Yellowjackets – It Girl Review

The Yellowjackets writers know what they’re doing – at least when it comes to hinting at the one thing fans seem to want to know about more than anything else in the series: “Pit Girl” and the hunts. Because boy, was this an episode that teased that particular future moment in spades. From the game of “Capture the Bone” (which yes, Van, that should be workshopped a tad more) to Coach Ben finding the apparent pit into which Pit Girl will fall to having Mari (the character who fans seem to believe is destined to become Pit Girl) fall into the pit, this was absolutely an episode meant to evoke the opening sequence of the series while reassuring fans that yes, the writers know it’s still a topic of discussion and it will be delivered upon in the future.

But outside of those clear allusions to a key fan question, this episode felt a bit . . . thin on the whole. Sure, it’s a season premiere, which means it’s setting the tone for the season and the characters, but aside from a couple of key moments – that, for my money, were really just highlighting character beats we already knew and understood to be the case – not all that much occurred of note. The central focus of both the 1996 and the present-day arc was Shauna (the impeccable Melanie Lynskey and Sophie Nelisse), each version of whom continues down their same emotional arc from season two. Teen Shauna’s anger at her teammates continues to burn bright, writing in her journal her own version of events – notably highlighting the actions of others but refraining from seeing how she had a hand in any of the past events. I mean, sure, she didn’t kill Jackie, but she definitely didn’t take steps to save her. And she was all too happy to watch Javi drown, and her recounting of that incident didn’t sound at all like someone who felt guilty over their part in it. As for Adult Shauna, well, she’s still emotionally stunted to her time as a teenager, while anger that anyone might see her as anything but a capable adult continues to simmer under the surface. She’s all too willing to be the friend and not the mother Callie needs when presented with a chance to be her confidant and watch the video of Callie humiliating those mean girls. And despite telling her friends that she thinks she’s a horrible mother and wife, she doesn’t appear to want to take any steps to change that (and really, when you’re telling that to Tai, I don’t think it’s really a competition – Tai is a much worse mother and wife, Shauna).

In a similar vein, Adult Tai is also showing signs of regression to the emotional capacity of a teenager. Taking risks for the sake of feeling a thrill? All but abandoning her family and job (which works much better for the overall narrative – especially since Tai pretty much forgot all about that side of her life (as did the writers) in the back half of season two – but also falls into the category of bad writing with just how fast the show seemingly hand-waved that part of Tai’s arc away)? Yeah, that’s the sign of someone throwing off the mantle of adulthood and attempting to relive a youth that was cut short. A perfectly normal response to the heaps of trauma underpinning Tai’s past, but still, not all that healthy. I did appreciate that the writers had Van attempt to play the role of devil’s advocate, at least asking Tai if she was sure she wanted to take the reckless actions she was taking, but still, between Tai and Shauna, there need to actually be some repercussions for this recklessness. Because right now, it looks like everything is coming up roses for the both of them.

The piece of storytelling that worked the best for me this episode was Adult Misty’s arc. We’ve seen how Misty in both timelines is desperate for the friendship and approval of those around her. She’s convinced herself that Nat is her best friend (we see a bit of that in the past where Tai is dismissive to Misty trying to attend their council while Nat is much kinder, even though she really doesn’t care for Misty on the whole), so her actions – which she took to protect her friend – leading to Nat’s death are predictably devastating to her. But to watch her trying to soldier onward without addressing that grief? Man, that was hard to see. Her finding Nat’s jacket and taking it, her trying to drink like Nat would to be more like her, her acting out against those perfectly innocent men in the bar after she imagines they were making fun of her and Nat’s jacket (they weren’t, but decades of expecting the worst from people will make one assume it to be the case), and then her realizing that her seeming “friends” didn’t even bother to pick up a call from her cell phone? Ouch. I’m still suspicious of Walter on the whole, but he absolutely has been there for Misty in ways her fellow survivors have not. And Christina Ricci’s work during Misty’s breakdown? Man was that incredible. When Yellowjackets takes the time to show us the impact actions and trauma have had on these characters in a decisive way, it works like a charm. This is a cast of seasoned pros, especially in the modern arc, and they can be trusted to find the big emotions when needed. So, keep writing them things like this and the series will climb back to the heights of season one.

The other interesting – and probably foreshadowing – bit of information was the focus on four of the more background characters from the 1996 arc. Yes, we’ve spent a bit of time with Mari, but having her get a storyline of her own (and a clear, antagonistic relationship with Shauna) was the clearest sign yet that she’s truly going to be important moving forward this season. Akilah also has her own role within the community, tending to the commune’s stock of rabbits and ducks (who are adorable even if they’re destined to be food once the deer stop running). And then there are the two who are pretty new to us: Gen, our new hunter, and Melissa, Shauna’s new henchwoman. I suspect we’re heading to a schism in the group – Shauna seems to like the small bit of power she has over Melissa, and power can be addictive, while Nat doesn’t seem to care all that much about wielding the power she has been given. But it’s nice to get to know the cannon fodder before they turn into plot devices rather than characters.

I liked this episode, but I didn’t love it. The two timelines still feel uneven in their strengths (while I focused a lot on the adult characters, the teen arc is still much more narratively compelling, which is mostly baked into the story structure at this stage of things – we know what has to happen there and it’s more interesting than watching adults fail to take the necessary personal steps to heal themselves), and I don’t love that we have another person sending suspicious packages to Shauna in the present as a means to ratcheting up the tension in that arc. After all, if there isn’t some outside threat to reveal all their secrets, there’s no real tension in that storyline at all, as none of those ladies is at a stage where they want to look into just what is broken within them. But we have a long season ahead of us, so it was a solid, if not stellar, start.