(This review covers episodes 5 through 7 of Yellowjackets season 3, and contains spoilers.)
These three episodes of Yellowjackets mark a major turning point for the series. Filled with death, sadness and pure chaos, we see glimpses of the show at its very best throughout each episode, though certain elements remain flawed.
The close of episode four saw the teens reach a verdict of sorts over coach Ben’s guilt over the cabin fire (we still don’t know for sure if he did it, but that’s not really the point). That continues here, as episode five finds them grappling with that choice, and how best to enact his sentencing. It’s one thing to scream about his supposed guilt from the treetops, but it’s another to put a man to death point blank. Nat struggles the most here. She’s always had a connection to Ben, and Shauna’s mean streak is in full force as she forces Nat to be the one to fire the gun.
It’s a cruel twist of fate that Nat still ends up being the one to kill Ben, even after a last minute revelation leads to the group deciding to spare his life. Held in endless captivity, episode six documents Ben’s steep decline into nothing, as he begs to be put out of his misery. Unable to deal with the weight of his suffering, Nat puts a knife in his heart. The death scene itself is a haunting one, and a great example of how Sophie Thatcher has become the emotional core of the series. It’s a huge shame we’ll never get to see how these emotional beats would have played out with adult Nat still around in the present. Instead, it’s an even sadder reality to know where she ends up.
The weight of Nat’s actions barely has time to register before the group are shocked by the arrival of three newcomers – Frog scientists Edwin and Hannah, and their guide, Kodiak. As if these episodes weren’t already filled with terribly timed twists, their arrival happens to coincide with a “ritual” to honour Ben – said ritual being a feast on his corpse, with his head mounted in full view of the new group. Oops.
"Croak," episode seven, is a series highlight. Opening with an extended montage of Edwin, Hannah and Kodiak’s time in the wilderness, we have just enough time to get to know these characters before Lottie plants an axe in Edwin’s head. A fun chase ensues, as the teens attempt to undo the repercussions of their cannibalistic celebration and salvage their chances of rescue. It’s in the midst of this chase that we find out the true origin of the tape Shauna received at the beginning of the season. Hannah, who has a child back home, records a goodbye message using the recorder she had on her person. The tape is also filled with her entire first encounter with the teens, including Edwin’s death. Pretty damning evidence.
That tape is a major catalyst in the present, as the four remaining survivors hit the road to track down the person who sent it. Van’s health issues rear themselves again, despite a temporary reprieve earlier this season. With her now fully hospitalized, it seems Van’s days have become numbered, though I’m sure her girlfriend(?) will try her best to give “It” what “It” wants to save her.
Tai’s struggle with her darker self is a plot I’d rather see buried, but the chemistry between Tawny Cypress and Lauren Ambrose is still super engaging, even if this body snatcher vibe is a bit hokey. Also, Tai finally got some one-on-one time with Sammy, only he seemed too afraid to interact with her. One sign of many that the Tai we know isn’t fully in control.
Episode seven closes with Shauna lying in wait outside Hannah’s daughter’s home, after bailing on her old teammates. I’m sure that’ll end well. Melanie Lynsey continues to play Shauna with a lot of heart, in spite of the heartless things she keeps doing on screen. It’s even more impressive that we care about her at all when we consider what Shauna may have done off screen.
Misty and Walter’s tit for tat investigation into Lottie's murder is fun enough, but it’s hard to enjoy it all that much when Walter remains a bit of a drag on the series. I did appreciate his shared time with Shauna; a nice break from seeing him interact with mainly one Yellowjacket. Walter also discovered a major breakthrough in the case – Shauna’s DNA under Lottie’s fingernails. The damning evidence just keeps piling up this season.
We Hear the Wilderness
Why did Lottie want to stay with Shauna even though she had her father’s NYC penthouse to return to?
Simone Kessel is not happy with the decision to kill Lottie off unceremoniously. She’s now the second of the adult cast to part ways with the series on bad terms (Juliette Lewis being the first).
Nicole Maines returned as Lisa from last season. Lisa saw Lottie on the day she died, and got a $50k tip from the former cult leader. Lisa also took the time to rip into Misty. She wasn’t lying when she told her off for being the reason Nat died.
The loud shrieking the teens had been hearing wasn’t the wilderness screaming back at them, it was a bunch of horny frogs having a weird mating orgy. An even funnier revelation considering it came in the same hour that we saw Lottie smear a dead man’s blood on her face after caving his skull in.
Some cracks are starting to show in Shauna and Melissa’s weird relationship. Shauna cut and ran after Hannah and Kodiak with very little thought even though the former had just shot Melissa with an arrow.
Apparently Ben’s death and the arrival of the scientists were part of the original series pitch. As two of the best moments on the entire show, I wonder how many more key moments we’ll see this season. An exciting prospect.
Sammi Hanratty throwing Ben’s knawed bone behind her back and her delivery of that “died of natural causes” line might be the funniest thing she’s done so far.
And it Hears Us
Walter: “Mutually assured destruction can be devastatingly effective.”
Mari: “Go fuck your blood dirt, Lottie.”
Misty: “I am not family but we have a very intense trauma bond.”
Callie: “We keep telling ourselves that Mom is a basically good person and that all this bad stuff that happened to her couldn't be helped, but... what if she's actually a bad person?”
Some parts of the adult timeline are still a little... off, but when the rest of the series is this fun it’s hard to get bogged down by it.
8/10 screaming frogs
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