“Yellowjackets” Season 2 Review – Episode 4 Sharpens the Dividing Lines and Rips Open “Old Wounds”

Episode four of “Yellowjackets” Season 2, “Old Wounds,” picks up with both teen and adult Tai (Jasmin Savoy Brown and Tawny Cypress, respectively) regaining control and consciousness. In the present, it sends Tai running for the only person she knows will understand, while the past sees Tai in denial as her strange trances begin to drive a wedge in her relationship with Van (Liv Hewson). The slow formation of dividing lines extends beyond Tai and Van, becoming the running theme of the episode.

In the past timeline, Coach Ben (Steven Krueger) finally vocalizes his disgust over the girls’ act of cannibalism. It’s the spark that emboldens Lottie’s (Courtney Eaton) followers, sowing dissension among the ranks. When Nat (Sophie Thatcher) gets accused of not pulling her weight as the group’s hunter, it sparks a dangerous bet on who’s the better leader/provider: Lottie for her otherworldly mysticism or Nat and her pragmatic nature. The wilderness will be the ultimate determiner between brain and heart.

In the present, Tai’s arduous trek toward someone from her past bookends the episode. Nat (Juliette Lewis) finds herself bonding with Lottie’s cult follower Lisa (Nicole Maines), unaware that Misty (Christina Ricci) and cohort Walter (Elijah Wood) are closer than ever to finding her. Shauna (Melanie Lynskey) puts her heart over logic in trying to find common ground with her angsty daughter Callie (Sarah Desjardins).

Thanks to its forward momentum toward the group’s inevitable unraveling in “Old Wounds,” the past proves more compelling here. Adult Nat and Misty get a reprieve from the chaos through their episode companions. Nat finds herself empathizing with Lisa, while “Old Wounds” adorably highlights how Misty’s met her perfect match in Walter. Shauna also finds some peace in this episode, but it comes with an anxiety-inducing caveat. It’s a calm before the rug pull that’s bound to happen, but considering the drama in the past, we’ll take it.

“Old Wounds” continues to push Coach Ben down a precarious path as his authoritative role diminishes and faith mounts for Lottie. The competitive game between Nat and Lottie over sourcing food doesn’t just firm up the team division, it provides survival thrills that keep the episode feeling propulsive. All of it builds toward one massive shocker guaranteed to lead to harsh emotional fallout among them. We’re not just taking baby steps toward the series’ opening Lord of the Flies-like anarchy anymore; we’re bounding toward it with reckless abandon.

Episode four hurls the past timeline toward a painful implosion for the group while the present day prepares for the foreseeable band aid rip of old and new wounds. “Yellowjackets” continues its impressive streak of using the dual timelines to mirror or oppose each character arc in clever ways. “Old Wounds” sees young Tai at the polar opposite end of adult Tai’s journey through a splintered psyche, deepening questions of the supernatural. The opposition between teens Nat and Lottie plays a vital role in this episode, following them into adulthood, yet it stays its hand to prolong the tension between them.

The way episode four highlights the harsh elements’ continued erosion of moral and mental stability presents this week’s more thrilling storyline. Still, it remains fascinating how the deep-seated traumas the wilderness continues to inflict upon the group echo into the future. The warring philosophies between the splintering factions will rear their ugly heads again before the season ends. In the meantime, “Old Wounds” closes with a bombshell introduction, ensuring next week can’t get here soon enough.

Episode 4 of “Yellowjackets” Season 2 is available to stream now for Showtime subscribers and the episode will make its on-air debut on Sunday, April 16 at 9 p.m. ET/PT.

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