S02.E01: Trying to Get to Heaven Before They Close the Door

[Mr. R0b0t]

Okay y'all I was anticipating this so much based on the absolutely well-done trailer for this season and episode one really delivered.  I didn't realize how much I missed this world until I was immersed in it again.  The music and cinematography for this show is second to none.  I loved everything about this opener for season 2 and my body is ready for whatever lies ahead.  

Edited January 10, 2022 by Mr. R0b0t

[DiabLOL]

No complaints from me so far, really looking forward to next week!

This show is so stressful I really missed it!

[MrWhyt]

< sarcasm > oh no nate got beat, what a shame. < /sarcasm > 

[Marley]

I knew Nate was going to get beat up but didn’t think it’d be so savagely. Should’ve known tho. Oh well he deserves it. Such a weird sicko.

The scenes with Cassie in the tub stressed me out about her getting caught lol.

Rue and Jules back together? Meh. 

I don’t know why but it annoyed me Nate only bought a 6 pack lol. Who buys just a 6 pack.

[vb68]

I'm just glad Cassie got out of that damned tub.

"Check it out. There's a girl passed out in here."

"Who cares?"

And when she got the used hand towel on the face?  Ugh. I don't know how she didn't freak.

And I would totally watch a prequel series based on the badass Grandma. I enjoyed her.

I couldn't tell if Nate was just waiting for that beatdown to happen or what. The way he smiled made me think he was almost daring Fezco.

At first though I thought MacKay might pummel him for how creepy Nate got in that "conversation."   

Edited January 10, 2022 by vb68

[aghst]

I don’t even remember what Fezco’s beef with Nate was.  But the backstory with his grandma was that he was vengeful and was going to shoot first, not ask questions at all?

All throughout the first season, he wasn’t violent was he?  And Ash killing those drug dealers, was that shown previously?

But that whole gangster story seemed sensationalized.  That woman was going to run afoul of other criminals if not the law, with all those witnesses.  Same thing with Fezco and Ash, how are they going to get rid of the corpses of two large men from their crib and how did the drug dealers in this episode not kill Fezco since it sounded like they lost two key men.

Now Fezco has all those witnesses and Nate and his psycho father to deal with.

Whats the deal with Rue and Jules?  In those two episodes between the season 1 finale and this one, they had a little love nest but Rue was secretly using and there was discontent in paradise.  So they broke up and no longer live together.  Rue says she’s just smoking weed but Rue sees that’s not true, she’s a junkie hanging out with drug dealers, potentially could have been in big trouble — but not really, as star of the show and Spider-Man’s girlfriend, she wasn’t stripping on camera.

Rue’s drug use is a dealbreaker for Jules but Rue just wants to be with Jules AND be able to do drugs, even if she has to take Adderall to counter the effects of other drugs on her heart.

I forget why Cassie is unhappy.  She complains that she keeps making bad choices then gets in the truck with Nate and later goes in that bedroom, worried most about Mandy catching them.  Can’t decide who’s more messed up, Cassie or snotty Olivia in the White Lotus, played by the same twenty-something actress playing teen girls.

After the episode, Zendaya and Levinson talk a lot about the second season, what they want to do for an encore, etc.  Levinson says they don’t want to do the same thing as the first season but this season 2 premiere episode repeats the tendency to shock, for the sake of being shocking.

”Look at what teens are up to these days” as the guiding principle can be compelling but will it be the only trick this show has?  If it is, they may be compelled to raise the ante in ways that stretch credulity.  For instance if they feature Fezco more this season, you have to wonder if they’re trying to imitate Tarantino.  Hoping this episode was more of a one-off, not the direction they want to take this series.

 

[Mr. R0b0t]

8 hours ago, Marley said:

I don’t know why but it annoyed me Nate only bought a 6 pack lol. Who buys just a 6 pack.

To be fair, they appeared to be just for this drive over to the party.  

[Unclejosh]

Nice return.  I can't recall seeing an erect dick before on an HBO show, lots of flaccid ones sure but full hard on?  Maybe but I am not remembering one. A close up in HD no less. I know it was a prosthetic or CGI but that was a little shocking.

Looking forward to the rest of the season.

 

[Marley]

1 hour ago, Unclejosh said:

Nice return.  I can't recall seeing an erect dick before on an HBO show, lots of flaccid ones sure but full hard on?  Maybe but I am not remembering one. A close up in HD no less. I know it was a prosthetic or CGI but that was a little shocking.

Looking forward to the rest of the season.

 

Yes there was a few times we saw the full on dick when I don’t remember seeing dicks previously on this show. Of course I’ve seen penises before but I don’t really need to see them while I’m watching a show. Seemed a bit unnecessary.

[heatherchandler]

Absolutely loved seeing Katherine Narducci (Sopranos' Charmaine Bucco) as Grandma and Martha Kelly as the older lady drug dealer!

This show is trying really hard to be shocking, but I still like it.  

[SunnyBeBe]

Why do you think they feature so much old music into this series? Not that it’s a bad thing. 

Edited January 11, 2022 by SunnyBeBe

[aghst]

3 hours ago, SunnyBeBe said:

Why do you think they feature so much old music into this series? Not that it’s a bad thing. 

Maybe that's more a thing with the show runner.

I'm sure some teens listen to music made long before they were born but it's got to be a small percentage of Gen Z?

So kind of a gimmick to set it apart from other shows and movies about people in this age group?

[SoWindsor]

90s clothes are back in style so it kind of makes sense that 90s hip hop would also be popular. 

When I was a teen we listened to the Beatles, Grateful Dead, The Doors, Bob Marley even though their music came out decades before. But they are classics therefore timeless. Tupac and Biggie most definitely are classics.

[SunnyBeBe]

Yes. Love the classics.  I didn’t realize how much I liked this song until I saw this last episode. It didn’t happen with Nate though, right?  Lol 

 

Edited January 11, 2022 by SunnyBeBe

[tennisgurl]

I remember people playing 90s rap at parties and such when I was in high school in the mid/late 00s, maybe its just always going to be great party music no matter the generation? Besides, the 90s are back in fashions again. This show is such a trip, I am glad its back. The actual plot tends to take a backseat to me for the great acting, cinematography, music, etc. Sometimes it really does feel like being on a weird trip. 

Nate was probably a bit into getting his face punched in, the guy is all kinds of messed up. The flashbacks with badass drug dealer grandma were a lot of fun, if also a bit sad. Fezco seems like a nice guy, but it seems like the universe basically decided he was going to be grow up to be a drug dealer, so here we are. 

[MrWhyt]

14 hours ago, SunnyBeBe said:

Why do you think they feature so much old music into this series? Not that it’s a bad thing. 

old music? old music!? *shakes his fist at the young person* *clutches his chest, takes a hit off his oxygen tank*

[mytmo]

The Fez story was great.  His badass Grandma was great.  Ashtray was savage when he took out Mouse and that other guy.  

I could live without Rue.  Jules too.  Downright boring.

Classic music is the best.  Better than the garbage they have now (says this old lady).

[Ambrosefolly]

6 hours ago, mytmo said:

The Fez story was great.  His badass Grandma was great.  Ashtray was savage when he took out Mouse and that other guy.  

I could live without Rue.  Jules too.  Downright boring.

Classic music is the best.  Better than the garbage they have now (says this old lady).

I am weirdly fascinated by Fez and Lexi. I am interested on how their interactions unfolds. Unlike Nate, Fez doesn't seem the type to use people and had a genuine interest in her. 

[DiabLOL]

I can totally see myself fast forwarding through any Rue and Jules stuff in the near future.

[Guest]

Fez's and Lexi's actors have amazing chemistry. An interesting and unexpected pairing, but I love it. I thought they were going to have Lexi start crushing on Rue, but I like this way better. Angus Cloud brings such gentle sincerity to a hard character. He's one of my faves.

Cassie just can't catch a break.

[CynicalGirl]

omg, this show. Trust me, I am way too old to be anywhere near their demographic, but I love it. For me, the best part has always been the back stories they show at the beginning on all the characters, explaining why they're so fucked up. I hate to admit, other than the back story, my favorite part in this ep was Nate's beat down. What is wrong with me? lol 

[Ambrosefolly]

16 hours ago, SnarkEnthusiast said:

Fez's and Lexi's actors have amazing chemistry. An interesting and unexpected pairing, but I love it. I thought they were going to have Lexi start crushing on Rue, but I like this way better. Angus Cloud brings such gentle sincerity to a hard character. He's one of my faves.

Cassie just can't catch a break.

While I am not a Rue/Lexi romantic relationship fan, it did seem as Lexi did/does have a crush on her. However, doesn't mean Lexi has to be  set on her sexuality right now. I do look forward to Euphoria exploring a connection between the two of them.

I would kind of love it if Fez/Lexi wound up in the healthiest, most stable relationship out of cast, even if the relationship doesn't last.

Edited January 15, 2022 by Ambrosefolly

[CynicalGirl]

^ I think Lexi was loving the attention, but not sure how she felt after seeing him beat the snot out of Nate.

[BigDfromLA]

There is no way Nate would survive the beating he received from Fez at the end of the episode. He should be dead. Between the broken glass from the bottle cutting arteries and resulting in massive bleeding. The constant blows to the head which would definitely cause major brain damage and the overall effects of the beating would definitely render him dead. Ashtray killed Mouse with much less of a "beating" than Nate received...a beating that also featured broken glass. Also, keep in mind that injured Nate was in a room full of drunk, wasted, fucked up kids who are in no condition to do the right thing to treat him, or even call the paramedics in a time frame where they could treat/save him. 

It seemed like Fez was deeply in love with Rue at the end of season one, combined with a sense of guilt that he may feel some responsibility for her drug use (since he was her supplier). I think those factors are why he confronted Nate at the end of Season 1 and (in the aftermath of his bust that Nate was responsible for) beat him in this episode. Honestly, Nate should be dead and Fex should be arrested for murder...but it seems that the show will not lead to either of those things happening.

Lexi is my favorite character and I root for her. Being the only character in the show who is not a fuck up, I root for her not to be dragged down into the sewer by her screwed up mother and all the other rotten people who she's surrounded by. Getting mixed up with Fez would be a huge mistake. 

Edited January 16, 2022 by BigDfromLA

[Marley]

Yea I thought the show was killing off Nate after that beating. It was savage and went on for a bit. I mean even if Nate did survive he would never be the same. He would definitely have some sort of brain damage issues. The show will have him recover fairly quickly i bet tho. They could’ve had Fez beat him but not so intensely. I don’t know why I even care about this tho lol.

[Ambrosefolly]

19 hours ago, BigDfromLA said:

Lexi is my favorite character and I root for her. Being the only character in the show who is not a fuck up, I root for her not to be dragged down into the sewer by her screwed up mother and all the other rotten people who she's surrounded by. Getting mixed up with Fez would be a huge mistake. 

And she is a teenager and teenagers tend to make really stupid mistakes. One thing that Lexi could find attractive about Fez is that Fez is something of a caretaker, something her own father lacked. His grandmother, his adopted younger brother, Rue and he seems to do without complaint and at an extremely young age. In the case of Ashtray and Rue, it is somewhat unconventional, but he doing the best with what he knows. 

[MagicCat]

He also called Lexi fearless, which is a quality that she never saw in herself.  That's intoxicating for a teen.

 

 

[pasdetrois]

Quote

I can't recall seeing an erect dick before on an HBO show, lots of flaccid ones sure but full hard on? 

Claws also had an erect penis on last night's episode.

I'd forgotten how boring it is to hang out with druggies.

The photography is phenomenal.

[SunnyBeBe]

Yeah, with that beat down, you’d expect to see teeth flying all over the place.  

[qtpye]

I really enjoyed this premiere. 

The grainy cinematic quality reminds me of the '90s.

The playing of music from the '90s and '70s (the '70s were big in the '90s) also gave me a Gen X with smartphones vibes.

This is the second show I've seen where a guy gets shot in the balls and there seem to be no consequences for the shooter.

The grandma was totally badazz but probably really unrealistic that she could go around beating up people and still be breathing.

[Unclejosh]

Are we not getting individual threads for each episode?

[juno]

1 hour ago, Unclejosh said:

Are we not getting individual threads for each episode?

Just created one.

[LaMatadita]

On 1/15/2022 at 10:39 AM, Ambrosefolly said:

While I am not a Rue/Lexi romantic relationship fan, it did seem as Lexi did/does have a crush on her. However, doesn't mean Lexi has to be  set on her sexuality right now. I do look forward to Euphoria exploring a connection between the two of them.

I do see why people thought that, but guilt can look a lot like romantic longing. I've always read it as Lexi feeling guilty that she wasn't there for Rue and she almost died, combined with sadness at seeing herself replaced by Jules, and then a mix of being happy for Rue but sad for herself because she still didn't have anyone. Once she realized Rue and Jules were romantic, she seemed pretty happy that she wasn't being a replaced as a friend and that there was still a place for her in Rue's life. This season has actually made me feel pretty validated in that interpretation, but that's not to say it can't change, I suppose.

[AWhittle]

When Nate gave Cassie a ride to the party.

That care scene.