I said it once and I’ll say it again: Euphoria is a much-needed relief. The HBO show diverts from the glamorized on-screen youth we’ve seen too many times, the kind that makes us absurdly wish we were back in high school. Euphoria doesn’t fool us like that; they treat us right by showing the ugly truth about growing up in an environment that thrives off of overindulgence.

The first season has given us a glimpse into the roller coaster that is the lives of these fragile high school students. While this glimpse may seem brief with only eight episodes, it’s everything but. This season has managed to fully entertain, but still leave us itching for more. Each episode centred around a specific character by delving into their backgrounds, desires, fears, and issues while somehow still keeping Rue (Zendaya) important enough to remain the main character. This Breakfast Club-like narrative style allows us to appreciate every character’s individual journey, regardless of how we feel about them. The end result is making us feel like we’re experiencing every heartbreak and triumph with them, like we’re every character’s confidante and they’re just telling us about their day.

Thankfully, HBO has listened to our praises. Euphoria was renewed for a second season. They haven’t announced when it will be available, but given production time, I’d say we’d have to wait at least a year.

To honor Euphoria’s accomplishment, I decided to write about what I think we’ll see in the next season. If you haven’t seen the first season yet, check it out on HBO either online or on cable and then read this article.

If mentions of sex, abuse, drugs, and mental illness make you uncomfortable, please stop reading as this article and the show probably aren’t for you.

• Jules isn’t coming back, at least not for a few episodes. Jules (Hunter Schafer) never liked the small town she and her dad moved to. So, when Rue suggested they leave, Jules was understandably all-in. Unfortunately, Rue couldn’t commit to the plan. Jules is definitely going to want to stay in the city for a while just to get away from it all. Funnily enough, Jules’s spontaneous energy made me think she’d be the one to break Rue’s heart, not the other way around.

• Ali is going to help Rue stay clean. Ali (Colman Domingo) might’ve came off as just a random man on the streets when we first saw him in the second episode until he revealed his own battle with addiction and graciously offered Rue help via pancakes. Now that Jules is no longer in the picture, Rue has to learn how to be sober without obsessing over a person.

• Fezco is going to get in too deep with the drug game and will need Rue’s help. There’s no going back from the job Mouse (Meeko Gattuso) made Fezco (Angus Cloud) do in the finale. While drug-dealing isn’t Rue’s game, I know she and Fezco trust each other. We’ll probably get to see Rue help Fezco instead of the other way around, as it was this season.

• Kat’s online alter-ego is going to be revealed. Kat (Barbie Ferreira) had the happiest ending of all the characters. She learned to be confident in her own body, made some money off of it, and managed to find a nice guy who genuinely cares for her. Judging by the series’ tendency to portray crisis after crisis, this probably won’t last. I don’t think Ethan (Austin Abrams) knows about her livestreams; he’s an honest guy who would’ve told her already. But I’m sure at least one of their classmates will stumble upon it.

• Maddy is going to help Nate come to terms with his own sexuality. The relationship between Maddy (Alexa Demie) and Nate (Jacob Elordi) is dangerous and should’ve ended way before Nate turned abusive. Unfortunately, Maddy is still caught up on him and she’ll never get better if she doesn’t leave him. We’ve seen that she is willing enough to help him understand his sexuality—we all know his father certainly isn’t—and while this won’t cure him of his tainted family or unforgivably sadistic tendencies, it’s bound to help somehow.

There are characters I left out, but I’m honestly not as sure what the next season holds for them. What do you think is going to happen? What do you want to happen? What did you think of this season? Did you love Labrinth’s and Zendaya’s song “All for Us” as much as I did?

As always, let me know in the comments down below!

Nothing but love.

Published by Rihaana Stark

21-year-old senior at JMU, class of 2020 in Virginia. Writing for Geeks of Color. My friends call me Stark, so you can call me Stark, too. Nothing but love. View all posts by Rihaana Stark