Euphoria’s season two trailer woke up and chose chaos

Euphoria’s first season and two special episodes released subsequently in January of 2020 were a smash hit. For a show mostly revolving around the sex lives and substance abuse of high school kids, Euphoria has captured a fandom that spans generations. What has aired so far was compulsively watchable and impeccably acted (and made Zendaya the youngest person to win an Emmy). Its cinematography was a high art not many television shows rise to. Most entrancingly though, Euphoria captured the elusive, electric “it factor” of Gen Z, a generation raised well into the internet age with the “wokeness” to prove it — making it relatable to young audiences and absolutely fascinating to older audiences. Euphoria took recognizable themes from all of our youths — drinking, drugs, depression, sexuality, broken families, early loss, popularity, incapable parents — and eerily brought them into our more terrifying modern day world. But where its first season was a dance between uncomfortable and beautiful, Season 2 of Euphoria seems to want to take the car that was already speeding and crash it, in way that should make for more powerful television.

As the trailer begins, Gerry Rafferty’s “Woman, Right Down The Line” plays, giving the trailer a more grown-up feel to match its more grown-up content. Rue (Zendaya) is dragging around a suitcase, and you already know before her sponsor Ali (Colman Domingo) asks her what’s in it that it’s probably drugs. Jules (Hunter Schafer) blurs in and out of the trailer, similarly to how she’s started blurring in and out of Rue’s life because Rue can’t keep her addiction under control. Their intoxicating chemistry feels like it might be enough to beat the odds in a splice of a scene on a dance floor, but as the trailer continues it becomes clear that Rue is in over her head more than she’s ever been with her tendencies towards the unsavory. She might be selling drugs. She’s screaming at her mom. She’s found new pushers and face-tattooed buddies to not make her feel weird about spiraling out of control. Guns and cop cars flash across the screen, seemingly whispering, “Shit is going to get wild.”

Series regulars Sydney Sweeney, Jacob Elordi, Eric Dane, Angus Cloud, Algee Smith, Alexa Demie, Barbie Ferreira, Maude Apatow, Javon Walton, Dominic Fike, Storm Reid and Austin Abrams all return as well. From the trailer our favorite secondary characters’ lives are only escalating as well as sex, pregnancy and confusion about identity continue to occupy their minds, but with bigger stakes. There are still lots of tears, high fashion, sex, leather and rhinestones — this season just seems to promise a little more crime and chaos to top it off.

Season 2 of Euphoria premiers on HBO January 9, and will air weekly episodes Sundays at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT.