I often see people talking about how Lottie chooses Nat as the new Queen due to her believing Nat is the Wilderness’s “favorite.” While I do think this is partially true, I think it oversimplifies the moment and overlooks that Lottie’s decision is far less rooted in spiritual certainty than it is in a desire to escape. Handing Nat the crown is ultimately a more selfish, fear-driven act than Lottie is able to acknowledge.
The scene in which Misty reveals to Lottie that they drew cards and allowed Javi to die as a sacrifice to keep Lottie alive is extremely revealing.
Lottie is horrified by Javi’s death, but even more so by the realization that it was her influence that made it possible. The group’s idolization of her, and their desperate reliance on her beliefs about the Wilderness and sacrifice, directly shaped the conditions that led to his death. This moment forces Lottie to confront the full weight of where her leadership has taken them. They elevated her to a pedestal and absorbed her ideology so completely that they allowed an innocent boy to die and then ate him. For Lottie, this is the devastating realization that her influence over the group, and the path it has set them on, is dangerous and deadly.
It’s a realization that creates a fear strong enough to shake her out of her delusions and provide her with a very rare moment of clarity.
This is Lottie momentarily breaking through the veil of the ‘Wilderness’ and beginning to question both It and herself. Her entire belief system is shattering. She has been operating under the firm conviction that the Wilderness is here to help and protect them, and Javi’s death feels contradictory to that faith. The idea that the Wilderness could allow an innocent child to die is irreconcilable for her. This contradiction to her beliefs, partnered with the fear of having this level of influence and responsibility over the group in its darkest moment, allows her to see through her psychosis and feel real remorse for the first time since her rise to leadership.
After this, Lottie goes downstairs, sits quietly for a long time while they’re all digesting Javi, and comes to a decision.
Lottie says that she’s no longer fit to lead the group because It is no longer speaking to her and It has made its intentions clear through the card draw. According to her, the Wilderness has chosen Natalie as the new leader because the group tried to kill her and “It wouldn’t let them.” The most interesting part of this is Lottie’s admission that she “can’t hear It anymore.” This doesn’t seem true, given that Lottie is shown having visions while the hunt for Natalie is occurring.
I believe Lottie sees this as an opportunity to course-correct. She is actively questioning both the Wilderness’s intentions and whether it is even real at all. Natalie has always been the primary voice challenging both Lottie and the Wilderness, and choosing her as the new leader creates a chance to redirect the group down an entirely different path. Lottie has begun to recognize her own role in the group’s descent into darkness, and as a result, she turns to someone who represents her opposite. Natalie’s firm moral compass, pragmatism, and refusal to submit to the Wilderness offer the possibility of grounding the group and restoring some semblance of order closer to civilization. Handing the crown to Natalie also allows Lottie to relinquish the immense fear and responsibility she has been carrying, though it ultimately transfers that same burden onto Natalie. Lottie believes this is what is best for the group, but she’s also acting out of fear and self-preservation.
However, I think the moment of clarity Lottie displayed earlier is rapidly dissipating. Lottie’s coronation of Nat is still muddled by her enduring belief in the Wilderness. There’s a part of her that still recognizes a something in Natalie that aligns with the Wilderness’s will (her inner darkness, her trauma), and may be interpreting the visions she had while the card draw was happening as signs that It has chosen Natalie. And, interestingly enough, Lottie does stop hearing the Wilderness for a while after giving the crown to Natalie.
What begins as a fear-driven lie to free herself from the burden of responsibility and steer the group away darkness ends up solidifying into belief. She comes to believe Nat is the Wilderness’s favorite, a belief that is interestingly restated by Lottie when she is spiraling into delusion again in the adult timeline. She also believes the Wilderness is no longer speaking to her, until she starts to unravel again during the spring, becoming desperate to hear Its voice again, which is her central motivation in Season 3.
Ultimately, Lottie’s decision to crown Natalie is not a clear-cut act of faith or deception. It’s a moment where insight and delusion briefly exist side by side. She understands that the Wilderness is hurting the group and tries to remove herself from its center, but she cannot fully separate that realization from her belief that the Wilderness is still real and still choosing. By handing the reigns to Natalie, Lottie is both resisting and obeying the Wilderness at the same time. The outcome is unfortunately not a real course correction, but the continuation of a cycle in which leadership becomes a vessel for the group’s fear, violence, catharsis, and unmet needs, making it impossible for anyone who wears the crown to avoid the burden that comes with it.
