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2 TV ENCORE By Breanna Henry TV Media R ue Bennett is a drug addict. Despite having been recently released from a rehab center, she is not recovering, and does not intend to remain clean. She routinely meets strangers online for "hook-ups," browses sketchy websites, and lies about her age. Rue is only 17-years-old, and luckily for her parents, she is a fictional character from the pre- mium cable show "Euphoria," played by Disney Channel grad- uate Zendaya ("Spider-Man: Far From Home," 2019). If you haven't been keeping up with "Euphoria" so far, you can stream previous episodes on HBO Go, and the Season 1 finale (titled "And Salt the Earth Behind You") airs Sunday, Aug. 4, on HBO. The fantastic cast of fresh young actors "Euphoria" revolves around includes Jacob Elordi ("The Kissing Booth," 2018) as angry, confused jock Nate; Algee Smith ("The Hate U Give," 2018) as struggling col- lege athlete Chris; Barbie Ferreira ("Divorce") as insecure, sexually curious Kat; Sydney Sweeney ("Sharp Objects") as Cassie, who can't seem to escape her past; and the show's breakout star, trans runway model Hunter Schafer in her first role as Jules, a transgender teen girl looking to find the place she belongs. Cap all that talent off with an incredible performance by the show's lead, Zendaya, and there is no reason to ques- tion why "Euphoria" is becom- ing one of the most popular shows on HBO. "Euphoria" follows a group of Generation Z (the group that came right after Millennials) stu- dents as they navigate their way through their late teen years into adulthood, and deal with the problems unique to their genera- tion. Racy videos posted online, fentanyl abuse and social media drama weren't issues you had to deal with in high school before Generation Z came along, but the classic problems like bullies, parents, secrets and crushes are still very much part of these teens' lives. In many ways, "Euphoria" rep- resents a bridge of understand- ing between modern parents and children; while the show may take drama to the extreme in some cases, many aspects of the show's storyline do occur in the life of today's average teen. A review of the show on Vox inter- preted "Euphoria" perfectly, say- ing, "The [series] has gotten a lot of attention for depicting 'how the teens live today,' but its greatest strength isn't what's timely about it, but what's eter- nal about it."The way the show mixes these themes together is seamless and absolutely stun- ning. HBO is well known for its boundary-pushing, extravagant and original television series; there are things one expects when it comes to an HBO origi- nal — more mature content, more production value, higher quality — and "Euphoria" has hit every one of these marks with its first season. The cinematogra- phy, colors and design are out-of- this-world on their own, but cou- ple them with stunning camera direction and unique shots, and "Euphoria" could stand tall even without amazing storylines and great acting — which it has, of course. Episodes are interwoven with flashbacks to the characters' childhoods, and we're shown how those moments relate to current issues and events in their lives. The way the show uses images to convey its story is truly something worth seeing, even if the plot doesn't excite you. You can't talk about "Euphoria" without talking about mental health. Zendaya's character, Rue has dealt with anxiety, Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder and Attention Deficit Disorder since early childhood, and was first given Valium at the age of 11; this, along with the death of her father, drives the teen to begin taking drugs as she searches for the two seconds of "euphoria" in which she isn't plagued by her mental state. The moments of the show that truly stand out are Zendaya's voice-over mono- logues, which are poignant, thought-provoking and relatable for viewers who have experi- enced similar situations. Jill Gutowitz of Nylon Magazine wrote, "I was actually happy — and by 'happy,' I mean devastat- ed — to see the things I feel and endure mirrored." She also called "Euphoria" "TV's most realistic portrayal of anxiety." The portrayal of the dark side of mental health in the show is very real, and neither sugar- coats or vilifies the issue. Critics of the series say it brings back memories of "Reefer Madness" (1936), or assert that it's trying too hard, but there are many more moments in "Euphoria" I consider must-see scenes than cringe-worthy shock bait. The series has been gaining more and more viewers each episode, and HBO even ordered a second season of the show in July. (Take that, haters.) The show boasts a talented, if some- what odd, group of producers that include Canadian rapper Drake and his manager, Future the Prince, as well as Peabody Award-winning writer Gary Lennon, and 71-year-old Tmira Yardeni, a prolific producer from Tel Aviv, Israel. 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