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Managing editor & film and television critic with a Bachelor's of Arts in English Literature with a Writing Minor from the University of Guam. Currently in graduate school completing a Master's in English Literature.
This week’s episode of Euphoria is more than a Hall & Oates reference. Hear me out for the next 1,442 words.
Euphoria‘s Season 2 Episode 2 is titled, “Out of Touch”. As always, it is written and directed by the series creator, Sam Levinson.
In this review, I will be discussing this week’s episode of Euphoria. There will be no spoilers here, as the title of this article suggests. Although, I will discuss major themes present in the episode. Nonetheless, please read ahead at your own discretion to avoid any possible revelations.
Plot Summary
Following last weekend’s Euphoria Season 2 premiere episode, we find our characters facing some repercussions of the choices and mistakes they’ve made in the past several months — or at least, they try to avoid meeting the consequences.
The Cast of This Week’s Euphoria
As always, Zendaya and Hunter Schafer play Rue Bennett and Jules Vaughn, respectively, with Dominic Fike appearing as Elliot.
Maude Apatow stars as Lexi Howard, while Sydney Sweeney portrays her sister, Cassie Howard. Alexa Demie plays Maddy Perez, while Jacob Elordi plays the series antagonist, Nate Jacobs. Angus Cloud stars as Fezco, while Javon “Wanna” Walton portrays the character’s younger brother, Ashtray. Barbie Ferreira and Austin Abrams play their respective characters, Kat Hernandez and Ethan Lewis.
Nika King plays Rue’s mother, Leslie Bennett, while Eric Dane plays Nate’s father, Cal Jacobs. Algee Smith makes an appearance as Chris McKay.
Chloe Cherry plays Faye, while Sophia Rose Wilson returns as Barbara “BB” Brooks, a friend of Maddy, Kat, Cassie, and Lexi. Siyon Foster returns as Virgil, while Ziayla Pizarro plays Elliot’s cousin.
Yukon Clement plays Theo, while Keilani Arellanes portrays a young Maddy Perez. Brock O’Hurn portrays “Super Hot Warrior Man”, while Fernando Belo plays Theo’s dad. Robyn Okrant plays a receptionist, while Christin Byrdsong plays a guy in a motel room.
Guest stars include Tyler Chase as Custer and Paula Marshall as Marsha. Alanna Ubach and Nick Blood appear as Suze and Gus Howard, Cassie and Lexi’s respective parents, while John Ales appears as Jules’s father, David Vaughn.
Minka Kelly appears as Samantha, a mother whom Maddy babysits for, while Colman Domingo returns as Ali.
Discussion
The editing is a bit different in this week’s episode of Euphoria. Series co-producer Julio C. Perez IV now takes over as the supervising editor, with Aaron I. Butler as the editor and Andy Cruz on additional editing. (Cruz also serves as an assistant editor alongside Andrea Espinoza.)
At its essence, “Out of Touch” focuses on the characters who are out of touch with what’s going on around them. While the Hall & Oates song, unfortunately, does not appear in the episode, the show’s characters are not conscious of the happenstances that transpire in town. With the editing team’s help, it makes sense why we have to see different subplots switching back and forth between each other.
With a storyteller such as Sam Levinson, it can prove difficult to focus on one thing at a time. We’ve seen this with his film from last January, Malcolm & Marie. Although, it’s clear that the main theme is “out of touch”, Levinson displays different predicaments and scenarios to which this could be applied. Not only that, but his attention to detail is on point. His style of screenwriting is austere, yet the narrative itself is chaotic as it runs its linear course.
“Out of Touch”-ness
For example, we can look at Elliot’s conversation with Rue in one scene. They begin with a brief discussion on love when the former asks, “What’s a bigger feeling than love?” to which the latter replies, “Loss”. They talk about Rue’s father’s death potentially being the reason behind her drug habits. Fike’s character then explains, “I feel like everyone’s looking for a cause and effect. Sometimes … it is what it is”. The second part of this line is repeated during a serious conversation between two other characters. One tries to apologize for a mistake they made, stating, “It is what it is”.
Levinson also draws on the fantasy element that takes place in the characters’ minds. (Although, for Kat, she does imagine a sexual fantasy with a “super hot warrior man” from some work of fantasy fiction.) The filmmaker juxtaposes strength and weakness, fantasy and reality, love and loss, etc. in a way that facilitates understanding. He extrapolates the idea that Nate and Cassie might further develop their dynamic. It is not supposed to work and does not play well with reality, and that’s why this secret must remain esoteric amongst them. At the same time, the screenwriter imagines that perhaps something life-threatening could go wrong with the former’s father, Cal.
In another instance, we have Rue back on drugs. This subplot is a complete reverse of whatever character development she had in the previous season, and she has to find a way to either keep that a secret or return to sobriety. Her decisions, then, play into Levinson’s different juxtapositions that she must interact with.
Performances and Character Developments
This week’s episode of Euphoria is all over the place with its different subplots, so let’s focus on one or two characters at a time.
I love its juxtaposition between Demie’s and Sweeney’s characters in relation to Nate Jacobs. They both make bad choices, but the outcome is their differing reactions to the given situation. Maybe it could just be that Nate is the cause, whereas they are the effects? Regardless, I do believe that Maddy is making efforts at being a better person, while Cassie lives in a state of fear and confusion at what type of person she desires to be.
The same might be said for Ferreira’s character when she decides what is wrong regarding her relationship with Ethan. This subplot plays well into the fantasy versus reality aspect of the “out of touch” theme. I’d like to see how this ends.
As I detailed earlier, Zendaya’s character Rue in this episode… Well, she ruins her dynamic with Schafer’s Jules. The latter character says, “I love you,” but the former prolongs reciprocation when Fike’s Elliot enters the picture. This triangle, if we are to call it that, is not as harsh as the Maddy-Cassie-Nate predicament. However, there is still meaning there as we might predict some loss coming our way.
With the exception of Dane’s Cal Jacobs, I believe the adults of the episode are doing fine. It is clear that his character is not a good role model and could easily be conquered by the teenagers. In juxtaposition, there is a human strength that both Apatow’s and Cloud’s characters possess together. I just hope they realize this before something wrong happens soon.
Final Thoughts
So far, Storm Reid is absent from the season’s two episodes. I can only surmise that the actor is currently filming her role as Riley Abel in HBO’s other series, The Last of Us. We also do not get a lot from Algee Smith’s character McKay; he appears in one scene and that is not a lot of screentime.
While the stories that play out are perhaps expository, they do present some fortification of the episode’s theme. At a runtime of 57 minutes, I do think that there should have been a narrowed focus on one or two groups of characters rather than shaking up the narrative with a variety of subplots. It might be good on paper, but a part of me also believes that the “Out of Touch” idea could be expanded over the course of two or three episodes, if not the entire season. Since it is instead touched upon in one episode, the question, then, is: who is the most out of touch?
I would hate to see what happens in next week’s third episode. People’s lives, reputations, and already-fractured integrities are at stake. Can this get any worse than it already is? Yes, but ignorance is bliss, and these characters are in a state of euphoria.
Euphoria Season 2 is now available to watch on HBO!
Have you seen the new season of Euphoria? If so, what are your thoughts? Let us know! For more drama-related news and reviews visit and follow The Cinema Spot on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram!
Managing editor & film and television critic with a Bachelor's of Arts in English Literature with a Writing Minor from the University of Guam. Currently in graduate school completing a Master's in English Literature.
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