“It’s interesting to see how the show illustrates the emotions of drug addicts when they relapse or consume drugs based on the cinematography,” says Nur Khalidah. “But other than that, the show can get quite messy and all over the place with the stories of the different characters.”
With a variety of impressive cinematic elements,
Euphoria
looks and feels like it would be a revolutionary coming-of-age teen drama series. Unfortunately, the show falls short due to its unrealistic portrayal of what 17-year-old kids are capable of.
Perhaps, it’s slightly relieving that none of the cast members resembles teenagers, as it is almost entirely made up of actors over the age of 21. Zendaya, Schafer, and Elordi, who are the main characters on the show and spend the most time on screen, are all incredibly beautiful and postpubescent, nothing like what you would expect walking into an average Singapore neighbourhood school.
At times, I had to remind myself that most of the characters are supposed to be 17 and that they’re not young adults. Yet, somehow, their lives are a dreary mess of underage hookups, drugs, and violence, completely different from an ordinary Singaporean teenager, and perhaps even more intense than the most hardcore
partygoer at Clarke Quay
.
Does this make you wonder how the show would be if it wasn’t centred around high schoolers, but around young adults instead?
Watching the series can be so unsettling that even Zendaya posted a warning on her social media platforms before the premiere of the second season, explaining that the show is aimed at mature audiences and “deals with subject matter that can be triggering and difficult to watch”.