Shauna’s Family Decision & Her “F–king Queen” Manifesto Explained By Star

The following article contains spoilers for Yellowjackets Season 3, Episode 10, “Full Circle.”Yellowjackets star Melanie Lynskey discusses how Shauna is feeling after the tumultuous season 3 finale. The final episode of season 3 leaves Shauna alone in the adult timeline, having been abandoned by her husband, Jeff (Warren Kole), and daughter, Callie (Sarah Desjardins). Friends Tai (Tawny Cypress) and Misty (Christina Ricci) have also left Shauna in the dust, blaming her for the deaths of both Van (Lauren Ambrose) and Lottie (Simone Kessel). Meanwhile, in the past timeline, Shauna has ascended to the powerful role of “Antler Queen,” donning an elaborate headdress and commanding the girls as they make a feast out of Mari (Alexa Barajas).

In an interview with Variety, Lynskey revealed Shauna’s thoughts and feelings after Jeff and Callie left her with an empty home, taking all their belongings with them and leaving no indication of where they had gone. The star was asked about Shauna’s reaction to the sudden departure. Read her comments below:

It almost felt like a relief to me because she’s been repressing. To have been playing for almost three full seasons somebody who’s trying to repress the most powerful part of themselves, it felt exciting and like a relief. To see her own up to the fact that this is not necessarily where she’s the happiest, but definitely feels most like herself and feels the most powerful. It also made me very curious for what is going to come next if we get another season.

Later, Lynskey was asked whether Shauna wanted her family back, saying that it was “quite exhilarating for her.” However, she also explained that this moment meant that the character needed to figure out “what she’s doing.”

At this particular moment, the panic of them leaving has kind of worn off. When she had a moment to just be back in the house and look around and be like, “It’s so quiet now in this house that I can hear myself think, and this is what I’m thinking” — that feeling is quite exhilarating for her.

Sometimes it’s like that; there’s a huge change in your life and you don’t want it to happen, but the moment you stop and take a breath, you go, “Oh, actually this is what I want to happen.” It’s not like she wants them to have left her, but I think she does need a moment to figure out what she’s doing. I don’t think she’s going to make any good choices, but I think she does need a minute.

The star also spoke about Shauna’s role as a “warrior” and “f–king queen” in the wilderness, reciting the monologue about her relationship to being a wife and mother. Read her full comment below:

It’s difficult for her. In my mind, she loves Jeff and she loves Callie; I don’t ever doubt that she loves them to the best of her ability. But there is something within herself that doesn’t trust that she’s lovable. She’s not allowing herself to really be loved, and she does not trust herself to love anybody. There’s a distance she’s keeping between herself and Jeff and Callie; it’s just never going to be a satisfying relationship.

And she does not like household duties. She’s not a person who can make herself happy busying herself around the house. I really do love at the beginning of that scene where she realizes she’s alone in the house, and she looks around and she sees they’ve left a fucking mess for her to clean up. Part of her is like, “You know what, you guys? Thanks. You abandoned me, and now I have to clean up whatever you decided to make for lunch.” It’s very rude. She’s still a little resentful about it, even as she’s sort of reclaiming her power. It’s not that she would not have made the choice. I think she wants to be a mother to Callie; I think she really does love Jeff. She just does not know how to do it.

What This Means For The End Of Yellowjackets Season 3

Shauna Has Reached A New Low And High

In the Yellowjackets adult timeline, Shauna and her family have a complicated relationship, with both Jeff and Callie consistently feeling that they are being held at arm’s length. After it’s revealed that Callie is responsible for Lottie’s death earlier in season 3, she and Jeff take off without leaving so much as a note for Shauna to return to. Her family has finally abandoned her, but she is not entirely disappointed with being alone. Shauna has spent three seasons desperately trying to cling to some form of control, and Jeff and Callie’s departure allows her the chance to reclaim herself.

Being alone in her home gave Shauna a moment to pause and reflect. It also comes with a sigh of relief because she is, at least temporarily, relieved from playing the role of mother and wife. Shauna yearns for power, something that has become all too apparent in the teenage timeline of Yellowjackets, and she feels like she has been limited by being Jeff’s wife and Callie’s mother. Shauna loves her family but does not see herself as worthy of love, nor does she like the traditional homemaker position. Jeff and Callie’s decision to flee is the result of Shauna’s inability to truly open up to them, leaving her to be just as alone as she feels.

Our Take On The Yellowjackets Season 3 Finale

Shauna Has Been Left With Nothing

Yellowjackets season 3 ends with a victory for teenage Shauna as she ascends to the role of Antler Queen. She has established her power, thrusting Natalie (Sophie Thatcher) out of her leadership position with anger and force. Teen Shauna spent all of season 3 trying to take control of the girls—and she succeeds. However, adult Shauna has lost power, control, and everyone in her life. Her friends, Tai and Misty, are done with her, and her family has left her. Now, Shauna has no one.

This abandonment will likely propel her story forward, but it is unclear whether she will lean into being alone or if she will take this moment as a sign that she needs to repair her relationship with her friends and family. However, Shauna has caused interpersonal damage and actual bloodshed in the past three seasons, so it is hard to imagine that Tai, Misty, Jeff, or Callie will be quick to forgive her should she try to reconnect with them in Yellowjackets season 4.

Source: Variety

Yellowjackets

7/10

Release Date

November 14, 2021

Network

Showtime, Paramount+ with Showtime

Showrunner

Ashley Lyle, Bart Nickerson, Jonathan Lisco

Directors

Benjamin Semanoff, Daisy von Scherler Mayer, Deepa Mehta, Eduardo Sánchez, Jeffrey W. Byrd, Liz Garbus, Scott Winant, Eva Sørhaug, Jamie Travis

Writers

Liz Phang, Sarah L. Thompson, Ameni Rozsa