‘Euphoria’ Season 2, Episode 5 Review: Zendaya on the Run – Spoilers

[Editor’s Note: The following review contains spoilers for “Euphoria” Season 2, Episode 5, “Stand Still Like the Hummingbird.”]

Gia Bennett, played by Storm Reid, is the first face to appear in the fifth episode of “Euphoria,” and even without the controversial conversation seconds before that, loyal viewers know the appearance. What does her show mean. Gia has a way of showing up whenever her sister’s substance abuse problems escalate. During the series premiere, Gia was the one who found Rue (Zendaya) lay on the floor of her bedroom in a pile of her own vomit. Gia was the one who called paramedics and watched the ambulance drive away. It’s Gia being asked to put her siblings in rehab, and Gia coming home when Rue points a shard of broken glass at their mother, Leslie (Nika King), when faced with the difficult offer for the first time. that towel.

In episode 5, Rue is faced again. Only this time, despite her sister’s suffering, Rue still ran. She won’t go back to rehab. She cannot face withdrawal. Nor can she face Gia – not this time, and the tragedy of Rue’s plight is capped in two pictures of her sister’s worried gaze. Disappointing realization crossed Gia’s face as she heard her family fight during those opening moments. But that shielded trembling expression expands to a scream of panic 15 minutes later, as Rue darted from the car into the moving traffic and Gia’s worst fears were almost realized once in a while. again. Her sister is dying, right in front of her? Will she be able to get out of another dire situation? Will she come back to her? Rue won’t be back. Not until that night, after a quick run through the suburbs, left a fiery awakening. And by then, it may be too late.

“Stand Still Like a Hummingbird” is the perfect title for an episode devoted to Rue’s constant movement, which leads nowhere. Screenwriter/Director Sam Levinson Throw everything he has into her attempted flight, setting up a thrilling chase that culminates in a terrifying escape. Zendaya is also thoroughly committed, even performing a few stunts (or it seems) that add to the near-constant tension as she evades despair. The visceral journey they create reflects the kind of raw, swirling energy that “Euphoria” specializes in, and the additional conflict Rue sparks across town that will provide a dramatic second half to the season.

Most notably, Rue reveals Season 2’s most important secret, telling Maddy (Alexa Demie) and the rest of her friends that Cassie (Sydney Sweeney) has slept with Nate (Jacob Elordi). Their reaction is about what you’d expect: Maddy starts threatening her best friend. Cassie could barely speak, trying futilely to deny the allegation even though the fear on her face was all anyone needed confirmation. (It must be said that Sweeney is having an excellent season.) The adults try to focus on Rue, whom they are trying to convince to return to rehab, but the bomb she drops is too big. The focus shifts, and Rue takes advantage of the distraction to elude her mother’s assistant again. (The staging of that moment, however, leaves a lot to be desired; it’s hard to believe Leslie would notice those bickering girls, let alone scream afterwards long enough for Rue not to. noticed.)

However, Rue hasn’t started activating yet. Next, she visits Fez (Angus Cloud) and is forced out when she goes in search of a potion. She then slides under the closing garage door, like a hatless Indiana Jones, so she can steal enough luxuries to pay off her debt to Laurie (Martha Kelly). Of course, she’s broke, and her first adventure – fueled by a desire to duel for drugs and reduce digestion – takes a darker turn. (Part of me wants to believe the whole episode is a rant Kramer’s quest to find an open toilet on “Seinfeld,” but even if it wasn’t, Zendaya’s premonition running style would have to be.)

Storm Reid in “Euphoria”

Eddy Chen / HBO

That’s also when Levinson’s frenzied energy came into full play. When Rue loses her lunch in front of a suspicious patrol officer, the chase continues – there’s even a zoomed-in clip of Zendaya placing it down an alley, police cars close behind, suggestive Remember the police chases captured by the local newspaper helicopter. From there, Levinson’s camera was invented. He was hiding behind some bushes when Rue crossed her first backyard; he’s in a house where the sole occupant is a cat crossing a long table while Rue skims the pool outside; and, my personal favorite, he tilts the frame up to spot Rue atop the garage before watching her jump down, using the door that’s closed as she slips temporarily. (Levinson even follows the rule of three when it comes to canines, starting with a domesticated guard dog, moving to landfill sheepdogs, and ending with a pair of newborn puppies, politely take Rue off their lawn.)

Putting humor into “Run, Rue, Run” — let alone the relentlessly bleak “Euphoria” itself — pays off, especially when the central character is on the run to his final destination: Laurie’s apartment. There, we learn how morally bankrupt the monotonous, pajama pusher really is: “Do you want to know a funny thing about me?” she asked Rue. “I’ve never been angry in all my life.” And she’s not angry – even when Rue defaults – but her calm, methodical demeanor is even more alarming. Why? Because apparently Laurie has been here before. Faced with a user trying to offer a bargain, Laurie feigns kindness and understanding while preparing a trap that could keep Rue tied to her forever.

She tells Rue that she doesn’t have any pills, only intravenous drugs, which she knows the young woman avoids. However, when Rue is coaxed into taking a relaxing bath, Laurie opens a suitcase full of pills, but takes away a syringe and vial of morphine instead. Rue hadn’t even asked for them yet, but Laurie knew it was coming. She has done this before. She knows how to make her money back, and Rue wakes up from a living nightmare alluded to by Laurie’s bone-chilling “advice”. “That’s one of the good parts of being a woman,” she said. “Even if you don’t have money, you still have what people want.”

Rue avoided selling herself for drug money through one last run, although it was not announced when Laurie or her friends would call. (It wasn’t hard to find Rue.) The episode ended with the door opening and closing, Leslie’s figure emerging from her frozen position on the dining table. The switch to black underscores how quickly things can go from bad to worse when you’re desperate and scared, but Rue’s return also makes the first scene of the episode return. For those already invested in the romance of Rue and Jules (Hunter Schafer) (and come on, who isn’t?), witnessing their dramatic break-up could be the worst bridge of all the whole hour past. Tricked into exposing her dark side, Rue doesn’t back down. She pushed forward. What matters to her in that moment is not what the woman she loves thinks of her; Love is just a distant memory compared to the betrayal she feels and the compulsion she has to let go of.

“You’re a damn vampire,” Rue told a tearful Jules. “Going around to suck everyone’s goddamn spirits.” These hurtful words and many more easily spilled out of Rue’s mouth because they were fueled by pure rage. There’s a little truth to them, which is part of the reason why stretching is more tiring than piercing. Levinson only to Zendaya Go, it’s not a bad idea with an actress as compelling as this one, and her rambling attacks paint a believable picture of substance abuse, but there’s still a lot going on. episode to appreciate all the aspects conveyed in the 15-minute scene. She’s angry, she’s hurt, she’s lashing out – we know, we know, we know. Zendaya harmonizes with every trigger, shifting up and down with each new challenge, but what’s even more impressive is that she can bring out Rue’s core truth by dialing. “You do not love me!” she yelled at Jules, before stammering, “You son of a bitch left me when I needed you.” Truths are harder to admit than lies, even when the latter is shouted out to the fullest.

Episode 5 is all power – to the point where it’s annoying to get to the end and realize we’ve been through this before. “Euphoria” tells a similar story in a tenth of the time it was in Season 1, conveying all the fear, resentment, and heartbreak in the Bennett family through brief flashbacks. Season 2’s second intervention simply made it clearer, the devastation more widespread, and the effect more discouraging. It’s hard to disparage the series for its honesty. Many people have recurrent substance disorders. Some interventions go smoothly. But like Gia, burnout became the most common way. Although the episode would have been more artistic, emotional, and punchy if it had ended with Gia waiting for Rue, not their mother – a young girl still holding 5% hope for her sister. , is still waiting. indicates whether their future is doomed or redeemable – it’s hard to blame her for having gone to sleep.

“Euphoria” Season 2 premieres new episodes at 9 p.m. Sunday on HBO. The finale is scheduled for February 27.

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