Season two of Euphoria is even darker, if you can imagine that, writes THR's Lovia Gyarkye (simplylovia)
Zendaya, Hunter Schafer, Maude Apatow, Angus Cloud, Alexa Demie, Sydney Sweeney, Jacob Elordi, Algee Smith’s first season — a mixed bag of stunning visuals, mesmerizing performances and occasionally shallow storytelling — ended on a disconsolate note. Rue Bennett, our awkward recovering teen addict protagonist , stood on a deserted platform, watching best friend and crush Jules Vaughn, an endearing trans girl with killer makeup , sitting on a train as it rolled out of the station.
Season 2, or at least the first seven episodes provided for review, gets us somewhat closer to realizing this vision. The plotlines are mostly predictable, but the problems Rue, Jules and their friends, who include Cassie , Maddy , Lexi and Kat , face are heightened by a deeper interest in what motivates their behavior. Their attention spans might be fickle, but their interest in love and acceptance aren’t.
Of course, the second season doesn’t dive into all this headiness immediately. It picks up from another first season cliffhanger, a tense exchange between Fezco , Rue’s sheepish drug dealer, and his supplier, Mouse . A cold open, narrated by Rue, acquaints us with Fez’s backstory, which explains why he deals drugs and offers insight into his relationship with his younger brother Ash .