We've gone through five episodes of Yellowjackets season 3. And I'll be honest, I think all but one have managed to impress me this season. That is until now. Season 3 episode 6, "Thanksgiving (Canada)" finally turns things around. Here's our review of the episode on Paramount+ and Showtime. SPOILERS BELOW.
Goodbye, Coach Scott
We thought we'd be saying goodbye to Coach Scott in episode 5, "Did Tai Do That?" last week. But the series wanted to break our hearts just a little more first. The coach's death finally comes in this episode, and it completely shattered us. We see him suffering and doesn't want to eat. Ben has reached the point where he just wants to die. Though the girls won't let him, even though they were so hellbent on doing it just a couple of episodes ago, because they believe he's their bridge home. Whatever that means. Lottie and Akilah still can't figure it out despite going back to the caves.
But Natalie just can't see him like this any longer, and decides to be strong enough to put him out of his misery. This is so devastating, especially with what we learn in the final moments of the episode. And this is the event that's probably haunted Natalie the most, and why we see her struggle so much as an adult. Ugh, this just breaks my heart even more. And wow. Actor Steven Krueger? Completely breaks my heart here. He was amazing in these scenes.
Natalie kills him, without asking the other girls. And she doesn't care. She'll suffer the consequences. She's had enough of seeing them force a tube down his throat to keep him alive and him not able to move after Shauna and Melissa slashed his leg. It's too much. And I truly don't know how she was able to do it. But she did. Actress Sophie Thatcher is also amazing in this scene as well. Finally when he says thank you to her? Wow. I was in tears.
Shauna just needs to chill, but she sort of gets what she wants for two whole minutes. Ok, it was longer than that. But I think she got to be leader for like a day. She decides to give the wilderness what it wants, and they feast on coach. Which is just so messed up. And Natalie had to prepare him as punishment. So cruel. After the girls have a crazy moment connecting with their environment, we see two people come up, right next to coach's head as they've "honored' him in their own way that they do. Are we finally going to see how they were rescued? Is that who those people are?
What is going on with Tai?
In the present timeline, the story finally starts to pick up and we get a little more information about what's happening, though things are still clouded in mystery as well. Shauna believes someone is after her and her family, so she tells Callie and Jeff to pack up and they go to a motel. When Callie learns about Lottie's death, she gives her mom the mysterious tape that was mailed to their home.
Shauna calls Tai and Van and they play the tape. We don't really hear what's said on it. It seems like this will be a revelation we're going to have to wait for. But it's clearly something they want to keep hidden. But now, someone has the recording of whatever this is.
Misty made me laugh when she just showed up with Lottie's DNA and wanted it tested. She also finds Lisa, who we're seeing for the first time since she interrupted the yellowjackets' ritual in the season 2 finale and inadvertently caused Natalie's death. Apparently the big amount of money Lottie had withdrawn before she died, $50,000, was because she gave it to Lisa.
Finally, what's the most interesting and probably the creepiest part of the present timeline is Tai. Her other self is somehow coming out not only while she's asleep, but she was whispering something on the player while she and Van were looking for the device to play Shauna's tape. What in the world is going on? Plus, apparently Tai met up with Lottie the day she died. Did her other self push Lottie down the stairs?
Yellowjackets season 3 episode 6 review
What I liked about Yellowjackets season 3 episode 6 and why I think it worked for me is the fact that both the past and present timelines were equally interesting. In the last few episodes this season, the present has been kind of boring. And now, we're finally getting somewhere. It also delivered a great cliffhanger. These are all the elements we want to see and that make for a good episode.
If those really are the rescuers, that just makes Coach Scott's death even more heartbreaking. It was only a matter of hours, and he could have gone home and perhaps found the will to live once again with the hope of leaving this crazy place and the wild girls behind. But, it was too late. The episode has finally brought the story to a level of interest where we want to see what happens next, both in the past and present while providing emotion and an intriguing cliffhanger. Episode grade level: B.
Yellowjackets season 3 releases new episodes Fridays on Paramount+ and Sundays on Showtime.