Yellowjackets Season 2 Episode 1 Review: Friends, Romance, Countrymen
So sorry we’re a little late with the review. The norm has always been that shows that drop online on Fridays and air on linear two days later were saved for that later date.
Apparently, the rules have changed, and we are changing with them.
Yellowjackets Season 2 Episode 1 dropped us right back in the thick of it, and we’re excited to talk about it! Needless to say, if you have not watched it yet, come back when you have!
By this point in the story, the true horror of what the girls suffered while out in the woods begins to reveal itself.
Their bodies were craving normalcy as much as they were craving food, and what they suffered there, they carried back with them to civilization.
Long winter days in the woods almost seemed normal, with a warm fire and cups of tea on the ready. More substantial nourishment, though, is hard to come by, and with so many live bodies and so little meat, it’s not hard to imagine how it gets to the point that any meat would be meat enough.
Finding meals is more difficult in the deep winter, and Natalie and Travis are the only two tasked with hunting.
They do it with Lottie’s blood-infused blessings, which is really more of a sacrifice. Again, how long until sacrificing takes on an even more desperate meaning?
They already have one frozen body in the meat shed, and it’s not one anybody wants to eat. Yet.
Shauna is not very pregnant and not willing to give up her friend, so she spends time chatting with her — a lot of time. So much time that it’s bound to become a problem.
Shauna’s situation is uniquely desperate. She’s not attached to any one faction as they begin forming around her. It’s just her and her baby and Dead Ass Jackie (which might be one of the best nicknames ever).
In the present, Shauna has plenty to worry about. Adam’s murder is hanging over her head, and although she and Jeff have worked through it a bit, they have a long way to go.
Adam was into Shauna in ways she never knew, and just knowing another man felt that strongly about her is hard on Jeff, harder than knowing his wife killed a man.
As if they don’t have enough to worry about, Callie is making their lives a little more difficult, too. She’s ornery, and you wonder if she’s going to say the wrong thing at the wrong time, outing her parents and their crimes.
But geez, how could you blame her? I’d venture to guess she knows relatively little about what happened to Shauna and the Yellowjackets. That’s not the kind of thing you share with your kids.
Callie just sees her parents in a tailspin, and she doesn’t know how she fits in or what might happen if they get caught.
And really, they are not the best criminals in the world. Watching them cover up evidence by setting their tree on fire and then closing the lid on the grill, so the fire went out was too much! And now Callie has proof of their involvement.
We knew that Lottie suffered from mental issues when she was young, but we’ve never fully understood what’s happening with Taissa. I think Dexter said it best when he called his alter ego his Dark Passenger.
So, what’s worked before will work again. Taissa’s dark passenger appears out of turmoil. A plane crash will sure do that to you, and a senate run isn’t any easier.
She’s known that it was happening, but she had no idea how far down the rabbit hole she was until she found the altar in her basement.
All I know is that if something happens to Steve, there will be hell to pay!
We saw the team being rescued, and it worked as a bridge to bring the past and present together.
Lives are spiraling, and only by revisiting what they experienced in the past will they push through to the future.
It makes perfect sense for adult Van and Lottie to join in the fun.
Lottie took what she did for the Yellowjackets in the wilderness into the future with her. She hasn’t skipped a beat.
Misty is hot on Natalie’s trail, and you can expect those who remain to slowly but surely make their way to each other.
There’s plenty to look forward to in the present, and with Shauna gobbling up Dead Ass Jackie’s ear, well, it seems like we’re finally going to get our cannibalism on, too.
We’ve seen the first six episodes, and I can assure you that the premiere acts as a preamble, and what comes next is well worth the wait.
I may have been alone, but seeing so many new faces in the cabin was shocking. It’s as if they’re coming out of the woodwork. Do we need new stories with survivors we’ve never met at this point? Meh.
What are your theories about the season? How long before the need for food ramrods over common decency and people are on the menu?
Do you think Natalie and Lottie may come to an understanding in the present they couldn’t quite find in the past?
Share your thoughts below!
Carissa Pavlica is the managing editor and a staff writer and critic for TV Fanatic. She’s a member of the Critic’s Choice Association, enjoys mentoring writers, conversing with cats, and passionately discussing the nuances of television and film with anyone who will listen. Follow her on Twitter and email her here at TV Fanatic.