The episode begins in the middle of the northern wilderness. A panicked young girl is running through the snow barefooted. Loud screeching causes her to stop and look around before starting to run again. She falls to her death in an underground trap. A person dressed in a primitive animal skin outfit peers down in the underground trap.

A female is talking to Star-Ledger reporter, Jessica Roberts about the missing plane. She says it could have been her in the plan. Vice Principal Berzonsky (Tony Winters) discusses the Yellowjackets’ soccer team. He calls the accident a “terrible tragedy” and the girls “special.”

A flashback to 1996, the girl’s Yellowjackets’ soccer team win the championship. Shauna (Sophie Nelisse) is sitting in her car watching Jeff (Jack Depew) jump out of her friend’s bedroom window. She rips her friend, Jackie (Ella Purnell) for messing around with Jeff before the nationals. Jackie doesn’t want to be a virgin college freshman. She becomes upset when she sees a sign celebrating the boy’s team instead of the girls’ soccer team that had recently won the nationals.

2021, Shauna Shipman (Melanie Lynskey) is pleasuring herself in her bedroom. She picks up dirty clothes and goes to the laundry room. Upon returning from the grocery store, she is inspecting the damage to her garden. Jessica Roberts approaches and says, “aphids”. She disagreed, saying it was rabbits. Jessica introduces herself. Shauna tells her she doesn’t want to talk. Roberts wants Shauna to tell her story, she offers her a 7-figure book advance. She forcibly continues to convince her to talk about what happened after the plane crashed. She refuses, calling her a “smug little bitch.” Roberts gives her a business card before leaving.

2021, Natalie (Juliette Lewis) is meditating. She attends a group session at a rehab facility.

In a flashback, someone in primitive animal hide attire is dragging the nude body of the young girl who fell into the underground trap. The nude body is hung in a tree by the ankles. The blood is drained from the body.

2021, Natalie is in a group session at a rehab facility. They are discussing anger. A female resident is discussing her experience at the store. The counselor says true violence is not the answer, but anger may be useful. Natalie responds, “Keep the tiger in the cage.” She is due to be discharged from rehab today. She said alcohol, sex, and drugs are not the answer for what she saw and did after the plane crash. Ariana asks, “What did you do.” Another female resident tells her to “zip it.” Natalie smirks and tells the group after their rescue she lost her purpose. She credits the rehab for her getting her purpose back.

In a 1996 flashback, Natalie (Sophie Thatcher) is drinking alcohol with two male friends. Two young guys pull up in a blue car and laughably yell, “Hey, burnout show us your tits.” One of Natalie’s male friends pulls up his shirt. As they speed away, Natalie tosses her liquor bottle at the car. They all take off running as the driver hurriedly backs up toward the running teens.

Natalie is at school with the other members of the girls’ soccer team. They dance and sing along with the music in the background. Allie (Pearl Amanda Dickson) is getting her face painted by Jackie who asks her if she is all right. Jackie is called into the coach’s office. Lottie tells the girls Allie needs to worry less about the prom and more about the nationals. They are concerned about Allie being a freshman and screwing up at the nationals. Taissa (Jasmin Savoy Brown) says, “That is not gonna happen.”

Jackie is with Coach Martinez (Carlos Sanz). Jackie was chosen to be Captain of the Yellowjackets girls soccer team. Coach Martinez tells Jackie she was not chosen because of her being the best player. He says Shauna is faster and Lottie has better footwork. She was chosen captain of the team because of her influence.

At a pep rally, the boys’ basketball team is congratulated for doing their best. The students are not thrilled with the congratulations. Vice Principal Berzonsky introduces the girls’ soccer champions, the students cheer them on.

2021, Shauna is ironing clothes and watching a game show, to which she knows the answer to a question. The contestant gets the answer wrong. Shauna calls her a “dumb bitch.” Taissa Turner (Tawny Cypress) appears on the TV in a New Jersey State Senator ad. Shauna is not happy with what she is witnessing. She burns her clothes with the iron.

Taissa is at a Jersey Monthly photoshoot with her partner and son. Her partner is uptight about the photoshoot. She tells her to loosen up. She asks her if she would like a shot of tequila and a quickie in the bathroom. They giggle and hug as the photographer snaps a picture. The photographer tells Taissa she is an inspiration after her airplane crash experience. He doesn’t believe in the “nasty stories” surrounding the plane crash. Taissa thanks him and says she wants to focus on their future.

A 1996 flashback at the high school. The girls are discussing Allie. Taissa says, “She can’t screw up if she doesn’t get the ball.” Natalie does not like the idea of freezing out Allie. She wants to play like a team and win instead. Taissa tells her she smells like a “wino” and to get herself together. She angrily walks away. Some of the other girls don’t agree with Taissa. Shauna says Jackie will not like it either. Taissa says to not tell her.

At a 1996 soccer practice. Ben Scott (Steven Krueger) calls the girls in for a pep talk before scrimmage. Laura Lee (Jane Widdop) says a prayer before the scrimmage. Allie fails to get the ball. Taissa decides to switch sides. Jackie is not happy with what she is seeing. Taissa is bullying Allie during the scrimmage. Shauna steps in and says, “It’s not helping.” She says if Allie needs to learn how to perform under pressure. She continues to push Allie during practice. Allie collides with Taissa and fractures her leg. She screams in agony while holding her fractured leg. Coach Martinez orders Misty (Samantha Hanratty) to call an ambulance.

199, the girls are in the locker room. Jackie tries to cheer the girls up. Natalie says Allie’s bone was sticking out of her leg. Vanessa Palmer (Liv Hewson) is going to throw up. Laura Lee says the Lord works in mysterious ways. Natalie angrily hits the wall before leaving the locker room.

2021, Shauna is preparing dinner when her daughter, Callie (Sarah Desjardins) walks in. Shauna asks her to put her cellphone down. She wants to spend the evening with her, but Callie wants to go out with friends. She tells her to be home at 11, she isn’t happy.

1996 flashback, Shauna and Jackie are preparing for an evening out with friends. Jackie says Randy has been asking about her. She doesn’t want to wear a red dress that shows her cleavage. The girls are out at a party with friends.

Natalie gets into a taxi and asks to be taken to LAX for a red-eye.

Drunken Shauna starts an argument with Taissa about Allie. She tells Taissa to admit she crippled Allie on purpose. Taissa tells her she is wasted. Shauna calls her a “sociopath.”  Natalie says Shauna was telling about Taissa’s plan to freeze Allie out when she was injured. Taissa asks her if she has a bong to hit or a penis to suck. Jackie intervenes and takes the girls off to the side where she asks them to say something good about each other. Shauna apologizes to Taissa who says she didn’t mean to hurt Allie. Jackie gets high with her friends.

Jackie, Shauna, and Jeff are driving home. Jackie is dropped off at her house. Jeff and Shauna continue on home when she asks him to pull over. They have sex in his vehicle. It isn’t their first sexual interlude.

2021, Shauna kills a rabbit. She picks up Jessica Robert’s business card. She gets a cellphone out of a safe and makes a call.

In a 1996 flashback, Jackie is packing her clothes for nationals. Natalie is smoking in a mobile home. Laura Lee is praying. Vanessa slaps her drunken mom awake. Misty is watching a rat swim in the pool. Taissa kisses her parents. Shauna is reading an acceptance letter from Brown University. The team boards a private plane to the nationals. The captain announces a storm system will drive them a bit farther north. Jackie gives Shauna a valium and her necklace to keep her calm during the flight.

2021, Shauna is in a café, where she meets Taissa. She tells her about the reporter who claimed to be with the Star-Ledger. Shauna said she Googled her, and she wasn’t with the Star-Ledger. She is upset, Taissa was on TV. She says if someone is digging, they will be screwed. She wants her to get rid of the reporter. Taissa says Natalie is in rehab again. The others have not made an appearance for months.

2021, Natalie arrives at a storage unit. There is a rifle in the trunk of a vehicle. She tells David, the storage unit manner, she plans to reconnect with old friends.

Airplane crash site flashback. The soccer team is preparing to eat the meat from the young victim who fell into the underground trap.

2021, Misty (Christina Ricci) is working in a senior care home. Resident Gloria is refusing to eat. She knocks her tray on the floor. She refuses to administer her morphine. As she is walking to her car, Natalie is watching from her car.

A flashback of the airplane crash site. Shauna removes her mask and puts on her glasses. The team continues to devour the victim’s meat. They exit the campsite.

2021, Shauna is reading her diary from the plane crash. She is having a flashback of the plane crash. She opens the window and watches the plane go down as the episode comes to an end.

 

Yellowjackets Review

Surprisingly, the episode was not that bad. It is difficult to keep up with all the flashbacks. If you do not pay close attention, you will lose track of what is going on. The episode is drawn out a bit for my liking. However, there is enough going on to hold your attention. The only thing I didn’t like about the episode is how the soccer team portrays a primitive tribe, with Shauna being the leader. The food is served to Shauna before the other players can eat. It is understandable, they have to be cannibalistic to survive. But making the team act like a primitive tribe for 19 months is a bit silly. The episode deserves a 7.5.

Watch for Yellowjackets episode recaps here.