Yellowjackets – Season 2 Episode 9 Recap, Review & Ending Explained

Storytelling

The Past

Javi’s body is brought back to the cottage in the past timeline. There is a quiet agreement among the girls about his death and the humane realization that a part of them was lost that day. Lottie turns sour when Misty tells her about Javi.

The former claims that Misty misled the girls into action by misrepresenting what Lottie said. Misty fights back sternly and firmly tells her off. Lottie emotionally confesses she didn’t want to be their leader. But she was the only one who heard “it” in the winds. Now, all the girls are able to do it, suggesting that the wilderness made them kill Javi in a way. Travis is unwilling to let go of his dead brother’s body. But Shauna stands atop him with pity in her eyes and a knife in her hands.

The table is set for Shauna to disgorge Javi and prepare him to be eaten. Coach Scott returns to the cottage and is horrified to find the setting where Shauna has finished chopping Javi’s body. There is blood all around and he turns to find Natalie behind him.

Why does Coach Scott offer Natalie to leave with him and desert the group?

He offers to take her to Javi’s hiding place and ditch the others, because “she is not like them.” Nat anxiously claims that she is the one who let Javi die and asks Scott to abandon them. In a revelatory moment, Shauna brings Javi’s pieces to the cottage for everyone to eat. There is tension and apprehension among the girls. But once they start, there is no turning back

Who is named as the new leader of the Yellowjackets?

Lottie has come down from the attic upstairs to join the girls. They elatedly welcome her but Lottie remarks that she shouldn’t be the leader anymore. The Wilderness has chosen a new leader; Natalie. It saved her when everyone wanted to kill her. Following Lottie, everyone kisses Nat’s hand and she rejoices in her newfound status.

The Present

What plan does the group make to “save Lottie?”

In the present, Shauna tries to be facetious in front of Lottie. Her phenobarbital plan is not received well by anyone in the group. Shauna tries to delay the inevitable and the group plans to send Lottie back to the facility. Lottie wants them to give “it” what “it” wants; a life.

Misty is surprised to find Walter at the camp. He listened to her pleas for help and came running down for his girlfriend. Van dissuades Tai from calling the facility, saying that Lottie is the way she is “because of us.” It is their duty to get her back on track and “protect each other.” Tai agrees and phones the facility to this effect. To keep up the appearance of the hunting game that they played all those years, the group has made arrangements.

Shauna has ensured that all the knives they use are blunt and harmless. Van and Tai make masks to complete the atmosphere of the hunt. Following Jeff and Callie, Kevyn and Matt show up at the camp. Callie also learns that Jeff has a gun in the glove box.

Why does Walter kill Kevyn?

In a surprising move, Walter gives Kevyn phenobarbital in his hot cocoa drink when he shows up in the kitchen. Jeff, who falsely confesses to killing Martin just before Kevyn falls unconscious, is shocked to see it happen. Lottie feels possessed in her office before the hunt begins. She feels in the groove and satisfied that her apparitions weren’t turned into aspersions by her friends.

The group assembles around a bonfire in the woods. Natalie had earlier asked Lisa to leave the camp, unsure of what was coming next in the night. Lottie has ensured that everyone is asleep and no one gets hurt in “their game.”

How will they decide whom to sacrifice?

The wilderness will choose once again as the draw of cards begins. Shauna draws the queen of hearts and Lottie ushers everyone to wear the masks and get their knives ready. In a wild turn of events, Walter leads Matt to the trunk of the car, where Jeff and he have placed Kevyn’s body and phone. The moment Matt opens the trunk of the car – upon hearing the ringtone from Kevyn’s phone – Walter snatches the gun from his hand and kills Kevyn in cold blood. He does so effortlessly and without remorse.

Misty had asked Walter to help her and the group escape accusations about Adam’s murder. Walter blackmails Matt to accuse Kevyn of the murder, tying him to the crime with substantial banking and phone evidence. Matt feels out of options and agrees to his story.

How does Natalie die?

Callie wanders in the woods with the gun to the spot where Lottie chases Shauna with a knife. She shoots her instinctively to protect her mother. Van reveals the psych team from the facility isn’t coming and Shauna loses her wits. In the meantime, Lisa walks out with a shotgun aimed at Natalie. She has learned that Natalie and co “killed someone” while being stuck in the wilderness.

Misty has loaded up phenobarbital in an injection and charges towards Lisa. But inadvertently, she strikes Natalie with it. There is panic among their ranks as Nat sinks into Misty’s arms, who claims it is “too late to do anything.” In an emotional moment that also represents Natalie’s “transitioning” into the next phase of life, she finds herself on the Yellowjacket aeroplane sitting with Javi, her younger self, and the younger Lottie, all calming her down and asking her to let “it” take her.

She breathes her last and is stretchered off later by the police. Misty is in shambles and Walter holds her close, comforting her after saying that he has “taken care of the Adam martin situation.” Shauna, Callie, and Jeff are reunited and relieved. Lottie will be taken to Whitlock General, the psych facility, temporarily since a call was made and someone died there.

Why does Coach Scott light the cottage on fire?

The defining moment of the finale comes last, fittingly. Coach Scott couldn’t find it in himself to forgive the girls and justify their actions to himself. He tied a rope around the doors at night and lit fire to the cottage. Shauna is the only one awake, as she records her thoughts in a diary, and raises an alarm. They are able to break down the door and everyone makes it out, safely. But now they are left without a home and no protection against the wilderness to survive.

It is difficult to rationalize Scott’s actions in the vicinity of the cinematic universe. But if one zooms out and assesses his actions against our accepted moral standards, all he is doing is self-preservation. He knows the girls have crossed a line by resorting to cannibalism – twice – and will not hesitate to kill again if the need arises. There are no clues that a rescue will take place. Realizing that he isn’t of much use to them physically, he preempts their unpredictable violence and takes matters into his own hands to wipe them off.


The Episode Review

This truly was a saddening finale as we bid farewell to a firm fan favourite. A sense of irony characterized Natalie’s death as her best and worst moments were intertwined foreshadowing it. Yellowjackets’ season 2 finale covered a lot of ground and brought forth answers to burning questions, while also giving life to new ones for the next season.

The second moment of cannibalism wasn’t as dramatic but is definitely a memorable takeaway. This time, the details were gorier and visually disturbing, and viewer discretion is certainly advised before watching that scene. The finale has etched a transformation in our characters’ arcs for the next season. None of them will be the same going forward.

One slight distraction that could have been better dealt with was Lottie’s vision. Was she mentally ill this whole time? Did the wilderness really choose Natalie in the final sequence to “strike its hunger?” The finale doesn’t shed light or imply the root cause, which is disappointing. Yellowjackets draws to a close with “Storytelling.” Broadly speaking, it was a satisfying follow-up bookended with an eventful final episode.

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2 thoughts on “Yellowjackets – Season 2 Episode 9 Recap, Review & Ending Explained”

  1. Hey Korinna thanks for your feedback, I really appreciate it. I’ll be sure to pass this along to the team. Was it the way the recaps were structured ie. the wilderness and present day formats being separated out that made things more confusing? I know that’s one of the things we changed, along with a different reviewer for season 2. Thanks for following along with us through the recaps all the same!

    -Greg W

  2. I’m begging whoever runs this website that for the next season, the previous reviewer (first season’s reviewer) will return. No offense to whoever wrote the second season’s episodes but they were so confusing to read and follow! I like to read these as follow ups from when I watch an episode to make sure I didn’t miss out on any details and didn’t misunderstand a scene but the condensed version of the episodes are more challenging to follow than the series itself :/

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