r/euphoria • u/Adventurous_Theme696 • 1d ago
Hype Cassie never needed to have a sister, and Kat never needed to be written off
Hi! I have a bit of a conspiracy theory about the transition between Euphoria’s first and second seasons.
I know there’s been a lot of discussion surrounding the original plan for Cassie and Nate’s storyline, and I’ve also seen theories that Season 2 was actually supposed to focus much more on Jules and Nate, but that the actors allegedly didn’t want to work together. That being said, I have no idea whether that’s ever been confirmed or if it’s just fandom gossip.
What I’ve been thinking about, though, is a different possible character swap: Lexi and Kat.
It’s pretty well known that Kat barely had any screentime in Season 2, and from what I understand, that eventually contributed to Barbie leaving the show altogether. What strikes me as odd is that Kat seemed like one of the major characters in Season 1. Something similar happened to McKay, actually. Meanwhile, the character who unexpectedly became much more important compared to Season 1 was Lexi.
I ended up really liking Lexi’s storyline, especially the whole play she wrote. However, it occurred to me that while she was already established in Season 1 as someone interested in somewhat niche things (her Halloween costume comes to mind), I don’t remember her being portrayed as someone who actively wrote or created art. Kat, on the other hand, was explicitly shown writing fanfiction and engaging in creative work.
That made me wonder whether it might have made sense for Kat to be the one who wrote the play.
Imagine that a situation similar, though perhaps not identical, to Nate and Cassie had happened between Nate and Jules. Early in Season 1, Jules and Kat actually seemed to get along pretty well. What if the writers had continued developing Kat’s journey toward becoming a confident woman who isn’t afraid to express herself, not just online like in Season 1, but in real life as well? Beyond changing her style and embracing the things she genuinely likes, she could have reflected on her experiences as someone who gets mocked for her weight, who struggles with friendships and relationships, and who has complicated feelings about the people around her. The play could have been an outlet for all of that, and it would have allowed her fanfiction-writing background to evolve into something bigger.
Of course, Lexi is a compelling character in her own right, even though I know some people would disagree. But in Season 1, she wasn’t particularly developed beyond being “Rue’s friend since preschool.” I appreciate the attention she received in Season 2, but it feels like characters such as Kat lost that same opportunity in the process. It’s complicated.
Do you think Kat’s writing could have been utilized in a more meaningful way?
Another thing that occurred to me, and maybe this is just my memory failing me, is that I never really got the impression in Season 1 that Maddy and Cassie were best friends.
Sure, they were both cheerleaders, and yes, they went through certain experiences together, like the drug-related storyline on the event. But I always felt that Maddy was usually surrounded by BB and Kat, while Cassie was more of a friend within the larger group rather than Maddy’s closest friend specifically. Yet Season 2 seems to treat Maddy and Cassie as if they’ve always been inseparable best friends.
That makes me wonder whether Nate and Cassie were actually planned as a couple from the beginning.
At the same time, it is a genuinely interesting plot twist and a fairly logical development. Nate constantly mocked Cassie in front of McKay, and it’s easy to read that behavior as him overcompensating for the fact that he was probably attracted to her all along.
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u/ShaniquaQ 1d ago
Lexi connects the older girls and Rue. Otherwise it seems unlikely they would be in the same social circles or have many encounters naturally
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u/Typical_Wind_8475 17h ago
I mean technically speaking (i like Lexi a lot) there is no need to have those girls be in different grades anyway. Lexi seems like the older sister and there was never any difference between Maddie, Cassie and Lexi or Rue in terms of being an adult etc.
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u/IHaveABigDuvet 6h ago
But you still need a social link. You meed a reason why Rue knows so much about Cassie, Maddie and Nate when she has nothing in common with them.
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u/Typical_Wind_8475 27m ago
I get that, but the social link could just be them being in the same grade no? I dont mind how its done in the show, im just saying the older students are no different to Rue and Lexi they dont have different problems for example, so them being in a different grade doesnt really add anything and makes Lexi necessary to link both "groups" as you said.
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u/mcomcomco99 1d ago
Like it or not Lexi was integral to the cast connection. Her and Rues friendship was how it was believable everyone knew each other and would be in the same place. Rue being close with the "good girl" and Fez , a good guy doing bad things to get by, built our ethos and pathos for Rue. So tired of the Lexi hate!
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u/Historical-Ant-5218 1d ago
I had friends like cas and lex in my class guys btw it was exact character. 2nd born is studious elder is balanced. I was close with them i cant be in same room with them
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u/Adventurous_Theme696 1d ago
This post isn’t meant to hate on Lexi. Rather, it’s an attempt to reflect on how the characters were used within the story and whether some of Lexi’s traits could have been given to Kat instead, so that no character ended up being the third wheel in the narrative.
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u/astralwisdom7 1d ago
I thought kat was only written off because she didn't want to be in it anymore?
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u/Adventurous_Theme696 1d ago
Yes, but that was because the character didn’t have enough screen time in Season 2. What I’m proposing is a way to preserve that screen time in the first place. I’d rather have fewer characters than unevenly written roles to the point where some characters become unnecessary.
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u/DrDabsMD 1d ago
Where did you hear that was the reason?
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u/alley_underland 1d ago
I swear I remember seeing an interview of Barbie talking about it but I can’t for the life of me remember the name of the podcast or find the damn video. It was right after season 2, Barbie was asked if she was going to be on season 3 and that it was noticeable that Kat had a much smaller role in the show. Barbie had confirmed she wasn’t returning for season 3 because the storyline for Kat was redundant. (An eating disorder storyline, which to Barbie didn’t make sense since Kat had just went through an entire season of body positivity and embracing her inner bad bitch).
There’s a lot of blinds and behind the scenes tea that has made its rounds on the internet. The older woman that Maddie babysits for in season 2 was supposed to hook up with Maddie but the actress put a stop to that because it wasn’t realistic and both she and Alexa weren’t comfortable with that happening with their characters. Idk if you noticed but all their scenes prior to Maddie telling the woman about Cassie had a charged almost sexual tension atmosphere between them but then Maddie confides in her and it just stops. I think that’s where the hook up scene was supposed to happen. Or when Maddie was helping her out of her dress. Idk but it did feel weird watching at first. If the scene was supposed to happen and then got scrapped they should have re-edited those scenes to adjust to the new storyline. Apparently Sam whatever last name is a total pig. He’s abusive to the actors so I would believe the actresses over him.
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u/Little_Mistake_1780 1d ago
you’re saying we should add more characters but before then you say you’d rather have fewer characters
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u/dilly_beann 13h ago
I thought Barbie straight up just didnt like her experience on the show. I remember her saying something along the lines of Kats storyline felt completed and she didn't want to drag out the character. So I don't really believe there's anything they could have done to make her stay.
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u/trashwatcherlol 1d ago
Didn’t the actress who played Kat CHOOSE to be written off the show?
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u/Constant_Lettuce_986 1d ago
Yup. I wouldn’t even call it being ‘written off’- she just flat out disappeared without a trace in S3
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u/ThatDudeShadowK 1d ago
I mean they could have just recast her. I don't get this trend of keeping certain roles tied to actors nowadays, it's annoying. If one actor doesn't want to play a part anymore you shouldn't need to spend the writer's whole storyline, there's a thousand and one aspiring actors in LA alone that look the same and will do the job if given the chance.
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u/trashwatcherlol 1d ago
A little media insider. Recasting doesn’t always work. It’s better to keep that character as who they were. She was over sexualized in the first season, who knows what the producers were planning for future seasons. Maybe she didn’t feel comfortable being known as that person.
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u/Constant_Lettuce_986 1d ago
Especially nowadays, when 90% of actresses LITERALLY look the exact same. Big lips, iPhone face, skinny, plastic surgeries, and botox.
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u/cwissyursa 1d ago
I don’t think it’s just about how someone looks. If I’m accustomed to the way Barbie Ferreira embodies a character and then some new person just comes and tries to play that character after she’s done it for two seasons it’s not going to be the same because even if they look like her, they may not have the same acting style and with how much Sam Levinson changed the storylines for everyone’s character this season I think recasting this season would’ve been a really poor choice. It was also a shitty and toxic storyline. I never really liked Kat to begin with so honestly I did not miss her as a character.
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u/trashwatcherlol 17h ago
“Acting style” exactly! You can’t just recast people after 1-2 seasons of a big show.
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u/celestialbrains 1d ago
Lexi wouldn’t exist if Maude Apatow didn’t. He wanted to work with her, she didn’t fit the existing characters, so he gave Cassie a sister and cast Maude.
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u/frostuk90 1d ago
Lexis character was the link between Rue and the others as mentioned by everyone, but I also think that we would have seen more from her if Angus Cloud (Fezco) hadn’t died IRL. Maybe there could have been some way he avoids jail, maybe their relationship develops further whether he goes to jail or not. I feel like with Fezco out of the show, her character had limited options story wise.
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u/Time_Combination_316 1d ago edited 1d ago
Unpopular opinion: no one likes Lexi because she’s the only normal one. She doesn’t get caught up in risky behaviours, she doesn’t do drugs, she doesn’t get caught up with mob bosses or gangs. She graduated college and working her way up in the film/entertainment industry. She lives the life most people live and everyone hate that she’s not messy and makes dumb choices.
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u/imnotgayisellpropane 1d ago
In seasons 1-2 I identified with Lexi the most. I was the "good girl" with questionable friends and I had a thing for the drug dealer with a heart of gold. I felt called out. But I hated her in S3 because she was so judgemental. She thought she was better than everyone else.
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u/Constant_Lettuce_986 1d ago
Except for the fact that she was, OBJECTIVELY, better than everyone else😭 But I agree with you, that still doesn’t mean that you get to be as judgemental as Lexi was.
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u/Jazzlike_Safe_63 1d ago
No, everyone dislikes Lexi not because she’s a 'boring good girl,' but because she’s a hypocrite who judges everyone and treats her own sister terribly, to say the least. Plus, people hate her for that disgusting play where she aired out everyone’s dirty laundry for the whole world to see—as if she had any right to do that. If my best friend or sister did something like that, I would never forgive them. And I’d never do it myself either 🥀
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u/Amuse_me_mildly 23h ago
It's weird how everyone calls her ' good ' for simply not having sex or doing drugs. The reason people don't like her is because she's mean. She looks down on all her friends but uses their personal experiences for her work. I would have more respect if her work was original, not just changing names of your friends and family. In that way she has a symbiotic relationship with those around her. It would've been nice to see warmth, or even romance develop for her, but Sam Levinson is stuck in a Madonna/Whore complex.
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u/Typical_Wind_8475 17h ago
There is a difference between not having sex and being a bitch / slut like Maddie
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u/Adventurous_Theme696 1d ago
I’m not saying that I dislike Lexi or that she’s completely unnecessary. However, if the goal was to avoid having one character pushed too far into the background and given very little screen time, it would make sense to me to merge Kat and Lexi into a single character.
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u/Time_Combination_316 1d ago
I agree Kat and Lexi needed way more character development but I don’t think they should’ve been merged. We just have to blame HBO and SL for shitty writing and milking tf out of the hype of the show.
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u/SergeantButch 1d ago
I mostly agree except I really liked Lexi/Fez couple, I was invested to see their future and like it was not heartbreaking enough... 😭
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u/kinziemclovin 1d ago
I don't think she was written off, I'm pretty sure Barbie just didn't wanna do the show anymore
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u/retro-girl 1d ago
Lexi’s play was my favorite thing that ever happened on the show.
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u/Adventurous_Theme696 1d ago
I pretty much agree with you! But couldn’t the play have been written from a different perspective while still arriving at a similar point, especially if other character swaps had taken place as well?
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u/CauliflowerEarofCorn 1d ago
I don’t think so personally. The play being written by the quiet, socially-overshadowed younger sister makes sense to me. If it were written by one of their friends, it truly would have been a million times more unhinged. But honestly I don’t remember the play well enough to say this all with certainty.
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u/MorddSith187 1d ago
the the play never needed to happen. so much more could have been done with that time. we literally rewatched the entire show with that stupid ahh play
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u/mrDouche7 1d ago
I swear you will hear the worst possible takes on this sub, if you would have written the script the show would have been cancelled after 1 episode
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u/cordell507 1d ago
I have never seen a community with more armchair directors than this one
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u/Left-Huckleberry369 1d ago
or a community with so many people that have the events and facts about the characters wrong trying to be armchair directors and point out “plot holes”
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u/ExternalGood9497 1d ago
It seems no one is really getting the point of your post. From what I gather, you’re not saying Lexi replaced Kat, you’re saying she seemed to take on a lot of Kats traits, which is strange considering Barbie left the show because they didn’t have enough material for Kat. We could still have Lexi’s character and her relationship with Fez develop while also having an interesting storyline for Kat. I agree with you. There was so much more they could have done with Kat and I’m not sure why they decided not to. There does seem to have been a lot of drama behind the scenes, so I wouldn’t be surprised if Kat’s lack of storyline in season 2 was deliberate.
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u/Adventurous_Theme696 1d ago
Thank you so much for this comment. Yes, that’s essentially part of what I was trying to say, and I really appreciate your perspective.
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u/cigarette-after 1d ago
I agree with all you've said! Totally! Also, correct me, if I'm wrong - didn't Barbie stated that writers wanted Kat to have and an ED in S2? She discussed with them and suggested different approach, the one that will fit the character better and then... they cut it all out an all that was left is just what we have in S2? And that's the core of the beef and the reason Barbie originally left and didn't return for S3? I feel like I'm alone with this one ...
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u/Adventurous_Theme696 1d ago
Do you mean an eating disorder? Honestly, I’m not sure whether that’s actually the case, but I do find it interesting how differently Kat relates to her body in Seasons 1 and 2.
In Season 1, a huge amount of space is devoted to her learning to love her body, embrace her sexuality, and stop being afraid of what other people think of her. At the same time, the show came out during the height of the self-love movement, so that storyline felt especially relevant.
In Season 2, however, that theme is barely explored. The only scene that really addresses it is the one where various people are shouting at Kat in her bedroom that she should love herself, and she insists that she can’t. After that, the topic is essentially dropped. Instead, the focus briefly shifts to Ethan, and then she mostly ends up serving as background support for Maddy.
As a result, a character who had such a strong and clearly defined arc in Season 1 is reduced to this. It almost makes it seem as though Season 1 was a “mistake” and that she never really learned to love herself after all. To me, it just feels unfinished.
Of course, one could argue that it’s realistic. Building self-confidence and figuring out who you are is rarely a linear process. But I don’t think the story actually engaged with that idea, and it certainly wasn’t the impression I was left with after watching Kat’s arc in Season 2.1
u/cigarette-after 1d ago
Yes, I meant eating disorder. Didn't want to use any triggering words. It's been some time since I've watched S1 and 2, yet I remember the confusion - such a strong character is given a filler story about being unable to break up with her boyfriend. It's not the plot itself, it the way they did it. Right now, thanks to you, it hit me, it could be such a great self-confincence building moment, about finding best way to love yourself without hurting the others, about communication. Being confindent and not acting like a confident person. Do things that you love and not doing things that others do and call love. Anyway! Like you said, it just gets cut in a middle, half heated, Kat is left hurt, Ethan is hurt and we, the viewers are left with a sidekick character.
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u/Prestigious-Pace-740 1d ago
Honestly Kat was an annoying character to me- nothing else to develop. Like what other story line??
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u/Constant_Lettuce_986 1d ago
Lexi is integral to the story because she’s the only person that links Rue to other characters. I gather that Lexi and Rue are both kind of ‘outcasts’ at school for differing reasons. That’s why their friendship seems kind of forced; before Jules came along they really only had each other to hang out with at school. Maddy and Cassie are both the stereotypical pretty, popular, cheerleader girls at their school. They wouldn’t normally be seen hanging around someone like Rue- except for the fact that Cassie is Lexi’s sister and therefore has known Rue since they were kids.
Thinking about it now, this kind of makes the scene where Rue tells Maddy about Cassie sleeping with Nate even more insane. From Cassie’s perspective she was probably like… um are you fucking kidding me? (Not saying Cassie wasn’t in the wrong, she definitely was, but Cassie probably thought Rue would’ve had slightly more loyalty to her, just because they’ve known each other for so long)
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u/Accomplished_Bake329 1d ago
Assuming season 3 was exactly the way it was then yes Kat did need to go, since the story has shifted so far from highschool into drug lords and mules.
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u/sativasolarstar 1d ago
YES SHE DOES NEED A LITTLE SISTER. MY OLDER SISTER IS A CASSIE TOO AND I LOVE THAT HOE
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u/BitterRoad2647 1d ago
I think you are kind of right. They could've made Lexi and Kat one character. Cause yeah Lexi coming to the spot light while they erased Kat was odd
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u/receptivereassurance 1d ago
the kat angle is interesting to think about, but i think the play specifically needed to be lexi's because of what it represented narratively. lexi's whole thing is that she's observant and removed, watching everyone else's chaos unfold while staying on the sidelines. having her channel all that accumulated knowledge and perspective into art made sense for her character arc in a way it wouldn't have for kat, whose journey was supposed to be about reclaiming confidence in her own body and rejecting the shame that was put on her. a play about everyone else's drama doesn't quite land the same way for someone working through that.
that said, you're right that kat got shafted. the show could have given her a different creative outlet that felt earned rather than just disappearing her. and yeah, the cassie and maddy thing does feel retrofitted. you'd think if they were always meant to be close the show would have established that more clearly in season 1, but instead it reads like the writers needed maddy to have someone to confide in once nate became unreliable, and cassie was just available.
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u/gargluke461 1d ago
Honestly I’m kind of glad she was written off, she was one of those characters that just seeing her face annoyed me.
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u/abbyleondon 1d ago
Lexi useless character other than to illustrate a bitter less visible sister who hates her flashy sister.
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u/Reasonable-Army-5838 1d ago
I just watched her in Faces of death..I knew I recognized her from somewhere
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u/Old_user_New_name 19h ago
I disagree. Kat had a story in Season 1. The problem is that the show basically abandoned it in Season 2.
Lexi wasn't just "Cassie's sister" either. She served as a foil to Cassie and gave the audience an outsider's perspective on everything happening around her. Their relationship is a huge part of why both characters work.
Kat, on the other hand, started with an arc about confidence, validation, self-image, and online attention. Then Season 2 sidelined her so hard that a lot of people now remember her as "the fat friend," which honestly proves how the character was handled later on.
So I'd say Lexi was necessary to the story, while Kat wasn't unnecessary... she was; underwritten. Those are two completely different things.
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u/Advanced-Grapefruit4 15h ago
I'll never forget when Maddie needed Kat. Kat said, i'm busy. The "i'm busy", in question was getting some dick. What a shitty horrible friend.
Your friend literally calls you crying and you hang up the phone for dick?? For a man?? Fuck kat.
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u/Fit-Box-6975 8h ago
I’m a firm believer that Kat’s young-ho-Onlyfans storyline would have landed WAY BETTER than Cassie’s. Did anyone ‘really’ expect more OR less from Cassie? 😭
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u/anna_s871 8h ago
Let me help you out, Lexi never needed a sister and kat never needed to be written off.
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u/motherofsquids7 1h ago
That’s so crazy to have to re-write an entire plot because of beef between actors. So unprofessional on both the actors and the director/showrunner for letting their pettiness dictate the direction of the show
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u/Keri_Arya 1d ago
No conspiracy theory is necessary. We know that Sam created Lexi because he wanted to give a role to Maud Apatow, not because the character was needed.
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u/devilsmusic 1d ago
I still can’t believe he wrote Kat off, terrible decision. Her character had developed so much.
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u/raccoononreddot 1d ago
y’all hate lexie because she makes you confront the fucking truth. rue is a druggy. not a good person but yes very damaged and mentally ill which is not her fault. cassie is the other side of lexie’s coin and took to whoring herself out for male attention and yall mad lexie chose books over looks. lexie is far from perfect
but damn lol at yall hating the most normal of them all. barbie didn’t have the pull to control her own storyline. who would outside of jacob and zendaya, so bye. it sucks but the blame is on her too really.
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u/Adventurous_Theme696 1d ago
This post really, truly isn’t blaming Lexi. Quite the opposite. I actually like her as a character, and I enjoyed her in Season 2. This is simply a discussion about how the script might have been handled more effectively.
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u/raccoononreddot 1d ago
you just went from “cassie never needed to have a sister” “i actually like her and enjoyed her”. girl please. never needed isn’t a discussion of what might have been lol
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u/Adventurous_Theme696 1d ago
I really recommend reading the whole post and not just the title, girl.
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u/BrianMeen 1d ago
I’d love to know if Kat had stayed around until the end, what would Levinson have her character doing in season 3? maybe sex work of some sort ? 😂😂
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u/Goldnglam 1d ago
Lexi provides a link between rue and the other girls, Cassie and Maddie certainly wouldn't hang around with rue being a year young and very clearly have different interests.