The Ending Of Yellowjackets Season 2 Explained
Contains spoilers for "Yellowjackets"
After the horror-drama television series "Yellowjackets" debuted in November 2021, it became a smash hit for Showtime. Its finale netted a solid 1.3 million viewers, and it earned seven Emmy nominations. Season 2 hit the ground running and broke records with its premiere — which saw a 110% spike in viewers from the first episode of Season 1. The show follows the Yellowjackets (a varsity girls' high school soccer team) after their plane crashes in the Canadian wilderness and their primal survival instincts take over in horrific ways. We meet the survivors both as high school students in 1996 and as present-day adults haunted by their shared trauma.
"Yellowjackets" sophomore season picks up where Season 1 left off, filled with bonkers moments and powerful drama. However, in Season 2, the female adult cast, including Natalie (Juliette Lewis), Shauna (Melanie Lynskey), Misty (Christina Ricci), and Taissa (Tawny Cypress), expanded to include Van (Lauren Ambrose) and Lottie (Simone Kessell), along with Elijah Wood as Misty's love interest and fellow "Citizen Detective," Walter Tattersall.
Season 1 only scratches the surface of the possible supernatural forces at work in the isolated Canadian mountains and deepens the mysteries surrounding the survivors' adult lives. Season 2 shows that unhealed past sins will eventually bleed into the present and demand confrontation. As we await the dark psychological depths of future "Yellowjackets" seasons, let's dig into the ending of "Yellowjackets" Season 2 and what it could mean for the franchise.
What you need to remember about the plot of Yellowjackets
On "Yellowjackets," as months melt away without rescue, even the sturdiest survivors in 1996 begin to crumble under the weight of their precarious situation. Charlotte "Lottie" Matthews (Courtney Eaton) runs out of her prescribed mental health medication and then hallucinates: She believes the wilderness is an "it" — an unseen supernatural entity, guiding the team toward their survival. Along with Travis (Kevin Alves), the son of the deceased Coach Bill Martinez (Carlos Sanz), the girls slowly fall in line and begin to almost deify Lottie and her visions. Even strong-willed holdouts Natalie (Sophie Thatcher) and Taissa "Tai" Turner (Jasmin Savoy Brown) eventually follow Lottie's orders. Season 1 ends with the death of teenage Jackie and the kidnapping of adult Natalie.
In the cleverly-titled Season 2 episode, "Edible Complex," the team makes a foray into cannibalism as they eat the flesh of the banished and frozen-to-death team captain, Jackie (Ella Purnell). Only Coach Ben Scott (Steven Krueger) refuses and turns away in disgust. By the end of Season 2, the collective descent into primal darkness takes full force as the team's conditions become more dire. Thematically, both timelines on "Yellowjackets" echo "Lord of the Flies" and show that our survivors are capable of both extraordinary evil and amazing goodness, given the right situation. The show throws in a pinch of self-discovery too. "Yellowjackets" presents a plethora of psychological questions about evil, forgiveness, and life-changing trauma, and by the end of Season 2, several are answered.
What happens in the season finale?
The season finale of "Yellowjackets" Season 2 is chock full of jaw-dropping twists as both past and present-day storylines come to a head. In the past, the girls continue their carnivorous consumption of human flesh and Lottie recovers from grievous injuries inflicted by Shauna (Sophie Nelisse). Coach Ben thinks that Natalie can still be saved from the bizarre groupthink, but she tells him that she's worse than the rest of the group. He sneaks away from the cabin and makes plans to stop the feral surviving Yellowjackets.
For much of "Yellowjackets" Season 2, the adult survivors are kept apart, but by the season finale, they've all gathered at Lottie's compound. Lottie is convinced that the wilderness (aka "it") still demands a sacrifice. A flustered Misty contacts Walter, who decides to come to save the day. Local detective and former classmate of the survivors, Kevyn Tan (Alex Wyndham), along with his slimeball partner, Matt Saracusa (John Paul Reynolds), show up to nail Shauna for the murder of her former lover, Adam Martin (Peter Gadiot). After Lottie attempts a botched game of Russian Roulette with phenobarbital-laced cocktails, the group convinces her to recreate the hunt and Shauna is selected as prey. Shauna's husband, Jeff (Warren Kole), and daughter, Callie (Sarah Desjardins), clandestinely enter the compound's grounds too, hoping to save Shauna from whatever fate awaits her. The frenzied scenes lead to multiple confrontations as lives are lost and the past demands a reckoning.
No survivor can escape their demons
For the "Yellowjackets" survivors, the events that took place after the plane crash and before their rescue 18 months later leave each of them with personal demons in need of slaying — or at least acknowledgment. During most of Season 1 and Season 2, the women try to avoid or ignore the ways in which the wilderness impacts their adult lives. By the end of the Season 2 finale, many of the protagonists realize they can't escape the past ... or what it's done to them.
In the final episode, Lottie is defeated in her struggle to keep her mental illness from taking over her life. Shauna's caged violence has bled all over her family: She's realized this throughout the season, but it's the final moments of the last episode, when Callie confronts the group and shoots Lottie in the arm, that drive this point home. Misty has made herself vulnerable, spilling all of her secrets to Walter and letting him in. Natalie, who experiences the largest character growth through Season 2, decides to finally stop running from her monsters.
Van helps Tai recognize that her "sleepwalker" self is a part of her that she can't vanquish. Tawny Cypress who portrays the adult Tai told TV Insider, "The other [evil] Tai just wants to get things done. She has no moral compass. She's a fixer. She is ready to take over, to run the show." Tai realizes this and finally stops fighting her dark side.
Javi survived his solo trek to save the Yellowjackets
In the Season 1 episode "Doomcoming," the youngest survivor and Travis' little brother, Javi Martinez (Luciano Leroux) runs away when the Yellowjackets, tripping on 'shrooms and longing to spill blood, chase him. Javi remains missing afterward and the early episodes of Season 2 include multiple scenes of Natalie and Travis searching for him. Natalie hates how much his brother's disappearance hurts Travis and assumes there's no way Javi could've survived three brutal winter months alone. She pretends she found clues of his death, and is shocked when Javi reappears midway through Season 2 in the episode, "Old Wounds."
Nevertheless, the traumatized boy refuses to speak and no one really questions him. However, in the second season's penultimate episode, Javi finally speaks to try to save Natalie from the pack of masked girls who intend to kill her for food. In a shocking moment, Javi falls through the ice and the normally compassionate Natalie allows him to drown. Javi's character development falls short and his mysterious survival remains unanswered. Yet, his death allows the survivors — who are on the brink of starvation — to live. His survival occurred so that he could pay the ultimate sacrifice and save the Yellowjackets. Samantha Hanratty, who portrays teenage Misty, told Entertainment Weekly that the cast had a party for Leroux after the death of his character. "It's like a funeral. They can get emotional," she said.
Natalie completes her character arc
In Season 1 of "Yellowjackets," teenage Natalie didn't quite fit in with her teammates — she was the rough girl from the "wrong side of the tracks" — but she proved herself compassionate and morally upright. In the present, Natalie's demons (anger, self-destruction, distrust, and self-hatred) rule her life, and she doesn't have much in her arsenal to battle against them. Through Season 2, we learn more about the horrific measures Natalie resorted to in the wilderness, and how her subsequent self-loathing cuts her off from other people. But she finds a true friend in Lottie's follower, Lisa (Nicole Maines), who teaches her a bit about forgiveness and healing.
In the Season 2 finale, Natalie protects Lisa from Misty's poisoned needle, only to get injected herself. As she lies dying, Natalie imagines that she sits on a plane with Javi and her teenage self. "I'm not supposed to be here," she screams. Her younger self reminds her that she's been sitting on that plane for a very long time. Although Natalie's death may have shocked viewers, those final moments allow her to finally forgive herself ... and she lets go. Juliette Lewis talked to Harper's Bazaar about her character and said, "I didn't want to play her (Natalie) like a light and cool girl, even though there are aspects to her that could be like that. I wanted to unearth the humanity: a person who is really struggling with wanting to live or not."
Jeff grows a backbone
Initially on "Yellowjackets," Jeff Sadecki is a bit of a chump who doesn't stand up for anything. In Season 1 flashback scenes, we see a teenage Jeff (Jack DePew) cheat on his girlfriend Jackie with her best friend, Shauna. In the present, we discover that Jeff and Shauna are now married and have a teenage daughter, Callie. Jeff owns a struggling furniture store and concocts a harebrained blackmail scheme that is partially responsible for Adam's murder. He and Shauna scratch the surface in their conversations, and Jeff gives off strong "peaked in high school" vibes. Although the second season brings depth to the couple's relationship, Jeff still worries about the investigation into Adam's murder and is scared of his wife. It's not until the final two episodes of the season that Jeff's character arc truly grows.
In "Choice of the Wild," Jeff and Callie talk about Shauna's past and he tells his daughter about the stillborn child her mom birthed in the wilderness. He reveals that he understands what his wife has been through a lot more than he lets on. They drive to Lottie's compound to rescue Shauna before they realize they're being followed by the detectives. When the never-spontaneous or brave Jeff runs into Kevyn Tan, he makes a quick decision. He lies and confesses to Adam's murder. Although the confession is moot seconds later, Jeff steps up with rare bravery to protect his family.
What does this all mean?
Part of the mystique of "Yellowjackets" stems from the otherworldly moments that pepper both seasons. From Tai's creepy secret basement altar in the Season 1 finale to Lottie's visions, supernatural forces seem to be responsible for at least some situations the group experiences. However, in the Season 2 finale, Lottie's clear mental unraveling certainly plays a role in her belief that the wilderness has come back to demand payment for the group's survival. Although the other adult Yellowjackets humor her, none of them seem to buy into the idea of supernatural entities at play.
Nevertheless, the soundtrack used in the finale keeps the door open to future, dark paranormal activity. "The Killing Moon" by Echo and the Bunnymen provides a great backdrop for the final moments of Season 2, and along with chilling vocals and chords, the lyrics tell the story of a fight against supernatural fate. The real world and unhealed trauma may be the driving forces of the plight of the Yellowjackets, but the ending of Season 2 doesn't explain away all of the spookiness. The finale also points toward the adult survivors going their separate ways. Lottie is on her way to a mental health facility. Misty and Walter can start their romance. Shauna, Jeff, and Callie may emerge stronger than ever. Natalie is gone. Only Tai and Van lack any semblance of closure at the end of the episode. What will bring the group together in future seasons?
What does this all mean: Part 2
In the Season 2 finale of "Yellowjackets," present-day Shauna refuses to placate Lottie's thoughts about the wilderness. As Lottie rants and raves, Shauna finally says out loud what she, Natalie, and Tai whispered as teenagers. Lottie calls the wilderness "it" once again and tells the group, "It never left." Shauna tries to reason with her and says, " Lottie, 'it' was just us" and Lottie wonders if that makes any difference. The rest of the group seems to be coming to terms with the fact that the horrific choices they made to survive came from within themselves. No outside influences made them eat Javi or Jackie. However, Lottie doubles down and in her final scene, tells Tai, "We gave it what it wanted. It is pleased. You'll see." Future storylines might alternate between Lottie and the rest of the group. Meanwhile, Citizen Detective Walter makes a deal with Detective Saracusa to make the Adam Martin case disappear. Will this decision come back to haunt the group?
Back in the wilderness, there are several survivors who've only appeared and uttered lines in the second season. Will Season 3 show expanded character development for these girls? Or does the destructive cabin fire in the Season 2 finale foreshadow their tragic fates as meals for the group?
Coach Ben separates from the group
The only adult survivor of the plane crash on "Yellowjackets," Coach Ben Scott becomes increasingly isolated from the rest of the group throughout Season 2. At first, Ben longs for home and loses himself in memories of his boyfriend, Paul (François Arnaud). However, he refuses to eat Jackie and spends most of his time isolated from the group. He's worried about what the survivors are becoming. In the Season 2 finale, Ben finds a hidden underground shelter in the woods. When he ventures back to camp and sees Shauna butchering Javi's body, he's horrified. Ben seems worried that his time may be up soon as well. He tries to convince Natalie to flee to the shelter with him and thinks she's the only one worth saving, but she declines to go with him.
Later, we see Ben steal an axe and hold a box of matches. Ostensibly, he's responsible for the fire that destroys the cabin. Heading into Season 3, Ben could remain in hiding and become adversarial to the group. In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Steven Krueger, who portrays Ben, shared, "There's this constant sobriety that Ben has about the situation — about what's right and wrong — that the younger people kind of lose track of. He's able to control his own impulses, but he completely loses control over everybody else, and I think that's the most haunting thing for him."
Does the cast of Yellowjackets have any theories?
The ongoing storylines of "Yellowjackets" have sparked much speculation, including popular Season 1 theories, such as the "Adam is really Javi" theory posted by Entertainment Weekly on Twitter. Although this theory didn't pan out, it hasn't stopped fans and cast members alike from sharing what they believe the end of Season 2 may mean for the future of the survivors. In an interview with Variety, Lottie actress Simone Kessell shared what she thinks her character's motivation was for offering a sacrifice (even if it means Lottie must sacrifice herself) in the final episodes of Season 2. "She's so tormented by the past that Lottie says, 'I will take my own life if it means we can all be free of this pain,'" she said. When asked if the survivors are dealing with an otherworldly force, Kessell speculated, "I don't think Lottie's working in another realm — maybe young Lottie is. I think these are all mechanisms they've put in place to survive."
The other lead actors in "Yellowjackets" have their own theories about future plot and character development. Christina Ricci spoke to Collider about Misty's motivations and Natalie's role as the Antler Queen (alluded to in the Season 2 finale), "She [Natalie] was the first antler queen, and Misty served her, so that's what it is. She's the original Antler Queen," she speculated.
What the end of Yellowjackets Season 2 could mean for the series
The final scene in "Yellowjackets" Season 2 may set the course for the survivors moving forward, but could also hold tenuous implications: Does Natalie remain The Antler Queen in the wilderness? Why does Lottie still appear to be the Queen in the present? The survivors haven't even begun to heal the trauma they endured throughout their time in the wilderness, or learn what ripple effects and lasting impact that damage has held for them.
"Yellowjackets" Season 3 was greenlit in December 2022, before Season 2 had even aired. Although there hasn't been official word on when the third season will air, it's reasonable to assume that we'll see more terrifying events occur in the wilderness and the present-day survivors will continue to grapple with how to heal from their haunted pasts. Melanie Lynskey, who plays the adult Shauna, spoke to Variety about the future of the show and said, "Before I signed on, I had a lot of questions. And then they answered those questions. And now, I'm trying not to be annoying, so I'm not asking them too many questions. But I am really curious. I don't know what Season 3 is gonna look like. I'm nervous. I'm excited. There's also so many people on our show, and so many characters. So following all the different storylines is also really fun for me."