Why Euphoria is a masterpiece for the mind by Munya Mwaijumba

TRIGGER WARNING: DRUG ABUSE, SUICIDE, MENTAL HEALTH.

Artwork by Dami Kuye

Euphoria season two has just come to an end, whereas I have just finished season one. I was the unfortunate one to miss the hype train on social media just as it was leaving the station, but if anything, it meant that I could enjoy the show fully in its most raw form without the fandom, critiques or Zendaya stans getting in the way.

This show is a masterpiece. For everyone. Just like a drug, the moment you get drawn in, you're stuck watching episode after episode, waiting for that next hit of dopamine and adrenaline to course through your veins. My fingers were itching and scratching, yearning to hit the ‘next episode’ button so I could feel it all again. Anger, tears, and drama are all the things I knew awaiting me as the audio warning played as always.

This show contains…

But that trigger warning does not even encapsulate anything that Euphoria really spits in your face.

Perhaps something along the lines of… “This show contains realities that will hit you harder than any cannabis, cocaine or alcohol could ever do.” Now that is a better description.

I guess the appropriate place to start would be with the main character Rue. An addict who got her first hit when she was just a child.

The beauty of this show is that it toys in grey areas. Lots of shows enjoy the ease of a black and white narrative. When you’re watching you know what’s bad, what’s good and why. It’s easy to watch and you don’t need to question every moral decision you’ve ever made in your life.

But Euphoria is difficult. It had me wondering what would really be the best thing to do in a situation similar to theirs. Not to mention most of the main characters in the show are 17, leaving a lot of what we see both very questionable and uncomfortable to watch.

But the discomfort is the reason the show is a masterpiece. You experience the thrill and ecstasy at the beginning of the episode, waiting to see what happens, craving a resolution. But when it doesn’t come, and it won’t, you feel the reality come down on your shoulders like a pressing hand digging deeper, holding you in place.

The events that the characters go through are not shy from the reality many of us face, even those of you reading this right now. That’s what makes the show uncomfortable.

It’s undeniable that escaping reality can be amazing, euphoric one could say. From Game of Thrones’ dragons, to the wizards in Harry Potter, having our heads in the clouds is incredibly fun. But it’s not REAL. We never need to feel some type of way about seeing dragons used as weapons to burn and destroy towns because that’s never happened to anyone, ever.

Because dragons don’t exist. But what does exist are peoples struggles with gender, identity, and sexuality, being in abusive relationships, struggling with substance abuse and so much more.

These issues are raw, true and reveal a lot about the world we currently live in. That’s what makes some scenes very uncomfortable, where you find yourself fidgeting, trying your hardest to focus on anything else, but the orchestrated reality placed in front of you.

Euphoria manages to encapsulate a lot of these issues and makes them relatable for people that have gone through it and understandable for those that haven’t.

That’s what makes Euphoria a masterpiece for the mind.

Edited by: Amna Akram

Editor in Chief's Note: Roann Gutierrez

As a huge fan of Euphoria, I was excited to read Munya's first impressions from a first time view point. I agree with everything she says, there's a rawness to season one, which I must admit was missing this season, apart from Zendaya's incredible episode five. I love her comparison of fiction vs reality. It's true, we'll never to slay a dragon in our reality, but we will come across the issues covered either on a personal level or on a secondary level. The show trains us in empathy in its very real depictions of the current state of society and I'm so happy that Munya has been able to appreciate Euphoria without the noise of outsider opinions.

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