Season two of Euphoria has already been an emotional rollercoaster, with not one but two toxic love triangles unfolding. There’s the awkward Rue-Jules-Elliot tangle, and then, of course, the high stakes heartache of Nate and BFFs Maddy and Cassie.
Whether you’re Team Maddy or Team Cassie (and let’s not forget Nate is the villain here), the spectacular hot mess that Cassie has become as her secret love for Nate takes hold is testament to how painful, all-consuming and, well, hysterical, teenage love can be when you’re in the thick of it.
Anyone who's seen Cassie literally spinning out of control in episode four – as she watches Nate fawn over Maddy at her birthday party - can empathise with the horrible, gut-wrenching feeling of seeing your crush with someone else.
When Cassie projectile voms in the hot tub on hearing Maddy talk about having babies with Nate, you’re right there with Cassie in her misery: boozed up and broken-hearted, that kind of emotional bombshell is enough for you to literally puke.
It takes you straight back to those hazy teen parties, where you’re on red alert, and all you care about is the presence of the guy or girl you’re into. When the night can turn to tears – and some nihilistic necking of blue WKD - in seconds if they don’t behave in the way you hoped.
Actress Sydney Sweeney has played Cassie’s toxic obsession with Nate so accurately, it’s almost painful to watch. Cassie's 4am head-to-toe beauty regime, is exactly like the insane early starts we endured to ‘get ready’ for school, just to look perfect for the 15 seconds you’d walk past your crush in the corridor.
Who, as a teenager, hasn’t found themselves hyperventilating with heartache like Cassie after another tearful phone call? The sreaming fights. The endless anxiety. The drama feels all too real when you’re 18 and have zero perspective, and Euphoria really captures how every earth-shattering emotion hits when you’re stuck in a toxic relationship (or any romantic relationship, really) at that age.
And for Cassie, it’s a million time worse, because she can’t tell anyone about it, without revealing she’s betrayed her best friend (and yeah, Maddy is not going to react well).
Of course, Cassie’s continuing meltdown is extremely meme-able and at times, it’s easy to take the piss out of the OTT slow-mo melodrama. But be honest: if you’ve ever lived through something similar, it does feel like the end of the world. That might be why Cassie is fast becoming the MVP of Euphoria season two - her storyline, her heartbreak really does cut deep.
Watch Euphoria on Mondays at 9pm on Sky Atlantic and stream the series on NOW
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