Nothing has triggered my maternal instinct quite like watching HBO’s Euphoria. The show’s first season, which concluded Sunday night, began with graphic depictions of teen sex and drug use that reminded me just how prudish my sensibilities remain. But once the smoke cleared on the initial shock value of the content, what emerged was a touching and studied story about addiction, codependence, and queer love.
, the show presents these characters as situated in a world where this kind of excess and melodrama is simply a fact of life. Instead of gargoyle cults or hotels traded for girlfriends, it’s casual drug use and a stunningly liberal attitude towards the circulation of self-generated sexual content.in the strict context of its plot. The show scoffs at plebeian, formal concerns like continuity and structure.
Cassie and McKay face similar dynamics. Feeling the pressure as his authoritative father pushes him to be his best, McKay takes his frustrations and inadequacies out on Cassie’s body, frequently manhandling her during their sexual encounters, while simultaneously shaming her for her sexual compliance.
One of the most challenging things about the show is the frankness with which it depicts how disposable teen girls are to teen boys. One of the most challenging things about the show is the frankness with which it depicts how disposable teen girls are to teen boys. The boys mistreat, degrade, and cajole the girls into compromising sexual situations; and the girls, in turn, reframe these encounters as empowering. They do the dirty work of sanitizing what is oftentimes sexual coercion because it’s the only way to maintain their sense of self. The way Kat loses her virginity is upsetting to adults, but thrilling to her.
But the beating heart of the show is the relationship between Rue and Jules, and the way Rue uses Jules as her anchor to a life without addiction. She is the one real thing Rue can tether herself to, and the jealousy and insecurity she displays as Jules builds relationships with other lovers over the course of the season. The queerness of their love is presented as a simple fact. They make no bones about how the nature of their relationship changes over time.
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