(Warning: Spoilers ahead)
Following the smell of barbecue isn’t always the best idea, especially if you are in the middle of nowhere.
This valuable PSA was brought to you by another bloody entry into the Yellowjackets journal, quickly killing off one of three new characters who had the misfortune of stumbling upon the plane crash surviving teenagers' mid-cannibalism ritual. Oops!
Rather than another hallucination brought on by an unknown gas, magic mushrooms, or the Wilderness, the trio that walked into the Yellowjackets camp is very real.
Introducing new people into the ’90s timeline is a game-changer, particularly during something so inexplicable as how the adolescents celebrate Coach Ben’s (Steven Kreuger) life with his decapitated head serving as decor.
“What the f---?!” is an appropriate response, and before we find out what the Yellowjackets do to their unexpected dinner guest, the clock rolls back to three days earlier. Spoiler alert: Always listen to the hired expert whose job is guiding you through the great outdoors.
Joel McHale takes his perfected snark routine that viewers of The Soup, Community, House of Villains, and The Bear will be more than familiar with, and adds a layer of survivalist as Kodi. From how he holds his cigarette to the camo jacket, you get the sense Kodi has watched far too many Vietnam War movies—not to mention his gravelly register. He has been tasked with accompanying research scientists Hannah (Ashley Sutton) and Edwin (Nelson Franklin) as they become the first people to record the Arctic Banshee Frog’s mating call.
Yep, that screeching sound that Lottie (Courtney Eaton) is convinced is “It” communicating with them is actually the sound of a frog orgy. Rather than learn this information from Edwin, Lottie sticks a hatchet through his skull and covers her face with his blood. The body count continues to grow with each passing Yellowjackets episode, and it is a safe bet that the deceased list will increase before this group returns to civilization.
In the days leading to Lottie’s swift, violent action, the scientists and their guide navigate this isolated terrain, blissfully ignorant of the lurking danger. Instead, Hannah and Edwin speculate about the source of Kodi’s visible scars. Their guide denies he is special forces or was in a motorcycle gang, blaming it on a Sasquatch. Every attempt to get a backstory is deflected with humor or a vague answer, immediately making Edwin more paranoid.
Well, that and Edwin’s girlfriend, Hannah, is clearly crushing on their hired “Mountain Man.” After playing Community’s decidedly not outdoorsy Jeff Winger for so long (and more to come), it takes a beat to recalibrate McHale to this crossbow-wielding gruff dude. But the Yellowjackets writers also tap into his sardonic delivery skills, which infuriates Edwin to the point of following the smell of cooking meat. It turns into a d----measuring contest, with Edwin suggesting there is “strength in numbers.”
“Wouldn’t recommend it,” says Kodi. Perhaps don’t ignore your guide’s advice this far off the grid, especially when the satellite phone broke the night before. Yep, their line to the outside world is not working, thanks to horsing around after getting high. However, Edwin also theorizes that Kodi did this on purpose and maybe plans to rob and murder them.
Barbecue is an enticing scent, but the accompanying howling is a red flag that something is amiss. Unfortunately, pride comes before a fall, which Edwin learns the hard way. Though not before hearing Misty (Sammi Hanratty) utter one of the funniest lines in Yellowjackets' history: “He died of natural causes!” Yep, decapitated Ben sure looks like he died in his sleep.
Van (Liv Hewson) thinks they are going home, but Lottie has other ideas. Right after Edwin realizes who they are, Lottie plows a weapon into his skull. As Kodi and Hannah run for their lives, the teens are divided over Lottie’s impulsive act but united in hunting and capturing the two strangers. The exciting twist immediately ups the stakes and reminds us that not everyone in this camp will return to New Jersey.
While Kodi professes to be an outdoors expert, he has never encountered feral young women, and he immediately switches into survival instinct mode. Hannah lacks this skill set, and the two split. When Hannah is hiding, she tapes a message for her daughter Alex, hiding the recorder before surrendering herself. In the present, this tape has been sent to Shauna (Melanie Lynskey), tying a present mystery to the past: who brought the tape home, and why has it only just resurfaced now?
Present-day scenes seemingly confirm that Hannah is dead, but it is unclear what Kodi’s fate is—the outlook does not look good. For now, Kodi is saved from tumbling to his death off the “s--t cliff” by Travis (Kevin Alves), who, like Van, sees the newcomers as a way to return to their regular life. Perhaps Ben is a bridge home, as Akilah (Nia Sondaya) saw in her vision. After all, it was an exuberant celebration that lured the researchers and their guide to find the Yellowjackets.
Travis might be on Kodi’s side, but it will take more than sarcasm and outdoor experience to survive these teenage girls.
