In this video, the character and narrator, Rue, will be examined in regard to her credibility and reliability as a narrative figure. Audiences typically find reassurance within the narrative, but in this case, the narrator defies the concept of being God-like and takes on a more humanistic approach.
The narrator is typically someone the audience can identify with and trust to make the right decisions. In Euphoria, our main character Rue states that she isn’t reliable and often makes bad decisions. We expect her to be a better friend, daughter, sister, and overall good person. As the show progresses we learn that she struggles to do the right thing sometimes. Rue’s character uses narration to convey to the audience her own biased perspective. The viewer sees how imperfect Rue is through her drug use and mental illness, and this is what makes her more realistic.
At first, the audience is relying on Rue for the truth of all sides of the stories being conveyed. As the season continues, Rue proves herself to be very flawed and, therefore, proving her perspective to be flawed as well. The ending moments of the show are so distorted themselves, that it makes the audience wonder what was actually true throughout the previous episodes.
In this way, the unreliable narration in Euphoria becomes its own character alongside Rue. The contradictions and biased perspectives within her narration give the show a swayed viewpoint of the stories rather than an impartial one. This is what makes Euphoria’s narration different from other shows. The lack of an all-knowing voice keeps the audience skeptical on whether or not the information Rue gives is trustworthy. Therefore, the whole show keeps us wondering if what we hear is in alignment with what we see.