The first season of “Euphoria” left viewers watching Jules (Hunter Schafer) leaving on a train while Rue (Zendaya) does not go with her. Season two immediately picks up, however, with Jules and Rue’s reunion and the start of their relationship. It is soon revealed that Rue has relapsed and the only person who knows is her new friend Elliot (Dominic Fike). At the same time, Cassie (Sydney Sweeney) is struggling in her confusing relationship with Nate (Jacob Elordi), who also happens to be her best friend’s ex-boyfriend. Nate’s father, Cal, struggles with his sexuality after the events of the first season. After a very drunken night at the bar that he used to go to with his high school best friend and lover, Derek, he returns home only to walk out on his family. 

Compared to the first season, Rue is still struggling, and she appears to be more careless with her habits while hiding her relapse from Jules. Jules, on the other hand, is more confident and seems to be emotionally stronger than she was in the first season. However, in terms of their relationship, Rue and Jules are more disconnected, and there is a significant level of tension between them. This disconnect leads to Jules hanging out with Elliot more and it eventually leads to Jules cheating on Rue with Elliot after not trusting Rue’s relationship with him in the first place. Fezco is not in the second season as much as he is in the first, and when he does appear, he seems to be more emotional and passionate with his relationships. It is clear that he likes Lexi in a different way than he likes Rue, but he hasn’t made obvious, explicit moves towards her. He does, however, make his feelings known through his body language and his shift in tone when talking to her. 

“Euphoria’s” second season is more graphically and topically intense with more depictions of sex and triggering topics, such as alcoholism, drug-use and emotional trauma. This naturally poses the question of whether or not the content of the show is too much. Are these scenes necessary for the plot?  I believe they are needed in an artistic sense as the scenes with nudity work to establish a character’s sense of self in terms of their current relationships. They also show how the other characters see them. For example, Rue thinks of Jules as the painting of Venus, and the show illustrates this with a scene of Hunter Schafer lying nude posed as though she is Venus. Instances like this paint a picture of what characters see when they look at other characters. While there are highlight moments throughout the season, not every episode provides monumental plot points or twists. It is only when you look at the episodes altogether that you realize that a lot has happened. The writers sprinkle little pieces of important information throughout the episodes that have a larger effect when you put them next to the other pieces in the storyline.