Yellowjackets set up some intriguing storylines for Taissa, but the show’s second season neglected to resolve or continue her storylines.
Taissa started out strong in Yellowjackets season 1, but the second season forgot about her biggest storylines. As one of the wilderness survivors, Taissa’s trauma followed her into the present like her peers and had a severe impact on her family life. However, when season 2 rolled around, Taissa reunited with her high school sweetheart Van and many of the loose ends related to her character fell to the wayside.
Even in the 1996 scenes, Taissa’s story wasn’t at the center of the season. Javi’s disappearance, return, and ultimate death became a core part of season 2, as did Shauna’s stillbirth. There were so many questions regarding Taissa, and it was expected Yellowjackets would give more answers and context in season 2, so it’s odd that they didn’t offer much at all. Showrunners confirmed a bonus Yellowjackets episode would be coming soon, which could potentially answer some questions. However, as of now, Yellowjackets season 2 left many things for season 3 to explore with Taissa.
7. Taissa’s Political Career Was Dropped In Yellowjackets Season 2
Yellowjackets season 1 introduced present-day Taissa through her political campaign to become the New Jersey state senator. Some of the issues that come up are her opponent’s constant attacks and the public disliking her because she is a Black lesbian woman. Luckily for her, Taissa gets enough votes to win the election, but Yellowjackets season 2 didn’t give any updates on the status of Taissa’s political career.
While her term hasn’t started yet, there’s likely a lot that’s happened. In season 1, Taissa was determined to make sure no one found out about what happened between her and her friends in the wilderness as teenagers, as she believed it would ruin her chances of winning. Even after winning, she’d likely still be wary of anyone finding out the truth, but the season doesn’t address this any further.
6. The Wilderness’ Affect On Sammy Became Irrelevant
Taissa’s son Sammy, who she raised with her wife Simone, seemed to have a connection to the wilderness. He told his mothers that he kept seeing a woman sleeping in the tree outside his window, and he also drew some disturbing drawings suggesting he was as connected to the wilderness as Taissa and her friends are. Instead of diving deeper into this, the show dropped it entirely in season 2. The woman in the tree was possibly Taissa, as she slept in a tree in the wilderness the night Van got attacked by the wolves. However, the fact that Sammy doesn’t recognize the woman as his mother is fascinating and means he could be connected to the wilderness power. But whether or not this was the case remains open to speculation.
5. Taissa and Simone’s Separation Wasn’t Mentioned Again
After Taissa starts hallucinating and Simone finds her shrine, she starts pressuring Taissa to get help. Because Taissa keeps refusing, Simone leaves with Sammy, wanting nothing to do with Taissa. While it seems they’re headed for divorce, season 2 doesn’t address the split much or clarify where Taissa and Simone stand. Instead, Taissa reunites with Van, and all the feelings she had for her as a teenager return. She seemingly forgets all about Simone and their son Sammy as she falls back in love with Van.
4. Taissa’s Sleepwalking Stopped When She Reunited With Van
Reuniting with Van changed more than Taissa’s dynamic with Simone. It also affected Taissa’s sleepwalking. When she reunited with Van, her sleepwalking stopped. This is odd as it was something she did quite a lot in the wilderness and something she was recently doing in the present-day scenes. However, season 2 cuts off Taissa’s sleepwalking storyline as soon as she’s back with Van. It’s unclear why Taissa’s sleepwalking stops because Van didn’t have the power to stop it in the wilderness, so why her presence is enough to stop it in the present day is certainly cause for confusion.
3. The Man With No Eyes Was Never Explained
Along with the Antler Queen, the man with no eyes has been a mysterious character fans have impatiently been waiting for answers on. Taissa started seeing the man as a child when her grandmother was on her deathbed. The man also appeared in the wilderness, but season 2 pushed his storyline to the side and never explained who he was or why Taissa kept seeing him. He seemed to be a crucial part of the story and had some connection to the wilderness, but the long-awaited questions regarding his identity never came in Yellowjackets season 2.
2. Yellowjackets Didn’t Explain Taissa’s Wilderness Symbol Shrine
One of the most terrifying parts of Yellowjackets’ present-day scenes is when Simone discovers Taissa’s shrine. The shrine includes the wilderness symbol, Sammy’s doll, and the head and heart of the family’s missing dog, which Taissa seemingly killed while she was sleepwalking. This seemed like something Yellowjackets would want to explore in detail. What was the meaning of it, and why did Taissa build it? Surprisingly, season 2 provided no answers about the mysterious shrine, though it’s clearly connected to whatever is going on with Taissa and her sleepwalking.
1. Taissa’s Bond With Shauna Faded To The Background
A sweeter aspect of the Yellowjackets series was Taissa’s bond with Shauna. It began early into the survivors’ time in the wilderness after the crash. The two got close when Taissa was the first one to find out that Shauna was pregnant and Jeff, Jackie’s boyfriend, was the father. When Shauna initially tried to give herself an abortion, Taissa refused to let her go through it alone. Ultimately, Shauna changed her mind, but Taissa was by her side no matter what decision she made. The two also bonded in the present day over the blackmailing scheme. Shauna even let Taissa spend the night at her house, and she watched over her like they used to do for each other in the wilderness. Later Taissa helped clean up Adam’s murder.
Unfortunately, Yellowjackets season 2 doesn’t carry on with their friendship. Taissa’s main relationship becomes her dynamic with Van, and there’s hardly any ackowledgment of how close she was with Shauna and how they’d reunited in adulthood. It would have been great to see them be there for each other again, but apparently, Yellowjackets didn’t see their friendship as important to season 2’s plot. That said, the show could find a way to make it vital to season 3.
