Yellowjackets Season 3 was about the closest to a slow-burn season that fans were ever likely to get. After the dark ending of Season 2, where it was heavily implied that Natalie would lead the camp into unrepentant cannibalism, the opposite came to be in the first few episodes. The Yellowjackets survived the winter to create a utopia of sorts, including games and midsummer activities. But even as Natalie presided over the best-case scenario for the team, she failed to have any real impact. Quickly stripped of her authority, Natalie became a figure in the background, working in the shadows but she wasn’t the only one.
Characters that were once at the center of the drama had very little to do this season. Travis’ biggest contribution to the season was an attempt on Lottie’s life, which naturally failed. The season instead focused on Shauna’s rise to power and her increasing bloodlust. While it was a great season for the new villain of the series and official Antler Queen, the true heart of the series suffered.
Natalie and Travis’ Relationship Was the Center of Season 1
After everything that has happened, Season 1 seems like a million years ago. Jackie was still alive, Shauna was making logical decisions. and most importantly, Natalie and Travis embarked on the central romance of the series. As the only eligible male in a group of hormone-fueled teenage girls, it was a natural progression that Travis would find a connection with one of the soccer players. That person ended up being Natalie, who had more in common with the coach’s son than it may have first seemed. The two had both dealt with the deaths of their fathers, though Natalie’s was an extremely different situation.
Feelings between the two developed in earnest when they proved to be the most adept with the rifle. Natalie and Travis would journey off with each other to find game for the rest of the team. On these excursions, their connection deepened, leading them to become official. Season 1 followed the typical pitfalls of romance in high school as Travis struggled with sexual insecurity and Natalie had to field sabotage from the increasingly petty Jackie. Regardless, the two seemed to have real feelings for each other until Season 2 destroyed it all. Travis soon discovered that Natalie had lied about Javi’s death, only for his brother to die after falling through the ice.
Season 3 was extremely plot-driven while earlier seasons focused more on the relationships between the characters. Shauna got the brunt of the development while other characters seemed to be bystanders. The contrived mysteries of Yellowjackets Season 3 overshadowed the journey that the characters themselves were on.
Travis and Natalie Need to Reconcile For the Rest of the Series to Make Sense
Yellowjackets has other fan-favorite characters, but none are as significant to the conceit of the series as Natalie and Travis. The flashbacks to the ’90s timeline were dovetailed perfectly with the present day when Natalie got released from rehab. Her first act was to find Travis, someone who she clearly had a lot of history with. As fans saw that the two fell for each other while trapped in the wilderness, the specifics of Natalie and Travis’s relationship as adults became clearer. The trauma found after the plane crash formed an unbreakable bond between the two. Though they weren’t always romantically attached, they were each other’s true north.
Both encountered addiction while struggling with everything they had gone through in the wild, and even through their darkest moments, they made a promise to each other. Neither of them would take their lives, no matter how bad it got. This is what initially set off alarm bells for Natalie. After she couldn’t find Travis, she discovered he had died and refused to believe it was from suicide. Natalie theorized it was murder because any other explanation was inconceivable. Throughout her life, Travis was the only one who could understand the darkest parts of herself and not judge her for it.
They may not have been the healthiest couple, but they were a coping mechanism for each other. Natalie’s desire to find out what happened to Travis is what pushed the narrative forward. Many people doubted that Travis was killed and pushed against Natalie’s main goal. She didn’t learn what happened to her former lover until some time later, but her devotion to him never wavered.
As it stands now, there is a lot of ground to cover for these characters to get to that emotional place. There are two decades where Natalie and Travis could find their way back to each other, but this relationship should return on screen. It was once so important to the narrative, and now it seems to be wholly forgotten. Because Natalie and Travis are now both dead in the current timeline, this relationship is more important than ever. Fans deserve the gratification of experiencing this bond between them before the two meet their tragic end.
Romance Is In Short Supply On Yellowjackets
Natalie and Travis were not the only couple to fall victim to the wilderness. Van’s death was excruciating to experience because it meant that she and Taissa wouldn’t get their happy ending either. But for fans not to get too discouraged, even a series as bleak as Yellowjackets should have some elements of romance.
Tai and Van could have been the exception to the dour material, but now that is out the window, the only other option is to bring Tavis and Natalie back to the forefront. Revisiting their feelings for each other, however dark, would be a guiding light in a series that has continued to get darker and darker. They may not have had much time together in Season 3, but that may change in the future. Season 3 pushed many characters to the wayside, but it could just be growing pains for the series. Juliette Lewis’ departure from the series removed Yellowjackets’ forward momentum. She was a force of nature who pushed many of the characters where they needed to go.
Natalie’s move could allow a path for her to be more of a focus in Season 4. Travis was one of the few characters desperate for rescue, even if the rest of the camp wasn’t that interested. Natalie once again risked her life to course-correct the camp, which could bring her closer to Travis. He has become so disillusioned with Lottie’s increasing devotion to the wilderness entity that Natalie would be an obvious ally.
Season 3 also introduced the beginnings of the characters’ struggle with substances. Discovering how to ferment alcohol, the group had it on hand quite frequently. Travis became discouraged, to say the least, when the girls brought Coach Ben back to try him for allegedly burning down the cabin and started abusing the moonshine.
A fourth season of Yellowjackets has the chance to return to the themes that made the show such a hit to begin with. Natalie also struggled with demons and alcohol in her past, and it could be these two against the world going forward, as it should be. Eventually, all the Yellowjackets could end up in the giant proverbial airplane in the sky, but viewers should get genuine connections between the characters while on the way there.
