Euphoria Needs a New Writer for Next Season
Graphic by Megan Thompson
When Euphoria aired in June of 2019, it kick-started a national phenomenon of glitter makeup and fun TikTok sounds. It was the center of discussion for months and when the almost two-year dry spell hit, we were left with only our hopes and a two-episode special (that was arguably subpar).
So when season two finally aired this January, everyone and their moms were thirsty for the drama. This season was drama-filled, that you can be sure of, but this season just did not eat like we needed it to.
If you didn’t already know, the show was created and written by the one and only Sam Levinson, literally, he’s the only one that writes it. Sure, okay, he shared writing credit on one episode with Hunter Schafer on her character’s episode special. Not using a writer’s room means that Levinson has almost all creative control of the show. Maybe this worked well for season one, but after season two, we think things need to change if season three (which was announced) is going to be any good.
Here are some of our, and Twitter’s, concerns: the overt use of female nudity. Of course, we had no objection to seeing Sydney Sweeney’s boobs on our TVs this season, but that’s because we assumed she was ok with the nudity. In a recent interview, the actress stated, “There are moments where Cassie was supposed to be shirtless and I would tell Sam, ‘I don’t really think that’s necessary here.’” Ok Sam chill, we all love a good Nate x Cassie sex scene (or should we say a Jacob Elordi x Sydney Sweeney sex scene) but does she really need to be nude all the time? She did however add in the interview that Levinson was very open and perceptive to her input and if she expressed that she felt there didn’t need to be a sex scene then he would scrap it.
The first strike is forgivable, but Minka Kelly (the totally hot milf that played Theo’s mom) told Vanity Fair in an interview that Levinson rewrote certain scenes where she objected to being nude. It’s starting to seem a little obsessive….
Now let’s really talk about our qualms with this season, or more specifically, Sam Levinson’s writing. What. The. Fuck. Happened. First and foremost, WHERE WAS THE #FEXI KISS??? So much potential just wasted and on what? A thirty-minute chase scene between Rue and the cops where she hops fences while going through major withdrawals and somehow manages to outrun them? Don’t get us wrong, we love as much Zendaya as we can get but like, really? While we understand that Rue is the main character and we love and appreciate all the screen time she gets, where are all the other story arcs? Zero character development. Zilch. How many scenes did Kat even get this season? Three? Four? Major side character moment for her this season and we’re not happy about it. Same with our girl Maddy! Levinson did her so dirty. Yes, okay, we were eating up the Maddy/Nate/Cassie drama for sure but where was Maddy’s character development? She could’ve had such a moment and her shining light was snatched away and handed to Cassie so she should cry for ten minutes every episode. Bye.
Whether you’re a fan of Euphoria or not, an avid watcher, or you only know what happens from the endless TikTok sounds, there is one thing we can all agree that Levinson is doing right: giving us constant material to gossip and bitch about. Oh, and the fact that we’ll never be able to listen to a Labrinth song the same again.