Unpacking the ‘Yellowjackets’ Season 2 Finale and Its Two Wildly Different Timelines
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Much has been said about the sophomore season of Showtime’s Yellowjackets. Some loved it and have already kickstarted a rewatch, some hated it (and have had no issue letting the world know), and some never made it past the first episode. Following up a debut like Yellowjackets season 1 is no easy feat; The show landed in the zeitgeist with such force, but in its second season, some of the excitement waned, turning premiere night viewers into “I’ll watch it this week” streamers. That said, the Yellowjackets audience is once again buzzing with the release of the season 2 finale, “Storytelling.” (Spoilers and cannibalism ahead.)
The season 2 finale quite literally cannibalized a few of its most pivotal characters, killing off wilderness-era Javi and modern-day Natalie. Let's unpack each plot in parts, starting with the wilderness. In the previous episode, we saw Natalie escape death from her teammates after choosing the fated card in the girls’ “It Chooses” game. Travis helps her escape mere moments before Shauna slits her throat, sending Natalie running through the forest to hide. Javi finds her and attempts to bring her to his secret hideaway... but suddenly falls through the ice into the frigid lake. Natalie attempts to save Javi, but Misty stops her, saying “the wilderness chose” Javi.
At the top of episode 9, Javi is dead. Not only dead, but flash frozen. The Yellowjackets—who at this point are starving, experiencing hallucinations, and just fully losing it—read this turn of events as the wilderness choosing Natalie as their leader.
Coach Ben, who is still somehow alive, finds Javi’s secret hideout and returns to camp to alert the girls, whom he finds dining on the flesh of sweet, sweet Javi. Watching on in horror, he spots a box of matches and lights the cabin on fire. The girls escape but lose everything. That’s where we end season 2, with viewers wondering how the team will continue to survive a third season without shelter. We shall see, Showtime.
In present day, the remaining Yellowjackets are corralled onto Lottie’s compound by two detectives dead-set on arresting them for the season 1 murder of Adam. Walter (played by Elijah Wood) arrives to save the day, posing as a cult member and poisoning the detective with a steaming hot cup of phenobarbital. After blackmailing the second detective, Walter wraps up the murder case that plagued the entire season—which if we’re honest, no one really cared about. Bless Walter anyway.
Now onto the major tea of the episode; By this point in the season, Lottie has (once again) fully lost it. Plagued by hallucinations and confusion, she convinces the modern-day Yellowjackets to play another game of “It Chooses.” Shauna draws the card of death and is chased through the woods by her besties. Chaos ensues, and one of Lottie’s cult members, Lisa, arrives to save Lottie. Crazy queen Misty lunges at Lisa with a syringe of phenobarbital but ultimately jabs Natalie, who pushes Lisa out of the way to save her.
The season 2 finale leaves us in two very different places, stretched across two very different timelines. In the wilderness, Natalie is the newly appointed leader and Antler Queen. In modern day, she is dead. Justice for Juliette Lewis, do we really want a Yellowjackets without her?? Like it or not, that’s what we're left with.
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