Euphoria
First of all, it’s been a really long time since I’ve been on this site. In fact, I had a hard time recalling which site my blog was on. Yeah, NOT WordPress.
Btdubs, I am like super old because I refer to trip-hop and trap as electronica.
Super old.
Four episodes in and I am addicted.
Purposeful use of the word, considering the subject matter.
I think it’s the music, the soundtrack. It’s hypnotic and sirenlike- trap/house and electronica tend to do that. The main character, portrayed by Zendaya, is an addict struggling with the aftermath of an overdose followed by a stint in the hospital. She struggles with recovery, continued drug use, family trust issues, school dynamics, untrustworthy friends, drug dealers that might be friends, and a new friendship that may be a turning point in her recovery.
Gah! So many things!
So, to start, the first few episodes remind me so much of the troubles I had with my son, and my own issues when I was in high school in both New York and Florida. I will leave it there since this isn’t about me, but what I saw and felt while being drawn into the mesmerizing “Euphoria”.
Watching Zendaya’s portrayal of a teen addict and how she doesn’t balance her shortcomings with family, school and friends is remarkable. I mentioned the soundtrack. This show could almost convey dialogue with the score alone. It’s masterful and manipulative. Even if I don’t recall the songs, the
feelings evoked are almost tangible. The melodies fill my head, confuse my senses and send me reeling back to moments I would rather not relive again, this isn’t about me.
Rue (perfect name really) is not at a crossroads. She already cashed that chip with papa legba. The overdose, the hospital stay, the dead dad, the fraught and frazzled mom, the sister who finds her ODd. These are the things she can’t even bring herself to face, so she looks for her high. I can’t really relate here, I am only an observer regarding drugs, but I’m sold. It looks believable enough to me.
Jules is the junior trans transfer student, and people in this hamlet in little America don’t know what to make of her all day festival pride parade. I think her glitter bombing is happiness with that rotten cherry fruit flavor chaser. Jules can’t be happy. When we first meet her, she is swiping right on all the bare chests on twinkdaddy and meeting up with someone whom she has no business with.
All the girls are the different faces of every girl you ever when to high school with. The only ones who aren’t on full display are the overachieving academics. This isn’t their story.
The girls are either trying too hard to be sexy, owning their fleeting sexy, or rewriting their version of sexy. But none of these girls have agency as they are underage.
I want to focus now on the score.
Each episode underscores the tension and stress, whether internal or external Rue experiences while rolling through her days either hazy or painfully clear.
The addition of Colman Domingo of Fear the Walking Dead is a pleasant surprise. His bourbon soaked baritone is a jarring counterpoint to the chaos of the trap and house that infuses this show.
I can’t name not even one band or DJ featured in the first few episodes, but you know who they are. They are the songs of the summer, the songs of festivals, the songs of grace and tranquility. The songs of molly and ecstasy. The songs that infest youth. The songs with a single note held for longer than eight counts then a drop.
This time, the drop was a discordant episode four. Episode four didn’t take me on waves and dreams, it was messy, chaotic, carnival. There was no festival, it was carny and carnivorous. Everyone was devouring each other and you could smell the fake butter and the semen.
They kept showing the water surrounding the carnival grounds and I can’t get those images out of my head. The fireworks ,the Ferris wheels, the carousel were the backdrop for the tomfoolery and tomfuckery these kids get up to.
Please watch.
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