Cassie’s secret in Euphoria is that she was raped by a classmate in the school bathroom, an incident she refers to as “The Incident”. The rape resulted in her becoming pregnant with Nate Jacobs’ child.
In the initial episodes, Cassie does her best to keep her pregnancy a secret and refuses to tell anyone other than her best friend, McKayla. While McKayla (and eventually the rest of their friends) eventually find out, Cassie is still apprehensive about seeking medical attention from an adult which eventually reaps dire consequences.
Finely accepting her life-altering secret, she later decides to finally seek the professional help she’s needed all along – knowing that it’s the right thing to do for herself and her baby (even though it means facing her rapist, Nate Jacobs, and all the emotions that come along with it).
What did Cassie do that was a secret?
Cassie had been keeping a secret from her family and friends for the past few weeks. She had been seeing someone, a person she met online, and was meeting with them every week without anyone knowing.
She was trying to keep her secret hidden from her family, as she knew they wouldn’t approve. She had been really careful about not leaving any evidence or clues about where she was going, but it all became too much for her.
She eventually decided to tell her family what she had been up to, and although she was expecting some negative reactions, they had actually been quite supportive and understanding.
Why did Cassie become obsessed with Nate?
Cassie became obsessed with Nate because she developed a deep emotional connection with him right away. It started out as an innocent crush, but as they spent more time together, she realized that he had a lot of qualities that she admired.
He was confident, kind, funny, and intelligent, and he seemed to understand her in ways that nobody else had before. She enjoyed their conversations, and the more she got to know him, the more she felt drawn to him.
As their friendship grew, Cassie realized that she had deeper feelings for him than just a casual crush, and this made her become even more obsessed. She wanted to be around him as much as possible and to get to know him better.
She wanted to spend every moment with him, and even when she was apart, she couldn’t stop thinking about him. This made her even more obsessed with him, and she was determined to make him feel the same way about her.
What does Cassie struggle with?
Cassie struggles in multiple areas of life. On a physical level, she faces a constant battle with depression and anxiety. This mental health battle manifests itself in a variety of ways—for example, her inability to concentrate and focus on tasks or complete simple daily activities that most people take for granted.
She also struggles to find joy in everyday events and experiences, due to her underlying feelings of sadness.
On an emotional level, she regularly grapples with low self-esteem, feeling as though she’s not worth anyone’s time or effort. This lack of self-confidence leads to a reluctance to share her thoughts and opinions, as well as difficulty forming meaningful relationships with other people.
From a practical standpoint, Cassie faces barriers in trying to plan her future. This is partly due to her mental health but also to external factors like unstable living conditions, lack of employment opportunities, and financial strife.
Her financial constraints also lead to a lack of resources to treat her mental health issues and take steps to improve her life.
What mental illness do the Euphoria characters have?
The characters in HBO’s Euphoria present a range of mental health issues. The main character, Rue (played by Zendaya), struggles with depression and a substance use disorder. The character Jules (played by Hunter Schafer) deals with gender dysphoria, as well as depression and anxiety.
Kat (played by Barbara Nikolajeva) deals with anxiety, OCD and body dysmorphic disorder. The character Maddy (played by Alexa Demie) is a survivor of psychiatric hospitalization, her journey showing her struggle to overcome her depression and PTSD.
Nate (played by Jacob Elordi) presents several alarming traits including violent tendencies, narcissism, and a disregard for other people’s safety. McKay (played by Algee Smith) is said to struggle with depression and PTSD from his father’s active substance use.
The character Lexi (played by Maude Apatow) struggles with depression, though it’s to a lesser degree than other characters. And finally, Cassie (played by Sydney Sweeney) has shown manipulation in her relationships, as well as a need to people please that can be seen as symptoms of codependence.
Why does Nate abuse Maddy?
Nate’s abuse of Maddy has complex roots, and likely involves a mix of psychological, biological, environmental, and social influences. On a psychological level, some researchers have suggested that abusive behaviors can be linked to experiences of childhood trauma, the presence of mental health disorders, or difficulties regulating emotions.
Biological factors can also be at play, as research has shown that people with certain hormone imbalances, or those with a family history of abuse, may be more likely to display abusive behavior. Environmental factors can also be a contributing factor, such as a stressful home life, substance misuse, or experiences with instability.
Lastly, social influences, like exposure to domestic violence or social “norms” about what is an acceptable way to handle unresolved anger, can also be contributing factors to the problem. It is important to note, however, that none of these factors can be used to excuse this type of behavior, as it is ultimately the choice of the abuser to take control and behave in violent or coercive ways.