Yellowjackets Takes Flight Of The Bumblebee Literally – And It's Chaos

Everyone who told me that my big "Yellowjackets" prediction from last week was impossible to come true should Venmo me five bucks for doubting me, because mama was right yet again! I don't expect all of my unhinged theories to come to fruition, but I'd be lying if I didn't say I go on an absolute power trip with the same level of energy as Shauna's mutually assured destruction scene from "Blood Hive" every time one of my predictions comes true. This week's episode, titled "Flight of the Bumblebee," is directed by Ariel Kleiman ("Partisan" "Top of the Lake") from a script by Cameron Brent Johnson (who is also a writer's assistant on the show! Great job, Cameron!) and co-executive producer Liz Phang ("The Haunting of Hill House," "Locke & Key"). This week comes with our first non-plane crash, non-Nat's dad accidentally un-aliving himself, casualty, so let's take flight and break down just what happened. BUZZ! BUZZ! BUZZ!

In the best possible gift creators Ashley Lyle and Bart Nickerson could give us, VAN SURVIVED THE WOLF ATTACK! Sure, half her face looks like hamburger helper and they lit a viking funeral pyre from under her before realizing she was still alive, BUT VANNESSA PALMER ISN'T OUT OF THE GAME YET! Not checking for a pulse wasn't very Girl Scout of you, Akilah, or Red Cross-certified babysitter of you, Misty, but almost being eaten by wolves isn't good for anyone's critical thinking, so you get a pass this week. The group needs to head back to home base, because Akilah is going to stitch up Van's busted maw in a scene that made me legitimately squirm in my seat. BUT SHE LIVES! OUR GIRL LIVES!

While everyone has figured out different ways to contribute to the group's survival, Jackie has still been functioning under the vapid rules of high school. Now that camaraderie amongst the girls is wearing thin, and she knows Shauna's pregnant with her boyfriend's baby, Jackie is pouncing back into Queen Bee mode in a big way. She and Natalie have never really gotten along, which is why she was so quick to sabotage her and Travis' (admittedly already toxic) relationship by continuing to slut-shame Nat in front of Travis, and named one of Nat's last sexual conquests ... the guy who bullied Travis in school, which she conveniently left out when sharing her history with him. At the end of the episode when the thing happens, who does Jackie turn to for comfort? Travis. GIRL. I SEE YOU.

Jackie doesn't confront Shauna about knowing the truth about her baby's daddy, because that would mean she has to admit she stole her journal, so instead she's playing mean girl mind games, like forcing Shauna to tell the rest of the team about the pregnancy as faux-concern for her safety when Laura Lee is explaining why she needs to fly the plane. Mari asks if it happened before or after the crash and before Shauna can clear the air, Jackie overrides the conversation and answers "It doesn't matter," which feels like a clear attempt to start drama within the team, and will eventually force Shauna to be the one to admit she slept with Jeff. I can see the gears turning behind those big eyes, Jackie. I SEE YOU!!!

Melanie Lynskey has been one of my favorite actresses since I saw "Heavenly Creatures" way, way too young in my life, and I spend every single second she's onscreen absolutely captivated by her brilliant choices. While this episode isn't super Shauna-centered, Lynskey is commanding every moment. She effortlessly flows from sounding sad and scared when Callie shows her she found Adam's driver's license, to swallowing down her own paranoia and trying to present an "in-charge" face as Callie tells her Adam doesn't exist anywhere on the internet. She's especially exceptional during her scenes with Tawny Cypress' adult Taissa during an impromptu sleepover, waxing poetic about the life she could have lived had the crash not occurred, and confessing that her affair with Adam is about more than just sex.

Her confrontation with Adam regarding his identity is masterful, luring him into a false sense of comfort to find his weakness, and then striking. Yellowjackets as a species are scavengers and hunters at the end of the day, and Shauna exemplifies her namesake in this scene. It does, however, poke a stinger-sized hole in my theory that Shauna is aware that Adam's up to something. Or maybe, just maybe, this is all part of the act. If anyone could pull off this con, it'd be Shauna, and if anyone could deliver the performance to convince us all, it'd be Melanie F****** Lynskey.

Teen Misty doesn't have a lot to do this week beyond some great interjections from Sammi Hanratty, but she's back at home base, so the clock is counting down until Coach Ben Scott (who, surprise, no surprise, is gay!) ends up being Misty's first kill. The jig is up with adult Misty's wax warmer/spy cam, because once she sees that Nat is about to relapse and snort coke, she leaves her basement hostage to go full Tony Montana in Nat's motel room. She breaks into the room and snorts the coke herself so Nat can't, and spilling the leftovers. Nat is rightfully furious that Misty has been spying on her and just destroyed her drugs, but Misty is less concerned about ethics and is instead extremely annoyed that Nat isn't grateful for her help.

Back in her kidnapper suite, Jessica threatens to kill her prized bird Caligula if Misty doesn't let her go. Misty calls her bluff and says she'll just buy another one, but when it looks like Jessica's really going to pull a "Dumb and Dumber," she attacks her until she lets him go, crying in the hopes that Caligula will forgive her for what she said. It's the most human we've seen her yet, and Ricci acts the s*** out of the scene. When she tearfully asks Jessica if she's hungry and Jessica nods "Yes" through tears? Heartbreaking. Brilliant. 10/10. No Notes.

Teen Nat is dealing with Travis finding out that she used to bone his bully, and gets to cuss out Jackie, but otherwise she's not doing much this week. Adult Nat, however, is doing the most. Misty may have destroyed most of her cocaine, but there's a little bit left on the floor that she rubs on her gums, so she's officially relapsed. During her confrontation with Misty, she finds out about Travis' empty bank account and starts pulling desperate measures to figure out who took the money. Calling the bank has failed, so she shows up to a Narcotics Anonymous meeting to ask her former sponsor for help, as she conveniently works at the bank. Nat pulls on the waterworks to give her "Travis didn't kill himself" speech and it works like a charm, but "Suze" isn't willing to give out private information because she could lose her job. Well, Nat hits her with the Uno reverse and tells her she's gonna call the bank and inform them that the two of them used to sell off bank account information to identity thieves to help fund their old habits, so I think we'll find out next week who emptied out the account!

Teen Taissa is overrun with guilt about what happened to Van, and tells Shauna that she thinks she's sleepwalking. Shauna holds her as she cries herself to sleep, and the friendship bond between these two is easily one of the best parts of the show. They have each other's backs in a way that can only exist in the realm of teen girl friendships. I can't explain it. I just know it when I see it. Adult Taissa shows up at Shauna's to tell her she's sleepwalking again and Shauna offers her the chance to stay in Callie's room so she can stay up and watch her sleep, just as she did when they were in the cabin. It's really beautiful and provides my favorite Tawny Cypress performance yet. The way she smiles and nestles into her hands? Adorable. Obsessed. I used a photo from this scene because Taissa hasn't gotten a lot of joyful moments lately and she deserves it.

Most dramatically though, she comes home and begs Simone to take Sammy and stay at her mom's house. She's afraid she's going to hurt them while she sleepwalks and considers herself a liability. Her admitting her issues is definitely the first step at hopefully getting it under control, but with the family dog missing, I am questioning my theory that Taissa was eating her own hand when she woke up in the tree. Is it a defense bite from Biscuit? Did Taissa kill the dog thinking he was a wolf while sleepwalking? Possible R.I.P. Biscuit?

Another theory of mine unfortunately came true, and Lottie's premonition of a ring of fire behind Laura Lee's head was, in fact, foreshadowing her exploding in the plane. Laura Lee takes a stand against Coach Scott and decides to fly the plane, and by God, she does it. With Leonard the teddy bear as her trusty co-pilot, Laura Lee gets the plane off the ground and halfway across the lake before realizing Leonard was burning to death because the turbocharger of a Cessna is just inches from the seats, and with an engine likely not cleaned out, a full gas tank, and who knows how old or eroded wires. It was only a matter of time.

Laura Lee and Leonard explode in front of them all, so now they're out of a rescue plane, it's too risky to travel south this close to winter, and things are starting to look dire. Lottie's premonitions have all been proven true so far, so it feels like this is our inciting incident to get a lot more apocalyptic and cannibalistic. R.I.P. Laura Lee and Leonard, y'all were too pure for this world.

My theories change every week (BETTER KEEP UP!), and I now think the blackmailer is Callie, possibly Callie and her boyfriend. Shauna found glitter in the closet where Adam was standing, but him being the blackmailer is way too weak of a reveal. Jeff bought Shauna a new dress despite complaining about money troubles which seems like an obvious tell ... but Callie finding the driver's license near the couch feels like a lie. I think she (or her boyfriend) found it in the closet, next to the safe of all of Shauna's crash memories, and left glitter behind. It also makes sense that Callie wouldn't have attempted to blackmail her mom, knowing that the family doesn't have the money. Just a theory!

Here are other additional thoughts: 

• I don't think Jeff is having an affair. He's planning the reunion and likely a surprise for Shauna in the process. Dude peaked in high school and was homecoming king. This is the most alive he's felt in years. It's gonna take place at the hotel. I'm so mad at myself for not figuring this out sooner and thinking someone as milquetoast as Jeff could be that conniving.
• Adam recommended him and Shauna having a weekend getaway by going to a cabin in the woods ... A CABIN. IN THE WOODS? That's like asking Mrs. Kintner from "Jaws" if she wants to go deep sea diving.
• Misty telling Nat she'll Venmo her the money she's out for snorting and spilling her coke was gold. Ricci continued her comedy supremacy this week.
• Lottie didn't get much screen time this week, but she makes the most of it. Her reaction to Van crying out in pain while Akilah sewed up her face was haunting, and her falling to her knees in the lake after Laura Lee turned into a firework was so, so sad.
• If Laura Lee didn't explode, I think she would have crashed at some point because that window was filthy. I know there's no Windex in a survival cabin, but damn.
• Look, I'm just going to say it, I hate that so much of Nat's story is centered on Travis because she is so much more interesting than this relationship and deserves better! I know you have low self-esteem Nat, but YOU CAN DO BETTER! YOU DESERVE BETTER! PLEASE LOVE YOURSELF THE WAY WE LOVE YOU!!
• We know Adam isn't Adam, but still no guarantee of who he is. The "Adam is Javi" theory is starting to look stronger, but Queen Melanie is also tweeting about said theories and either she's trying to throw us off the scent, or the reveal is going to be something even more shocking than what we've been theorizing.

Yes I’ve read your Adam theories, and just so you all know, there’s one that basically no one has mentioned yet. I’m surprised but also not surprised! Anyway new #Yellowjackets tomorrow on @Showtime https://t.co/nbXCj9Tp4R

— Melanie Lynskey (@melanielynskey) January 2, 2022