In Case You Live Under A Rock: Euphoria Edition
Graffiti Vol. 41 Issue 4 2022
ARCHIVES
I would like to thank Dominic Fike for giving me the push I needed to watch this show because even though I’m a certified Zswagger (no, we’re not called Dayastars; that was propaganda), I really wasn’t planning on it.
Also, please note the following is based on all episodes up until season 2, episode 7 (the first half of the play).
Season 2 Character Ranking (from worst to best)
10. Cal Jacobs - Self explanatory
9. Nate Jacobs - Nate is sick and twisted. I really thought he took it down a notch after Fez put him on life support but no, he just had to go and torment Maddy with a GUN. And what’s with all the break-ins? Does no one have a security system in this town? The only reason Nate is ranked above his father is because he’s not a pedophile. And no, I don’t care that he gave Jules the tape 100 years after knowing it existed.
8. Cassie Howard - I was rooting for Cassie last season but my stan card has been turned in ever since she got into that truck with Nate. It’s BAD for Cassie hive (sorry Emma). She did all that and for what? Now, she has no boyfriend or best friend. She also had NO business dragging Rue as if she wasn’t messing up everything in her own life.
7. Elliot - Elliot isn’t as bad as Nate or Cassie but he’s still manipulative and evil. Though the home he’s wrecking is made of glass, Elliot is a home wrecker nonetheless. He’s also an enabler, so I really don’t see him moving up in the foreseeable future.
6. Jules Vaughn - I am a proud member of Jules hive, but as much as I would love to give her a higher spot, cheating on Rue with the guy she was scared of being cheated on with is ridiculous. The only reason she’s above Elliot is because she’s not as conniving and truly does mean well (most of the time). Like everyone else, Jules has had it rough, so if she makes a few mistakes here and there, who am I to judge?
5. Rue Bennett - Rue was probably my hardest ranking because even though I want to resent her for all the harm she’s caused, I just can’t find it in me because at the end of the day, she’s a good person who got caught up in something she can’t control. As someone with mental health struggles, I don’t blame her for wanting to quiet her demons, I just hope she realizes that her life is worth living.
4. Ashtray - Ashtray is the smartest and most resourceful child I have ever seen on screen. His loyalty to Fez continues to provide us with episode-stealing scenes like the Cal interrogation but also makes me worry about the safety of both him and Fezco.
3. Maddy Perez - Maddy is THE it-girl and I really felt seen when she said that she wanted to grow up and do nothing. These past two seasons have been a LOT for Maddy, but she’s definitely handled her challenges much better than her peers. Also, the looks she’s been serving this season??? There’s just no competition.
2. Fezco - Okay Fezco hive, I hear you and I see you, but we also have to remember that Fez deals hard drugs to teenagers. Also, he was like 22 in the first season so him hanging around high schoolers was a little strange. That aside, what’s not to love about Fezco? He’s the ultimate sweetheart but will beat someone’s face in when necessary. Also, his loyalty is unmatched (it's only comparable to Ashtray's) which seems to be a rare quality among the characters in this show.
1. Lexi Howard - I didn’t think much of Lexi last season, but this season there’s just no denying her star power. Literally who else in this show possesses a shard of her talent? Writer, director, actor and choreographer??? NO ONE is touching her. I'm sorry. Does she have her flaws? Of course. Her jealousy of Cassie will not go unchecked, but in the grand scheme of things, she’s doing better than everyone else.
Wait, What about Kat?
Though Kat was hands down my favourite character last season, I don’t even think she counts as one now, which is why I didn’t include her in my official ranking. In case you were wondering, I would have slotted her in between Elliot and Jules.
I’m sure you’ve heard the rumours about what’s been going on behind the scenes but just to recap:
Barbie Ferreira got into a couple of heated arguments with Sam Levinson about the direction her character was headed to
Those creative differences resulted in her walking off-set multiple times
In the end, a majority of Barbie’s lines were cut putting a once main character into the background
Even with the five minutes of screen time she got this season, her character was nothing like she was before. In an interview with Who What Wear, when asked about the drastic change in Kat, Ferreira commented “I think people might be a little bit surprised.” Regarding her character’s confidence in the first season she said, “I think it was a façade that even she didn’t really believe in.” We’ll never know whether it’s truly a facade or if that’s just what HBO is telling her to say but either way, whoever’s wearing that bob is #NotmMyKat.
What Happened to Mckay?
Unlike Kat, who at least had some proof of life this season, Chris Mckay seems to have fallen off the face of the Earth. There was speculation of conflict due to his stance on the vaccine, but those claims have been denied multiple times by both Algee Smith, who plays Mckay, and HBO. So if that’s not it, then where the heck is Mckay? Turn’s out, Smith doesn’t know the answer either. When asked about the future of his character in an interview with Daily Beast, Smith responded with “I think that’s a question we have to ask our creator [Levinson], where he sees it going. We haven’t even gotten that far in the conversation, him and myself, on this, actually.”
Sam Levinson could totally be doing that Cobra Kai thing, where certain characters don’t show up for a season but then return the next. However, with the way things were left with his character, I find it bizarre there wasn’t at least a little closure established before Mckay’s disappearance. Literally, the last two events were him falling victim to a brutal hazing ritual by his fellow college students and Nate tormenting him about his hookup with Cassie. Not to mention, Smith was the only Black male in the season one cast, so if Sam thinks introducing a biracial actor in the second season fills the diversity quota, he's incorrect.
After stalking his IMDB, I concluded that Chris has BEEN booked and busy (as he should). Yes, he got his big break playing Ralph Tresvant on The Bobby Brown Story, but more importantly, he had minor roles on Disney’s Let It Shine and Nickelodeon’s How To Rock (someone please tell me they were obsessed with that show too). On top of that, he’s got some new projects in the works. So, even if we don’t see Mckay again in Euphoria, Chris will still be around.
Unpopular Opinions
I ship Jules and Elliot. I’ll stand in my villainy for this one, but I will be dying on this hill and there’s nothing anyone can do about it. Rue and Jules were so much better as friends and for both their sakes they need to go back to that and STAY there. Rue cannot provide Jules with the attention she needs and Jules can’t handle the pressure of being Rue’s cause for sobriety. Their relationship never stood a chance. Jules and Elliot on the other hand, are still toxic but I feel if/when they break up, the loss would be significantly less than if Rue and Jules never spoke again.
I find Gia annoying. I don’t have a legitimate reason for this other than the fact that she’s ALWAYS peeking around a corner crying. Yes, it's for a good reason, and I do feel bad for what she has to go through, but I don’t know I’m just kinda sick of it.
Cal is still bad. If you think him yelling at his family after peeing on the floor was funny, I can respect that, but it doesn't excuse him from everything else he's done. When he was calling out his family for not accepting him or whatever, he blamed his children for ruining his life even though he could’ve just used protection (or practiced abstinence) and been off living the life of his dreams. Not to mention, he’s a pedophile and a predator; I wouldn't be surprised if that dream Nate had actually happened.
It’s gonna be #death to any sort of redemption arc for Cassie. I never thought this opinion would be unpopular but apparently, it is. Cassie has gone way past the point of no return and I don’t care that her hair was SICKENING on the play episode.
#Fexi kinda flopped. Now don't get me wrong, I was screaming when Lexi and Fez were singing along to “Stand by Me,” but then I heard Fannita on Tiktok say they had no chemistry. I thought about it and realized she was right. Even those pics Angus and Maude took on their New York date didn’t reignite what I once felt for them. We’ve already established that I love both Fezco and Lexi so I’m not anti-Fexi. It’s just not giving what it’s supposed to.
Finale Predictions
Javon Walton (Ashtray) said the finale was devastating, which leads me to believe somebody we all love is dying and I fear it will be Ashtray. As much as I don’t want this to happen, it would make sense due to his protective nature. Yes, he figured out that something’s going on with Faye and her boyfriend Custer (yuck), but by the tension in the air, the plan already seems to be set in motion. Also, it's the season finale so the stakes need to be higher than ever to make it worth the watch. While fulfilling Fezco’s original fate from season one may have a similar effect, killing off Fezco would probably kill the show too. So, unfortunately having to say goodbye to his partner in crime may be Sam Levinson’s best option.
Kat will have a write-off either in the last episode or the first episode of the next season because it just doesn’t make sense to include her in the show anymore.
Cassie will blame Lexi for her fallout with Nate and cause irreparable damage to their relationship. I also think Maddy will protect/defend Lexi which could get messy! Speaking of which, Maddy is for SURE winning that fight and if she doesn’t, I won't be tuning in to season 3.
What I want for Season 3
Euphoria has been greenlit for a third season and I’m just as excited as everyone else, but there are a few things on my wishlist that need to be fulfilled.
Character consistency
Sometimes I wonder if Sam actually watched the previous episodes of the show because the main characters will do things that make absolutely no sense from what we’ve seen of them so far. For example, would season one Kat have gaslit Ethan into breaking up with her? I don’t think so. Do I think she would’ve been direct? Also no, but I don’t think she would’ve come up with something so unserious. A terminal brain disease? That’s just ridiculous.
Elliot’s backstory
I’m sure we’re going to get Elliot’s feature episode sooner or later, but I’m going to need it effective immediately. If it’s not the first three episodes of the new season, I will riot. He’s just such an interesting character, and even though he was in half of the episodes this season, we still know next to nothing about him. Like who’s that girl he’s always with? Does she own the place he stays at?
A deeper dive into Fezco’s and Ashtray’s relationship
Yes, we got the Fez episode (which was excellent), but I don’t think we’ll get more present-day Ashtray content after his memorial service, so I would love it if we could get some flashbacks on their growing up together. I think their dynamic is so unique and if Ashtray doesn’t make it out of season 2, having some extra scenes sprinkled throughout the next season might compensate for the tragic loss.
A whodunnit murder mystery
Amandabb on Youtube said she would like a ‘who killed Nate’ season and I am 100% here for it. I feel like Euphoria is already heading down the Riverdale route so why not go all the way? We all want him gone anyways, so this would be the perfect way to maximize that event.
More diversity in the main cast
Out of the 10 main cast members I ranked, there are max 3 people of colour (Alexa Demie is still TBD) and two of them are biracial. I just find it odd that with all of the references, music and aesthetics they borrow from Black American culture, there isn’t a single Black actor who doesn’t pass the paper bag test. Don’t even think about mentioning Bobbi because that girl had like 2 minutes of screen time the entire season.
Do I want a season 4?
Yes, but also no. Realistically, Euphoria will get greenlit for a fourth season. I would definitely be seated for it, but the show is already going downhill and I’m a little scared to see how off the rails Sam will take it by then. So, if they go ahead with season 4, I'm gonna need it to be the last peace and love.
Notes for Sam
You can write Rue’s scenes, but bring in Hunter for the rest
Bring back Labrinth effective immediately
Stop being gross, the characters are supposed to be TEENAGERS