# Euphoria season 2

The second season of the American teen drama television series Euphoria, based on the Israeli television series of the same name, premiered on January 9, 2022, on HBO. Series creator Sam Levinson serves as the showrunner for the season, and wrote and directed all episodes. The series follows Rue Bennett (Zendaya), a troubled teenage drug addict who struggles to get sober, find her place in the world, and adjust to her relationships after rehab.
The season features an ensemble cast of Zendaya, Maude Apatow, Angus Cloud, Eric Dane, Alexa Demie, Jacob Elordi, Barbie Ferreira, Nika King, Storm Reid, Hunter Schafer, Algee Smith and Sydney Sweeney, who all return from the previous season. Javon "Wanna" Walton, Austin Abrams and Dominic Fike were added to the main cast for the season; the former two were promoted after featuring in recurring roles in the previous season. In July 2019, HBO renewed Euphoria for a second season, which began filming April 2021 after being delayed for a year by the COVID-19 pandemic, and wrapped in November 2021. The season consists of eight episodes.
The season received critical acclaim. It was nominated for 16 Primetime Emmy Awards, and received six wins, including Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series for Zendaya, Outstanding Choreography for Scripted Programming for Ryan Heffington, Outstanding Cinematography for a Single-Camera Series (One Hour) for Marcell Rév, Outstanding Contemporary Makeup (Non-Prosthetic), Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series for Colman Domingo and Outstanding Single-Camera Picture Editing for a Drama Series.

## Cast and characters
### Main

* Zendaya as Ruby "Rue" Bennett
* Maude Apatow as Alexis "Lexi" Howard
* Angus Cloud as Fezco "Fez" O'Neill
* Eric Dane as Cal Jacobs
* Alexa Demie as Madeleine "Maddy" Perez
* Jacob Elordi as Nathaniel "Nate" Jacobs
* Barbie Ferreira as Katherine "Kat" Hernandez
* Nika King as Leslie Bennett
* Storm Reid as Georgia "Gia" Bennett
* Hunter Schafer as Jules Vaughn
* Algee Smith as Christopher "Chris" McKay
* Sydney Sweeney as Cassandra "Cassie" Howard
* Javon "Wanna" Walton as Ashtray
* Austin Abrams as Ethan Daley
* Dominic Fike as Elliot

### Recurring

* Colman Domingo as Ali Muhammad
* Alanna Ubach as Suze Howard
* Paula Marshall as Marsha Jacobs
* Zak Steiner as Aaron Jacobs
* Tyler Chase as Custer
* Sophia Rose Wilson as Barbara "BB" Brooks
* Nick Blood as Gus Howard
* Martha Kelly as Laurie
* Minka Kelly as Samantha
* Chloe Cherry as Faye
* Melvin "Bonez" Estes as Bruce
* Yukon Clement as Theo
* Fernando Belo as Sebastian
* Veronica Taylor as Bobbi
* Ansel Pierce as Caleb

### Guest

* John Ales as David Vaughn
* Bruce Wexler as Robert Bennett
* Meeko as Mouse
* Marsha Gambles as Miss Marsha
* Demetrius Flenory Jr. as Travis

## Episodes

| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Featured character(s) | Original air date | U.S. viewers (millions) |
| 11 | 1 | "Trying to Get to Heaven Before They Close the Door" | Sam Levinson | Sam Levinson | Fezco O'Neill | January 9, 2022 (2022-01-09) | 0.254 |
| As a child, Fezco O'Neill was taken under his grandmother's wing and introduced to the drug trade. A baby Ashtray was abandoned by his addict mother. Fez experienced a traumatic head injury from a crowbar accident. In the present, Ash kills Mouse with a hammer. Several weeks later, on New Year's Eve, an intoxicated Rue accompanies Fez and Ash to an intense drug deal with associates of retired-schoolmistress-turned-dealer Laurie before attending a large house party. After encountering each other at a convenience store, Nate and Cassie impulsively have sex in a bathroom at the party and are nearly caught by Maddy. Rue takes a spate of drugs with a student named Elliot and nearly overdoses. She reunites with Jules and admits to relapsing the night Jules left her at the train station. The two later confess their feelings for one another and kiss. Fez flatters Lexi and gets her number, then confronts Nate, whom he viciously beats until the other guests stop him. The title of this episode is a reference to the 1997 Bob Dylan song "Tryin' to Get to Heaven". ||||||||
| 12 | 2 | "Out of Touch" | Sam Levinson | Sam Levinson | - | January 16, 2022 (2022-01-16) | 0.279 |
| Nate recovers from his beating at the hospital, refusing to tell his father who attacked him. Cassie, who has experienced a depressive episode since her abortion, continues seeing Nate despite knowing it could ruin her friendship with Maddy. Jules becomes insecure about Rue's friendship with Elliot, unaware the two have been regularly taking drugs together. Kat's interest in Ethan begins to wane over her own issues with self-esteem. Cal investigates Nate's assault and pressures Cassie into naming Fez as the attacker. He later confronts Nate, who responds by revealing he knows of his father's secret sexual exploits, including the video of him and Jules. The title of this episode is a reference to the 1984 Hall & Oates song "Out of Touch". Note: This episode marks the final appearance of Algee Smith as Chris McKay. ||||||||
| 13 | 3 | "Ruminations: Big and Little Bullys" | Sam Levinson | Sam Levinson | Cal Jacobs | January 23, 2022 (2022-01-23) | 0.264 |
| As a teenager, Cal was attracted to his friend Derek while dating his future wife, Marsha. Derek reciprocated his feelings, but Marsha's unexpected pregnancy compelled Cal to stay with her and hide his sexual orientation. In the present, Rue develops a plan to hide her drug use from Jules and Gia. When she runs out of drugs, she convinces Laurie to give her a large stash, ostensibly for Rue to sell. Ali becomes suspicious of Rue, causing a vicious argument that leads them to cut ties. Cassie becomes further isolated due to her obsession with Nate. Lexi channels her frustrations with Cassie and Rue, as well as her own loneliness, into writing a play to stage at school. Cal visits Fez, thinking he has the video of Jules, but Ashtray beats him into admitting his indiscretions. Fez lets him go on the condition that he stops hunting him and keeps Nate away from Rue and Jules. Nate cancels plans with Cassie to rekindle his relationship with Maddy. The title of this episode is a reference to the 2000 Robert Rauschenberg painting "Ruminations: Big and Little Bullys". ||||||||
| 14 | 4 | "You Who Cannot See, Think of Those Who Can" | Sam Levinson | Sam Levinson | - | January 30, 2022 (2022-01-30) | 0.318 |
| While by themselves one night, Jules and Elliot kiss. Cassie and Nate's relationship becomes strained after he admits to having resumed talking to Maddy. The Howards host a birthday party for Maddy, where Cassie gets exceedingly drunk and later vomits in the hot tub as Maddy is yelling at Nate for always smooth-talking her back into a relationship. Rue, Jules and Elliot rob a convenience store for White Claw. Jules questions Rue for drinking, angering Rue and compelling her to go back home. She pops four pills and hallucinates her father in a church, also seeing Labrinth singing. Cal gets drunk and drives to the gay bar where he first kissed Derek; after getting thrown out, he returns home, drunkenly berates his family for not allowing him to be open about his sexuality, and abruptly decides to leave them. Elliot discloses Rue's ongoing drug use to Jules. Jules is devastated but sleeps with Elliot nonetheless. The title of this episode is a reference to the French Surrealists phrase "You Who Cannot See, Think of Those Who Can". ||||||||
| 15 | 5 | "Stand Still Like the Hummingbird" | Sam Levinson | Sam Levinson | Rue Bennett | February 6, 2022 (2022-02-06) | 0.353 |
| Rue's suitcase of drugs she acquired from Laurie is missing; her mother Leslie learned of her relapse from Jules and reveals she threw it out. Rue in turn has a violent meltdown at her mother and sister, as well as Jules and Elliot, who are there for the intervention. On the car ride to rehab, she runs away and goes to Lexi's house; her mother and friends are there for the intervention. Rue reveals Cassie's and Nate's relationship, causing chaos and allowing her to get away. She goes to Fez's place, but he throws her out when she tries stealing his grandmother's medication. She burgles a house, getting cash and jewelry to start paying back Laurie for the drugs. Reeling from withdrawal, Rue narrowly outruns and hides from the police, and reaches Laurie's apartment. Laurie mothers Rue, giving her a bath and pharmaceutical morphine for the pain, but implies she will force Rue to prostitute herself to pay her debts. Rue wakes up early the next morning, sneaks out of the apartment, and returns home. The title of this episode is a reference to the 1962 Henry Miller book Stand Still Like the Hummingbird. ||||||||
| 16 | 6 | "A Thousand Little Trees of Blood" | Sam Levinson | Sam Levinson | – | February 13, 2022 (2022-02-13) | 0.283 |
| Two weeks after returning home, Rue makes progress in recovering from withdrawal, reconciling with Ali in the process. Kat and Ethan break up. Cassie and Nate struggle with their secret being out and argue with their mothers. Cassie's stress makes Lexi wonder how her play will be received. Fez is housing Faye, the girlfriend of his associate Custer, whom he hasn't seen since the deal with Laurie; Custer privately meets Faye and reveals he is a police informant working to bring down Fez and Ashtray for Mouse's murder. Nate goes to Maddy's house and forces her at gunpoint to give up the disc containing the video of Cal and Jules. He then gives Jules the disc, apologizing for his past behavior; the two admit the feelings they expressed to each other by text message the previous year were genuine. Leslie learns no inpatient facility has room for Rue and breaks down, fearing Rue will kill herself without treatment. The title of this episode is a reference to Federico García Lorca's "The Martyrdom". ||||||||
| 17 | 7 | "The Theater and Its Double" | Sam Levinson | Sam Levinson | Lexi Howard | February 20, 2022 (2022-02-20) | 0.350 |
| Jules destroys the disc Nate gave her. Leslie tells Rue she is done dealing with her drug addiction and plans to focus on Gia. Maddy wishes to leave East Highland after the end of the school year, feeling there is nothing to keep her there. Lexi's play, Our Life, is performed for East Highland's students, parents and faculty; the students quickly realize the play is based on their lives. The play shows various significant events from Lexi's perspective, such as Rue's father's wake, Cassie's puberty, Rue's and Lexi's friendship, Cassie and Maddy's friendship, and Maddy and Nate's relationship. Fez fails to make it to the play despite promising Lexi he would be there. Ethan, playing Nate, performs a homoerotic rendition of "Holding Out for a Hero" with other male students; an offended Nate storms out of the play and angrily breaks up with Cassie, who is enraged. The title of this episode is a reference to Antonin Artaud's 1958 book The Theater and Its Double. ||||||||
| 18 | 8 | "All My Life, My Heart Has Yearned for a Thing I Cannot Name" | Sam Levinson | Sam Levinson | – | February 27, 2022 (2022-02-27) | 0.625 |
| Cassie disrupts the play when she rushes the stage and berates Lexi, only to be chased backstage and attacked by Maddy. Lexi finishes her play with the crew's and audience's support. Fez is visited by Custer, who is wearing a wire. Ashtray realizes Custer is a police informant and fatally stabs him, while Fez destroys his phone. Police storm the compound; Ashtray locks himself in the bathroom and engages in a shootout with the police. He is shot and a wounded Fez is arrested. Nate confronts Cal with a flash drive containing all of Cal's explicit videos, before the police, tipped off by Nate, come to arrest Cal. In the aftermath of their brawl, Cassie confesses to Maddy that Nate dumped her, to which she responds that this is just the beginning of what Cassie will have to endure. After the play, Jules tells Rue that she loves and misses her. Rue narrates that she stayed clean for the rest of the school year and is cautiously optimistic about the future. The title of this episode is a reference to André Breton's "Mad Love". Note: This episode marks the final appearances of Barbie Ferreira as Kat Hernandez, Javon "Wanna" Walton as Ashtray and Angus Cloud as Fez. ||||||||

## Production
### Development

On July 11, 2019, following the release of the fourth episode of the first season, HBO renewed Euphoria for an eight-episode second season. Production for the season was scheduled to start in the second quarter of 2020, with the first table read on March 11, but was delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic. Production resumed in March 2021. HBO defended the series against allegations of a toxic work environment during the production of the second season, writing: "The well-being of cast and crew on our productions is always a top priority. The production was in full compliance with all safety guidelines and guild protocols. It's not uncommon for drama series to have complex shoots, and COVID protocols add an additional layer. We maintain an open line of communication with all the guilds, including SAG-AFTRA. There were never any formal inquiries raised."

### Casting

All main cast members return from the previous season. Javon "Wanna" Walton and Austin Abrams, who previously starred in recurring roles, were promoted to the main cast for the season. In August 2020, Dominic Fike, Minka Kelly, and Demetrius "Lil Meech" Flenory Jr. were added to the cast.

### Writing

Series creator Sam Levinson serves as the showrunner for the season. Levinson wrote and directed every episode in the season.

### Filming

After the delayed caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, filming took place in April 2021, and wrapped in November of that year. Production for the season cost a total of $96,685,000, after 176 days of filming. The season received a $19,406,000 tax credit for employing over 15,000 people in California. Main star Zendaya received $500,000 per episode in the season.

### Music

The score album for the season was released by Columbia Records on April 22, 2022, in digital and physical formats. Like the previous season's score, it was composed and produced by Labrinth.
The soundtrack to the season was released digitally by Interscope Records on March 4, 2022, with CDs releasing on May 13, 2022, and vinyl on July 29, 2022. The album's release was preceded by seven singles, "Watercolor Eyes" by Lana Del Rey, "How Long" by Tove Lo, "(Pick Me Up) Euphoria" by James Blake featuring Labrinth, "Sad4Whattt" by EricDoa, "Yeh I Fuckin' Did it" by Labrinth, "I'm Tired" by Labrinth and Zendaya, and "Elliot's Song" by Dominic Fike and Zendaya.
In an interview with IndieWire, Labrinth stated of the soundtrack's religious undertones: "We spoke about using organs because of a lot of the religious influences in the show, especially with Rue. We wanted a lot of the sounds edging towards a religious sound. And because I love both Pentecostal and Catholic sounds, I kind of was like trying to merge them both together."

## Release

The second season premiered on January 9, 2022, on HBO. Subsequent episodes released weekly until the season finale on February 27, 2022.

### Home media

HBO released the second season, along with the first season and the two special episodes, on DVD on November 1, 2022, by Warner Bros. Home Entertainment.

## Reception
### Audience viewership

The season's premiere drew 2.4 million viewers across all HBO platforms, a series high. It also marked the strongest digital premiere night performance for any episode of an HBO series since HBO Max's launch, until it was dethroned by House of the Dragon. At the end of its second season, it became the second-most-watched HBO series since 2004 (behind Game of Thrones), with episodes averaging 16.3 million viewers until it was surpassed by House of the Dragon. According to Variety, Euphoria became the most tweeted television series of the decade in the US, with more than 30 million tweets related to the series during the second season, 51% more than during the first season.

### Critical response

The season received mostly positive reviews, with critics praising the performances and visuals but criticizing the pace and characterization. On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the second season received a score of 80%, with an average rating of 7.05/10 based on 110 reviews. The site's critical consensus reads, "As willfully provocative as ever in its second season, Euphoria still isn't for all tastes—but when its addictive ingredients are mixed just right, the results remain intoxicating." Metacritic assigned the season a score of 74 out of 100 based on 19 reviews. IndieWire's Ben Travers criticized the sexual content but appreciated Zendaya's performance, writing, "After seven of the eight episodes, Season 2 is exactly what a drama seeking to spark conversation fears most: It's skippable." Rebecca Nicholson for The Guardian gave the second season two out of five, writing, "this long-awaited second season has decided to lean into its crueller instincts". USA Today's Patrick Ryan praised the performances of Zendaya, Schafer, and Fike, but wrote that "the new episodes are much less captivating when they shift their focus away from Rue and Jules".

### Ratings

Viewership and ratings per episode of Euphoria season 2 :
| No. | Title | Air date | Rating (18–49) | Viewers (millions) |
| 1 | "Trying to Get to Heaven Before They Close the Door" | January 9, 2022 | 0.08 | 0.254 |
| 2 | "Out of Touch" | January 16, 2022 | 0.09 | 0.279 |
| 3 | "Ruminations: Big and Little Bullys" | January 23, 2022 | 0.09 | 0.264 |
| 4 | "You Who Cannot See, Think of Those Who Can" | January 30, 2022 | 0.13 | 0.318 |
| 5 | "Stand Still Like the Hummingbird" | February 6, 2022 | 0.11 | 0.353 |
| 6 | "A Thousand Little Trees of Blood" | February 13, 2022 | 0.11 | 0.283 |
| 7 | "The Theater and Its Double" | February 20, 2022 | 0.14 | 0.350 |
| 8 | "All My Life, My Heart Has Yearned for a Thing I Cannot Name" | February 27, 2022 | 0.24 | 0.625 |

### Accolades

The second season received 16 nominations with six wins at the 74th Primetime Emmy Awards; including Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series for Zendaya (for the episode "Stand Still Like The Hummingbird"), Outstanding Choreography for Scripted Programming for Ryan Heffington (for the "Call Me Irresponsible/Holding Out for a Hero/Cheerleader" routines, and for the episodes "Ruminations: Big and Little Bullys" and "The Theater and Its Double"), Outstanding Cinematography for a Single-Camera Series (One Hour) for Marcell Rév (for the episode "The Theater and Its Double"), Outstanding Contemporary Makeup (Non-Prosthetic) for Doniella Davy, Tara Lang Shah and Alex French (for the episode "The Theater and Its Double"), Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series for Colman Domingo (for the episode "Ruminations: Big and Little Bullys"), and Outstanding Single-Camera Picture Editing for a Drama Series for Laura Zempel, Julio C. Perez IV, Nikola Boyanov, and Aaron I. Butler (for the episode "The Theater and Its Double").
Nominations for the Primetime Emmy Awards included Outstanding Drama Series, Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series for Sydney Sweeney (for the episode "Ruminations: Big and Little Bullys"), Outstanding Casting for a Drama Series for Jessica Kelly, Mary Vernieu, Bret Howe, and Jennifer Venditti, Outstanding Contemporary Costumes for Heidi Bivens, Devon Patterson, and Angelina Vito (for the episode "Trying to Get to Heaven Before They Close the Door"), Outstanding Contemporary Hairstyling for Kim Kimble, Kendra Garvey, Patricia Vecchio, and Teresita Mariscal (for the episode "The Theater and Its Double"), Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series for Martha Kelly (for the episode "Stand Still Like The Hummingbird"), Outstanding Music Supervision for Jen Malone and Adam Leber (for the episode "Trying to Get to Heaven Before They Close the Door"), Outstanding Original Music and Lyrics for "Elliot's Song" by Labrinth, Muzhda Zemar-McKenzie, Zendaya (for the episode "All My Life, My Heart Has Yearned For a Thing I Cannot Name") and for "I'm Tired" by Labrinth, Zendaya, Sam Levinson (for the episode "You Who Cannot See, Think Of Those Who Can"), and Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Comedy or Drama Series (One Hour) for Anne Jimkes-Root, Chris David, Austin Roth, and Sean O'Malley (for the episode "Stand Still Like The Hummingbird").