In Showtime's new series Yellowjackets, soccer player Charlotte (aka Lottie) is prescribed medication called Loxipene - but what is the medication for, and is it real? After the plane crash, each survivor faces their own personal struggles. As of now, Van is understandably still upset with Jackie for pulling Shauna away as she tries to save Van's life. Jackie is having a hard time coping with the fact that rescuers aren't on the way, as well as the realization that she's losing her leadership status with the team. Shauna is still refusing to tell Jackie that she's sleeping with her boyfriend. Assistant Coach Ben is trying to cope with only one leg, while Misty hovers over him, much to his annoyance. Natalie and Travis attempt to get along as the new hunters of the group, all while Natalie is haunted by her past.
Like most of Yellowjackets' teen soccer players, not much is yet known about Lottie's backstory. Audiences are made aware of the fact that she has affluent, yet absent parents. Natalie reveals that Lottie is a good person because she doesn't talk about people behind their backs "unless they really deserve it." She seems to be a well-liked presence amongst the team and she doesn't tend to make waves. The only other piece of information that viewers know about the mild-mannered teen is that she has a medication called "Loxipene" that she has to take twice daily. By episode 3, she runs out of her meds and her behavior noticeably shifts. What is the medication that Lottie's taking and how will the absence of it affect the course of the show?
While the medication "Loxipene" isn't technically real, it's probably a royalty-free reference to "Loxapine," which is a typical antipsychotic used in the treatment of schizophrenia. In "The Dollhouse", episode 3 of Yellowjackets, Lottie takes her last pill in the morning and her behavior immediately changes once she doesn't get her second in the evening. She turns more inward, refusing the sleep in the cabin because she's paranoid that something bad happened there. Taissa does find a body in the attic, so Lottie isn't technically wrong. However, her behavior surrounding the incident is strange. Viewers aren't let into what type of schizophrenia the soccer player suffers with, but the illness is marked by auditory and visual hallucinations, delusions, and paranoia. In episode 4, the girls discover a plane that has vines wrapped around the wheels, and Lottie mysteriously claims "they didn't want them to go anywhere."
The difficult thing about Yellowjackets is how the series approaches Lottie's illness. It's unclear whether her predictions are truthful or not, or if her paranoid state is what leads the girls down the path to the eventual cannibalism foreshadowed in Yellowjackets episode 1. Between Taissa's visions of the man with no eyes and the symbol carvings in the trees, it seems like the show could be taking a supernatural turn. Lottie's schizophrenia is sure to become a catalyst for the future events of the show, especially since she doesn't reveal to the rest of the team that she has a mental illness and is out of her medication. If Lottie were to be honest with her teammates about her condition, it could save a lot of time and misunderstandings. As well, Misty would gladly watch over her along with Coach Ben. However, what Lottie reveals to whom is her own prerogative.
Lottie's unmedicated schizophrenia is sure to become a major plot point in Yellowjackets. She's showing increasing interest in the carvings on the trees. This might lead to the "beast" plot point à la Lord of the Flies, the book that inspired Yellowjackets. The first sign of trouble for her is her behavior at the cabin, and the second is when the girls find the plane. With all that said, viewers will inevitably have to wait and see how Lottie's illness will affect the girls and their journey.