Recently, I asked on Instagram what you’d like to see these reviews about – and I had a number of people asking about TV shows.
Don’t get me wrong, I love TV shows – however due to the nature of their length, and inconsistencies within the quality of episodes, it’s typically harder to showcase them in this format. It’s for this reason I’ve decided to only review shows that are either consistently great, or consistently terrible.
Having said all this, ‘Euphoria’ is a masterpeice. It follows an (admittedly overdramatised) coming of age story, documenting Rue (Zendaya) and her intense relationship with drugs, love and the gripping ferocity of senior year life.
This is where ‘Euphoria’ shines as – although it’s very dramatic, it’s still a very real depiction of current day teenagers, and their struggle to find their place within an ever-evolving 21st century society and, in the same mindset, it isn’t afraid to tackle these issues.
Drug and substance abuse, sexual intimacy and sexuality, mental health issues, domestic violence, social media are among many of the heavy themes that ‘Euphoria’ doesn’t flinch at tackling – and in a way, that doesn’t feel generic or disingenuous.
It’s in a number of elements that I believe that ‘Euphoria’ manages to differ so much from it’s competition. Firstly, the casting has been extremely well done. The show employs a talented and diverse cast that, when paired with the creative direction of the show, do a phenomenal job of depicting the afforementioned themes.
Furthermore the pacing of the show is phenomenal. The show is constantly being sped up and slowed down to allow for shocking moments, then time to reflect on them – using acute juxtaposition to display the influence of a number of various themes on our characters. It works in a way that our brains can understand and comprehend the subject matter, without it feeling overwhelming or forced. The show also introduces a chosed characters backstory at the beginning of each episode, which not only helps effectively characterize its cast but also keep each episode feeling fresh. At the end of the day though I believe Euphorias ultimate success comes down to its cinematography.
It’s fucking beautiful. An acute use of well-envisioned colour grading, playful editing and breathtaking camera work means nearly every scene of this show ends up looking polished, genuine and borderline perfect. Seriously, some of the shots in this show give me goosebumps just because of how stunning they look.
I could go on about the cinematography for hours and dissect every scene – from Rue’s first trip with Jules all the way through to her relapse. McKay’s hazing scene with Cassie, and even Nate’s experience in the locker room. The creative direction of ‘Euphoria’ is purposeful and intentional – and is a staple to what allows the show to continuously come across as unapolagetically raw.
