Kat decides to try camming and has her first session. Jules starts falling for a boy online and asks Rue to help her take some nudes. Maddy finds something odd on Nate's phone. Cassie and McKay spend the weekend at his school and go to a party at the frat he's rushing. Rue is confronted about her lies at NA.
In 2018, there were 495 scripted shows airing amongst the linear channels and streaming services. The way people are consuming content now is so different than it used to be. It happens according to one's own schedule. As such, there is less necessity to provide ample coverage of each specific episode in any given season from a show. Moreover, it is simply impossible to watch everything. As such, this site is making the move to shorter episodic reviews in order to cover as many shows as possible. With all of that being said, here are my thoughts on the next episode of HBO's Euphoria.
"Made You Look" was written by Sam Levinson and directed by Sam Levinson
The show has now established that each episode this season will open with Rue delving into the backstory of one of the members from the ensemble. The second episode featured Nate's upbringing and helped flesh out his anger issues. And now, the show establishes how Kat feels powerful online with her interactions with anonymous followings but remains shy in real life conversations. At first, it seems like a story all about her weight and the ways that society pushes for certain body types to be sexual and desirable. It certainly does convey that aspect but it's not the only thing going on in Kat's world that makes her a fully formed human being. She has found safe refuge online by connecting with a community that is excited about her contributions to the world. Sure, it highlights how the power of the internet can come from anonymity. That can be freeing and allow people to live as their true selves. Of course, there are plenty of disgusting people out there whose worst impulses are encouraged by this medium too. Kat finds a way to remain in power. It's illegal for her to be camming as she is underage. And yet, she sees that as an outlet in order to provoke the conversation and appreciation of her further. It's also just a way for her to make money. It doesn't seem like a solid business venture at all. She is being paid in Bitcoin which isn't always reliable. The show treats it as such with only a small transaction fee occurring when she converts it into cash. But that's okay by her. She sees it as a system that allows her to revamp her entire look even though it may disrupt the connection she was already starting to form with new classmate, Ethan. That too is the peril of these kinds of interactions. One can spend so much time chasing the approval of anonymous users while remaining blind to the true and genuine opportunities staring them right in the face. That's an effective story. Meanwhile, the show finally finds Rue in a place where she is willing to treat her sobriety seriously. It all stems from her friendship with Jules. Her new friend wants Rue to stay alive long enough to mean something longterm. She doesn't want this to end just as quickly as it began. Of course, Jules is also getting incredibly distracted by Nate. She is falling in love with him even though he continues to hide behind a wall of insecurity with misleading pictures and backstory. And yet, she views meeting in the shroud of darkness as the only way for her to find genuine love. That's absolutely horrifying. It's dangerous as well. The show has already proved just how scary and terrifying all of this can be for Jules. That's not even getting into the fact that she is flirting with Nate after having sex with his father. That's a reveal still looming on the horizon. But it's also one the audience should be very concerned about because it could easily turn into violence in which Nate lets his emotions out through rage simply because he is too sexually repressed and has no idea how to communicate anything in a way that is real. Getting back to Rue though, she is still chasing that high that drugs have always given her. She wants to stay sober for Jules. It's just very difficult for her to do so. She only calls someone as a potential sponsor after Fez refuses to sell to her anymore. That is such a painful moment. It makes sobriety a thing of necessity instead of an actual goal. That too could end in destructive consequences. Rue still doesn't quite understand the harm she has already done to the people in her life.
