'Yellowjackets' finale: Slow-burning with a twist of pace
Yellowjackets enjoyed a fascinating first season with positive attention from fans and critics alike. The final episode of the first season, titled "Sic Transit Gloria Mundi", ended the saga of the main characters with more questions than ever before.
It took a rather unconventional route by not bombarding fans with revelations and thrilling sequences but going for a slower and more poised approach to the finale.
The majority of the episode did not rely on the proposed events it had initially teased. Instead, it opened up some entirely new avenues by the end, making sure that the slow-burning nature of the show remained intact.
'Yellowjackets' recap: Misty unleashed
Misty (Christina Ricci), one of the most off-beat characters of Yellowjackets, is shown to be involved when Natalie (Juliette Lewis) calls on her to help them clean up a murder. This is the first crisis of this drama-packed episode.
While the crooked ways of Misty do work out in favor of the adult Yellowjackets, it is concerning to see the extents she can go to.
The following sequence of the show takes fans across the much-anticipated reunion, which does not reveal any other survivors apart from the ones already shown. It is still too early in the series to assume all of them died, but none of them are around for the reunion, at least.
Misty successfully gets rid of the body. She also releases the journalist she had held captive over the past episodes. But in her usual, twisted way, Misty presumably poisons her cigarettes. The motive of this action is not clear yet.
The cult exists: Nat's kidnapping
The only thing that happened at the reunion worth noting was Nat's realization that Travis (Kevin Alves) may have committed suicide. This realization haunts Nat to the point where she, too, prepares to kill herself. Her savior is a bunch of unlikely kidnappers.
As Natalie is abducted by the unknown men (one of whom wears a necklace with the "symbol"), she receives a voicemail revealing the identity of the person who emptied Travis's bank account. The person calling says that it is someone named "Lottie Matthews".
A twisted ending: The death of Jackie
Fans have long speculated on the fate of Jackie. The ending of this episode finally depicts how she dies. After a brawl with Shauna (Melanie Lynskey) and the others inside the cabin, Jackie tries to fend for herself. However, after a night of heavy snowfall, the others find her dead from frostbite.
The finale of Yellowjackets also showed a very dark side of Taissa, indicating that she was "the bad one" Sam kept seeing. The ending also saw Lottie fully transform into a cult leader of sorts, with Misty and Vans following her to a shrine.
The episode holds out on its "wow-moments" till the very end. By the third quarter, viewers may begin to feel like nothing is happening, which is where Yellowjackets switches pace to bombard them with a new layer of mysteries.
The appearance of the kidnappers, the mention of Lottie in the present day, and Taissa's secret will form a strong foundation for the following season.
There is no information about the contents of the second season of Yellowjackets, but it should be just as good. Stay tuned for more updates.
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Ravi Iyer