Yellowjackets Season 3’s Major Character Deaths Addressed By Star

Warning! Major spoilers ahead for Yellowjackets season 3.

Yellowjackets

star Melanie Lynskey comments on all the major character deaths in season 3. Created by Ashley Lyle and Bart Nickerson, the hit Showtime series returned for its third outing earlier this year, with audiences having to say goodbye to a handful of characters as the struggle to survive in both the show’s 1990s timeline and the present day intensifies. Yellowjackets season 3 finally saw the demise of Coach Ben (Steven Krueger), but even more shocking were the deaths of adult Lottie (Simone Kessell), adult Van (Lauren Ambrose), and teen Mari (Alexa Barajas).

In a recent interview with THR, Lynskey shares her thoughts on the major Yellowjackets season 3 deaths, revealing that all of them, including adult Natalie’s (Juliette Lewis) in season 2, were very emotional experiences for her. The actor says she was “heartbroken” by each one of them, expressing that she feels there was more to explore with these actors as these characters.

Everyone who died this season, and also Juliette, told me themselves. I think they all knew how I was going to respond because everybody knows each other so well, and they know I’m the most emotional one and that I get very, very attached to people. So everybody had to break the news to me as though some tragic thing in real life had actually happened.

[With Nat’s death in season two] Juliette, was like, “Okay, don’t cry.” Then she was like, “It’s okay, you can cry,” because of course, I immediately burst into tears. All of them, I was heartbroken. I was heartbroken when Alexa [Barajas] told me [she was Pit Girl]. I didn’t know that was happening to Alexa. She’s so good. She’s so talented.

When everybody on the show is so good, you don’t want to lose any one of them. All of the characters are so interesting, and I’m not in the writers room but I’m like, “Oh, but there is so much more that they have to offer and so much more they have to offer in these particular characters.”

I don’t doubt that all of them are going to go on to have amazing careers and do whatever they want. Simone and I are actively working on something that we’ll act in together back in New Zealand, and we’re so excited about that.

Though Lynskey may be saddened by the death of so many key characters on the show, she also affirms that she trusts the writers’ vision for the story and where they’re taking things:

At the same time, you just have to trust. These people [our showrunners] are brilliant. I have signed on to go on the ride that these writers have decided to put us on, and I trust them. I think they’re telling the story they feel is best to tell. They’ve given me so much amazing material to work with. They’ve given all of us amazing material to work with. That’s why the characters are so great and why people care so much. But just personally, the idea of never finishing [filming] a little earlier than we thought and making a dinner plan with Lauren and Simone? I’m just going to start crying!

The Audience Response To Season 3 Explained

While many in the Yellowjackets cast of characters don’t get along on screen, it’s clear from Lynskey’s comments that things were far more harmonious off-screen. It also seems like Lynskey may not be aware of where the story is headed and what plan the writers have in mind with all these character deaths. Though the adult Shauna actor may trust in Lyle and Nickerson’s creative vision for the series, it’s less clear if audiences do.

Related

Every Death In Yellowjackets Season 3 Explained

From longtime characters to newly introduced individuals, there has been no shortage of shocking bloodshed in Yellowjackets season 3 episodes.

As seen in the chart below, the Yellowjackets audience score on Rotten Tomatoes for season 3 is a lukewarm 65%. This score may be an improvement over the 49% audience score for season 2, but it’s not a score that suggests widespread acceptance of the direction things are headed. That being said, season 2, despite its poor audience score, was still a major viewership hit for Showtime. Season 3’s premiere episode debuted to 38% higher viewership than the season 2 premiere, and, as of March 14, season 3 viewership was up 39% over season 2, per Deadline.

Our Take On The Yellowjackets Season 3 Deaths

Are Characters Dying Too Soon?

Character deaths have been a part of Yellowjackets from the beginning, and the deaths of characters like adult Lottie and adult Van were certainly shocking. There is an argument to be made, however, going to back Lynskey’s comments about these actors having more to offer, that these characters hadn’t been fully explored. Adult Lottie, especially, was a surprising loss for the show given she was only just introduced in season 2.

If Yellowjackets continues to kill characters off while they still seemingly have dramatic potentional, this could become frustrating if the show returns for season 4. That being said, Lynskey has faith in the show’s creative team, and that certainly has to count for something. It remains to be seen whether Yellowjackets will return for future seasons, but the viewership so far suggests audiences should expect further adventures for the surviving characters.

Source: THR

Yellowjackets

7/10

Release Date

November 14, 2021

Network

Showtime, Paramount+ with Showtime

Showrunner

Ashley Lyle, Bart Nickerson, Jonathan Lisco

Directors

Benjamin Semanoff, Daisy von Scherler Mayer, Deepa Mehta, Eduardo Sánchez, Jeffrey W. Byrd, Liz Garbus, Scott Winant, Eva Sørhaug, Jamie Travis

Writers

Liz Phang, Sarah L. Thompson, Ameni Rozsa