EUPHORIA is a must-see GenZ drama
HBO has put a lot of marketing into capturing the Gen Z crowd with EUPHORIA. The Zendaya-led cast is inclusive (sort-of?) and ultimately a beautiful tale of addiction.
For starters, Zendaya has never – I repeat never – been this good on screen. Her addiction feels real, her highs feel uncomfortably realistic, and her lows hit with a thousand bombs. She’s always been a beautiful actress, but I don’t know until this show that she’s proven to me that she’s a good one. In this show, she’s both and more. Her character is something with whom we immediately empathize—her sardonic tone, her clever wit, and her awkward friendliness. I can’t wait to see where she takes us and how.
The show’s creator, Sam Levinson, is a recovering addict but he is not Gen Z. The kind of life and empathy he brings to the Gen Z characters that make up this show is something I haven’t seen before from an inherently conservative disdain that television has for this generation. This to say that the show is realistic and it paints a holistic picture of the characters in the world without making them jokes or stereotypes.
However, where the script fails for me is in the character of Jules, a trans* girl who befriends Zendaya’s character. I hope we see Jules grow more; but as it stands, we see a stereotype of trans* experience: search for sexual fulfillment in dark motel rooms with creepy old men and relentless bullying by peers. Levinson’s impetus, of course, to portray this reality for many trans* teens is commendable, though, I often wonder if art ought to complexify the sadness surrounding queer and trans* subjects. Only time will tell if Jules is more than a stereotype. For now, I love her confidence, her love for her father, and her insistence to be noticed and taken seriously.
If you need another reason to watch the show, the show is breaking barriers in its portrayal of male nudity, which at least in the first episode far outweighs female nudity, a notable subversion of the status quo when it comes to premium television shows. So, if you want to see penises, watch Euphoria.
The show is must-see television. I can’t stress how excellent Zendaya is, how empathetic the characters already are, and how beautiful the direction has been.
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