Jiya Kohar Week 2: The Slow, the Smart and the Messy
Euphoria is a popular teenage drama with messy story lines and dramatic teenage lives. On the surface, it looks like glitter and drama, but the writers of the show specifically use language to build the characters. The way each character speaks full reflects their identity.
Fezco: the drug dealer. Fezco’s speech isn’t slow because he’s thinking about big questions. It’s slow because his brain and mouth are always a step behind each other, probably thanks to all the drugs he’s using. The writers do this on purpose by giving him short sentences with long pauses and dragged out drawl. Even if you had never watched Euphoria before, you would be able to tell something was off by the way he talked. That’s the point. His speech matches the life he’s in.
Lexi: the high achiever. Lexi is completely different from Fezco, and so it her speech. Her words are clean and organized. That matches the person she is: the student with good grades who spends her time organizing plays for the school. Her speech is a how the writers can show she’s the responsible one without have to say it outright.
Cassie: the insecure people pleaser. Despite being sisters, Cassie and Lexi have completely different personalities and speaking styles. Cassie speaks way more emotionally and seems messy. She always kind of sounds like she’s trying to convince you of something she doesn’t even believe in herself. That matches her whole insecure brand. The writers don’t have to physically explain Cassie’s unstableness (though they still do). It’s written into her part.
Euphoria doesn’t have to use labels you tell you he’s a drug dealer, high achiever, or insecure romantic. It shows it through the characters' language. Fezco sounds slow because his world has slowed him down. Lexi sounds the opposite because she’s always in control. Cassies sounds messy because she is. The script shows the drama, but the language shows the identity of the characters.
Hi Jiya! Although I never watched the show, I really like how you portrayed the characters, as I feel like now I know more about it even without knowing the actual plot. I love the way you combined how they speak with their identity; I feel like that is such an interesting take to do instead of just saying how their actions have caused them to be the way they are. Additionally, the elements you used when writing your blog made it fun to read, as I noticed you used similar structures when describing each person, by purposely starting with "the [their role]". Would you recommend watching the show?
ReplyDeleteHi, Kimaya! Thank you for the kind words. Yes, I would recommend watching the show (but it's not realistic at all for high schoolers, at least those in Fremont).
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed the way your structured the blog. When you think about speaking or just talking in general usually it is from one person to another, however, in your analysis, depending on the paragraph, you were solely focused on that one character. This made your writing very compelling. I also thought the way you approached each character was interesting. I personally have never watched the show but, your descriptions made everything very clear and I understood exactly what you were talking about.
ReplyDeleteHi Jiya, I really liked how you dissected every character identity. Your analysis on their speech patterns was really fascinating and was really interesting to read through. Your choice of image--Cassie having a mental breakdown--really seems to contrast your description of her being a high achieving student. I am thinking that she eventually gets fed up with all the pressure of school. Correct if I am wrong, I have not watched the show.
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