'Euphoria' Season 2 Episode 1 Review: Focus on Fez as hit HBO show goes full throttle
Spoilers for 'Euphoria' Season 2 Episode 1
The end of 'Euphoria' Season 1 had fans of the hit HBO drama yearning for more of Angus Cloud's Fezco. The character was crucial in the previous installment. He was a guardian angel of sorts for Zendaya's Rue, and the final scene didn't leave much scope for the character. However, the focus in all Fez in the Season 2 opener. It took three years, but the wait was worth it. There's also that revenge plotline between him and Nate Jacobs (Jacob Elordi) who quietly tipped off the police about Fez's drug dealing.
Fast forward to Season 2, there's a solid backstory that explains Fez's foray into drugs and dealing. He's raised by his grandmother (Kathrine Narducci), who is pretty much a badass in her own right. She murders Fez's abusive father, the owner of a strip club. The opening minutes of 'Euphoria' Season 2 give a good look at both male and female privates with frontal nudity on full display. There is that hard-to-forget image of his father's d*** hanging out as she shoots him while he receives a fellatio — Typical 'Euphoria'.
The next few minutes are all Fez as he's shown growing up in a definitely unhealthy atmosphere learning to deal drugs. All's fine until a baby shows up at their doorstep and the duo names him Ashtray (He was found eating a cigarette once) and the trio are now family. Gammie falls sick one day and that leaves Fez with a hard choice — call 911 and land the entire family in soup, or drive her to the hospital. He decides to do the latter, but his grandma's snuffed out by then. Next, we see, it's the present and he's at a rager on NYE. But not before he and Rue have a run-in with a dealer explaining what went wrong in an earlier botched deal.
Between the past and the present where he batters Nate to near-death are a series of events that set the tone for the remainder of the season. Nate's being railing Cassie (Sydney Sweeney) in one of the restrooms and Maddie (Alexa Demie) tries to get in and pee. She abuses Nate and taunts him for taking a dump at a party while he's all the more busy doing something a lot more enjoyable. He meets a depressed Cassie, does some wee bit of seducing (his charms just complements it by the way) and they get down to business even as she struggles with the fear of getting caught later on.
Sparing you all from major drama and spoilers (Trust us, watching it is a better bet), we take you to the final scene where Nate is clubbed and pummeled to death. Or is he dead already? From 'Riverdale' to 'I Know What You Did Last Summer' we saw how deaths in the first episode are a rage, so did 'Euphoria' do something similar?
It is a bloody violent and erotic start for 'Euphoria' Season 2, but that doesn't change the dynamics the show brought in with Season 1. The troubled and dysfunctional life of teens is clearly outlined the drama just adds to their messed up lives getting even messier. There's a lot more to Fez and his weirdness. The interesting relationship with Lexi (Maude Apatow) makes for a compelling plotline to be explored over the course of the season.
'Euphoria' Season 2 airs Sundays at 9 pm ET on HBO.
