Yellowjackets fans aren’t the only ones frustrated with that shocking and “premature” onscreen death — so is the actress who played the crucial character.
During the Sunday, March 2, episode of Showtime’s Yellowjackets, Simone Kessell‘s run as adult Lottie came to an end when the character was found dead. The decision came as a (frustrating) surprise to viewers hoping to spend more time with Lottie and Kessell, 49, appeared to feel the same way.
“I was pretty brokenhearted, because it felt like it had come to an end just when I felt Lottie was coming into her own. I was excited that season 3 would take her somewhere interesting, and unfortunately, they just decided that story line was no longer,” Kessell told Variety on Friday, February 28, after the episode premiered on Paramount+. “I guess Lottie’s death then serves as an investigation for [Christina Ricci‘s] Misty to be Citizen Detective, and discover how Lottie passes, what happened — and everyone’s a suspect.”
Kessell admitted she had questions about how the creators came to their decision.
“I don’t know what happened in that writers’ room, or whether they decided that they wanted to bring in a fresh character, or just have the three main girls. As an actor, you always think, ‘Was it something I did? Was it my performance? Could I have done it differently?’ she pondered. “I just felt it was premature because I wanted to see — and I know that the fans and the supporters of the show did too — where Lottie was going. So to have that just cut off didn’t feel good.”
According to Kessell, there won’t be too many more appearances from her, adding, “We do see what happened to Lottie in episode 10. We find out what happened to her, and how she died.”
The actress continued to subtly weigh in on the creative choice to remove adult Lottie from the season by interacting with comments from fans on Instagram.
“Your character had so much potential and story left to tell. I’m so sad we didn’t get to see you play it,” read a response that Kessell “liked” on social media after the episode. “I’m sorry these writers didn’t appreciate your commitment and talent enough to write a well developed story. You deserve better and I hope you find it. 💕”
Another comment supported by Kessell called Lottie’s death “one of the biggest failures in that writing room.”
“Unsure if the rest of the season is even redeemable. You were the true connection between the past & present. Incredible performance! That’s not a knock on any actor because everyone is doing amazing,” the reply continued. “The plot, however, what poor choice. My hope for the season has been washed away. Bummer.”
Kessell directly replied to a third reaction that read, “What an odd choise, very disappointing one…I don’t get it, make no sense. Hopefully lottie’s ghost will haunt writer’s room.” In response, Kessell sent back a laughing emoji.
Lottie’s death in the present timeline came after fellow Yellowjackets star Samantha Hanratty teased to Us Weekly that certain characters wouldn’t make it until the end.
“This is the season of mourning. In my opinion, there is a lot to lose this season and it’s definitely the most emotional season to me,” she exclusively told Us last month. “Just starting it off with us losing somebody so crucial to our story. It just doesn’t really get better from there, unfortunately. In a delicious way, this is a rough season to watch and it was a rough season to film.”
Yellowjackets is available to stream on Paramount+ Fridays and airs on Showtime Sundays at 9 p.m. ET.
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