SPOILER ALERT: Euphoria Season 2 Episode 7
Deep breath in, and deep breath out. Lexi (Maude Apatow) starts the appropriately named The Theater and It’s Double, with the only way to make it through this week’s episode of Euphoria. Sam Levinson, the series creator and showrunner, even splices in a minute-long overture to prep the viewer.
With season two’s penultimate episode, Levinson has hit a sweet spot between the sensationalized teenage life of Riverdale, the experimentation of Twin Peaks and the emotional depth of Atlanta. The episode, however, would be nothing without the phenomenal work of the two editors, Laura Zempel and Julio C. Perez IV, and the award-level performance of each cast member, especially that of Alexa Demie as Maddy, Sydney Sweeney as Cassie and Maude Apatow as Lexi.
Since the triumphant return of Euphoria after three years, save two special episodes starring Rue (Zendaya) and Jules (Hunter Schafer), Lexi has been launched from a much-loved supporting character to a well-written, perfectly-performed protagonist. Set on being heard after a life in the shadow of her sister, Cassie, and long-time best friend Rue, Lexi’s arc has largely revolved around the theatre production of Our Life, her interpretation of everything Euphoria has portrayed over the past fifteen episodes. The big show inside the big show.
Right off the bat, everyone in the audience knows the play is about the show’s main characters, and they love it, except for Cassie. Her arc this season focused on the formation of a romantic relationship with Nate (Jacob Elordi), while he and Maddy, Cassie’s best friend, were on a break. This brewing conflict culminated in episode five, when Rue revealed to Maddy she had seen the two kissing shortly after the New Years party seen in season two’s first episode. By splicing together theatre actors on-stage with characters in the flashbacks the play depicts, Levinson uses Our Life to creatively show the true impact Cassie’s decisions had on Maddy. The most heartbreaking part of the episode comes when Lexi’s play portrays a young Cassie consoling Maddy in her bed. Levinson then slowly pans the camera to the door, where Cassie soon barges in, hurrying to the bathroom to hide from Maddy, who just found out she was in a romantic relationship with Nate. In the never-before-seen scene, Maddy bangs on the bathroom door, begging for Cassie to come out and talk to her before telling Cassie she would have never done this to her, only to cut back to a young Maddy, crying in Cassie’s bed.
Beyond the theater and the flashbacks Our Life depicts, there is the occasional scene at Fezco’s (Angus Cloud) apartment. In episode six, Custer (Tyler Chase), a friend of Fezco, told his girlfriend, Faye (Chloe Cherry), he had been talking to the police about Fezco’s drug dealing antics, presumably for a plea deal. Just before Our Life, while Faye helps Fezco steam his clothes, Custer comes by the apartment, leading to some high-tension scenes orbiting a clueless Fezco, which will all be paid off next week.
Despite all the praise episode seven deserves, it also highlights Levinson’s flaws as a showrunner. In the latter half of the episode, a short sequence portrays a clothed Nate intimately dressing a topless Cassie (Sydney Sweeney) intercut with David Lynch-esque clips of Kat (Barbie Ferreira) dancing in the outfit she wore throughout her camgirl arc, a plot point not touched on since the season one finale. The problem with this scene not only stems from Levinson’s insistence on hypersexualizing these two teenage characters, but also from the behind-the-scenes news that has been unfolding alongside the release of the season.
Sydney Sweeney has been fairly open about Levinson’s frequent addition of topless scenes for her character, which she has vetoed on multiple occasions this season, primarily
because of their insignificant effect on the plot. On the other hand, rumors have been swirling for months about on-set drama between Ferreira and Levinson over Kat’s character in season two, or lack thereof. Most of the season Kat has spent in the background, only taking the limelight for an uncharacteristic scene breaking up with her boyfriend, Ethan (Austin Abrams). These rumors were hinted at with a comment from Ferreira in a February 14 article in The Cut, where she said: “Kat’s journey this season is a little more internal and a little mysterious to the audience. She is secretly going through a lot of existential crises.” Although this doesn’t necessarily confirm or deny any on-set rumors, it does seem like an acknowledgment that her character has been pushed to the sidelines.
Following Cassie, Nate and Kat’s questionable scene, Lexi wraps up the first half of Our Life with a locker room dance number, outing Nate as gay, causing Nate to storm out of the theater. Cassie follows, but Nate tells her the two are done. The episode ends with Cassie slowly walking back to the theater, and staring through the door, ready to ruin Lexi. She takes a deep breath in, and a deep breath out, fogging the glass. She is capable of anything.