Tamal Kundu
Created by Ashley Lyle and Bart Nickerson, Showtime’s ‘Yellowjackets’ follows members of the New Jersey high school girls’ soccer team whose plane crashes in the Ontario wilderness. As life becomes increasingly difficult for the survivors, they ultimately resort to cannibalism to keep living. But soon, the group split into multiple warring tribes. Twenty-five years later, those who made it back to civilization still bear the scars of the experience.
In season 2 episode 2, titled ‘Edible Complex,’ the moment finally arrives when the survivors go beyond the point of no return. In the present day, Natalie (Juliette Lewis as adult and Sophie Thatcher as teen) confronts Lottie Matthews (Simone Kessell as adult and Courtney Eaton as teen). Taissa’s (Tawny Cypress as adult and Jasmin Savoy Brown as teenager) condition spirals out of control. Misty Quigley (Christina Ricci as adult and Sammi Hanratty as teen) meets someone whose motives she isn’t sure of yet. Meanwhile, Kevyn Tan (Alex Wyndham) begins investigating Adam’s death. Here is everything you need to know about the ending of ‘Yellowjackets’ season 2 episode 2. SPOILERS AHEAD.
Yellowjackets Season 2 Episode 2 Recap
The episode begins in the past as Shauna continues to speak to a very dead Jackie, who inevitably brings up that Shauna ate one of her ears. With the arrival of winter, the ground has frozen solid with layers of snow on top of it. Nothing grows in this atmosphere, and no game can be found. With Shauna being pregnant, she becomes the first one to cross that irreversible barrier of humanity and eats the ear. Later, Taissa sees Jackie’s body and is horrified to notice that Shauna has applied makeup on the dead girl. She convinces the others that they have to burn Jackie’s body.
Meanwhile, out hunting, Nat pretends that she has found part of Javi’s shirt when in reality, she brought it from the cabin and rubbed her own blood in it. When Travis sees the shirt, he comes undone in grief. Nat believes that there is no way Javi is still alive. By doing this, she hopes to give Travis a sense of closure.
When they return to the camp, the other survivors have already placed Jackie on the pyre. Travis puts his brother’s shirt in the pyre as it starts to burn. In the present day, Tan visits Shauna’s home to ask her questions about Adam. Shauna’s daughter, Callie, tries to flirt with a man she meets at the bar and reveals that her mother cheated on her father. The man turns out to be Tan’s partner.
Elsewhere, Lottie gives her account of how Travis died. She was apparently there when it happened. It seems she also saw a vision of Laura Lee, the deeply religious girl who died in season 1. Elijah Wood’s Walter makes his first appearance and leaves a puzzle for Misty to solve.
Yellowjackets Season 2 Episode 2 Ending: Why Doesn’t Ben Join the Others?
In the past, after setting fire to Jackie’s pyre, everyone goes back inside the cabin. That night, a pile of snow falls from a tree branch on the pyre, dousing the flame to set Jackie’s body on a simmer. The smell eventually awakens the survivors. As they tentatively approach the pyre, the scene is juxtaposed with another depicting them as ancient Greeks or Romans attending a feast. It is again Shauna who takes the first step, claiming that Jackie wants them to do this.
Soon, everyone except Ben starts feasting on Jackie, surrendering themselves to their hunger. Ben, who lost a limb after the crash, realizes that with little chance of rescue, this is just the beginning. His fellow survivors will consume human flesh again, and because of his condition, he will likely be their next target.
Is Travis Alive?
After her interaction with Lottie, Nat returns to her room and recalls the moment Lottie’s followers kidnaped her. She remembers seeing a man who looked distinctively like Travis right before she lost consciousness. However, the first season pretty much established that Travis is dead. And while supernatural elements probably do exist in the show, resurrection seems too far-fetched.
The only possible explanations here are that the man Nat saw is either a hallucination or Javi. In the past, after Travis and Nat bring back what is supposed to be Javi’s clothes, Lottie still maintains that the boy is still alive. Perhaps, he somehow survived and made it back to civilization on his own. At some point, he reached out to Lottie, becoming part of her ever-sprawling cult.
Are Taissa and Simone Dead?
In this episode, Taissa experiences another incident. She believes that Sammy has come to visit her alone and calls Simone to inform her. Displeased by this, Simone comes to pick the boy up, only to find the door locked. The commotion wakes Lottie up from what appears to be a deep slumber. They subsequently look for their son together but can’t find him.
Later, while they are in a car, the principal of Sammy’s school informs them that Sammy is still there. This implies that Sammy was never there, and Taissa imagined the entire thing. She drank multiple cups of coffee before that, but even that wasn’t enough. Just as Simone confronts her, a car hits them from the sides, leaving both Taissa and Simone’s fates uncertain.
Tawny Cypress’ Taissa is one of the main characters of ‘Yellowjackets; her death can’t be this abrupt. Moreover, an adult Van (Lauren Ambrose as adult and Liv Hewson as teen) is slated to appear this season, and there are bound to be scenes involving these two characters. However, Rukiya Bernard’s Simone is a different story. Her death will create a vacuum in the narrative Van can fill in when she appears.
Read More: Who Plays Akilah in Yellowjackets Season 2? Why Was She Recast?
