggerated (obviously, duh) but it still has a realistic feel to it. I’ve struggled with some of the things in this show firsthand, and they are portrayed very accurately to the point where I’m almost believing it’s real. I always use Rues breakdown scene as an example, when her mother takes the suitcase, and she gets angry at Elliot, Rue and her mother. That scene was so gut wrenching and raw, it was hard to watch but I wanted to see more. Not many shows have that effect on me, but this one did multiple times throughout both seasons. Overall, I love this show for what it is. 9/10. If only the writing was better, and some storylines were explored deeper.

the reason they put that scene with elliott singing way longer than he should have was because zendaya wrote the song and wanted it in the episode so...... doesnt take away how awkward that scene was 💀 it was there for business purposes only

Season one was better, in my opinion. I would have loved it if they kept a theme like last season. Season 1 had glittery makeup and dazzling purples. It felt like a party or night club. The first episode of season 2 had this slightly gangster western vibe that was abandoned except for a few instances (Cassie dressing like Oklahoma, Fez wanting a farm, and a couple of songs on the soundtrack). Other than that, Rue's drug addiction was told really well and the school play was awesome. But other characters completely lost their plot lines.

i love how you brought up austin abrams and veronica taylor. they played secondary characters and didnt have that many scenes but still did their thing and did it really well. hopefully we get more bobbi next season cause i need more of her in my life lolol

honestly dont care if its mid or not. I was entertained pretty consistently through the whole show. What most impressed me was the costume and makeup design for zendaya as she progressed from relapsing through withdrawl and back to normal again that was cool

Noel's channel is just him being an "empath" and Euphoria.

the finale killed me. i’m outside hbo HQ, right now.

“Ah yes here officer is my s*x offender dad standing in front of me while I have a gun and am drinking alcohol as an underage kid” lol I saw that tweet and stuck out to me

elliot performed an entire song, then started talking about "i'm still working on it". meanwhile i was under the impression he had the whole album was finished and that was his first single💀

For a show with such an insane plot, it manages to remain pretty mid and I always walk away saying “huh, guess that happened and I’m sad now?”

the fact that we didn’t get a real fight between maddy and cassie? MID

I think them being college students would also ruin the impact that the parents have on each of the characters. A major theme for most of the characters is the influence of the parents in their early/current life.

I think another reason why its important that they’re in high school is that the show focuses a lot on the family dynamics of the characters. You dont really have that closeness to your parents/siblings in college.

i think this season sam was focusing more on making it into an art piece than a storyline coz don't get me wrong it looks beautiful but parts of the narrative were lost and some scenes just weren't necessary

Euphoria is made for an era when post-episode social media engagement is a metric studios really value. The overall story arc barely present, and for most fans, that's okay. They tune in with hopes that their favorite character pops off and does something cool with funny moments to lip sync on tik tok. It doesn't matter if plot lines get dropped, sidelined or flipped. As long as "damn that was crazy" moments happen, viewers love it.

okay but Lexi would've been DRAGGED TO FILTH if the play was real. sis went tooooo far

When Sam Levinson covers addiction I think he nails it…anywhere outside of that can quickly turn to a level of pretension that physically hurts me when I watch it. Not all the time but it’s so apparent I can’t ignore it. A lot of the cinematography style is from the 60s and 70s and heavily influenced by Scorsese films for sure

I was just looking for something to watch thank u for this 😁

Literally the main thing they need to do is have a damn writing staff cos having 1 guy write the show and handle everything else is a lot of work (I'm guessing that's a reason why the set was a disaster working on film & having no SHOT LIST on top of long hrs and sudden rewrites), it means he can't focus on one thing at a time, having a staff to wrote these characters and keep it coherent and fulfiling but still under Sam Levinson's vision cos everything from the directing shots music acting is impeccable but the writing and characters are a mess this season He has hunter Shafer who's written for the show to massive success before so he already has someone who gets the shows characters it's a simple fix to make this show better and I hope he does this can it really shows this season that he needs some support to keep it running smoothly

Austin Abrahms has been a gem on the cast since the first season, really hope he gets more to do in season 3

I love that it was the characters who were considered to be living on the fringe of the other characters, like Lexi, Ethan, and Bobbi, who managed to get every single character to actually look at their lives and their actions seriously

i feel like the 1st season and the first half of season 2 were really good, but the ending didn't really do it for me. it felt so rushed. i like lexi's play and i think it definitely helped save the ending, but they could've done soooo much more based on how they set it up in the beginning of the season. i guess that leaves a door open for season 3 but at the same time so much stuff was left unsaid and now we'll have to wait at least another year before we hear anything else

I'm so bummed how they did fezcos storyline That man is so fine too we deserved more screen time with him 😩

no, i don’t really think anyones complaining about Rue’s dragged on sobriety struggle - that’s literally the purpose of the show. my issue is the absolutely unnecessary sex scenes, particularly with cassie. i’m convinced it was a perverse thing on the producers show and to create a buzz because of her body. i think it was an absolute waste of time. i’m complaining about the lame story line of cassie’s that took up the whole season. i didn’t watch for the cassie show. i wanted a show to show everyone’s stories, we didn’t get that at all.

Unpopular opinion: Cassie's reaction to the play is justified, if my sister put my most vulnerable moments for hundreds of people to watch, I'm gonna go crazy. And people wishing Cassie to be abused by Nate should be ashamed of themselves, they antagonised her so much, but she's still a teenager and other people in the show did more fucked up things than her and no one's wishing harm on them.

your vids always be coming out when I’m shittin

Lmaooo funniest part about Elliot’s song is that zendaya and labrinth wrote it! Even funnier when zendaya goes ‘I like it’

"Had himself a cry and a dance and he rekindled his gay spirit" LMFAO

I don't remember where I heard this from, but a film professor explained why you see shows like Euphoria set in highscool rather than college. Nearly everyone has a high school(TM) experience, the same can't be said for college. Not everyone is lucky enough to go to college, and there isnt really a college experience (TM) for those who do, not like there is a highschool one. Since almost everyone goes to highschool, a show in that setting reaches more people. Though, I personally would prefer if the setting of Euphoria was for college kids or at the very least out of high school.

the fez and ashtray scene had me crying myself to sleep for two nights straight

i still feel bad that my initial reaction to ash stabbing that one guy out of nowhere was to burst out laughing

When Rue was about to be sex trafficked was the only time I felt this show’s writing was realistic. When she escaped unscathed, I realized they didn’t want anything to happen to the actress and it lost me

elliot’s song in the moment took me out in the moment for sure, but that song did communicate a lot when i gave it another listen. he’s telling her she probably is his only real friend and he betrayed her to save her from herself which is always how i read them. but i wish they just let dom try to act instead of the 4 minute music break 😭

I cannot believe how absurd that finale was lmfao. I swear, for me, all the cinematography takes away from the best parts of the show. The best parts are when people are just talking to eachother, The rue special was the best thing the show has done and its because its two people at a diner for the whole episode. All the extra stuff can go. Even tho some of the writing is terrible, the actors elevate it.

this season was only good for rues progression… everything else was terribly written fr

I was surprised by how invested I was in Nate’s story. The shot of him loading the gun led you to anticipate him doing some more really f’ed up stuff because he’s Nate, he’s bad, that’s what you expect of him. It felt sweet for him to then, instead, calmly bring the cops in and force this man who helped shape him to finally face some accountability. Because, yes, Nate is dirt in a lot of ways, but he’s also very much a victim who deserves some justice. Just as Cal is a victim deserving of both compassion and a day of total reckoning lol. Love this show

This whole last season was pretty disappointing in comparison to last season. This is not to say that I didn't also enjoy this season, because I did. And as for the finale, the pacing of the entire episode felt really off. I get that cutaways are the style of the show but there was so much going on and they kept cutting to things that didn't matter and that was extremely frustrating. Especially because it was hard to keep up with the timeline. Was this happening before the play? Did it take place after? I just got confused and that was a little frustrating.

For me, the acting is just so captivating that even in scenes where the dialogue is akin to Riverdale, I'm still interested. One of my only issues with the season as a whole was how Jules was written. My girl got so much development in season 1 and I feel like they completely wrote her off this time around. I wish they didn't have her cheat on Rue, and instead focus on the shit with Nate and the tape.

I found the portrayal of Rue’s trauma over her fathers death very compelling and something that hit very close to home for me. I was very emotional during the final episode when they discussed her trauma further. But besides that and her addiction, the show is just messy. Sam will throw out somewhat compelling storylines (like Kat’s) and then just disregard then entirely. I have nothing to look forward to for S3 and I don’t know how they are going to bring back the momentum that S1 had

"As a parent, I think when you bring kids into the world, whether you like it or not, that's your responsibility. You owe them that, you legitimately owe them that! You expressed them from your nuts, you gotta look out for 'em" -Noel Miller 🥂👏🏼 damn.

i'm so excited to see where Ashtray and Fezco's actors careers go after this. loved them

yeah the last like 3-4 episodes were mid asf, kinda disappointing and felt like filler that they just started so many major issues just to not answer them and leave us questioning if it’s poor writing or will come up later

At this the point show has a solid foundation, great actors and amazing camera work but if Sam doesn’t let anyone in that writers room i’m very worried for season 3 cause it would very much be a waste of talent and a platform, like euphoria twitter is fucking crazy so if sam don’t give the people what they want it’s all down hill from here.

as an empath i can sense he loves the word corny

Best part about the show for me is it's ability to portray the lasting effects of childhood trauma. I've never been able to relate to characters so closely (specifically Rue), solely because of the similar traumas we share. Hate to say it, but I even understand what Nate is going through; literally never thought I would ever feel an ounce of empathy for him.The show does a great job at never letting us forget what [most of] the characters have gone through and how those events have formed their decisions, unlike other shows that just give us one flashback scene in one episode. This is just like life - we never forget our traumas, they are constantly with us and we're reminded of them almost every day. Watching this season felt a lot like how Rue felt watching Lexi's play - its extremely cathartic to see your life, the good and bad, from a third person perspective. Every time I watched Rue give her eulogy, or hurt the ones she loves, I saw myself in her. Even though it is just a tv show, its been an eye-opening and introspective experience watching it. Love these reviews Noel! (just admit that you love the show we all know you do)

cassie's arc felt very forced and unrealsitic.They changed her personality fully as compared to season1 and they done fuck up Kat's character.

I agree with every single thing you said here. Although I expected a lot more from S02, I think the actors carried the scenes and acted the shit out of their storylines which made me remember a lot more moments of this season than the previous one. That said, I think that Sam Levinson didn't really plan well the development of some characters and plots from one season to another - Kat was just destroyed (I get that something happened between him and Barbie but come on, they just threw her character in the trash), Jules was barely in the season and only showed up to be a nuisance to Rue and Cassie was just... A whole lot. Although I do appreciate how much more storyline Lexi, Fez and Maddy got, they were always my favorite characters and they were more developed this season. I guess it's just bittersweet because I see good and bad sides to this season, but it does make me earn for season three a lot more.

There was so much Nate/Cassie drama that I felt like I was in highschool in the worst way

When Rue talks to Lexi about their fathers she mentioned that the play was the first time she didn't hate herself but then it transitioned to the final moments of the play itself? I don't know if that was a continuity error or if Rue read/saw an early draft of the play or if it somehow connects to the theories about Rue being dead this whole time and that's why she's able to talk in the third person and break the fourth wall.

I personally thought Elliot’s song was really touching, and thought it was an interesting callback to when Lexi read a poem to Rue after her Dad died.

I personally do like season 1 better as I think many people agree with this but I think it has to do with how season 2 is a lot more darker and kind of overwhelming than season 1. Season 1 obviously is still dark as it deals with heavy topics but as Sam said the season 1 aesthetic was more “party at 2am” where it’s more glam and that in this season it was more 5 am where they should have gone home which I interpret it as they have to face their problems more with each other AND (this is more to do with Cassie) they finally lash out after keeping it all in and using partying, clothes, etc to burry the pain. Hopefully season 3 will answer more questions, resolve or sum sht like that

About the teenagers vs college students convo: a lot of the plot points wouldn’t be there if they weren’t minors. Rue’s mom sending her to rehab the first time, Cal’s tape, the gravity of Cassie moving in with Nate, Fez taking care of his grandmother at such a young age and how that affects him, etc I would watch the hell out of a euphoria-esque show set in college but it would have a completely different plot and some different themes as well

It's an artistically pleasing, well-acted, angsty and overwhelmingly dramatic teenage opera. I never was expecting amazing writing, but they really took it to another level cinematography-wise in this season of the show and I think this is what it should be praised for.

Season 2 was definitely an inferior season story wise. The cinematography was as spectacular as season 1 albeit less flashy but still masterfully done, but the story itself didn't feel like it had much direction. Euphoria Season 2 felt like a 4 episode show stretched to 8 episodes and I could *feel* all the extra padding. They should've cut it to 4 or 6 episodes and cut all the extra fat that shouldn't have been there imo

Glad that you acknowledged Veronica Taylor as Bobbi, I love her character so much especially as the only black woman on the show; and would love to see her more in the next season!

I was waiting for this

I think ur spot on with the rue addiction situation, ever since I was little my uncle has had a horrible problem with his addictions. I was so young and looked up to him, he was trying to do better and came to stay with me and my family to clean up, he stayed in my room in my bunk bed, well about 2 weeks in his addiction caved in and was drinking in my room for over 2 months. Till one day he threw up and had a seizure on my top bunk while I was sleeping, that day was the realization for a 7 year old what addiction is and how bad it is. He was hiding all his bottles in my closet I never even knew until my mom found them. Fast forward to today and my uncle is still bouncing around to VA to VA not able to stay sober longer than 6 months. It’s hard and long lasting, I’m not 20 years old and he’s been dealing with alcoholism before I was even born.

Yea no doubt the cinematography of the show has gotta be, for me, it’s biggest selling point. I think you hit the nail on the head with the “people who can’t relate to a single element clearly have not had to go through much in life or have not been around people who have gone through things” take; it’s the best way to describe why the show is so polarizing. It’s what made breaking bad so enticing: shockingly bleak scenes that seem to be drawn out for almost too long. But that’s what real life is! It’s one long scene, sometimes bleak sometimes not. As someone who grew up with an alcoholic mother it really does feel like this never ending bad dream at times, and scenes like Rue’s relapse felt like watching my life from outside, looking through the kitchen window.

I think one of the reasons that a lot of these teen dramas take place in high school is cuz the home lives of a lot of these characters is so important to their development

love these video essays

the scnene with dominic fike was like being in the moment, it's like you're there, since there's actually just happening what's supposed to happen, you focus on the lyrics and on the person who's singing/playing

I’ve literally not even watched the show because it’s not my kinda thing yet I sit and listen to my g Noel talk me through the whole thing , Noel the GOAT 👑👑👑

I disagreed before but after that finale, you were absolutely right, everything but episode 6 was prime mid

I was suprised Charlie watched your is euphoria mid video. I love the energy of this video! I'm going to be honest, I've never seen Euphoria, but I think that after watching your videos you've shown me it has a lot to offer, and that it works.

The entire play was suppose to be sorta meta, like how Rue always looks right into the camera to communicate directly to us (the viewers). or when Cassie is on stage and says "Is this part of the play now?" and Yeah, everything was part of the play. The entire show was part of the play, and the characters were able to watch it and reflect on their lives and actions which then dictated what they did next. It was a really interesting and hard artistic liberty for Euphoria to take and they pulled it off really fucking well.

I will say I’ve spent a lot of time around songwriters and I loved the scene of Elliot singing, you really got to see what rue was feeling. It was very intimate, which I think it was why it was uncomfortable to watch, but I think when you watch it with the perspective of “oh shit Elliot’s still using, is he gonna be okay? Is he gonna die?” It really shows how special the moment is. He was using because he was lonely, which is pointed out a few times in the show. So while he did end up helping rue he’s still using, he’s back to “his guitar being his only friend” and he said “if I keep you here I’ll only be doing this for myself.” The one time we saw him decide not to take drugs was when he was not feeling lonely, he was hanging out with rue and Jules. But now he’s by himself again. So I personally think the scene was bittersweet and vulnerable, if they had a montage it would’ve taken the intimacy out of the scene. But I also may be over analyzing because I’m a sucker for weepy shit like that.

I’m so happy I get to wait two years for the next season

I need more of you reviewing tv shows, I love your ability to appreciate the art to film.

Pls do more videos like this, your insight on TV and films is great!

They could have had something so interesting. Season 1 every episode had a similar rhythm and focused on a specific character. I like that season 2 was basically a different style/pacing every episode. That COULD have been impressive if they had any plot to back it up. I didn’t need every plot line to advance or be answered, but literally nothing happened.

*anger* that nate gets a redemption storyline and everything he wants, while everyone else remains traumatized 😭

Thank you for the comments about rue. The depths of her addiction and relapse/recovery are really what made me love this show. It was hard to watch but a great portrayal of addiction

One of my favorite moments are with Rue and her mom. They really made that conversation feel real. So respect to all of the actresses is that scene.

i sympathize with nate in a sense of being exposed to what his father did at such a young age. i think cal's apology was a little too late and he deserved what he got

i also wanna mention the soundtrack, for some reason it’s just different and so unique, the show has one guy doing the music and yet it’s still beautiful. i feel like without labirinth, the show would not be what it is, same with the cinematography’s. it sucks that not many people mention the music.

RU-vidrs citing each other’s reviews you love to see it

I’m not waiting until 2023 for a mid show to release another mid season.