Euphoria Season 2 has earned the ire of its online fanbase for its messy storylines and MIA characters

The Daily Beast

"In 2022, it’s well established that television doesn’t need to be good in order to sustain our attention," says Kyndall Cunningham. "The 'guilty pleasure' of consuming reality television and soap operas has proved as much. Plus, with the experience of live-tweeting and meme-sharing, it’s never been more fun to bond over abhorrent writing, spot errors in continuity, and roast annoying characters. Just look at the discourse around HBO Max’s And Just Like That… and the internet’s response to Che Diaz or the streaming platform’s other sloppy reboot Gossip Girl. In a not-so-surprising turn of events, the already polarizing Euphoria has become the target of intense Twitter mockery and memes halfway into its sophomore season. From its abandonment of certain character arcs to creator Sam Levinson’s clunky dialogue to its bombastic social commentary, the teen drama has given its viewers plenty to be confused and borderline upset about. Vulture film critic Alison Willmore summed up viewers’ reactions to the new season the best, tweeting, 'I don’t watch EUPHORIA but I love EUPHORIA Twitter because it’s so hard to tell who’s hate watching and who’s watching the show because they actually like it.' Either earnestly or jokingly, I’ve seen many people compare the experience of watching Euphoria’s first season to the state of being high, which arguably works for a show told partially through the lens of a drug addict. Its startling visuals, harsh score and frenetic camera work—in addition to the show’s dark subject matter and exaggerated emotions—all felt like purposeful stylistic choices meant to provide an overwhelming sensory experience. But beyond all the frills, the series introduced us to a deeply fascinating set of characters performed by brilliant, up-and-coming actors who have become beloved celebrities over the short span of two years. Likewise, many fans don’t feel like they’re being rewarded for their investment in the show’s subjects this second time around, as Levinson has struggled to evenly showcase the ensemble."