If HBO's 'Euphoria' Makes You Uncomfortable, It's Because It's Supposed To | The Odyssey Online
Start writing a post
Entertainment

If HBO's 'Euphoria' Makes You Uncomfortable, It's Because It's Supposed To

How the show "Euphoria" tackles some of life's toughest problems.

1671
If HBO's 'Euphoria' Makes You Uncomfortable, It's Because It's Supposed To

"Euphoria", which premiered for streaming on HBO in 2019, quickly became the center of the conversation. With its first, eight-episode season having been available to watch since June, there has been plenty of time for it to draw attention to itself.

And it has.

Responses to the show have ranged from "It triggered panic" to "worth the risk", but the fact of the matter is this: if "Euphoria" makes you uncomfortable, that is because it's supposed to.

Euphoria brings attention to some of society's worst, and most prominent, issues among adolescents, including addiction, rape, and abusive relationships, to name a few- but the show does it right.

With disclaimers included at the beginning of each episode, "Euphoria" approaches risky topics by warning viewers first, as it should. Scenes are graphic, truly leaving nothing to the imagination, and sometimes it gets hard to watch, but it's meant to be this way.

It shouldn't be easy to watch teens overdosing and developing serious substance abuse issues, but this is something we need to acknowledge instead of turning a blind eye.

It shouldn't be easy to watch statutory rape, but this is something we need to acknowledge, too.

It shouldn't be easy to watch a girl get repeatedly abused and take advantage of by her boyfriend, it shouldn't be easy to watch a family crumble as a result of drugs, and it shouldn't be easy to watch episodes of extreme mania and depression- but these are all issues that require our attention.

The show brings issues to light that either are often overlooked, misconstrued, or glossed over, exposing them in a way that is shocking, but necessary. For example, when considering drug addiction, oftentimes the general public overlooks the fact that many addicts don't want to be the way that they are. Many people suffering from an addiction wish they could change, and try to change, only to fall victim to substance abuse once again- and this is something we see in the show's main character, Rue, played by Zendaya.

Citing a show's "shock factor" as a means of portraying it negatively is not valid, especially when that shock factor stems from problems you should be paying attention to, but probably aren't.

"Euphoria" might make you feel uncomfortable, but at least it makes you feel something.

From Your Site Articles
Report this Content
This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
ross geller
YouTube

As college students, we are all familiar with the horror show that is course registration week. Whether you are an incoming freshman or selecting classes for your last semester, I am certain that you can relate to how traumatic this can be.

1. When course schedules are released and you have a conflict between two required classes.

Bonus points if it is more than two.

Keep Reading...Show less
Student Life

12 Things I Learned my Freshmen Year of College

When your capability of "adulting" is put to the test

3809
friends

Whether you're commuting or dorming, your first year of college is a huge adjustment. The transition from living with parents to being on my own was an experience I couldn't have even imagined- both a good and a bad thing. Here's a personal archive of a few of the things I learned after going away for the first time.

Keep Reading...Show less
Featured

Economic Benefits of Higher Wages

Nobody deserves to be living in poverty.

302693
Illistrated image of people crowded with banners to support a cause
StableDiffusion

Raising the minimum wage to a livable wage would not only benefit workers and their families, it would also have positive impacts on the economy and society. Studies have shown that by increasing the minimum wage, poverty and inequality can be reduced by enabling workers to meet their basic needs and reducing income disparities.

I come from a low-income family. A family, like many others in the United States, which has lived paycheck to paycheck. My family and other families in my community have been trying to make ends meet by living on the minimum wage. We are proof that it doesn't work.

Keep Reading...Show less
blank paper
Allena Tapia

As an English Major in college, I have a lot of writing and especially creative writing pieces that I work on throughout the semester and sometimes, I'll find it hard to get the motivation to type a few pages and the thought process that goes behind it. These are eleven thoughts that I have as a writer while writing my stories.

Keep Reading...Show less
April Ludgate

Every college student knows and understands the struggle of forcing themselves to continue to care about school. Between the piles of homework, the hours of studying and the painfully long lectures, the desire to dropout is something that is constantly weighing on each and every one of us, but the glimmer of hope at the end of the tunnel helps to keep us motivated. While we are somehow managing to stay enrolled and (semi) alert, that does not mean that our inner-demons aren't telling us otherwise, and who is better to explain inner-demons than the beloved April Ludgate herself? Because of her dark-spirit and lack of filter, April has successfully been able to describe the emotional roller-coaster that is college on at least 13 different occasions and here they are.

Keep Reading...Show less

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments