People On Tumblr Love To Portray Lottie As This Poor, Sweet, Innocent Girl Who Is A Tortured Soul And

People on tumblr love to portray Lottie as this poor, sweet, innocent girl who is a tortured soul and who needs to be protected and it bothers me for several reasons. Firstly, the show does a great job of portraying Lottie’s nuances. Sure, everything she does in the teen timeline seems to be out of a desire to protect the others, and to keep them safe. However, she certainly did not keep Travis safe. Did not care that he was terrified, that he was suffering. Pushed him to keep going, to take more.

Secondly, in the adult timeline, she was a cult leader. Cults are one of my special interests so I know maybe not everyone knows as much as I do, but it is extremely rare for there to be a “good” cult. In fact, some would argue that there has never been a truly “good” cult, because part of what makes a cult a cult is a complex power dynamic with a leader who exercises an obscene amount of control. Another thing that makes a cult a cult is an exit cost: it is never easy to leave. Without a charismatic overpowered leader, without an exit cost, the so-called cult would just be a group. Notice that adult Lottie has not yet argued against the fact that she ran a cult. She has not denied it, has not tried to prove that it wasn’t one. Therefore, it is important to remember that this is a big part of her identity, and informs a lot of her actions.

So now we get to the most recent episode, season 3 episode 3. It’s doubtful that Lottie just wanted to be Callie’s friend. First of all, what woman in her 40s wants to be best friends with a 17 year old? Maybe if they feel that that teen needs a parental figure to spend time with, to nurture them, sure, but Lottie has yet to show any sort of parental instinct on the show. What she has shown is a distinct lack of boundaries and an odd sense of ownership when it comes to Shauna’s children: both wilderness baby and Callie. Regardless of what Lottie thinks the necklace represents, giving Callie Jackie’s necklace is just a low blow. Even if the necklace represented nothing, did it not occur to her that Shauna might want that back? That it might shock her to find out that Lottie had the only memento of her dead best friend, and didn’t tell her or give it back? Lottie has something cooking up for Callie, and I’m not sure yet what that might be.

Lottie is a complex character. Like all the Yellowjackets, she is neither all good nor all bad. Like all the Yellowjackets, her motives may (usually) be pure, but her actions are extremely questionable. And I’d also like to explain another reason why it bothers me when people baby Lottie. Often people on here will say that she’s done nothing wrong because she has delusions and she doesn’t know what’s real etc etc! I would like to remind you that adults with psychosis, adults with delusions, are still adults. Of course we can have empathy for Lottie’s actions when they can be explained by her delusions and her beliefs. Of course we can acknowledge that a lot of her actions in the wilderness can be explained by these things. However, it’s not okay to act like someone is an innocent baby because “they don’t know what’s real so they don’t know any better.” People with psychosis are still people, and are not a monolith. We have seen time and time again in the show that Lottie is a capable, intelligent, and complex character. People with psychosis can be capable, intelligent, and complex. Let’s not downplay or forget that.

Anyways, I love Lottie because of how complex she is. I love all the Yellowjackets for the same reason. I’m loving season 3 so far and I can’t wait to see what happens! If you have any theories or predictions I’d love to hear about them!!