A House Party To Die For

It’s been a protracted wait, however HBO’s Euphoria lastly returned for its second season, opening with a dramatic introduction to Fez’s grandmother, the violent, drug-dealing matriarch who saved Fez from his abusive father, elevating him the one approach she knew how. 

The sequence appears intent on speaking that we’re in for a season of intercourse, violence, and melodrama, as Grandma Fez boldly enters the sleaziest of strip golf equipment, striding previous greasy clients ogling strippers, till she reaches the proprietor of the institution, Fez’s father, who’s having fun with an act of fellatio, solely to be rudely interrupted by two flesh-piercing bullets.

Grandma Fez speeds off with younger Fez, and doesn’t waste time instructing him the artwork of the (drug) deal, ultimately selecting up a bit brother, Ashtray, whose mom left him as collateral and by no means bothered coming again. 

Whereas Grandma Fez can hardly be known as a constructive position mannequin, or a accountable caretaker (Ashtray is known as for his penchant for tasting cigarette butts as a child), she appears to like the boys, in her personal approach, and the 2 brothers type a good bond, regardless of being surrounded by depravity and squalor. 

Quick-forward to at present, and Ashtray spontaneously murders Fez’s extremely aggressive drug seller and his acquaintance with a hammer, in an act of cohesion. Therefore, Fez, Ash, and Rue pay a go to to the seller above that slain seller, to work out a brand new association. 

Funnily sufficient, Euphoria’s drug seller scenes are so over-the-top, virtually like Grand Theft Auto cutscenes, that they virtually come throughout as a bit foolish. The gang is pressured to strip bare, on the behest of a roided-out, perpetually livid thug (to show that nobody is sporting a wire), whereas the top honcho, a former faculty trainer named Laurie, decides whether or not or not she will be able to belief them. 

After they make it again to their automotive unscathed, Rue appears to have discovered the expertise exhilarating; for her, the pounding adrenaline feels virtually pretty much as good as getting excessive. Rue additionally managed to grab a bit field of heroin, though she doesn’t appear concerned about injecting herself – but. 

The gang arrives at a home occasion, the place Rue shortly sniffs out some cocaine, bonding with one other intoxicant enthusiastic, Elliott, and has a bit overdose, solely to be soothed by Adderall, the chemical compounds in her physique dissolving right into a secure mixture, one way or the other. 

Maddie, Kat, and Jules arrive on the occasion, and are advised by Lexi that she will be able to’t discover her sister, Cassie, and she or he’s beginning to get frightened. Seems, Cassie is already on the occasion and is having a frantic intercourse session within the rest room, having been found at a gasoline station by hulking sociopath Nate, who decides to drive her to the occasion. 

The brief, easy scene inside Nate’s automotive feels tenser than all these drug-dealing scenes put collectively, as Nate swigs down an extreme quantity of beer and steadily will increase his pace, to a life-threatening diploma, whereas Cassie shifts between feeling deeply unsafe, and turned on.

The 2 are interrupted within the act of coitus when Maddie bangs on the lavatory door, determined to pee, prompting panic in Cassie, who actually doesn’t wish to be found having intercourse with Maddie’s abusive ex, being her finest buddy and all.

It’s one other intense scene, as Maddie knocks develop extra frantic, as she loudly “accuses” Nate of taking a dump, as if human bodily capabilities ought to stop to exist throughout home events. 

The scene performs virtually like a slasher movie, Maddie being the killer on the door, promising bloodshed if she breaks in and discovers the juicy betrayal. 

Determined, Nate convinces Cassie to lie flat within the tub and closes the bathe curtain, permitting Maddie to enter with out suspicion. For her hassle, Cassie receives a urine-soaked towel within the face, carelessly thrown by Maddie, and is pressured to stay within the bathtub whereas Maddie graciously endures some flirting from Travis, a clean, assured partygoer armed with a powerful joint.

Cassie is ultimately found by Travis, after her cellphone vibrates, flooded with calls from her involved sister, however Maddie doesn’t even trouble to look; she doesn’t give a rattling a couple of drunk lady within the bathtub – her solely purpose is to bop with Travis and, hopefully, make Nate jealous. 

Clearly, she succeeds – Nate is seething, riddled with insecurity, determined to own each Maddie and Cassie, now overflowing with an abundance of alcohol and testosterone.  

After Cassie discusses the state of her relationship with McKay (and each resolve that it’s properly and really over), Nate anxiously pressures McKay for sordid particulars about what he did whereas alone with Cassie within the bed room. 

It’s an extremely uncomfortable scene, as Nate pulses with menace, each drunken breath seemingly slipping nearer to violence – he actually is a incredible villain, all the time concealing a burning, overwhelming rage, that solely often slips out onto the floor. 

In the meantime, Fez has been having fun with an sudden bonding session with Lexi, as the 2 acknowledge one another as outsiders on this occasion of glitzy attention-seekers. Lexi is even impressed sufficient to take Fez’s quantity, however quickly, one thing extra vital grabs his consideration.

Final season, Nate anonymously known as the police on Fez and sparked a substantial amount of hassle for the soft-spoken seller. However Fez isn’t as a lot of a teddy bear as he appears, and the opening sequence with Grandma Fez quickly proves to have foreshadowed a violent act of revenge, as Fez pretends to make peace with Nate, solely beat him mindless the second he lets his guard down.

Whereas Nate is being brutally battered by Fez (a lot to Lexi’s disgust), Rue has reunited with Jules, and revealed that she relapsed the second Jules left her. The 2 share a kiss, bathed in smooth, golden gentle, and it isn’t fairly clear if the romance is actual, or a very merciless, drug-induced hallucination. 

We’ll uncover the implications of this most eventful home occasion in the course of the subsequent episode – hopefully, Nate recovers from his wounds – he’s too highly effective an antagonist to kill off. 

Euphoria’s reintroduction is simply as vibrant, superbly shot, and gleefully tasteless as the primary season, soaked in intercourse, violence, and fairly lights; it’s good to have it again.