The highly anticipated second season of “Euphoria” just premiered, and even mainstream media reviewers are blushing.
The HBO series made headlines during its premiere as well for pushing boundaries when it came to sex, drugs, and violence, especially since the narrative focused on teenaged characters in high school. But now with the show’s newest season, some viewers are saying the creators took things one step too far.
The Guardian gave the second season a two-star rating, saying the shocking scenes were gratuitous and unnecessary for storytelling.
“‘Euphoria’ is unrelentingly explicit this time around, as if it took one look at its former self and thought: no, not shocking enough, try this. There is so much nudity, so much sex and so much violence; its characters batter each other senseless, mentally and physically, and the camera lingers on each and every mark,” the publication says.
Later, the reviewer points out how not only is the sex and violence extreme, it’s also centered on minors, which makes it even more excessive.
“At times, the most shocking thing about ‘Euphoria’ is that there are still some scenes set at school,” the Guardian says. “It is easy to forget that the characters are supposed to be 17; their lives are a joyless mess of affairs, hookups, drugs and drink-driving, all wrapped up in a gloomy bow of dread.”
Emmy-winning actress Zendaya was so concerned for fans watching the series that she issued a trigger warning before its release. The 25-year-old star, who plays Rue Bennett on the show, headed to Twitter about two hours before the season two premiere.
“I know i’ve said this before, but I do want to reiterate to everyone that Euphoria is for mature audiences,” Zendaya tweeted to her fans. “This season, maybe even more so than the last, is deeply emotional and deals with subject matter that can be triggering and difficult to watch.”
She continued, “Please only watch it if you feel comfortable. Take care of yourself and know that either way you are still loved and I can still feel your support.”
While some were shocked and horrified by season 2, other reviewers had a different take. NPR reviewers admitted the show was “a parent’s worst nightmare” but is also “a creative triumph.”
The reviewer says the show is graphic and characters make awful decisions, but they’re forced to face the consequences, which helps teach lessons about the real world. And that’s the whole point of the show being so extreme.
“That ‘Euphoria’ somehow manages to make you keep caring about often-unlikeable folks on such brutal and dark journeys, is a testament to the uniquely creative voice distilled in each episode,” the NPR reviewer writes. “It is thrilling, daring, disquieting and compelling – a triumph at a time when truly unique storytelling remains unsettlingly rare.”
The first episode of season two was released on January 9. New episodes are available to HBO Max subscribers every Sunday. The first episode currently has a 9.4 user rating on IMDb.