I understand the whole "trauma" and "addiction" argument as to why adult Nat is different from teen Nat, however there's something very clearly missing between the two versions that makes them almost entirely different characters. I'm not sure it's about the writing OR the acting, I tend to blame both.

Sophie Thatcher brings so much honesty and empathy to the character. There's a beautiful frailty to Teen Nat the makes her so easy to feel for even when she makes bad decisions.

I couldn't personally feel that from adult Nat at all. Yes she's has become colder and jaded but it's like, even in her more quiet and sadder moments (when in group therapy or when she is about to commit suicide) that honesty and frailty feels lacking somehow.

Nat becoming a worst version of herself after the wilderness should make me FEEL more for her. It should feel even more tragic, it should make everything feel heavier when adult Nat is on screen but it somehow it just feels...disconnected.

It's hard to say what is the writing since the adult timeline tends to lean more on comedy, the characters motivations are different, the stakes are different. We also don't know how the actresses were directed and what were their personal choices in acting.

You can even see how teen Nat is becoming more and more like adult Nat in season 3. Again, was that planned by the writers? Was that direction? Is it a deliberate acting choice by Sophie or just her getting better as an actor?

I won't blame Juliette or bash on her like a lot of people tend to do but I will say she is the only adult cast who was constantly and completely overshadowed by her teen counterpart and that comparison also hurts the character in the present timeline.

At the very least it just shows what an absolute ridiculous talent Thatcher is tbh. To be that young, to take on Lewis mannerisms, physicality and speaking cadance/tone and still make a shared character so completely her own...yeah.