Things are going to get a whole lot worse before they get better for the Yellowjackets crew. The highly-anticipated second season will pick up after Jackie’s shocking death at the end of season 1. HollywoodLife spoke EXCLUSIVELY with Samantha Hanratty about how this changes the stakes in season 2 and why Misty isn’t too torn up over it.
“I think everybody is different,” Samantha told HollywoodLife. “I think there are people who are heartbroken. I think there’s the complexity when it comes to Shauna because this was her best friend, but also this is allowing her to come into her own for the first time really. I think that there are so many complexities for each character. I think for Misty, it’s sad but there’s one less person to eat our food. She finds opportunity out of it rather than harping on the heartbreak of it. If it were me, I’d probably feel some guilt being the one that outed Jackie for not saying the prayer. It was kind of Misty instigating this whole little thing between Shauna and Jackie, but instead, I think Misty is kind of like, well, you made your bed.”
In the final moments of the season finale, Misty joined Lottie and Van as Lottie sacrificed a bear heart to the woods. Samantha talked about what that scene could mean for the show and Misty moving forward.
“I think that the last scene that we see with Lottie sacrificing this bear heart, and you see Misty and Van in the back, it’s kind of setting up this possible little cult that might be starting, or the church if you want to say, Church of Lottie,” the actress revealed. “Misty is in a place where she’s just grasping at anything and everything that she can for power, for a place to stand. I think that she’s not giving up. She’s not one to give up. She’s still fighting.”
Coach Ben can breathe a sigh of relief for a moment in season 2 since Misty isn’t going to have all eyes on him. “I can confirm that Misty gets a friend,” Samantha teased. “I’m very, very excited for her. I am just so lucky because Nuha [Jes Isman], who plays Crystal in real life became one of my closest friends. I absolutely adore her. She literally was just sleeping on my couch. She just left and will be back here later. I love her. I adore her. I’m so glad that she’s this new addition to our cast for the season, and I think she adds an element that is going to be very, very important.”
When season 2 begins, the survivors are in the midst of a brutal winter. Resources, especially food, are dwindling as the days go on. Samantha noted that the show’s camera work “mirrors what we’re going through so much. In season 1, it was this chaotic, handheld, in-your-face stuff. There’s just so much going on in season one. And then in season 2, there’s so much stillness. There’s so much emptiness and numbness.”
Samantha doesn’t know if the gravity of the situation has “fully hit” Misty yet. Despite the freezing weather and ongoing potential for death, the Shameless alum revealed that Misty doesn’t regret destroying the black box. “I think that there are moments where I’m sure she’s like this probably wasn’t the best idea. But I think she would have rather had a couple of months of feeling like she mattered than that going away. I think that she’s almost in a mindset — I could be wrong — of at least we’ll die together. That’s how I feel she’s at right now,” she said. Yellowjackets season 2 premieres on streaming on March 24 and will premiere on air on March 26 at 9 p.m. on Showtime.