It is tempting to argue that Cate should have known better than to lie and betray her friends on account of Dean Shetty and God U in general, but her reasons for doing so appear to be far more complicated than they appear. When Marie senses the tracking chip inside her blood and rips it out, she rushes to Cate, revealing her suspicions that a nefarious conspiracy is in motion. As Cate quietly takes off her glove and places her hand on Marie’s shoulder, the latter realizes the bitter truth, but before she can react, her memory is wiped again. While Cate does this to prevent the situation from spiraling, this introduces more reasons for suspicion, as Marie no longer remembers sleeping with Jordan when they attempt to talk it out with Marie soon after.
Once Emma decides to trust her gut and meet Sam despite having no memory of him, Cate’s secret is revealed, leaving everyone crushed, especially Andre. “You’re a f***ing monster,” he says bitterly, once she touches his forehead and helps him remember everything that was erased. This only proves that we are still unaware of the full extent of Cate’s abilities, as she is not only able to “push” people towards certain moods and actions but also completely wipe and restore core memories. Cate owns up to her actions, and a couple of flashbacks help us understand that she is no scheming mastermind, but just a scared teenager who had placed her trust in the wrong people, who by the way, are extremely skilled at performative empathy and emotional manipulation.
Cate’s guilt is amply clear here, especially in relation to her now-deceased boyfriend Luke (Patrick Schwarzenegger), whom she had manipulated into believing that his brother, Sam, was dead for years.
