Euphoria first graced our screens back in 2019 with the primary season ending on a dramatic note, the suspense building up for the highly anticipated arrival of season 2 on January 9th this year. Not only did the season reach beyond expectations but there was a clear transformation in aesthetic with completely new storylines emerging that really delved into the unexpected, even if the ending wasn't as satisfactory as hoped. Although Euphoria is a clearly dramatized version of youth experience and culture, I think that behind all the hyperbole there lies a truth and universality to how real it feels to be young and free yet so confined and controlled by society and people’s expectations of us, is any teen drama ever comparable to real life though? The premier focused on a New Year's Eve party with an array of momentous events taking place such as a clash between Nate and Fez, a relationship emerging between Cassie and Nate, with the hint towards the possibility of one between Fez and Lexi. Fans were highly hopeful for Fez and Lexi's to become a reality the entire season and by the end we really saw a glimmer although the dramatic ending for Fez, and Ash's demise may really put a strain on this in season 3. There was a clear transformation in Fez's character this season with him coming across a lot warmer and kind-hearted, caring deeply for those close to him, with the viewers learning about his background and youth from a flashback really enforcing this. In the case of Cassie's scandalous act of betrayal against Maddy this continued for the entirety of the season causing the most lovable character of season 1 to turn into the antagonist of season 2 and concluding her and Maddy's friendship. This being set in stone in the finale when Cassie interrupted the play mid breakdown and Maddy rightfully took her down suggesting that this was just the beginning for her at Nates demise. I did originally believe that as the season went on, we would regain sympathy for Cassie as we understood her complex and unstable mental state with her constant crave for affection causing her to act this way however, I just ended up loving Maddy even more. I did fear that Cassie would experience Nates abusive tendencies as their relationship got more extreme but again Maddy was at the brunt of emotional grief and physical abuse, I do pray that for season 3 he leaves her alone. The question is, will there be a future for Nate and Cassie and will Maddy's foreshadowing mean that Nates anger is ultimately transferred onto Cassie, I guess we will have to wait and see. Another huge character to be unpicked is Rue who was played yet again outstandingly by Zendaya, even though she had a rocky season with the betrayal of Jules and her new friend Elliot causing her to turn into a state of frustration and utter despair I think that for season 3 we could really see a sober future for Rue with cinematic parallel ending of her and Jules relationship alongside the rebirth of her friendship with Lexi placing her in a state of content. Although one storyline that may resurface could be the pothole that she still owes £50,000 to Laurie who is a member of a dangerous drug ring and already tried to lure in Rue and imprison her. I do hope that for Gia's sake everything works out alright. Another character who really shone through and displayed her assertiveness this season was Lexi, putting on a show stopping play to highlight her life and all the issues she has faced, this really helped bring a full circle moment from her shy persona in season 1 to now but also highlighted her as the protagonist of this season and hopefully again in the next. We really got to understand her more as a character not only through the show but also flashbacks allowing us to gain more information on how difficult her life has been as someone pushed to the side behind Cassie, I'm really excited to see what Maude Apatow brings to season 3. Focusing on the play which was the star moment of the entire season and such an interesting route to take by the producers being a great way to finalize the season. As a whole production included some interesting and unexpected twists although they did have flaws and major plot holes. Although one thing for sure is that Kat regrets breaking off with Ethan because Austin Abrams really showed a new side to himself as a character and actor. Another full circle moment was the complete breaking down of Cal due to his reminisce of childhood regret causing him to crack and leave his family, although as a viewer i sympathized with his childhood experience it was very fitting to see Nate who always felt neglected by his father put him behind bars a place where he deserves to belong forever. Other notes to make include the complete isolation of Kat as a character this season which apparently was due to an argument Barbie Ferreira who plays Kat had with the producers, this raising the question of how the edit would be different if this wasn't the case. Plus, the popular return of 'vape girl' who was as iconic as always along with Suze and Faye really shining through especially in the latter episodes. When it comes to the music side of things Euphoria always hits it right on, with the soundtrack this season reaching the same level as season 1's original score. For this season Lana del Rey who is one of my favourite artists produced a song titled 'Watercolour eyes', it being disappointingly only used in the credits of episode 3 however I do think it is one of her best, with her music already being so fitting to the entire style of Euphoria and entwining so well. Other music used included 'holding out for a hero' by Bonnie Tyler, 'haunted' by Laura Les and 'my Lovin' by En Vogue. One thing though that has been constant throughout this unstable storyline has been the iconic looks by the girls with Maddy, Jules and Kat having the most prominent wardrobes and makeup. Though Maddy’s remains superior and is the main thing I anticipated to see each week with her selection in episode two being truly legendary alongside what she tried on from Samantha's closet, even when Cassie had great outfits, they were great ultimately because she was copying Maddy. Something about appearance that changed for this season though is the extremely vibrant beautiful and detailed makeup which although was effortlessly completed by the show's artist Doniella Davy in season 1, the more toned-down style for this season fitted a lot closer in relations to youth appearance allowing for the viewer to resonate more with characters however glam they are. With Davy saying in an interview with CNN Style that 'you know your work is good if it’s invisible’ and due to storylines, this season having focused on more so on character development it was significant to match the two together. On the other hand, I think one thing that was a mistake though this season is how altercating the storylines were because we had just become accustomed to these characters emotional states, and it didn't necessarily make sense to completely alter them thus causing us to expect none the less for season 3. Although this season was so amazing and the overall result shocking, the finale itself was quite lacklustre with the constant reference to Rues funeral reading and Elliot's everlasting song leaving less opportunity to tie up loose ends, I do hope that these storylines are throughout touched on again in season 3.