Taking A Closer Look At Euphoria’s Holiday Special

Euphoria’s holiday special took a surprising twist from its usual fast-paced style. Instead, the special Christmas episode titled “Trouble Doesn’t Last Always” focused on a conversation in a diner booth between Rue (Zendaya) and Ali (Colman Domingo).

SUMMARY

The new episode takes place immediately after the Season 1 finale, where Jules (Hunter Schafer) leaves Rue on a train platform. In an imaginary alternative scenario, the episode displays the potential lifestyle of Jules and Rue after they leave town. However, the scene quickly cuts to a lonely diner, where Rue and Ali spend Christmas Eve and they discuss the importance of her sobriety, her relationship with Jules, and the hardship behind drug relapse. In addition, audience members got a quick glimpse into Ali’s life before he turned to sobriety and his challenges with his family.

[Warning: Spoilers Ahead]

REVIEW

Not only does this episode marvelously capture the character development of Ali and Rue, but it also dives into a deeper conversation about the dangers of drug relapse and how drug abusers feel when they are using. Throughout this episode, Zendaya’s portrayal of Rue reflects her innermost obstacles. This includes how she wanted to develop a positive relationship with her mother and sister, how she was confused and deeply hurt by Jules’s “betrayal”, how she feels about herself as a drug abuser, and more. I was extremely pleased with the powerful life lessons that Ali conveyed to Rue, especially his intent on revealing the dark side of drug addiction and how drugs impact a person’s life.

The script was beautifully written as well; however, I thought that the approach to a one-setting scene could have had both positive and negative impacts on audience members.

As an audience member, I was very engaged with the first part of the special episode, which focused on the relationship between Jules and Rue. Yet, the long-winding conversation between Ali and Rue could have taken a more interesting and exciting approach. Personally, I was a bit surprised with Euphoria “stripping away the glitter”, but the conversation surrounding drug addition was still an important one that viewers had to understand. At the end of the episode, I felt like I learned a lot more about the effects of drug addiction and the struggles for drug addicts.

On the other hand, Gaelle P. found a few critique-worthy points in the episode. In her opinion, she expected the holiday special from Euphoria to be more exciting, such as involving more characters and adding more drama factor to the fast-paced plot. “[The whole episode] was just Ali and Rue talking back and forth. I thought it was a bit boring and the conversation didn’t really intrigue me as much,” she said.

Nonetheless, she is still very excited to see Euphoria’s second special episode, centered on Hunter Schafer’s Jules. The episode will release on January 24 on HBO.