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| Zendaya |
Welcome to a new column called Channel Surfing, in which I sporadically look at current TV shows and talk about them. These are not ones that I care to write weekly recaps for and are instead reflections either on the episode, the series, or particular moments. This will hopefully help to share personal opinions as well as discover entertainment on the outer pantheon that I feel is well worth checking out, or in some cases, shows that are weird enough to talk about, but should never be seen.
By now, every child star's contract probably comes with a clause that they will do something edgy in their teen years. It's been inevitable for decades and in the past 10 years has included Miley Cyrus' "Bangerz" as well as a trio of stars in Spring Breakers who seemed to wear bikinis almost exclusively. The latest to join the list is Zendaya of K.C. Undercover fame. She has had quite a career in recent years, having a major role in the recent Spider-Man franchise as well as appearing in the hit musical The Greatest Showman. In a time where she's bound to be a big star, it would seem like the best bet is to play safe. Instead, she is using her fame to join the child stars before and explore the dark world of stories that are more adult and, as Cyrus before, highly sexual and may be uncomfortable.
Euphoria is the latest HBO drama and one of the first in the wake of Game of Thrones' conclusion. For those questioning, if the show is for them, just stick around long enough to see the opening scene where everything is perfectly established in jarring terms. The first scene focuses on Rue's (Zendaya) birth from inside the womb. As the camera follows the pathway to birth, it takes a cut to September 11, 2001. The planes have flown into the World Trade Center as Rue's disaffected narrative creates this excuse for her very persona. She is a recovering drug addict who became addicted because of how the system created all of the world's problems. There's blame to go around, and it's mostly solved through numbing the pain with every kind of narcotic on tap as well as sex that has been influenced by online pornography.
While the territory of drug-addled teens isn't exactly new territory, Euphoria still manages to feel shocking and raw. It's a story of the modern teen, whose phone connects them to a world that can easily solve their problems. The rebellion here is shameless, and it's more than just because Zendaya is seen getting high as glitter tears roll down her face and she explains in powerful detail what an anxiety attack. It comes with how much nudity, both male and female, is in this. The sex scenes range from casual hook-ups to something uncomfortable. Rue even goes so far as to suggest that she doesn't want to be "sex negative" when exploring the lives of her friends, who are so promiscuous that Rue ending up in a bed for a presumptive lesbian experience is one of the least odd things about the show.
As much as the show is about the aimless struggle to kill the boredom, what makes Euphoria more than a show likely to gain notoriety over its sex scenes is the idea that it will transcend the vulgarity and find something more human. While every scene may be provocative, there's already this sense of character that there's a search for something more intimate than pleasure. There's a need for happiness in their lives, and teens always have trouble finding it. Rue is mostly alone throughout the first episode, wandering streets and looking for a purpose. Everyone else's lives are shocking to everyone but her. Maybe it's a cautionary tale about putting too much faith in addiction. Maybe it will be a revolutionary look into how teens have in a post-9/11 era here tragedy seems to define every facet of their lives. It's hard to say.
The one thing that is a surefire hit so far beyond the raunch is Zendaya, who brings her deadpan charisma to the role in a way that elevates the material. At times she embodies a teenage Humphrey Bogart, turning drugs and sex in the suburbs into something out of film noir. It's uncomfortable and adult, which makes the juxtaposition to teenage lifestyles all the more shocking. Still, it doesn't affect her all that much. She exists in misery, looking for someone who can give her satisfaction. She doesn't get it from her mother and her school life isn't much better. While the cast, in general, is full of promising performances, Zendaya manages to create a compelling narrator for the series that adds context to certain scenes, such as how a rough sex scene spawned from internet porn. The youth is influenced by esoteric resources these days, so nothing is shocking.
Euphoria is at a crossroads at the moment. It has created a great first episode with enough buzzworthy moments to give it recognition among the most controversial work that HBO has released. The question now is whether it will exist as mere titillation or if it will use its themes to explore something more raw and honest about the teenage experience. This has the chance to be the edgy, possibly even X-Rated, show for a generation. While it's far from the first series to explore a youth inspired by technology and political corruption, it's one of the first to create a world that is this provocative. It posits so much about the modern era that goes beyond addiction, and it may help explain what makes the post-millennial generation unique. It's true that this doesn't define everyone in high school at the moment, but maybe the attitudes underneath it all are more common than is let on. Only time will tell if it has anything to say, or if people will get caught up on how much nudity this series has.
Euphoria is the latest HBO drama and one of the first in the wake of Game of Thrones' conclusion. For those questioning, if the show is for them, just stick around long enough to see the opening scene where everything is perfectly established in jarring terms. The first scene focuses on Rue's (Zendaya) birth from inside the womb. As the camera follows the pathway to birth, it takes a cut to September 11, 2001. The planes have flown into the World Trade Center as Rue's disaffected narrative creates this excuse for her very persona. She is a recovering drug addict who became addicted because of how the system created all of the world's problems. There's blame to go around, and it's mostly solved through numbing the pain with every kind of narcotic on tap as well as sex that has been influenced by online pornography.
While the territory of drug-addled teens isn't exactly new territory, Euphoria still manages to feel shocking and raw. It's a story of the modern teen, whose phone connects them to a world that can easily solve their problems. The rebellion here is shameless, and it's more than just because Zendaya is seen getting high as glitter tears roll down her face and she explains in powerful detail what an anxiety attack. It comes with how much nudity, both male and female, is in this. The sex scenes range from casual hook-ups to something uncomfortable. Rue even goes so far as to suggest that she doesn't want to be "sex negative" when exploring the lives of her friends, who are so promiscuous that Rue ending up in a bed for a presumptive lesbian experience is one of the least odd things about the show.
As much as the show is about the aimless struggle to kill the boredom, what makes Euphoria more than a show likely to gain notoriety over its sex scenes is the idea that it will transcend the vulgarity and find something more human. While every scene may be provocative, there's already this sense of character that there's a search for something more intimate than pleasure. There's a need for happiness in their lives, and teens always have trouble finding it. Rue is mostly alone throughout the first episode, wandering streets and looking for a purpose. Everyone else's lives are shocking to everyone but her. Maybe it's a cautionary tale about putting too much faith in addiction. Maybe it will be a revolutionary look into how teens have in a post-9/11 era here tragedy seems to define every facet of their lives. It's hard to say.
The one thing that is a surefire hit so far beyond the raunch is Zendaya, who brings her deadpan charisma to the role in a way that elevates the material. At times she embodies a teenage Humphrey Bogart, turning drugs and sex in the suburbs into something out of film noir. It's uncomfortable and adult, which makes the juxtaposition to teenage lifestyles all the more shocking. Still, it doesn't affect her all that much. She exists in misery, looking for someone who can give her satisfaction. She doesn't get it from her mother and her school life isn't much better. While the cast, in general, is full of promising performances, Zendaya manages to create a compelling narrator for the series that adds context to certain scenes, such as how a rough sex scene spawned from internet porn. The youth is influenced by esoteric resources these days, so nothing is shocking.
Euphoria is at a crossroads at the moment. It has created a great first episode with enough buzzworthy moments to give it recognition among the most controversial work that HBO has released. The question now is whether it will exist as mere titillation or if it will use its themes to explore something more raw and honest about the teenage experience. This has the chance to be the edgy, possibly even X-Rated, show for a generation. While it's far from the first series to explore a youth inspired by technology and political corruption, it's one of the first to create a world that is this provocative. It posits so much about the modern era that goes beyond addiction, and it may help explain what makes the post-millennial generation unique. It's true that this doesn't define everyone in high school at the moment, but maybe the attitudes underneath it all are more common than is let on. Only time will tell if it has anything to say, or if people will get caught up on how much nudity this series has.
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