Agreed.
I've noticed that many people tend not to like the characters who get romantically involved with Jack or Ennis -- Alma, Lureen, Cassie, Randall -- perhaps because they pose a threat to the relationship between Jack and Ennis. But none of them is deliberately trying to hurt anyone, or get hurt (with the semi-exception of Randall, I guess, since he's deliberately proposing that Jack cheat on his wife).
I see a lot of gray areas in this topic. OK, I am somewhat forgiving of Ennis in 1963 in marrying Alma, he was very confused and probably thought that the confusion would pass if he assumed the role of a straight husband to Alma. But, my giving Ennis any slack diminishes exponentially over time, esp after he has been married to Alma for a decade. When Alma got her divorce, I said
"You go girl!" Ennis by then wasn't going to work out as a good provider for the family. But, when it comes to Cassie, Ennis had enough self knowledge as a man in his late 30's to not lead Cassie on. And, clearly he did, or she would not have shown the emotional torment when they met at the bus stop diner. So, I fault Ennis for leading her on.
I know y'all have heard me say it before, I really think that the Twist/Newsome marriage was one of mostly convenience. Lureen went into the marriage with at least half open eyes that Jack wasn't going to be no "prince charming", but more importantly to her that he would be
easy to control, so if Jack played loose with the truth about his orientation - then I don't give him much grief. Randall and Lashawn, well, maybe Randall was fooling Lashawn, and then maybe not. Lashawn sure had a head of steam about how incompetent Randall was and how disappointed she was with life in Childress. Lots of hostility there! And I look at Lashawn, she has a degree from SMU, good tridelt connections and a work history with Neiman's, she can dump Randall anytime and move back to N Dallas - where she can spend her paycheck on clothes and accessories. So, I don't fault Randall too much, he probably deserved a break from LaShawn's motor mouth, and needed the peace and quiet of Jack's harmonica playing in the crappie house on Lake Kemp (just kidding about the harmonica).
In the end the only lasting threat to Ennis and Jack's romance was Ennis and to a smaller degree Jack. Ennis hung on to his denial until the bitter scene in Jack's closet in OMT's house. And, Jack, well he could have grabbed a hold of LD offer of a "golden parachute" out of Lureen's life and started over nearer to Ennis, but he didn't, he chose his life at that point.
Lesson: never waste opportunities, be bold, "seize the day" - it may not come again.