Tamal Kundu
In the first season of ‘Yellowjackets,’ Shauna’s (Melanie Lynskey as the adult and Sophie Nélisse as the teenager) character arc has been of self-discovery and acceptance. In 1996, she and her best friend Jackie (Ella Purnell) get stranded in the Ontario wilderness along with other members of the Wiskayok Yellowjackets female soccer team. In 2021, Shauna has a family and seems to lead a normal life but is haunted by the things she has done to survive in those 19 months.
Sometime after the crash, Shauna discovers that she is pregnant. However, 25 years later, she only has one child — a teenage daughter named Callie. Here is what you need to know about whether Shauna have the baby in 1996. SPOILERS AHEAD.
Does Shauna Have a Baby?
By the end of the first season, Shauna has a noticeable baby bump. So, we can say that the pregnancy seems to be progressing as it should. We learn earlier in the series that Jackie’s boyfriend Jeff (Warren Kole as the adult and Jack Depew as the teenager) is in a secret relationship with Shauna.
In episode 5, titled ‘Blood Hive,’ every girl except Shauna, who survived the plane crash, gets their periods together. This eventually leads Shauna to realize that she is pregnant with Jeff’s child. Riddled with guilt and fear, she decides to hide the truth from Jackie and others. She shows them a rag soaked with deer blood to make them believe that she had her period as well, but Taissa (Tawny Cypress as adult and Jasmin Savoy Brown as teenager) notices that she is lying. The two girls later talk, and an incredibly vulnerable Shauna reveals the truth to Taissa.
In episode 6, titled ‘Saints,’ Shauna’s fear of having a baby while they are still stranded takes a dangerous turn when she tries to abort the baby by herself. Taissa arrives in time and offers her help, knowing that she can’t dissuade the other girl no matter how much she tries. The only thing she can do under these circumstances is to be there for her friend. Ultimately, Shauna decides not to go through with it. In episode 7, titled ‘No Compass,’ Jackie becomes increasingly agitated as she feels Shauna is hiding something from her. To placate her, Shauna tells Jackie only part of the truth. She admits that she is pregnant but doesn’t reveal who the father is. However, by the end of the episode, Jackie learns the truth by reading Shauna’s diary.
In the season 1 finale, titled ‘Sic Transit Gloria Mundi,’ the brewing conflict between the best friends finally explodes as Jackie reveals that she knows the truth. Their confrontation plays a pivotal role in Jackie’s death. But the eventual fate of Shauna’s baby remains a mystery. We know that it’s not Callie. The timing doesn’t match. So, there are only a handful of possible things that can happen to that child.
One of the possibilities is that Shauna will lose the baby in future episodes. The stranded group experiences their first snowfall in the season finale. The dipping temperature outside the cabin is what kills Jackie. The situation is bound to get worse in the coming months as winter arrives. So, there is a real possibility that Shauna still may not carry the baby to term. It’s also possible that the baby will die after its birth — again due to the harsh condition.
There is also a remote chance that the baby survives the 19 months and is now out there somewhere. As Jeff has read Shauna’s diary, we can safely assume he knows about the child. He and Shauna don’t speak about them because it’s too traumatic for them to visit that part of their shared past.
Read More: Is Yellowjackets Based on a True Story?
