Stereotypes & Nonsense... Why Euphoria Needs a Writers Room

The wildly popular Euphoria of 2022 is actually an adaptation, based on an original Israeli series of the same name. In 2017, HBO announced they were developing an adaptation with original creator Ron Leshem and director Dafna Levin on board as executive producers, alongside Sam Levinson.
This adaptation is currently one of the most talked about series on television. It’s officially HBO’s second most watched show behind Game of Thrones. Between the diehard fans, the hate watchers, the film buffs, and the casual onlookers with FOMO, everyone has something to say about it. Twitter recently revealed that Euphoria has become the most tweeted about show in this new decade. The series sure does know how to spark a conversation, but is it good though?
Let’s talk about why Euphoria needs to get a REAL writing room together or they need to cancel season 3.
00:00 Intro
02:50 Behind The Scenes Drama
08:41 Colorblind or Colorism?
20:01 Maddy & The Spicy Latina Trope
28:33 Gratuitous Teen Nudity
36:27 Plot Holes & Nonsense
What were y'all's thoughts on season 2?
Background Music Playlist (I do not own the rights to any of these songs)
1. Labrinth - Forever (Instrumental)
2. Erykah Badu - Back In The Day (Instrumental)
3. Junior Mafia - Get Money (Instrumental)
4. Selena - Tú Sólo Tú (Instrumental)
5. Alicia Keys - Teenage Love Affair (Instrumental)
6. Aaliyah - We Need A Resolution (Instrumental)
Twitter & Instagram
/ itsjodonna
/ itsjodonna
My Favorite Euphoria Analyses
Euphoria's Colorism Problem: How The Show Harms Dark Skin Girls and Women (Ms. Vixen) - • Euphoria's Colorism Pr...
Euphoria & All The Black Pop Cultural References (Black Femininity TV) - • Euphoria & all of the ...
analyzing the outfits in euphoria (ModernGurlz) - • analyzing the outfits ...
Sources
Euphoria is HBO's Second Most Watched Show Behind Game of Thrones - variety.com/2022/tv/news/euph...
'Euphoria' Is the Most-Tweeted Show of the Decade - www.papermag.com/euphoria-twi...
Euphoria: Season Two Ratings - tvseriesfinale.com/tv-show/eu...
Inside ‘Euphoria's’ Grueling Days and Cast Unrest - nofilmschool.com/euphorias-gr...
Why Euphoria Star Algee Smith Is Missing This Season - www.thedailybeast.com/why-eup...
We Need To Talk About What's Going On With Kat In This Season Of 'Euphoria' - www.elle.com.au/culture/kat-e...
Barbie Ferreira Apparently Walked Off The 'Euphoria' Set After A Fight With Director, Sam Levinson - www.elle.com.au/celebrity/bar...
“Euphoria” Utilizes Black Trauma for Character Development - www.bitchmedia.org/article/eu...
Let’s Talk About Blackness on HBO’s Euphoria - blackboybulletin.com/2019/08/...
TV Tropes 'The Spicy Latina' - tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.ph...
MTV Decoded 'Where Does The 'Fiery Latinx' Stereotype Come From?' - • Where Does The 'Fiery ...
Women's Media Center 'Too Hot to Handle: The Dangers of the Spicy Latina Stereotype' - womensmediacenter.com/fbomb/t...
Esparanza United 'Latinas and Intimate Partner Violence Evidence Based Facts' - esperanzaunited.org/wp-conten...
Sydney Sweeney Pushed Back Against Some of Her Euphoria Nude Scenes - www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/...
Sydney Sweeney Says She "Appreciates People Being Worried" About Her Nude Scenes on "Euphoria" - www.seventeen.com/celebrity/m...
Sydney Sweeney Said She "Never Asked" for Nude Scenes on "Euphoria" To Be Cut - www.seventeen.com/celebrity/m...
Minka Kelly Admits She Was Uncomfortable With ‘Euphoria’ Nude Scene - www.elle.com/culture/celebrit...

[@shelby9510]

Sam relying on Rue’s narration negatively effects his writing and story. Also Elliot character wasn’t needed at all

[@shelby9510]

And what I mean by Elliot not needed, I mean as a romantic partner for Jules.

[@theratking9057]

Exactly right about both these things. During lexis play arc with fex episode, he relied heavily on the fact that rue was a third-person speaker so he could explain how Lexi and fez were drawing close instead of showing the audience how they were growing close. Breaking the obvious, show doesn't tell writing rules.

[@lesliexhale]

I don’t mind rue’s narration but I feel like it’s done too much.

[@Jana-dw4kg]

@@shelby9510 he was needed, he shows that despite the fact jules 'loves rue', shes willing to throw anything for male validation

[@maitteld2259]

Jana but all that she said in her special episode that she’s not interested in men at all or changed her views on male validation like the way she dresses were completely erased in this season

[@kiwispace8041]

I'm actually glad they didn't have a dark skin woman in Euphoria, because look at the messy stereotypes they portray under all that glitter. No doubt they would have showed her as a statistic and the worse form of sexual stereotypes.

[@Jasmine-ho9iz]

Lol I had the same thought. My buddies were complaining that there are no Asian characters even though the entire west coast has nearly a 40% Asian population. I was like… ya’ll want this show representing us??

[@bmwjourdandunngoddess6024]

@@Jasmine-ho9iz It has a 40% Asian population!? I did not know that. I barley see Asians in small towns. 😭 But YES! This is why people need to be honest about representation! Representation is not needed in everything like colonial shows and white supremacist type of things. People need to understand this. Especially things like Euphoria. I Don’t wanna see trauma. Like tf!?

[@LoneWulf278]

@@Jasmine-ho9iz Lol! That last sentence shut me up. 😂 They can keep their “representation”.

[@blackskyboii]

There's a lot of darkskin characters in Snowfall then it is in Euphoria. If you think about it

[@thebasedgodmax1163]

haha so true, Levinson is such a shit writer that he'd create a dark skinned black lady who's the most racist fucking thing ever.

[@margarita2003]

Actually, I think Zendaya not showing any nudity in the show has more to do with her Marvel contract than with HBO.

[@Viviana-pe5sh]

It could also be that her euphoria character is sam levinson's self insert so he might not want to sexualize his female self like he does with the rest of the female characters

[@phoenixfunny4517]

It has nothing to do with Marvel

[@depgabby]

It’s more her management and her Disney image. She’s probably not comfortable

[@j.r.765]

Props to her for not putting out a damaging image. Her performance is stronger for it.

[@depgabby]

@Nonaya Bidness Virgo isn’t necessarily a “modest” sign

[@brayanvillanueva7527]

Another important thing about the plotholes is that the issues that happened in the season one is never spoken about again in season 2. For instance, Rue and Jules never speak about Ana again, they started to date again just like that. Kat and Maddy had beef in the end of season one, but all of a sudden there is a full 180 in their friendship. There should've been a scene in the S2 premiere showing these two talking it out. Also, Maddy knows that Jules and her ex-boyfriend's Dad had sexual relations, but for some reason in S2 E2, they are hanging out and they had a conversation together, but Maddy just never asks why she did it, she is not feeling a bit weird around her. And Cassie never reflects back with her feelings of her abortion, not even Mckay. Of course McKay is feeling relieved that Cassie decided to get the abortion, but when stuff like this happens, you can never forget about it easily. Plus, I was really looking forward to McKay and his thoughts after his assault. His assault was messed up and its obviosuly affecting him and everything else soooo... Sam Levinson, are you okay?

[@parvapixel]

You are voicing everything I have been thinking. I thought I was the inly one upset that they didnt address the McKay or Maddy/Kat storyline and the fact that Levinson destroyed Kat’s character bc of creative differences is just ludicrous. And I was also confused why Jules and Rue automatically got back together, I thought there was going to be more buildup.

[@kbreezy1581]

Sometimes it feels like Sam Levinson relies on shock value and in your face moments to keep us hooked but almost always does a poor job at exploring how those pivotal moments might have any effect on the story or characters

[@j.m251]

The actor who played McKay (Algee Smith) didn’t wanna be on the show, so that can slide but yea mans fumbled fr

[@Riyamu0779]

It's almost like for season 2 they took all the characters and decided to write an AU fanfiction that makes 0 sense and has almost no continuity with the first season

[@kbreezy1581]

@@Riyamu0779 It's cos Sam wants to do everything by himself instead of getting a writer's room. He has nobody to consult with in regards to the continuity of the plot and character arcs besides himself and it's all because he's an ego maniac

[@erynsdream5826]

On top of the black characters, I would’ve LOVED to actually seen a DARKSKIN black women as one of the main characters. They added Bobbie thinking they was slick, then have her nothing.😐 I almost don’t care that they have black male characters, because shows don’t mind having dark skin black men. I’m just tired of not seeing more dark skin black women, the misogynoir is crazy!

[@itsJODONNA]

Absolutely!! The colorism within the casting is so blatant and unacceptable, HBO & Sam do not get enough heat for it at all. And the fact that they introduced Bobbi, then pretended she didn't exist for the rest of the season, was completely foul.

[@jayceon5027]

@@itsJODONNA wow I love that your seeing this issue it's often that shows barely showcase dark skin black women I actually hope to see more of bobbi

[@breekwhal]

Y’all gotta stop this darkskin thing. That’s how y’all get tripped up. Just say BLACK. There are no BLACK female main characters. Rue is not black. Neither is her sister. They are biracial characters who are just as much white. The show needs BLACK girls. Not mixed/biracial. Just say BLACK.

[@bunnyxsoap]

@@breekwhal Nah, they mean dark skin. there are plenty of full black light skinned people. Representation is important. I believe with how fucked up the system is... they would still choose a full black light skin over a full black dark skinned person. So yes they need to get more DARK skin actors and actresses involved in entertainment

[@bunnyxsoap]

also they better not just add Bobbi as a friend character. We gotta have a full fleshed out person of color

[@Tanya-hb3pz]

Thank you for addressing Sam turning Maddie into a Lolita type character. That quote about her being in charge at 14 always bothered me.

[@arianab.8364]

I had always interpreted that quote as being ironic, the possibility that that may not have been the intention is... troubling, to say the least.

[@Outlier-db8sq]

So now creating an independent and confident latina woman is a stereotype? Think about the harm of your statement and its message. If maddie was a white girl youd have a problem with the lack of representation. Now that shes represented, you have a problem because she represents some obscure stereotype the vast majority of viewers never even thought about. How will future directors ever cast women of color in powerful roles if you keep calling them stereotypes? How about you stop nitpicking and looking for offenses that arent really there and admire maddie's character and her values as an individual struggling with an abusive boyfriend and unaffected parents. Ur literally invalidating that characters life because you believe it to be an offensive stereotype. Guess what, most stereotypes are based on some degree of truth that has been exaggerated over time. Many latina women grow up like maddie due to the familial responsibilty and burden they carry.

[@Karasuno86]

@@Outlier-db8sqIn position of what? Power? This bitch was almost choked to death lmao

[@namerequired8203]

@@Outlier-db8sq okay just no, stop. Latina here (puerto rican) and I do not want strong independent "representation" if it's just a shitty stereotype masquerading as strength. Also, Latina women having to grow up fast due to familial " responsibility" ( really it's just parental trauma) isn't normal, and isn't something to be normalized because it's not okay. Why can't we have healthy representation? And the lolita stereotype is literally a frickin pedophiles/hebephiles wet dream. Do not excuse this shitty representation just because it's better than nothing please

[@namerequired8203]

@@Outlier-db8sq in addition to that do NOT validate stereotyping with the idea that there's "some truth" to it. There is no evidence for this, except peoples anecdotal experiences which are not objective. Stereotyping is still not okay 🙄

[@jessicabenton1062]

Hot take: unlsss he adds a writing room, I don’t want a dark skin girl as a main character going through a bunch of stuff unnecessarily.

[@emmaoof3335]

with how much it relies on black culture the fact euphoria has not a single darkskinned black woman that appears for more than five minutes is crazy, I would love to see a black girl especially a darkskinned one in those frilly outfits and that glittery makeup

[@emmaoof3335]

@SH PRODUCTIONS literally what? no nigga I'm talking about the aesthetics and music??

[@tiamarrow6366]

Um…..even though Zendaya’s character doesn’t wear any of them frilly outfits, she still wears the glittery makeup, and oh yeah….she’s a dark skinned black woman. Now maybe you mean someone much darker than Zendaya, but at least she’s a black woman in the show and to be honest….most of the episodes that she’s in, she’s in for longer than 5 minutes.

[@emmaoof3335]

@@tiamarrow6366 im talking about bobbi and zendayas not darskinned ?

[@kaoruzenzeon]

@@tiamarrow6366 zendaya is lightskin.

[@rebecca1331]

Idk euphoria is the one show i could do without there being any darkskin black characters tbh. It’s not a show I personally care to have representation in lol. Not to mention if you’ve ever gone to white suburban school the depiction isn’t too far off. They’re all obsessed with black culture and black music but there’s like 3 black ppl at the party and they’re usually sports players. It’s not far from accurate tbh. So i feel like darkskin representation isn’t needed in this show tbh.

[@roaches7963]

I'm just pissed that they don't have a a SINGLE ASIAN CHARACTER. Its so hard finding tv shows that have south asian characters. They don't even have an east asian character.

[@natasharules770]

And if they did you bet she'd be a stereotype. People were calling for HoYeon Jung (the main girl from squid game) to be I'm it after she visited the set

[@cherryblossom7120]

Well "The Wilds" a show from amazon had a Asian character, and she was actually really good, an adult with strong personality, but they killed her off, sorry for spoiling. Try the show it's good.

[@Ummmmmmmm841]

I'm actually glad, cus they'd probably butcher them. But yes, there NEED to be more south Asian characters in tv

[@iki12737]

No as a middle eastern, its good that they dont have asian characters

[@wdrh03]

Cause no Asian parents will let their kids go to Euphoria High

[@ladyblubel]

Euphoria exists in a bubble in a way that makes no sense. There are interpersonal conflicts, like Cassie betraying Maddy’s trust and Nate terrorizing Jules but when low-income characters (Fez) and Black characters (Rue) commit crimes… nothing of substance happens to them? It’s just not realistic to the world and speaks to Sam’s own experience, likely due to his ties with nepotism and wealth

[@GPerla26]

Thank you for discussing Maddy as a blatant example of the spicy latina trope. That trope, and its fetichistic, racist, and misogynistic elements are seldom touched upon

[@FirstnameLastname-tl1bq]

Can we then also admit that the "masculine guy being secretly super gay and ashamed of it" trope is also lame?

[@yungmentalproblems]

​@@FirstnameLastname-tl1bqthis whole show seems to suck

[@FirstnameLastname-tl1bq]

@@yungmentalproblems true, sam levinson’s whole mo is to make porn with a plot, with as many minors as possible

[@franklythemooch7413]

in regards to McKay, he's hanging out with the seniors he was close to as he himself isn't that much older than everyone else. McKay is like 18-19 and hangs with Nate, Cassie and Maddy who are graduating as of the finale of s2--I've seen more backlash on McKay hanging with his friends over Fezco in his 20's trying to date a highschooler

[@lyramusica4485]

I will just make a correction and say that Fezco is supposed to be 19 like McKay, according to Sam Levinson. Nate calling him a "20 something" was meant to just be an insult due to him being a dropout.

[@trayvontruss7912]

@@lyramusica4485 in the script, in the euphoria books. Fez was supposed to be 21 and they charge it was to 19

[@lyramusica4485]

@@trayvontruss7912 Makes sense since Sam Levinson decided to start teasing a potential relationship between him and Lexi, and I think he wanted to avoid making it a problematic "statutory rape" relationship.

[@trayvontruss7912]

@@lyramusica4485 you comment makes no sense???. Fez is first rying to get Lexie is weirder than McKay getting with Lexi. So again your comment is odd. A 19 years is odd but a 21 yeald year white man is odd but a 19 years black man iss odd is unfair.

[@lyramusica4485]

@@trayvontruss7912 Sorry but when did I say it would be weird for McKay to get with Lexi? I never said anything about him and Lexi. I merely said that Fez is supposed to be McKay's age.

[@13realmusic]

Zendaya 100% has a no nude policy and I’ve heard it was a fight to maintain it. She’s so lucky that her parents managing style differs greatly from Kris Jenner. Just to drag on the parent management levels it’s so utterly unhinged how Tyga a grown ass 20-30 something year old was “dating” and living with Kendall at 16. The environment she grew up in while Zendaya was also a child in entertainment I feel like Sam Levinson is hopefully the worst thing to ever happen to her.

[@mananwashere]

*Kylie

[@iwakeupandboomimarat]

honestly i feel like the reason she ca probably get away w a no nudity policy is bc of her role in marvel, if sam levinson rlly tried her on that she could pull up w marvel, disney and all of its subdivisions to shut that shit down lol

[@j.r.765]

Kris Jenner also picked what angles Kim's $ex tape would feature, she's sick.

[@salmamichelle09]

You perfectly articulated the issues with Maddy’s character. It’s always been so frustrating to try to force myself to relate to a trope because that was the only Latina representation within the media. Not only that, but practically all of the Latina characters from media as a kid were light skinned and thin. As someone who struggles with an eating disorder and body image, I never truly realized how damaging the lack of Latina representation in terms of skin color and body type impacted the way i perceived myself. I hated my body for not being able to conform to what the media was telling me Latinas were. More specifically white people’s idealisation and fetishisation of Latinas. It’s disheartening that this hadn’t changed, but instead been repackaged to fit with a modern aesthetic.

[@mac9733]

It's such a missed opportunity that Kat IS Latina too but they white coded her

[@salmamichelle09]

@@mac9733 exactly! it’s so frustrating that the two Latinas on the show are at opposite ends of the same harmful spectrum of stereotyping and white-washing.

[@jasmineskye4406]

You should watch Ugly Betty. One of the best shows to ever existing

[@melvv18]

Something that wasn't mentioned, but still bothers me is Latine being treated as a singular identity, and not a diverse group of nationality and cultures.

[@bloodsugarcrazy3]

So Latina cliché that they had her listening to Selena lol (Selena is great but I mean it’s part of the stereotype)

[@neko-rt7bt]

The fact that barbie didn't want to act as kat with a eating disorder as she thought it was stereotypical and all that did was cause less screentime for her leading to one point in the season 2 where after Maddy has a breakout with Cassie and while talking to kat, kat saying that she never trusted Cassie just felt so out of character

[@mrdad-zl9zl]

This is why it's BS when people use Sydney's PR appropriate response to defend Levinsons choice of having her nude so often, the illusion of choice, how much agency do these actors really have (besides the few who have pull in the industry) when we can see what he will do if an actor disagrees with his vision too much. It was more than just less screen time he made her character horribly unlikeable, faking cancer to break up with her boyfriend. Also, I had no idea he wanted Samantha, the mother of the kid Maddie baby sat to be nude in a scene... naked in front of a high-school aged student who she employs.

[@fatimagreen5311]

It's kinda eerie how this series takes place in highschool and the characters are teens played by adults and there's a lot of sexual content in it. It would be a lot different if the storyline was about college bound young adult trying to find their place in life whilst trying not to be influenced by peer pressure under other young adults experimenting with drugs and etc. Also there's a lot of stereotypes and is not really diverse there's a lot of cliffhangers and not enough info on back stories. Storylines keep changing and they're losing track of the main point.

[@nativenewyorker3144]

Hollywood has this weird obsession with the sexualization of teenagers. Their biggest gimmick is to age the characters to 16-18 to make it seem excusable since they’re older.

[@tiamarrow6366]

It’s absolutely eerie but unfortunately in today’s society….so many teens are experiencing sex, drugs, and alcohol. Half of my town has experienced all 3 between the ages of 15-19…..While we often ask where their parents are…..the parents are sometimes okay with it. It’s also worth noting that the reason why Hollywood casts adults to play “teens” in these types of shows, is probably because they see how bad our society’s current teens are….and they might not wanna actually put literal teen actors and actresses in these shows, have them be exposed to drugs, sex, and alcohol not knowing how it will impact them…meaning if will it screw up their mental health and physical health, or if they’ll become addicted to the idea of taking drugs, drinking alone and unfortunately sex. While it’s a creepy subject, maybe that’s why Hollywood casts adults to play these roles….plus they know that most adult actors/actresses, can to a certain extent, understand the seriousness of the idea and storylines for the show and for their characters.

[@emilbutts6662]

@@tiamarrow6366 i'm gonna speak as a teenager and my experience/opinions on this cause i got some. teenagers are experiencing those things(drugs/alcohol, sex) it's nothing new it's just the environment that's new, with it being more obvious with social media and even exasperated by it. i want to see myself represented in shows and movies. teenagers are doing these things but i just wish it were shown differently. show it being awkward and messy and dramatic and disappointing and goofy and fun and all of it. and i DO want it played by actors my age! show kids trying to smoke but not knowing how, show kids wanting to have sex with each other but not even being able to say the word. show pimples and bad makeup. have the characters have inside jokes and toxic but innocent relationships. a child in a relationship isn't the same as an adult, an adult relationship is mature but teenagers are trying to be mature by being in a relationship if that makes sense. i hate that they're played by adults, even though i know logically why that is. teens in high school are doing these things it's just different and dumber. i have a lot of jumbled thoughts on it

[@jennym7465]

@@nativenewyorker3144 Well, it's obviously not just on Hollywood though. It's on the people who consume the content as well. We can blame Hollywood all we want but like it or not, it's popular so obviously the fans don't mind as much as they say they do. I would actually go far enough to say that there are fans completely obsessed with the show and want to emulate it. So just like child p*rngraphy, the person who makes it is as guilty as the person who watches it. But people don't want to take accountability that it's only able to happen because they allow it too by watching it, being fans of it and demanding more of it.

[@joshgill6592]

Season 3 is supposed to be a time skip I believe

[@mwoods4608]

Every character was basically a trope. It turned onto a rated R version of Glee or Saved by the bell.

[@nativenewyorker3144]

Not glee 😭 leave my baby alone

[@anyone1111]

The best way to describe this. Honestly this show is such a mess, I don’t know why it’s still continuing. 😮‍💨

[@wdrh03]

At least Glee had three writers 🤣

[@leavemealone3304]

@@anyone1111 i mean the second season wasn’t terrible 💀

[@brianna9034]

Oh this was good! Still hate that Kat wasn’t able to flush out her relationship and internal conflict on screen-leading to a lot of theories fans had to create. And the finale WAS lackluster. Sam was hyper focused on 2-3 storylines and threw out the character development of S1

[@itsJODONNA]

Thank you!! And yes, he set up so many opportunities to explore really interesting storylines, but then just dropped them or tied them up in an unfulfilling way. The finale was the last straw for me lol.

[@domsvelvetrope2379]

I agree with all the points made, that’s why I hope that both Maddy & Gia both have their special episodes hopefully with more writers that can identify with their stories or them giving input like Hunter did with Jules, so that we as viewers get to see their perspective on their trauma, cause both characters were definitely glossed over this season, especially.

[@itsJODONNA]

I would love if they did special episodes for Maddy and Gia! That's a really great idea, I hope the one off special episodes are something HBO keeps doing because they definitely add a lot to the series. Thank you for watching!! (:

[@nini-qc1qd]

omg and Cassie needs one too, she's my fave character

[@depgabby]

@@itsJODONNA there has already been a Maddy special episode guys

[@depgabby]

Maddy already got hers

[@nectaroftheswans]

@@depgabby They mean like the one Special Episode w Jules, not the ones where the introduce her as a kid

[@srishtishekhar3971]

Euphoria baited the audience by pretending to have diverse characters. It clearly only used Mckay as a racial diversity card for brownie points. His storyline could have been developed further along with his assault trauma and the need to live upto his father's expectations. But no, he was clearly just used to pretend to show some racial diversity. I mean, the only black male character and he's a football player. Could this be more obvious? Not to mention the complete shift in focus from the so called diverse cast to the blond girl with big boobs and white rich guy anyway. A part of the reason why people were so drawn to Euphoria in season 1 was due to the diverse nature of characters and immense representation. What was the point of so much representation of diverse characters that usually dont get depth and attention when it comes to writing when in the end they made it about the conventionally attractive white blond girl and white rich guy? I personally would have much rather preferred development in the characters of Mckay, Kat, Ethan etc. It is no doubt that Sydney Sweeney performed tremendously to say the least but that's partially due to the fact that her character was given the opportunity due to the complete shift in the storyline and how it started catering to her character. In addition to a compelling narrative, season 1 of Euphoria drew audiences due to its representation of diverse characters which is what made it different from any other white centric tv series but season 2 confirmed that the casting choices made for season 1 had no real purpose but to get brownie points for representation. Extremely disappointed in the writing.

[@pennywiserton8835]

I'm sorry, but when was Euphoria season 1 ever diverse? Did I miss something?

[@itsJODONNA]

I personally think they were insinuating the show was going to be 'diverse' (by white people's standards obviously). Season 1 was initially marketed as this forward thinking series since there was a lead trans girl, a lead biracial Black girl, a lead Black football player, a lead white Latina, and a lead plus-sized white girl. They also kept pushing the fact that they were going to be addressing deep issues like addiction, abuse and sexuality. I personally saw the marketing and n e v e r thought it was giving diverse. It felt like white people's idea of diversity, it looked like every other white teen show to me. But I do think that they were intending to target a mostly white audience, and I think that audience perceived what they were doing as 'progressive' or 'inclusive' imo.

[@itsJODONNA]

@blue chimera you’re right, she is as well! Though I don’t see people mention her ethnicity as often, the show pretty much codes her as a white American so it’s easy to have no clue.

[@FanGurl4TY]

Satisfying to be the 100th like 😂

[@blackskyboii]

That's what I'm thinking too for someone who's darkskin. There's a lot of darkskin characters in Snowfall then it is in Euphoria. If you think about it 💀🥺

[@msandrews87]

I'm so glad this video showed up on my TL. So many points made. I felt the same about Bobbie and Travis (Meech's character). Definitely thought he'd be the guy that Maddy moves on from Nate with but no we never see him again! We never talk about Maddy's trauma. We don't get her any help and she's "perfectly fine" sitting in the same auditorium with her abuser the very next episode? Crazy. Ash's death, Laurie's money, Nate turning his dad in after Rue narrating that if ppl found out about the tape it'd be bad for the family business?? Big WTH moments. Great video!

[@itsJODONNA]

Thank you sm, I'm glad you enjoyed it! And yeah all of these plot points drove me up the wall. Like he raises the stakes just for everything to sizzle out. I think the show could really improve if they brought in some more writers, preferably a diverse group. Even the best writers (which Sam is not) need editors and outside opinions to refine their storytelling.

[@glowschannel5012]

McKay was done so dirty

[@20000dino]

I never thought he was that interesting to begin with tbh (though he had potential to be more). However, completely and suddenly writing a main character out of a show without any plot-given reason is objectively bad writing.

[@isaknife]

right??? he had the potential to be a good character but sam just wrote him out of the show after giving him a scene where hes literally ABUSED

[@r-v4429]

@@isaknife Originally he had a storyline in s2, but didn't wanna be in it. McKay was abused in close to the end of s1, so it's possible it would of been tackled in s2. I agree it was handled poorly and shortly in s1, but it's impossible to tell If that storyline was supposed to continue in s2.

[@trayvontruss7912]

@@r-v4429 you are thinking about Kat. She was originally supposed to have a eating disorder storyline but didn't want to do it. McKay was never going to be in season 2 at all.

[@flowersandperfume355]

sam levinson is not very smart because he shows all of his biases in his directing. just by watching euphoria its clear he is unable to portray nonwhite characters as beautifully and artistically as the white ones. the amount of screen time cassie got compared to the other characters even though she was the worst character tells me that sam has some kind of obsession with either cassie or the actress, or both as well as nate. its interesting how rue was inspired by him but she has the worst storyline and is treated like a side character even though shes supposed to be the lead. to sam levinson. the black characters are just small little specks in a white world. now I dont have anything against sam levinson he has the right to portray whatever he wants. its his show, but I just dont think the show is that good

[@loen1z]

even cassie was done dirty imo. like, yeah she was basically THE focus of s2 but her major personality change/motivations are never delved into. apparently levinson wants the audience to do the work of filling in the gaps while not being allowed to give sympathy bc HE is making it impossible to with the way cassie was being shown. me and a lot of people saw cassie as an example of a character with undiagnosed BPD but on a show like euphoria we know it doesn't even matter because the world the show exists in does not want recovery or healing or hope. it's shown that time and time again. just look at what they did to jules! we see her in therapy during her special episode and hear her talk about/explain so many things but then in s2 levinson decided to throw all of that away for seemingly no reason and go the opposite direction, going as far as to ignore jules basically admitting she has no interest in men only to CHEAT on rue (arguably again, but worse this time) with a man she was supposedly worried about rue getting with out of nowhere. why do anything substantial when we can shock, titilate and disturb instead? it's lazy and makes everything that happens to anyone other than rue (who happens to be a stand in for the man behind the show) feel like pointless bleak filler.

[@cedarsjunkyard4870]

his weird fixation on sydney is so uncomfortable to watch

[@flowersandperfume355]

@@cedarsjunkyard4870 thats what I mean. its creepy. and the fact that she had to tell him to not have her nude so often is telling.

[@sammiesideup]

that's so creepy tf, he's clearly obsessed with Sydney's body

[@morganamybeloved]

@@loen1z i always saw the therapy scene as a Jules understanding that she doesn't have to define herself through her relationships with men. That she doesn't interested in them in the way she was before. Not that she isn't attracted to them. Tho the whole cheating story is a shit I agree

[@sapphic.flower]

I remember watching season 1 with friends and I out loud said “no” when that scene of 14 yr old Maddie getting preyed on at the beach. My friend said it’s because it’s from her perspective that it was narrated as “Maddie being in control”. I get the idea but without establishing that it clearly isn’t, that’s not gonna be the take away for its young female audiences that do think it’s possible to dominate adult men. And obviously that has been the case since I’ve seen a lot of Maddie fans genuinely idolizing her actions. Overall you verbalized so much of my problems with the show I never really hear else where like the selective nudity and sexuality!

[@anyone1111]

Exactly! I cannot stand how the show has so many troops and then added onto that, the amount of sexualization of teenagers played by adult is absolutely sickening like I don’t need that representation that’s not even representation at this point- it’s just gross, and unwanted.

[@jennym7465]

@@anyone1111 Well, it's only allowed to happen because people allow it too. People can blame Hollywood, sure but just like with child p*rn, the person who makes it is just as guilty as the person who consumes it. There are people downright obsessed with this show as well as just regular fans, it's extremely popular and has people tuning in loyally and talking about it as well as demanding more of it and even some trying to emulate it.. If none of those things were happening, they wouldn't bother even making it. So people obviously don't mind the explicit sex scenes between "teenagers" or the overt sexuality of the "teenagers" because they watch it and are fans. That leads me to conclude that people must not mind or care all that much and only say something to appear as though they do. Just like with most things.

[@isabella-mw7ld]

for maddy being such a popular character, it's crazy how you're the first person who i've seen go in depth about how she's written as such a stereotype! the scene that you show at 39:58 comes off to me as borderline fetishization when she touches her necklace. hollywood needs to eradicate this trope immediately, there is no reason for men in the real world to be telling me that they've always wanted to date a crazy latina in the good year of 2022.

[@CaptainChapin]

Euphoria would much rather have white people use black storylines, black swag, and appropriate black culture, then have actual Black people play those roles. 🙄 seems like a waste of our time at this point. McKay and Bobby seems like they were written as white characters with black faces on them. Fez can talk in urban coded Dialect, which is to assume that he comes from a different area of East Highland than all the other characters. But it’s funny that it’s that type of dialogue that they choose to use which is black coded to represent that line of poverty and his illiteracy. I highly doubt they will ever have anybody else of actual color speak with this vocabulary outside of Travis who was only there as a guest appearance.😒

[@itsJODONNA]

Yes to allll of this, I couldn't have articulated it any better. Thanks for watching!! 🧡

[@Kevin-rg3yc]

Exactly every episode of the first season was named after a popular Rap/R&B song made by an African American artist but for some reason there’s barely any black people there just beyond strange

[@pennywiserton8835]

ngl. if sam made fez's story a black story? i would've personally ran to the hbo headquarters myself and tried to get him fired. he already should be, but that honestly would've been a nightmare coming from him.

[@breiimarie6408]

I THOUGHT I WAS THE ONLY ONE I kinda always was uneasy on how fez is written (no shade to Angus)

[@MohamedRamadan-qi4hl]

@@Kevin-rg3yc how could they appropriat black culture? Black culture is just sup culture of American culture

[@priscilla8068]

38:22 exactly I don’t know why the show is trying so hard to make us empathize with these two horrible characters especially Nate. I just feel like this guy has gotten away with too much and some of us would like to see him actually pay for what he did to other people. And Euphoria better not make him and Jules fall in love and run off in the sunset in S3. I’m also not happy with how they decided to write off McKay’s character and the Lori storyline needs to be revisited fr.

[@siracastori01]

Rue being bi-racial is essential, as she embodies duality (between her two parents, representing respectively the will to live and a death wish, mania and depression, addiction and sobriety, etc). I agree with you with about McKay and his sexual assault, even tho' he wasn't as docile and he was low-key shitty to Cassie before that, and mostly, aside from Nate's, he comes from the most privileged family we see. Maddie is not 'spicy', she uses confidence as an armour and she's much more multi-layered than that.

[@Kevin-rg3yc]

the biggest plot hole for me was Nate and fez feud. The season 1 finale and season 2 premiere let us believe we gonna see some big feud between and after fez beat the breaks out of Nate I thought we gonna see one of the best TV rivalries ever but notii hi bf happened. Plus that as a huge outta character moment for Nate we all seen from season 1 Nate is so focused on toxic mascunlity and public reception that when someone embarrassed him he gets revenge so I was confused and low key pissed Nate didn’t do anything after having the biggest embarrassment from getting the breaks beat out of him plus I’m a messy bish who loves drama and just wanted to see a dope feud that was both a plot hole and big missed opportunity

[@annettemarie9716]

how is that a plot hole when they never had a feud, to begin with, they were indirectly involved bc rue is fez's friend and Jules was messing with Nate. The dilemma with not getting revenge is literally bc Nate thought Fez knew about Jules and Nate still wanted to protect his dad, hence why cal went to Fez's house and basically begged to not snitch. This was never a storyline

[@Kevin-rg3yc]

@@annettemarie9716 the show definitely depicted in the season 1 finale and the season 2 premiere like there was gonna be more to fez and Nate than it eventually happened

[@annettemarie9716]

@@Kevin-rg3yc not really. Again the underlying tension is caused by people they both know and know each other. Sam Levinson isn’t clever and pretty direct so if there would be actual beef between the two, we would have seen a storyline

[@Kevin-rg3yc]

@@annettemarie9716 hmmm i don’t see it that way the same way they did with rue and completely forgetting the money she owes the drug ruler I would want to say that wasn’t the cause however like I said I felt that’s how the finale was presented and the fact there was many more plot holes and abandoned storylines for other characters like I said that’s how I saw it

[@annettemarie9716]

@@Kevin-rg3yc honestly the tired argument of plot holes being abandoned is tired and I never agreed with it ever since ppl say that online. People are looking way too deep into the Laurie drugs thing but I agree it was poorly done.

[@lbierman21]

I'm over the spicy Latina trope. People acting surprised when I don't flip at the smallest thing....I don't act like that and will not.

[@cherryblossom7120]

The trope confuses me, I'm probably the most white washed Hispanic woman ever, and I dont know if people actually see me as this trope behind my back. At the same time I never had any experience with that kind of behavior.

[@TititoDeBologay]

Folks have to understand that Levinson is a pure product of nepotism. His, limited, talent aside, He never did the work any aspiring writers/directors, has to grow through, in order to hone their craft, no understudy, no assisting director gig, He has no knowledge of the technical aspect of shooting a series or run a show. He's just somebody's son. Who was a great writer/director in the 90's.

[@Sofia-tk7lb]

I hate than even though Cassie got a lot of plot s2 the abortion plotline was absolutely forgotten and never mentioned again???? Like huhhh??

[@shineyydesigns7696]

I agree with most of these points, especially around the portrayals of darkskin characters. My only issues here are with Ashtray. To me in that scene, Ash felt like a kid with access to things he shouldn't have(automated weapons), and was acting in a desperate fear to "save" his brother from the cops and stand up for himself. We know Ash already is fine with violence after beating Cal on the head and murdering the snitch. But i think in that moment, Ash was just a scared kid who made a rash decision at the worst possible time.

[@Crystalised24]

Your point about Bobbi being Lexi’s assistant really stuck out to me bc Bobbi is (presumably) the stage manager of the show, which means that she’d be responsible for designing that better-than-Broadway set and managing every part of the production from light cues to construction to advertising/ticket sales. Her character had SO much potential, Veronica Taylor’s voice is so unique! I can perfectly see her as an aloof, eccentric artist that grows to be confident through the experience like Lexi does. But instead she’s just characterized as the assistant and is completely discredited with all the “this is the genius of Lexi Howard” lines. It’s actually also pretty revealing of the way Sam thinks about himself, just the genius writer/director moving all the parts and telling everyone what to do to create his masterpiece. But a production isn’t anything without the crew, and euphoria isn’t any different. Without the cinematography and collaboration with the actors on their own styles and experiences, this show would be another superficial teen drama. I don’t think the show can take another season with Just Sam at the helm. Thank you for the much needed perspective. Dark-skin Black women deserve to see themselves respresented in everything (and all BIPOC deserve representation that doesn’t perpetuate harmful stereotypes).

[@user-sd1cy1qt5p]

Euphoria had such great potential to be a captivating, beautiful and unique series but the writing completely ruined the complexity it could’ve had, it had so much more to offer us, very disappointed, the aesthetic and cinematography are the only things which keep it afloat (and that goes to show just how good it could’ve been if we had great writing on top of great cinematography which creates a very unique aesthetic)

[@itsJODONNA]

I couldn’t agree more! Thanks for watching (:

[@aboutashow]

AAHHH, I'm so glad I found this video. I was just saying today that Maddie is seen as a "victim," but isn't really allowed to be a victim. People think it's awful what Nate does to her, but at the end if the day, she's meant to be a violent badass who can dish out as much as she gets. We hardly see any vulnerable sides of her or how this has truly messed her up because she's a "bad bitch" whose sole purpose this season seemed to be beating up Cassie

[@hycynth82828]

24:46 i can’t believe that was a line and people went with it. HOW? She was not in control, she was probably groomed since a very young age to make her think she was in control

[@hycynth82828]

And it’s actually so dangerous because even when it’s not a kids show millions of teens watch it. This is actually a dangerous show.

[@DonJulio1942]

@@hycynth82828 that’s more of a parents problem if anything at all

[@cherrycola542]

Euphoria is so big because of the artistic camera work, post production editing, make up, music and acting. And not much else

[@epicgamer8117]

I just despise the entire Cassie storyline. Nothing she did was true to her character in the first season, all of her development from season 1 was completely thrown away and I hate that

[@queenbee3561]

You read my mind, I’ve been saying that all the damn time

[@misosouperman]

I have to say i am biracial and i grew up in a white town with maybe a handful of people of color and race was never brought up. This is a relatively new phenomenon because in the 90s and early 2000s the veiws on race were completely different and we all just put our heads down and tried to get through it.

[@icejadechica]

I may or may not have consumed this show only through clips and people's reviews, but the absolute lack of any follow up (consequences, reflection, even a lack of consequences) where trauma and/or s/a is involved is absolutely bonkers. Teen shows that discuss real issues teens deal with (even in a fantastically or exaggerated way; but with out mocking teens) are good for helping teens feel understood and listened to. But a 30+ year old cis white man's vanity project is not cutting it. Also, what decade is this show set in.

[@itsJODONNA]

Lol I love to watch shows through other peoples reviews so I can relate. The show is supposed to be set in present day, so I’m assuming the 2020s.

[@iki12737]

Im glad that there are no Middle eastern, asian or North African characters in the serie, they would destroy with their stereotypes

[@inebriationconversation4526]

Just a correction. Mckay wasnt even really "written out" he just disappeared after the party. He went to college sure but he had actual story and struggles that levinson straight up dropped. Like Patty Spivot in Flash

[@v.a.l.i.a]

What gets on my nerves is that the actors and Sam think we have a problem with the nudity in general when we say the problem is that these characters who are supposed to be teenagers, have already too many nude scenes (Cassie) and they asked Sam not to do some they felt were unnecessary. He doesn't know how to write about teens with less sexual scenes and more depth. He truly thinks he has made a masterpiece and if you've seen Malcolm and Marie you know what Malcolm said about the critics are stuff Sam believes. It shows. He can't take criticism. And most of the actors treat him like a God. Especially Zendaya. Yes, she is a good actress and truly showed off through Euphoria, but she needs to accept the bad stuff as well. Most of the actors do not see the problems with him.

[@kilimanjaro5537]

So I was reading comments earlier and one in particular about biracial people being the face of blackness stood out to me. My stance for a while has been that biracial people need their own category and I still believe they should have their own category. However, I took a step back and tried to put myself in their shoes pertaining to their identity and what I realized is that not only is blackness in itself complicated but so is being biracial. So much of our experience in life is based off of how we physically look. Even for biracial people. When we talk about biracial people, we often generalize every biracial person; specifically those who are half black as looking a certain way. Which is not fair to the black presenting and white presenting biracial people. Their experiences will be different depending on how they look outwardly. I don’t wanna make this comment too long but black presenting biracial peoples experiences will mirror that of a black person HOWEVER this is not to ignore that IF their other half is involved in their life they will definitely have an experience different from a full black persons. But I say all this to say I do think it is important for biracial people whether they look black, white, or ambiguous to acknowledge and be proud of both half’s of what they are. Because I thought about it and if I was the parent of a white passing or ambiguous looking child I would not want them to just ignore my half simply because they don’t look it. Regardless of how other people perceive you, I think it’s important to identify as both because your parents shouldn’t be forgotten on the mere basis of societal expectations. You represent your parents even if you don’t look like them fully.

[@kilimanjaro5537]

Maybe this is an unpopular opinion but I’m glad Euphoria doesn’t have any dark skinned black women on there because they would definitely try to write her character in the most degrading way possible. Let’s be real. If Lexi is supposed to be the “normal” one on the show then we know how a dark skinned black girl character would be received. I’m so sick and tired of people begging Sam Levinson to put a dark skin black girl on this show. Are we not watching the same show? All representation is not good representation. Not to mention, I’m glad they gave Bobby a role. All she has to do is sit there and look pretty. That is good enough for me on a tv show like this. We don’t need to be a part of everything but I get the frustration, considering the shows relies so heavily on black culture. Yet, the only black characters on the show are the mother and the black guy and they are simply characters there to help further the main characters stories.

[@lovelybrown9081]

It’s so weird how they cast Maddie in the school play as a darker skinned Latina.

[@itsJODONNA]

Very weird!! I'm glad I'm not the only one who thought this. The actress playing her in the play had brown skin and Alexa is very pale. It made no sense, but it's a realistic display of how white Americans lump all Latin folks together as if we're all the same.

[@bascal133]

Maddie does have some character growth as an individual this season, she ends the season deciding that she wants to leave the town and work, she also gives up on Nate for good. That is a very different place than she was last season when she wanted to be a trophy wife and stay with nate forever I think.

[@AdviceFromAHipoCrite]

I agree but it was sooo incredibly rushed. It came outta left field and felt under developed.

[@gabbidurham]

Barbie Ferreira needs her own show. I want to see more of her

[@isabelr3467]

i'm pretty out of the loop when it comes to euphoria so I learned that it doesn't have a writers' room from reading this video title and my jaw hit the FLOOR

[@iwakeupandboomimarat]

i feel like maddy could be such a good subversion of the spicy latina stereotype - even if she is confident in herself, shes still human, evidentally being taken advantage of by several men and being betrayed by her best friend, and thus can feel things other than sassy one liners and attractive rage, but instead we get a worse character who feels nothing outside of like 3 scenes. justice 4 maddy

[@ohdear5890]

Why do people always bring up that McKay is in college as if he’s in his 20s? He was a senior when Nate, Maddy, and Cassie were juniors. He’s only 19 and they’re 18.

[@trayvontruss7912]

Right??? Dude was literally in school a year before.

[@ChemicalHybeBoy]

The entire existence of Elliot confused me like if Sam wanted to break rules up then he could have easily written in an argument and called it a day so why did he have to introduce a whole new character just for the purpose of breaking them up. Elliot and Jules slept with each other but he didn’t even end up with Jules nor did he end up with Rue?! All of them aren’t even friends anymore- it makes no sense to me because I truly thought Elliot was going to have a deeper purpose but after he and Jules told Rue’s mom that she was still doing drugs and went to Rue’s house they stopped showing him until the last ep where his only real scene was that weird song?! I don’t get it

[@expirable]

A writing room would probably benefit Euphoria tremendously not sure how Levinson would work with a writers room but Freaks and Geeks had a great writing room and team with tons of episodes for a season unlike euphoria does due to a lack of writers having Sam juggle writing and directing

[@yelol513]

This is all my thought in one video.😭 I honestly haven’t even finished watching season 1 because euphoria is so reliant on romanticising having a “hard life” and “the hard violent real world” if I’m making sense😭. While I do agree that the acting is outstanding and probably why people love this show, in some ways it also lacks relatability for normal people and people of colour. Like when are we going to get these kids crying over exams stress and not about being virgins. Also I feel Zendaya is used as a token for “diversity” because she’s a well known actress but she’d often placed as “black lead roles” which can get a bit tiring. I want to see more fully black people women playing lead roles, not using these biracial women as a pass for diversity. Anyways I’m saying a lot here I hope that I make sense

[@cakeisavegatable]

Sam is only there bc his dad is a famous director. He knows how to write to his experience: addiction. He can’t write for women, people of color, and he sure as shit doesn’t know anything about the drug dealing side of drugs because Rue would never have escaped Lorie

[@thejenkinsfamily7179]

Exactly, I know damn well Lorie would easily have Rue and her entire family killed if Rue doesn’t give up the money she owes her 💯

[@mikeyjaynes92]

How did Gener+ation get cancelled with that great writing and yet they continued Euphora? Ugh. I love Euphoria but I will admit there were so many loose ends and bad wraps for certain characters it really pissed me off. I wanted more Lexie which I got but this was a side I felt was a bit harsh even for her

[@andrewstephens5885]

I wonder if that was sarcasm because generation felt like a fever dream.

[@mikeyjaynes92]

@@andrewstephens5885 I really loved it. So sad it ended so fast

[@AdviceFromAHipoCrite]

It was such a good show. So funny, so sad it didn’t get season 2 and never will

[@fakethugtears4173]

You brought up a whoooole range of things I didn't think about, damn! I was so sad we didn't get to see more of Bobbi's character!

[@itsJODONNA]

They led us on with her character and then hung us out to dryyyy. Thanks for watching boo (:

[@tiamarrow6366]

Apparently fans of the show tried to get Bobbi kicked off because of a bunch of extremely racist tweets that she had tweeted a while back….

[@Tarumarugan]

This video was actually more introspective than the show thinks it is. The show relies heavily on sex, shock, and I’ll admit some very good visuals. But once you get over what you’re looking at, there’s not much to hear. It feels like a DARE commercial for parents who think “this is what kids these days are doing” and it’s apparent in how some of the serious issues are glossed over, like you stated.

[@crybaby3710]

the whole "I stayed clean for the rest of the school year" wrap was ridiculous. if they want us to believe the is a real deal addict, she would know exactly how many days, hours, minutes since she last used. like we're supposed to believe since rue likes herself a little more from seeing the play, so she just picked herself up and just "stayed clean". that last episode was on some weirdo shi fr

[@mystuff6045]

I don't agree that Maddy didn't have any character development. She grew a lot.

[@itsJODONNA]

I disagree. But thanks for watching!

[@mystuff6045]

@@itsJODONNA LOL. I hated this second season, and I don't think it connects at all to the first season. However, we do see her go from never wanting to work to finding passion in babysitting. We see her constantly wanting to fight and be violent but end the end walking away from Cassie (bathroom scene - and very anti-climatic but it did show a change). Also, she finally lets go of Nate (even tho it was handled poorly). The writing this season was trash but I do think she changed some. But yeah you don't need to agree but I thought that I should explain more lmao.

[@itsJODONNA]

@@mystuff6045 Lol okay I absolutely see where you're coming from and I'd actually have to agree in that respect. I just wanted her to have much more development than what we were given, especially given her traumatic storylines. And I have to wonder whether that development we did get was intentional, because Sam's writing is all over the place. But I can't deny that she did grow in some ways, that's true!

[@syntheticsilkwood2206]

@@itsJODONNA same like he was so focused on the cheesy old Hollywood love triangle bs that he lost almost all human aspects of maddy's character Like maddy is complexi know it because i amlike her in real life not as perfect tho And that is my problem she's too perfect and likeable we NEED to see her inner demons and conflicts Which i don't think sam is able to showcase

[@selenahadid3658]

@@syntheticsilkwood2206 Maddy is perfect? She has zero personality, no goals in life, very lazy, very dumb and gets manipulated very easily by Nate! She just encourages girls to not have responsibilities and just to go to parties! THATS ALL

[@cammyr12Productions]

Imagine how many more nude scenes there would be if Minka and Sydney didnt say no to those few scenes 👀 Sounds like there was alot more than was necessary, making me side eye the director The focus was on cassie too much for me this season and its stupid that they couldn't find a way to write mckay into the story more when the focus is on cassie so much.

[@melteddarkchocolate000]

Exactly black men are given representation compare to lightskin black men and brown, dark, black women are rarely shown.

[@bmwjourdandunngoddess6024]

I think with this narrative though is lacking extreme nuance.

[@jamiexandress2272]

Our representation is pretty shit tho I rather not have any lmao

[@berry_cakeisgood]

We can never have a Latina character like girly things can we smh it’s either tomboy or sexy

[@BlackRose-rp7kv]

Season 1 was good and it left a good base for what the show wanted to be and where the storyline would take off for each character Season 2 is basically then realizing a lot of their fans are teens and adults who use social media. So they focused on this season about having it moments specifically Maddie and cassie

[@Adanmacreates]

Someone said they watch Euphoria for the vibes and visuals and I agree lol. And I really only watch for Zendaya

[@urmom_69]

i think maddie was a perfect writtenly character, not a sterotype. thats just my opinion tho. when i was in an abusive relationship, i had a very short temper and anger issues with other people. i tried for YEARS to hide it as confidence, but in actuality it was the only control i had in my life at that point. i had control over my emotions and that was it. so i usually snapped at people just for a relief. i think this applies to maddie. she's insecure, her confidence is very fake. she constantly tries to go back to nate, her abuser. thats a very simple sign of insecurity. you can also see the insecurity when shes in public versus private. usually when shes in public, her outfits tend to be ICONIC and out-there. but when shes in private, shes in pretty basic clothing. that can show that she tries hard in public to show off. maybe im just overthinking tho 💀

[@Miaree_]

Am I the only one wondering where the fuck fez's grandma is and where she was during the whole shootout? Like they literally just completely forgot about her after the whole first episode of the season that was dedicated to her.

[@itsJODONNA]

See I completely forgot about his grandmother because they really acted like she wasn't there or something. Actually ridiculous. Thanks for watching!! (:

[@llenise]

During the shootout she was in her room laying down! How she didn’t hear it is beyond me but there was a scene of her in her room while the police were walking through the house

[@khanyihadebe7378]

One thing to note is that Fez’s grandma is essentially on life support/ machines so she wouldn’t really react to the shootout. I think everyone forgot about that cos I think it was briefly mentioned in his episode.

[@zamorapakalolo1389]

So Sam is the yt version of Tyler Perry.

[@blutygar]

I know that this is a month in, but think its either getting or already was going down the line of "13 reasons why", especially with Nate being the new Bryce...

[@Kevin-rg3yc]

You ate and left no crumbs with this video no joke big euphoria fan but goddamn Sam Lexington is on the verge on being on Tyler Perry level of mediorce talent but he won’t get dragged for it like Tyler does bc of the racial double standards of praising white male filmmakers VS filmmakers of color, the acting of the euphoria cast is outstanding and the cinematography is outstanding plus Sam does have exceptional talent as a filmmaker and just like many filmmakers especially still in debut years like Sam are flawed and need time to develop but the way it’s going with Malcolm and Marie and this last season of euphoria sam look like he’s going in the wrong direction. I also appreciate the talk of colorism and racism like this show takes place in Southern California one of the most racially and culturally diverse places both in the USA and the entire world and I get it’s predominantly white suburban but please Maddie is the only one who comes from a lower class background and she’s the most popular girl at their school so I feel there’s no excuse for the representation on the show especially the lack of for darker skinned black girls and Asian Americans who despite making up the biggest populations in California over the past two decades and is only getting bigger is nowhere on euphoria. I just hope in time sam can listen to the criticisms and actually hire a great writers room

[@itsJODONNA]

Thank you!! Yessss to all of that, I didn't really have time to breakdown the lack of POC in general. There are no Asian or Indigenous folks at all, which makes no sense demographically like you said. It's just an overall mess, Sam Levinson doesn't know how to write/approach non-white narratives. He should focus on the cinematography and the vibes.

[@Kevin-rg3yc]

@@itsJODONNA right like it’s 2022 if you are a cis-gendered white filmmaker and you’re only result to writing non white characters are disguising colorblind-ness with secret tone deaf-ness you have no business writing those non white stories. Not everyone is sean baker

[@bmwjourdandunngoddess6024]

I never knew Asians made up that much of California. The census is always lying me presenting yts as the dominate folks. It’s annoying af.

[@piranha5506]

I think the whole sleeping with an adult man was being told from Maddie’s perspective which is why she said she was in control. It was not the morally correct stance but her perspective.

[@Kawaiicarly]

Still weird to put in and never critique it or mention it again

[@moselaw2]

I actually don't think the scene of Nate calling the cops on Cal was supposed to be redemption. He clearly states that he does it for revenge.

[@jojojett]

Cassie from the season 2 it's not the same Cassie from season 1, they are totally different characters, Cassie in the end of season 1 would never turn in that crazy Cassie in season 2

[@yessica5231]

Hell even writers with extremely complex stories have outside people to fact check their own work. Idk why Sam doesn't have a writers room. He's just bad.

[@poppyy482]

Bobbi seems like such an intelligent & interesting character & I was so disappointed we didn't get to learn more about her. Even though she was only Lexi's assistant in this season, I felt like they had a good dynamic together & would have loved to see their friendship deepen but nope, Bobbi is nowhere to be seen until the end. SO many great actors were hired & given nothing ugh... if we had a writers room & not just one white guy I feel like this show could have been so amazing. Finished season 2 feeling like I somehow missed a bunch of episodes lol..

[@gingerdog8203]

Can we also talk about how they casted Chloe Cherry? She said she was found bc she was in a euphoria porn parody, but I wanna know who was searching that kinda stuff up. I mean yeah, if you're of age then you can watch porn, but it feels strange to think someone that worked on the show (cough cough) was looking for porn parodies of the show they work on. Usually porn parodies are watched to fantasize about the canon of the original piece of media, or to imagine the actors of the original in those situations. Idk it just seems weird.

[@anyone1111]

Wait seriously!? Questionable as heck!!!!!

[@r-v4429]

She made that euphoria porn parody after she was already casted in euphoria. Sam also said she casted her for her media persona and never mentiones her porn career, but it could be either one or both I guess.

[@bamboobaby081]

Chloe cherry is a weirdo. Her content has always fetishized children. Even with the euphoria porn, the characters are underage. Pedophilic behavior that no one seems to care about.

[@literaryparacosm779]

Subscribed! Absolutely stunning dissection of the show and its creator! Looking forward to watching more of what you have in store... I feel like I can already tell that you are the type of content creator that takes pride in creating cited, well-analysed, and overall insightful pieces

[@itsJODONNA]

Wow thank you so much for the compliment 🥺🧡 that is my ultimate goal!!

[@lizziejaystar]

He writes and directs by himself?? No wonder it’s a hot mess 😂😂

[@defne9309]

for me, you just hit the right points with this video. i couldn’t agree more with everything you’re saying, great vid!! oh and by the way background music was a little annoying to me, just letting you know

[@itsJODONNA]

Thank you, I’m glad you enjoyed!! And thanks for the feedback (:

[@yessica5231]

The only thing that saves this show is the acting. I don't think I've ever seen such brilliant performances come from such a shitty script. The clothes and cinematography are beautiful too. I've honestly read wattpad original fics with more depth and plot than this. Sam is a very mediocre writer and people let his borderline sadistic scenes slide because Euphoria is so popular.

[@wendys_lemonade2459]

this was my first video of yours, but it was really good!! I love the way you make points, and you’re pretty funny lol :) keep doing what you’re doing!!

[@deondraa]

I feel like he wrote Rue to be a white girl and since Zendaya has European features he didn’t have to acknowledge her being biracial and she fits the story line fine. The don’t bring up her race because In their universe she’s not black, notice we emphasize her white father

[@inferiorinferno8859]

European features? She very clearly is mixed, even facially. I've never seen a nose like hers on a white girl.

[@deondraa]

@@inferiorinferno8859 you’ve never seen a white girl with a big nose?? Lmfaooooo.

[@evamathebula4448]

@@deondraa that's what's considered big nose? Lmfao. She could literally pass for a white girl

[@deondraa]

@@evamathebula4448 not in my opinion but that was the previous comment above me I was just using it as a point. She looks more white than black to me, which is fine she is biracial, and is why I feel like she was casted to be white

[@evamathebula4448]

@@deondraa exactly. Deondra is wrong here some 100% white people do have huge nose.

[@aeas09]

I have never seen the show just clips and reaction but it feels like the character make actions and then never have any consequences. One of my biggest problems is Cassie's story because they dump all of it to just 'Daddy Issues' like she does so much unnecessary things and thier reasoning is 'Her dad left her so she needs attention' and that's it that's her whole character it feels like she has no other layers than that, I also feel like they just made her have an abortion just to show that they 'support it' but never mention the mental effect an abortion can have on anyone not to mention a teen. Its a life altering decision and her character would have had a better story line showing her grieve the life she wanted but knew that she could never have. Another thing is that Elliot's character he was just a way to move the plot, and he had nothing else going for him. Kat, Makay, and even Jules were just written off and really just set to the side, I feel like they could have done so much with those three but they just didnt not even a explanation just 'poof thier gone'. They also had no consistency from storylines left open in the first season all of them were dropped for more shock factor storylines. Overall the show feels like it lost its weight and relied way to much on drama than actual important stories with deep messages.

[@michalathompson3979]

Another thing about Maddy, everyone wants to mention that time when she was fourteen but there was a whole sequence where they show her having relations with notably older men( a producer, a married man, a guy who owned a roller rink) playing it off as her being unloyal instead her being creeped on and I was so disgusted

[@natyinthehouse]

14:31 only thing I would say to this point is that Rue didn’t know anything that was happening in her sister’s life and they probably wanted us to feel that way too.

[@sophietessier8998]

watching season 2 there were so many scene where i was asking myself, what did this scene mean, what purpuse was there, where is it leading to , what does i tell us about the character.... Season one had the intro to at least lead the narative and explain the characters past and current issue.

[@itsbasicboi]

WOAHHH!!! you just blew my mind. your video essays, *chef kiss*

[@itsJODONNA]

Wow thank you sm!! 🥺

[@845josie]

cassie and nates screen time is ridiculous in s2

[@ocky88]

I think it makes sense that McKay was written out. Like you said, he was already in college and they were in HS. When he and Cassie broke up, there really wasn’t much of a reason for him to still pop up.

[@coolbeans5911]

just gonna give my 2 cents and say how much i despise a young girl character in a show having an episode dedicated to her getting an abortion and then it NEVER being mentioned again. Personally i know quite a few girls who had gotten abortions in highschool and a decade later it still sits very heavy within their hearts. It's not something to paste on a character to give some artificial depth, it's a real and seriously traumatic experience many teen girls and women go through and have lived with the pain for years afterward. Cassie's abortion needed way more focus and sincere writing but instead Sam wanted to tick off all the tropes

[@ellapastoral]

Wow your video was so good ! I didn’t know euphoria was a adaption, good research and keep up the good content

[@itsJODONNA]

Thanks sm! (': I'm trying to get like y'all!

[@hysteric-and-hysterical]

This was a great video essay! 💙

[@harunakirisaki2602]

I most mad on the lack of arab, north african, east asian and south asian women.... or just characters overall, just think of the fashion we would've got with i dunno a hijabi fashionista, a goth loli, a sari inspired modern outfit, just the creative opportunity missed...

[@Ymirec]

Tbh, I got the icky feeling that Nate is a kind of self-insert for Levinson. The relationship between him and Cassie made 0 sense and seemed like it was only added to create sex scenes and drama. That would also explain why Faye was added, a character portrayed by a porn star who played Jules in an "adaptation" of her first sex scene... see the type? Tall, skinny, blond... urgh...

[@jamesluckey1923]

Yep seen you comment on An FD video and knew i had to check your stuff out you DID NOT MISS

[@milliepike1148]

This was such a great analysis!!

[@itsJODONNA]

Thank you!! (:

[@paulogolive]

i think that in the 1st season sam was really interested in listen the cast about the ideas, but after the boom of the series he showed his true and selfish self. fr, season 2 history have so many lacks that made me confused, anxious and TIRED of something that have so many of my idols. it's crazy for me. in the words of nene leakes, i'm so tired child...

[@tumarmaa2984]

Okay but I love the music used in this video. Great video as well

[@itsJODONNA]

I'm so glad you enjoyed it!! As for the music: 1. Labrinth - Forever (Instrumental) 2. Erykah Badu - Back In The Day (Instrumental) 3. Junior Mafia - Get Money (Instrumental) 4. Selena - Tú Sólo Tú (Instrumental) 5. Alicia Keys - Teenage Love Affair (Instrumental) 6. Aaliyah - We Need A Resolution (Instrumental) Thanks for watching!! (:

[@kayziofficial]

Maybe I’m biased but I don’t see how the lack of black people in the show makes the show seem less then. Honestly didn’t even mind the lack of black people in it but that’s just me. However, I will say that I don’t like how we didn’t get the answers to shit that happened in season 1 like the beef between Kat and Maddy or how did Cassie deal mentally after having her abortion (which was what I was most interested in knowing) and the fact that Maddy knew about the CD of Cal and Jules and all we got in season 2 was her sitting in Jules face at a bowling alley and not uttering a single word about it.