Callie encounters an old flame, Van proves goalies never say die, most of the adults intentionally commune in the sharing shack.Callie encounters an old flame, Van proves goalies never say die, most of the adults intentionally commune in the sharing shack.Callie encounters an old flame, Van proves goalies never say die, most of the adults intentionally commune in the sharing shack.
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I have enjoyed a lot of season 2 so far, but it's basically two different shows at this point and it's not working. Everything in the present day is being played for laughs while we are supposed to be feeling despair and disgust in the past. It is just not connecting at all. At this point the two versions of the characters don't seem like the same people anymore.
In addition, everything just sort of happens. There is very little build up or consistent themes. Obviously we knew they would get to a desperate enough point to turn on each other but The ending of this episode didn't feel earned at all. It's like they just needed to get to this point by the end of the season so just throw it in here. We should have been able to track their declining food and mental state but it just hasn't been there. And none of this tracks with how they act in the present as if they are going for laughs
I hope they go back to the drawing board for season 3 and come up with a solid through line to connect the past and present because right now I feel like I'm watching two very different shows with very different characters.
In addition, everything just sort of happens. There is very little build up or consistent themes. Obviously we knew they would get to a desperate enough point to turn on each other but The ending of this episode didn't feel earned at all. It's like they just needed to get to this point by the end of the season so just throw it in here. We should have been able to track their declining food and mental state but it just hasn't been there. And none of this tracks with how they act in the present as if they are going for laughs
I hope they go back to the drawing board for season 3 and come up with a solid through line to connect the past and present because right now I feel like I'm watching two very different shows with very different characters.
After taking a week off after airing episode 5, everyone expected some forward and suspenseful progress in episode 6. That didn't happen, and episode 7 was even worse - an absolute waste of an episode. Finally with episode 8, we get progress in the narrative with some tense and suspenseful moments, albeit still with some nonsense filler - still, a refreshing lead-up to the season finale. So for now, I'm back on board with this show after a disappointing mid-season series of flops. I'll be sure to let my friends I've recommended this series to that are still on the first season to skip the middle of this season, as they wont be missing much, if anything. Let's now hope for a grand finale to this season.
The eighth episode of Yellowjackets Season 2, titled "It Chooses," directed by Daisy von Scherler Mayer and written by Liz Phang and Sarah L. Thompson, is a compelling, intense, and psychologically charged installment that skillfully propels the series toward its climactic moments. The episode continues the dual timeline storytelling, deepening the layers of trauma, madness, and fractured relationships that define both the harrowing survival saga of 1996 and the complex present-day struggles of the survivors in 1998. With a potent mix of character-driven drama and atmospheric tension, "It Chooses" stands out as one of the season's most propulsive and emotionally resonant chapters.
In the 1996 timeline, the episode captures the escalating psychological breakdown and cabin fever afflicting the young survivors as they edge closer to desperation. The group's fragile social fabric strains under the unbearable pressures of hunger, cold, and supernatural menace. A key narrative thread involves their ritualistic and brutal decision-making around survival, highlighted by a tense and chilling sequence where they wrestle with the dynamics of a deadly "blood sacrifice" card game. The sight of the girls turning on Nat as she tries to flee is one of the episode's most harrowing moments, blending raw fear, group hysteria, and supernatural dread. The wilderness itself is portrayed as an almost sentient force shaping their fate, underscoring the episode's title notion that the environment "chooses" who lives or dies.
Simultaneously, the 1998 timeline converges on the survivors' intensely fraught group therapy session inside Charlotte's wellness center, a backdrop that fosters both catharsis and conflict. The macabre gathering brings the fractious adult women to a psychological brink, their traumatic pasts colliding with unresolved resentments and tribal alliances that threaten to undo any fragile progress. The therapy session's charged atmosphere reveals deep fault lines-Shauna's recent violent outburst on Lottie, mistreatments among the group, and Misty's unsettling manipulations coalesce into an explosive clash of wills. The episode effectively uses confined, claustrophobic settings to amplify the tension, making the survivors' interpersonal dynamics as dangerous and unpredictable as the wilderness once was.
Daisy von Scherler Mayer's directorial style in "It Chooses" skillfully balances visceral suspense with nuanced character work. Using a muted, cold color palette, the cinematography captures the bleakness and menace of the frozen wild alongside the sterile, oppressive interiors of the modern timeline. The editing paces the episode with a careful rhythm, allowing moments to simmer before erupting into violence or emotional rupture. Mayer's handling of large ensemble interactions is particularly adept, weaving multiple character arcs seamlessly without losing narrative clarity or emotional impact.
Performances remain a core strength of the episode. Sophie Nélisse as young Shauna conveys a blend of terrified vulnerability and growing ferocity, particularly in scenes where she vacillates between despair and violent survival instinct. Juliette Lewis's adult Natalie exhibits piercing intensity, balancing anguish with a simmering hardness that reflects years of repressed trauma. Courtney Eaton's Lottie is a haunting presence, oscillating between mystical charisma and physical fragility, while Melanie Lynskey's Shauna in the present timeline embodies a woman struggling with the shadows of her violent impulses and fractured loyalties. Christina Ricci's Misty maintains an unsettling edge, her inscrutable motives fueling much of the episode's psychological suspense.
Key scenes punctuating the episode include the violent pursuit and near-lynching of Nat, whose flight tears apart the precarious group order; the brutal yet spiritually charged rituals around survival and sacrifice that mark the girls' descent; and the heated therapy confrontations where emotional wounds surface with brutal honesty. The overlapping of past and present sequences highlights the long-lasting reverberations of trauma, showing how the wilderness's horrors continue to poison the survivors' present lives.
Narratively, "It Chooses" deftly explores themes of fate versus free will, the cyclical nature of violence, and the corrosive power of groupthink under duress. The wilderness metaphorically-and sometimes literally-exerts agency over the girls' destinies, raising questions about the extent to which survival is governed by external forces or internal choices. The episode also tackles the psychological architecture of trauma bonding, illustrating how characters oscillate between comradeship and antagonism, trust and suspicion, care and cruelty.
Culturally and cinematically, the episode situates Yellowjackets within a rich tradition of survival horror and psychological drama that probes adolescence, trauma, and female dynamics through a feminist lens. It evokes literary and visual touchstones ranging from Lord of the Flies' examination of group savagery to genre-bending series like Mare of Easttown and Sharp Objects, which focus on trauma's enduring shadows. The show's unique melding of supernatural undertones with raw human drama continues to carve out a distinctive narrative and aesthetic identity in contemporary television.
While the episode has been widely praised for its intense performances, tight direction, and narrative propulsion, some critics have noted occasional lapses in character motivation within the 1996 storyline, suggesting moments of inconsistent behavior that challenge suspension of disbelief. However, these critiques often acknowledge the thematic intent behind portraying psychological unraveling and the influence of an almost malevolent wilderness presence driving erratic actions.
"It Chooses" is a formidable and electrifying installment that encapsulates many of Yellowjackets' core strengths: a gripping blend of psychological horror, complex character interplay, and atmospheric storytelling. It challenges viewers to reckon with the brutal realities of survival and the haunting legacies trauma inflicts, set against an eerie wilderness backdrop that acts as both adversary and arbiter. This episode powerfully advances both timelines toward their impending climaxes, underscoring the precious-and perilous-nature of choice, fate, and survival in the shadow of devastation.
In the 1996 timeline, the episode captures the escalating psychological breakdown and cabin fever afflicting the young survivors as they edge closer to desperation. The group's fragile social fabric strains under the unbearable pressures of hunger, cold, and supernatural menace. A key narrative thread involves their ritualistic and brutal decision-making around survival, highlighted by a tense and chilling sequence where they wrestle with the dynamics of a deadly "blood sacrifice" card game. The sight of the girls turning on Nat as she tries to flee is one of the episode's most harrowing moments, blending raw fear, group hysteria, and supernatural dread. The wilderness itself is portrayed as an almost sentient force shaping their fate, underscoring the episode's title notion that the environment "chooses" who lives or dies.
Simultaneously, the 1998 timeline converges on the survivors' intensely fraught group therapy session inside Charlotte's wellness center, a backdrop that fosters both catharsis and conflict. The macabre gathering brings the fractious adult women to a psychological brink, their traumatic pasts colliding with unresolved resentments and tribal alliances that threaten to undo any fragile progress. The therapy session's charged atmosphere reveals deep fault lines-Shauna's recent violent outburst on Lottie, mistreatments among the group, and Misty's unsettling manipulations coalesce into an explosive clash of wills. The episode effectively uses confined, claustrophobic settings to amplify the tension, making the survivors' interpersonal dynamics as dangerous and unpredictable as the wilderness once was.
Daisy von Scherler Mayer's directorial style in "It Chooses" skillfully balances visceral suspense with nuanced character work. Using a muted, cold color palette, the cinematography captures the bleakness and menace of the frozen wild alongside the sterile, oppressive interiors of the modern timeline. The editing paces the episode with a careful rhythm, allowing moments to simmer before erupting into violence or emotional rupture. Mayer's handling of large ensemble interactions is particularly adept, weaving multiple character arcs seamlessly without losing narrative clarity or emotional impact.
Performances remain a core strength of the episode. Sophie Nélisse as young Shauna conveys a blend of terrified vulnerability and growing ferocity, particularly in scenes where she vacillates between despair and violent survival instinct. Juliette Lewis's adult Natalie exhibits piercing intensity, balancing anguish with a simmering hardness that reflects years of repressed trauma. Courtney Eaton's Lottie is a haunting presence, oscillating between mystical charisma and physical fragility, while Melanie Lynskey's Shauna in the present timeline embodies a woman struggling with the shadows of her violent impulses and fractured loyalties. Christina Ricci's Misty maintains an unsettling edge, her inscrutable motives fueling much of the episode's psychological suspense.
Key scenes punctuating the episode include the violent pursuit and near-lynching of Nat, whose flight tears apart the precarious group order; the brutal yet spiritually charged rituals around survival and sacrifice that mark the girls' descent; and the heated therapy confrontations where emotional wounds surface with brutal honesty. The overlapping of past and present sequences highlights the long-lasting reverberations of trauma, showing how the wilderness's horrors continue to poison the survivors' present lives.
Narratively, "It Chooses" deftly explores themes of fate versus free will, the cyclical nature of violence, and the corrosive power of groupthink under duress. The wilderness metaphorically-and sometimes literally-exerts agency over the girls' destinies, raising questions about the extent to which survival is governed by external forces or internal choices. The episode also tackles the psychological architecture of trauma bonding, illustrating how characters oscillate between comradeship and antagonism, trust and suspicion, care and cruelty.
Culturally and cinematically, the episode situates Yellowjackets within a rich tradition of survival horror and psychological drama that probes adolescence, trauma, and female dynamics through a feminist lens. It evokes literary and visual touchstones ranging from Lord of the Flies' examination of group savagery to genre-bending series like Mare of Easttown and Sharp Objects, which focus on trauma's enduring shadows. The show's unique melding of supernatural undertones with raw human drama continues to carve out a distinctive narrative and aesthetic identity in contemporary television.
While the episode has been widely praised for its intense performances, tight direction, and narrative propulsion, some critics have noted occasional lapses in character motivation within the 1996 storyline, suggesting moments of inconsistent behavior that challenge suspension of disbelief. However, these critiques often acknowledge the thematic intent behind portraying psychological unraveling and the influence of an almost malevolent wilderness presence driving erratic actions.
"It Chooses" is a formidable and electrifying installment that encapsulates many of Yellowjackets' core strengths: a gripping blend of psychological horror, complex character interplay, and atmospheric storytelling. It challenges viewers to reckon with the brutal realities of survival and the haunting legacies trauma inflicts, set against an eerie wilderness backdrop that acts as both adversary and arbiter. This episode powerfully advances both timelines toward their impending climaxes, underscoring the precious-and perilous-nature of choice, fate, and survival in the shadow of devastation.
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- SoundtracksNo Return
Written and Performed by Craig Wedren & Anna Waronker
Details
- Runtime51 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
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