Euphoria: 10 Biggest Issues With Kat’s Character Arc In Season 2

With Season 2 of Euphoria finally over, it’s fair to say that many fans expected some of their favorite characters to have better development than they did. Kat, in particular, fails to impress this season because she makes decisions that don’t fit with her character and her story is most sidelined.

All this being said, there are some specific issues with her character arc this season that need to be addressed. Sadly, she just didn’t get the chance to develop the way that fans would have liked.

Kat Wasn’t Confrontational About Her Issues With Ethan At All

In season 1, Kat grew from a shy girl experiencing her fantasy lifestyle through her fan fiction and as she claimed her own sexual identity, she became more confident in herself. This confidence and openness about her sexual preferences did not continue in this season.

Instead of telling Ethan what she wants, she pushes him away and treats him like she barely even knows him. It just doesn’t line up with where her character arc left off in the season 1 finale and it’s certainly a plot point that needs to be revisited.

Kat Doesn’t Support Ethan’s Acting

Kat and Ethan bonded because he let her be who she is and she was amused by all that he did. Ethan was in some of the best scenes in Lexi’s play and, even though the two were broken up by the time it premiered, she didn’t even wish him so much as good luck with his performance.

Kat, even though she broke up with Ethan, is a caring person at her core. While she doesn’t view him as her boyfriend anymore, it would make sense if she at least gave him some praise after the show. Her character arc lacked remorse for the way she treated him.

Kat Doesn’t Even Have A Line In The Final Episode

Kat is one of the main characters in Euphoria and she even had her own cold open about her life in season 1, but she was barely featured in the last episode other than in the Maddy and Cassie fight scene.

She should have at least had a moment of reflection or a moment to sit with the audience so that they can understand how she feels after breaking up and having to deal with Maddy’s drama. Her character arc is basically forgotten in the last episode.

Kat’s Style Isn’t As Provocative As Last Season

Clothing has been a huge piece of Kat’s personality and it’s shown how she’s reclaimed her body in season 1, but this season it was all a little underwhelming. She didn’t push the envelope with harnesses and lingerie and instead dressed pretty normally.

This isn’t huge in terms of the entire plot, but with Kat’s character arc, it just further highlights that she’s not the powerful, sexual goddess that she was before. She used to be one of the most stylish characters on Euphoria, but this season there was just something missing.

Kat Makes A Fool Of Herself In Front Of Ethan’s Parents

When Kat goes to dinner with Ethan’s parents, she comes across as someone who is rude and closed off. She doesn’t even try to engage in the conversation in a normal way, but rather, she makes it much more awkward and embarrasses herself in front of them.

Ethan just wants his parents to meet the girl that he’s only ever said good things about and it’s like she completely changed overnight to act like this. Her character arc isn’t further developed by this scene because there’s no reasoning behind how she’s acting.

Kat Never Really Talks To Jules After Episode 1

Kat and Jules have a great friendship that was made the summer before everyone else got to meet Jules. They both talked about boys and clothing and would tell each other about their problems. After the first episode of season 2, their friendship wasn’t revisited.

It would have added more to her character arc if Kat consulted Jules about her decision to dump Ethan, especially if she didn’t feel comfortable confiding in Maddy. This moment would have solidified their friendship rather than leaving the audience guessing about how they stand. Their only other conversation is a simple invitation over the phone.

Kat Only Has One Fan Fiction Fantasy Moment In The Whole Season

In the previous season, Kat’s whole fan fiction fantasy would come to life in some of the different episodes and show how she imagined the people who follow her stories and her favorite characters to write about.

There was only one, short moment in this season that was about a fantasy man taking control of her and it was fun and exciting, but there should have been more. These moments give insight into how she’s reacting to her life, but there’s very little of that this season. She doesn’t share her feelings on anything other than wanting to break up with Ethan.

Kat Lies To Maddy

Kat has no reason to lie to Maddy and the rest of her friends about thinking Ethan is too sweet for her and they see right through it instantly. She knows how to shame men and she does it online to make money, so it would make more sense for her character arc for her to just insult him.

Not to mention, Maddy has one of the most dysfunctional relationships in the series so far so Kat should know that she wouldn’t judge her feelings and would probably support them. The fact that she lies seems like it adds petty drama to a moment that didn’t need to happen and it takes up precious time that could be used to actually develop her character.

Kat’s Logic In Her Break Up Doesn’t Sound Like Her

Kat’s break up with Ethan is one of the most out of character things she does in season 2 and it’s partly because she doesn’t blatantly tell him why she doesn’t like being with him. She makes up a ridiculous lie about having a terminal brain disease instead of owning up to her feelings.

Many viewers were left dumbfounded by this scene because the Kat from last season would have told him she needs to be with someone makes her feel alive. This moment tries to get audiences to dislike her character, but because it doesn’t make sense for her, most people have taken to saying that Sam Levinson did nothing with her character.

Kat Just Didn’t Get Any Screen Time

The biggest issue with Kat’s character arc this season, which has been mentioned, is that she just didn’t have as much screen time as she deserved to develop this season in comparison to the other characters. Her relationship with Ethan was the basis of her character storyline, which took away from her depth.

While, in season 1, it’s clear how she’s motivated and she even gets a couple of scandalous moments, this season doesn’t explain any of her behavior at all. There would be fewer problems with her character arc if there was ample reasoning behind her choices like there were previously.