HBO's Euphoria is simply a sensation, and for good reason. Based on an Israeli miniseries of the same name, the show follows the main character Rue and her classmates as they struggle with a slew of issues. Addiction, relationship drama, LGBTQ+ issues, and a lot more take the forefront, in a series that focuses on teens but is clearly made for mature audiences. Its stark nature and graphic depictions of these serious things have garnered both praise and criticism for the show, with some loving how raw it is and some finding it inappropriate given the age of the characters.
Despite the controversy, Euphoria is very loved. It looks simply stunning as a visual medium, with cinematography, direction, and shot choices really shining. All the acting performances are impeccable, most notably Zendaya as Rue of course. And the writing is top-notch. Throughout the first season, the stories packed in, and the character development for each person in the series was immense. Everyone had a part to play, everyone had something interesting about them, and it was easy to care about all of these teens.
One character in particular who shone brightly in season one was Kat Hernandez. She was only a side character, and her story was not the focus of the show, but the journey she went on really resonated with people. Though what happened to her seems like it would be very farfetched and extreme, viewers could relate. The story combined with a brilliant performance by Barbie Ferreira quickly launched Kat into "fan favorite" status. Because of this, fans were excited to see what would happen to her in season two. Unfortunately, they were left disappointed.
In the first season, Kat is introduced only as part of Maddy's posse. Later though, she has her backstory explored in more depth. It's revealed that Kat is kind of the "fat" girl at school and that that's always been a part of her identity and struggle. She says that one summer she went away as a child, ended up gaining a lot of weight and that it's been a problem for her ever since. Not only does it have an effect on the way she feels about herself or even how kids at school bully her, but it means that while most of her friends are getting boyfriends and having men interested in them, she's being left behind.
During the first episode of the show, Kat loses her virginity. Later on, it's revealed that there's a video of the act circulating around school. It's also posted online, and getting a lot of attention. When Kat realizes that men online are finding her attractive, she feels empowered. She also sees a business opportunity and starts making videos as well as doing webcam services for money. Of course, this is extremely wrong and inappropriate for someone of her age and this should not be glorified or endorsed. However, the effect that this had on her mental state and her personal development was something that struck a chord with audiences.
After feeling sexually empowered, Kat's confidence really grows. She starts to come into her own, finding a personal style and becoming more outgoing. Not everything she does would be seen as good or healthy, but the changes in her mean a lot to people. This made the character very appealing to viewers. Firstly, it's not common that audiences get to see a plus-sized woman in such a sexually powerful role and fans loved that being featured in Euphoria. And by the end of the season, Kat gets a happy ending. The boy she likes, likes her back. He's age-appropriate and a nice boy, and he thinks she's beautiful the way she is. It's hopeful and inspiring. Sadly, these fans would be left disappointed by Kat's storyline in season two.
Season two of the series was widely less-liked in general, to be fair. It has some fantastic episodes, some good character development for a few, and it still looks stunning. However, the magic is simply not the same. Kat's character is a great example of this. For the first two-thirds of season two, Kat is hardly featured. She's shown somewhat, but she's in her relationship and seems much less important. It seems like she may be having an abstract sort of crisis of self, as she has a few scenes of discussing that she doesn't know who she is or what she wants anymore, but that's about it. Mostly, viewers just see her fall out of love with her boyfriend and then dump him in a pretty brutal way.
Not only is this a far less appealing storyline in general, but she's just hardly there. Fans of Kat felt slighted because they wanted to see more of her. Many viewers, women especially, looked up to her for inspiration and now there was nothing there. Rumors then started speculating that this wasn't just a fluke or an oversight. It was rumored, though not confirmed, that Ferreira had creative differences and at least one big argument with the show's creator and writer Sam Levinson which led to Kat's degeneration. This was further fueled when Ferreira didn't attend the season 2 premiere.
No matter what happened behind the scenes, it's sad to see such a fan-favorite character fall into the background. Perhaps it just happened so other characters could have their moment to shine, but it's still unfortunate. The show is renewed for a third season, so there is hope for Kat to have redemption. However, that could be a long time coming. There was a nearly two-year break between seasons one and two and who knows when the third will arrive.