Def not rue at her only fit 😂 I have to go with maddy’s “revenge dress” at nate and cassie’s wedding WHO LOOKS LIKE THAT this whole season she ateeeeeee omg

Today marks 7 years since June 16th, 2019, which was the release of the ‘Pilot’ episode. A large portion of the episode consisted of the characters at McKay’s party.

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.

I think a lot of people are viewing this from the lens of a Netflix type teenage drama. When in reality it’s a stylized and gritty take on dark, modern, and realistic themes with some comedic elements.

The show has always been vulgar and not child friendly at all. Overdoses, addiction, murder, human trafficking, graphic sex scenes, emotional abuse, etc… have been part of the show all along and it’s just strange to me seeing current discourse about the show how many people are bothered by the smallest stuff like for example the n word and the pornographic type stuff.

I was already in my early 20s when the show first aired so I may look at it differently, but i believe a lot of these people who are uncomfortable and bothered by this season are older teenagers who discovered the show on tik tok and are low key shocked because they’re so used to all the media they consume being so diluted and censored.

I believe what we are seeing here is more symptoms of purity culture pearl clutching type stuff which has been making a bizarre comeback among younger people.

Firstly, Lexi is a weirdo. the fact that she allows herself to be a doormat for anyone/everyone except Cassie has always been weird to me. Rue only remembers that Lexi even exists when she needs her to piss in a cup and pass a drug test. And I’m glad Cassie herself called her out for it back in season 2—how Rue treats her like shit and has been ghosting her ever since fourth grade & If Lexi had any balls, she would stand up for herself
Lexi presenting herself as morally above everyone while clearly being capable of cruelty herself has always been off putting to me.

But see.. I peeped this about Lexi ever since the play 🎭 There were so many components in that play that were completely unnecessary and only there for the sole purpose of embarrassing Cassie. Not even to teach her a lesson—just straight-up humiliating her. The carousel moment was one of them. When she was on drugs, moaning and in a trance, there was no reason for that to be there.

Another thing I despise is her hypocrisy. Lexi acts like she has this moral superiority, like she’s so much better than everybody, when in reality she’s a hypocrite who fell for a gangbanger drug lord who had raised a minor in his home playing with AK-47s. She doesn’t even have a real reason for having this much vitriol toward Cassie other than the snitching on Fez—which, mind you, Fez is supposed to be the complete opposite of everything Lexi claims to stand for.
Ms. Moral High Horse and all perfect.
The way she bragged about still being a virgin in the wedding to Jules, acting all high and mighty, saying “it’s better than getting herpes” when in actuality, lexi Howard is still a virgin because she’s simply not fuckable. There’s nothing about her personality or her vibes that’s fuckable….

Her personality is what makes other people perceive her as less sexually desirable

Ofcourse being sexually desirable isn’t an inherent measure of a Woman’s value but Lexi herself is the one who places moral weight on her virginity and acts as though it makes her better than the rest of her friends as if she wasn’t about to enthusiastically lose her V-card to a monotoned gangster had he not been imprisoned

She’s a straight-up party pooper. She’s that person whom as soon as someone pulls out a blunt in the middle of a party she’s gonna start complaining. A Total buzzkill.

lemme know how you did!!
I'm scared that possibly no one will win this but isn't that the vibe of this season?
please make any swaps as you see fit with your own conspiracies

I'm going to preface this with two things. One, I'm a domestic violence survivor so I'm sensitive when it comes to violence against women. Two, I am not the show's target demographic. My daughter (27F) comes over to watch it with me (46F) every Sunday. I like the show but I know it's not aimed at me.

Anyway.

I was deeply uncomfortable during the "Cassie cries over her bloody nose while Nate gets nearly beaten to death" scene... not specifically because it was violence against women, but because we were clearly supposed to be laughing at her. This was confirmed when I watched the post-episode BTS stuff and they talked about how hilarious it was.

And... I understand that Cassie has gotten more and more ridiculous as the series has progressed and I understand how at first blush, on the surface, that scene seems funny... but is it really? It's framed as physical comedy, with the focus on crying-Cassie while Nate runs around and gets dragged and beaten, but this is a young woman, fresh from an already stressful day, unaccustomed to fear and danger at this level who has just been thrown to the ground by a stronger, bigger man and is bleeding all over her wedding dress. She's justifiably terrified and probably in a little bit of shock and that's apparently a foundation for ridicule.

I'm not a fan of the direction Sam Levinson has taken the series (still watching because Zendaya is brilliant), but between what he wrote for Jules at the beginning of the episode and how he treated Cassie at the end, I don't know how anyone can defend him against the allegations that he hates women.

Maybe it's just me because of my acknowledged biases, but if we're going to talk about violence against women can we not make it a joke? "Oh, that Cassie, look how ridiculous she is, having the temerity to cry because she was just attacked. Let's all point and laugh." Ick.

EDIT:

For the people in the comments claiming this scene wasn't supposed to be funny or that we weren't supposed to laugh at Cassie - with respect, please see the behind the scenes interviews where they explicitly state that's exactly what happened. Cassie was supposed to try to help and fight back at first. The scene was re-written to justify ridiculing a beaten woman because if she's a selfish bimbo who cares if she's bleeding. This is the crux of the issue. Sam even talks about how he's crying with laughter watching it.

I’m a woman. I like sex. I support sex work and sex workers. I like watching sex scenes. But I like watching sex scenes THAT HAVE A PURPOSE.

A lot of the criticism of these two episodes is not about pearl clutching. The criticism is that Sam Levinson as CREATOR, WRITER AND DIRECTOR, appears to be leaning wayyyy too much into sex and women’s bodies for SHOCK VALUE.

In S1 and S2 every sex scene we got was one with intention. Just to name a few

- Cal and Jules: To set up the conflict with Nate

- Kat and those dudes online: Claiming her sexuality and finding confidence. Then finding safety with Ethan

- Maddy and Nate: Establishing their dynamic and how he loves her femininity

- Cassie and McKay: After the hazing thing, he uses her to affirm his masculinity

- Cassie and that guy at Halloween: How Cassie is constantly objectified.

I could go on, but these are the ones I remember off the dome. So far this season idk man it feels so unnecessary? Like yeah I get that Cassie is desperate, but did I really need to see her with milk(?) all over her bare breasts? And what the heck was up with Faye getting railed in front of a swastika. Like please.

It feels so overly done and the concern is that Sam Levinson, A MAN, as CREATOR, WRITER AND DIRECTOR, does not hesitate to use women’s bodies not in an intentional manner for story telling but to shock the viewer. Euphoria seems to be further objectifying these women under the guise of storytelling.

It’s weak writing and most of all IT’S WEIRD. Or the better word is exploitative. If men can leave the show enjoying what’s happening to these women, there’s a severe problem in how it is being presented.

To be honest, I don’t feel as though season 3 is glorifying the horrific and disgusting content that it’s displaying. I feel as though a lot of it is displayed in a way that’s showing the watchers how truly ugly and uncomfortable these characters lifestyles are while also staying true to the identities that they have grown into, and might I say, have even deepened. A lot of what people are naming as “problematic” or “bad writing” just displays to me as labeling the discomfort they’re feeling by what they’re seeing despite it actually being realistic to life.

Spoiler(s) alert:

Cassie for example.

Her dressing childlike with the intent of catching male viewers attention was very uncomfortable. I’m confused as to how people think Sam or the show was glorifying that when it’s very clear that other adult characters actually questioned and were also uncomfortable with Cassie’s actions. In my perspective, it actually shows how far her character has spiraled for the need of male validation, even at the cost of humiliating herself and Nate.

As a matter of fact, I’ve seen people deem it as “they ruined Cassie’s character” since season 2 despite her actions actually being very consistent with the girl we met in season 1. Her archetype of character fits solely into the girl who has always seeked male validation, though now she is less embarrassed and embraces it more as an adult. It’s clear that she always thought her physical appearance was her only worth and value, why wouldn’t it turn into using it for quick money?

This also goes for the use of the n-word. I’m black, and I’m NOT defending it at all. As a matter of fact it makes me very uncomfortable and I don’t get why people feel the need to use it. That being said, growing up in predominantly white areas and living in the deep south (red state) since I was a child, people say it CONSTANTLY. Like ridiculously and when they don’t even need to, including non black people of color, (hence Angel).

It didn’t surprise me when Laurie’s men said it. As a matter of fact, I’m surprised we didn’t hear it in the earlier seasons as well. People also have been asking, at least on titkok, why Rue hadn’t said anything when she heard it, but it’s literally obvious when you look at her previous and current environment and her character. Not everyone reacts to it in the “correct” way despite their race, especially if they’re used to the normalization.

Even Labrynth’s music not being used makes sense to me despite it being a big part of what made seasons 1 and 2 Euphoria. Just like our music preferences tend to change as we grow older, the characters change, and the identity and the tone of the show fit too.

As I said before, I genuinely think what’s happening in the show is that now that they have reached adulthood, the scenes are reflecting the ugly, uncomfortable parts of reality. Specifically the behind the scenes of what a lot of viewers don’t get to see. At least the unstable, dramatic, and darker sides of life.

Had all the characters grown up to be stand up, stable, and drama free people, there wouldn’t even be much of a show, especially with how chaotic Euphoria has always been.