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Euphoria: Stand Still Like the Hummingbird

Season 2, Episode 5

Zendaya's Ticket To Her Second Emmy

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SPOILERS AHEAD!!!
Spoilers for season 1 and 2!

TRIGGER WARNING!
Talk of addiction, mental health, and suicide. Reader's discretion is advised.

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Euphoria is a modern drama that is written and directed by Sam Levinson. It follows the lives of a group of high schoolers. Their stories reflect real situations, and although at times it is severely dramatized, the root of it is sometimes far too real.

There is a lot to say about the show so far. It isn't hard to find the words to describe this show, and most of the time it blows it out of the park. There are several issues that go along with this modern drama, but I want to focus on the good for now. Specifically, one of the best episodes in the series so far. Season 2, Episode 5.

The first half of the season can be underwhelming or confusing at times, and for a viewer watching the show air week to week, it's hard to see what Sam Levison was doing with these characters. That's until we reach episode 5. The episode where everything starts to come together, mostly in the case of Rue's story. Rue, played brilliantly by Zendaya, had relapsed in the season 1 finale, and we see her continue to abuse drugs through the first half of the second season. Her obsession with drugs begins to consume her and even though she has everything she's ever wanted, she begins to fall apart. With a girlfriend she loves dearly, and another new friend to spend her time with, her problem with drugs begins to affect her relationships, starting with Jules (Hunter Schafer) who doesn't know that Rue isn't sober.

It becomes clear that the relationship between these two girls is very codependent with Rue relying on Jules for her mental well being, and as much love as they have for each other, it is very clear that it is not enough. Not only does Rue need to figure out her problem with drugs, but Jules also needs to spend time on herself and process traumatic events that have happened to her. Which makes their falling out in episode five all the more tragic.

The episode begins with what was possibly Rue's worst fear. Her mother finds out she's using again, and not only that, Jules had ratted her out. A few episodes earlier Rue also got involved with a big time drug dealer who spotted Rue a suitcase worth $10,000 in drugs. She had been non-stop using the contents inside for months, and the only other person who knew was Elliot, played by Dominic Fike. One thing led to another, and Elliot finally told Jules the truth. Upon finding this out, Jules goes to her mom, and tells her the truth about Rue's sobriety.

At first, Rue thinks her mother hid the suitcase. She rages through the house trying to find it. It's clear that Rue has begun to go through withdrawals, and Zendaya portrays an addict's desperation to use during this time. From yelling at her mother and sister, to trashing her bedroom and her mother's, to even breaking down her sister's door out of pure rage, we see the violence Rue has inside her caused by her addiction. Whatever piece of Rue we knew before is nearly gone, drowned out by her disease. The once soft, loving, charismatic girl is now a shell of her old self, and the only thing on her mind is drugs.

Her mother even tells her, "You're not a good person Rue." And she's not. Her addiction has caused her to cross line after line, and we see her cross even more lines in this episode. It's Zendaya's acting that sells this entire first scene. It's easy to hate Rue. She treats her family horribly, she's ruined her relationship with her sponsor Ali, and even breaks up with Jules when she finds out she was listening the whole time as she practically abuses her family. Yet Zendaya shows us that all these terrible things aren't Rue as a person. It's her addiction, and although that is no excuse to treat the people in her life this way, it shows us that Rue is in need of redemption. That even at her lowest, she can find the light. When she crumples to the ground in remorse and apologizes to her mother and sister for scaring them, the switch Zendaya portrays is heartbreaking. A little piece of the old Rue shows, and we see the hurt inside of her. Of course she switches again and she goes off, still being controlled by her inner darkness.