HBO
Euphoria is undoubtedly one of many greatest exhibits on TV, creating the hype of fan craze that HBO has persistently delivered since TheSopranos, Intercourse and the Metropolis, and Sport of Thrones.
Solely in its second season, the sexy teen drama has ramped up the star wattage of its main girls, incomes Zendaya her first Emmy for enjoying the drug-addicted, self-destructive teenager Rue. The present has additionally helped rework Sydney Sweeney into the brand new Hollywood “It Woman” standing, as Maude Apatow, Hunter Schafer, Alexa Demie, and Barbie Ferreira have all shared their well-earned turns within the highlight.
The fervor across the present intensified and its recognition swelled after manufacturing was halted for a 12 months because of the pandemic. The rollout of HBO Max provided the present with 67 million world subscribers by summer season 2021; and so, when the brand new season lastly premiered in January, round 13.1 million pairs of eyeballs have been glued to what the delinquent excessive schoolers have been as much as over its first three episodes, crushing Season 1’s common of 6.6 million viewers. It’s been such a scores smash that HBO’s already introduced it is going to be renewing the Sam Levinson collection for a 3rd season.
However whereas buzz and fan funding in a present is at all times welcomed and a transparent signal of success, one thing about Euphoria feels completely different this season, and never in a means HBO essentially might have preferred.
Throughout this previous season, viewers have morphed from loyal watchers right into a cult-like fandom who analyze each second of the present, trying to find clues hidden in plain sight—assume Yellowjackets-level conspiracy theories. (They wouldn’t be totally mistaken to maintain their eyes peeled for delicate messages, as head make-up artist Doniella Davy repeatedly shares behind-the-scenes appears on the meticulous planning that goes into every look and explains the way it bleeds into a personality’s storyline for that episode.)
A home get together brings the women collectively in Euphoria Season 2
HBO
Among the most far-sketched theories embody: that Rue has been useless all alongside; that fellow teen addict Elliot (Dominic Fike) is a figment of Rue’s creativeness; and kiddo drug vendor Ashtray (Javon Walton) is secretly the mysterious third brother of Nate Jacobs (Jacob Elordi), who's seen in a cheerful household portrait of America’s most dysfunctional household, however by no means talked about.
One insider couldn’t assist themselves and leaked an in depth play-by-play of each episode forward of the finale—plot factors which have to date formed as much as be pretty correct. (Screenshots of the leaks posted to Reddit and Twitter have been taken down, with the websites noting a 3rd get together flagged the fabric for copyright violation.)
The messy characters and present’s general mayhem (to not point out the generally gratuitous nudity) have been amped up this season, which some view as creator and director Levinson’s tendency to favor chaos and admittedly attractive photographs over significant character or plot growth.
It’s sparked frustration in devoted followers, lots of whom have turned on Levinson, griping about his screenwriting prowess and complaining about how he leaves sure storylines within the mud so he can prioritize just a few of his favourite characters.
Including gasoline to the hearth is a persistent rumor about tensions between some solid members and Levinson—particularly Ferreira, who allegedly butted heads with Levinson over some components of the route of her character.
The talks are mentioned to have gone south, with Ferreira allegedly strolling off set and Levinson slicing again her display screen time. These strains have been additionally referenced by the Euphoria leaker, who claimed that HBO wasn’t all that happy with the route the season had headed.
The declare appears to have some benefit, as Ferreira’s fan-favorite character Kat Hernandez has taken a backseat to date this season after a powerful first season, the place Kat grew to become a logo of physique positivity throughout her journey of self-discovery main her to a sexual awakening, together with writing erotic fanfic on Tumblr and turning into a camgirl. By the tip of the season, Kat is comfy in her personal pores and skin and develops a budding romance with Ethan (Austin Abrams), the earnest boy-next-door-type, who accepts her as she is.
However followers on the lookout for a glimmer of hope in Euphoria’s darkish world have been sorely dissatisfied this season.
As a substitute, Kat’s display screen time has been largely scaled again as she flails about in her relationship with Ethan, and her character’s transmogrified right into a vindictive, uncaring narcissist.
In a current TheReduce article that includes the present’s main girls, the alleged rift is pointedly highlighted, together with the anecdote that Ferreira skipped out on the season premiere, which nearly all of her co-stars attended.
Nonetheless, Ferreira remained tight-lipped. “Kat’s journey this season is a bit more inner and just a little mysterious to the viewers,” she provided. “She is secretly going by means of plenty of existential crises. She loses her marbles just a little bit—similar to everybody else on this season. The theme is everybody’s gone just a little loopy.”
In one other characteristic for Who What Put on, Ferreira is much more guarded about Kat’s trajectory. “I feel folks is perhaps just a little bit shocked,” she mentioned of the 180-degree change Kat appears to take when it comes to being assured and confident. “I feel it was a façade that even she didn’t actually imagine in.”
The Day by day Beast spoke with a handful of manufacturing sources who claimed that Ferreira certainly walked off set a minimum of two occasions—not together with the time Ferreira needed to be helped off after she slipped and fell twice, twisting her ankle in the course of the filming of episode 4’s sizzling tub-puking sequence. Sources additionally say that a minimum of one intercourse scene involving Ferreira was reduce from a closing model of an episode.
HBO declined to remark when approached by The Day by day Beast. Ferreira didn't reply to requests for remark.
Sources additionally advised The Day by day Beast that Ferreira was removed from the one one who had points with the season’s manufacturing. One of many foremost bones of rivalry have been the gruelingly lengthy workdays that would stretch wherever from 15 to 17 hours. Sources detailed how Levinson hardly ever got here to set with a shot checklist—an in depth account of each digital camera shot the director desires throughout scenes and helps maintain the manufacturing operating easily—which frequently factored into the lengthy set days.
Taking pictures the premiere’s New 12 months’s Eve get together scene was notably hellish, sources claimed, because the filming stretched out for over every week and solely occurred at night time. Even a number of the solid famous it was notably tough. Apatow, the daughter of actress Leslie Mann and filmmaker Judd Apatow, mentioned they have been primarily capturing from nightfall to daybreak. “We shot all night time, so we might begin at 6pm and go till every time the solar would rise—5am—and we have been so drained,” she advised Thrillist. “We have been attempting so onerous to remain awake!”
Euphoria creator Sam Levinson
Monica Schipper/Getty
Elordi was much less diplomatic. “The factor is, we do it for therefore lengthy,” he mentioned. “We shot that get together for over every week, so in a short time it’s like being in Hell. It’s like being in a celebration that you just don’t wish to be in. In any respect. And you may’t wait [to leave].”
One other character whose display screen time was whittled away was Chris McKay, performed by Algee Smith. In Season 1, McKay was Cassie’s boyfriend and at a crossroads, not sure of his future after leaving for faculty and realizing that his hopes of turning into knowledgeable soccer participant could also be a pipe dream. In a very disturbing scene, he’s hazed by fraternity brothers, left bare and crying on the ground as Cassie helplessly appears on.
However by Season 2, McKay is a ghost, solely popping up in the course of the New 12 months’s Eve get together the place Nate crassly tries to goad him into spilling intimate particulars about his relationship with Cassie.
Followers started to query why McKay was primarily nonexistent, as ditching the storyline of the lone Black man of the good friend group—whose girlfriend simply had an abortion and was now desperately chasing after his greatest good friend—is a curious transfer for a present that prides itself on inclusive storylines and a various solid.
Smith advised The Day by day Beast in an interview final month that he was additionally curious as to the place his character was heading, and equally confused as to why he solely popped up in a single episode. It was a remarkably completely different expertise from the primary season, as Smith had beforehand highlighted how uncommon it was to be working so intently with a creator/author on a personality’s growth.
“I’m not even actually certain, to be trustworthy with you,” Smith advised The Day by day Beast of the place McKay’s route is heading. “I feel that’s a query now we have to ask our creator [Levinson], the place he sees it going. We haven’t even gotten that far within the dialog, him and myself, on this, truly.”
The Day by day Beast had approached HBO for touch upon why Smith’s storyline was left hanging, however the community declined to remark. When requested if Smith’s vaccination standing contributed to his restricted display screen time, HBO denied it had any bearing on how the script was formed. “McKay’s storyline was written earlier than the COVID-19 pandemic. To counsel in any other case can be incorrect,” HBO mentioned in an announcement.
However Zendaya advised The Reduce there have been main modifications made to the season when manufacturing got here to a standstill for a 12 months on account of COVID-19. “There are only a few issues that stay within the model you’re now seeing,” Zendaya mentioned. “The issues that didn’t make it undoubtedly wanted to die.”
Certainly, in the course of the manufacturing halt there appeared to be a drastic shift within the present’s trajectory.
Levinson has a penchant for altering issues on the fly in an effort to accommodate a few of his favored younger stars’ concepts. Zendaya, the present’s greatest identify, serves as a producer. Schafer was entrusted with co-writing her Euphoria particular episode “Fuck Anybody Who’s Not a Sea Blob,” centered round her character Jules.
Zendaya and Hunter Schafer in Euphoria Season 2
HBO
Sweeney has additionally sung Levinson’s praises, recalling how a lot of the solid in Season 1 was “very concerned” with their characters. “That was one of many actually wonderful issues, if a scene didn’t really feel prefer it was working or flowing, [Levinson] would sit with us and we might simply change it, proper then and there, and simply rewrite a complete scene,” she advised Collider. “You may see on the present that each scene does move, and it does work, and it does really feel very actual as a result of we made certain that it was.”
This season, Sweeney has indicated she’s had some say as to the place a scene is headed and defined that she feels comfy voicing her opinion if Cassie appears to be making a call that’s not totally aligned together with her character.
For example, Sweeney mentioned she felt there was room to develop upon a blowout battle between Nate and Cassie, and Levinson ended up writing a five-page scene proper then and there. One other time Sweeney advised The Unbiased that she gently pushed again on Levinson over some scenes that required nudity. “There are moments the place Cassie was presupposed to be shirtless and I'd inform Sam, ‘I don’t actually assume that’s mandatory right here.’ He was like, ‘OK, we don’t want it,’” she defined.
Whereas Ferreira, Levinson, and HBO have remained mum on Euphoria’s behind-the-scenes rumblings, it solely provides to the intrigue that’s surrounded the hit present, which appears hell-bent on inflicting a stir it doesn't matter what.