Yellowjackets Review: Sic Transit Gloria Mundi (Season 1 Episode 10)

Yellowjackets Season 1 Episode 10, “Sic Transit Gloria Mundi,” is a meticulously crafted finale that secures its spot as one of the best new shows on television.

All bets are off the table in the season finale, and anyone is up for the chop, making it gut-wrenching, nerve-racking, and keeping its audience on their toes.

“Sic Transit Gloria Mundi” is a riveting episode that foreshadows the lengths the series will go to in season two. The immeasurable talent of the cast, and I mean all, not just some, is what solidifies Yellowjackets as a success. From the adult cast to the younger cast; they knew the assignment and came to deliver each and every episode. 

If Yellowjackets isn’t nominated for any awards this coming season, it’ll be a shame. Everything from the wardrobe department, visual effects, and the eclectic range of the soundtrack to the raw, passionate acting is absolutely marvelous. 

The storytelling from the beginning to end is immaculate, well-thought-out, and demands the audiences’ attention every single week — the finale is no different.

Jackie’s Fate

In the aftermath of Season 1 Episode 9, “Doomcoming,” Jackie is, rightfully, in a state of shock. She can’t believe what transpired the night before and that the girls are acting as if everything’s fine. Meanwhile, she’s getting most of the heat for sleeping with Travis, as if they weren’t going to assault and sacrifice him.

The feeling of betrayal and disgust motivates Jackie to put pressure on the girls, starting the beginning of her downfall. Are her outbursts warranted? Absolutely. Is it best to isolate and alienate yourself from the group in the middle of nowhere? Obviously not. But, Misty also metaphorically pushes Jackie off the cliff. If she had kept her mouth shut about Jackie not thanking the forest spirits, Jackie may have survived the night. 

Jackie’s death is miserable and undeserving. It’s not even the fact that she dies – her death has been teased all season long, so it isn’t much of a surprise – it’s how she dies. She’s alone in the woods, is convinced her best friend hates her, has been ostracized by the group, and can’t even start her own fire; it’s devastating and horrific.

What’s worse is her last dream before her eternal slumber is for her and Shauna to make up. All she wanted was for Shauna to tell her she loved her back and that everything would be okay. I may never emotionally recover!

Sophie Nélisse delivers the performance of the season with the soul-crushing scene of Shauna finding Jackie frozen. You can feel the pain and regret in her voice; Shauna’s heart is literally breaking. She’s the cause for Jackie’s death, and it was something she could have prevented. Knowing the truth, it’s no wonder Shauna has thought about Jackie every single day for the past twenty-five years. 

It makes me miss the times when all I could do was theorize how the showrunners would throw a curveball and introduce adult Jackie. But we’ll never see that day. RIP Jackie.

I don’t want to get my hopes up, but I feel like this won’t be the last we see of Jackie. We still need answers to if she was genuinely dreaming or if she’s in an in-between place that exists.

Assuming the man in the corner is dead cabin guy, how is Jackie talking to him? He says “we’ve been waiting for you,” but how is that possible? The only other person who’s actually dead is Laura Lee, so it has to be part dream and part reality if she’s talking to the man in the cabin. 

At this point, I’d be okay with any storyline that involved Jackie staying on for Season 2. It’s too soon to say goodbye.

Long Live the Antler Queen

Lottie’s presence in the finale is minimum with the screentime but cements her as the antagonist of the series. While the Doomcoming events on the night prior have the yellowjackets questioning what’s reality, Lottie wins their loyalty after a bear in the woods allows her to kill it.

During her shrooms induced state, she mentions that they won’t be hungry much longer, and voila, they’re eating hearty and well the next day. This particular moment solidifies to Van that Lottie will lead them to survival. She needs something to believe in, and Lottie hasn’t been wrong since they crashed.

If we’re being technical, Lottie has been predicting things her whole life, now is just the time people are finally starting to listen. 

With the last scene of the season focusing on the beginning of Lottie’s reign, we now know her beginning followers; Van and Misty.

After everything she’s had to endure, Van being one of the first people to follow Lottie isn’t shocking. But, Misty? I don’t believe that she truly believes in Lottie. Misty has been watching from the sidelines for quite some time. She can see how everyone follows suit behind Lottie and her actions, so I think she’s just saving herself.

Getting on Lottie’s good side before things take a deadly turn is an intelligent move. I think over time her allegiance to Lottie will grow significantly, but for now, she’s not one hundred percent with Lottie. 

Misty making it out of the woods does beg the question, though, was she allowed to leave? Or did she escape with the others and make it out by luck? There’s a good possibility that Misty has been in contact with Lottie the whole time. 

The only question that continues on repeat for me is: if Misty made it out alive, did Van as well? Is Van still alive in the wilderness, or did she come back and change her name as well? I’m beyond ready to explore Van and Taissa’s relationship after Van’s allegiance to Lottie. Will they work through their different viewpoints, or will it be too much? Only time will tell.

Courtney Eaton continues to eat the role of Lottie up, and her character development is nowhere near finished. Season 2 of Yellowjackets is going to be her show, and I am very much looking forward to it.

911! Abduction!

Throughout the season, Natalie has battled her inner demons, putting up with them in the hopes of finding out the truth about Travis. But, after each failed attempt, there’s been a part of her destroyed each time. She’s already in a fragile state of mind, living life day by day and trying to persevere.

Holding on to the idea that Travis was murdered is hard when everyone around her tells her the opposite. And after a particularly tough face-to-face with Shauna, she begins to doubt herself. Watching Natalie devolve over the season into someone unrecognizable is challenging.

Even without the addiction issues, it’s clear that Natalie deals with PTSD, depression, and anxiety. Hell, they all are, but Taissa and Shauna have access to better resources.

She’s focusing all of her energy on one goal to get through the consistent pain of day-to-day life, which is what makes Natalie so relatable. Not everyone has had to deal with the life-altering effects of any sort of mental illness, but a majority have.

While viewers may not be in the same situation, it’s very easy to relate to the feelings that Natalie has to fight. And right now, during a pandemic that has changed all ways of life, it’s not particularly hard for one’s thoughts to swallow them whole if they’re isolated and battling inner demons.

For someone who’s been in that spot before, it’s bone-chilling to watch. Not to say I’m happy with Natalie’s abduction, but thank gosh for their intrusion. I had to pause while watching for the first time because it’s such a heavy scene and based on Juliette Lewis’ comments, I was expecting the worst.

At the moment, it feels like we’re saying goodbye to Natalie forever, and it brings tears to the eye. Juliette Lewis is a powerhouse performer, and I’m enamored with her every time she’s on-screen. Exhilarated is an understatement for the feelings I have knowing that she’ll be returning for Season 2. 

Natalie’s abduction, however, raises a lot of questions. Who exactly is taking her? Why do they wear the symbol from the wilderness, and are they taking her back there? Has the cult made it to the states? Is Lottie closer than they thought, or has she thrived in the wilderness for the last twenty-five years?

Kevyn and Natalie don’t end the season on the best note, but I need that to change in Season 2. I need him to figure out that Natalie’s been kidnapped and drop everything to find her. I want him to join the squad and learn the truth about what’s going on. Next season, he needs to be more involved, and his connection with Natalie explored more.

Missing Person

It feels fitting to grieve Adam’s gruesome dismemberment, but something about the situation feels off. I’m not buying that he was just an average guy who developed a crush for Shauna – it can’t be that simple. Misty’s entire facial expression changes the moment she sees Adam’s face. It’s a swift change from confusion and excitement to sudden fury, and not one of the other women clocked it.

What if he and Misty had been working together the entire time to keep eyes on all the women? With Adam staying close to Shauna, Misty would only have to worry about Natalie and Taissa. And seeing as how clingy she’s been towards Natalie, it seems plausible. I’m not sure how Adam would correlate to Lottie, but Misty could have been a spy in hiding.

Misty has been keeping tabs on all of the surviving yellowjackets since they returned, so it would be easy for her to be playing double agent. She exclaims to Natalie that she’s been working day and night on Travis’ case; well, I don’t think she has. I believe that she helped Lottie send the postcards, take care of Travis, and then Jessica was getting too close to the truth, so she kidnapped her.

Jessica’s hostage situation has only ever been about Misty learning the truth, aka learning what Jessica knows. So, as much as I want to believe that she genuinely likes Natalie and wouldn’t lie to her like that, something tells me it was a setup. And if my theory is wrong, Lottie better have all the juju and manpower she needs because Misty is coming for her ass.

Back to Adam — with his face all over the news, they’re all in trouble. Misty might’ve made the intelligent decision to incinerate his hands and head, but what about the torso? She says it’s not important because he can’t be identified, but he has a pretty noticeable back tattoo.

Anyone who knew Adam can identify him through his tattoo, so let’s hope that his corpse remains hidden. Otherwise, things are going to get hairier than they already are. No matter Misty’s skills, if the police get involved, it’s only a matter of time before they’re all caught.

Stray Thoughts:

• Simone finding (fugue) Taissa’s alter with Biscuit’s head, heart, and a voodoo doll of Sammy is horrifying. Taissa mentions to Shauna that she knows how bad it can get, and if this is any indication of that, Season 2 is going to be wild. I don’t really care for her political storyline, but I’ll deal with it if it means we get her fugue state explored more. It’s obvious Taissa would never intentionally do anything to hurt her family, but her fugue state has a different agenda. It also seems like she’s losing her sense of reality even while awake. 
• If Javi was in the woods with no shelter, then he’s gone as well. But I don’t think we’ve seen the last of him. What if, during his fleeing from Shauna, he finds whatever Lottie dreamt about when she found the stairwell full of candles? Everything else that Lottie has seen has come true except that.
• Allie’s attitude is insufferable, and I hope we aren’t subjected to more of it in Season 2. 
• Why did Lottie wait 25 years to come after the rest of the team? Why not sooner?

What did you think of this episode of Yellowjackets? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

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Yellowjackets will return sometime in 2023 on Showtime.

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