Few TV characters are as synonymous with a single piece of clothing as Yellowjackets’ Melissa is to her pink baseball cap. It is such a consistent part of her attaire that the character is affectionately known as Melissa Hat in absence of a given surname, and her canon ship with Shauna is known as Shaunahat.
Her not-quite-canon ship with Gen is sans hat, commonly known as Genlissa.
However, in a recent interview, Melissa’s teen timeline actor Jenna Burgess has revealed her own headcanon for the hat, which she admits is “vile”. Apparently, the hat never belonged to Melissa at all, but to Rachel, the lone Yellowjacket who dies in the plane crash alongside the pilots and Coach Martinez. It gives Melissa’s choice to wear it constantly a new, darker edge.
Jenna Burgess “Does Have Headcanons” For Yellowjackets
Appearing on Kaitlyn (kfunggg)’s YouTube channel, Burgess shared several thoughts on Melissa’s background, including the origin of the hat. Kaitlyn is an extremely popular member of the Yellowjackets fandom, making regular videos on and reactions to the show, and having previously interviewed cast members Sammi Hanrarry (teen Misty), Vanessa Prasad (teen Gen), and Nia Sondaya (teen Akilah) on their channel. As such, their interview with Burgess was heavily anticipated, and did not disappoint.
“This is vile of me” Burgess laughed. “I was like ‘I must hate someone’. You know, everyone doesn’t like someone. What if I didn’t like the girl that caught on fire? And it was her hat… what if she packed the hat and she died and I was like ‘thank god, no loss there’. And then I went through her suitcase and I’m like ‘you know what, this hat was kinda cool’.”
This theory is born of the fact that Melissa is an unnamed background character in season one, not played by Burgess. When she was given lines and a narrative role in season two, the hat came into the picture, so Burgess figured it would make sense for the hat to be something she found in the wilderness, and that helped her stand out more.
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This gives a narrative explanation to why Melissa, much like Crystal, seems to ‘appear’ in season two despite having canonically always been there. Melissa was never truly Melissa, at least the Melissa we now know and love, until she became Melissa Hat.
Season three saw Melissa’s role grow further, introducing a romantic relationship with series lead Shauna, which spills into the adult timeline (the older version of Melissa is played by Hilary Swank). Burgess also added more detail to the trimmed down romantic tension between Gen and Melissa, initially revealed in Prasad’s interview with Kaitlyn, including a line where Melissa shrugs “it’s a free country” after Gen asks if she can sit next to her, something Burgess laughs “was so mean”.
We’ll no doubt see more of Melissa in the fourth season of Yellowjackets, which will hopefully build on her relationship with Gen as well as with Shauna. Yellowjackets is yet to be renewed, but after season three’s popularity and cliffhanger ending, it is widely expected. Also I need it in my life.
