For those who haven’t watched it, you probably know Yellowjackets as that creepy Showtime series about teen cannibals. Those who watch it know it’s more than that (though yes, the threat of cannibalism is undeniable) —Yellowjackets is equal parts teen drama, psychological thriller, and murder mystery. In the show, the plot simultaneously follows a group of high school athletes as they attempt to survive in an unforgiving wilderness during the ‘90s and their adult counterparts still dealing with the aftermath 25 years later. It’s easy to see why we’re obsessed— even the king of creepy is singing its praises.
While season one revealed the truth behind some mysteries, we’re left with more questions than answers. We know it’s unlikely season two will show us everything (especially as season three has already been confirmed) but here are the 10 burning questions on our minds as we enter season two.
10. Who is the Antler Queen?
In episode one, we’re treated to the sight of a cannibalistic group and their leader, a young woman wearing a pair of antlers on her head like a crown. Dubbed the Antler Queen by fans, her identity remains a mystery, as does how the survivors got to the point of cannibalism. All hints seem to point to Lottie becoming the Queen — especially after she is gifted a pair of antlers toward the end of season one — and her uncanny ability to predict the future could serve as the group’s reasoning for following her. It’s not a sure thing though; if there’s anything we learned from season one, it’s that Yellowjackets loves red herrings.
9. What’s up with Taissa and her sleepwalking shenanigans?
Shortly after the plane crash, Taissa begins sleepwalking and doing weird stuff like eating dirt, climbing trees, and allowing the group she’s with to get attacked by wolves while unconscious. More worryingly, she seems to have no recollection of what she does while unconscious and in the present day, she alludes to having done some bad things while in this state. Is she being haunted by some supernatural forest presence (or whatever the man with no eyes is)? Is she influencing Sammy’s unsettling behavior? And what is the deal with that creepy shrine Simone finds in the basement? Could Taissa actually be capable of killing her own dog for the sake of some cult-like ritual? Her sleepwalking is making a poorly-timed return for Taissa especially after she won her Senate campaign.
8. What happened to Shauna’s baby?
Season one ends with a decently pregnant Shauna after she slept with her best friend Jackie’s boyfriend Jeff the night before the crash (yikes). In 2021, Shauna has a teenage daughter with Jeff who is too young to be the wilderness baby — where is this child? The child would be about 25 at this point but has remained mysteriously absent; no one has even mentioned their existence in the current timeline. It’s possible the baby doesn’t make it out of the woods, but could it be that the adult child is out there somewhere, biding their time for whatever reason? While appearing possessed, Lottie creepily told Shauna, “it’s already in you” while pointing at her belly. Could the baby have some supernatural ties to the forest?
7. What’s Lottie been up to?
Lottie was suspiciously absent for most of the 2021 timeline, until her followers presumably kidnap Natalie at the end of the final episode. What is her deal? If she really is as clairvoyant as she seems in 1996, she’s a powerful character we wouldn’t want to mess with. Is she able to harness that power in other ways — is she merely seeing the future or is she manifesting it? And if she really is the Antler Queen, has she been busy running a cult the past 25 years? We know from the trailer that Lottie spent at least some of that time in a mental hospital in Switzerland, but that can’t be the whole story. Season two will unravel at least some of the mystery behind Lottie with Simone Kessell cast as her adult counterpart.
6. What happened to Javi?
Last we saw, Travis’ younger brother dutifully ran off after Shauna (or something else through Shauna) commanded him to run while the group stalked through the woods high off mushrooms. A popular theory is that Adam was actually a grown-up Javi but the showrunners acknowledged that was not the case. If Adam isn’t Javi, where is he? We know the girls aren’t in contact with him (or they naturally would have reached out after Travis’ death) but why? Does he disappear that fateful night or will he come back in some way in season two? It seems like a missed opportunity for him to return, so hopefully his fate is addressed in the new season.
5. Who was Adam really?
We’ve established Adam isn’t Javi, but we still don’t know who he really was or why he was looking into Shauna’s past. Was he simply curious about the famous Yellowjackets or were his motives more nefarious? After Jeff reveals he was the blackmailer, we know Adam was a bit of a red herring, but he must have had a reason for snooping. There’s more to Adam than meets the eye, especially after we saw those strange tattoos on his back. We wouldn’t be surprised if Adam has ties to the group that kidnapped Natalie; it seems that something huge is on the verge of happening. Will the girls get away with murdering him as well or will Adam come to haunt them in some capacity?
4. Who is the girl who fell in the pit?
In the pilot, a girl runs from the group led by the Antler Queen before falling into a pit and presumably being eaten by her captives. We were originally led to believe this girl was Jackie (since she was wearing her necklace and some of her clothing) but after the finale, we know Jackie dies from exposure. So if Pit Girl (as she’s being referred to by fans) isn’t Jackie, who is she? As the girls frequently share their clothing, it could really be any of the students we haven’t met in the present day. There are a few different theories floating around — many pointing to Mari as a potential option — but we hope to get closure in season two.
3. How did the teens become cannibals in the first place?
It’s no secret the Yellowjackets’ teens will resort to cannibalism; the show’s official synopsis describes the plot as chronicling the girls’ “descent from a complicated but thriving team to warring, cannibalistic clans.” Our question is how did these high-achieving soccer players go full Lord of the Flies (there’s no cannibalism in LOTF but there is murder, so the comparison stands)? There’s already been tension and the feeling that something is very wrong with the forest, and after the mushroom-fueled night where Shauna almost slits Travis’ throat, it’s clear it only takes a push for the girls to resort to violence. It might not be a very long way from average high school students to cannibals but we’re looking forward to how season two shows that descent.
2. Is the forest really supernatural?
The forest is definitely creepy, but is something otherworldly going on? What with Lottie’s premonitions and strange connection with the woods, it seems as though something spooky is going on in the Canadian forest the teens find themselves in. While it’s easy to believe the forest is supernatural, the writers do a good job of giving logical explanations for the strange happenings in the wilderness. It could be that everything is in the girls’ heads — the excuse that a supernatural entity was encouraging them to be the worst versions of themselves could be a way for them to escape their actual culpability. It’s arguably more chilling if there are no spirits about; the Yellowjackets have nobody to blame but themselves for whatever horrors take place in the woods. It would also tie in with the Lord of the Flies‘ comparisons; the boys in the novel were never manipulated by a strange being, but instead reveling in violence of their own volition.
1. What’s with the mysterious symbol?
We’ve seen a strange symbol multiple times in the first season: when Pit Girl is running, carved into a tree right after the plane crash, in postcards sent to the survivors, and on the necklace of one of Natalie’s kidnappers. Who came up with this symbol? Was it already there before the girls landed in the forest? When did the cult members adopt the symbol? In 2021, the girls are very clearly terrified of the symbol and seem to see it as bad omen. There’s a lot of speculation as to what the symbol means and what it represents (some theories say it’s a warning and others say it’s meant to be an actual yellow-jacket). Hopefully we can find out more about its origins and what it actually means in season two.
Season two of Yellowjackets premieres on March 24 for Showtime subscribers before airing on television March 26.
Published: Mar 22, 2023 06:31 pm