Sam Levinson has really captured something great and meaningful with Euphoria: Unrepressed realism. It's this achievement that heightens all the true and relatable moments hidden within every scene.
I honestly was able to identify constant parallels from my own life in all the varying storylines and characters which were further developed in this episode. Maybe I didn't have many of these same experiences, but there are subtle nuances to each character's behavior, as well as a seriously commendable attention to detail, which are thoroughly manifest in the show's writing quality and general production level.
While watching this phenomenal episode, it suddenly dawned on me just how genuine and relatable these stories actually are. Rue falling in love so unreservedly and hopelessly because it's her first time, and Jules' merging uncertainty as to whether she might be making a mistake by letting Rue get so attached to her, were perhaps the most remarkable examples to me. That said, every one of the storylines this week had moments of real life captured expertly in the writing, acting, and camerawork, and don't even get me started on the soundtrack. It's far and away the best I've ever heard, and it's able to evoke so much emotion from each scene that it somehow pulls off a whole extra layer of poignancy.
The entire show is meticulously crafted, from the heartfelt narration by Zendaya, to the constantly riveting and unflinching approach to the subject matter, and the result is such a raw and grounded story that it's made me recognize how trite so many other shows are in their attempts at depicting the complex realities of true human connection, anxiety, love, heartache, and adolescent depression. Euphoria succeeds tremendously on that account. It's fresh, original, exciting, and it's changing television as a medium in my mind. I think it will become a huge hit, and I'm totally on board for wherever they take it. Can't wait for next Sunday!