Why Shauna, Lottie & Tai Refuse To Go With Nat & The Others In Yellowjackets Season 3, Episode 8

Despite having their best chance yet at being rescued in Yellowjackets season 3, episode 8, three key characters insist on staying in the wilderness. With over a year passing since Yellowjackets’ plane crash occurred, most of the survivors had given up on the idea of being rescued. However, when Edwin (Nelson Franklin), Hannah (Ashley Sutton), and Kodiak (Joel McHale) appear at the end of Yellowjackets season 3, episode 6, rescue suddenly feels like it may be possible again.

Lottie (Courtney Eaton) killing Edwin makes this more complicated. Nevertheless, a truce is struck with Hannah and Kodiak, and Natalie (Sophie Thatcher) takes charge of the group again. Kodiak tells them that it will be a six-day hike to reach the rescue point. Just as the group prepares to leave their camp behind and begin the journey, though, Lottie, Shauna (Sophie Nélisse), and Taissa (Jasmin Savoy Brown) refuse to accompany Natalie and the others, with the three of them insisting that they must remain in the wilderness.

Shauna Is Afraid To Return Home, Face What She’s Done In The Wilderness & Lose Her Power

Shauna’s insistence on staying in the wilderness is driven by fear. She knows that if she goes back home, she will have to face the horrific things she’s done in the wilderness. Most importantly, she will have to face the role she played in the death of Jackie (Ella Purnell). Shauna would also have to lose the power she has gained, and she is not willing to let go of that, especially so soon after being crowned the group’s new leader.

At this point in Yellowjackets’ 1990s timeline, Shauna is a powerful individual who is valued and feared by her peers. She is further defined by her prowess with a knife and her ability to intimidate others into submission. In the wilderness, Shauna knows exactly who she is, but if she goes back home, the identity she has built for herself will not be the same. With Jackie gone, she may not have to live in her shadow, but there is no telling who she will be. This terrifies Shauna, so she will do whatever she can to avoid returning to civilization.

Tai’s Decision To Stay Is Influenced By “Other” Tai & The Man With No Eyes

Tai is fearful of the consequences that will come with returning home. This includes a heteronormative society that will still make it difficult for Tai and Van (Liv Hewson) to be together. As is often the case when Tai is in high-stress situations, “Other” Tai takes control of her, which is shown by the change in her expression and the presence of the Man with No Eyes. When Tai informs the group that she is staying, it isn’t her making that decision, but her other self, who is making an extreme choice to cope with the real Tai’s fears.

If the Yellowjackets leave the wilderness and return to civilization, “Other” Tai may lose that connection to the wilderness, and be unable to manifest as much.

“Other” Tai also makes this decision out of self-preservation. She has a connection with the wilderness, and being in this setting has allowed her to manifest more than she was able to back home. If the Yellowjackets leave the wilderness and return to civilization, “Other” Tai may lose that connection to the wilderness, and be unable to manifest as much. Unfortunately, the rest of the group does not understand what is really happening with Tai, and with her usually being a voice of reason, others may insist on staying as well.

Lottie Has A Place In The Wilderness & Would Return To Being Ostracized For Mental Illness Back Home

In the wilderness, Lottie’s words and her visions are treated as sacred wisdom. This is a stark juxtaposition with her life back home, where her visions and the voices she hears are deemed to be nothing more than mental illness. Lottie’s dad ostracizes her for her condition, and she is forced to undergo electroshock therapy and to be heavily medicated. She has no reason to return to this kind of torment when her current reality is a much better situation for her.

Lottie has already killed Edwin to avoid going home, as she does not want to lose the meaningful purpose and power she has acquired. Having already murdered someone, it is no surprise that Lottie is now refusing to go along with Natalie and the rest of the group. Shauna and “Other” Tai do not want to leave either, but it is Lottie who is the first to make her stand known, with Shauna and “Other” Tai following her lead. This places the group in a precarious situation as Yellowjackets season 3 heads into its final two episodes.