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LIFE
PAGE 14
THURSDAY, MARCH 3, 2022 LIFE
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OLD GOLD & BLACK
Adam Coil, coilat21@wfu.edu Josie Scratchard, scraja20@wfu.edu 'Euphoria' explores complex issues
SOPHIE GUYMON
Opinion Editor is article contains spoilers for "Euphoria". Reader discretion is advised.
Since season two of HBO’s “Euphoria” premiered on Jan. 9, it has been one of the most talked-about shows on television — and for good reason. According to Twitter analytics, it is now the most-tweetedabout show of the decade.
“Euphoria” is certainly not perfectly produced — there are a number of character and plot decisions that director and executive producer Sam Levinson could be rightfully criticized for — but the show is almost perfectly nuanced. Unfortunately, much of the audience is unable to look past their super cial issues with certain characters and plot points to appreciate the show’s incredible portrayals of issues such as substance use and abuse, trauma, grief, identity and relationships.
As Zendaya once told costume designer Heidi Bivens, “ ere [are] two versions of Euphoria: the TikTok version and the real story that digs a lot deeper.”
Not every character has to be as likable as they were in the rst season — and development isn’t linear. While characters such as Cassie and Jules went from being fan-favorites in the rst season to being hated in the second, the choices Levinson made regarding these characters were not without reason.
Cassie’s decisions in season two make a lot of sense, especially when considering her background — particularly her relationship with her dad and her abortion at the end of season one. e same can be said for Jules — in her special episode that aired between the rst and second seasons Jules discussed her struggles with femininity as a transgender woman, providing vital context for her character and decisions.
Almost none of the decisions made on “Euphoria” are baseless. I may not be thrilled with Levinson’s decision to kill o Ashtray in the nale, but I cannot say that it wasn’t thought out. Fez and Ash lead an incredibly dangerous lifestyle — and while Fez has some memories of a life before drug dealing, it is all Ash has ever known. He doesn’t have a legal name or identity records. Physically, he is still a child, but he never really had a childhood. Ash’s fate e ectively portrays the brutality and tragedy of his lifestyle.
However, where “Euphoria” really shines is in its portrayal of teenage addiction, which is based on Levinson’s lived experience. It doesn’t paint a pretty picture — the accusations of Levinson glamorizing drugs are almost laughable.
Addiction has the capacity to transform good, kind people into sel sh, heartless ones. “Euphoria” really hammers in this truth — not only through the main character Rue but also through peripheral characters such as Lexi's and Cassie’s dad, who e ectively abandoned his family after becoming addicted to heroin.
Rue has come close to irreparably damaging many of her valued relationships because of her addiction, treating her friends, family and peers in ways that she would never do when she was sober. By the end of season two, she makes amends with many of the people she cares about — like her mother, sister and sponsor, Ali — and remains clean through the end of the school year.
Photo courtesy of IMDb
Zendaya's character battles a drug addiction in the show "Euphoria".
However, the troubles of her addiction are far from over — the threat of repaying Laurie and the possibility of being sex-tra cked are still hanging over her head and will likely be explored in Season 3. She is still learning how to move forward and live her life without the substances that had become her crutch.
Rue, in spite of her aws, tries to be a good person — if not for the sake of herself, then for the sake of the people she cares about. She remains a sympathetic character through it all, and among the tragedy and brutality of “Euphoria”, there is still a message of hope.
No character or action is irredeemable — with the exception of Nate Jacobs — and everyone deserves grace, both on and o the television screen.
It’s incredibly important that shows like “Euphoria” be approached with a certain mindset. Every episode begins with a disclaimer that its content may be disturbing to viewers and discretion is advised — and these should be taken to heart when watching, interpreting and discussing the show. People should not watch “Euphoria” to escape from real-world problems or put ctional characters on pedestals. People like to see things wrapped up in a pretty bow with no loose ends. “Euphoria” may not satisfy that desire, but that is the point.
Romantic comedy relies on delicate dance of key ingredients
OLIVIA FONDIE
Staff Writer Romantic comedies are an especially polarizing genre of movie. Regardless, in unsteady and unpredictable times, one can always rely on the comforting presence of a romantic comedy. e genre inspires joy, laughter and sometimes tears — mostly the happy kind. I often gravitate towards more complex genres, yet something about the occasional mindless and blissful lm makes me feel warm and cozy. In this article, I chose to look at the dichotomy of romantic comedies — the good and the bad — because I hope to help viewers reassess the genre. Romantic comedies have more to them than what meets the eye and I hope to di erentiate between quality and shoddy work.
What makes a romantic comedy fail:
Cheese. If a romantic comedy maxes out on the cheesiness scale then in my mind it loses its integrity as a lm. When I watch a romantic comedy I look for three key ingredients: characters I care about, a fun setting — whether that be a workplace or New York City — and a tumultuous but entertaining journey.
If a lm lacks any of these three components, then I don't want to watch it. If I nd the leading lady to be annoying or overly frustrating, I cannot get on board with want-
Photo courtesy of IMDb
Keira Knightley and Andrew Lincoln co-star in "Love Actually", a film that follows multiple romances during the holidays.
ing to see her love life succeed. If the male is reasonably unappealing and falls into the stereotype of a womanizer, I am not interested. On another note, romantic comedies don't work when the viewer is bombarded with numerous storylines. Yes, I am bashing the Christmas classic “Love Actually” (2003), along with its other holiday companions “Mother’s Day” (2016), “Valentines Day” (2010) and “New Years Eve” (2011). When there are so many storylines to follow, the story of the main characters is lost. Feeling either empathy or sympathy for a character is a slow burn as you see their triumphs and failures. In the previously mentioned ensemble of lms, the audience doesn't get to know any of the characters well enough to really care about their storylines. Basically, do not put a bunch of annoying people in a boring location and give their story no complexity. If you follow those simple guidelines, then you have yourself the makings of a fantastic romantic comedy.
What makes a romantic comedy succeed:
For many, these lms bring comfort, escape and a dream-like state where “happily ever after” seems more possible than ever. As aforementioned, the success and appeal of a romantic comedy is the combination of loveable characters, adventures and a fun setting.
I personally enjoy the following tropes: workplace romance, enemies-to-lovers, friends slowly realizing their love for one another and the joining of two unlikely people. Yes, those tropes cover a lot of territory, but I cannot help but be a sucker for love!
Another component that propels a romantic comedy to the top of the list is a great soundtrack. One of my absolute favorites is “ e Holiday” (2006). is lm score was composed by none other than Oscarwinner Hans Zimmer himself, composer for lms such as “ e Dark Knight” (2008), "Interstellar" (2014) and "Dune" (2021). A classical lm score that intensi es the love in the air is a guaranteed recipe for success. Beautiful setting, beautiful music, beautiful people — now that's the perfect melody.
ISABELLA MASON Staff Writer
"Survivor" is a show that is older than I am. Episode one of "Survivor: Borneo" — the show’s first season — aired in May 2000. "Survivor" predates my entire life, and yet I’ve become engrossed in all that it has to offer. Believe it or not, the show is still airing — "Survivor" is currently in its offseason, the show regularly airs every Wednesday at 8 p.m. on CBS. Season 42 is set to premiere on Mar. 9, 2022.
There is something really special about "Survivor". I began watching it when Netflix put two seasons on its streaming platform — those seasons were "Survivor 20: Heroes vs. Villains" and “Survivor 28: Cagayan”. It took me about six months to watch the rest of the series — all 600-odd hours of it. All 40 seasons. I watched season 41 live. "Survivor" is a show for the people. "Survivor" represents America in so many ways — at times, it is progressive and edgy, and at others, it is stagnant and repetitive. In "Borneo", the winner is gay, which is incredible because it was 2001. Richard Hatch is not a typical stereotype of the “loveable gay person,” either — he’s hated due to his sarcastic and frank nature. "Borneo" showed America the nature of the game — you don’t have to be kind or warm to win, you just have to be clever and, typically, respected. Isn’t this widely representative of the American dream? In an ideal world, you can get far without being considerate of others — all you need is charisma and to be a few rungs up on the social ladder. "Survivor" is noted as a game of social politics, and it stays true to that descriptor throughout all 41 seasons. The show is incredibly edgy at times. In "Survivor 13: Cook Islands", which aired in 2006, the tribes are divided by race — white, Latinx, Black and Asian. In Nov. 2020, over 15 years later, it was finally announced that, going forward, at least 50% of the cast would be made up of people of color. It is incredible to me that, for a show which claimed to be so representative of America,
'Survivor' prepares for its 42nd season in Fiji
it took 20 years for "Survivor" to make a commitment to some form of diversity. "Survivor" is far from perfect, but turning America on to a survival game show is no easy feat. With complicated challenges, unique contestants every season and innovations in gameplay and advantages given to players, the makers of the show — and its loyal host, Jeff Probst — pour themselves into making the game great and to helping it grow with America.
I wouldn’t have watched 40 seasons of "Survivor" if I didn’t love it as much as I did, and if it didn't have so much to offer analytically. It’s complex — every season offers a unique challenge to viewers, and while it does have patterns, they’re hard to follow, which just makes the show that much more interesting. I have seen "Survivor" grow and change in incredible ways, as has the rest of America. It is my hope that this truly special show will continue on for years, as its loyal fanbase never seems to waver.
I have faith that the show will continue to grow in the right direction, building on their previous successes.
Photo courtesy of IMDb
Jeff Probst discusses the game with the contestants during tribal council.
Contact Isabella Mason at masoif20@wfu.edu
Ocean formations serve as metaphors
ABBY KOMISKE Staff Writer
Any ocean-lover knows of the fabled “green room”. As swells are generated by wind energy, water molecules rise and fall across the ocean surface. Waves travel abruptly from deep to shallow water and the bottom of the waves are hampered by the ocean oor, while the topmost waves continue forward. As the tops are forced to steepen, the upper layers cascade down the edge, creating barrels. e inside of a barrel is vibrant and beautiful, energetic yet calm, chaotic yet ordered.
It is di cult to nd the perfect barrel but once you enter that sweet spot in the forceful water, the moment transcends all else. e beauty of the tunnel lies in its brevity. Time stands still for a moment, allowing the viewer to see through a narrow — yet simultaneously complete — view of the world. If the viewer is lucky, the tunnel crosses all the way to the outside world of sun, sand and people. It is an unforgettable experience, being so fully contained within the barrel while also knowing that life is continuing outside of the transient tunnel. e force of the tunnel — the water violently pushing towards the sky — makes one feel so powerful and helpless at the same time.
Tunnel vision makes barrels so exceptionally fascinating. e viewer understands immediacy — the water curling around one’s body and the path ahead — as the hole of blue sky narrows. While in the tunnel, one can only focus on the celerity of the moment, even knowing that within milliseconds the experience will come crashing down.
One must take it all in — the crisp water and array of blue-green re ections surrounded by crescendos of crashing water playing like an all-immersive soundtrack — and enjoy the ride for the sake of the experience alone. Even after the swell attens, climbs up the shoreline and recedes back into its abyss, the kinetic energy of the rushing water and the all-encompassing salty smell never really leave.
It’s a nice thought that life rolls much like barrel waves and that people see with tunnel vision for their own experiences. Life is simultaneously ordered and chaotic, much like how a barrel follows such a rhythmic and physical motion while being so unpredictable. Furthermore, the experience of the barrel depends on the viewer's receptiveness to his or her surroundings, much like how people care about certain aspects of life but not others.
Is one looking out of the tunnel as an outsider, touching the thin but powerful wall of water narrowing around the body, or are one’s eyes closed to heighten the sensation of the descending wave? Similarly, does one focus on others and their own complex, unique lives, or do they allow themselves to freefall into their own world and leave behind today's stressors? ere is no correct way to experience tunnel vision in a barrel like there is no correct way to experience life’s many journeys. ere are simply a plethora of individual opportunities that people handle differently.
I have never felt so aware of my own life and the energy of the world around me as I have in a barrel, which is why I always return to the ocean when I’m feeling out of place. I often think of my own individuality in reference to tunnel vision. e water has always drawn me in, calmed me when the world has been too much and healed me physically and emotionally.
I can vividly recall how it feels to be fully immersed in the ocean even when I am hundreds of miles away whenever I need a moment to breathe. I can imagine plummeting to the sandy ground from the peak of a wave, attening out on the shoreline as the water leaves me behind. I can visualize the energy of a windy high tide and drying in the sand afterwards, coming to life on a hot summer day. Nothing in life is perfect, that awless tunnel is eeting. ere is always the omnipresent sand wave that wrecks your hair, a barrel that collapses on your shoulders or an underwhelming swell, but all the half-rides make me appreciate the best waves all the more.
If the water has taught me anything, it is that you must care equally about yourself as you do the world around you. Take in the thrilling moments but know they will eventually settle into a calm. Always give in to the excitement of life and cherish what the world has in store for you.
Most of all, I recognize my tunnel vision in everyday life. I try my best to take beauty, passion and knowledge into myself so I can appreciate everything this precarious world has to o er — and perhaps add a little of my own post-wave clarity to the mix as well.
THE HOT LIST
"TOP 10 ROMANTIC COMEDIES" BY OLIVIA FONDIE
1 . 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10.
"The Holiday" (2006)
"About Time" (2013)
"13 Going on 30" (2004)
"How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days" (2004)
"When Harry Met Sally" (1989)
"Serendipity" (2001)
"Bridget Jones Diary" (2001)
"The Princess Bride" (1987)
"Clueless" (1995)
Dive into gate-keepable music
ADAM COIL & BRODY LEO Life Editor & Staff Writer
In Flannery O’ Connor’s short story, “A Good Man is Hard to Find”, she writes, “it’s no real pleasure in life.” She’s wrong — gatekeeping good music exists. And it’s the ultimate pleasure in life. Here is your starter guide for finding more unique music to listen to in obscurity.
SHOEGAZE — Adam Coil
Shoegaze, also known as dream pop, got its name from its reliance on the use of guitar pedals, which prompted musicians to ‘gaze’ at their shoes while performing.
To have a perfunctory knowledge of shoegaze, you will need to know about the big three shoegaze bands: Cocteau Twins, Slowdive and My Bloody Valentine. All three of these bands rose to prominence in the early 90s, defining the sound that originated in the UK in the 80s.
Shoegaze is known for its distorted sound, abstract yet poignant lyrics and soothing melodies. Because Shoegaze singers tend to prioritize how their songs feel, there is often a lack of clarity in their lyrical content.
The lead for Cocteau Twins, Elizabeth Fraser, said, “people tend to put too much focus on the lyrics. It’s not the beall and end-all of our songs.”
I fell in love with shoegaze when I discovered Alvvays — a band that is my classic go-to recommendation. Despite coming onto the scene in the mid10s, Alvvays has found new space to work within in the Shoegaze genre and makes some of the most pleasing music out there. Some other shoegaze tracks I would recommend are “Kick The Tragedy” by Drop Nineteens, “When The Sun Hits” by Slowdive, “Milk” by Sweet Trip and “Starting Over” by LSD and the Search for God. The best Shoegaze songs feel like a warm hug.
EXPERIMENTAL RAP — Brody Leo
There’s no signature sound to experimental hip-hop — the genre is just comprised of anything that pushes the limits of what hip-hop can be. So, when people ask me how to get into experimental hip-hop, I give them two albums that show off the breadth of the genre: “Madvillainy” by MF DOOM and “The Money Store” by Death Grips.
“Madvillainy” pairs the raw, choppedup jazz-sampling beats from Madlib with the blunted, nonchalant rhyming schemes and wordplay from MF DOOM to create a truly abstract masterpiece that Pitchfork perfectly describes as “avant-meets-antique.” Instrumentally, Madlib keeps you guessing on each track, and you’ll find yourself asking two questions: did Madlib just make a beat with an out-of-tune accordion, and how does it actually work? “Meat Grinder” is definitely a highlight from this album.
Death Grips, on the other hand, makes music that would cause a pilgrim to spontaneously combust if you gave them your AirPods. Similar to Madvillainy, a producer-vocalist duo is behind this album, yet the duos’ styles are radically different. Producer Zach Hill’s instrumentation is harsh and percussionheavy with blaring synths that remain unique throughout the tracklist, and MC Ride’s in-your-face, heavily filtered vocals mesh perfectly with Hill’s production. The result is innovative but undoubtedly a difficult listen. If I showed my parents this music, they would probably recommend that I get back on mood stabilizers. My favorite track from this project is probably “Hacker”.
If you enjoyed “Madvillainy”, I’d recommend some more abstract hip-hop
Photo courtesy of Adam Coil
Collage of album covers visually represents the diversity waiting to be discovered in niche music genres.
albums like Earl Sweatshirt’s “Some Rap Songs” or MIKE’s “Weight of the World”. If you enjoyed “The Money Store”, there’s a lot more industrial and harsh hip-hop that has been inspired by them. My two personal favorites are JPEGMAFIA’s “Veteran” and Injury Reserve’s “By The Time I Get To Phoenix”.
AMBIENT — BL
What elements make up a song? Rhythm, melodies and lyrics are probably the answers that come to mind. Ambient music throws all of that out the window and focuses on tone and mood more than anything else. The birth of the modern genre is usually seen as Brian Eno’s “Ambient 1: Music for Airports” in 1978 that does not feature any percussion or lyrics. Eno always found airports anxiety-inducing, so he composed the album as a way to soothe himself through his travels.
My favorite ambient release of all time is Aphex Twin’s “Selected Ambient Works Volume II” from 1994. The tracklist is incredibly varied — tracks like #3 and #20 are ethereal and warm, perfect for quiet sunset walks on the Reynolda Trail. On the other hand, tracks like #4 are cold and almost eerie, like the most brilliant horror soundtrack you’ve ever heard.
A more recent favorite release is “Seraphim” by How to Disappear Completely. The most successful ambient composures can build vivid, visual worlds through their soundscapes. In “Seraphim”, the music visually represents a serene ocean at midnight. It’s dark and distant, but still somewhat comforting.
The tonal, world-building elements of ambient music have influenced artists outside of the genre too. For example, Radiohead’s “Kid A” has tons of ambient influence, most noticeable in the track “Treefingers”.
The genre is diverse, but pioneer Brian Eno pointed out one common characteristic of good ambient music: it’s “just as ignorable as it is interesting.”
SLOWCORE — AC
Likely due to its origins in the obscure underground, Slowcore is a genre that is relatively hard to define. Like Shoegaze, it began in the early 90s, but as a counterreaction to the aggressive grunge and shallow pop music that dominated the charts.
Some of the biggest influences on the early sound were Galaxie 500, Low and Mazzy Star. In my opinion, though, the best that Slowcore has to offer followed in subsequent years with acts like Beach House, Mojave 3, Grouper and Duster.
With Slowcore, you can expect subtle, layered instrumentation that pairs perfectly with soft vocals and emotionally vulnerable lyrics that can bring you to tears or send you off into a peaceful slumber.
You can see the influence of the genre in popular contemporary artists such as Alex G, Radiohead and Sprain who utilize similar lethargic, drawn-out melodies.
Slowcore has a uniquely calming effect — one that grows on you over time. It’s a type of music that is really rewarding when you spend some time with it. Some Slowcore songs that you need to listen to are “Crumbling Together” by Mid-Air Thief, “Constellations” by Duster, “Love Songs on the Radio” by Mojave 3 and “I’m So Tired” by Fugazi.
VAPORWAVE — BL
As a subgenre of electronic music, vaporwave is focused on reviving synthwave sounds of the 80s and 90s and recontextualizing them into a futuristic, melodic soundscape. It originated in the early 2010s — and while there’s not a single album the sound can be traced to — I’d recommend starting with Macintosh Plus’s “Floral Shoppe”. It’s a warm, inviting introduction to the genre that makes you feel nostalgic for a time you were not even alive.
From there, I’d recommend my favorite artist in the genre, ESPRIT. He has a lot of great projects out there, but my favorite would probably be 200% Electronica. He offers the same synth-heavy warm nostalgia as Macintosh Plus, but the instrumentation is a bit more diverse and there are some really cool distorted vocal manipulations woven throughout the album.
Despite rarely having lyrical content, vaporwave projects often have very powerful social messaging behind them. For example, James Ferraro’s “Far Side Virtual” interpolates melodies that sound like soulless, corporate jingles to create a vision of a dystopian, hypercapitalist future.
Unfortunately, this genre has seemed to fade into irrelevance in recent years, alongside the cyberpunk, neon-dominated subculture that grew with it.
HYPERPOP — AC
I think that Hyperpop — or glitchcore, as some people call it — gets a bad rap. It is a genre in its infant stage, and it is clear that as time progresses it will continue to grow and adapt. The seeds of Hyperpop date back some time to pioneers in various genres such as rap, indie and EDM as people started to explore exactly how new technology could integrate futuristic, electronic sounds into music and make it work.
When talking about modern Hyperpop, two specific trendsetters come to mind: Charli XCX and 100 gecs. Propelled by internet memes, 100 gecs crashed into the mainstream in the summer of 2019, defining the genre almost entirely by themselves and paving the way for the generation of SoundCloud artists that followed.
Hyperpop abuses autotune to the point that the artist’s real voice is unrecognizable and then layers it over abrasive, dynamic instrumentals that are electronically synthesized. It’s definitely a hit-or-miss genre, but it’s one that I gravitate to at times when I need some energizing tunes.
To me, Hyperpop is something you can’t enjoy if you take it too seriously — just embrace the wackiness and laugh along as it pumps you up. I recommend “Astrid” by glaive, “2008” by ericdoa and “hand crushed by a mallet” by 100 gecs.
Hyperpop is not concerned with being elegant or poetic, but it is nonetheless interesting because of how much ground it has covered and the territory it promises to explore. Contact Adam Coil and Brody Leo at coilat21@wfu.edu & leomb21@wfu.edu
