CONTAINS spoilers for season two of Euphoria
Trigger warning: abuse
The second season of HBO’s Euphoria came out on January 9th, and while every character seems to be struggling with something, Cassie Howard (played by Sydney Sweeney) really should go to therapy. This season, she has developed feelings for Nate Jacobs (played by Kacob Elordi), her best friend’s ex-boyfriend and abuser. Now, in no way am I excusing Cassie’s actions, but it is not very out of character for her. L
ike Rue Bennett (played by Zendaya) mentioned in season one, “[Cassie] fell in love with every guy she ever dated. Whether they were smart or stupid or sweet or cruel, it didn’t matter. She didn’t like to be alone.” Cassie’s father left her and her sister, Lexi Howard (played by Maude Apatow), leaving Cassie to have serious abandonment issues. As a result of this, Cassie will do anything to feel “safe” with a man. Her being overly-sexualized for her looks is also a key component in her male validation. All of this leaves Cassie feeling vulnerable and insecure. And what isn’t the prize in the eyes of a manipulator like Nate Jacobs but the vulnerable and insecure?
Drunk and clearly upset in the first episode of season two Cassie is encountered by Nate while sitting outside a convenience store where he takes her to a New Year’s Eve party. It is at that party where they hookup in the bathroom, which leads to hooking up every Friday night. Cassie craves male validation, and she’s getting it from Nate. Even though Nate doesn’t like her in that way, Cassie is getting up at 4 AM to get ready for him, dressing up like Jules Vaughn (played by Hunter Schafer) and Nate’s ex and her best friend, Maddy Perez (played by Alexa Demie).
Because of her newly developed crush on Nate, Cassie has been named the new villain of Euphoria, taking over the spot that Jules previously held. But why is it Jules and Cassie being named the villain when the real villain is Nate? Like I said earlier, Nate is an abuser. He emotionally and physically abused Maddy in season one. He beat up Tyler Clarkson (played by Lukas Gage) for hooking up with Maddy at a party, when Maddy and Nate weren’t even together. He catfished Jules and when he revealed his true identity, he also threatened to report her to the police and blackmailed her for sleeping with his dad. The list goes on and on, yet in many fans’ eyes, he’s not the villain.
Cassie is just another victim of Nate’s manipulative ways. While hooking up with her best friend’s ex-boyfriend is completely wrong and has made me dislike her character this season, it doesn’t make her a worse person than Nate. Nate is a horrifying and awful character and is the main villain of Euphoria.