Euphoria Season 2

Wow....what a train wreck. 

The first season had a lot of things about it that were captivating. And it was one of those situations where, I could see a lot of things coming together at the right time, despite my struggle with Levinson as a writer, and as a person fundamentally. But Euphoria Season 2, exposes all the flaws, in a way that felt like self-sabotage. Like he was setting fire to a passion project just so he could be seen as rebellious. All the wrong characters are emphasized. Motivations and consistency doesn't add up from one season to another. New characters are introduced that only distract from the core. A lot of the rest feels like filler, pretentious vintage inspired imagery with few connections to anything meaningful, other than impressing cinefiles with the obscure film and music references. The first season understood the effect of aesthetic on this generation, whereas this season just feeds right into the gratuity, and then uses its characters as mouth pieces for Levinson to preach his pseudo-intellectual ideas on art. If any of you saw his film, MALCOM AND MARIE, then you know exactly what I'm talking about. Those who have have always had issues with Euphoria, and with Levinson morally...will feel justified in their feelings, if they watch season 2. 

I can't say I'm too surprised. But I also feel more reactive than some. I feel it's worse than a lot of people are saying. It's not all bad, however. Zendaya has some powerful moments, even if we are retreading a lot of her character arc, Maddie for me was more interesting this season, and I admire how much of a departure they took aesthetically from the first season. Bold choice. And shooting on film I think was a really nice idea. And yes...they are some of the most visually beautiful images I've ever seen on television. But...it means next to nothing, if the emotion doesn't remain intact.