Euphoria’s “Trouble Don’t Last Always” Leaves It’s Viewers Some Food for Thought
It’s been a year since we last saw Rue Bennett, Jules, Nate and other characters in HBO’s raw coming-of-age TV drama series Euphoria. It has garnered praise for authentic depiction of mental health, drug addiction, sex, toxic masculinity etc. What makes the show stand out from shows with similar themes isn’t just the cinematography and makeup (the drama’s that gorgeous), but its mature depiction of these issues. And this special episode, which shows the aftermath of Rue’s relapse after she backed off from leaving the city with Jules on the train, goes back to basics, minus the fast cuts and psychedelic visuals.
In the opening scene, we see a dream in which Rue (Emmy winner Zendaya) and Jules (Hunter Schaffer) are being intimate, but we are snorted back to reality when we see Rue sitting in front of her sponsor Ali (Colman Domingo) in a diner. She assures him that she has found an amazing balance in her life, but he’s not convinced. Her words contradict her drug-fuelled expressions. What follows later on, is a heartfelt conversation, in which a lot of things come to light, like Ali’s backstory and signs of Rue as an unreliable narrator.
The right amount of shots and camera movements by cinematographer Marcell Rév, editing by Nicola Boyanov & Julio Perez IV and amazing acting done by Zendaya and Colman Domingo easily hook you to this conversational episode, which could’ve easily fallen flat, if not for Sam Levinson’s (creator of Euphoria) smart writing and direction. Just pay attention to each dialogue and expression, it feels like you’ve realised that something wrong is happening in this world, and we are aware of it, but we still don’t want to face it.
Ali, Rue’s sponsor, rightly said, “We’re living in dark times. Huh. Not a lot of hope out there.” This quote accurately conveys the current state of this world, with the pandemic adding fuel to the fire. The bleak atmosphere is evident throughout this episode, you see very few people inside and outside the diner on Christmas Eve and the weather’s cold. The conversation between Rue and Ali is so relatable, it will make you think about a lot of stuff that affects our lives, directly and indirectly.
There’s so much hate and anger within every individual that they seem okay with everyone not being human, and it’s understandable why we lose hope in this world at some point (read: everyday). What this world needs right now is empathy and love, which is what “Trouble Don’t Last Always” reminds us. This episode is worth a watch for those who still believe in the poetry of the world and the sensitive depiction of issues the youth is facing currently.
