Yellowjackets Season 2 Episode 6 Review: Qui

Shauna goes into labor, and a group reunion occurs on Yellowjackets Season 2 Episode 6, “Qui.”

“Qui” is one of the most gripping, keep-you-on-the-edge-of-your-seat episodes of the season with Shauna’s labor and the anticipation for what’s to come of wilderness baby. And it’s only the beginning of how treacherous the series is about to make these kids’ lives.

We spend the hour following the daunting decisions the girls must make to keep Shauna and her baby alive. It’s stressful in the fingernail-chewing type of way, especially with the curve the series throws.

Hallucinations are beginning to become the new normal for Ben and the kids, and it feels fitting that we see Shauna be pushed to that breaking point again.

While it’s fairly easy to depict that Shauna is hallucinating, especially after her placenta comes before the baby, it’s crucial to the storyline, nonetheless. It gives us a deeper look into Shauna’s thought process and what she believes about the others.

Shauna hallucinates Lottie as the ringleader, obviously due to her animosity towards her and her cult-like tendencies. When their hallucination versions are going ravenous on the baby, Shauna sees everyone in a different light, and it almost feels on purpose.

In her eyes, Natalie, Ben, and Akilah are in pure turmoil and regret over their actions, whereas everyone else is acting maliciously. Well, besides Taissa. It’s evident in the glossiness of her eyes that Shauna is imagining her fugue side.

Out of everyone, Taissa is the only one I don’t think Shauna could see doing it willingly.

Then, reality kicks in, and the scene turns from this supernatural atmosphere and becomes a raw, brutal depiction of the atrocities real life is throwing at them.

Shauna’s hallucinations are a form of protection her brain is trying to give to prevent her from feeling the loss. Each time I watch it, I can’t help but cry, especially when she claims to hear his cries.

Yellowjackets has had plenty of sad moments, but this brings a new level of emotions. It’s even more brutal when you step back from everything going on and just put into perspective that they’re all children.

Sophie Nelisse deserves an Emmy nomination for Best Lead Actress because she is putting in the work this season! No rest, no days off, just delivering pure talent. She provides a masterclass on acting with her work on “Qui.”

If she isn’t nominated for her work this season, it will be an absolute crime. Let’s not forget Juliette Lewis, either. Her portrayal of Natalie this season has been breathtaking, especially with her performance on “Qui.”

Juliette’s depiction of Natalie’s inner turmoil and hatred for playing a part in Travis’ death is captivating, haunting, and palpable.

It’s tragic seeing Natalie put all of the blame on herself for Travis’ actions. Obviously, he believed in Lottie’s guidance and fell victim to her influence and the wilderness. That tether he created with the two was never going to go away.

Maybe her mentioning the wilderness once amid a possible overdose triggered him somehow, but she shouldn’t blame herself for his death.

It’s hard to root for only one actor on Yellowjackets when it comes to awards season because there isn’t one person not giving their all. The cast is full of talented, personable, and loving people who care deeply about their craft, and it translates on screen.

If anything, “Qui” feels like the jumping point for the beginning of the end of civility in the wilderness, and I can’t wait to see the lengths they’re forced to go to finally.

Natalie: We did so much fucked up shit out there. And yeah, maybe it was to survive. Maybe. But I don’t think we deserved to.

I am excited because it’s a moment we’ve all been waiting for since the beginning of the series. However, I’m not sure I’m ready for them to begin killing each other for survival, even if we’ve already seen them resort to inadvertently killing one another.

There’s no way we don’t end the season without seeing them make their first kill under their new rules in the last three episodes.

Stray Thoughts:

• Lottie’s new therapist feels very suspicious. With her blipping in and out of reality, it’s plausible she’s only a figment of her imagination. Plus, the aerial shot of the camp at the end of the episode is further proof that Lottie is still connected to the wilderness in a more profound way than she realizes.
• I wonder how long it’ll take for all the adults to be in the same place before things get dark and twisted.
• Jeff providing the comedic factor to most episodes is an aspect that I thoroughly enjoy. Him blasting “Fuck Tha Police” by N.W.A. outside the police station? Comedy gold!
• Yellowjackets is a series that I hope is given enough time to flesh out the story completely, even if that means six seasons.

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

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Yellowjackets airs Sundays at 9/8c on Showtime.

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