Yellowjackets - The wilderness chose.

Yellowjackets: 2x09 Storytelling.

Shauna: IT was just us. 
Lottie: Is there a difference?

This whole season of Yellowjackets has been about the question of whether Lottie’s conclusion that the wilderness itself has an intention is correct. Are these women being haunted by a spirit, or is it the psychological trauma of what they have had to do to survive that is directing their actions? It’s a relevant question from a storytelling perspective – basically, a question of genre, of what show exactly it is that we are watching here. The genius, I would argue, of Yellowjackets is that the answer doesn’t really matter, and is therefore never necessary to give in any definite sense. It doesn’t matter if the wilderness demanded the sacrifice of Jackie and Javi (and, doubtlessly, countless others to come who never made it back). Some of the participants in the rituals need to believe that Lottie is correct because it justifies their actions and takes the choice out of it, but we also get glimpses this episode that others are fine with the idea of survival itself justifying whatever was necessary to achieve it (it’s interesting that it’s Van of all people making that argument to Travis). Misty never seemed particularly bothered either way, content to do whatever it takes to ensure she makes it back, and when back, to keep herself and her friends safe. It’s a much more complicated story with Taissa, Shauna and Natalie. 

The girls return from the hunt with Javi strung up like a slaughtered deer. In the absence of Lottie, Misty has taken over, arguing that the wilderness chose – even to Lottie herself, who seems horrified by the idea that she has started this, something she never really wanted. Travis grieves, but there is no real escape anymore unless your Coach Ben, who has somehow survived all this time without eating any human flesh, and has also discovered the cave in which Javi has managed to get by on his own. You could see this as a counterargument to the idea that the slaughter is necessary, but I think based on how severe the effects of starvation have been for everyone else, it is likely not everybody would have survived if the woods hadn’t served up Jackie. It’s a sign of how desperate things are that Travis barely manages to rage against anyone about Javi’s death, and that he, once Shauna faces the grisly task of turning him into meat, partakes. In fact, he doesn’t just eat – he is the one who is given the one piece of Javi that is still recognisably human, and takes a bite out of his heart, as if finding new aspects of the ritual on the fly. Lottie, revived by the meal, draws conclusions from what she has witnessed: her disciples have learned all they can, they hear the wilderness themselves now, they no longer require her leadership. Instead, she anoints Natalie, who appears to be transformed when each of the others demonstrate their devotion to her. She has always carried one of the heaviest burdens out there as the designated hunter of the group (I’d say the heaviest short of Shauna, who butchers), and at least in that moment, it doesn’t feel like she perceives that responsibility as a burden, but like some kind of enlightenment that lifts her. 

A lot has happened since that moment. It took countless more months and hunts for some of them to make it back to civilisation, and we’ve seen how Natalie (and Lottie) ended up unable to cope with their burdens, least able to take up the illusion of a normal life. Lottie was institutionalised until she somehow escaped into the life of a very productive and successful cult leader. Natalie failed repeatedly at rehab, in some kind of spiral with Travis, only helped by Taissa because she felt guilty. When Lottie suggests a sacrifice and Shauna, just to save time, argues they should do a hunt, repeat the ritual, it looks like everyone is agreeing that this is just a strategy to distract Lottie for a bit – Misty finds her doctor, they organise a psychiatric extraction team, a lot of organisation happening along with the stitching of the masks, the burning of the other three queens, and the sharpening (or blunting?) of the knives. Van doesn’t really argue for the hunt, but against an inhumane treatment of Lottie, an argument that in the end just works out, intended or not, to facilitate the hunt. They draw cards. It takes two rounds this time before Shauna ends up with the queen, and it feels as if the atmosphere changes immediately. Shauna still believes that they are wasting time to distract Lottie, but it feels like everyone else falls back into the ritual almost immediately as soon as the masks are on. They must have done this many times before – more often than we have seen, at least. They hunt Shauna, and it is hard to tell if this is pretend or for real, but my guess would be the latter. Callie interrupts with a gun, and then Lisa – who Natalie tried to save from all this – appears with a rifle, horrified to have found out that truth about Lottie. She threatens Natalie, and Misty jumps into action, eager to save her best friend – but tragically, her fentanyl-filled syringe ends up in Nat’s neck instead. She hallucinates a crashing plane, scared profoundly of what awakes her, but then her younger self and young Lottie comfort her. Lottie tells her – “It’s not evil. Just hungry. Like us. Just let it in.”

Ben spends the entirety of the episode on the outskirts of the action, looking on in sheer horror. He tries to convince Natalie to leave with him to the cave, thinking she is as far removed from what is happening as he is, not realising that she has joined the fold when she let Javi die. In the end, he finds some matches, locks the doors, and sets the cabin on fire with everyone in it, like he has seen evil and this is the only thing he can think to fight it. Everyone escapes narrowly with the things they will need to survive (Shauna takes Jackie’s dress…) – but their shelter, the thing that the wilderness built to sate its hunger in Van’s interrupted story, is gone. 

Random notes: 

The music cues in this episode are some of the best so far: Zombie by the Cranberries, to start off with, the Nouvelle Vague cover and original of Killing Moon, Buffy Sainte-Marie, Radiohead’s Street Spirit at the end. 

Not sure if relevant here, but historically, in dire situations, groups resorting to cannibalism out of necessity have ensured that family members wouldn’t eat each other, whereas the opposite happens here, as if to implicate Javi’s brother the most, to bind him back into the group. 

It is very Misty to learn from Lottie directly how unhappy she is about the decisions that were made in her absence and to translate that to the group as “Lottie’s pleased with the wildernesses’ choice”. 

I am not sure how I feel about the Adam Martin plot running through this season – I think it might have felt more poignant without the distraction, the almost comical aspect of Jeff vs the police. It is a comedy of errors of sorts – everyone else arriving at the compound just as the ritual is about to play out, Walt saving the day by killing a cop (RIP Kevyn, a lesson for all aging punks to be learned here) and setting the other one up to either cover it up or take responsibility for all the murders (he conveniently weaves Jessica Roberts into it). The main thing it does is place Callie at the right place, just in time for Lottie to look at her and call her powerful, which I assume will become significant in the future. She almost completes the ritual by killing Lottie, but instead only injures her. 

Jeff: The American family is crumbling, Callie, you try making a living in sectionals!

This episode had a lot of deeply moving moments, but to me it belonged to Sophie Thatcher, and the deep feeling of grief about Natalie's death - Juliette Lewis' performance in the last few episodes has felt fittingly subdued, especially noticeable for someone who is usually so kinetic (just watch a performance by Juliette and the Licks).