SPOILERS: This post contains details about episodes 1 & 2 of Yellowjackets, Season 3.
In her third season on the team, Alexa Barajas is officially off the bench and ready to score on Yellowjackets.
At Thursday’s Season 3 premiere of the hit Showtime series, the actress who plays Mari told Deadline about getting the chance to further develop the character this season and what comes back to “bite her in the ass” in coming episodes.
“It was so much fun,” said Barajas. “I think Mari has so much in her, that even she isn’t sure. And I think she was torn a lot of the time. I think she just follows her instincts so much … and she just keeps following feeling loved. I think she wants to feel accepted by the group until it bites her in the ass.”
After the antagonistic Mari and Shauna (Sophie Nélisse) get at each other’s throats over dinner, Mari goes for a walk, only to fall into an open pit and dislocate her knee. Discovered by the MIA Coach Scott (Steven Krueger) at the end of the first Season 3 episode ‘It Girl’, he takes her prisoner in his cave, where he’s been hiding out ever since the girls ate Javi (Luciano Leroux) in Season 2.
Meanwhile, the team believes Coach Scott was the one to burn down their cabin before he went missing, but Mari is conflicted about whether or not to trust his innocence plea. She shows some of her true colors in attempt to escape in episode 2, ‘Dislocation’, now available to stream on Paramount+ with Showtime.
Liv Hewson as Teen Van, Alexa Barajas as Teen Mari and Sophie Thatcher as Teen Natalie in ‘Yellowjackets’ (Kailey Schwerman/Paramount+ with Showtime)
With Melanie Lynskey, Christina Ricci, Tawny Cypress, Lauren Ambrose, Juliette Lewis and quite possibly Hilary Swank portraying adult counterparts of the show’s teen characters, Barajas has an idea of whom she wants to potentially play grown-up Mari. “Olivia Munn, if you’re watching. Please,” she said.