Yellowjackets: Flight of the Bumblebee
January 2, 2022 9:37 AM - Season 1, Episode 8 - Subscribe

What is madness and what is divine? While in triage after a vicious attack, the Yellowjackets are left to suss out the best of their worst ideas. Shauna dabbles in some light cyberstalking. Wait, what about that airplane?

Threatened parrots, missing guns, coke, and glitter, this episode has it all. And did the bear just explode into flames? Still more questions than answers, but what else is there to talk about.
posted by Stanczyk (38 comments total) 2 users marked this as a favorite
 
The best thing about watching this show is me saying "Oh god, Yellowjackets. Exercise just a modicum of impulse control." and my wife saying "100% I would do that. Immediately."
posted by joelhunt at 10:54 PM on January 2, 2022 [12 favorites]


Enjoying Chaos Jackie quite a bit. I wonder what she has against Nat? If it's just general teenage stuff or if she read something about her in Shauna's journal.

Also Misty running in and trying to stop Nat from doing coke by doing her coke? Incredible.
posted by everybody had matching towels at 5:25 AM on January 3, 2022 [2 favorites]


Thank God for Van having seven lives left.
posted by armoir from antproof case at 5:05 PM on January 3, 2022 [4 favorites]


Also: the comment about the four queens being missing from the deck. If one is Antler Queen, what are the other three? Van could be Fire Queen. Nat could be Shoot You Queen. Misty could be Amputation Queen.

But seriously... interested to hear theories on this.

Why *that* cabin? Someone came there and maybe killed a dude in his attic, carved the cymbal in a few places, then took some playing cards walking out the door.
posted by armoir from antproof case at 5:15 PM on January 3, 2022 [1 favorite]


Not that it was that hard to do, but I did call Coach being gay.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 8:49 PM on January 3, 2022 [6 favorites]


Good call on Coach, for sure.

My money is still on the husband as the blackmailer. Adam is looking too obvious, although they could be working together.

Does anybody else think Misty put something in the teddy bear that caused it to catch fire?
posted by rpfields at 9:54 PM on January 3, 2022 [2 favorites]


Hmmm. Hadn’t thought of that. Did we *see* Misty w/ the teddy bear?

I just figured it was Old Plane Gone Wrong (leaky old fuel line, etc.) … but the camera did focus on the teddy bear.
posted by armoir from antproof case at 12:05 AM on January 4, 2022


That teddy bear caught fire. And when it did I yelled "Misty!"

The show has me hooked. At first i was worried that they would be too on-the-nose with Lord of the Flies. --> plane crash, no adults, dividing factions -- I almost groaned when they were trying to decide between the plane and the lake -- LotF already did this, Lost even did this again -- but I liked that they flipped it and decided to remain one group that goes together. There is no way the writers are not being informed by this kind of survival genre and are playing with the genre, which is what makes this show exciting (well that and all of the divine women in these roles).

I love watching wondering why certain characters are not shown in the current timeline, and then finding out why. Or knowing that clearly they were rescued at some point, but how and when. I experienced actual anticipation and uncertainty when the plane took off, genuinely wondering if this was the catalyst to their rescue but also knowing disaster could happen. That kind of suspense is missing in so many shows that turn predictable.

I saw a bottle of Midol in an early episode, but did they find any antibiotics? Coach and now Van would surely be dead without them.

I think Adam as the blackmailer is too obvious.

And I can't decide if Juliette Lewis just has a type that she plays best or if she just wakes up every day and the camera just happens to capture what her day is like. Her scooping coke out of a motel shag rug was absolute gold and one of the more visceral and real moments of the show.
posted by archimago at 4:15 AM on January 4, 2022 [3 favorites]


Juliette Lewis' body language : body language of other humans :: whale songs : human speech
posted by DirtyOldTown at 7:24 AM on January 4, 2022 [8 favorites]


(Love her to bits. She's just a singular person on her own peculiar wavelength.)
posted by DirtyOldTown at 7:32 AM on January 4, 2022 [2 favorites]


I was saying this in the last thread but: the more complex the FX/makeup needed to render a character's injuries, the less likely they survive. A horribly injured character cannot do as much but costs more to use. They won't keep paying to CGI out Coach's leg for very long. And unless she heals up weirdly well or they come up with a low effort way to hide that side of her face, I don't think Van is long for this world either.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 2:54 PM on January 4, 2022 [2 favorites]


Misty looked pretty shocked when the plane blew up. I'd be surprised if, two or three months in, she was still that hooked on living in the woods, especially since she's smart enough to realize they actually will starve soon. Besides, I think her natural curiosity would make her wonder if Laura Lee could really pull it off.

I think the bigger question is whether Something is indeed keeping the girls trapped. I feel like the show is giving us some fodder for rational explanations (e.g., the deer that was shedding velvet), but I don't think Dana Scully could seriously talk herself out of the idea that some supernatural shit is going on. My guess is that a burst fuel line isn't improbable (how long had the plane been there? The dead guy's porn looked like it was from the '70s...), but there seemed something malevolent about the burning teddy bear. Fire is bad news on this show.
posted by kittens for breakfast at 2:57 PM on January 4, 2022 [3 favorites]


Unless you’re Van. Then fire is just repeated baptisms for awesomeness.

Speaking of which, and the comment above re: how to handle not having to do her costly face makeup every time…. It would be legit for her and everyone else to want to cover it up, with a scarf or mask or som such, which reminds me that in an earlier episode, Adult Misty was listening to Phantom of The Opera, at home I think. I’m not suggesting that Young Misty had anything to do with Van’s hungry wolfen antagonist; but when Tai was first dragging her back, the jaw sling and eye cover looked a bit like the Phantom.

Then again, it’s probably more relevant to Misty keeping Jessica locked up and dependent on her (like M’s patients are).
posted by armoir from antproof case at 3:44 PM on January 4, 2022


I agree that Adam is too obvious, but I do think he is Xavi and it was mildly hinted at (visually) in this episode. Jeff could as easily have dropped glitter in the closet, after all.

the teddy bear lighting on fire was weird! I did not expect LL to succeed, that plane is so old, rotting in the forest for years, but the fire was not normal?

I'm loving adult Nat's wardrobe! who tucks their shirt into their fishnets and hikes them way above their waistband??? totally kooks but it worked.
posted by supermedusa at 9:43 AM on January 5, 2022 [1 favorite]


I’m on the fence about Adam being Xavi. Shauna spent at least weeks, perhaps months near the young version of the guy… then spent a bunch of time intimately close w/ the older. Wouldn’t she recognize him?

But, yeah, young Xavi did mention “some art project” then gave her the carved wolf when returning the knife. And Adam also himself asserts being an artist. So, sounds like they might be trying to tell us Adam is Xavi.
posted by armoir from antproof case at 9:58 AM on January 5, 2022 [1 favorite]


I'm coming around to the idea that Adam=Xavi and Adam=the blackmailer are separate possibilities and it is entirely possible that they have separate answers.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 12:06 PM on January 5, 2022 [1 favorite]


I'm pretty sure Adam is Xavi and that the blackmailer is Jeff.
posted by kittens for breakfast at 12:07 PM on January 5, 2022 [2 favorites]


I just started rewatching the pilot, and it...sure looks like they keep Van around for a while yet. Could be a fakeout, but I don't see any way it could be without it feeling like a major cheat.
posted by kittens for breakfast at 1:06 PM on January 5, 2022


Does anyone here know who’s at the edge of the deathfalltrap pit (start of Ep 1) wearing the pink sneakers ?
posted by armoir from antproof case at 1:12 PM on January 5, 2022


Lottie saw Laura Lee in fire and now Laura Lee is dead in flame. Lottie gave a lucky bone to Van and Van survived.
Lottie will become the cult seeyer/prophet.
posted by thegirlwiththehat at 4:48 PM on January 5, 2022 [2 favorites]


I'm pretty sure Adam is Xavi and that the blackmailer is Jeff.

Totally agree. (Maybe Jeff’s store is in the red, so he needs the cash?)

This show, what a wild ride.
posted by LooseFilter at 10:25 PM on January 5, 2022


I hope Van sticks around and they bring in Lauren Ambrose as older Van.
posted by guiseroom at 12:02 AM on January 6, 2022 [8 favorites]


Guiseroom, from your mouth to the Antler God's ears -- I would LOVE to see that!

We only saw 6 teens/crash survivors in the council of cannibals scene; to date, the only adults we've seen on the show are:

1) Natalie
2) Shauna
3) Travis (RIP)
4) Misty
5) Taissa

I've always assumed that means they ate everyone else except the unidentified 6th cannibal. (Or, more likely, the rest of the survivors died in various gruesome ways, with some being eaten for practical purposes rather than killed expressly for food.)

Does everyone else think a lot more of the team/crash survivors made it out of the wilderness and we just haven't seen them yet? We know Jackie didn't, based on that super-cringe awful brunch scene with her parents.

A lot of people think Adam is Javi, and I'm not sure whether he is or isn't. It makes sense that if he were Javi, he'd be able to clean out Travis' bank account after his death. But I sincerely doubt he'd murder his brother... unless Javi is the only one of the crash survivors who didn't resort to cannibalism.

It's possible Javi/Adam is "punishing" them all one by one for doing the unthinkable to survive until the eventual rescue happens, but only time will tell.
posted by Unicorn on the cob at 9:52 AM on January 6, 2022 [1 favorite]


I like where your head is at, Uotc, but this still shows seven people in the council of cannibals scene, so there is a little more slack. there could still be more even.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 1:54 PM on January 6, 2022 [1 favorite]


OK, I rewatched that scene now, Misty does the gloating/unmasking thing while the leader and right hand walk out after the campfire/feast behind her. Then there is an overhead shot of six people walking off, also from the fire in the morning. If Misty is one of the six, eight are left. If not, it's nine.

My pet theory by the way is that they're going to hit a critical point in starvation and decide to eat the ostensibly weak: Coach, Van, then Lottie, who is my guess for who was killed in the pilot.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 2:14 PM on January 6, 2022 [2 favorites]


I'm on board with this theory, DoT! I really don't think we are going to suddenly see a lot more adult survivors, regardless. I do know the show's producers gave Melanie Lynskey more info than the rest of the cast on the overall plot arc because she needed more nudging to sign onto the show.

I can't find the article now, dangit, but believe they said they had an outline drafted already for 5 seasons total? And she wanted to make sure it wasn't just going to drag out the story forever if Yellowjackets got renewed/popular after the pilot aired (specifically, not Lost: Teen Girls Edition).

So, it's very possible we'll see, I dunno, maybe 2-3 more adult survivors -- but I'm betting some more of the Antler Council gets picked off as well. That might be a cliffhanger for Season 2, since the show's been renewed.
posted by Unicorn on the cob at 3:48 PM on January 6, 2022


The one killed in the pilot… the hair seems different than Lottie’s and she has a different physicality. I suspected Marie, or one of the redshirts that suddenly [re]appeared in the Flight episode.
posted by armoir from antproof case at 4:57 PM on January 6, 2022


There is literally no way Lottie is not the one wearing the antlers in the pilot, lol. Just no way.
posted by kittens for breakfast at 6:20 PM on January 6, 2022 [2 favorites]


can't find the article now, dangit, but believe they said they had an outline drafted already for 5 seasons total? And she wanted to make sure it wasn't just going to drag out the story forever if Yellowjackets got renewed/popular after the pilot aired (specifically, not Lost: Teen Girls Edition).

So, it's very possible we'll see, I dunno, maybe 2-3 more adult survivors -- but I'm betting some more of the Antler Council gets picked off as well. That might be a cliffhanger for Season 2, since the show's been renewed.


My guess (and it's just a guess) is that if this show goes the projected five seasons, we'll see them rescued sometime in season 3, if not sooner. Practically, you can't have a cast this young in a story that takes place over a year and a half...well...spend much more than two or three years telling that story. The girls' readjustment to normal society could be pretty compelling in its own right (especially if continuing rivalries and blackmail attempts are involved). And in the present day, you could have the survivors return to the wilderness for whatever reason...probably to fight the Wendigo or, like, whatever fucked up shit is happening several seasons into this thing.
posted by kittens for breakfast at 6:54 PM on January 6, 2022 [1 favorite]


If Adam is Xavi and Shuna does not know that he is, she probably thinks he is dead. Maybe he run away and made it back before the girls, but they all think he died?
posted by thegirlwiththehat at 2:58 AM on January 7, 2022


There is literally no way Lottie is not the one wearing the antlers in the pilot

Lottie's weird visions making her a cult leader is my second favorite theory, for sure.

I'm not ruling out the possibility that the "cult" is maybe less cult-y than we think though, for the simple reason that improvised extreme weather survival gear made out of animal furs and scrap clothing is not exactly gonna look less bananas just because you made it to stay warm instead of demonstrate your fealty to the forest spirits.

It's not like they had the option of just going to REI or some shit.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 6:42 AM on January 7, 2022 [3 favorites]


But then, dressing like that completely innocently might still make becoming a cult seem like the next step, so...
posted by DirtyOldTown at 6:57 AM on January 7, 2022 [4 favorites]


My favorite thing about this show is how much it has me thinking about it during the day (granted, we binged up through episode 8 just this week, so a lot of recent input, but even really good shows don't stick with me like this story has so far).

I'm guessing that the cannibal scene from ep1 was from their second winter stranded, not the first (they were out there for 19 months, so likely into second winter when rescued), but maybe things went really sideways during the first winter.
posted by LooseFilter at 9:44 AM on January 7, 2022 [1 favorite]


I'm basing this conviction entirely upon a scene an episode or two back, when we see Lottie wandering the house alone at night. She looks down at something and then lifts her head, and on the wall behind her is a mounted deer's head. She looks like she has antlers, and the shot holds for like...a while. I laughed when I first saw this, because I was convinced it was a parody of the (in)famous GoT shot of Dany Targaryen with the dragon spreading its wings behind her shoulders. Then I rewatched the pilot, saw the Antler Girl, and was all like, "Oh."
posted by kittens for breakfast at 6:54 PM on January 7, 2022 [6 favorites]


Does anyone here know who’s at the edge of the deathfalltrap pit (start of Ep 1) wearing the pink sneakers ?

I don't know for sure, but I can say that she was wearing Van's Coed Naked Soccer t-shirt...
posted by Rock Steady at 6:29 AM on January 12, 2022


Oh, and I do think the bear bursting into flame was just the result of a fire beneath the passenger seat and not anything devious or supernatural. The show is doing an expert job at teasing the supernatural, but in the end returning solidly to regular old fucked-up reality (Sammy's "tree lady" and "the bad one" being just his mom while she is sleepwalking).
posted by Rock Steady at 6:48 AM on January 12, 2022 [3 favorites]


Does anyone here know who’s at the edge of the deathfalltrap pit (start of Ep 1) wearing the pink sneakers ?

Other than Misty, all the actors in those ep 1 scenes were just stunt coordinators in costumes, so the producers are even keeping the cast in the dark.
posted by LooseFilter at 7:32 AM on January 12, 2022 [2 favorites]


I feel like they set up Jackie as the popular one ("you're not the best player, but you're the most influential") and accordingly there's a bit of well-hidden disdain for her classmates that is becoming more obvious through the stress of being marooned. The concern troll-y bit revealing Shauna's pregnancy was vicious.

Between Taissa being there for Shauna's awful pregnancy and Shauna being there for Taissa's very creepy sleepwalking, *wipes tear* I don't know. I loved Shauna and Tai's slumber party talks so much. (I guess Misty bugging Nat's room, spying on her, then snorting the coke to save Nat was her version of being there for a friend? Yeeugh, what a contrast.)

I really liked Laura Lee. The character -- comically devout but not actually stupid -- was not something I've seen very often. RIP Laura Lee.
posted by grandiloquiet at 9:26 PM on January 13, 2022 [3 favorites]


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