Warning: This article contains SPOILERS for Sweetpea.Ella Purnell’s leading role inSweetpeagets the depth and complexity that the actress’Yellowjacketscharacter was denied when she was killed too soon. Like the acclaimed Showtime series,Sweetpeafalls somewhere in the horror/thriller comedy genre, focusing on a morally bad character that is albeit empathized with.Episode 1 ofSweetpeasets up Rhiannon Lewis on her transformation from a quiet and alienated girl to a vicious serial killer out to punish those who have wronged her.
The wave ofgoodSweetpeareviewsfocus mainly on praising the rising actress' compelling performance as a heavily twisted but charmingly sensitive protagonist. Based on CJ Skuse’s eponymous novel, the Sky Atlantic show makes some changes toPurnell’sSweetpeacharacter, smartly taking advantage of the actress' talent and range.Purnell’s Rhiannon takes her where her past role couldn’t go, makingSweetpeafeel a lot like an alternate universe where Jackie fromYellowjacketswas given a chance to fight back against the characters that walked all over her.
Sweetpea Finally Does Ella Purnell Justice After Yellowjackets
Sweetpea Gives Ella Purnell The Chance To Demonstrate Her Wasted Potential In Yellowjackets
Back in 2021,Yellowjacketsunexpectedly killed off one of its main characters in season 1. The Showtime survival thriller focuses on a girls' soccer team stranded in the Ontario wilderness after a plane crash. Even if her death was established early on, the importance of Purnell’s character demanded more screen time. AlthoughJackie’s death inYellowjacketsserved a darkerpurpose in future seasons,the show wasted Purnell’s talent and her character’s charm. Not only was she killed too soon, but Jackie’s struggles in the wilderness were sidelined, detracting from her distinctive story arc and reducing her to a plot device.
Episode 1 ofSweetpeawas released on October 10. A new episode ofSweetpeaairs every Friday on the Starz cable channel and is available to stream on the Starz app.
Sky Atlantic’sSweetpeasmartly puts Purnell in the driver’s seat,acknowledging the actress' range and potential, and giving her the space and time to evolve within the show. Rihannon is in many ways similar to the rest ofYellowjacketscharacters, as they go from normal teenagers to cruel and detached cannibals/killers due to the trauma they endure. Purnell’sSweetpeacharacter carries a past of trauma and alienation that bleeds into her present.
Having been heavily bullied in her youth, Rhiannon has a hard time standing up for herself, which results in everyone treating her poorly. Struck by the overwhelming grief of losing her father and faithful dog companion, she recurs to violence to change her circumstances. InSweetpea,Purnell is given layers upon layers of complexity, creating a striking dissonance between the audience’s empathy for Rhiannon and her murderous coping mechanism against life’s adversities.
Ella Purnell Is Great In Yellowjackets, But She Didn’t Show Her Full Potential
Ella Purnell’s Yellowjackets Character Was Denied A Transformation
AmongElla Purnell’s best movie and TVroles,her character inYellowjacketsis one of her most notorious. Jackie Taylor is the popular girl and team captain, and stands out from her adolescent peers for being one of two who retains her humanity after the traumatic event. Before the plane crash, Purnell’s character had a true commitment to being a good leader and role model. She constantly tried to unite the otherwise clashing girls and positively influenced them. Once in the wilderness, Jackie failed to adapt to and accept her circumstances and, therefore, lost her power in the group dynamics.
Despite being given little screen time and a thwarted character story, Ella Purnell elevated Jackie from being a mere plot device inYellowjaketsto a memorable character that left a lingering impact on further seasons of the show.
Jackie Taylor was a doomed character from the beginning — marked by her privileged life and beauty to lack what it takes to survive the harsh conditions of the wild. AlthoughYellowjacketsdoes subvert her character trope, making her a genuinely well-meaning person (if a little selfish),the show does her an injusticeby denying her the potential to endure trauma and step up in a dire situation. As she is unable to serve the group’s survival, the girls turn on her and do nothing when she spends the night sleeping outside their cabin and freezes to death.
Ella Purnell’s New Show Sounds Like The Complete Opposite Of Her Fallout Role (But In A Good Way)
Refusing to be typecast, Ella Purnell’s Fallout follow-up role sounds completely opposite of Lucy MacLean — in the best possible way for the actor.
The overwhelming audience reaction to Purnell’s character demonstrates that Jackie was set up for much more. Her moral struggle and teenage immaturity could have been given more focus, as they showed a valuable contrast between team members and heightened their collective path toward darkness. Despite being given little screen time and a thwarted character story,Ella Purnell elevated Jackiefrom being a mere plot device inYellowjacketsto a memorable character that left a lingering impact on further seasons of the show.
Sweetpea
Cast
Sweetpea (2024) follows Rhiannon Lewis, an unremarkable woman who goes unnoticed by those around her. However, her life takes a dark turn when she loses control, leading to a transformation filled with dangerous secrets she must conceal.
More similar to herYellowjacketscounterparts, the actress’Sweetpeacharacter surrenders to the darkness, but not without retaining an abiding humanity. Reminiscent ofYou’s Joe Goldberg, Rhiannon Lewis has a killer charm that has you rooting for both her redemption and vengeful success. Purnell’s new roleillustrates the emotional places she could have taken herYellowjacketscharacter. After all, Jackie was also wronged by those close to her, mainly her best friend Shauna, who slept with her boyfriend and was key in turning the group against her post-plane crash.
Although it would have been great to see Jackie fight for her survival and place within the group — letting her prove she was more than an easily deceived pretty girl — the actress offered a moving performance. With Rhiannon,Purnell continues her successful TV trendand cements her acting career as a leading lady.Sweetpeaallows her to run free and deep into places and emotions thatYellowjacket’s Jackie merely dipped her toe in.Ella Purnell revisits the thriller genre, this time as a protagonist and with a carefully crafted characterthat makes use of her exceptional talent and magnetism.
Yellowjackets
Yellowjackets is a television series exploring the survival ordeal of a high school girls' soccer team stranded in the remote wilderness after a plane crash. It interweaves psychological horror and coming-of-age themes, simultaneously depicting their harrowing transformation and its lasting impact on their lives 25 years later.
