Euphoria

Beautifully shot, artfully composed, nevertheless unsettling and needlessly cruel. To really get the show, one must shed any notion that a teenager can be happy or satisfied — even in moments of chemical or sexual ecstasy. The show defies any notion that stories are something that build toward a moral or a theme or even a central idea. ... The narrative never coheres because it’s not really supposed to. Alluring yes, but far from great television.

It succeeds at sucking the viewer into its vibe and at building some genuine suspense about how certain story lines will play out. Zendaya is also exceptional as Rue, the glue that holds this sprawling ensemble piece together. But I can’t say for certain that I fully like it, either, because it’s gratuitous for reasons that don’t always seem necessary.

For all of the many flaws of those earlier years, high school was a much better setting for Euphoria than everything happening now. But there are still moments.

Outside of a few poignant character moments, Euphoria tries so hard to be provocative that it doesn’t stir up much at all. It’s a gorgeous, empty thing that mistakes external beauty for inner depth.

The performances, particularly by Zendaya, Schaefer and Ferreira -- are not the problem. But getting “real” doesn’t have to mean diving head first into a cesspool of drugs, profanity, promiscuity and a borderline indifference to it all. That’s where Euphoria so far fails not only itself, but the many impressionable youth that likely will be the series’ core audience.

It’s a credit to both actors [Zendaya and Hunter Schafer] that the characters’ relationship feels so pure; I only wish we got less of diffident Rue’s solitary wanderings and more of the girls together. ... Though its heroine is informed by Levinson’s youth, Euphoria’s nihilism feels as contrived as a Burger King ad.

Rue and Jules’s relationship is the jewel of “Euphoria.” I’ll keep watching because I desperately want to protect them. Otherwise, the show so far (I’ve seen four episodes) is a highly self-conscious study of ennui, overfull with fancy camera tricks and thousand-dollar designer getups.

“Euphoria” wants to be honest and cool AF with character arcs built around its taboos, but while it has plenty of inspired visuals, those values don't make for durable storytelling once you get to know the show at its core.

The results sometimes engaging, often frustrating. ... He oscillates distractingly among tones and styles, jumping between dark-comic satire and earnest melodrama. The juggling of plot lines results in scenes continually being cut off before they develop momentum. It’s too bad, because scene by scene, piece by piece, there are things to like.