Yellowjackets Season 3 Premiere: Natalie's Tragic Fate Revealed

In Yellowjackets Season 3‘s premiere, titled ‘It Girl’, the chill of winter seems to have subsided, yet the atmosphere remains tense in Episode 1. This tension is evident both in the past events and the current situations portrayed.

Reflect on Season 2, and you’ll recall that things took a turn for the grim. Shauna lost her child, the group consumed Javi following the wilderness’s selection, and their sole refuge was reduced to ashes.

Currently, things weren’t particularly bright. Tragically, there were several fatalities, the most significant one occurring at Lottie’s commune, where Misty inadvertently gave Natalie a lethal dose of opioids.

The highly anticipated start of Yellowjackets Season 3 delves into the aftermath of previous occurrences. Previously, Nat held the leadership role, but currently, she’s no longer around – permanently. Proceed with caution as there are potential spoilers ahead!

Pit girl 2.0

In simpler terms, the first episode of Yellowjackets Season 3 starts off with an unsettling event that strongly suggests the identity of the “pit girl” from Season 1 – it’s Mari, portrayed by Alexa Barajas.

Mari sprints across the woods, with her Yellowjackets companions’ fierce cries resonating nearby. For a brief instant, she pauses to conceal herself behind a tree.

In a surprising turn, even when I believed the path was clear, Shauna (Sophie Nélisse) seemingly materialized out of thin air to give me an unexpected rugby tackle – but fear not! It wasn’t the intense pit girl scene; instead, it seemed we were merely engaging in a spirited game of tag.

Essentially, Shauna tends to be quite friendly, but during their playtime with an indeterminate bone, Shauna occasionally nips at Mari’s hand.

All members of the group appear, such as Taissa (Jasmin Savoy Brown), Nat (Sophie Thatcher), Van (Liv Hewson), and Misty (Sammi Hanratty). There’s a sense of happiness in the air, with the arrival of summer certainly adding to their cheerful disposition.

Additionally, we get a sneak peek into the fresh cast members for Season 3 of Yellowjackets: Gen (portrayed by Vanessa Prasad), Robin (Anisa Harris), and Britt (Silvana Estifanos). They’ll be partaking in an adventure reminiscent of a game of tag, set deep within the wilderness.

Sun is shining at camp Yellowjackets (except for Shauna)

In our next stop, we visit the Yellowjackets’ latest dwelling, symbolizing the time leap for Season 3. Having lost their home in Season 2, they constructed a collection of wooden shelters consisting of huts and teepees, with a shared space at the heart.

The view is beautiful; Van and Taissa are enjoying each other’s company, Travis (Kevin Alves) is playing with the group, and Gen has returned from a successful hunting trip.

However, its vulnerability is quite apparent. This not only raises doubts about their ability to endure when winter arrives again, but it also serves as a grim reminder of the atrocities from the recent past, as the camera pans to the graves of Jackie, Javi, and Shauna’s son.

As I wait, the anticipation grows swiftly within me. A melodious blast from Misty’s horn signals the assembly of our team, eagerly gathering together for Van’s “First Annual Summer Solstice Festival.

Most of them are feeling upbeat, with Lottie (Courtney Eaton) among them, observing as Van delivers an unusually reflective discourse.

Earlier on The Yellowjackets, Van jokes with peals of amusement behind her. As she narrates their tale, she uses an imaginative approach, referring to them as “heroines” and commending their resilience and bravery.

As a gamer, I can’t help but call Coach Ben, or Steven Krueger, a “ruthless arsonist” for apparently setting our cabin ablaze. This action seems to have rattled Travis. However, I must also acknowledge our new, seemingly unlikely leader, Nat, and offer my congratulations.

One individual not currently in a jubilant state is Shauna. Instead, she’s holed up in her cabin, pouring out her anger into her diary, deeply affected by the tragic events surrounding her best friend Jackie (Ella Purnell) and the loss of Jackie’s newborn. It’s only natural that she would be traumatized under such circumstances.

What do you think about this tale I wrote? It begins with a group of young women finding themselves lost in the wilderness, and their situation drove them to behave quite strangely.

As a gamer, I found myself immersed in a world where they seemed to adore malevolent entities. They pursued their comrades relentlessly, feasted on their flesh, and derived pleasure from it. To justify their actions, they spun tales of bravery and strength, pretending to be heroes, though deep down, I sensed their fear.

Regrettably, should rescue arrive, they would never be able to return home due to their past actions.

RIP Natalie

Next, we transition to the present-day narrative. Here, Callie (Sarah Desjardins) and Shauna (Melanie Lynskey) engage in a tense dialogue. It turns out that this is the day of Natalie’s (Juliette Lewis) funeral.

we move from a past timeline to the present one, where Callie and Shauna have a strained conversation on the day of Natalie’s funeral.

At Misty’s residence, things seem to be far from improving. Walter enters the scene to remind her about the memorial, marking the first instance in Yellowjackets where we see a subdued and less enthusiastic (even slightly unstable) version of her character.

As he departs, Walter places a key near her bedside for later use. Upon discovery, he realized that Natalie possessed a storage unit, taking precautions so she wouldn’t abandon any items that could potentially be incriminating. Misty promises to handle the situation accordingly.

At the funeral, Natalie’s mother delivers some unenthusiastic remarks as Shauna, Jeff (Warren Kole), Taissa (Tawny Cypress), and Van (Lauren Ambrose) all look on with sadness and distress.

At the wake, I gather with the Yellowjackets crew over drinks, and a pang of introspection strikes me – Shauna. She’s questioning her own worth, contemplating what others might say about her should she no longer be here.

After realizing Misty’s absence, they crack a light-hearted joke about her eavesdropping, yet Shauna seems to be drawn towards something at the bar. Van and Taissa inquire if she’s okay, snapping her out of her distraction, but we don’t discover what had momentarily troubled her.

In the meantime, Misty is sorting through Natalie’s storage locker, arranging her possessions. It’s evident that she’s finding it hard to cope with the loss of her dear friend.

Coach Ben hits the jackpot

In the ’90s, I was part of a team that was busy preparing for our summer solstice dinner party. We were collecting meat and brewing berry wine to enjoy. However, things weren’t as smooth between Shauna and Mari – their feud seemed far from over.

Shauna mutters, “I can’t believe we let her slip by without eating first.” Melissa (Jenna Burgess) concurs and labels Mari as “stupid,” forming an alliance between the two of them.

Additionally, we gain insights into their fresh organizational structure, spearheaded by Nat, who gathers Taissa, Van, and Gen for a meeting to strategize on the current hunting situation. However, Van jokes about coach Ben, but Nat assures them that it’s highly unlikely he’s still alive.

In contrast, she’s mistaken. The subsequent sequence depicts him venturing into the forest, gathering food, and setting up snares in an attempt to catch a squirrel for consumption.

Just moments after, I stumbled across an unexpected treasure hidden deep within the woods – a colossal military storage container, jam-packed with top-tier protein-rich emergency rations, bear repellent sprays, and essential survival gear. Essentially, I’d struck gold!

Callie goes full Carrie

Currently, a cluster of high school girls are circulating stories they’ve heard concerning the Yellowjackets survivors, claiming they “covered themselves in gore” and engaged in a “drug-fueled party.

I’m Callie, the one you think is just another gamer girl, but little do they know I’ve got my earbuds tuned in to their every move. Later, when they’re not looking, I secretly order this so-called “food” bag that turns out to be something far from edible – animal blood and guts. When the girls least expect it, I toss the grisly package over them, all while my friend records the prank for posterity. Quite a thrill, isn’t it?

In the current moment, Shauna, who’s behaving more like a teenager than an adult, decides to secretly enter Callie’s room with the intention of taking one of her joints (spliff). After lighting it up, she receives a call from the school principal informing her that her daughter has been involved in some activities at school, and as a result, Callie has been suspended.

In an attempt to minimize the situation to Jeff, Shauna found herself quickly brought back to reality. “Six weeks ago,” Jeff reminded her, “our daughter witnessed your companions donning animal masks and pursuing you through the woods armed with knives.

In a game of survival, I took down one of my adversaries, clearly unhinged. Then, I bore witness as Natalie fell. And they accused me, labeling me a blackmailer, and them, a murderer.

Regardless of his attempts, Shauna seems to be deeply engrossed in her potato chips. He playfully queries if she’s been using marijuana, to which she responds by clarifying that “chronic” is no longer a term used for the substance.

It’s evident that Jeff is concerned about how everything is affecting their child. In the first episode of Yellowjackets Season 3, Shauna attempts to connect with Callie during homeschooling, ensuring she isn’t experiencing any disturbing or negative thoughts.

However, Callie clarifies that her actions were prompted by the fact that Chloe and her so-called friends seemed to be speaking disrespectfully about her.

In a surprising twist, Shauna’s worry turns into laughter when Callie shares the prank video with her, even requesting to see it repeated. It’s an unconventional method of strengthening their relationship, yet that’s just the kind of show Yellowjackets is known for.

Towards the finale of the episode, an enigmatic individual – possibly naturally blonde or donning a wig – deposits a parcel outside the residence, marked for Shauna Shipman, her former surname.

Instead of declaring that she found it and opened it, revealing a cassette within, Callie quietly slips the mysterious tape into her pocket without uttering a word.

Van and Taissa forever

Concerning the other mature members of the Yellowjackets group, Van is residing with Taissa, and they are both facing hardships. Van is battling terminal cancer, while Taissa has experienced the loss of her wife Simone (Rukiya Bernard), a struggle for custody over their son, and losing her position as a state senator-elect.

Taissa desires for them to reunite, yet Van remains upset due to the breakup that happened before she went to college several years ago.

Regardless of the situation, Taissa is determined to rectify things, suggesting to Van that they should have an expensive dinner at a fancy restaurant as apology. Yet, upon arriving at the high-end dining spot, neither of them seem enthusiastic about it.

Instead of opting for dining and disappearing, they choose to escape for a budget pizza meal instead. The waiter pursues them, but their speed outpaces him.

I can’t help but ponder if that close call with the bus wasn’t more than mere bad luck for our waiter. Was it a foreshadowing of some dark twist in the game, or simply an unfortunate accident? Either way, it certainly added an unexpected thrill to our dining experience.

After they both stop running, Taissa and Van don’t gain any new knowledge. They then passionately kiss each other. Despite seeing the Man With No Eyes lurking in the backdrop, Taissa decides to disregard his presence and instead, continue enjoying the intimate moment with Van.

Misty drowns her sorrows

Currently, Misty appears to be struggling following the demise of Natalie. Upon getting Natalie’s leather jacket out of storage, she heads to a nearby tavern that caters to rough crowds and swiftly downs seven glasses of whiskey one after another.

Instead of taking any nonsense from others, she envisions young Nat urging her. This situation later escalates into an uncomfortable, booze-fueled altercation with another customer.

Afterwards, she staggers home while intoxicated, and Walter arrives next to her. Misty requests him to leave, yet he insists on taking her home, puzzled as to why she’s rejecting him.

She claims he’s not grasping the situation and suggests he reach out to her co-Yellowjackets as an alternative. Yet, Walter clarifies that she forgot her phone at the bar, prompting the owner to dial everyone in her contact list.

He didn’t receive any response until he reached ‘W’, he explains, and this revelation triggers an outpouring of emotions. Tearfully, Misty expresses her deep longing for Natalie, simultaneously feeling guilty about the events that transpired.

Walter tells her, “It’s not your fault.” He’s a good (albeit murdery) egg.

Summer solstice and shrooms

In the ’90s, Travis and Lottie embarked on an exhilarating journey through nature while foraging for and consuming psilocybin mushrooms.

In my personal experience, during our journey, Lottie confided that she needed medication at home, which hindered her psychic abilities. “But once I arrived, I began sensing things once more… until I couldn’t,” she shared.

It seems like the gift or ability has been passed onto Travis, since he all of a sudden hears an intense noise coming from the woods around him. “It’s the trees shouting,” he tells Lottie. Although Lottie doesn’t hear it, Travis forebodingly warns her, “You will too.

As the camera shifts focus to Ben, we see him pulling out all the emergency resources from what appears to be a similar location to the notorious “pit girl” scene. However, he’s currently arranging this space as a trap for hunting animals due to hunger.

At the women’s summer camp, the festivities for the summer solstice have commenced. The participants who lost the tag game are offering venison stew and berry wine to those who won, but a heated argument breaks out when Shauna contaminates Mari’s portion by spitting into it.

In this situation, they start arguing, prompting Nat to intervene and impose a one-week home confinement on both of them. Unsurprisingly, Mari is furious because Shauna was the one who contaminated her food, but since she was the only witness, they both receive punishment.

When Nat warns them that it will take two weeks if they continue as they are, Mari retorts angrily, “I’ve had enough. I’m leaving,” and storms away.

Later on, what was left of the group released three glowing sky-lanterns as a tribute to the three team members who had passed away. Moments later, they heard the same piercing, rolling noise that Travis encountered while on his journey. Could it be that they’ve upset the wilderness?

At the end of Yellowjackets Season 3 Episode 1, it’s revealed that Ben’s trap has been successful, but instead of catching an animal, it’s Mari who finds herself trapped within the pit.

2025-02-14 11:26

Yellowjackets Season 3 Premiere: Natalie’s Tragic Fate Revealed