“Outer Banks,” “Squid Game” and “You.” Gen-Z’s newest hyperfixation this past month is now “Euphoria,” a dark drama that portrays drug abuse, toxic relationships and mental health issues with a multitude of captivating characters. It sheds light on impactful topics that require urgent addressing. The explicitness of the show sparks its own controversies; however, the main issue with the show is the director, Sam Levinson.

Since Levinson writes all the episodes by himself, the once captivating plot has become very predictable, dulling the appeal of the show. His script reflects only his own struggle. Levinson’s personal experience with addiction was very real, but it was dully overused – Rue was arguably the only realistic and well written character.

“I spent the majority of my teenage years in hospitals, rehabs and halfway houses,” Levinson said. “Sometime around the age of 16, I resigned myself to the idea that eventually drugs would kill me, and there was no reason to fight it. I would let it take me over, and I had made peace with that.”

Rue was almost the exact replication of this in the show as she battled overdoses, rehab and addiction.

Undoubtedly, Rue was an exceptional character, raising awareness to such an important issue in our society, but what about the others? Levinson doesn’t have the unique experience of every single character in the show. If he could work with writers that were more familiar with anger issues, infidelity and struggles with body image, characters such as Nate, Cal and Kat could be so much more multi-dimensional.

A good director does not let his emotions dictate the production. Instead, he should put his own feelings away to benefit the show as a whole. However, many fans have noticed that their favorite Barbie Ferreira, who plays Kat, is barely in any episodes anymore. Her obvious growth and development seemed to be completely stunted in season two.

What happened?

Allegedly, Ferreira and Levinson did not see eye-to-eye on the vision of the show, ending in a disagreement that resulted in Ferreira walking off set. As a result, Levinson drastically cut Ferreira’s lines. We now see her having barely a line per episode, a huge change since she starred as one of the main characters in season one. As a professional film director, this was unfair and straight up immature.

Fans also noticed an odd start to the second season. In particular, there is far too much nudity and violence. As a huge fan of the first season, I expected more witty, sarcastic and relatable drama. For example, Rue and Jules becoming best friends, Kat discovering her style and Cassie meeting someone new. Instead, the season included various explicit scenes that felt extremely unnecessary and odd. As Levinson’s name is the only person credited for the writing, it’s only fair that viewers assume it was his doing.

Not only this, but the regular nudity involving Cassie, played by actress Sydney Sweeney, has made the audience skeptical of Levinson’s intentions. Some fans have claimed Levinson’s writing exploits Sweeney’s body in hopes of more viewership. Regardless of the validity of this allegation, it’s safe to assume that Levinson’s writing is questionable, and he certainly has an unusual thought process.

Despite Levinson’s controversy, the show is still performing extraordinarily well. Since it’s release, it has contracted 13.1 million viewers, over double the views season one received. This is undoubtedly due to the actors and not the content. Zendaya, Jacob Elordi, Sydney Sweeney and Alexa Demie are extremely famous household names. Even with boring storylines and weird plots, the actors still manage to make the show interesting. It’s safe to say that the actors are carrying the show and definitely not Levinson’s writing or directing.