Tamal Kundu
Portrayed by Ella Purnell, Jackie Taylor is one of the important characters in the Showtime series ‘Yellowjackets.’ Before the plane crash, she is a high-achieving young woman. She serves as the captain of the Yellowjackets soccer team and has been accepted into Rutgers University. However, after their plane crashes in the Ontario wilderness, Jackie struggles to adapt to life in harsh conditions. Her carefully curated leadership skills served her well when they were surrounded by civilization, but stranded in the middle of nowhere, her teammates become increasingly agitated with her. If the events depicted in the season 2 premiere have made you wonder whether Jackie is dead or alive, we got you covered. SPOILERS AHEAD.
Jackie’s Fate in Yellowjackets
While they are still in New Jersey, Jackie and her teammates are hailed as heroes of the town as they head for the nationals. Charismatic, beautiful, and popular, Jackie is liked by most of her teammates, though she does have some issues with Natalie (Juliette Lewis as adult and Sophie Thatcher as teen) even during this period. After the crash, Jackie finds herself rapidly alienated as she fails to be the leader her team requires to be under these circumstances. Meanwhile, others step up and contribute to their small community, especially Nat, who proves herself to be an exceptional hunter. This prompts Jackie’s best friend, Shauna Sheridan (Melanie Lynskey as adult and Sophie Nélisse as teen) to tell her that she must do her share of chores. Jackie tries to contribute in the ways she knows. She organizes a séance that heads toward a direction that no one expected.
Unbeknownst to Jackie, Shauna was in a secret relationship with Jackie’s boyfriend Jeff. When Jackie finds out that Shauna is pregnant, the latter lies, claiming that Jeff’s friend Randy — a boy she despised — is the father. Jackie eventually finds out the truth after reading Shauna’s journal.
After the death of Laura Lee, the survivors start to think that they will not be able to return to civilization alive. If they were back in New Jersey, they would be celebrating homecoming. So, Jackie suggests that they should celebrate “Doomcoming,” and the other girls agree. However, during the party, most of the survivors consume the food in which Misty Quigley (Christina Ricci as adult and Sammi Hanratty as teen) put magic mushrooms to poison Coach Scott.
Under the influence of the mushrooms, Travis has sex with Jackie. Afterward, the other girls nearly kill Travis believing him to be a prey, but Nat and Jackie save him. The following morning, Jackie tries to confront the others about what they did. It eventually leads to a fight between her and Shauna, and Jackie ends up revealing the truth about Shauna’s pregnancy.
When Jackie tells Shauna that she should leave the cabin, the latter suggests that Jackie should do that instead. Soon, the others join Shauna in telling Jackie to go, and she does. However, she fails to light a fire outside. She begins to hallucinate as the temperature dips significantly. When Shauna wakes up the following morning, she discovers, it has snowed at night. She rushes outside to find that Jackie died due to hypothermia.
Even though Jackie is dead, she continues to be part of the narrative in season 2. Shauna hallucinates about speaking to her best friend and asking for her forgiveness. The survivors didn’t bury Jackie, and the cold seems to have preserved her body. When one of her ears breaks off, Shauna pockets it, and she eats it towards the end of the episode. We have always known that the girls will resort to cannibalism because of the lack of any other alternative. But it seems that Shauna starts it off while there is still food in the storage. We will likely see the group eating the rest of Jackie in the coming weeks before they split into groups and start hunting each other.
Read More: What Happened to Travis? How Did He Die in Yellowjackets?
