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Zendaya establishes herself as "a dramatic actress to be reckoned with" in this week's Euphoria episode

  • "Euphoria’s sophomore season has largely been an examination of Rue Bennett, expertly executed by Zendaya, and her descent into addiction," says Jenna Amatulli. "With each passing episode, viewers have been transfixed by the extreme lengths Rue is willing to go for a fix, but this hits an apex in episode five. Premiering on Sunday, the episode features an explosive opening sequence followed by an all-night foot chase—which includes robbery, several physical fights, and a car crash—that solidifies Zendaya as a dramatic actress to be reckoned with." Amatulli adds: " We’ve long known that Rue isn’t the most likable person, but at this point she’s entirely unrecognizable. Through her addiction, she’s taken on an ugliness we’ve not been exposed to. She is fundamentally changed. What fully sells this transformation is arguably Zendaya’s mastery at physicality. Through long tracking shots of her running for what feels like hours, Rue escapes the cops, barking dogs, birthday parties, and cars in her mania. Amid her running, she jumps onto a burning barbecue, over a card table decorated with food trays, and leaps fences like a D1 track star. Each scene was more exhausting to watch than the next. I kept thinking that Zendaya must’ve been covered in bruises after this episode, only to see that she posted a scar and a shiner on her Instagram Story from her time filming that proved just that. Her commitment to Rue cannot be understated and did not go unnoticed: Twitter exploded on Sunday night with calls for Zendaya to get another Emmy Award for the episode."

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    TOPICS: Zendaya, HBO, Euphoria, Nika King, Storm Reid