Cassie Howard: A Beautiful Disaster

i love you, Cassie, but get a grip.

Season 3 of Euphoria has officially been confirmed to be in production. So, naturally, I decided to rewatch the first two seasons, which are available on HBO. I had forgotten just how raw and abrasive the show is, and how each character is so complex. But what really caught my eye this time was Sydney Sweeney's character, Cassie Howard.

And she almost always said yes, even though it didn’t always make her feel good.

Cassie has always intrigued me as a character. On the surface, she appears picture-perfect, but inside, she's a complete mess. She is so desperate for male validation that all her inhibitions and self-respect crumble the moment any man gives her attention. I mean, Rue couldn’t have said it any better:

She fell in love with every guy she ever met. Whether they were smart, or stupid, or sweet, or cruel. She didn’t like being alone.

Unfortunately, this led Cassie to become deeply insecure in her relationships, especially with men. Since she never truly had a stable father figure, the boys she dates seem to replace that role in a way—and in turn, they take advantage.

But then she met McKay.

And as stupid as it sounds, he fell in love with her. That's probably what was getting in the way. Cassie is all he ever thought about.

McKay was a decent guy. He wasn’t a perfect boyfriend, but who is? He treated Cassie with respect, and even when they broke up, he didn’t resort to revenge porn or share their intimate moments with the world—unlike many of Cassie’s ex-boyfriends. Honestly, this was probably Cassie’s most authentic and intimate relationship. I think this is what she was looking for: someone to love her and encourage her growth. But Cassie was also incredibly self-destructive, and her actions contributed to their breakup.

Then she hooked up with Nate.

He knew it was a little soon to say, but he could imagine spending life with her.

Which, honestly, was the stupidest and most awful thing she could have done—to herself and to others. She knew how important he was to Maddy. She also knew how toxic he was. But because she was already in such a vulnerable and fragile state, her restraints and morality crumbled like an earthquake had hit a building, and she got stuck in the cycle again.

Sam Levinson is exceptionally good at writing deeply wounded, frankly broken people. Cassie is looking for someone who will accept her for who she is, but also help her grow and evolve. However, she will never find that person if she continues the cycle of dating toxic men who use her, while she uses them to avoid being alone.

So, I’m curious to see how Euphoria Season 3 will be executed. Some characters aren’t returning, and one of the most important characters—whose actor tragically passed away—left the story at such a crucial point. I’m really excited to see how they’ll continue from where they left off and how they’ll handle these major changes.