By Tyler Banark

I have reached a point with Euphoria where I have checked out, but will willingly ride out the storm. We may only be halfway through the season, but I’ve had a feeling this thought was going to cross my mind for a while now. The only thing is that I don’t know why it’s just now coming to mind that it may be time for me to hang it up with this show. Nothing newly bizarre happened in the new episode, Kitty Likes to Dance, except for the usual Sam Levinson antics. That being said, it’s become clear now that this show has become flat-out predictable!

In the latest episode of Euphoria, Lexi lands Jules a job getting some paint featured in her work’s latest soap opera. However, the painting turns out to be too nudity-heavy for basic cable, with the showrunners saying it’ll lead to many calls for censorship. To make the scene cringier than it already is, someone asks Lexi why Jules would make an artistic choice such as this. She responds dryly with an answer that didn’t sit well with me. Whether Levinson wrote that in as a choice Jules actually makes, something about that moment didn’t sit right with me and made it seem as though Lexi views Jules in only one way. Meanwhile, another subplot begins with Cassie leaving Nate and finding a way to get her name out there as an influencer. What unfolds is as unsurprising as it could be with Cassie and how Levinson writes the character. 

Furthermore, Rue gets arrested for getting caught with drugs in her car while driving back to Nate and Cassie’s wedding, as depicted at the end of the last episode. While in DEA custody, she is released on the condition that she becomes a mole to catch Laurie. In doing so, she still monitors the strip club and almost has her cover blown while caring for a stripper. In spite of all the chaos this show has going on, Rue’s subplot is the least bizarre thing going on here. There are still moments where stuff hits the fan, or something crazy happens. One moment involving a circle shot made for an unnerving scene, but it became the first time this season that I truly appreciated a technical feat. 

If anything, Hans Zimmer’s score was actually a highlight of this episode. Throughout the season, I keep forgetting that he’s the one composing the music in every episode. This episode, for some reason, was the first one I actually remembered and was amused by. Each of his pieces on display here is fitting and conveys the emotion of the moment. It got me hoping that his music continues to leave a stronger impression in the last half of the season. Lord knows this show has a lot to do between now and the end of the month. Kitty Likes to Dance could be the end of a hectic first half, but it’s unclear if the damage will be repairable for the second. Time will tell, but I don’t think it’s looking bright for everyone.

Euphoria is currently streaming on HBOMax

2 stars