Fans slammed “Euphoria” after its latest episode, arguing the show reduced Sydney Sweeney’s Cassie to a repetitive cycle of “humiliation” that stalled her storyline.
The hit HBO show continued to draw backlash after fans labeled the first handful of season three episodes as shocking and “disturbing” content. After Sunday’s episode, fans criticized Sweeney’s character’s storyline and shocking scenes as repetitive, excessive and lacking meaningful direction.
For episode four, Sweeney’s Cassie Howard seemingly hit pause on her marriage to Nate Jacobs – played by Jacob Elordi – and fully embraced her OnlyFans career. Cassie showed up to an influencer party, where she exchanged a kiss with another girl and dabbled in some drugs as a ploy to gain attention online.
“Is anyone else getting kinda bored with the Cassie humiliation ritual?” one user questioned online. “Like what else honestly? What is going to happen with her character outside of this? Where is her character gonna go?”
“Cassie rubbing coke and on her p—-,” one user wrote while adding a video that said, “Really? classless.”
“What in the f—? This was not on my bingo card for what she would wear,” one user wrote about Sweeney’s outfit for an influencer party. “As hideous as it is she does look f—ing incredible.”
“Last week we had pigs pissing and this week we get cassie rubbing coke on her p—-,” another user noted.
SYDNEY SWEENEY SENDS FANS INTO A FRENZY WHILE ROCKING BARELY-THERE LINGERIE AND TIGHTS FOR HER BRAND
Meanwhile, others did praise Sweeney’s performance of Cassie as compelling and convincing. They claimed the actress fully embodies the role and has delivered standout acting this season.
One user wrote, “Can’t lie sydney can act down ! i genuinely thought cassie was about to overdose for a sec.”
“I hate how likable sydney sweeney is in this season of euphoria,” another user wrote. “she’s eating that role up.”
“Cassie chewing these only fans scenes up no shade,” an X user said.
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Sweeney has faced criticism each week since the show’s premiere on April 12. Sweeney’s portrayal of Cassie has focused largely on the character’s desire to start an OnlyFans account in order to pay for an extravagant wedding she planned to have.
“I’ve no words for Sydney, this scene [is] actually terrible,” a user wrote about the scene where Sweeney’s character poses as an “adult baby” for her OnlyFans content.
Viewers online were quick to claim the show’s creator was “humiliating” Sweeney with the OnlyFans storyline.
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“Sydney Sweeney in season 3 is literally just humiliating her. I don’t get how they don’t see that it’s not about this, her role is reduced to basically HUMILIATING HER, she’s not gonna win any awards like that,” one user wrote on X, before referencing a future scene. “They dress her like a baby, pretending to be a baby with a pacifier for what?”
Premiering in 2019, “Euphoria” is the show that helped launch and solidify the careers of many cast members – including Sweeney, Elordi and Zendaya.
The dark suburban teen drama has also featured more established figures like Colman Domingo, who has received two Best Actor Oscar nominations in the last few years, and the late Eric Dane. And it’s given visibility and recognition to other actors: Hunter Schafer, Alexa Demie, Maude Apatow and Barbie Ferreira. Angus Cloud, another of its breakout performers, died in 2023.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
