Juliette Lewis gives the Yellowjackets the tragic Jesse Pinkman character they need

Nat’s life is a whirlwind of dependency in the present. In the teenage timeline, others look to her for resilience and leadership through the darkness. In the present, she is lost in the face of the light. She should be able to stand with pride in what she has overcome and look to a future free of atrocities and inhumanity. Because she is a literal outcast, her ability to develop a new sense of self is blocked.

Jesse and Christopher are exactly like that in their respective shows. Jesse’s professional skills and positive qualities are always easy to manipulate. For much of the series, his goal lies in the selfish hands of Walter White (Bryan Cranston). In a detour, he switches allegiance to Gus Fring (Giancarlo Esposito) in season 4. However, they are two different sides of the same meth lab. Both men exploit Jesse’s follower nature and his over-reliance on others to erase his worth and leave nothing left for himself. Tony Soprano (James Gandolfini) does the same to Chris. When he has the chance to follow his girlfriend Adrianna (Drea de Matteo) into hiding and escape a life of crime, Chris betrays her and has her beaten in the hopes that the mafia will enforce his purpose.

We see in all three characters that they would have so much more to give the world if they could only believe in themselves. A troubling addiction (to both drugs and toxic people) corrupts the morals and potential of Jesse, Chrissy and Nat. They don’t deserve our sympathy, but all three actors portray the tragedy and trauma with an authenticity that draws us into their corner. We can also relate to them because they represent the potential downfall of all of us when placed in mirror situations.

Lewis is no stranger to complexity. Her career peaked on the big screen in the 1990s, when she appeared in some of the biggest hits of the decade. Cape Fear, What’s Eating Gilbert GrapeAnd Natural born killers All of this forced Lewis to struggle with fear and self-esteem. Natalie is another character in a long line of Lewis pivots who bring something unique and special to her films and shows. By giving her the creative freedom of a series, Lewis has the time she needs to create arguably her best performance yet.

SPOILER ALERT: The rest of this article contains spoilers for Yellowjackets Season 2.

In a move that felt rushed and rushed, perhaps in an attempt to give the series a shock death comparable to anything in game of Thrones and keeping fans on their toes throughout the offseason, Natalie’s journey ends in the season two finale. She sacrifices herself and dies from a poison intended for someone else, but her obituary simply states that her cause of death was drugs. She never gets to see her story in as much detail as Jesse and Chrissy’s, but perhaps there was nothing left to tell. Nat’s death is caused by her once again serving others and ignoring their worth. Whether this can be quantified as redemption is really up to the viewer.