1. We need to give Cassie a little bit of a break.

The majority of viewers and fans have turned their backs on Cassie, and not for a terrible reason, but I think that we need to cut her some slack. Cassie is currently hooking up with her best friend’s abusive ex-boyfriend…I do not think that anyone can justify those kinds of actions. Maddy has every right to be pissed at Cassie and Cassie deserves the backlash that is coming for her. However, I think it is important to look deeper into why she is doing this. Cassie is someone who seeks validation from others in order to feel like she is loved and is good enough, especially when it is coming from a man. Her father never gave her the love, attention, or approval that she needed. This is most likely why anytime a man gives her attention or compliments, she tends to crumble and fixate on that person. Therefore, when Nate gave her the slightest bit of attention during a time when she was feeling very low, she felt validated again. Not to mention, Nate himself is extremely manipulative and calculating. I’m not saying it as an excuse for her actions toward her best friend, but I think there are a lot of girls out there who have experienced what Cassie is going through, just maybe not to the extreme level of Cassie’s. Even with today’s feminist, body-positive, and self-love types of campaigns and mantras, many girls and women still suffer from insecurities and seek validation from men or sexual partners. Cassie is not in a great place mentally and it is clear that she has thrown her cares out the window because her self-esteem has plummeted. I think it is very sad and overlooked because of how pathetic it looks on the surface. Frankly, it is pathetic, but it is not happening for no reason and she desperately needs help. Hopefully Cassie can learn that she does not need anyone to prove that she is worthy of love and that she needs to find it within herself.

2. Kat needs more screen time this season.

From the different opinions I have read and seen about Kat, she is not a fan favorite. I did not love Kat in the first season and found her to be incredibly strange and rude. The whole storyline of her using porn sites to make money and seek validation from men made me feel super uncomfortable. I also hated her style change in the first season and it made me cringe. With all that being said, I really wish she were getting more screen time this season. All of the things I previously mentioned were part of a phase in her life where she was trying to find herself and feel validated, which makes a lot of sense. She is in a far more stable place now since she is in a relationship with Ethan, but she is still not satisfied with him as a boyfriend. I really want the writers and producers of the show to focus a little more on this storyline because I have been curious about their relationship since it was first mentioned at the beginning of the season. I also realized during this season that even though Kat only has a few lines every episode, she seems a lot more likable to me than I previously thought. I really want to see more of her soon!

3. Jules is a terrible girlfriend to Rue and does not know how to love her.

I don’t know how many times I have said this this season, but I really cannot stand Jules. When criticizing someone or a character, I always try to take a walk in their shoes to see if I can find a new perspective or understand them better. I do have empathy for Jules and everything she has gone through in her life, and I actually found her special episode from last year to be super relatable. Despite being able to resonate with her struggles, I find myself constantly being angry and annoyed with her. Her always flirtatious demeanor toward just about everyone she talks to drives me insane, especially since she claims to love Rue and is in a relationship with her. It made me feel so angry when she went to talk to Elliot about him liking Rue, and then she turned around and started flirting with him the moment he complimented her. She then proceeds to practically cheat on Rue with Elliot when Rue is in the same house as both of them and then becomes jealous when Elliot and Rue kiss on a dare that Jules herself made. Not to mention, later that night she goes to Rue’s house, to help Rue and is wearing Elliot’s clothes. One part that really upset me was when Elliot and Jules decided to take Rue to buy alcohol with them and then when Rue started drinking, Jules grew upset with Rue because she is an addict. Someone please explain to me how Jules can be mad about this when she is the one who took an addict to buy a pack of alcoholic drinks. I can only imagine how difficult it would be to be in a relationship with an addict, but Jules barely even tries to stay loyal to Rue. I will not even dive into how Jules left Rue at the bus stop when she was in a dark, low place and also how she left Rue on the side of the highway after buying the drinks. I feel for Jules’ deeper issues, but she seriously needs to rethink how she acts with Rue.

4. Laurie is scarier than Nate and Cal Jacobs.

I have seen so many people online saying that they think Laurie is actually trying to help Rue and all I have to say to that is, “Open your eyes!” Laurie has the creepiest look, sound, and feel to her character that I have witnessed on this show. She has such a robotic, monotone voice and an expressionless face with beady eyes that watch you like a hawk. This woman almost doesn’t feel human to me. I think that she definitely has a plan for Rue that she never mentioned to Rue when she took that suitcase full of pills. There is no way that Laurie thought that Rue would actually sell the pills. At the beginning of the season when Laurie asked Fez if Rue was an addict, he said that she did stuff, but wasn’t an addict. He then told Laurie that he would trust Rue with his life. To me, this spells out trouble for Rue and Fez. Now that Laurie knows about Rue’s inability to give her the $10,000 in exchange for the pills, she is most likely going to act against Rue. What I find so scary about this woman is how difficult it is to figure out what she is thinking or feeling. She could be plotting to kill Rue, Fez, or someone else close to them. She could be trying to sex traffic Rue, based on how she injected Rue with morphine in episode five. Lord only knows what is going on inside that woman’s mind, and I would rather not know.

5. Fez and Lexi are super cute together, but will never work.

I really hate that I’m saying this, but I don’t see Fez and Lexi ever working out as a couple. Don’t get me wrong, I think they are so cute together and I love seeing them interact. Lexi seems to get ignored a lot by the other characters in the show because she is more introverted and has some common sense that keeps her out of drama. Fez often gets treated like he is stupid and a bum, so people don’t talk to him much about his own life and interests. Therefore, Fez and Lexi complement each other in this way because Fez actually wants to learn more about Lexi and Lexi talks to Fez just like she would talk to anyone else. Seeing them talk to each other at the party was to die for and it made my heart melt. Even though I would love to root for them, I do not think their lifestyles match up at all. Fez has so many drug dealers and other seedy people after him that make his life dangerous and also makes it difficult for him to have many healthy relationships with people in general. Lexi is more reserved and a type-a kind of person, which makes me think that their two ways of living would clash too much. I also think that if Fez were to be in a deep romantic relationship with anyone, then that person would automatically be involved with anyone he has ties with and would also be in danger. My heart wants them to work, but my mind doesn’t think it will.