By Kailee Montross

Season two of “Euphoria” took a deeper dive into many of the secondary characters of season one. 

The cast is dramatically diverse. Throughout the season, we see various depths of character development and even conflict between them. 

This show stars high school students battling real life problems without much guidance. It can be said that many relate to the emotions brought forth in this season, and while just as many people will not relate to these events, the premise and purpose of showing what teens and young adults may go through is strikingly accurate. 

While many critics judge the characters’ ages, it brings to light how early the youth is exposed to similar events. Media has changed the youths’ exposure to society and how they deal with their demons. We see Nate  (Jacob Elordi, “The Kissing Booth 3”) struggle with his alcoholism and anger management due to a lack of mental health awareness. Throughout the season we see more into Nate’s backstory with his father and sexuality that lead him to this moment. 

Lexi (Maude Apatow, “The King of Staten Island”) a secondary character in season one, made an appearance as a main character throughout season two. We see what struggles she went through with her own family while watching her friend, Rue (Zendaya, “Spider-Man: Far From Home”) struggle with addiction. We see how parental figures impact their children’s lives with the decisions they make. 

Throughout the season, varying forms of love are portrayed, from healthy love to toxic love and everything in between. We see how Lexi and Cassie (Sydney Sweeney, “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood”) grew up in the same home, but how differently they love people. If we look at Maddy during this season, we can see the effects of it. 

Although nobody is perfect, which is made very well clear in this show, everyone deserves the kind of love Lexi finds in season two. We see the difference between genuine connections and lust, as well as the outcomes of what one or two stupid decisions in Ash’s (Javon Walton, “Utopia”) story can lead to. We can even interpret what is happening to Jules (Hunter Schafer, “Belle”) in all of this as a witness and what she is going through. Although she was a main character in the first season, Jules becomes a secondary character in season two. One can see how some will take their emotions, experiences and struggles and use them in acts of violence or aggression. Some characters even make it worse by bottling everything up forever, like Rue questions with Ali (Colman Domingo, “Candyman.”) There is the other side of this as well, where some can take all of this and use it for good, for work or a career, for the community and the common good. 

Season two takes a different approach with how all the characters come from different backgrounds, upbringings, and parental figures. “Euphoria” casts a light on how unchecked mental health can spiral into bigger issues. While this show mainly focuses on teenagers in highschool battling addiction and relationships, the show is actually about mental health.

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