It's a bit excessive for there to be three different plot lines involving (and showing on screen) leaked nude photos/videos of a teenage girl. Rue and Jules' relationship was already fragile, but her cheating on Rue with Elliot totally disregards where we left her character in the 2021 special episode.Įuphoria presents itself as progressive but uses graphic nudity and sexual violence enacted on its teenage girl characters for the sake of depicting the realities teenagers face today. After Jules gives an eloquent explanation to her therapist about not being attracted to men and not wanting to center her life around them anymore, Elliot ( Dominic Fike) is introduced and creates a twisted sort of love triangle between the three of them. Like Kat, Jules was also sidelined in Season 2 despite the success of her special episode, including some abrupt character changes. So, despite all the soul-searching and character development that took place in her special episode, Jules' pain is used as a plot device to further develop two of the show's most abhorrent characters. Nate catfishes Jules into falling in love with him and sending him nudes only to blackmail her with them later. Jules has rough, painful sex with Cal in a motel room, and he films the encounter without her consent. Her pain is used as a touchpoint between Nate and his dad to highlight how similar they are, both hurting Jules in the process. Nate's character is clearly the extension of his father Cal ( Eric Dane) in that they both have lived their lives plagued by sexual repression and have their eyes set on Jules. It's a beautiful character study that gives us a better understanding of her childhood trauma and intense feelings for Rue, but she had to suffer quite a bit in Season 1 before she could get there.ĭespite her trans identity not being the focal point of her character, she still experiences transphobia from Nate and fetishization by Nate and his dad. Jules' character is at her most captivating when Levinson lets actress Hunter Schafer take the reins in Euphoria's 2021 special episode "Part 2: Jules" or "Fuck Anyone Who's Not a Sea Blob." Co-written by Schafer, the episode takes place during the winter holiday between the first and second seasons, as Jules speaks to a therapist after running away from home in the Season 1 finale. But aside from Rue, almost all the young women in the show's main ensemble are over-sexualized or brutalized in some way. Levinson drew inspiration from his own experience with addiction in creating Zendaya's character Rue, so it's not surprising that hers would be the character written with the most care and depth. Levinson wasn't a particularly huge name at the time of Euphoria's release, so a good percentage of its initial viewership likely tuned in to see Zendaya prove herself as a serious actress.Īnd that she did, becoming the youngest winner of the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series in 2020, winning the same award again in 2022. Based on an Israeli series of the same name, Euphoria was created by Levinson and served as a star vehicle for Zendayaas she shed her Disney image in favor of more mature roles. It's essentially the Gen Z version of Skins with artsy makeup and visually stimulating cinematography. Following the lives of an eclectic group of California teenagers, there's plenty of drug use, violence, and above all, nudity. Looking at the first two seasons of Euphoria and The Idol's pilot episode, it's hard not to notice a pattern in Levinson's exploitative depictions of young women under the guise of critiquing society, while at the same time snubbing his nose at those who critique him.Įuphoria is the most popular teen drama at the moment and became the second-most watched HBO series of all time behind only Game of Thrones. When a Rolling Stone article went viral in March detailing the behind-the-scenes chaos and disturbing sexual content that was ultimately scrapped from the show, potential viewers were apprehensive about tuning in, but co-creators Levinson and Abel Tesfaye responded with glee at the free promotion. Many have taken issue with the excessive nudity and objectification of the canonically underage female characters in Euphoria, as well as their frequent subjection to sexual violence. With Euphoria Season 3 delayed until at least 2025, writer-director Sam Levinson’s latest, and perhaps most controversial project, The Idolpremiered on Max on Sunday, once again bringing to light criticisms about his treatment of his female characters.
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