Yellowjackets – Dislocation Review

This second installment of season three wasn’t a particularly flashy episode. Rather, it was a tablesetting episode, pushing our characters into their main arcs for the season, showing us which characters would be up against one another, who would be teaming up, and who might have secrets about to be exposed. Once again, our central focus in both the past and the present was Shauna – who, in both timelines, continued on her isolationist path, albeit with some caveats. Both Shaunas believe they can go it alone, that they know the right path for not only themselves but their tribe, and that they don’t need to rely on anyone else – although Teen Shauna is starting to understand the value that might come with having reliable allies should the need arise. And then there are our Mistys, both going where they aren’t necessarily welcome and both taking steps that could, potentially, destroy the careful bit of peace they’ve achieved for themselves. Let’s dive into it.

I suppose I should start at the end, with that kiss between Melissa and Shauna back in 1997 (since it’s been a year since the crash, I guess it’s time to start using the correct year). Now, do I think it means something to Melissa? Absolutely. Sure, “everyone is scared of Shauna” (a statement that Adult Lottie also makes to Callie at their slumber party, which tells me that Teen Shauna is about to become someone truly terrifying in the coming weeks), but Melissa is also attracted to that angry loner. Maybe she wants to change her? Maybe she can see how much power Shauna could wield if she just had the numbers to topple Nat? Maybe she’s just a baby lesbian with a crush? Whatever it is, Melissa is here for it.

As for Shauna? Yeah, she was in a strange push and pull relationship with Jackie (that certainly seemed to toe, if not cross, the line into a romantic attraction on Shauna’s side of things), but she’s also spent most of her life in the shadow of Jackie – close to that powerful presence but never the focal point. On some level, she must see the kiss by Melissa as a chance to take some of the power she always saw Jackie wield and use it. To become someone who others look to and look up to and worship. Shauna might enjoy the potential relationship building with Melissa, but I suspect she is much more attracted to the potential power dynamic that sees her in charge for once. And if she can get Melissa under her spell – which would mean Gen is on her side as well, since Melissa seems to hold sway over Gen – well, how hard would it be to swing a few more people her way? To get a majority? To break apart the team or topple Nat? We know Nat isn’t exactly thrilled to be the leader, but would she be willing to cede that power to Shauna? I suspect that’s going to be our big season arc with the Teen side of the story: a battle for control of the team.

Adult Shauna, on the other hand, seems to be dealing with yet another mysterious stalker. First, there was the package that Callie intercepted and that we’ve yet to see the contents of. And now there’s the cellphone blaring “Queen of Hearts” in the bathroom of the restaurant (which is a pretty chilling statement – and really could only be made by someone who understands what the Queen of Hearts card means to the Yellowjackets, so is it an eighth survivor?). Yeah, I would be willing to go full Karen to try and determine just who picked up that phone. Now, the editing of the episode wants us to think that it’s an Adult Melissa, but I’m not entirely sold on that theory. The prevailing theory online – which I agree with – is that it is the character portrayed by Hilary Swank, who we have yet to see. Sure, she could be playing an Adult Melissa, but she could also be an Adult Gen or even Mari. And that’s if she’s even another survivor (which would be a bit too perfect – to have yet another survivor show up threatening Shauna). But I suspect it is Swank’s character, but just who she is playing remains a mystery. Either way, she’s definitely up to no good.

Our other focal point this episode was Misty, who tagged along with a nervous Nat on a search for Mari in the past – despite Nat wanting to go with Travis, who demurred so that he could try to get out of Lottie’s hallucinogenic clutches and sic her on poor Akilah – and who went to her first slumber party with Callie and Lottie in the present, to disastrous results. Teen Misty managed to put two and two together and get four, discovering that Nat has known that Coach Ben is alive and out there, somewhere. Even though Nat doesn’t believe he burnt down the cabin – something seemingly confirmed by Ben when he appears perplexed at the news when Mari mentions it (although he must really have been sticking to that cave system if he didn’t even smell the smoke, so I’m not sure I buy it) – she still claims not to have seen him since Javi’s death. You know that Misty isn’t going to be able to keep this secret to herself because if there’s one thing about Misty we know by now, it’s that she’ll do what she has to in order to make herself useful to the group. Even if that means betraying her “friends.”

Adult Misty, on the other hand, had a much rougher night, getting interrogated by Callie about the girls time in the wilderness (Lottie managed to handle Callie’s questions incredibly well, which seems to suggest that she did, in fact, learn a good amount about psychology during all her time within institutions) and then getting drugged on cough syrup (Lottie’s “You don’t look nearly worried enough” line reading was a thing of perfection, excellent work Simone Kessel). Despite continuing to ignore the million red flags staring her in the face, Misty is unable to grasp that her “friends” are using her when they need her and that they want nothing to do with her at all – something that Walter has pointed out time and again, and all he gets for his trouble is kicked out of her house. Poor guy. But I do have to give Misty some kudos – she didn’t crack at all when Callie laid on the full court press. However, she did end up dropping her guard and leaving Callie and Lottie alone – which is a troubling situation for Shauna. Callie is smart, she’s going to really figure out just what went on in the wilderness – especially if that mysterious package has a key to the whole story.

While I’ve been pretty open that I think the Adult timeline is the weaker of the two, a lot of that will depend on the revelation of just who is stalking Shauna this time around (and, so far, leaving the other survivors alone). If the revelation feel organic and not simply like another boulder to throw in their path, well, then things are looking up for that arc. Thus far, however, between Misty’s drinking, Lottie’s presence, Tai’s manic phase (and Van’s on-going reluctance to fully embrace it and her), and Shauna’s inability to let others in to help her with anything, well, that’s not nearly as compelling as seeing all the teens trying not only to survive the wilderness but each other. And that’s okay, so long as the series – and its writers – allow the Adults to move forward and grow instead of sticking them in the same circles time and again. So far, it feels like we’re just doing the same thing over and over with their arc. But time will tell if the writing will move forward this season or stay stuck in a rutt.