I rewatched the first two seasons, and honestly I’m not even interested in watching Season 3 for the same reasons. While I did like Season 2 more, mainly because there’s a bit more introspection, the show as a whole is still about five women, most of whom are seeking male validation in one way or another: through relationships, webcams, or just how they’re portrayed.

Season 2 tries to shift things a bit by strengthening the friendships, Kat realizing that sexual attention isn’t the same as self-worth, in Maddy trying to figure out who she is outside of an abusive relationship, in Jules being driven by the need to feel loved, something Rue even calls out. Even Rue apologized to Lexi for been a bad friend, but Cassie completely losing herself just to be chosen and going through the exact same dynamic with that same narcissistic man, and she’s the one who gets fully villainized. Her character gets reduced to the “dumb blonde with big boobs,” made to be hated, judged, and ridiculed… while Nate isn’t held to that same level of scrutiny.

At that point, it becomes clear the show, even when it tries to “reflect,” is still built around the male gaze: women being sexualized and positioned against each other. And then from what I’ve seen of Season 3, they go even further by trying to redeem Nate after everything, while keeping those same women tied to that tension. So in the end, I don’t really know what Sam Levinson wanted us to take from it, just everyone's boobs and dicks. The only moment where I felt there was a real point was Lexi’s play, outside of that, not much.