At the end of last week’s episode of Yellowjackets, Coach Ben (Steven Krueger) was seen looking on in horror as his teenage companions consumed the corpse of one of their former teammates. The haunting image has (unsurprisingly) left Ben in a bit of a state. This week’s episode, ‘Digestif’, opens with a shot of Ben in his bed; he wears a traumatised look on his face and as the cabin falls away to a flashback of him cooking with his boyfriend. It is clear that the coach is doing all he can to push out of his mind the horrific sights that he witnessed.
Next comes the first look at the young Yellowjackets the morning after the night before. Natalie (Sophie Thatcher) sits outside the cabin, staring at the aftermath of their frenzied feeding. The camera hides most of the carnage from the viewer, though a lone skeletal hand hangs to one side of the frame, confirming that they picked Jackie clean. Rather than the girls becoming a puddle of guilt, in the cold light of morning each of them accepts their part in the process, the only exception being Taissa (Jasmin Savoy Brown) who has no memory of the ghastly event. The group pragmatically discuss what to do with the bones, with Natalie volunteering to take Jackie’s remains back to the plane. Her suggestion presents early signs of friction between Ben and the teens as he comments that the crash site burial will handily cover up their sins.
In the present timeline, Taissa (Tawny Cypress) is not having a good day. After having been involved in a car accident last episode, she waits in Simone’s hospital room, desperate for her estranged wife to awaken. After discovering the strange symbol from the 1996 cabin drawn on Simone’s arm, Taissa flees. It’s clear that Taissa’s mental decline is in full swing, which leads to a stunning scene later in the episode. Taissa stands in front of a mirror and as she turns away her reflection splits free from her. She turns back and is confronted with her darker self who appears to be mouthing, ‘go to her!’ The reflection eventually rests its hands across its face in a very specific pattern which surely points to Van being the ‘her’ in question, but only future episodes will tell.
Shauna (Melanie Lynsky) and Jeff (Warren Kole) continue to try to rebuild their marriage. Moving on from an affair is always a tough prospect for any relationship, but when that affair comes with a side of blackmail and murder, it is trickier too. As the pair try to enjoy a meal out, Jeff begins to over analyse his part in their decline, tracing it back to a much earlier reticence to use strawberry lube. He laments how boring he has become, and though Shauna tries to reassure him, her efforts fail. Jeff vows to be more spontaneous, though that leads to a car-jacking, which later sees Shauna go toe-to-toe with some low-level criminals.
The scene where Shauna converses with the owner of the garage holding her vehicle is Melanie Lynsky’s best this season. Her delivery of the line, “have you ever peeled the skin off of a human corpse?” is chilling, alluding to Shauna’s future role as a butcher of people. The detail that is then shared – about how stuck human skin is to the body – is grotesque, but delivered with a calm, cold demeanour. The two versions of Shauna that the audience knows so far are the meeker younger iteration who appears in a constant state of anxiety, and the downtrodden, older version. This older formation of Shauna has, on the whole, provided a lot of comedic moments, but in this instance she demonstrates a third metamorphosis of the character that is genuinely terrifying. It’s as though the Shauna of the present is nothing but a mask; in this scene it slips, revealing the true darkness hiding underneath.
After being teased for the previous two episodes. Digestif gives the viewer their first proper introduction to Elijah Wood’s Citizen Detective, Walter. It’s a great introduction, Walter having lined up a potential witness to Natalie’s disappearance for an ‘FBI’ interrogation by Misty (Christina Ricci). His plan hits an immediate speed bump when that witness is revealed to be Misty’s former classmate, Randy (Jeff Holman). In some quick thinking, Walter suggests he handle the questioning alone, directed by Misty via an ear piece. The resulting scene makes full use of Wood’s talent for comedy as he tries to carry out Misty’s bold commands. The bickering between Walter and Misty is a joy to behold and the clueless performance of Jeff Holman as high-school jock turned town loser, is the cherry on top.
Whilst Misty fans will be delighted at the scenes with the present day version of the Yellowjacket, those that are team Natalie (Juliette Lewis) might be a little disappointed. Digestif doesn’t offer much of an update on either version of Natalie. In the past she takes Jackie’s bones back to the plane, apologising for her having been eaten, but voicing her jealousy that Jackie’s struggles are now over. In the present she’s getting further situated in Lottie’s (Simone Kessell) commune. Her former teammate introduces Natalie to her beloved hive of bees, and later encourages her to take part in a group therapy session.
Back in 1996, the Yellowjackets were preparing for the imminent arrival of Shauna’s (Sophie Nélisse) baby by throwing a baby shower. A strategic ploy to distract the teens from feeling morose about their midnight feast, it’s revealed that at least two of the girls had no qualms at all with eating another person. As Misty (Samantha Hanratty) and new BFF Crystal ( Nuha Jes Izman) plan what to make for Shauna, they lament that Misty’s idea for broth was turned down, and almost salivate as they imagine what it might have tasted like. Crystal goes one step further confiding to Misty that this isn’t the first time that she has eaten a person. She is referring to having absorbed a twin en utero, but her remark and delivery of the line, assert her as a potential kindred spirit for Misty.
On the eve of the baby shower, Taissa once again wakes up for a nocturnal stroll. This time Van (Liv Hewson) is prepared and asks to join her. She races after Taissa and begins to converse with her sleepwalking partner, she is told that they are following the instructions of the ‘man with no eyes’. As creepy as a man with no eyes sounds, the most disturbing part of their conversation is when Van gets confirmation that she isn’t speaking with Taissa. The entity in control refuses to identify itself and quickly departs as the two arrive at their destination – a tree that bears the etching of the weird symbol from the cabin.
The baby shower itself is an unhinged mess, thanks in large part to Misty’s offering of a monologue from Steel Magnolias. Ben has sat the event out and is now fully immersed in his daydream in which he never got on the plane. His dissociation from reality does not bode well for his future. After Misty’s performance, Lottie presents Shauna with her offering – a blanket. On the surface it’s a simple standard gift, but Natalie is horrified to see that Lottie has embroidered it with the symbol that was found with the dead man. Lottie believes it to be a symbol of protection and as the girls argue, Shauna gets a nosebleed, spilling blood on the symbol. In the next moment there is a thundering noise. The group go outside and find a flock of birds dead on the ground. Just what is going on with that symbol? Who, or what are the girls communicating with?
The haunting image of a pile of dead birds littering the ground could have been the image to end the episode on, but events are also getting dark in the present. After the therapy session, Lottie ventures out to check on her hive, but finds them bloody, all the bees destroyed. As Lottie bursts into tears of agony, reality warps and suddenly she is back in the world where her colony is undisturbed. After seeing Laura in the last episode, it seems that whatever afflicted Lottie in the past, as with Taissa, is back to torment her. Up until now, the present day has been a safer time period, but as the events that unfold in Digestif prove, the Yellowjackets’ nightmare isn’t over just yet.
An episode that revs-up the supernatural elements that have been circling Yellowjackets since the pilot , Digestif is the most intriguing chapter thus far. Digestif also serves as a reminder of exactly what Yellowjackets does well – managing to balance the tonal swerve between humour and horror. One of the most complex episodes of Yellowjackets yet, Digestif needs watching more than once to fully uncover all the secrets that it is hiding and alluding to.
Yellowjackets: Digestif
Summary
Episode three confirms that Yellowjackets is far more than a one trick – cannibal – story, expertly setting up sinister new directions for future episodes. Let the terrifying games begin.
Yellowjackets Season 2 screens exclusively on Paramount +.
