This has been bothering the hell outta me 😭 and I don’t see anyone talking about it.
We all know that the aesthetic of the show has changed drastically from the first few seasons, and we all pretty much feel bothered by that (obvi this is a generalization, pls take my words with a grain of salt). But what bothers me most about it is that, from what I have seen, is that the development of time in the 3rd season has seemed to bring about a revival of the 1970s. Like, I know that Levinson is clearly inspired by Tarantino, old movies, whoever, whatever, and lots of us are noting that he’s veering in that direction, but it’s to the point that he’s developed the universe so that it seems like it’s gone back in time.
Like, I’m not even kidding, I watch the show, and I feel like I’m watching a period piece. Like, we all appreciate a good throwback, and lots of ppl wear clothing and design their spaces in a way that calls on the past, but this styling on the show seems pervasive, to the point where the whole universe has changed.
The costuming, the lighting, the set design, all of it points to the 1970s, to the point where it’s not reflective of modern life. Like no one really has a home looking like Cassie and Nate’s anymore, dressing the way that they dress, with a housewife sitting at home with a maid, while the husband goes out to work…. Like yes, I know that ppl obviously still do live that life, but it’s not the majority, and it certainly doesn’t feel representative of the modern times, and then you throw in Maddie’s outfits, Nate’s hair, the silver slipper as this desolate, desert strip club with the old-fashioned pinup girl on the sign, and the pervasive yellow tint on the screen, and the outfits that seemingly everybody else in the universe is wearing, such as the man with the double popped, pastel collars 🤯 at Nate and Cassie’s party, and it seems like a pretty totalizing thing.
And what bothers me about it is that the first two seasons of Euphoria were very much grounded in reality, in modernism, and how teenagers dressed, acted, and felt at the time… ripping vapes, somebody telling somebody else to “go catch a dick” you know? The show tried SO hard to be relevant. And that’s what ppl loved about it! It represented real, albeit dramatized, high school experiences.
And I’m not saying that it always has to stay this way, and that the show can’t grow, but it has gotten to the point that the way that the in-universe show has developed, seems to have veered from ultra-modernity and ultra-presence, into a world where the space-time continuum has ripped and has somehow fused the 1970s and the 2020s together, and somehow nobody is talking about it…. And it’s weird. I feel like it’s lost its soul. And it almost feels a little sci-fi (to the credit of u/ElegantCoach4066) in a way that needs to be acknowledge. Like the tipping of the hat to an era gone by has been crossed over into a whole, universal shift, that needs to be acknowledged. Like I would find it strange, in this modern day and age, to find that man with the double popped collar at a party. Like, I wouldn’t think he was real.
And I don’t like it. And that’s a personal thing. But I had to come on here and rant about how Euphoria has become a non-period period piece somehow, and how it’s bothering me, lol….
For example: Maddie coming up to that executive and giving her that speech felt out of place, time-wise, felt very Wolf of Wall Street (1980s) and when it happened at the time, everyone ragged on it and said it’s how their Boomer parents insist that ppl get jobs….
—- ALL of Maddie’s outfits…. Except sans the wedding…..
—— ORANGEASS LIGHTING
— Nate’s hair and whole vibe
—- may I say again: double popped collars
—- god, the beige, tan, carpet indoors, wooden paneling galore….
—— when we got to see Jules and how her life was living, that felt like a breath of fresh air… but still….
Idk…. Any thoughts??
The next few episodes seem much more modern with Cassie running around in a nigh club with a bodysuit on and shit, but still…
(All of these words are personal thoughts and reflections. I don’t have to be right or wrong - just wanted to express!) Ty ❤️
EDIT: THE JAMES BROWN IMPERSONATOR AT THE WEDDING 😩😩😭…. Like…. How could I forget???
It’s very clear that they’re leaning into this time in a way that’s not a call-back… they’re trying to bring it to life… very interesting….
EDIT: to include credit for u/ElegantCoach4066 my new Reddit homie