“Yellowjackets” Season 2 is proving to be a riveting follow-up to the harrowing mystery that began in Season 1. Teen Shauna (Sophie Nélisse) is growing increasingly worried about her baby’s looming birth in the unforgiving winter wilderness. On top of that, her fellow Yellowjackets are acting strangely as their cult-like group forms an unsettling obsession.
In the even more intense second season, the Yellowjackets finally hit that highly anticipated moment when the team crosses an unspeakable line. After Jackie’s (Ella Purnell) body is cooked by unseen forces, they feast on her corpse and engage in cannibalism. In Episode 5, “Two Truths and a Lie,” Shauna’s pregnancy leads her to become further agitated and unnerved by Lottie (Courtney Eaton), particularly in her strange influence over the other Yellowjackets. They have an odd interest in Shauna’s baby, which leaves her feeling ostracized, frightened, and angry.
In a revealing interview with Esquire, Sophie Nélisse dives into Shauna’s troubling mindset. While Shauna may empathize with the group’s need for hope, their fascination with her baby is creepy, nonetheless.
“Her hope is just this baby, and she doesn’t want anything messing with it,” Nélisse said. “The journey that Lottie is taking scares her because she can see how they’re losing touch with reality. I don’t think she wants to risk it by believing in it.” She continued by sharing her thoughts on their worrisome behavior and what it could mean for the rest of Season 2.
Shauna is disturbed by the group’s cult-like interest in her baby
Shauna is one of the few Yellowjackets who refuses to participate in Lottie’s peculiar, cult-like meetings. She’s also harboring an enormous amount of guilt for Jackie’s death and the subsequent feasting on her body. With Esquire, Sophie Nélisse delved into Shauna’s psyche, including her pressing thoughts on motherhood.
“She’s already so mad at herself for everything that she’s done that I don’t even think she can bear the responsibility anymore,” Nélisse said.
This inner turmoil leaves Shauna lashing out at her friends as she feels her isolation from the group growing. Their disconcerting focus on her baby further drives the wedge between them and infuriates Shauna even more, especially when Lottie takes the liberty of whispering to her baby.
“She’s definitely projecting a lot of her anger,” Nélisse said, “and she’s letting it out on other people because it’s too much for her to handle. As the season progresses, she feels very alienated because she’s so mad at herself, and she feels very judged by the group because she didn’t believe in the cause.”
Even though she doesn’t participate in Lottie’s “prayer group,” she may not have a choice with the supernatural events occurring around her. As Lottie’s role in Season 2 grows, the mystical presence may have unavoidable sinister plans for Shauna and her baby.
