What I’m Watching: Euphoria

Euphoria: Season 1, Episode 6 “The Next Episode” (B)

This episode was mostly disturbing without any particularly positive developments. A Halloween party was just another setting where bad behavior was encouraged, this time with costumes instead of moving parts and attractions. I think the most unsettling news of all was that Nate had a plan all along to get himself off the hook for assaulting Maddy, setting up the pieces long ago with both Tyler and Jules. Getting Tyler to turn himself in and Jules to corroborate was a sign of someone truly intent on hiding his horrific behavior, and Maddy going along with it makes her an unfortunate enabler since she’s actually the one who got hurt in the process. Nate showing up to the party victorious in prison garb was particularly atrocious. Christopher getting ambushed while he was with Cassie was difficult to watch, and she received a cruel verbal takedown from Daniel that wasn’t deserved at all and was emblematic of this show’s portrayal of men who thrive on demeaning the women around them. I’m relieved that Ethan worked up the courage to ask Kat what he had possibly done to offend her, and her non-answer wasn’t at all kind. Somehow, he took that as a sign to act boldly and aggressively, which she seemed to like, but his immediate departure after some prematurely-achieved excitement seems to have inspired her to forget about him right away and move on to someone else. Jules wasn’t taking good care of herself, and Rue doesn’t seem to be in good shape either. It’s hard to keep up with these destructive teenagers and the impulses they always have to follow.