S01.E04: Bear Down

[Pallas]

The girls play with guns to determine who is the most responsible. Natalie untangles a lifetime of piecing together broken men. 

[MCMLXXVII]

Someone at Showtime must love Dinosaur Jr. too, “Feel the Pain” was on Dexter a few episodes back, and now on Yellowjackets, after rarely if ever hearing them on tv. 😊

[Armchair Critic]

Poor coach being stuck with Misty... his look when she tripped him.

I am still suspicious of the motives of the guy with Shauna.

Figured they were misdirecting us by making us think Natalie may have shot her father.

Licking their fingers and enjoying eating the deer of course makes us think of them eating something (somebody) else.

I know we are supposed to be rooting for adult Taissa but her voice gets on my nerves.

[BitterApple]

Okay, so when I saw this episode title, I took it literally. I thought the girls were going to shoot and kill a bear for food. I was WAY off, lol.

Did they recast young Kevyn? I know Young Nat's scenes were probably a few years before the crash, but the actor looks totally different than the one in the pilot.

Something is definitely up with Tai's wife Simone. I'm starting to think the theory that she's the "bad one" is correct. The way she told Sammy to finish his dinner was strange and Sammy was shooting daggers at her as he left the room. 

I loved how the team rallied behind Nat after Travis was being a dick. Ditto for when Tai told that rich bitch to go f*** herself. So much girl power in this episode.

Adam is totally adult Javi, right? It's a leap to think Shauna wouldn't recognize him, but they keep showing young Javi with her in the wilderness. I wonder if the big reveal will be when we see Coach Martinez's ring on Adam's finger.

Speaking of which, who else screamed when Travis started digging up the grave? I thought he was going to cut up the bodies for meat and play it off like they killed a deer.

I also liked that we got some good exposition. Coach Scott and Nat turned out to have hunting experience and there's a war chest full of ammo. I was wondering how they were going to practice shooting without fear of wasting bullets. Also, Shauna confirming she married Jeff young, which jives with the pictures.

 

Edited December 5, 2021 by BitterApple

[MCMLXXVII]

56 minutes ago, BitterApple said:

Adam is totally adult Javi, right? It's a leap to think Shauna wouldn't recognize him, but they keep showing young Javi with her in the wilderness. I wonder if the big reveal will be when we see Coach Martinez's ring on Adam's finger.

Oooh, I didn’t even think of that! I wonder if he has nefarious intent or if she’s “the one that got away”?

I kind of like them together-  nice to see an average-looking by tv standards 40-something woman getting to have her fun.

It was good to see Nat’s backstory. I had wondered why a “burnout” was on the team at all. I was class of ‘95 and the preppy athlete girls and the “smoking behind the gym” girls did not associate as far as I remember. I suppose the team gave her stability and maybe she had been close to some of the other girls when younger?

[BitterApple]

1 hour ago, MCMLXXVII said:

Oooh, I didn’t even think of

It was good to see Nat’s backstory. I had wondered why a “burnout” was on the team at all. I was class of ‘95 and the preppy athlete girls and the “smoking behind the gym” girls did not associate as far as I remember. I suppose the team gave her stability and maybe she had been close to some of the other girls when younger?

Class of '96, and it was the same at my school. I can't remember one burnout or goth kid who did sports. Maybe the team is a sort of surrogate family for Nat? 

I'm going to rewatch tonight to pick up on more things, but the standout for me is Christina Ricci's portrayal of Misty. She alternates between making me bust out laughing and causing the hairs on the back of my neck to stand up. Who drags a nursing home resident out to pose as their dinner date? 😂😂😂. 

Edited December 5, 2021 by BitterApple

[WaltersHair]

This episode didn't necessarily add anything to what we already know. Misty is still a psycho, Tai has problems, Travis is still dead. Nat was effed up long before the crash and Shauna is episode filler.

They had Misty do a straight up evil/crazy look à la The Californians. In fact, I thought everyone in this episode over acted just a touch. Not sure if it was actor direction or to show that the survivors are regressing back to the woods or to their younger selves.

I will say that I think Javi is dead. He should have been mentioned even in passing after Travis died.

I'm disappointed nothing about the symbol was explored, because the show keeps shoving it in our faces

[AnimeMania]

[WaltersHair]

Something just occurred to me. Nat said to Travis that the ring was just a ring and to let it go.  His last note said Nat was right. Maybe something bad happened to Javi because of the ring.

[DoubleUTeeEff]

2 hours ago, BitterApple said:

Who drags a nursing home resident out to pose as their dinner date?

I legit laughed out loud when she told Misty "You remind me of my granddaughter. Nobody likes her either."

Misty singing Breakfast at Tiffany's while the coach was trying to do his thing was like a hell I had never imagined yet was so perfectly ghastly.

I enjoyed Nat's father proving his uselessness by shooting off his own head because he left the safety off after berating Nat for being an idiot for not knowing about the safety. I'm glad she bagged the deer. Also, I'm glad she and Travis made friends (which we know would eventually happen) because he was so annoying this episode. It'll be good for him to have someone on his side; maybe it will chill him out.

5 hours ago, BitterApple said:

Something is definitely up with Tai's wife Simone. I'm starting to think the theory that she's the "bad one" is correct. The way she told Sammy to finish his dinner was strange and Sammy was shooting daggers at her as he left the room. 

I'm curious as to what's up with him as well. In one of the earlier episodes, he had covered his windows so "she"? couldn't watch him. Which led me to believe that there's someone, possibly one of the survivors, who is actually watching him. If it was his mother or his ghost grandmother, they'd just watch him inside the house and not through the windows. But yeah, it would be interesting if his mother is up to something nefarious.

[BitterApple]

Couple of observations from a re-watch.

When Tai was talking to the blonde lady, it looked like she was on the verge of spilling the tea, then she caught herself and went into "we starved and scavenged and...". I hope we get a future scene of how and why they decided to come up with that particular party line. 

When phantom Jackie made that "someone's going to get hurt" comment, I realized she may have been talking about the affair, and not Shauna and Adam jumping off the bridge. 

Misty's gonna go full Annie Wilkes on Coach Scott, isn't she? He's moving on his own, so of course she's going to sabotage his recovery. 

Edited December 6, 2021 by BitterApple

[Kristi800]

Quote

Poor coach being stuck with Misty... his look when she tripped him.

And raising her hand when she really wanted to dress the deer! YIKES!!!! The line about "no one liking her either" was precious. While bullying is awful, she doesn't do anything to not bring it on herself. 

Glad to finally see the "mushroom" comment from all of the trailer in context.

How did the dead person get so much ammo/food/etc. on that small plane? 

I think we have confirmation that Shauna's friend (can't think of her name at the moment) is dead. I was trying to figure out why they asked someone else to buy alcohol for them, but maybe just to be funny? 

Sad to see Nat's home life growing up. Kind of similar to Van's. 

[Ailianna]

  

8 hours ago, Kristi800 said:

I was trying to figure out why they asked someone else to buy alcohol for them, but maybe just to be funny?

They were doing the stupid teenage things Shauna never did.

[BitterApple]

I can't decide if Jackie's dead or Shauna saw the young version of her because she's trying to re-create her pre-crash life. It also makes me wonder if the crash stunted her in some kind of way. For as intelligent as she is academically, I'm surprised she isn't a little more suspicious of Adam. He shows up at the hotel out of nowhere, quotes an author she loves, is willing to indulge in her fantasies, etc. It's a little too perfect, right? Maybe it's plot device, but Shauna is acting emotionally like a teenager, where you just dive in and don't think. 

[Kristi800]

Quote

They were doing the stupid teenage things Shauna never did.

Oh, right. :) 

[speedroc]

On 12/5/2021 at 2:54 PM, BitterApple said:

Adam is totally adult Javi, right? It's a leap to think Shauna wouldn't recognize him, but they keep showing young Javi with her in the wilderness. I wonder if the big reveal will be when we see Coach Martinez's ring on Adam's finger.

You're not the first person to suggest this but I still don't understand this theory. Didn't they initially meet because of the accident? I know he's creepy and suspect yet I don't see it. I'm in no way saying your theory is wrong btw.

[BitterApple]

15 minutes ago, speedroc said:

You're not the first person to suggest this but I still don't understand this theory. Didn't they initially meet because of the accident? I know he's creepy and suspect yet I don't see it. I'm in no way saying your theory is wrong btw.

They did, yes, but a lot of viewers are thinking the accident was a set-up. There's also a picture on Reddit of Adam's back tattoo and it's mountains surrounded by a series of dots and weird symbols. It's definitely a stretch, I admit, because it's hard to find a reason why Adam wouldn't just reveal himself if he was in fact, Javi. However I can't figure out what his angle is otherwise. Obsessed fan? Writer hoping to get the real story for a book? P.I. like Jessica? It has to be something.

Edited December 7, 2021 by BitterApple

[Dowel Jones]

On 12/5/2021 at 8:26 PM, Kristi800 said:

How did the dead person get so much ammo/food/etc. on that small plane? 

I wasn't paying quite the attention that I should have, I suppose, after laughing too hard at the fact that the engine started right up after being abandoned in the BC winter for at least a few years,.  However, a Cessna 182 can reasonably carry 1000 pounds (pilot + 800) in most conditions, so you could handwave that.

[tennisgurl]

Looking at this episodes title, I was totally convinced the girls were going to fight a bear! Definitely not what happened, but still a good episode. This episode makes me think that Jackie is definitely dead, or at least something serious went down with her as she still seems to be haunting Shauna. I am also pretty sure that Adam is up to something, not totally sure what though. Him being an adult Javi is interesting but the adult actor doesn't look very much like kid Javi, and even years later you would think Shauna would think he seemed familiar at least. I think he might be a relative of someone who died in the woods and he is trying to find out what happened to them, but I could be wrong. 

Misty is really trying to get her Misery on, poor Coach Scott, The second he starts moving around more on his own and taking on more of the "adult in charge" role again, she literally kicks him to the ground. Misty as an adult and as a teenager just has such a creepy vibe, bullying is wrong and all but I don't blame people for not really wanting to be around her, she just feels so off. I do really love watching her though, she's the source of a lot of the shows really dark laughs, like her enthusiastic volunteering to gut the deer and the lady at the nursing home telling her she reminds her of her granddaughter who nobody likes either. 

They are really building up that ring, is that going to be connected to the symbol we saw? Or did something happen to Javi involving the ring and Nat blamed herself over it? I liked seeing some of her backstory, she's more of an alternative grunge girl then the rest of the peppier girls on the team, I guess she got into soccer because it gave her structure and a break from her messed up home life? I really liked the girls cheering her on when she was shooting the gun and Travis was being a dick. 

This might might be making me paranoid, but I think there also seems to be something a bit weird about Tai's wife, she has these weird angry expressions sometimes and if someone is stalking Tai's son, she would certainly have the best access to him. 

Have I mentioned how much I find the "wish you were here" postcards of the mountains creepy?

[Armchair Critic]

The more I think about it I think that they may be misdirecting us and there wasn't any cannabilism.

[AnimeMania]

[BitterApple]

Does anyone know if the playlists are on Spotify? This soundtrack has been kick-ass so far. 

 

[AnimeMania]

Every Song In Showtime's Yellowjackets

From Episodes 1-4

[Tatum]

On 12/6/2021 at 10:15 AM, BitterApple said:

I can't decide if Jackie's dead or Shauna saw the young version of her because she's trying to re-create her pre-crash life. It also makes me wonder if the crash stunted her in some kind of way. For as intelligent as she is academically, I'm surprised she isn't a little more suspicious of Adam. He shows up at the hotel out of nowhere, quotes an author she loves, is willing to indulge in her fantasies, etc. It's a little too perfect, right? Maybe it's plot device, but Shauna is acting emotionally like a teenager, where you just dive in and don't think. 

 

I rewatched the flashback scenes from the pilot episode a bunch of times. (The scene with the pit, and the scene with the girl who is dragged, hung, and her throat slit, presumably to be cooked). On first watch, I just assumed it was the same girl, but it's pretty clearly not after a rewatch. I think the first girl is going to be a fake out- it's someone's nightmare, or delusion, or dark fantasy, not something that actually happened. The girl dragged and hung- I think that's going to be real. On first watch, I assumed it was a brunette. But watching it closely- her head is wet and bloody, but it could be a redhead/auburn colored. The girl hung is also very slim, like Jackie, and a lot of the girls they've shown are built differently. That said, I am still holding out hope Jackie is alive. I think (hope) some kind of showdown between adult Jackie and adult Shauna is coming.

On 12/5/2021 at 1:54 PM, BitterApple said:

Adam is totally adult Javi, right? It's a leap to think Shauna wouldn't recognize him, but they keep showing young Javi with her in the wilderness. I wonder if the big reveal will be when we see Coach Martinez's ring on Adam's finger.

 

This would be interesting, but something tells me Shauna keeps tabs on all crash survivors. She may not know exactly where adult Javi is at this moment, but I would think she would have known enough to know what he looked like as an adult. Plus, weird that Travis would go off grid and change his name if Javi was still alive. I guess he could be cutting himself off from Javi as well as anyone else since he did not seem very brotherly.

Edited December 8, 2021 by Tatum

[Nicmar]

4 hours ago, Tatum said:

 

I rewatched the flashback scenes from the pilot episode a bunch of times. (The scene with the pit, and the scene with the girl who is dragged, hung, and her throat slit, presumably to be cooked). On first watch, I just assumed it was the same girl, but it's pretty clearly not after a rewatch. I think the first girl is going to be a fake out- it's someone's nightmare, or delusion, or dark fantasy, not something that actually happened. The girl dragged and hung- I think that's going to be real. On first watch, I assumed it was a brunette. But watching it closely- her head is wet and bloody, but it could be a redhead/auburn colored. The girl hung is also very slim, like Jackie, and a lot of the girls they've shown are built differently. That said, I am still holding out hope Jackie is alive. I think (hope) some kind of showdown between adult Jackie and adult Shauna is coming.

 

This would be interesting, but something tells me Shauna keeps tabs on all crash survivors. She may not know exactly where adult Javi is at this moment, but I would think she would have known enough to know what he looked like as an adult. Plus, weird that Travis would go off grid and change his name if Javi was still alive. I guess he could be cutting himself off from Javi as well as anyone else since he did not seem very brotherly.

I thought the girl that dragged and hanged up was the girl that running out of pills?

[TVMovieBuff]

Okay I feel kind of dumb. When Coach was holding on to Misty's shoulders and she said "Bear down!" what was that about? He wasn't having a baby, I know that much. Pooping? Why would he need help with that? If he did, wouldn't he have one of the boys help?

I keep thinking Shauna is a badass and we will find out more about that. 

[BitterApple]

4 minutes ago, Nicmar said:

I thought the girl that dragged and hanged up was the girl that running out of pills?

It's possible, but we don't really know. Another forum shows a mash-up of side profiles of pit girl with several brunette cast members, and honestly it could be any one of them. Many are also thinking it isn't one continuous sequence, and that pit girl and tree girl are two unrelated incidents.

On the surface, Lottie is a logical choice for pit girl, because the woman running through the woods is clearly terrified and hearing voices. That matches up with someone who's schizophrenic and off her meds. However the girl hanging from the tree doesn't look particularly tall, and Lottie stands a good four inches above most of her teammates.

 

1 minute ago, TVMovieBuff said:

Okay I feel kind of dumb. When Coach was holding on to Misty's shoulders and she said "Bear down!" what was that about? He wasn't having a baby, I know that much. Pooping? Why would he need help with that? If he did, wouldn't he have one of the boys help?

Coach was constipated, yes, and thanks to Misty I can never hear "Breakfast at Tiffany's" the same way ever again.

[Tatum]

36 minutes ago, BitterApple said:

It's possible, but we don't really know. Another forum shows a mash-up of side profiles of pit girl with several brunette cast members, and honestly it could be any one of them. Many are also thinking it isn't one continuous sequence, and that pit girl and tree girl are two unrelated incidents.

On the surface, Lottie is a logical choice for pit girl, because the woman running through the woods is clearly terrified and hearing voices. That matches up with someone who's schizophrenic and off her meds. However the girl hanging from the tree doesn't look particularly tall, and Lottie stands a good four inches above most of her teammates.

Agree that Lottie looks too tall to be either pit girl or hanging by her ankles girl. I don't believe the sequences are related. The pit girl is the opening scene- it isn't dated 1996 and it doesn't appear to be tied to any of the scenes with any of the specific girls. The girl being dragged through the snow, tied up, then being hung and having her throat slit is interspersed with Juliette Lewis at the rehab facility so I think those are supposed to be her recollections, but that isn't necessarily so. The girl dragged and hung is bleeding only from the head and feet- her legs and torso aren't bloody or punctured. The girl in the pit is impaled in like, a dozen places and probably did not survive that fall. I can't remember where the scene is from 1996 where one of the girls removes her animal head and it's Misty, but if I recall the scene shows the other characters being very subservient to Misty.  I am wondering if the girl found herself on Misty's bad side, and this was a punishment, not necessarily a sacrifice for food. I am not sure what would be the bigger shock to the audience- Jackie being the girl who is pretty gruesomely murdered or Jackie being alive all this time, but they are spending enough time on Jackie as a teen to make me think it's going to be one or the other.

 

ETA: oh snap, guys, the queen of the bonfire is not Misty. I found the scene. The person in charge has what appears to be deer antlers sticking out of her headpiece. You can see her millling around in the background when Misty pulls off her animal head. The Head Bitch in Charge is probably Shauna or Taissa. My money is on Shauna. Taissa seems pretty caring overall and Natalie seems to hold no ill will towards her. I guess it could also be Van, especially if the victim is Jackie. But Van doesn't really seem that mad at her anymore.

Edited December 8, 2021 by Tatum

[BitterApple]

Shauna or Tai makes the most sense. One thing I've noticed in the present is none of the survivors are afraid of Misty. Adult Tai hasn't interacted with her yet, but Shauna hangs up on her and Nat tells her to buzz off. She's still very much the outcast and searching for ways to be part of the group. If Misty had some sort of leadership role in the wilderness, you'd think a little of that dynamic would've carried over into the present. 

And for as crazy as Misty is, I wonder if she's gone so far as to kill people? Her pattern is to hurt, then play the role of comforter. She needs to be needed, and murder eliminates that possibility. Tai or Shauna killing Jackie would be much more salacious, and they both have more to lose. 

 

[WaltersHair]

1 hour ago, Nicmar said:

I thought the girl that dragged and hanged up was the girl that running out of pills?

I've thought that from the beginning. I assumed the animal trap was for animals. Lottie ran out of her pills and they had her holed up (maybe in the attic). She panicked, ran out the door and fell in by accident. They decided by committee or voting and she was eaten out of necessity. Probably Misty's idea.

I don't know why she's nude.

[Tatum]

5 minutes ago, BitterApple said:

Shauna or Tai makes the most sense. One thing I've noticed in the present is none of the survivors are afraid of Misty. Adult Tai hasn't interacted with her yet, but Shauna hangs up on her and Nat tells her to buzz off. She's still very much the outcast and searching for ways to be part of the group. If Misty had some sort of leadership role in the wilderness, you'd think a little of that dynamic would've carried over into the present. 

And for as crazy as Misty is, I wonder if she's gone so far as to kill people? Her pattern is to hurt, then play the role of comforter. She needs to be needed, and murder eliminates that possibility. Tai or Shauna killing Jackie would be much more salacious, and they both have more to lose. 

 

Yeah, from the scene, the HBIC is sitting in the center, with 5 or 6 people flanking her, and one person walks up to HBIC with a tray full of what is presumably some kind of cooked meat (human or otherwise). The HBIC nods at the person carrying the tray, and the tray is set down in front of HBIC. I think Misty is the one carrying the tray, but that's not 100%. She's definitely not HBIC. Natalie doesn't seem to like Misty, but she doesn't hate her either. I think Natalie would hate HBIC.

1 minute ago, WaltersHair said:

I've thought that from the beginning. I assumed the animal trap was for animals. Lottie ran out of her pills and they had her holed up (maybe in the attic). She panicked, ran out the door and fell in by accident. They decided by committee or voting and she was eaten out of necessity. Probably Misty's idea.

I don't know why she's nude.

It can't be the same girl, unless they were really lazy filming. In the opening scene, you can see the spikes going through her arms, back, and thighs. There are no gouges on the naked girl.

[WaltersHair]

1 hour ago, Tatum said:

Yeah, from the scene, the HBIC is sitting in the center, with 5 or 6 people flanking her, and one person walks up to HBIC with a tray full of what is presumably some kind of cooked meat (human or otherwise). The HBIC nods at the person carrying the tray, and the tray is set down in front of HBIC. I think Misty is the one carrying the tray, but that's not 100%. She's definitely not HBIC. Natalie doesn't seem to like Misty, but she doesn't hate her either. I think Natalie would hate HBIC.

It can't be the same girl, unless they were really lazy filming. In the opening scene, you can see the spikes going through her arms, back, and thighs. There are no gouges on the naked girl.

You're right. Hadn't noticed that.

ETA: I went back and there's some deliberate(?) misdirection. In one episode there are a number of cuts in the cannibal sequence. There is a scene of them eating, jump to dead girl in the pit, jump to eating, jump to a second of them cutting the hanging girl (there is a longer version of this I haven't found yet) back to the eating.

Edited December 8, 2021 by WaltersHair

[Tatum]

2 hours ago, WaltersHair said:

You're right. Hadn't noticed that.

ETA: I went back and there's some deliberate(?) misdirection. In one episode there are a number of cuts in the cannibal sequence. There is a scene of them eating, jump to dead girl in the pit, jump to eating, jump to a second of them cutting the hanging girl (there is a longer version of this I haven't found yet) back to the eating.

The longer scene is the towards the beginning of the pilot when Natalie is in rehab. They show someone dragging the girl by a rope tied around her ankles. My thought was the girl was alive (perhaps not conscious though) because her legs were tied together and someone then slits her throat, but it was possible she was already dead as the coach said you have to bleed out your prey and the rope may have just been for easier transportation. I still think it's two separate girls based on the injuries the first girl sustained falling into the pit.

 

I am confused because last episode Natalie found a picture in Travis's house of her and Travis as adults, so they must have been in touch. How was he off the grid then? Also, I could not tell if Natalie was bullshitting Kevyn about the unofficial AA sponsoring to get him to help her look into the death, or if that was true since they did have pictures together.

 

Taissa and her political career is so boring, and she way overreacted to that woman's prying. If you were curious, why wouldn't you ask if the person had been drinking and the two of you were bonding? I don't think it was a power move on the blond's part.

 

Shauna and the new guy are also boring. Although I did laugh when the guy outside the liquor store told Shauna she wouldn't be carded and Shauna says, hey! all offended. Also, I think Shauna is somewhat rewriting history. She went to a kegger in an open field and drank beer from a red solo cup which is pretty much a rite of passage for suburban teens. Boo-hoo that she never got to ask a complete stranger to buy her cheap booze. Lots of kids don't do that. Her high school social life seemed pretty typical to me.

 

ETA: I realize Shauna might feel like she lost her youth due to the accident and just didn't want to get into it with him, but listing buying alcohol from a legal adult as a bucket list item is weird to me. That's like, the least cool thing about being underage, getting hosed by whoever is supplying you with alcohol.

Edited December 9, 2021 by Tatum

[BitterApple]

My interpretation of Nat and Travis is they dated off and on for a period of time, but something caused Travis to go off the grid and cease contact. Maybe it's whatever Nat turned out to be right about? I think Nat was definitely using Kevin to get access to the reports, but there may have been some truth with regards to AA. Tai mentioned them being a toxic pair which fits with mutual addictions. 

I agree that Shauna had a normal high school experience. What she missed out on was the college years. 

[WaltersHair]

Quote

I am confused because last episode Natalie found a picture in Travis's house of her and Travis as adults, so they must have been in touch. How was he off the grid then? Also, I could not tell if Natalie was bullshitting Kevyn about the unofficial AA sponsoring to get him to help her look into the death, or if that was true since they did have pictures together.

And Travis' printed pay stub means the government knows where you are, and that is the opposite off the grid as I understand it.

But I also thought it was possible that if Laura Lee made it into adulthood, she'd like be off grid in a real prepper kind of way, maybe in a religious compound.

I was also convinced until this past episode that Tai was the antler queen because she seems to be in touch with all the survivors so far. However, this show loves to point out that people like Jackie, who thrive in a modern world, perform badly in the wild.

[BitterApple]

39 minutes ago, WaltersHair said:

And Travis' printed pay stub means the government knows where you are, and that is the opposite off the grid as I understand it.

However, this show loves to point out that people like Jackie, who thrive in a modern world, perform badly in the wild.

It was mentioned Travis changed his name, so I wonder if he did that legally or bought a fake I.D. with a new Social Security number? 

Very true about Jackie. When Nat couldn't keep a steady hand with the gun and asked for another turn, Jackie in the background says "Hey, can she do that?!." It's life or death, luv, not a carnival game at the State Fair. Same with not wanting to give up her stupid Sea Breeze. She doesn't seem to grasp that the situation is more dire than she thinks. I think the group is going to tire of her pretty quickly.

Speaking of preppers, is anyone else surprised the cabin only has one rifle? You'd think there'd be an arsenal to go with the ammo, especially if the dead guy was a recluse and not making regular food runs at the closest available city. 

[Tatum]

3 minutes ago, BitterApple said:

Very true about Jackie. When Nat couldn't keep a steady hand with the gun and asked for another turn, Jackie in the background says "Hey, can she do that?!." It's life or death, luv, not a carnival game at the State Fair. Same with not wanting to give up her stupid Sea Breeze. She doesn't seem to grasp that the situation is more dire than she thinks. I think the group is going to tire of her pretty quickly.

That was so weird about the extra turn! Trust me Jackie, you’re gonna want everyone to get as much practice as they need.

 

The show is really laying the groundwork for all the girls to turn on Jackie. She has already alienated Van, things are strained between her and Shauna, Taissa seems like someone who would get annoyed if Jackie kept trying to assert her authority, etc. Jackie is currently coasting on her high school popularity which is going to be less and less of a currency as the days go on. I wonder what the point of that scene was when the head coach told her she was far from the best player but was captain due to her influence. Shauna and Taissa were both specifically listed as superior to Jackie in some soccer regard. Perhaps that has caused some resentment? 
 

But then I wonder if that whole thing is misdirection, and Jackie does regain control of the group and is the antler queen? Seems far fetched but they are awfully unsubtle with Jackie’s alienation from the group. 

 

[Tatum]

1 hour ago, BitterApple said:

My interpretation of Nat and Travis is they dated off and on for a period of time, but something caused Travis to go off the grid and cease contact. Maybe it's whatever Nat turned out to be right about? I think Nat was definitely using Kevin to get access to the reports, but there may have been some truth with regards to AA. Tai mentioned them being a toxic pair which fits with mutual addictions. 

 

I loved it when Nat called Tai for bail money and Tai disgustedly said that Nat didn’t make it 3 days out of rehab. Nat indignantly responds that she’s not drinking. Well no, not this very second, but no one could accuse her of taking rehab very seriously could they? 

[Tatum]

Also thought the fake out with Nat’s dad was kind of a cheap trick. It would have been better if Natalie had actually shot him. There is no mental gymnastics I can do that would make his death her fault. He took the rifle from her. He turned off the safety. And he tripped over his own damn feet in his rush to beat his daughter. She only pulled a gun on him in the first place to get him to stop beating his wife. Unless the whole point was to illuminate that Natalie had a fear of shooting something (the turkey) and got over it (the whatever it was she killed with Travis) it just seemed like the writers wanted to be like, fooled you! 

[WaltersHair]

This can't be healthy (for me).

I re-watched the pilot. The longer scene is near the 12 minute mark. The girl being dragged has a wound on her right foot. This is consistent with the girl that ran away and fell into the pit. There was blood in the right footprint in the snow (opening scene), but not in left footprint or drops of it coming from somewhere else. That detail about the footprints stayed with me when I first watched it for reasons only my subconscious knows. Her left foot does get impaled during the fall, but not the right.

So misdirection, or they just didn't want to show a wounded girl hanging upside down and then getting her throat cut?

I should have just waited and binged, but shows I like get cancelled if no one watches them initially.

[bilgistic]

On 12/5/2021 at 11:27 AM, MCMLXXVII said:

Someone at Showtime must love Dinosaur Jr. too, “Feel the Pain” was on Dexter a few episodes back, and now on Yellowjackets, after rarely if ever hearing them on tv. 😊

I noticed it, too. It made sense in this show, but kids today (Dexter) would not be listening to an alt-rock non-charting band from the 1990s. Yellowjackets' soundtrack gives me major nostalgia. My freshman year suitemate had a friend who made her a mix tape* with "Feel the Pain" on it.

*Kids, ask your parents.

[paulvdb]

8 hours ago, Tatum said:

Taissa and her political career is so boring, and she way overreacted to that woman's prying. If you were curious, why wouldn't you ask if the person had been drinking and the two of you were bonding? I don't think it was a power move on the blond's part.

 

Shauna and the new guy are also boring. Although I did laugh when the guy outside the liquor store told Shauna she wouldn't be carded and Shauna says, hey! all offended. Also, I think Shauna is somewhat rewriting history. She went to a kegger in an open field and drank beer from a red solo cup which is pretty much a rite of passage for suburban teens. Boo-hoo that she never got to ask a complete stranger to buy her cheap booze. Lots of kids don't do that. Her high school social life seemed pretty typical to me.

I agree that they are both boring. I fast-forward through all the present day scenes except Misty. She's the only interesting one. And possibly Nat, but most of her scenes were with Misty so I'll have to wait and see if she can also hold my interest on her own.

I started watching this show because of the plane crash survival story and would have preferred if they had not included the adult versions of the characters in the present day.

[Tatum]

9 hours ago, WaltersHair said:

This can't be healthy (for me).

I re-watched the pilot. The longer scene is near the 12 minute mark. The girl being dragged has a wound on her right foot. This is consistent with the girl that ran away and fell into the pit. There was blood in the right footprint in the snow (opening scene), but not in left footprint or drops of it coming from somewhere else. That detail about the footprints stayed with me when I first watched it for reasons only my subconscious knows. Her left foot does get impaled during the fall, but not the right.

So misdirection, or they just didn't want to show a wounded girl hanging upside down and then getting her throat cut?

I should have just waited and binged, but shows I like get cancelled if no one watches them initially.

Really? I didn't know that (about the show getting cancelled if no one watches right away).

 

It's not impossible it's the same girl, but to me it seems unlikely. There is a spike sticking out of her lower back in the pit, and her back is pretty smooth when she's hanging naked. I mean, with the amount of spikes that went through her, there would be blood and tissue all over her body, especially when the spikes were pulled out. Plus, when the girl comes to the edge of the pit and looks down, she doesn't look dismayed or distraught or any reaction you might expect when your friend accidentally falls into a pit and is impaled by a dozen spikes. And what's with the ritualistic animal head bonfire dinner party?

[WaltersHair]

Here's another for you

In the pilot, scene at 12 minutes. The girl in the Ewok mask has blue or green eyes. By the end of the pilot, Misty is revealed under the same mask. She does not have blue or green eyes. Jackie does. Wouldn't it be so Misty-like if she got Jackie killed and took over her position in that circle (whose numbers shrink from 8 to 6 by the end)?

[Tatum]

2 hours ago, WaltersHair said:

Here's another for you

In the pilot, scene at 12 minutes. The girl in the Ewok mask has blue or green eyes. By the end of the pilot, Misty is revealed under the same mask. She does not have blue or green eyes. Jackie does. Wouldn't it be so Misty-like if she got Jackie killed and took over her position in that circle (whose numbers shrink from 8 to 6 by the end)?

Wait, where’s the 6? I recall a bunch of animal heads milling around behind Misty but there are definitely only 6? 
 

It would make sense for the two girls hoisting the girl up and slitting her throat to be Jackie and Shauna- I mean who’s to say the antler Queen even knows what she and her minions are eating? And Misty does look super smug when she pulls off her mask. 

I can’t be 100% sure, but one of the closeups of someone eating looks like a man’s mouth. I think Travis is at the bonfire. 
 

 

During Dollhouse I counted 16 survivors including the coach, and the two boys. There are 4 known yellow jacket survivors, 4 semi regular players of which their fate is unknown, two character that are befriending Taissa and Jackie, respectively, and three girls who don’t get any lines or even names. Wonder if the pared down group is due to deaths or the group splitting into factions. 

[Black Knight]

On 12/8/2021 at 5:27 PM, Tatum said:

Taissa and her political career is so boring, and she way overreacted to that woman's prying. If you were curious, why wouldn't you ask if the person had been drinking and the two of you were bonding? I don't think it was a power move on the blond's part.

The woman made it clear that her support of Taissa's candidacy was dependent on Taissa sharing a dark secret of some kind with her. She demands it from anyone she supports so that she has a stick to hold over their heads, in case the carrot of needing her money isn't sufficient leverage at some point in time when she wants something from the candidate. It is one thing to ask a question during organic bonding, but that's not what this woman did. When Taissa didn't answer the way she wanted, she pushed. I don't think it's any accident she only approached Taissa once she had had a fair amount to drink, either, and thus might have looser lips. And the woman really outed herself with that "all I have done for women's issues, black issues, black women's issues" bit. That was a power play start to finish. I cheered when Taissa called her out on the racism - how dare she not be servile to the lady of the manor - and exited.

I'm not suspicious of Taissa's wife yet. I see what other people are saying, but I'm just not there myself yet. Her wife seems awesome to me. And we finally learned in this episode what she does, she's a college professor of literature. Taissa married a 10.

I like the detail of Taissa being a vegetarian now. Considering the way Natalie reacted to Misty eating jerky, I can just imagine Taissa's reaction.

It's true the other surviving women we know about don't seem afraid of Misty, just put off by her. But it's possible that in the woods they ended up breaking up into two groups and Misty was in one group while the other known survivors were in the other, and so they maybe don't know all that much about Misty still. I have trouble believing they know she is a sadist, for instance, or otherwise I'd be expecting Tai to have stopped Misty from working as a nurse in a rest home.

A lot of the speculation about the girls only having engaged in survival cannibalism, if even that, could be correct. But the big flaw with that so far is that the survivors seem to have agreed that they will not admit to any such and are pretty determined about sticking to that line. The movie Alive came out three years before the plane crash and had been out for nearly five by the time the survivors were found. Sure, it's a little salacious, but it doesn't break any laws and they weren't the first. And, if there is something else they want to hide, the smart play would actually be to admit to survival cannibalism and let that admission distract everyone. There is something terribly wrong about how at least a couple of the girls died out in the wilderness.

I think Shauna is suspicious of Adam. There was something about the way she asked, "Why are you here?" in the previous episode when they were talking in the hotel restaurant that struck me. This is not a stupid woman. But she likes playing with fire and she also may have decided it's better to play along with this and find out what's really going on, who he is and who he might be working for and what his agenda is - plus hey, he's cute, she can get some good sex out of it. I don't think it's happenstance that her attitude towards him notably changed once he approached her at the hotel, because she had to realize then he was following her. There was nothing really suspicious in itself about the car crash or his calling her afterwards to follow up on the car (it looked suspicious to us, but only because we know we're watching a sinister TV show), but the hotel? He likes the martini there? No.

Finally, when they showed the previouslies, and included Jeff and Bianca walking out of the hotel - I'm not sure they are having an affair. Jeff's body language showed nothing like that. If nothing else, the show could have made it unambiguous, had them holding hands or something, and intentionally chose not to. Shauna's face when she saw Jackie on the bridge was great. Jackie looked worried and a bit like she was trying to warn Shauna, maybe. (I'm determinedly lalala about the possibility of the supernatural, so I think it was Shauna's own subconscious really. She'd been drinking.)

[Tatum]

1 hour ago, Black Knight said:

The woman made it clear that her support of Taissa's candidacy was dependent on Taissa sharing a dark secret of some kind with her. She demands it from anyone she supports so that she has a stick to hold over their heads, in case the carrot of needing her money isn't sufficient leverage at some point in time when she wants something from the candidate. It is one thing to ask a question during organic bonding, but that's not what this woman did. When Taissa didn't answer the way she wanted, she pushed. I don't think it's any accident she only approached Taissa once she had had a fair amount to drink, either, and thus might have looser lips. And the woman really outed herself with that "all I have done for women's issues, black issues, black women's issues" bit. That was a power play start to finish. I cheered when Taissa called her out on the racism - how dare she not be servile to the lady of the manor - and exited.

Huh, I guess I missed that nuance; I wasn't watching that closely because I find that part of the plot boring. I thought the lady was prying out of nosiness, not as a strategic political move.

 

But that begs another question, how does the blond know there is more to the story? Perhaps their party line (we scavenged, we starved, we prayed) sounds too rehearsed, but really, the most remarkable thing about this story is that there were any survivors. Being lost in the Canadian wilderness with no food, no medical supplies, no winter clothes, no hunting supplies, for 19 months is no joke.

1 hour ago, Black Knight said:

 

A lot of the speculation about the girls only having engaged in survival cannibalism, if even that, could be correct. But the big flaw with that so far is that the survivors seem to have agreed that they will not admit to any such and are pretty determined about sticking to that line. The movie Alive came out three years before the plane crash and had been out for nearly five by the time the survivors were found. Sure, it's a little salacious, but it doesn't break any laws and they weren't the first. And, if there is something else they want to hide, the smart play would actually be to admit to survival cannibalism and let that admission distract everyone. There is something terribly wrong about how at least a couple of the girls died out in the wilderness.

 

I'm of two minds about that. At this point, the big reveal being, a few people died by the elements and we used their bodies for food, would feel like a pretty big cop out for what the show has been hinting at all this time. But if this were me, for example, and I ate someone else (already dead) to survive, I probably wouldn't want people to know, either, even though I had not committed a crime. But yeah, I am assuming there was something a little more insidious going on. I don't think it's all on Misty either. She has a vindictive streak and not much of a conscience, but she's also a follower, desperate to be liked by others.

 

1 hour ago, Black Knight said:

I think Shauna is suspicious of Adam. There was something about the way she asked, "Why are you here?" in the previous episode when they were talking in the hotel restaurant that struck me. This is not a stupid woman. But she likes playing with fire and she also may have decided it's better to play along with this and find out what's really going on, who he is and who he might be working for and what his agenda is - plus hey, he's cute, she can get some good sex out of it. I don't think it's happenstance that her attitude towards him notably changed once he approached her at the hotel, because she had to realize then he was following her. There was nothing really suspicious in itself about the car crash or his calling her afterwards to follow up on the car (it looked suspicious to us, but only because we know we're watching a sinister TV show), but the hotel? He likes the martini there? No.

Finally, when they showed the previouslies, and included Jeff and Bianca walking out of the hotel - I'm not sure they are having an affair. Jeff's body language showed nothing like that. If nothing else, the show could have made it unambiguous, had them holding hands or something, and intentionally chose not to. Shauna's face when she saw Jackie on the bridge was great. Jackie looked worried and a bit like she was trying to warn Shauna, maybe. (I'm determinedly lalala about the possibility of the supernatural, so I think it was Shauna's own subconscious really. She'd been drinking.)

That would make sense that Shauna knows he has an angle. I agree, she likes playing with fire.

 

I did wonder if Shauna was going to confront Jeff at some point and come to find out he wasn't actually sleeping with anyone else. But he did go into a hotel room it seems with another woman which is pretty suspicious. I don't know if Shauna would have slept with Adam if she did not believe Jeff was cheating on her, or if she would regret sleeping with Adam if she discovered Jeff truly had cheated.

 

ETA: The Jackie thing was weird, and I believe it is the first time adult Shauna has acknowledged Jackie, right? I am sure it was Shauna's subconscious, not like, a ghost because Shauna seemed sad and kind of sheepish, not alarmed. Perhaps she sees Jackie often in her head when she's doing something that isn't a very good idea.

Edited December 11, 2021 by Tatum

[BitterApple]

With regards to people speculating on "more to the story," I can see why. Over the course of 25 years, NONE of the survivors have written a book, done the interview circuit, sold rights to a movie, given lectures, etc.  Any time a big event or tragedy happens, there's always one or two people who become camera hogs and milk the attention, but in this case, they're radio silent across the board. That's highly unusual, which is why the rumors have swirled. 

Edited December 11, 2021 by BitterApple

[Black Knight]

That photographer in the pilot mentioned something to Taissa about not believing any of the dark rumors. This is something people have been wondering about for years and years.

At some point, when they’re ready to confirm the full list of survivors, we should see stuff from post-rescue. My guess is that the major sticking point, that started the speculation, is the bodies. I don’t know for certain yet what the survivors’ story is, but the way Shauna told it to Jessica in the pilot made it sound like they claimed all the dead girls died in the plane crash. We know, obviously, that only one did. Around 10 other girls died in the 19 months after, plus probably Javi and Ben.

There are practical reasons for this as their cover story: They don’t have to keep multiple stories straight for whichever other deaths they need to lie about, and they could burn the bodies and say that happened in the plane crash.

But at the same time, claiming that all of the team’s deaths happened in the plane crash and all the survivors of the crash also made it through the 19 months since, and oh, all these bodies are super burned to make autopsies useless, would certainly raise eyebrows.

[Cranberry]

11 hours ago, Black Knight said:

And the woman really outed herself with that "all I have done for women's issues, black issues, black women's issues" bit. That was a power play start to finish.

And the, "If I were you, I'd watch my tone" thing at the end. Gross.