Each week, Jenn and Joe discuss the latest episode of Showtime’s Yellowjackets S03. Spoilers ahead!
Missed a review?
- S01/S02: Murder Made Fiction Patreon
- S03: Episode 1-2 / 3 / 4
Episode 3.05 “Did Tai Do That?”: The Yellowjackets confront the reality of having to pull an Old Yeller. Lottie mentors a new up-and-coming prophet. In the present, Misty investigates a suspicious death.
JOE
First off: hat’s off to writers Sarah L. Thompson and Elise Brown for that puny title, which incorporates one of my favourite jokes from the episode when young Van (Liv Hewson), in an attempt to coach Tai (Jasmin Savoy Brown)’s dark alter out, compares her to Steve Urkel/Stefan Urkelle.
This will undoubtedly prove perplexing to young(er) fans of Yellowjackets, but for this millennial, the Family Matters reference was spot-on and much appreciated.
Much like last week, it’s the 1997 timeline that’s cooking (and not just that last supper fish meal that Samantha Hanratty’s Misty prepares for Steven Krueger’s Coach Scott). The fallout from the not-so-mock trial in episode 3.04 goes about 50% how we figured: the sentence for Coach Scott is death, though Natalie (Sophie Thatcher) wisely talks the group out of torturing the man with fire in favour of death by firing squad.
As you anticipated, Jenn, this is easier said than done, especially when the group once again leaves the cards to determine their fate. The executioner role falls to Tai, which is why she finds herself in the woods working through strategies to bring out her dark half with Van (sidebar: it starts off cute, then gets hot, which is a big plus for bi and lesbian audiences).
It’s no surprise, though, that when it ultimately comes time to pull the trigger, Tai and many of the other girls struggle. As they should: the whole sequence is exceptionally difficult to watch. Coach Scott alternates between pleading to their humanity, cursing them, and crying through the burlap sack they’ve pulled over his head. It’s a lot. Even if it seemed relatively obvious that the man would get some kind of last minute reprieve, this whole section really drove home how difficult it is to actually pull the trigger and end a human being’s life.
I’m more on the fence with the Lottie (Courtney Eaton), Travis (Kevin Alves), and Akilah (Nia Sondaya) stuff. The bits in the cave feel appropriately dangerous, and once again suggests that Travis lied to Lottie to shift her attention onto Akilah (instead of him), but the gas-inspired vision quests have led to some questionable storytelling. I don’t hate it, but it’s starting to read a bit like a narrative crutch for the writers. Rather than force characters to talk or develop their responses organically, let’s just have them have visions!
I’m being a bit glib, but I’m wary after back-to-back episodes of hallucinatory sequences. Still, I can’t be too mad considering the representation of Akilah’s dream is one of the most exciting and audacious visuals moments in the show’s recent history. .
Director Jeff W. Byrd crafts one hell of a memorable visual with the image of a tiny Akilah literally standing on the back of a giant Coach, who acts as the embodiment of a bridge “home.” As Lottie gasps after narrowly managing to rescue Coach Scott from certain death: “there’s still a use for him.”
*We should note that Akilah, when she’s first revived by the other two, actually uses the words “darkness” and “hope.” Considering how Laura Lee described her religious experience and Lottie’s wavering connection to The Wilderness, can we really be certain that Akilah isn’t describing the sweet release of death? I dunno…visions are open to interpretation.
Jenn, just like last week, I have A LOT of thoughts about both versions of Shauna (Sophie Nélisse and Melanie Lynskey respectively), but I want to hear your take, particularly the new developments between the character and Melissa (Jenna Burgess).
On top of that, I can’t help but imagine you’ll have plenty to say now that your beloved Walter (Elijah Wood) is back. Things get both funny and frustrating as he, Shauna, and Misty (Christina Ricci) work at cross-purposes to investigate Lottie (Simone Kessell)’s “accidental” death in the hotel stairwell.
What did you make of the present day scenes, including Lottie’s dementia-suffering father Malcolm?
JENN
Joe, I will join you in applauding Thompson’s and Brown’s delicious 90s reference. I definitely heard the title in Jaleel White’s nasally voice, but I didn’t expect the joke to carry through into the episode. Family Matters was an appointment viewing in my house and I remember being blown away by the emergence of Stefan. I love this classic sitcom moment retold through the lens of horror because, for the record, Stefan only tried to win Laura Winslow’s heart. As far as we know he never got to murder anyone.
And murder is exactly what we’re talking about here because I’m still convinced that Travis is the arsonist. Suddenly wanting to embrace Lottie’s cave quest provides a convenient way to escape camp for the poor man’s horrific execution. (And yes, Krueger’s performance here is top notch.)
But I caught a subtle look in the episode’s final moments as the new blood-soaked power couple retreats to their tent. Travis looks downright nervous at this shifting dynamic. While I would be afraid of Shauna too (more on that in a minute), I’m reading this as guilt and fear of being found out. After all, with Coach Scott dead, the question of “who burned down the cabin” dies as well. I think there’s a fair amount of doubt about the identity of the arsonist and a screaming prisoner keeps it top of mind.
I do have … so many thoughts … on both versions of Shauna, but you asked about my Dream Crush. I’m delighted to see Walter back! And Elijah Wood is having a ball with this quirky character. I would kill to trade a single strand of hair with the self-appointed Chief Citizen Detective and the fact that Shauna turns her nose up at this gesture is more proof that she’s on the wrong path.
That said, I’m not really feeling the present-day plotline. If it weren’t carried by the always winsome Ricci, Lynskey, and Wood, this part of the story would completely fall flat. I was slightly moved by Mr. Matthews’ touching exchange with Shauna masquerading as Lottie, particularly, “Sometimes it’s hard to show love the way we want to,” but honestly I was more interested in the fantastic curtains in Lottie’s childhood room than in a cruel and dismissive father finding a smidge of compassion. Too harsh? Am I parasocializing?
Speaking of, I also feel the need to step in and explain to Misty that Walter is her perfect match and she needs to stop pushing him away. But short of Steve Urkel creating a machine to place me inside a TV show (and you know he could do it), I guess she’ll just have to figure it out on her own.
I’m much more interested in adult Tai (Tawny Cypress) and Van (Lauren Ambrose)’s continual exploration of human sacrifice. Turns out Simone (Rukiya Bernard) and Sammy (Aiden Stoxx) do still exist and it’s a real power move to bring your new girlfriend/ex that got away to a meeting with your estranged son and the woman you’re still married to.
But Sammy essentially confirms that this is not the real Tai. This is the Other One. And perhaps the person? (spirit? entity?) who murdered Lottie.
Anyone who’s watched a horror movie knows that playing with a Ouija board is a sure-fire way to invite demonic possession—or at the very least get your house haunted—and I feel like young Van is tempting fate by encouraging Tai’s dark passenger. You don’t want it to make it easier for a strange being to possess you and maybe you should listen to that voice inside that doesn’t want you to shoot Coach Scott. Connecting these two moments seems like a signal that the Other One has been invited to share Tai’s body and now takes it over any time it wants.
Ok, back to Shauna. While I will always love this relatable character, I’m starting to really dislike her in the 97 timeline. Admittedly, I do want to get “not afraid of the bad parts of myself” tattooed on my face, but Shauna’s letting her (admittedly justified) rage cloud her judgment.
As I mentioned earlier, I’m convinced that Coach Scott did not burn down the cabin and I think at least half of the other Yellowjackets do, too. But Shauna essentially steamrolled them into murder. I don’t believe they changed their votes because they actually changed their minds, but because they’re afraid of facing Shauna’s wrath. She just shouted them down.
She’s becoming a bully and controlling the group through fear and force while simultaneously convincing others to ignore their better judgment and embrace her anger. It feels uncomfortably like our current political landscape and I’m now rooting for someone to take her down a peg. Yes, she needs time and space to mourn Jackie and her baby, but right now, she’s just taking her pain out on everyone else. And Melissa is bolstering this empowerment.
I get it. While things seem to be going well, they’re still stuck in the woods and winter is coming (yes, I had to do it). I agree with you that these visions are starting to feel a little loopy, but I’m intrigued by the idea of a “bridge home.” Since Laura Lee’s disastrous attempt, no one’s really mentioned trying to escape. In colder months, they were just trying to survive, but now that it’s summer, they seem much more content to sit tight and create their own society. But Akilah’s vision is a reminder that they do still want to go home.
Of course you’re absolutely right that this could easily mean death. Traditionally, visions in the 97 timeline point to either abject desperation or imminent tragedy. So Akilah needs to watch her back. Her vision also begs the question: will Coach Scott survive the forest and will we see him in the present day timeline? And if so, who could we cast? My choice would be Pedro Pascal, but I don’t know if I could handle scenes with him and Elijah Wood. Joe, what do you think? Will we ever see an older Coach? And at this point, will Swank ever make an appearance?
JOE
I would be very surprised to discover that Coach Scott survives. Obviously he can, and likely will, recover from a sliced achilles (sidebar: OUCH), but as Shauna and Melissa insinuated, he won’t be going anywhere, anytime soon. Still, I think it’s more likely than not that the man will perish when the going gets tough (ie: the lean winter months).
Sidebar: Pascal would be fun casting, but there’s no way he’d have the time to commit to another ongoing project between The Last of Us and his presumed commitment to The Fantastic Four films. I leaned towards someone considerably older (since we need 25 years on top of Krueger’s 35) and landed on Gary Oldman (who is admittedly 66, so ten years older than the character would be). Let’s be real: they’d probably cast an unknown so they could get it right.
It will be interesting to see how the rest of the group reacts to this blatant vigilante justice, though; will they see Shauna as a threat to the pagan democracy they’ve created or will they applaud her decisive action? I think you’re right that more than a few people are afraid of her. I can’t say I’m enjoying this embittered side of young Shauna, but Nélisse is hella convincing as a burgeoning sociopath.
On the “present” day timeline side, Lynskey is also saving the likability of the character. I delighted in the mild feud between the three of them, especially Shauna and Walter posing as Internet technicians, all the way down to their costumes. But Shauna’s refusal to consider any other culprit in these crimes, especially in the death of Lottie, feels like a betrayal of the character by the writers. Sure Shauna is stubborn and steadfast, but maintaining this position makes the character seem stupid and petty.
Am I feeling extra salty because I love these actors and I don’t think Misty deserves this treatment? Sure. But this really feels like manufactured conflict; it doesn’t feel organic to the character’s history, so it’s just rubbing me the wrong way (in large part because it seems so obvious that whoever Swank is playing is behind the attacks).
So let’s get on with it and introduce her, already! Simone Kessell was the main adult addition in S02 and she was introduced in the premiere. Why are we holding back so long on Swank?!
Jenn, back to you: how do you think the group will respond to Coach’s mutilation? What will it take for Shauna to stop believing the worst in Adult Misty? And is Adult Van going to start suspecting there’s something wrong with Tai?
JENN
I agree that the adult stories feel manufactured. There’s so much going on in the forest, but very little back at home and what we do get seems specifically drawn out to delay two big revelations: who killed Lottie and who is Swank playing? Ok, and when will Walter and Misty rekindle their love, because you know it’s coming.
I think the only thing that will resolve adult Shauna’s suspicion is Swank showing up with hard proof that Misty is innocent. But do I think we’ll get an apology? No. And you’re right that this feels like a betrayal of the character. We’ve been most closely aligned with Shauna for the past two seasons and this feels like a 180 degree turn—in both timelines. We’ve also had no real mention of the fact that she’s the reigning queen so maybe that’s not as important as season 2 led us to believe.
And speaking of budding psychopaths … Callie (Sarah Desjardins) is suspiciously absent this episode. Given her recent fixation with adult Lottie, could it be that she’s the one who pushed her down the stairs? It’s not like her mother’s paying particularly close attention, what with her burgeoning career as a Citizen Detective and all, and Callie’s been teetering on the edge of control. While I still think Tai had something to do with this death, Callie going on a killing spree would be a welcome addition to the present day story.
Also, I’m now remembering that Lottie had christened Callie with the necklace of death. Perhaps she tried to sacrifice Shauna’s daughter and didn’t expect the feisty teen to put up a fight.
Because I haven’t mentioned Stephen King yet, I feel compelled to bring up Misery, particularly how Paul Sheldon responds to being hobbled by his psychopathic captor. I don’t see Coach Scott reacting well to Melissa slicing his remaining achilles tendon which means any chance of him working with the group is out the window. And now they’ll have an antagonist permanently imprisoned in their blissful camp. Considering his proximity to all those adorable baby animals, I foresee either an alliance with Akilah or a hostage situation.
And whatever goes down will be Shauna’s fault. Last season seemed to pit Lottie and Natalie against each other, but now we have a new faction emerging. And while frightened people are always drawn to strength, leadership through brute force never lasts very long.
I’m sensing some tense nights around the campfire going forward.
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Yellowjackets airs Fridays on Paramount+ on Showtime (and/or Sundays depending on where you’re watching)
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