Euphoria Balances a Mix of Melodrama and Extremes in Season Finale
It has taken me a while to come around to Euphoria. in fact, I’m still not sure that I have. much has been said how the pandemic aged most of the actors out of high school and it is obvious throughout the season and distracting at times, but that aside, every episode, especially the finale starts the same way for me.
At first, I am appalled by the horrendous nature of the characters. The vast majority of the show’s characters are despicable human beings going through the high school experience in all the worst ways possible as they strive to be the worst people they can be.
Yes, there are characters with redeeming qualities and arcs, but the show is largely driven by the venom. The season 2 finale is no different. There are characters with little room for redemption and their paths are clearly defined, while others, who have hope and strive to be better live lives that are much more ambiguous and less defined by the outcomes.
Much has been made of the the show becoming the most popular HBO show behind Game of Thrones– another show that was largely about the victories and arcs of characters who were easy to despise. Once the good guys started to win on GoT, audiences tended to rebel on the show, turning on what they once loved.
It will be interesting to see where Euphoria goes and how fans react if the good guys continue to win.
Gordon’s Grade: B
