Cassie and Jules

Couldn’t make a connection as to why they pissed me off the first time and felt really unfair to the characters, especially as there’s a lack of criticism for them compared to the rest of the main cast. After rewatching S2 I see why despite not being the most despicable characters, I cant like Cassie or Jules. S1 Cassie is a character that’s quite easy to empathise with, life just keeps happening to her while she tries to make herself and the people around her happy. The audience can relate to the lack of control/way she finds herself in these situations she does. S1 Jules was a character that I couldn’t explain exactly why she irritated me but it was a a feeling that kept growing, alleviated slightly by her special episode.

In S2 it’s not the weight of their actions that made me dislike either character but how they reacted/reflected. Every other main character goes through some self-reflection and acknowledges their fk ups, shortcoming and the like, even Nate (though he’s still very much awful at the end).

These two however never once take the time to accept they are the problem or that they did something kinda shit. With Cassie blaming anyone but herself and Jules doing what she wants, still hurting the person she cares about and ignoring that it hurts Rue. The unknowing and continued selfishness means they can’t really grow and makes them (at least in Jules’ case) feel confusing and incomplete.