Euphoria

An early career-defining performance from Zendaya, who is an absolute revelation here; a similarly fantastic breakout performance from trans actress and model Hunter Schafer in her first major role; and strong work from Levinson, who created, wrote and directed (five of the eight episodes), getting the vehicle that emphatically announces his arrival.

For all its clutch-the-pearls content and narrative twists, Euphoria tracks its characters' coming-of-age with honesty.

It’s a gripping performance by a charismatic young actress with a very good supporting cast and a tightly woven artistic vision. It’s also, honestly, a bit of a drag. Incredibly well-executed, yes. Problematic too. On balance, highly worth a watch.

It has some humor and sincere moments of friendship, but viewers won’t mistake it for a comedy. “Euphoria” has a story to tell, and its simple frankness packs a punch. Prepare for brutal candor with a heavy dose of empathy.

Euphoria is admittedly better at establishing a distinctive mood and style than at telling a story, at least early on. ... But Euphoria‘s exhilarating style and achingly incisive observations more than make up for any storytelling flaws it might have.

Its louder moments are graphic and brash but its quieter moments are equally impactful, a well-modulated drama that knows when to push and then pull back. It’s hard to know where it will go and that’s part of its untamed appeal but as it stands, it’s one of the most audacious and effective new shows I have seen this year.

The series calms somewhat from its brash start into an empathetic portrait of what it means to be a kid born in the shadow of disaster and growing up in an era informed by it.

Specificity might have helped Euphoria be less provocative—these aren’t your kids, they’re some kids—but frankly, that would have been besides the point. Euphoria wants to provoke. That’s what the cool kids do.

This show isn’t an easy watch, nor a particularly pleasant one. It’s often brash and blunt, defiantly refusing to tie up loose ends or let its characters take easy ways out. But just like the teens it depicts with such staggering candor, once you get past its immediate attempts to hold the audience at arms length, “Euphoria” has an undeniable pull that makes it too intriguing to ignore.

I worry this series will fall victim to its own provocations — and there is an ongoing threat of gorgeously filmed violence. In its quieter moments, though, this is a sensitive teen drama, digging past characters’ identities into their souls.

Not everything on Euphoria works, but when a moment hits, there’s a rush to it not unlike the one its characters keep chasing.

It’s a rough show that intends to slap the audience around a little along with its characters. I suspect that’s part of the point, though I can’t say Euphoria has necessarily earned its indulgences in the first four episodes, it certainly makes the most of them.

Despite Levinson’s clear command over his storytelling aesthetic, Zendaya’s strong turn, and a rich authenticity driving each scene, viewers shouldn’t expect to enjoy the series, which is ultimately its biggest downfall. ... As it stands, the severe darkness dulls the impact beyond blunt force trauma. There’s a connection to be made with Rue and her journey, but joy seems too far out of reach.

The success of Euphoria’s teen drama ultimately depends on which teen it focuses on at any given moment. With Rue and Jules at the center, you feel the exhilaration of their friendship as much as a real concern for their growing troubles. But with its less fully developed characters, the series can feel like little more than a lurid performance of teenage pain.

In its best moments, it’s a thoughtful, open-hearted story about teenagers trying to navigate life as the first fully-online generation, test subjects in an unfettered landscape of dick pics, adult predators, and synthetic hallucinogens. But it’s also the kind of drama so relentlessly provocative—images of erect penises crop up with the persistence and frequency of weeds in springtime—that it prompts a question: Who is this supposed to be for?

Beautifully shot, artfully composed, nevertheless unsettling and needlessly cruel. To really get the show, one must shed any notion that a teenager can be happy or satisfied — even in moments of chemical or sexual ecstasy. The show defies any notion that stories are something that build toward a moral or a theme or even a central idea. ... The narrative never coheres because it’s not really supposed to. Alluring yes, but far from great television.

It succeeds at sucking the viewer into its vibe and at building some genuine suspense about how certain story lines will play out. Zendaya is also exceptional as Rue, the glue that holds this sprawling ensemble piece together. But I can’t say for certain that I fully like it, either, because it’s gratuitous for reasons that don’t always seem necessary.

Outside of a few poignant character moments, Euphoria tries so hard to be provocative that it doesn’t stir up much at all. It’s a gorgeous, empty thing that mistakes external beauty for inner depth.

The performances, particularly by Zendaya, Schaefer and Ferreira -- are not the problem. But getting “real” doesn’t have to mean diving head first into a cesspool of drugs, profanity, promiscuity and a borderline indifference to it all. That’s where Euphoria so far fails not only itself, but the many impressionable youth that likely will be the series’ core audience.

It’s a credit to both actors [Zendaya and Hunter Schafer] that the characters’ relationship feels so pure; I only wish we got less of diffident Rue’s solitary wanderings and more of the girls together. ... Though its heroine is informed by Levinson’s youth, Euphoria’s nihilism feels as contrived as a Burger King ad.

Rue and Jules’s relationship is the jewel of “Euphoria.” I’ll keep watching because I desperately want to protect them. Otherwise, the show so far (I’ve seen four episodes) is a highly self-conscious study of ennui, overfull with fancy camera tricks and thousand-dollar designer getups.

“Euphoria” wants to be honest and cool AF with character arcs built around its taboos, but while it has plenty of inspired visuals, those values don't make for durable storytelling once you get to know the show at its core.

The results sometimes engaging, often frustrating. ... He oscillates distractingly among tones and styles, jumping between dark-comic satire and earnest melodrama. The juggling of plot lines results in scenes continually being cut off before they develop momentum. It’s too bad, because scene by scene, piece by piece, there are things to like.

Because "Euphoria" is so shrewdly conceived, and often so visually and sonically striking, it's easy to overlook the fact that there's no organizing principle. Characters are introduced, then dropped. Scenes begin, then meander, then end. Segues, at least here, are for suckers. You have entered the mind of a teenager.