7 Standout Moments From ‘Euphoria’ So Far
From the onset, Euphoria became a household name in the television world.
Whether it’s the stunning cinematography, the relatable characters, or the rollercoaster of a storyline, the series takes its viewers on an almost psychedelic trip through the lives of high schoolers who seemed to have grown up much quicker than most. And it was recently recognized with six total Emmy nominations, including for lead actress Zendaya, who plays the broken-but-well-meaning Rue.
The HBO drama was set to start filming Season 2 just days before the coronavirus pandemic shut down production, and now audiences are desperately craving more as they wait to hear if it will be back before the end of 2020 or in early 2021.
In the meantime, relive Season 1’s standout moments below.
Euphoria, Season 2, TBA, HBO
Kat's struggle with her self-image
Kat (Barbie Ferreira) is a character that viewers, particularly teenage girls, can definitely find relatable. She struggles with her self-image, and she feels left out as she sees her friends having a seemingly easy time in their romantic lives. When she becomes a cam girl and begins to dance for men over video chat, she finally feels as if her beauty is recognized. She becomes attached to her newfound hobby, as she receives the affirmation from men that she so desperately told herself she needed. She protects her identity with a cat mask out of fear that her friends or family will find out, bringing us to her dancing with Drake’s “Nonstop” playing in the background.
Rue's persistence with Jules
In the second episode, it’s already clear that Rue has feelings for Jules (Hunter Schafer). She is less closed-off with her, and we’re pretty sure we see Rue smile more times in one interaction with Jules than she does in all her other scenes of Season 1 combined. When the two go for a bike ride together one night, Rue shyly asks Jules to come over for dinner. Jules replies she can’t, which prompts Rue to keep asking about different nights of the week. It’s clear Rue just wants to spend some quality time with her crush.
The exposure at the carnival
When it is finally time for Jules to come face to face with “Tyler,” the boy she had been texting with constantly and was convinced she had strong feelings for, it was to her own dismay when she discovers she had been texting with Nate (Jacob Elordi). Their meeting is less than pleasant, as Nate proceeds to blackmail and threaten Jules into keeping his and his family’s secrets. This traumatizes Jules, who flees straight to and spends the night with Rue.
Jules and Rue’s first (real) kiss
While technically Rue kisses Jules for the first time in Episode 3, Jules does not reciprocate nor interpret the move to be serious. This creates awkward tension between the two, until they unite at the carnival in Episode 4 and resolve the awkwardness. After Jules is cornered and harassed by Nate, she retreats to spend the night with Rue. They share a real, genuine kiss, arguably one of the most beautiful, passionate scenes of the series thus far.
Fez saves the day
When Rue visits her drug dealer-turned-close-friend Fez (Angus Cloud) to ask for more drugs, he insists she stay away; a dangerous supplier, Mouse, is visiting, and Fez doesn’t want Rue to get hurt or take any drugs that would put her in danger. When she comes inside anyway, Mouse gives her some insanely powerful drugs that alter her state of mind beyond belief. Fez, worried about Rue, finally offers to give Mouse large amounts of money for him to leave in order to protect her, and when the dealer finally does leave, Fez takes Rue to find Jules so that she can watch over her. Seeing the seemingly emotionless drug dealer go to such lengths to keep Rue safe is heartwarming.
Fez saves the day, again.
Fez certainly develops a soft spot for Rue that grows as the show goes on. After saving her from Mouse, he feels an innate desire to keep her safe, perhaps because he sees a bit of himself in her. So, when he gets word that Nate has been causing trouble for Rue and Jules, he decides to take matters into his own hands. When he runs into Nate one night, Fez does not hold back, threatening him to stay away from Rue. This moment alone is enough to make fans rave about Fez and his kind heart.
Anytime Rue’s world turns upside down (literally)
Multiple times throughout the season, the walls of the room that Rue is walking in turn upside down, to show her trying to navigate a flipped universe. This cinematography is an effort to show the viewers exactly how the drugs affect Rue from her perspective, and it truly gives us a sense of just how much her addiction impacts her. We realize that her outlook is warped, which adds clarity to many of her breakdowns and depressive episodes later on. These scenes also set the standard that Rue is the true storyteller in this show, and she is going to show us her world through her own personal lens.
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