Each week Terry and Joe discuss the most recent episode of Showtime’s serialized thriller, Yellowjackets.

Spoilers follow for episode 2, ‘F Sharp’

Plot: The teens get their bearings as Misty (Samantha Hanratty) finds hell on earth quite becoming. In the present: revenge, sex homework and the policeman formerly known as Goth.

TERRY

After an expertly paced first episode, I expected the second episode to slow things down a bit, Joe. But with “F Sharp,” Yellowjackets continues to prove it isn’t messing around.

It opens where “Pilot” ended: the plane crashing. People set aflame. General pandemonium.

Misty holds her head between her legs and thinks back to a time, in 1992, when she was prank-called by bullies. “You’re such a fucking weirdo,” they tell her, after teasing her that she had anal sex in the janitor’s closet. “F Sharp” suggests that Misty has always been seen as needless. Someone to make fun of. The weirdo. And here, in the dense Ontario wilderness, she’s something she’s never been: wanted.

This second episode gives us a whole lot of violence in its cold open, as members of the titular Yellowjackets are set aflame, smashed with debris and trapped underneath chunks of metal. That last one is the assistant coach Ben Scott (Steven Krueger), whose leg is pinned under scraps from the plane and when the girls manage to lift it up...Joe, it isn’t pretty. But Misty moves into action, smashing an axe down just above the mangled leg and immediately creates a tourniquet to quench his gushing leg. “Help me move him,” she calmly tells the shell-shocked others as “Mother Mother” by Tracy Bonham plays.

“I’m losing my mind / Everything’s fine!” indeed!

In 2021, Misty (Christina Ricci) is on a date with Stan (Paul Piaskowski) who is...not having it, as she lists off the things that turns her on. Last week, we had wondered what Natalie (Juliette Lewis) was up to with her gun and her laser focus on Misty.

“F Sharp” quickly solves that enigma. It seems that the survivors are getting postcards with a symbol drawn on it. The very symbol that is oh-so-briefly shown, carved into a tree, in 1996.

Natalie thinks Misty sent it, but Misty received the same one. Later, it’s revealed that Taissa (Tawny Cypress) also received one. Someone knows what they did, and is quietly sending threatening messages. Misty has theories...a whole box full of them, in fact. But one person stands out to Natalie: Travis (played by Kevin Alves as a teen), the son of Coach Martinez (Carlos Sanz).

I like that Yellowjackets is assured enough to quickly dispatch the notion that Natalie plans on picking the surviving women off. The way the episode ends hints that we are going to get a potentially awkward road trip from hell with Natalie and Misty. I personally like that the show is pairing the two of them up, at least for now, because Misty’s eternally sunny disposition mixed with Natalie’s dour expressions is a match made in ironic heaven.

You wondered during our review last week, Joe, about the show’s focus on the female characters, even though there were clearly guys on the plane. “F Sharp” confirms that at minimum Travis survived. We know that Travis’s father, Coach Martinez, certainly doesn’t, as he’s shown impaled on a tree branch that crashes to the ground. If Misty’s implication is that Travis wants revenge of some sort, I’d hazard a guess that perhaps his brother Javi (Luciano Leroux) doesn’t survive the 19 month ordeal…

We also get some more information about Adult Shauna (Melanie Lynskey) and Taissa in this episode, but if the focus in “Pilot” was on Shauna and her relationship with Jackie (Ella Purnell), then “F Sharp” is all about Misty. What did you think of Misty this episode, particularly with the reveal at the end? Do you have thoughts on Shauna’s current love life (or lack thereof)? We also get some more home life with Taissa and, in particular, a creepy situation involving her son Sammy (Aiden Stoxx). What do you make of his problems and school? And, more importantly, who is hiding in the tree outside his window??

JOE

While I’m unsure if the show needs a creepy kid on top of everything else, Sammy’s window reveal certainly suggests that there may be more than four surviving women and one man in the mix. And although I’m unsure how long the show can drag out questions about who did and didn’t survive those long 19 months in the woods, it’s clear that - for now - there’s plenty of mystery to be mined from guessing who else is wandering around in 2021, looking for revenge.

As much as we praised Lynskey’s performance last week, it’s a smart move for Yellowjackets to switch the focus to flesh out Natalie and Misty a little more. We learned so little about present-day Misty last week that it’s great to see more of Ricci here, especially the kooky comedy that the actress brings to the show (the description of “Citizen Detectives” had me rolling!) I sometimes forget that she’s a gifted comedian so this energy is both very exciting and very welcome.

There’s more than a little cringe in how she tries to manipulate Stan into first continuing their date, and then luring him back to her place with what are clearly pre-emptive car troubles. I love how that development anticipates Natalie’s own issues at episode’s end; regardless of whether we’re in 1996 or 2021, Misty is evidently a woman who isn’t afraid to resort to sabotage to get what she wants!

The ending of the episode - which reveals that Misty destroyed the plane’s black box because she overhears Van (Liv Hewson) praising her - isn’t too surprising, although I do wish there was a bit more build-up to it. Perhaps it’s confirmation that Misty is prone to making impulsive decisions, but it all goes down a bit too quickly for me. I’m more intrigued to learn if the other survivors know about this because it’s hard to believe that someone like Natalie would ever forgive Misty for prolonging their suffering.

But I am absolutely down for a Misty/Natalie road trip, because you’re absolutely right that these polar opposite personalities are delightful together.

Also delightful? Watching Shauna and Jeff (Warren Kole) struggle through their therapist-mandated sex homework. There aren’t a lot of surprises in how this storyline develops: it begins awkwardly when Shauna can’t get into his mundane work-related fantasy, then comes together when she becomes assertive and dominates him. And although we’ve seen this kind of couples-on-the-rocks bit before, it works because Lynskey and Kole lean into the initial awkwardness and have good chemistry together for the more passionate back half. (Sidebar: I’m looking at Kole’s jacked body and wondering what the hell is wrong with Shauna. Climb that tree, girl!)

Of course because there’s a certain level of domesticity to Shauna’s plot, there’s adultery on the horizon - for both her and Jeff. Earlier in the episode, Shauna has a meet-cute when she rear-ends body shop owner Adam (Peter Gadiot) and later, despite the hot sex, she discovers a text message on Jeff’s phone that he’s meeting “Bianca”. I fully expect that a) this isn’t the last we’ll see of Adam and b) Bianca isn’t going to be who we expect (the show is too smart for a conventional affair, so I’m anticipating Yellowjackets to subvert our expectations and reveal it’s another survivor).

But Terry, I’ll throw it back to you: based on the 1996 scenes and the chilly reception Nat receives from Travis on the phone, what do you think we’re dealing with? How fucked is Jackie for abandoning Van to die in that plane crash? And what drinks do you offer guests aside from Coconut Lacroix and Sherry?

TERRY

I’m with Natalie on this one, Joe: I’m going to need something harder than either of those. One of the things we’ve both talked about in these two episodes (I can’t believe it’s only been two episodes) is the way Yellowjackets swerves with expectations. So when you ask how fucked Jackie is for abandoning Van in the plane crash, I immediately realized that we don’t know if Jackie survives this whole ordeal. The show smartly planted in our heads (or at least mine) that Jackie did, in fact, die because of the opening scene and the locket. So while the locket has changed hands (and will obviously change more hands since it’s with Shauna and she’s alive), the fact that we haven’t seen Jackie in 2021 and the show opened with what initially seemed to be her death made me forget she could still be alive.

Hell, she could be the woman in the tree.

But if she isn’t alive in 2021, it would absolutely be because of Van. Jackie leaving her to burn to death on the plane is a trauma Van won’t be able to get past...at least in the short term. Her snide comments of “Surprise!” when she appears and “You’re on fire, Jackie...oh wait, that was supposed to be me, huh?” continue the first episode’s pithy retorts, which I appreciated. The pre-release information on the show also suggests that this team will devolve into warring clans, suggesting that, at some point, lines are going to be drawn. I can’t see Van siding with Jackie.

Nat and Travis are intriguing, though, because “F Sharp” introduces what could be the start of a fledgling romance between the two of them. Natalie’s very concerned, hanging back to staring at him forlornly while he mourns his dead father and I think that comfort could turn into more romantic feelings. The way 2021’s Natalie looks at and strokes the copied ID card shows that there’s something there between them. And I wouldn’t be surprised if this road trip might reignite those feelings.

I’m really curious about the flashback structure and whether it will continue playing out the early days of their survival or if there will be a time jump. So far it’s taking things day-by-day, but we’re already 1/5th of the way through the season. Will we get a LOST-esqe, day-by-day exploration of their time in the wilderness? Or will it play things more willy-nilly?

Yellowjackets, so far, seems bullish on its timeframe. The cold open was set in winter and obviously a long time from where they are now. And I can’t imagine this first season not delivering on who was mercilessly staked, butchered and eaten. So there’s a lot of ground to cover and not a whole lot of time to do so, unless they jump around. With the flashback-within-a-flashback to 1992, Yellowjackets could conceivably play with time during the 19 months.

But I’m curious what you think about that, Joe. Do you think this season will rush through events or, maybe, put them out of order? Did you see Natalie and Travis’s interactions as a hint of a relationship down the line like I did? What are you looking for in the third episode? And, maybe this is a bit too early to speculate...but between the ritualistic markings in the woods and Sammy channeling Creepy Kid from The Ring...is there something supernatural going on?

JOE

I can definitely see things playing out of order - and not just because we’ve already seen it happen! Thus far one of the show’s best assets is its confidence in its own storytelling: these writers know how to construct a gripping mystery and playing with both time and expectations is a key component of that.

With that said, however, I don’t see the show rushing through things either. I’m really hoping that we’re settling in for a long run. While we’ll undoubtedly get answers (or maybe just teases) about how events shake out in both 1996 and 2021, I see some massive cliffhangers in our future as we move towards the end of the season.

As for Nat and Travis, I think you’re right on the money. I’m intrigued to see how younger brother Javi plays into that, though. There hasn’t been a peep about him in the present day, but Travis seems completely disaffected by his presence in the aftermath of the crisis. I’m sure it’s just grief and shock, but as far as we know they’re the only two blood relations and (presumably) the only two mobile men among the survivors. Will this bring them together or force them apart?

Now that you’ve reminded us about the inevitable rift for the group on the horizon, I can’t help but speculate about who will fall on either side of the line. It’ll be worth keeping an eye on the conflicts that arise in the episodes to come, in addition to whose loyalty lies with who. I wouldn’t be surprised to see our four female survivors from 2021 band together...though maybe that’s too predictable?

As for the introduction of something supernatural: my gut says no, though I think there’s someone else living in those woods who will help to guide the girls towards more “meaty” options. But considering how grounded the rest of the series has been, I think a supernatural element would take away from the drama. Maybe I’m just stating my preference?

Moving forward, I think we’re overdue for more info on Natalie, so I’m predicting the next episode will focus on her. And yes, the odd couple pairing of her and Misty on a roadtrip sounds indelible. Plus: more teases about the symbol, the necklace and the woman outside Sammy’s window.

Oh, and I’m predicting it now: Shauna’s tryst with Jeff will not only break up her friendship with Jackie in 1996, but Jackie will learn the truth by the halfway point of the season. Mark my words!

We’ll find out how on or off the mark I am when we return to QueerHorrorMovies next week for episode three, “The Dollhouse.”