Yellowjackets Star Reacts To Becoming the New Antler Queen

The second season of Yellowjackets released its final episode this week, and there were some huge surprises in both the past and present timelines. In fact, the episode was such a surprise to some fans that co-creator Ashley Lyle revealed she got death threats over the episode. Warning: Spoilers Ahead! The finale was all about Natalie in both timelines as the adult version of the character, who is played by Juliette Lewis, met her untimely end when Misty (Christina Ricci) accidentally killed her while trying to kill Lisa (Nicole Maines). Things for past Natalie, who is played by Sophie Thatcher, went a little better. Well, as good as things can go when you eat your boyfriend’s little brother shortly before your only shelter burns down. In the episode, young Lottie (Courtney Eaton) reveals she doesn’t want to be in charge anymore and declares “It” has chosen Natalie to lead since the wilderness saved her and let Javi die. During a recent chat with The Hollywood Reporter, Thatcher talked about becoming the new Antler Queen.

“At first I didn’t really register that it was officially going into Antler Queen,” Thatcher explained. “We’re always texting the group chat and Courtney [Eaton] was like, ‘Ah, the throne has been taken over, Sophie!’ And I was like, ‘What the f*ck does that mean?!’ This was before I got there in the script,” she added with a laugh.

“So I wasn’t fully processing, but then I read it for a second time,” Thatcher continued. “It was really exciting to see. Like we’ve talked about, this is probably why she is the Natalie we see. She’s gone through so much and now she’s taking on more guilt. She’s going to be carrying more guilt [as the group’s leader] and she’s going to continue this journey of self-destruction. But, I was happy to see such a shift. I think this is more juicy and more fun to play around with as an actor for future episodes. So it’s ultimately exciting, besides the Juliette part.” 

Thatcher continued, “I think it will mess up the group dynamic no matter what. And no matter what, it’s going to be exciting. But it doesn’t mean that she is going to fully take over that role. Because, you don’t see her reaction after that scene. I think there is a sense of accomplishment and that she feels seen, for once, for everything she’s done. So I think she’s going to try to hold onto that and wouldn’t just completely dismiss or throw it away immediately. But I think the group is going to react terribly. I think there’s going to be tension between her and Shauna, because Shauna obviously has endured so much and felt like she was the natural one to fall into that role. I think it’s just going to start more conflict. Not that things were going well, but they had a leader that people agreed on and now everything is thrown out of sorts. People don’t even like Natalie that much. They trust her, but she’s not giving them what Lottie was giving them.” 

Has Yellowjackets Been Renewed For Season 3?

It was announced in December that Showtime has already renewed Yellowjackets for a third season which hopefully means the show’s creators will get to finish out its five-season plan. However, there might be a bit of a wait for the next season due to the Writers Guild of America’s current strike. 

Were you surprised Natalie became the new Antler Queen in Yellowjackets? Tell us in the comments!