Oh, Euphoria... 

Describing the show as a "messy spectacle of heightened reality" is a perfect description imo

I remember reading an article called "Euphoria is the wokest show to fail the bechdel test," and I think that is the essence of this show. It is a show that proports to be about the messy struggles of teenage girls, but is really just a man taking voyeuristic looks into those lives without properly exploring them. I think that Kat and Jules both getting written out, elliot being an embodiment of the "man who tears two women apart" trope, and both Nate and Cal getting episodes dedicated to explaining why they are so awful supports my case.

The Sam Levinson and Ryan Murphy power craze comparison is perfect

“I can appreciate it as a collection of technically accomplished music videos” RIP

"He put all of his points into marketability and Twitter moments" I need a clip of that uploaded to Twitter, right now.

the show's reliance on shock factor makes it borderline Riverdelian at multiple points, meanwhile it claims to be "character-focused, deep and authentic" though all we get is some patchy strokes, with 70% of said 'depth' being undercooked and somewhat shallow

This show is quickly showing signs of self-absorption.

"Sam Levinson is drunk with power to a degree we've never seen before." Bahahaha!!! You're so right.

i know that you said you don’t want to give this show the “13th reasons why treatment,” but i just want to say i would absolutely love to hear what you’d have to say about the specific plotlines & threads :)) lovely job as always!

Euphoria is my guilty pleasure. The soundtrack and visuals honestly are the best part, Labyrinth is an incredible musician.

S2 left me so conflicted. It had me glued to every scene and give Zendaya and Sweeney their Emmys. But after it was all over it sat with me and I liked it less all because of the writing. Even Zendaya and Sweeneys characters stories were super messy. Their acting saved it.

Euphoria is the same as the “upscale” fan fiction we all wrote in the 3rd person with no dialogue and a ton of unneeded exposition.

I think that Sam has talent; a lot of people agree that season 1 was amazing even with its flaws, so he has to get some credit. But imo, it all boils down to this show being too much for 1 person and Sam needs a writing team. Arguably, Rue's scenes are generally considered to be the best and I think that's because she's based on Sam's life; he doesn't need to imagine how an addict will act or react because he knows. Rue's scenes have a certain level of authenticity that the other characters lack. Jules' special episode also has this genuine quality because it was co-written by Hunter Schafer. You can really feel her voice in it when it comes to her gender identity, which again, is something Sam wouldn't be able to authentically deliver on his own. Sam doesn't know what it's like to be a teen girl in any of these situations, so if he had a diverse writing team, we could get that same authenticity for every character. In addition, it could help keep the show on track and alleviate some of the burden. There's a *rumor* (it's never been confirmed by reputable sources) that Kat's actress disagreed with Sam's decision for Kat's character in season 2 and stormed off set. Some people have then said that Kat's lack of a story is punishment for her actress refusing to film. If this is true, I would see it as less of a punishment and more of an issue of having no time or team to rely on to write Kat an entirely new plotline in the midst of also directing every episode and dealing with other rewrites. Honestly, cutting Kat's plot rather than forcing Barbie to film something she's uncomfortable with or firing her is the better option in my opinion, but if he had had a team, he could have had someone else focus on rewriting Kat's plot while he focused on his many other duties. It would also reign him in and keep him on track; actors have explained the set conditions and that he's changed major plotpoints while they're shooting that very same scene which causes more stress and longer days for everyone. We've heard from the actors that he can be collaborative and take their suggestions into consideration but he still has a control issue. He needs to let go of some of his power over the show in order to make it better with new voices and fresh ideas.

the lack of development and the amount of plots that are never resolved this season makes it impossible for me to imagine season 3 actually being good if sam levinson doesn’t get his head out of his ass and get a writers room

The most frustrating thing is that Rue NEVER suffers any consequences!! What was the point of Lori???? How can Rue steal $10,000 worth of drugs and not face any consequences??? They set Lori up to be this terrifying drug dealer but she never does anything. She should’ve just gave Rue the suitcase if she wasn’t going to follow through with her threat or if the writers were just going to write her off the show. And what was Cal arrested for? Nate gave Jules the tape and he said that he didn’t know if there were copies. So were there other underage people on those tapes? And if so how would Nate even know that they were underage? He only knew Jules was underage because they go to school together. It just seemed very random.

As someone who thought season one was pretty good (7 or 8/10), and had a lot of potential to become a classic, I was severely disappointed by season 2. There were red flags all over the place with the specials and M&M, but I still felt let down by season 2. Really good video man, spot on with everything you articulated.

I had a lot of hope for this latest season, since I loved the first one so much. However, I didn't like that certain previously important characters, namely Kat and Jules, had less plot relevance this season. Jules cheating on Rue with Elliot just seemed so unnecessary, and Kat was lucky if she got to say anything in an episode, due to Barbie objecting to Kat's eating disorder storylines.

I like to think about Sam Levinson as Flip McVicker from fifth season of BoJack Horseman. Both got too much creative and executive power in their own show, writing processes of both are chaotic and messy and both like to think about themselves as geniuses while their show kinda sucks.

Euphoria is the A24 version of Riverdale as of season 2.

"A collection of music videos", LOL

Euphoria has made me appreciate pixar/g & pg ratings so much more. The point of explicitly in media should be to be able to demonstrate one's artistic vision better. The fact that Pixar and G ratings can still create great movies with mature messages is great. Euphoria revels in the words "cunt" (which is an odd word for U.S teens to use) and "fuck" and at some point feels like a soft-core porn, but never does anything with it. You could make this show easily TV-14 and it would take nothing of value away from it. Also, Sam Levinson is the next Zach Snyder.

As a photographer, I was absolutely charmed by the show's visual aspects and the use of symbolism (again, visually). That first grip that the production had me in really gave off the impression of it being a good show. However, there were moments where I thought "Really? Wow, I'm missing quite a lot here". But then another breathtaking wave of visual beauty would distract me from those shortcomings. And that made think further. We are after all slaves to the era of image. Everything is an image. Image is what we consume the most these days, especially the demographic of Euphoria. I wonder if Levinson is consciously taking advantage of that. Because even with all these flaws, I do find myself liking the show and being amazed. There are certain story factors that hit that emotional spot, which makes watching it more personal. So with the younger generations being so absorbed by mental health and psychological matters, being more open about things that were considered taboo back in the day, I also have the urge to think that Levinson also cashed in on that mentality of the viewers (and very effectively so). It's almost like he's reflecting the current and collective state of mind of his general demographic. The way he executes that is a whole other discussion, but I do get that impression, looking back at all the episodes and where he puts the emphasis on throughout the storylines.

The show isn't bad, but most of it is "the emperor's new clothes" and we have to pretend it's deep

luca quadanino's teen hbo mini series" we are who we are" really calmed me down after euphoria's second season

Malcolm and Marie was such a painful watch, I can't imagine liking euphoria.

Yeah I keep hearing very mixed things about this show. It just seems like it is really going for shock value as opposed to richly drawn characters. A show like Succession which I think is a masterpiece hooked me because the characters are so richly drawn and well developed. Are they likeable? A lot of the time not at all but I really get a sense of who these people are and there are moments where I really sympathize with certain characters particularly Kendall and Tom. Anyway, I know this video isn't about Succession but I wanted to bring it up because I think it's a show with some of the most brilliant writing I have ever seen.

The biggest question I ask myself when watching is WHO IS THIS FOR? If it’s for teens (oh no), then it’s more excusable for the writing to be shortsighted like the Skins and Degrassi predecessors. If it isn’t, I want better.

All of the characters and their backstories at the beginning of the episode, to me at least, aren't just put forward and then forgotten by the shows writer, but if anything help forward their story and explain certain choices they might take, eg Cassie's need for pleasing men, Maddie's obsession with nate, Fezco's relationship with Ashtray, Jules' relationship dynamic with her family and her mental state, Kat's insecurity, and her breaking apart from that

it's honestly such a big mess, that's all that i can say. certainly the amount of nudity he wants in the show is disturbing and makes me uncomfortable. nothing before has had such a sex-negative impact on me as euphoria has.

Rue had the makings of a varsity athlete

last episode made me question if the show was ever good. I thought it was a good watch up until that point. s2 just wasted sooo much time, barely anything happens.

Ep 1 of S2 felt like it was continuing off s1 and then the rest of the season felt like a completely different show. It had some good moments here and there but it was pretty all over the place

I can always trust Taylror to tell it like it is. He doesnt try to be funny, or edgy or snobby. He's real

I love the first season, but I agree with everything you said, nothing feels earned in euphoria because the set up is so bad

The problem is that season 2 had sloppy writing due to the overconfidence on the show's creators's part knowing that people would eat it up (I'm guilty too lol) but the only thing that saved this season was the acting. All of the actors were carrying this show on their backs .

this put to words the ideas ive only been able to phrase as "euphoria feels like if 13 reasons why was glee"

Sam Levinson abouta write a purple-lit prison break for season 3

I definitely can see the criticisms that season 1 was wayyyy better than season 2. It actually felt like it was doing something unique, instead of pandering to most fans.

HBO learned nothing after the D&D fiasco. Having a table of writers and consultants would make this show great because the acting and the technical aspects are all there.

0:22 describes how I feel very perfectly. There are some well done episodes but then the rest of the show undoes itself.

I hear you but I still believe that writing-wise Rue is the most compelling and best written because her motivations are clear,the special episode(s) are still the show's best work ito writing and the only people who can and did appreciate those are the ones who they were meant for,people who can relate to the characters

Finally,I've been waiting for this one, turn it up!

This is such an excellent video! I generally enjoy the show quite a bit but as you said, the second season in all its flaws, pointed me to realize the issues I had are really all over the bones of the series as a whole. Your takes are put simply but are so astute! You’re blowing my mind a bit.

I haven't kept up with your content lately, but I saw this video and I've had friends talking about this series. Forgot how good your criticisms and observations were. Also glad to see you're nearly at 100k. You earned it.

H Bomber Guy voice: Secret! Good! Third! Season!

Great video, one of the best criticisms of a work I’ve ever seen! I learned some new phrases I’m going to start using. Subbed!

based on how I’ve seen some people talk about it, I think some people watch it to feel smart or like they’ve made a grand revelation about our society. but when you watch it you’re like “you have to be extremely sheltered to not know that this all exists in reality on some level”

Great analysis!

Yeah, agree with you 100%. This season was so messy and disappointing. One time we see Rue hitting the rock bottom, being kept by criminals, having IV, withdrawal, few moments later we are forced to believe everything is okay and ended very smoothly. Whole plotline and questionable tension built in first episodes ended literally nowhere. The play? Which shool would produce such play with near-sex scenes, while at the same time, Cal is arrested for sex tapes. Season one was so great, I really loved the idea of it and also it's visual aspect, while in the 2nd season everything was completely different and a total mess, like there were no ideas for the plotlines.

you are my go to guy when it comes to dumb teen dramas. they're my guilty pleasure and as much as i enjoy the performance i also love to acknowledge how dumb they can be.

Excellent analysis!

I clicked as soon as got the notification. So excited to watch this

Was waiting for this…

You have perfectly put my problems with this season after falling in complete love with the first one into words.

thank you for verbalizing all my thoughts about this show lmao

THANK YOU! Someone finally said it!!!

“Nate with his little road beers” had me rolling.

I enjoyed season 1 and season 2 I felt like it took a few steps backwards. I’m curious about “The Idol” which Sam Levinson is a writer, creator, and executive producer, but he’s now having to work and share creative control with other people. I’m also a fan of The Weeknd, so I’m definitely gonna give it a watch when it comes out. UPDATE….Well they’re doing reshoots, the director left, and Sam is likely to take over….Oh dear

I'd actually like to see more colorful camerawork and such. As a central European, the shows content itself is already far too foreign to me, I can't anything there see happening in real life - nobody in my family even owns a car.

I loved season 1 more than season 2. Season 2 was good, but it was all over the place at times.

Thank you I learned a lot from the video.

ompletely agree honestly the final last episode really lost me on the show. For a show that takes itself so soo super seriously you definitely have to turn off your brain in the finale when it comes to lack of staff and teachers during inappropriate play scenes or an actual confrontation between two students with intervention from one parent .The play was super unethical and weird and it’s odd to me that nobody puts themselves in any of the other characters shoes, if a girl at your school SOMEHOW got away with THIS shit and outted her sister, multiple friends’ intimate moments, you’d think it was weird as hell …yet this really got Twitter to root for an actual child to expose her classmates lmao. Like really think… IN -universe … what… exactly is the point of this fuckin play and why was it approved lmao I don’t mean narratively so Lexi‘s character can get some sort of come-uppance or something i mean … why is any of this happening and don’t give me that heightened-reality or unreliable narrator BS. We got a very real- emotional scene of Rue arguing with her mom and then this.. smh like there’s literally no way I could tell season one was going to eventually lead to this … Jerry Springer ass exposé finale lmao. We definitely wonder what is going to happen to Rue bc of the suitcase situation and other characters & while it was fun to see a character in the background like Lexi be a sort of audience POV , and even genius in someways, I did not know it would eventually lead to this narcissistic random play she’d put on and it doesn’t work for me, and if it was written in someway where she would get critiqued for doing this weird shit it would be fine… But the universe turns realism off so we can watch highschoolers fight on stage in front of more high schoolers , One mom intervening ( The mom of the daughter who put on the play to publicly humiliate her OTHER daughter ) bc fuck being a parent i guess , wacky ass Cassie villain shots, every obvious good character we root for conveniently approving of this and the villain characters having a problem with it only; but mostly confusion leaving the second season. like come on this is right in front of you… Why did anyone buyyyy this shit? I totally agree & season one felt really cool… But everything is out the window now it’s getting Riverdale ridiculous.

Sam Levinson can't write to save his life

mckee would definitely enjoy the analysis. great vid, bud.

You’re the Jesus of movie reviews, hands down ✋

Yes

And that’s what missed on Glee

I am impressed at the ability of being positive while describing something that fails at the basic level of a TV series. It's a moodboard you pay for rather than see on Tumblr, Pinterest or whatever. And yes, directors are their own type of artist and cinema is it's own thing, even if people seem to forget It, but that's not a good enough excuse in this context. No only a TV series works differently from a film, they also SAID EXPLICITELY that this show had character driven narrative and explored them in the First place. Which It doesn't. So it's not like they were comfortable with just being a good example of film making

Sam Levinson is the Yin, to Tyler Perry's Yang.

A messy spectacle of heightened reality is perfect but Season 1 felt purposefully messy. It was messy in a way that there were so many things happening that as they began to collide, we got some really entertaining moments. I think about the fair scenes and how chaotic and fun that moment was. Season 2 loses all sense of forward momentum. Most of these characters don’t really change, they’re all just the same for the most part but that can work. You can hide a character’s lack of change by making them wildly proactive, it’s why Season 1 worked because everyone is INSANE! Season 2 does NOT have that so instead, they’ve ramped up the insanity of these moments like Rue running around and destroying the town, Cassie having to hide in a bathtub, Ashtray doing anything and that’s the problem. This show becomes a caricature of itself for sure and that’s why the 2nd season doesn’t work

Euphoria, for filmmakers, is a joy to watch even though it can be dramatic with the teen drama. Sam Levinson says he's more concerned about the Emotional reality of the characters in Euphoria instead of the physical reality. He's a sensationalist and takes a lot of homages from amazing films and cinema. References to In Cold Blood, The Red Shoes, and other phenomenal movies from the last 70 years.

I WAS PRAYING YOUD HAVE SOMETHING TO SAY ON THIS SHOW OMGGGG

I’m screaming at you comparing sam levinson to ryan murphy cos I’ve literally been calling sam ryab murphy 2.0 lmfao happy I’m not the only one who sees their similarities!!!

Oh it’s time yes yes

Hey! Your back!

This guy is sooo handsome :) love the paul hollywood clip btw so true

Does the intro to this also go for season 1 for you? I just watched S1 and enjoyed myself, but don't see how it could move forward other than becoming teenagers melodrama bs we are used to. I'm just glad I got an amazing soundtrack out of it. Labrinth ❤️

i remember watching edits of this show and it rlly made me want to watch this show. when i finally got to watch the show, i only got through 2 episodes before i had to stop. it was far too overwhelming and too disgusting. a lot of it just made me too uncomfortable. especially when the show is based off high schoolers

You nailed it. That’s all.

i started late with euphoria and i think i'm too old for it as i found myself skipping some scenes forward out of boredom and cliches. i love the fashion and make up but season two was really boring to watch - i felt like nothing happened

i just think that Sam is literally just throwing all of his ideas and past experiences onto film and having it filmed very well in technical aspects, without actually implementing film techniques and understanding how to create a story

So many truths told about this show in this video.

Having just gotten the Idol from Levinson, this aged like fine wine

19:23 “Whenever in 2024 season three actually comes out” how naive we all were……..

I usually feel you’re reviews are “too much” but you actually captured exactly what we as fans have felt about the show. So bravo! I just cannot imagine how you EVER thought Succession had a bigger impact on the culture than Euphoria. Like wow where did they come from 😂

sir this is the most devastating takedown on the internet. absolutely brutal

I never really got the obsessive hype over this show, and I’m not trying to be a pretentious contrarian. I understand the hype on a twilight level - the aesthetic, the engaging story or concept, the soundtrack, the characters you get attached to. But if you look at the actual script or anything beyond just surface level aesthetics, it is such a shitty show. The writing, especially the dialogue, has always been mediocre at best for the most part. But it takes on a thirteen reasons why flavor with the criminal part of the show and the way social dialogue is addressed in-script and it just takes you out of it. I can handle heightened reality. But only if it is executed skillfully and engagingly. And in order to enjoy it I really have to clear my head of any critical thought. Like Maddy’s tirade at the fair in season 1? Riverdale level cringe

i like you, you look like this guy i worked with, he was dope. anyways, subscribing!

Could the “Joker” movie also be praised for catering to both sides of the zeitgeist? The content of the movie itself didn’t create much conversation on twitter (from my POV at least), but I feel like anyone who watched it left that movie with their pre-watch opinions validated. Same could be said for Euphoria, but maybe I’m not making the most cohesive point here.

I started watching the first episode and I couldn't get tho the first 10 minutes of the show. :(

i want to say 8 episodes limits are ruining tv shows but i guess 2hr movies have accomplished more than season 2 of euphoria

I’m too high to fully understand a word you are saying… I’mma watch this later.

Epic

tea

Describing Euphoria as a well, put together, technically spectacular series of music videos but impossible to truly emotionally connect or invest in is probably the best description of Season 2 I've heard. For a season with so much "drama", it felt like nothing of substance even really happened (even though, technically stuff did). It felt like by Episode 3, after a spectacular season premiere, the show ran out of plot. It's bizarre

I feel like Levinson just needs a really good friend who's good at writing.

Sam Levinson has Dan Schneider energy no I will not elaborate.

Taylor chose a warmer version of Blade Runner 2049 lighting for this video on purpose.

9:43 “this is the exact kind of stupid bullshit I tune in for!” he’s so real for that

nice Hush CD