If season one of Euphoria took the world by storm, season two was a typhoon. Not only did the season two premiere of Euphoria break HBO records, but it also set the stage for EVERYTHING that went down during the season. And trust me, season two was PACKED.
Euphoria’s creative team intertwined new conflicts with lingering storylines from season one, culminating in an ironically emotional yet entertaining viewing experience. Euphoria is a pretty unpredictable show, but we can always rely on the fact that nothing is done without a reason. Everything from the colors to the soundtrack to the dialogue has a purpose.
The production team adopted a new color palette to best represent the deepening tones of season two and prevent this season from becoming a carbon copy of season one. It also made the bold decision to switch from digital to film. Kodak, the company that manufactured the rare 35mm film, had to convert parts of its factory to bring it back into production specifically for the hit show. If that doesn’t show the power of Euphoria, I don’t know what does!
The widely-adored “Euphoria” vibe never left our screens despite the brave aesthetic changes. While season one felt very fast-paced and in the moment, season two was shot to feel more like a series of memories; a common theme seamlessly strung through the entire season.
I’ve already dissected a few fantastic moments from season one, but it’s time to delve into season two! To further unpack the work of Sam Levinson (writer/director) and Marcell Rév (cinematographer), let’s go through four of season two’s most iconic cinematography moments. And be warned, spoilers are ahead!
Episode 1: New Year’s Eve
Sam Levinson wanted to kick off season two with one significant development that would lead us through the rest of the season: tension. The New Year’s Eve party was nothing short of chaotic. It was full of memorable moments, notably Cassie hiding in a bathtub, Fexi, Rue meeting Elliot, Fez beating up Nate, etc. And, like always, Euphoria’s reliably excellent cinematography enhanced ALL of the action.
Perhaps the coolest cinematography moment from this episode is the series of flashing spotlights on each character. In the jarring sequence, the party goes dark, and each main character is quickly flashed in a bright spotlight. As the light fades, another character in another section of the house is flashed, and the pattern goes on.
This series of fragmented stories (“fleeting moments,” as Levinson describes) was filmed to feel like separate snapshots all intertwining together. The scenes feel like looking through flash photographs, reflecting the central idea of memory.
The reunion of Rue and Jules was also shot similarly. The camera focused on Rue and Jules, muting the surrounding commotion of the party, and flashed between them as they expressed their feelings for each other. The scene sets up beautifully for their rocky relationship we see in later episodes.
Not only does the scene feel inherently ominous, but it aligns with Marcell Rév’s vision of drawing on emotional realism rather than physical realism. This is a continuation of the story-telling of season one, just in a more prominent, dynamic way.
Episode 4: Church Scene
While we are often wrapped up in the struggles of other Euphoria characters (I mean, you can’t blame us; each character is so individually complex!), we often forget that the true core of Euphoria is Rue. The first four episodes of the season depict Rue’s intense drug relapse that ultimately leads to a messy intervention.
Episode four precedes Rue hitting rock bottom in episode five. Most importantly, this episode shows us the toll of Rue’s drug addiction on her relationship with Jules. The tragic irony is that Jules is one thing that Rue has desired since the show’s pilot, yet she can’t feel any emotional connection (or anything, really) because she is high all of the time.
The closing scene of episode four shows a disheveled, exhausted Rue exiting reality and stumbling into a church filled with her closest friends and family. In a state of pure weakness, she hugs Labrinth as he serenades her with the vulnerable song “I’m tired.”
The scene intertwines close-ups of Rue with wide-angle shots of the church. The colors are generally cold and bleak, aside from Labrinth, who wears a maroon suit. Aside from the contrast maroon provides compared to the rest of the church, the color maroon holds a much deeper meaning (shocker). Maroon is “Rue’s color.” We see Rue wearing a maroon sweatshirt throughout the show during her most pivotal and vulnerable moments. The sweatshirt belonged to her father. We see the sweatshirt less in season two, reflecting Rue’s attempt to shut out her father’s death along with nearly everything else in her life. Really, she is ashamed of what she is doing. When Labrinth wears the maroon suit and gives Rue a shoulder to cry on, we are finally reminded that at the end of the day, Rue is just a teenager mourning the loss of her dad.
Episode 5: Rue’s Intervention
This episode gave us unforgettable moments, like Rue breaking up with Jules and exposing Nate and Cassie’s relationship. However, it is crucial to recognize this episode’s serious themes.
Leslie (Rue’s mom) finally confronts Rue about her drug abuse. Gia (Rue’s sister) also gets dragged into the conflict. The fight quickly blows up into a hurtful screaming match and acts of physical violence. Rue, attempting to deny her drug use and find the suitcase Laurie gave her, knocks over tables, breaks lamps, and literally kicks her door down.
Unknowingly to Rue, Jules and Elliot sat in the house the whole time, listening to everything. In fact, Jules was the one that told Leslie about Rue’s relapse in the first place. Jules also admitted to Rue that she had flushed the drugs from Laurie’s suitcase down the toilet, unaware that they didn’t belong to Rue.
Rue screams in Jules’ face and calls Jules “dead to her,” ending their relationship. To escape rehab, Rue jumps out of her car in the middle of the street and begins running from Leslie and, later, the police.
Along the way, Rue, in pain from withdrawal symptoms, wreaks havoc on the remaining relationships she shared with other characters. Sam Levinson stated, “if this show is gonna be honest about addiction, it needs to be honest about the person that addiction can turn you into.”
Euphoria’s supervising editor/co-producer Julio Perez highlighted the episode’s structure, which started as a “claustrophobic, intense family drama,” then became “a foot chase.” Many scenes were shot on a hand-held camera rather than a camera on dolly tracks, contributing to the rawness of the episode.
Marcell Rév also described the role of “over-stylized lighting” in this episode. In the last few scenes, Rue limps back home underneath a series of streetlights. As she walks, the streetlights go out one by one, as if being consumed by darkness.
Episodes 7 & 8: Lexi’s Play
In the last two episodes of this season, we finally got to see Lexi’s play “Our Life,” which was basically a retelling of the characters’ lives. While it infuriated some (*cough* Nate), it gave others a much-needed objective view of what they have been through. This is especially true in Rue, as it led her to reconnect with the people she had so abruptly and aggressively pushed out during her darkest hour.
I have already touched upon the ideas of “reminiscing” and “memory” that spearheaded many cinematography decisions throughout the season. Since the play is an outright retelling of the characters’ lives, Marcell Rév had much more leeway to play around during filming with more contemporary, conceptual visuals.
Marcell Rév described, “We are trying to rely on a certain kind of realism throughout. And when it’s justified by emotions, then we depart from that realism. All this is grounded in the writing.” Scenes from the play seamlessly flow into real moments, many of which we haven’t seen before. Sam Levinson reminded us that “the play sort of allows the present and the past and the interpretation of life to play out simultaneously.”
We also see moments we’ve already seen, just from a new perspective or in a new context. Some have criticized these episodes for feeling too hectic or unclear. However, the play is supposed to feel overwhelming and draw similar emotions to the characters watching it. The chaos makes it entertaining and unpredictable!
This season introduced us to new characters, like Faye, Elliot, Laurie, and Custer, and new storylines, like Kat’s boredom with Ethan, Rue’s relapse, Lexi’s playwriting, Elliot and Jules’ relationship, and of course, Nate and Cassie’s relationship.
While season two received some criticism for being difficult to follow or unrealistic, I feel that the show’s themes and events can be valuable to any audience. If anything, the show can keep you entertained for HOURS, and sometimes, that’s exactly what we need.
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