Yellowjackets Season 3 Episode 6 Review

The fantastic Yellowjackets Season 3 Episode 6 is filled with great performances and reveals that will change everything.

I agree in some respects, but I have been urging anyone that will listen to allow things to play out. Up to this point, viewers have only gotten breadcrumbs from the writers and there are a ton of plot threads in both the teen and adult timelines. This week starts to bring everything together, so much so that this will be the first time this season that my review will bounce between timelines rather than focus on one at the time.

In the teen timeline, Natalie (Sophie Thatcher, Companion) is clashing with Coach Ben Scott (Steven Krueger) after the group made the fateful decision to keep “their bridge home” alive following Akilah’s (Nia Sondaya) vision. Thatcher and Krueger give us everything that they have in order to convey the kind of hurt and anger Natalie and Ben are experiencing. Their bond has always been leading to something like this, but that does not make seeing everything play out any easier. How Natalie handles Ben is her greatest test as antler queen yet, it might also be what breaks her. 

This is good news for Shauna (Sophie Nélisse, Irena’s Vow) who has been waiting for her chance to seize power. Nélisse has been on a tear as of late when it comes to bringing Shauna’s anger to the screen and here, we finally have characters recognizing that she might, oddly, be happier this way. The contrast between who Shauna was pre crash and who she is now could not be more apparent. One was a lapdog to Ella Purnell’s Jackie while the other is independent and actively enjoys being more sinister. When you consider her adult counterpart’s darkest moments throughout the series, you will realize that teen Shauna is currently closer to that than ever. Perhaps she was always meant to be a tortured psychopath and just got really good at hiding it. 

Lottie (Courtney Eaton, Mad Max: Fury Road) might be close to a breaking point of her own, as she has grown desperate to reconnect with the wilderness, which as you may recall, ceased speaking to her towards the end of Season 2. Eaton has done such a magnificent job telegraphing Lottie’s slow descent with something as simple as a brief stare. As Yellowjackets Season 3 Episode 6 goes on, she seems to let the cracks emerge allowing us to see a version of this character that is familiar, but somehow seems more dangerous. She and Shauna are on a similar path right now which should both excite and terrify everyone.

Speaking of Lottie, the adult timeline is still partially devoted to solving her murder, with Misty (Christina Ricci) leading the charge. Part of Yellowjackets Season 3 Episode 6 feels like a detective show with Misty as the lead and Ricci devours this, balancing her character’s drive and humor with ease. She makes this investigation more compelling than it already is by proving that Misty is truly in her element solving crime and can actually do some good. The fact that I like adult Misty at this point is entirely based on her acting abilities. Yes, this person is totally unhinged and Ricci does not hide that, but it is clear as day that Misty cares about her friends. Even if they really are not worthy of being called that or of her help. Misty is by far the biggest highlight as it relates to the adult timeline this week both story and performance wise. 

We are not close to finding out who killed Lottie but we do get some more pieces to the puzzle, which is good enough for right now. Especially when one of those pieces comes from a character that I had hoped we would see again and who completely steals their scene with Ricci. This week’s episode also cements that Misty and Walter (Elijah Wood) are so much better off as friendly adversaries than in a relationship. Their chemistry as a couple is non-existent but they are dynamite as friends who push each other’s buttons and help each other out.  

Then you have adult Shauna (Melanie Lynskey) who, after relaying the news of Lottie’s (Simone Kessell) death to her husband Jeff (Warren Kole) and daughter Callie (Sarah Desjardins), finally receives the tape her daughter hid earlier in the season. This is where things get interesting, my friends, as the recording on that tape ties to something from later in this very episode. What exactly? I cannot say, but it is a doozy. Also noteworthy, we got the first true solo interaction between adult Van (Lauren Ambrose) and Shauna which was refreshing because I have been clamoring for Van to interact one on one with an adult that is not Taissa (Tawny Cypress). After all, you cannot exactly flesh out a character if she only has meaningful conversations with her love interest.  

Not to be left out, TaiVan receive their own major reveal in Yellowjackets Season 3 Episode 6 that has major ramifications for their relationship and the adult timeline as a whole. A lot of the reveals here will force viewers to realize that the writer’s room has been playing chess, hinting and building to these moments, while all of us have been playing checkers. 

Writers Libby Hill and Emily St. James craft a narrative that touches on several plot threads without making everything overly complicated. They devote adequate time to each plot in Yellowjackets Season 3 Episode 6, wrapping some up and providing clarity the audience was seeking with others. The way that these two bridge the gap between both timelines is brilliant and something that fans have been looking forward to for a long time. While I am certain both timelines will continue to have their own arcs, it is great to finally have a true piece that connects them besides, you know, the characters being in both.

Yellowjackets Season 3 Episode 6 deserves to be hailed among the best of the entire series. All of the performances are out of this world, bringing a tremendous narrative with multiple shocking reveals to the screen. No one will see these twists coming and I am dying to not only see people’s reactions, but also where the show goes from here.

Season 3 Episode 6 of Yellowjackets is now available to stream with the Paramount+ with SHOWTIME plan.