Pilot

"Euphoria" S1 E1 immediately captivates with its bold visual style and unflinching portrayal of the raw and often chaotic world of adolescence. This opening episode sets the stage for a series that doesn't shy away from exploring the darker aspects of teenage life, and Sydney Sweeney delivers a standout performance that is instantly compelling.

The episode introduces a group of high school students grappling with issues of addiction, identity, trauma, and relationships. The cinematography is exceptional, utilizing vibrant colors, stylized camerawork, and a dreamlike aesthetic to immerse viewers in the heightened emotional states of the characters.

Sydney Sweeney's performance is a definite highlight. She brings a raw vulnerability and intensity to her role, immediately drawing you into her character's struggles and making her a captivating presence on screen. Her acting lays a strong foundation for the complex emotional landscape of the series.

The episode's narrative, while introducing a large ensemble cast, manages to establish a strong sense of place and the interconnectedness of these young lives. The dialogue feels authentic and the situations, though often intense, resonate with the challenges faced during adolescence.

While the subject matter can be heavy and potentially triggering for some, "Euphoria" S1 E1 establishes a compelling and visually stunning world, anchored by strong performances, particularly from Sydney Sweeney. It's a promising start to a series that isn't afraid to delve into the complexities of growing up in the modern age.

Euphoria takes a matter of fact approach to sex and drugs among teenagers. It brazenly sets out to shock its adult audience.

Squarely aimed at a Young Adult crowd it focuses initially on Rue Bennett (Zendaya) whose life got screwed up the moment she was born, a few days after 9/11. Now a 17 year old teenager she is already a drug addict who has previously overdosed.

Out of rehab, she still plans to get high without her watchful mother finding out.

Rue makes friends with Jules (Hunter Schafer) who is new in town and has already had a hook up for a much older man for sex. It looks to be a complicated companionship they are going to have.

Despite the frankness, it is still an America of beautiful but maybe damaged people. Girls send sextexts and post naked pictures online. In fact they easily disrobe to please horny teenage guys.

It looks like a wishlist of a middle aged guy's perverted view of teenagers but Euphoria is adapted from an Israeli series.

Zendaya and Schafer give affecting performances. It did have a bright opening and it maintained my interest in the drug storyline. Teenagers wanting to have sex however, that is old hat, it was nothing new and slowed the pace down of the opening episode.

It was the most interesting and depressing pilot episode i've ever seen.

The characters are amazing and Zendaya gives a dynamic performance. The cinematography was stunning, too, and the twist was insane.

A lot of the negative reviews on the site critique the series for representing a dishonest and perverted view of teenagers, but as a teenager myself this is frighteningly realistic. This is not a case of a failed attempt to relate to the youth, this accurately captures the culture around sex and drugs in the western world better than most other media i have seen.

I would have given this 2 stars, but I loved the scenes where Nate and Maddy were making each other jealous, and the cinematography in a scene where Rue was on drugs and the party music so I increased it by 3 stars. A lot of the lines were stereotypical of what a teen or someone in gen z would say and cringe and also kind of over the top and inaccurate, which I can kind of confirm because I am a teen. And most of the episode just seemed like it was trying so hard to shock people not only visually but verbally. On top of that of course it was really bleak and made you feel like we live in a dystopian society. It was probably one of the most depressing episodes of Euphoria, and in my eyes it was the worst episode of Euphoria.