Since the series premiere in 2019, Euphoria has captivated the world with its explosive colors and even more explosive characters. Series creator Sam Levinson secured producers Zendaya, Drake, Future the Prince, and others, while incredible casting is also a part of the show's success. Euphoria earned lead actress Zendaya her first Emmy and cast Sydney Sweeney, Alexa Demie, Maude Apatow, Angus Cloud, Barbie Ferreira, Hunter Schafer, and many more.
Soon after the first season, the show was met with rave reviews. From Labrinth's incredible score that wove throughout the show to the beautiful cinematography that has inspired many artists all over social media, it's hard to imagine the show has any flaws. But soon after the premiere of season two of Euphoria, it became clear that the writing might not be all that it was believed to be.
But how could that happen?
The Creator's Achilles Heel
The show's writer and creator, Sam Levinson, son of director Barry Levinson, is known primarily for his work in Assassination Nation (2018), Malcolm & Marie (2020), and, of course, Euphoria (2019-). Levinson, who broke into the business as an actor in a film his father directed, made his writing debut in 2017 when he co-wrote Wizard of Lies, a television film about Bernie Madoff (played by Robert De Niro), which his father also directed. Since then, Levinson has had several credits, with Euphoria being the biggest to date. This is where it gets tricky.
Historically, big network shows are known to have a writers' room. These are where the show's writers can get together, bounce around ideas, and refine those ideas into each episode. Euphoria, however, does not have a writer's room. Sam Levinson is the sole writer of the Euphoria series and does not have any other writers that he works with -- except for Hunter Schafer, who helped write her character's special episode between seasons one and two.
Since Levinson does not have a writer's room, this can lead to the reasons behind the scattered plot of the second season and the "lost" plotlines of season one. Levinson has no one to steer him back to his original plotlines or reign him in from introducing new, more complicated ones.
Will Kat Be a Fan Favorite Again?
For example, in season one, Barbie Ferreira's character, Kat Hernandez, was introduced as the unsure "fat" friend turned cam model. Kat's evolution in the show's first season was a fan favorite. It seemed to come to a quaint conclusion when, in the season's finale, Kat got together with adorably-innocent Ethan (Austin Abrams), and all was well. However, some things were never addressed by the end, namely a bone-chilling incident in which a faceless voice paid for Kat's services before going quiet, save ominous breathing. This disturbs Kat, and she quickly shuts off her camera.
Fans were quick to assume that the identity of the anonymous caller would be revealed in season two. But after the new season, fans are craving any information about Kat that isn't a quick insert of her whining about her relationship or consoling Maddy (Alexa Demie). The fierce Kat from season one was sidelined in season two, leaving viewers with a dull, annoying shell of the character.
Where Is the Missing Brother?
The missing Jacobs son is another plot point that spawned many conspiracy theories and threads across social media. The idea of a lost kid was discovered in season one after a family portrait was shown. All of the Jacobs clan were in the picture, including another young boy that was never addressed. Since the revelation came with one of the later episodes of the season, it was only logical to think a clue or conclusion to the storyline would be given in the second season. Well, one season later, and the only thing concluded about the Jacobs clan is that Cal (Eric Dane), the patriarch of the family, has more issues than we thought.
An aversion to putting away his favorite appendage, Nate (Jacob Elordi) is just as awful, if not more, than he was in season one. Nate's mother is still not much more than a decorative character. Given the amount of time spent on Dane's and Elordi's character this season, one would think there would be some semblance of closure on the subject or even a mention. Instead, more trauma was added, and more questions were raised. Classic Euphoria.
Will McKay Return?
One of the biggest plots from season one that seems to have skipped Levinson's mind is the entirety of McKay's character. When a show dedicates an entire episode to a character, it's usually safe to assume they will be a staple in the series. This cannot be said for Algee Smith's Chris McKay. As the only Black male lead in the series, season one showed the story of McKay's relationship with Sydney Sweeney's Cassie Howard, his dedication to football and being a star athlete, and finally, his rough start to college life. The climax of McKay's season one arch dealt with him being hazed by a group of fellow fraternity brothers. It humiliated him in front of Cassie before nearly ghosting Cassie completely as she dealt with an unwanted pregnancy and abortion alone -- yet another "lost" plotline.
In season two, McKay seems all but a figment of the audience's imagination, only appearing in the first episode to officially "put the nail in the coffin" on his and Cassie's relationship. The obvious conclusion would be that Smith bowed out for other projects or even that there were disagreements that led to the character's disappearing act -- like the rumors of Ferreira's minimal appearance in season two.
However, in a recent interview with Smith for The Daily Beast, he stated that this was "a question we have to ask our creator [Levinson], where he sees it going. "I think that's a question we have to ask our creator [Sam Levinson], where he sees it going." It seems he was left in the dark for much of season two, much like the audience.
What is Laurie's Story?
But the season one plot holes are not the only ones that the show needs to answer for. Fans quickly picked up on season two storylines that seemed to be created and forgotten in nearly the same breath. This season, the terrifying, soft-spoken character of Laurie, played by Martha Kelly, was introduced. Laurie, a massive drug dealer, was first shown in the premiere episode when Fez (Angus Cloud) and Ashtray (Javon Walton) were introduced to her for "business" reasons. Since then, Laurie's one-liners and throwaway threats have haunted viewers and left them with many questions.
In episode five of season two -- one of the more intense episodes -- Rue (Zendaya) visits Laurie after her mother has disposed of the suitcase of drugs she gave to Rue to sell, hoping to negotiate a way to come up with the money. It is here that Laurie tells her that one of the best things about being a woman is that "you still have something people want." What follows is a hazy recollection of Rue being given morphine by Laurie and later waking up in a bed in a change of clothes.
So many questions were raised after. Did Laurie force Rue to make up for the payment in "other" ways? Was she planning to sell Rue before she escaped? And what is locked up in her basement? So many questions, but of course, that is the last time Laurie is shown in the second season, and the plotline is never further explored.
There are so many more plot lines that are forgotten throughout Euphoria. These are the things that Levinson may need a writers' room for and, sadly, why there may be no answers, only further questions, in season three.