Yellowjackets characters and their The Wilds counterparts (pt.2)
Jackie Taylor and Fatin Jadmani
Bubbly, feminine, preppy, popular in social circles, fashion-oriented, fiercely loyal, struggle with the weight of expectations and the pressure to be perfect, tend to disappear or isolate from the group when hurt, have a hard time adjusting to the wild and using survival skills.
Van Palmer and Toni Shalifoe
Gayest mfs alive, sarcastic, funny, goofy and silly, can be impulsive, such a simp for their girlfriends
Laura Lee and Shelby Goodkind
Kind-hearted, religious and faithful, positive and optimistic, cheerful, see the good in everyone, pure and hopeful, caring and selfless, (both secretly lesbians?)
Yellowjackets characters and their The Wilds counterparts (pt.1)
Natalie Scatorccio and Dot Campbell
Rebellious, deadpan and sarcastic, traumatized from their fathers, complicated relationships with drugs, had to grow up too fast and raise themselves, compassionate and caring, good survival instincts in the wild due to already being in survival mode in their troubled home environments.
Shauna Shipman and Leah Rilke
Obsessive (tend to idolize and obsess over a particular person, as Shauna does with Jackie and Leah does with Jeffrey), smart and observant, unhealthy/rocky relationships, feeling invisible, sweet with a darkness underneath the surface, need to be loved, (also both fucking people named Jeff?)
Misty Quigley and Nora Reid
Socially awkward, have a hard time fitting in, unhinged, highly intelligent and knowledgeable about a wide range of topics, manipulative, and they are both the reason their friends are stranded (Misty broke the black box and Nora helped set up the experiment).
Taissa Turner and Rachel Reid
Ambitious, determined (sometimes to a fault as this determination to succeed can hurt themselves and/or those around them as we see with Tai breaking Allie’s leg and driving herself mad with her political campaign and Rachel’s ED/almost drowning Leah for the sake of finding the black box), smart, headstrong and stubborn, reliable and loyal, hard working.
Lottie Matthews and Martha Blackburn
Spiritual and in touch with nature, both have visions and hallucinations, kind and good-natured, healing, both have a tendency to comfort and heal others (the parallels between the Lottie and Travis panic attack scene and the Martha and Rachel scene where Rachel is stuck in quicksand are so strong), both have a connection to a person tragically lost after the crash and are guided by dreams/visions of this person (Lottie with Laura Lee and Martha with Jeanette).
Let’s talk about one of the most underrated dynamics in Yellowjackets: Nat and Tai
Nat and Tai have such a troubled little sister/protective big sister dynamic that is not talked about enough.
Before the crash, there is clearly a lot of tension in Nat and Tai’s relationship. Their personalities clash a bit, as Tai is driven and ambitious while Nat is more reckless and directionless. Tai doesn’t understand Nat’s drug use and promiscuity and openly criticizes her for it. Tai is focused on the success of the team and she sees Nat and her behavior as an obstacle to this success.
However, I think there is some care behind her harsh statements. We can see her tough love approach towards Nat starting to develop. She wants Nat to get better, she just has a gruff way of showing it.
We see Tai begin to develop more of a softness for Nat after the crash. I think, as Tai begins to experience what it feels what it’s like to be in survival mode (and starts to lose control of herself) as Nat has been for most of her life, she begins to understand Nat and her coping mechanisms more.
Another important part of their dynamic is that they were the last two skeptics remaining in the Wilderness. When Natalie would challenge Lottie, Tai was often the first (and only) person to back her up. They are both grounded in pragmatism and logic.
Nat and Tai also have the shared experience of watching their partners “go the the dark side” (AKA join Lottie’s cult). Van and Travis are arguably some of Lottie’s most devoted followers towards the end of Season 2, and both Tai and Nat struggle to grapple with this and the rift it creates in their respective romantic relationships.
After they are rescued, Taissa manages to pick herself back up while Nat falls apart, and their little sister/big sister dynamic grows even more as a result. Tai pays for Nat’s rehab, tries to keep her away from Travis because she knows he’s bad for her, keeps pulling her back up and trying to keep her on her feet. I think it says a lot that Tai is the first person Nat thinks to call when she’s arrested.
And then, of course, there’s the scene where Tai defends her decision to pay for Nat’s rehab and continue to try to keep her clean. This scene breaks my heart and shows the caretaker role Taissa has taken on for Nat after the crash. She understands why Nat copes the way she does, and she knows that, unlike Shauna and herself, Nat doesn’t have a support system to rely on.
Even when Nat is being crowned as the new AQ I feel like you can see the concern on Tai’s face. Tai pledges her support of Nat’s new leadership, but you can tell she is also wary of the burden being placed on Nat, and how that might affect her.
Tai’s face is somber like she’s worried about her, but she gives Nat’s hand a small little squeeze of reassurance.
Anyways, I just love how Nat and Tai’s relationship transforms and grows over time. Tai has an empathy and care for Nat that the other survivors just don’t seem to have. I can’t wait to see more of their dynamic post-rescue as Tai struggles to keep Nat afloat and pick up the pieces after her toxic stints with Travis.
This has been way longer than I intended it to be, I’ll just leave y’all with this last clip of Nat giving petulant little sister vibes with Tai that I absolutely love…
untapped potential of van and jackie friendship if only because van knows a shit ton of movie fun facts and jackie accidentally memorized the entire beaches script and they would make a funny duo