Y'all let’s be honest - Yellowjackets is one of the best shows to premiere on TV in recent years.
We could talk about popular shows like Squid Game or The Witcher, but I really don’t think anything has beaten the writing, atmosphere, and just overall quality of Yellowjackets. The Yellowjackets cast is so talented, and the story is genuinely unsettling and interesting at the same time. I mean, the king of horror himself, Stephen King, even showed praise for the show. That’s how you know it’s good.
With the first season having wrapped up - leaving us with so many questions - I think it’s time we looked back on some of the craziest WTF moments of the show so far. Buckle up, kiddos, because this is going to be the craziest re-visit of your life.
The Opening And Ending Of The First Episode (“Pilot”)
When I first began watching Yellowjackets, I was drawn in by the simple premise of a plane crash and teenagers having the need to survive. What I didn’t expect was the straight-up murder I saw in the first episode of the season.
We witness a girl (unknown for now, but will probably find out later on) who is running through the winter forest and trips on a trap, impaling her. Not that long into the episode later, we witness a group of people eating what seems to be human meat.
I mean, talk about a scene that really drags you in instantly. This made me want to keep watching regardless of what happened next.
That Amputation Scene (“F Sharp”)
As weird as Misty is in Yellowjackets, for this singular scene in “F Sharp,” she redeemed herself with this amazing scene. Using her skills that she learned in a medical program, she was able to save the assistant coach, Ben, by chopping off his leg.
While he did survive, that scene was lowkey terrifying. It was more scary for the fact that at first, we don’t really know if Misty knows what she’s doing. But thankfully, Ben somehow survived.
When Misty Destroyed The Black Box (“F Sharp”)
However, in the same exact episode in Yellowjackets, Misty takes that faith I had in her right away when she does this. Finding out that the little transmitter black box that fell out of the plane was still working she destroys it - presumably because Misty would rather be in a world where she’s depended on in the middle of nowhere with barely any hope of survival than be rescued.
I mean, girl, we all want to feel needed but we don’t need to make it this drastic. I understand her anger about everything she had been through, but at the same time, this was a very bad situation and she made it a million times worse, keeping it a secret all at the same time.
The Survivors And Their Seance (“Blood Hive”)
This was when Yellowjackets started to become entwined in both survival and the effects it could have on someone. In “Blood Hive,” when they discover a dead body in the cabin they find in the woods, the group decides to do a seance to see if they can make contact with the person.
However, this seance ends up going wrong, because not only does it introduce what seems like some strange supernatural activity, Lottie (one of the survivors and who has run out of her medication for schizophrenia) looks like she ends up getting possessed. Whether this is true or not remains untold, but just remembering that scene sends a shiver down my spine. Also, Lottie’s actress, Courtney Eaton, delivers a chilling performance.
When Shauna Gave Birth… To A Meal (“Saints”)
I don’t know whether to laugh at this scene or be disturbed by it, so I’ll just say it’s a “WTF” moment. In Yellowjackets, during the episode, “Saints,” the group is running low on food. Shauna, already stressed out because of her unplanned pregnancy, has a dream where she gives birth in the attic of their home. Only she doesn’t give birth to a baby - it’s a roasted chicken, which she instantly eats.
I mean, just reading that makes me want to snort, but at the same time it’s scary to think about the combined amount of stress and hunger this woman must have been feeling. But to be honest, that chicken did look delicious.
Taissa’s Bizarre Sleepwalking (“No Compass”)
One of the most bizarre ongoing moments of the present-day group of team members was this in Yellowjackets. In “No Compass,” we finally get an answer as to who the “lady in the tree” is that Taissa’s son keeps seeing, which is her.
Sleepwalking, in of itself, probably isn't dangerous, but what makes Taissa’s sleepwalking so strange is that she eats dirt and is often covered in blood - and this only is continued when her wife, Simone, discovers a strange shrine that had their former dog’s head in it, as well as what looked like a human heart. Yeah, this sleepwalking ain’t looking so good now.
Laura Lee’s Unfortunate Demise (“Flight Of The Bumblebee”)
Look, I’ll admit that Laura Lee annoyed me a teensy bit at first in Yellowjackets. Believe what you want - it’s your life, but when you're faced in a life or death situation that’s purely about your knowledge of survival, faith in yourself is more what you need.
However, she did end up turning this around in “Flight of the Bumblebee” when she sets off on a quest to use the old plane they had found in the woods to get help.
It’s a shame it didn’t last long though, because as soon as she was up in the sky, the plane exploded over the lake. Talk about a heartbreaking scene and one that really makes you wonder what on Earth they are going to do next. Laura Lee was almost like a light of hope for the group, and to see her get snuffed out so quickly was depressing and shocking at the same time.
When Everyone Is Drugged - And They Almost Kill Travis (“Doomcoming”)
I had a feeling that something like this was going to happen at some point after the first time Misty poisoned Ben, but nothing like this. In Yellowjackets during “Doomcoming,” the group decides to throw an end-of-the-world homecoming dance where they can dress up and have fun one last time before hunger sets in.
Unfortunately, the mushrooms that Misty had offhand ended up in the soup that almost all of them ate, and they drugged everyone to the point where they thought Travis was food.
They chased him down, with Shauna raising a knife to his neck, nearly slitting his throat, before Natalie arrived just in time to stop her. It was terrifying to see just how much they had been guided by their hunger to hunt him down, and how close Travis was to death.
Jackie’s Demise - And The Ending Scene With Lottie (“Sic Transit Gloria Mundi”)
First, let’s give it up for Ella Purnell, the Yellowjackets star who was truly awesome as Jackie during this season. She brought it with her portrayal of the team leader, which made her death in “Sic Transit Gloria Mundi” that much suckier.
After a fight with Shauna and the rest of the team, Jackie decides to sleep outside for the night. Unfortunately, this proves to be a grave mistake, as it snows overnight - and this, in turn, freezes her to death.
When the group finds out, they are distraught, especially Shauna. But what makes this scene even creepier is the one that follows after, where Lottie, Misty, and Van offer what looks to be a heart (probably from the bear she killed), to the wilderness around them.
Paired with the information we find out about Lottie emptying out Travis’ bank account in 2021, effectively saying that she’s the one responsible for the death of Travis, makes this all the more scarier and has me so hyped for Season 2. I need to see who they bring on to play adult Lottie now even more.
I can’t wait to see what new shows are going to come out in 2022, but I don’t think anything is going to beat the first season of Yellowjackets. All I have to do now is wait for Season 2 to come. Patience is a virtue.
