After closely watching Shauna, Natalie, Taissa, and Misty as adults attempting to navigate their lives in season one of “Yellowjackets,” it is clear that they were completely unstable. They tried everything they could to fit in with the “ordinary,” but every day was a struggle for them. The occasional rabbit hunts kept Shauna from losing her mind completely. She felt alive when she skinned and chopped the body, and even as a forty-something, she could not deny herself that joy. Natalie continued to be good with guns. Instead of trying to live an ordinary life, she chose to overcome the trauma with the help of drugs. Of course, the result was nothing short of a disaster. Taissa was brilliant at masking her primal instincts, and she lived the ideal life with a beautiful wife and their adorable son. Anyone watching Taissa from a distance would assume that she had her life together, but they did not know the secrets that she had kept hidden in her basement. Misty was surely not the jolly nurse she hoped to be. Her insecurities grew over time, and she remained an intrusive person. Lottie Matthews, perhaps the only one who refused to live an ordinary life, is introduced in season two, episode one. The characters’ insanity is surfacing, and the new episode delves into the past to take us back to the beginning of the cult.
The Ghost of Adam Martin
In season one of “Yellowjackets,” Shauna murdered her boyfriend, Adam Martin, after mistaking him for the blackmailer. While the body was taken care of, Shauna still had his belongings to get rid of. She had forgotten Adam had an art studio, so she decided to break into it with Jeff. When they entered the studio, they came across several portraits of Shauna, which made Jeff uncomfortable. There was something about the entire situation that Shauna found exciting. She enjoyed the jealousy in the room and the idea of a forbidden affair. She was turned on whenever she thought of Jeff with another woman. Perhaps that’s why she fell in love with him in the first place. As a teenager, she perhaps found it exciting that she could win Jeff over even though he was in a relationship with another woman. While Jeff enjoyed the sexual banter, he later felt uncomfortable thinking about the entire situation. It was all too morally wrong for Jeff, and the fact that Shauna enjoyed it made it all the more disturbing for him.
After destroying the paintings at his studio, they focused on burning Adam’s ID along with Shauna’s journals. Even though they burned it all down, Callie continued to be suspicious of her parents. She was surprised by how unaffected her mother was after Adam’s disappearance. Callie sensed that there was something wrong with the way her parents behaved. She decided to check the outdoor grill to confirm her hunch. She realized that she had been right the whole time when she found a fragment of Adam’s ID. Callie was now confident that her parents were involved in Adam’s disappearance. Will she go to the police, or will she confront her parents? How will Shauna deal with her daughter? It also seems that Callie is not the only one who has found the truth. After reviewing Adam’s credit card bills, a citizen detective on an online sleuth forum concluded that he was having an affair and that the woman was possibly responsible for his disappearance. Will the Yellowjackets manage to handle this curious stranger as well?
Living with Jackie
Jackie had been dead for two months, but Shauna refused to let go of her dead body. She used to talk to the body and imagine Jackie alive and breathing. Shauna was filled with guilt as she imagined Jackie mocking her for having an affair with Jeff. No matter how hard she tried to justify her relationship with Jeff, at the end of the day, she was aware that she intentionally created the conflict between them. Shauna wanted Jeff because he was the man Jackie was attracted to. Even though Shauna was tired of Jackie’s tantrums, she wanted to live the life of her best friend. She knew that Jackie was hesitant about sleeping with Jeff, so she offered him what Jackie could not. Shauna wanted to believe she was the victim, and in some ways, she was, but her relationship with Jeff was a conscious decision she made. She wanted to be a vengeful person, but at the same time, she was emotionally dependent on Jackie. There was clearly a constant moral conflict within Shauna, and she struggled at times to explain her decision. She pushed Jackie’s body away in a fit of rage, and her ear fell off. Shauna held on to the torn ear for some time, but in the end, she chose to eat it. Shauna did not do it out of hunger; she was scared of losing Jackie. She developed an eternal connection with the body by consuming it. Shauna’s friendship with Jackie was extremely complex. It was laced with feelings of love, envy, hatred, anger, and compassion. Since Shauna was not ready to part with the body, she chose to make it a part of her own body. We can also read the entire act as Shauna’s way of getting rid of the guilt that Jackie’s presence brought into her life. By consuming her, she was erasing the need to justify her decisions.
Ending Explained: Why Was Natalie Kidnapped? What Happened To Lottie Matthews?
After returning from the wilderness, Lottie went into a state of complete silence. Her parents were extremely concerned and consulted psychiatrists for help. She was subjected to shock therapy and kept in a psychiatric facility. When her roommate struggled with her mental health, Lottie spoke for the first time and helped her calm down. After twenty-five years, Lottie gained popularity among those who were searching for an alternate lifestyle. She no longer believed in “them” changing people’s lives; instead, she discussed how the individual has the power to direct one’s own life. She wanted her followers to express their primal, elemental selves and cater to only their happiness. After predicting the future several times, Lottie had become the spiritual leader of the group. Before they left for hunts, she would bless Natalie and Travis with ash and blood. Natalie was not much of a believer, but she could not completely dismiss Lottie’s belief in her power. For two months, Travis went out into the woods every day to find his brother. Travis suffered from a major panic attack as a result of Javi’s sudden disappearance. Lottie helped him calm down, and while she did so, Travis could picture the trunk of the tree decorated with candles. Travis sensed a spiritual presence as well, and in that moment of total despair, Lottie offered him hope. The spiritual attraction turned sexual, and Travis was visibly embarrassed about it. But Travis was hopeful after Lottie expressed that she believed Javi was still alive. Natalie was disappointed in Lottie for giving Travis false hope, but Lottie believed it was the truth.
Natalie and Lottie reunite after twenty-five years. Lottie’s followers forcefully brought Natalie to their camp. She was tied up, but she managed to break free after manipulating the caretaker. She ran to the woods and came across a ritual ground. The followers’ faces were covered in animal masks, and they were cremating a naked man. When Natalie noticed Lottie, she walked up to her. Lottie requested that her followers refrain from being hostile toward her friend. Natalie was not in the mood for a friendly reunion, but when Lottie mentioned that she a message from Travis, Natalie’s temperament changed. It is obvious that Lottie Matthews will be an important character in season two of “Yellowjackets.” She might unleash the primitive selves that the others have managed to keep hidden all along.
While staying at the cabin, Taissa’s wild side took control of her in her sleep, and she would often hurt Van in the process. Van refused to let go of Taissa and chose to stay with her even when it got tough. But Simone was starkly different from Van. After witnessing the altar in the basement, Simone completely lost hope in their marriage. She threatened to expose Taissa if she failed to seek help and step down from office. Taissa has dissociated herself from the person she becomes at night. But can she stop herself from harming her family now that they are threatening all that she has built over the years? Are Taissa and Van still in contact with each other? Why did they part ways? Will Misty solve the entire puzzle with the proof she has gathered? Season two, episode one of “Yellowjackets,” ends with the possibility of the team reuniting once again and finding out the larger conspiracy behind Travis’s death.
