The Yellowjackets start turning on each other faster than a reality TV reunion special thanks to a decision that can't be undone. The Sadecki family "vacation" features a vending machine and a deep dive into questionable parenting choices. Misty uncovers an incriminating clue.
The narrative has tortured Ben ever since the plane crash. His leg was amputated. He grew depressed and suicidal. Yet all of that pales in comparison to the torture he has endured consistently over the last three episodes. His fate was sealed the moment the Yellowjackets captured him at the cave. His death was inevitable because the team blamed him for burning down the cabin. His departure lined up with that tragedy. It was the only reasonable conclusion. Ben insisted he was innocent. That didn't change anything. No matter how he tried to appeal to the team's sense of compassion he was destined to die. It was frustrating how the narrative kept dragging it out. It was difficult for Misty when she was defending him during the trial. Tai struggled when she was selected to kill him. And now, Natalie faces the agony of relieving that pain at the expense of her standing as leader. It's a pivotal moment for her character. One that better bridges the gaps between who she was in the past and what she became in the present. The comparison requires the audience to remember Natalie as played by Juliette Lewis in the present. It's not a comparison occurring within the span of the same episode. It's a gradual evolution. One that remains very rewarding. It highlights the strength of Sophie Thatcher's performance. She carries the weight of this moment while showcasing the facets of this evolution.
Ben pleads with Natalie to kill him. It's impossible for him to escape. Lottie convinced the Yellowjackets that he was their bridge home. Since then, Akilah's visions have been difficult to decipher. They aren't as clear cut. They could be nothing more than memories of home. The entire basis for hope comes from what she saw. Lottie took decisive action as a result. And now, she fears she has lost her connection to the wilderness. She can no longer communicate with it. She tries forcing the connection once more. More shocking events happen. It's just not in a way that promises anything better. That too is a startling contrast. The Yellowjackets believed rescue was imminent. Yet they are also preparing to spend another winter in the wilderness. They lost their shelter. They know what to expect now. However, they enter the changing of the seasons with full awareness of what they must do to survive. Natalie was always reluctant to follow that path. She kills Ben because it's the right thing to do. She can't allow him to suffer any longer. At first, she resists. She doesn't take his pleas seriously. She doesn't want him to give up hope either. He's completely powerless. The team has robbed him of everything. He no longer has the will to go on. He's faced these thoughts before. But now, no clear reason is given for why he should want to survive.
It's an absolutely brutal story. Travis sees the role he played in the suffering too. He claimed Akilah had a stronger connection to the wilderness than he did. He wanted his own pain to end. He wants to support her. She puts her life in danger in the name of saving everyone. Akilah and Lottie believe it fiercely. It's all completely meaningless. It's teenagers losing their minds in the woods. They seek meaning where there isn't any. They need to place their faith somewhere. Lottie has lifted the mantle of offering the wilderness what it wants. Ben's death goes against that. Yet Shauna spins it to her advantage. Upon the discovery, Misty wants Natalie arrested for murder. She admits to the crime. She is no longer trusted to lead. Instead of allowing the wilderness to decide, Lottie proclaims Shauna as the new leader. She does so knowing what looms on the horizon. Shauna won't hesitant when it comes to making the difficult calls. This experience broke Natalie. She took hope away. Her punishment is carving up Ben to serve to everyone. During the winter, they hunted their own in order to survive. Here, cannibalism is presented as a way to honor the wilderness. It's a sacrifice that needed to be made. Shauna crafts that convincing argument to cement her power. Yet even that isn't firm for very long. During the celebration, the Yellowjackets are discovered by two travelers. They are alarmed by seeing Ben's head. It's a jarring sight. This twist reveals the depths of the secrets the team still carries. They had the potential for rescue. It would simply come with the certainty of what they did out there.
In the present, Shauna believes she is being targeted. Callie shares the tape that was delivered. Van has a way to listen to it. Shauna proclaims all of this to be an emergency. Yet she only reaches out to her friends when she needs help. She doesn't even keep them in the loop. When she can't manipulate, then she intimidates. It's exactly how she handles Callie. Her daughter is smart. She still has access to the recording she made despite her mother's best efforts to delete it. The tape reveals the true horror of what the Yellowjackets were like when they hunted. They became purely animalistic. Callie wants to be close to her mother. Shauna shuts that down immediately. Meanwhile, eerie things happen around Tai and Van. It largely suggests that the Other One has been in control of Tai's body for awhile. Tai is struggling to get back out and needs Van's help. That's mostly speculative but it feels like the only direction for the story at the moment. And finally, Misty tracks down Lisa as she was one of the last people to see Lottie alive. She's aware that she joined a cult. Lottie gave her fifty thousand dollars. Lisa didn't question it. She wants to move on. She doesn't need to understand the bonds amongst the Yellowjackets. They aren't relevant to her life. Natalie tried to be better. Her friends killed her. That can't be denied. It possibly happened again with Lottie as Tai was seen talking with her too. These reveals are significant. They escalate the drama in a way that matches the stakes. The narrative has struggled getting that balance right. It still has the ability to be so incredibly propulsive. It can often be frustrating too. That's the frequent struggle of this show and what it aims to achieve as it goes along.
