Euphoria offers moments of self-examination and sweetness in “Out Of Touch”
Characters like Lexi and Kat, who were previously underserved, are coming into focus, even being given a chance to shine.
The second episode of Euphoria season two opens with Maddy and Cassie driving Nate to the hospital, where he’s stitched up in the hospital after being beaten by Fez. This is interwoven between Nate’s fantasies of Cassie, and later, an agonizing replay of him being beaten as well as his various sexual encounters. The montage, which is meant to capture how Nate often conflates love and pleasure with unhealthy violence, is well constructed yet uncomfortable to watch.
Another thing that I still find uncomfortable to watch is Cassie’s (Sydney Sweeney) nudity in this context. Sweeney is not a minor, but she plays one; at this point, Cassie’s nudity doesn’t say much or add anything to the show. In season one, it felt like commentary on the way that nudes have become a common language for Gen Z. But here, it just feels like nudity for the sake of titillation.
But, on to Rue and Jules, who meet up in the hallway at school, embracing and kissing before Jules says “I love you.” But Rue is distracted by Elliot, who she met previously on New Year’s Eve. She awkwardly tries to hide the fact that she’s been hanging out with Elliot and secretly doing drugs for the past few days. Jules is upset because she thinks Rue has a crush on Elliot. As someone who’s invested in the Rules (Rue and Jules) ’ship and roots for them, I loved everything about this interaction. I was initially hesitant about adding a new player to this relationship dynamic. But the addition of Elliot seems poised to create a good love triangle. Elliot adds not only a layer of conflict but also levity and comedic relief at times. Most importantly, the similarities that Rue and Elliot share could serve as mirrors to one another and possibly a wake-up call.
The focus then switches to Cassie, who has been going through a depressive episode since the winter formal. She hasn’t showered or cleaned her room and is now contemplating abstinence, which Maddy doubts she can follow through on. Filtering Cassie’s experiences through Rue’s vantage point/voice-over seems to leave the cause of Cassie’s depression following the winter formal open to interpretation. But the audience knows Cassie’s depression was brought on by her abortion, which is a huge life decision at any age, but even more difficult as a teenager. It feels like the show might be trying to bypass the emotional trauma and turmoil that Cassie has experienced in favor of plot-lines centering on her infatuation with Nate; if so, it would be a disservice to Sweeney’s character.