Kimberly Roots
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Warning: This post contains major spoilers for Yellowjackets‘ Season 2 finale. Proceed accordingly.
By the time the credits roll on Yellowjackets‘ Season 2 finale, one of the ill-fated soccer team’s adult survivors is dead. And even though it’s [Spoiler]’s fault, I’m blaming [Spoiler] and [Spoiler].
Read on to find out who I’m talking about as we review the highlights of “Storytelling.”
DINNER RUN | In the cabin era of our story, Nat and the girls who were hunting her return to the house with Javi’s body trussed up on a tree branch, Han Solo-style. “It happened so fast. The wilderness chose,” a tearful Nat tells Travis, who sobs over his brother’s frozen corpse. The other girls barely even blink. Inside, Lottie is horrified to hear what happened, but Misty isn’t having it: “You started this. It’s done. And it’s going to save all of our lives. So you better not start making people feel bad about it now.”
Everyone’s in a stupor after the hunt, but when prompted, Shauna grabs her knife and heads out to butcher Travis’ little brother. Though he’s still so sad, even Travis seems at least slightly OK with the idea of an imminent meal. Once Javi is stripped and laid out, Shauna puts her headwrap over her eyes and feels along his neck until she finds the jugular. Then she slits his neck and his blood rushes out onto the snow below as everyone else goes inside and she gets down to slicing and dicing.
Ben returns from his exploratory walk, realizes what’s happened, and compartmentalizes it for a minute so he can tell Natalie about the hidey hole he found. He wants her to come with him, arguing that the two of them can survive the winter down there and that she’s not like her murderous teammates. “Actually, I’m worse,” she tells him. “I let him die in my place.” So Ben returns to the cave alone and tries to start a fire.
CORONATION TIME| When it’s dinner time, Shauna brings the plate of butchered meat into the cabin. Travis reaches for the heart, which she’s left intact, and takes a bit of it before putting in the skillet on the fire. As soon as he’s done, the girls dive for the raw meat and add their pieces to the pan. When Misty brings Lottie a plate, the still-convalescing mystic reluctantly eats. She later comes downstairs for the first time since Shauna beat the wilderness-listening snot out of her; everyone rushes to give her a hug, but Lottie just seems kinda traumatized.
Later, when Van is telling a story about the wilderness, Lottie interrupts. “I never wanted to be in charge. It chose me, I think, because I was the only one who knew how to listen. I can’t hear it anymore. I think that’s because it doesn’t need me anymore,” she says. She posits that the supernatural force might want a leader “who can help us survive the rest of the time we’re out here, and that isn’t me.” But it is Natalie? Because the wilderness thwarted her queen-of-hearts-ordained death? Uh, sure.
Natalie herself doesn’t look convinced of her new status, but as Lottie — and then the rest of the group — approach her and bow, she cries and smiles and looks like maybe she’s getting used to the idea.
UP IN FLAMES | Thing is, Shauna thought it should be her. That evening, while everyone is sleeping, she works out her frustration in her journal. “How could it not have been me,” she scribbles. “I used to think it was Jackie who made me feel invisible.” She’s interrupted by an unfamiliar sound… and then she springs into action, grabbing her things and yelling for everyone to wake up as she comes downstairs.
As she does, we see what’s got her alarmed: The cabin is on fire. There’s a brief panic when they all realize the door won’t open, but the girls and Travis beat on it with various objects until they break through. Even in that brief time, the blaze has gotten considerably bigger. They all manage to get out safely with whatever bags and blankets they can grab, but the house is a goner. They watch in shock as it’s completely engulfed and then collapses.
Is this a good time to note that earlier, we saw Ben find rope and matches in the cave? And that the fire looks like it started outside the cabin?
HOW DO YOU SOLVE A PROBLEM LIKE LOTTIE? |In the present, Shauna makes like she’s in agreement with Lottie about the wilderness needing another sacrifice. But as a relieved Lottie runs over to hug her, Shauna’s face over the other woman’s shoulder makes it clear that it’s a ploy to buy them some time. Along those lines: Shauna suggests that if they’re going to make a sacrifice, “We need to do this right.” That means masks and a hunt to the death in the woods at night, and an increasingly unhinged Lottie is ON. BOARD. WITH. THIS. PLAN. When she skips off to warn her followers to stay away from the forest that evening, the others discuss their options. Commitment in a mental institution seems like the best bet, but Nat points out that Lottie is murderous — remember when she was ready to serve them dosed tea? — and “She thinks it’s talking to her again. Have you all forgotten where that leads?”
Nevertheless, Misty — with the help of Walter, who sneaks his way into the commune — call Lottie’s doctor and arrange for a crisis team to come get her that evening. But Van doesn’t like that idea, saying that Lottie is affected by the same thing that warped all of them. Or if she is sick, Van says to Tai, “then so are you.” Touché. Have I mentioned they’re making extremely creepy masks at the time? Elsewhere, Nat finds Lisa and warns her to leave the property in order to keep herself safe, but gives her no other details.
WALTER TO THE RESCUE |Unbeknownst to the ladies, Jeff and Callie arrive at the commune… followed closely by Det. Kevyn and Det. Matt. When Jeff sees Kevyn talking to Walter in the kitchen, he sends Callie to find her mom, then goes inside to confess (falsely) to Adam’s murder. Kevyn is surprised by this… and then he falls over, dead, thanks to the phenobarbital-laced hot chocolate Walter served him upon arrival. Walter creeps back into the room, introduces himself to a gobsmacked Jeff, then asks for help moving the body.
Meanwhile, Callie runs into Matt in the dark, and… wait, where did she get that gun? (If there’s a scene from earlier this season I’m not remembering, shout it out in the comments.) Things are getting very tense between them when Matt gets a weird call from Kevyn’s phone number, and he reluctantly leaves Callie to see what’s up.
He finds Kevyn in the trunk of their car. And if the guy wasn’t dead before, Walter slips in close, grabs Matt’s gun and fires three shots into Kevyn’s body before the surviving detective even knows what’s up. That’s when we learn that Walter created a trail to make it look like Kevyn was a dirty cop who was responsible for both Adam’s and private investigator Jessica’s deaths, and that if Matt knows what’s good for him, he’ll say nothing… or the trail might suddenly lead to him, instead.
GOODNIGHT, NAT | Finally, it’s time for the ladies to meet up and do their thing. They pass the deck for several rounds, until Shauna gets the queen of hearts card. The rest put on masks and grab knives as Lottie reminds Shauna, “You can submit, or you can run.” Shauna calls a time-out, trying to stall until the medics arrive (and unaware that they’re not coming). “You know there’s no ‘it,’ right? It was just us!” she cries. “Is there a difference?” Lottie wonders. So Shauna runs, and everyone runs after her.
They’re stopped short when Callie fires at Lottie, grazing her arm. “Get away from my mom!” the teen cries. Everyone takes off their masks. Tai admits that she and Van called off the crisis team. Lottie starts rambling about the wilderness and how Nat was “always its favorite,” which makes her charge Lottie — but then Lisa is there with a gun, which stops her. As Lisa freaks out about everything she’s seen and heard, Misty sees her moment. She runs at Lisa, brandishing a syringe full of what I assume is also phenobarbital. But instead of Lisa, the needle goes into Natalie.
Aghast, they all wonder what to do. “Nothing,” Misty says, sobbing. “It’s too late.” We see Natalie in a dream/vision/final mystical moment sitting in a dark airplane going through turbulence. Javi and a younger version of herself are with her. Then Young Lottie shows up. “It’s not evil, just hungry… let it in,” she advises. She does.
When the local police (called by Walter) arrive, they determine that Nat is dead. (Side note: And yes, Misty did it, but Van and Tai are pretty damn guilty for hastening this whole mess along, no?) She’s taken out in a body bag while Misty cries in Walter’s arms. Shauna is surprised to see Jeff there, but after everything that’s happened in the previous 20 minutes, she can barely muster a raised eyebrow. Tai gently informs Lottie that “they’re going to keep you for a little while,” but Lottie seems unbothered. “We gave it what it wanted. It’s pleased with us,” she happily tells her friends, who look uneasy. Then, to Van, she says, “You’ll see.” Who wants to bet that Van’s real-bad cancer will be miraculously gone next season?
Now it’s your turn. Grade the finale and Yellowjackets Season 2 as a whole via the polls below, then hit the comments with your thoughts!