Yellowjackets Season 3 Episode 5, “Did Tai Do That?” sees Ben’s life hang precariously in the balance. The teens decide to execute him by firing squad, and up until those last few moments, it seems like we might lose our favorite beleaguered coach. Akilah’s Wilderness vision shows her that Ben is the key to returning to civilization, though, so he’s safe for now. The present timeline is more lighthearted and levity-filled than expected, with Christina Ricci proving why she’s a comedy queen. Also, has Other Tai been here this whole time? It’s possible.
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Yellowjackets, “Did Tai Do That?”
We open with Adult Misty (Ricci) staring at Adult Lottie’s body in the morgue. Briefly, Adult Misty shifts to Teen Misty (Samantha Hanratty), who’s gazing somberly at Teen Lottie (Courtney Eaton). It’s a powerful visual. Misty asks Fred (Brendan Riggs), the mortuary worker, if Lottie has any personal effects. Fred reveals she does, but they’re solely for next of kin.
Then, in typical Misty fashion, she threatens to use her power as a citizen detective to throw Fred under the bus for stealing a dead guy’s belongings and selling them online. Backed in a Misty-shaped corner, Fred lets her take whatever she wants. While he’s out, Misty removes debris and hair strands from under Lottie’s fingernails and bags them. She also grabs the official pictures taken of her where she died.
Goodbye, Lottie Matthews
Next, Misty gathers Adult Shauna (Melanie Lynskey), Taissa (Tawny Cypress) and Van (Lauren Ambrose) at her house to deliver the news: Lottie is dead. The authorities have declared her death an accident. She fell down the stairs. Misty thinks something is fishy about that, though.
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The conversation pivots to Misty’s whereabouts on the day of Lottie’s death. Shauna rattles off a laundry list of potentially suspicious activities she attributes to Misty. This includes locking Shauna in the walk-in freezer in the nursing home. (Except Misty didn’t do that.) Shauna reminds Misty about Nat’s death, and she would still be alive if it weren’t for Lottie. Enraged, Misty kicks the trio out. Honestly, I don’t blame her.
In the ’90s timeline, Ben (Steven Krueger) sits in his makeshift prison cell that also functions as the animal pen. Akilah (Nia Sondaya) sits with a baby goat. Then, Ben asks Akilah if she knows of his fate. Akilah is in the dark, though.
Deciding His Fate
Back in the present timeline, Misty looks through Lottie’s belongings. She calls Fred, asking if Lottie’s phone was on her person. Unfortunately, it wasn’t. In the Wilderness, Natalie (Sophie Thatcher), Taissa (Jasmin Savoy Brown), Shauna (Sophie Nélisse), Van (Liv Hewson), Lottie, Mari (Alexa Barajas) and the others discuss Ben’s punishment. Shauna suggests they set him on fire. After all, he burned down the cabin. It’s poetic justice in her eyes.
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Nat doesn’t like the idea of torturing Ben. She proposes they do a firing squad, which makes Misty tear up. It’ll be at close range, so anyone can deliver the killing shot. She reveals they’ll draw cards, like with everything else. Van suggests whoever draws the King of Hearts will be the executioner.
Later, in the present timeline, Shauna tails Misty, who’s driving to an unknown location. However, Shauna discovers she’s being followed, too. After parking in an alley and getting rear-ended by her pursuer, Shauna learns Walter (Elijah Wood) is behind the wheel.
Teaming Up
While she’s following Misty because she thinks the latter killed Lottie, Walter suspects Shauna of murder. He reminds Shauna that she killed Adam Martin and someone who takes a life once is bound to be a repeat offender. Walter is confident that Misty isn’t the killer. Ultimately, Walter and Shauna team up to investigate Lottie’s death.
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In the ’90s timeline, the teens draw cards. Taissa winds up with the King of Hearts. We visit Tai and Van in the present as they get food after learning about Lottie. Van can’t believe she’s gone. She was the center of all the Wilderness stuff. Tai inexplicably brushes past her death. Nothing that’s happened to them in life makes sense. At one point, Simone calls Tai.
Meanwhile, Misty sneaks into the complex where Lottie’s father lives. She discovers the stairwell where Lottie died — the same one Teen Lottie sees in a vision in Season 1 while Laura Lee baptizes her. Misty notes the scratch marks on the wall, indicating Lottie’s effort to steady herself as she fell. Misty realizes the debris in the evidence bag from under Lottie’s fingernails matches the scratch marks.
Lottiepops
After this, Misty chats with the doorman at the front lobby desk. He’s known Lottie since she was a little girl. He tells Misty that Lottie’s father isn’t in good health, and she had been living with him for weeks. So, she lied to Shauna about having a place to live.
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In the ’90s, Van helps Tai practice shooting a smiley face on a tree to prepare for Ben’s execution. Tai worries she’ll miss and shoot his only leg. She also fears she’ll be too emotionally invested. After all, he was their coach. Van suggests tapping into Other Tai. Tai hasn’t sleepwalked in months, but perhaps she could manifest Other Tai somehow.
Meanwhile, Melissa (Jenna Burgess) gives Shauna a leather sheath for her knife. It even has an “S” carved into it. Aw. Shauna asks Melissa why she likes her. Melissa admits that Jackie and Jeff mistreated Shauna, and she let them. However, Shauna’s stepping into her power out here.
Love and Limb
Elsewhere, Misty feeds Ben his last meal — fish with greens. No organ meat this time. Misty breaks down and tells him that he’ll be executed via firing squad that night. She apologizes profusely. Ben reassures Misty that it’s not her fault. She claims she’ll never forget Ben. He was her first boyfriend and first amputation. You never forget your first amputation. I love one iconic Misty Quigley.
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Next, Lottie asks Akilah if she’s ready to return to the caves. Lottie believes It has more to say to Akilah. She reassures Akilah that she and Travis (Kevin Alves) will be there for support. Akilah reluctantly agrees to this. In the present, Misty knocks on the door to the Matthews penthouse. Lottie’s father (Michael St. John Smith) answers.
Misty offers her condolences on the loss of Lottie and introduces herself as a resident from the fifth floor. Lottie’s dad admits he doesn’t recognize her. She brings him a dessert and reveals that Lottie accidentally accepted a package meant for her. Misty asks Lottie’s father if she can check the penthouse for said package. He allows this but tells Misty that he has a meeting with Bear Stearns soon (a bank that went out of business in 2008).
Competition
Inside, we see Lottie’s Wilderness-esque fur coat hanging on a — wait for it — coat rack shaped like antlers. Forever our Antler Queen. Misty finds a bank receipt in a coat pocket for a withdrawal of $50,000. Sheesh. Then, she runs into Shauna and Walter, who are dressed as internet service providers and there under the guise of fixing Mr. Matthews’ internet. Misty now has competition. She can’t believe Walter would dump her for Shauna.
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In the ’90s timeline, Van suggests she and Tai have sex to draw out Other Tai. Tai jokes that Van’s using this as an excuse to get in her pants. Meanwhile, Lottie, Akilah and Travis wind up at the caves. Lottie’s top looks like the netting the Antler Queen wears in the pilot. Travis has rope, which he’ll tie around Akilah’s waist as she ventures deeper into the caves. The minute the rope stops moving, signifying she’s unconscious, he’ll fetch her. Akilah admits that Travis is the only person she trusts. Aw. I like this pairing.
Later, in the present, Misty tells Mr. Matthews that when she had internet issues, the service provider had to run the wire from the outside in. So, Lottie’s father orders Shauna and Walter to head outside to do just that. Misty’s plan to get them out of her hair might work.
Other Tai
Elsewhere, Tai and Van meet Simone (Rukiya Bernard) and Sammy (Aiden Stoxx) in the park. This meeting was at Sammy’s behest. He’s playing with the dog Tai gave him. Tai approaches Sammy as Van sits beside Simone. Simone is not having it with her wife’s high school sweetheart; I don’t blame her.
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Suddenly, Sammy grabs his dog and runs to Simone. Both he and the pup are terrified of Tai. This confirms it for me — we’ve been seeing Other Tai for a long time now, and Sammy knows it. Meanwhile, Walter hacks the firewall to access Lottie’s phone. He spots Mr. Matthews’ caretaker leaving with two trash bags. We know Misty understands the importance of trash during an investigation.
Shauna wonders aloud why Lottie would lie about not having anyone to stay with if her dad was right here. Walter believes Lottie wanted a friend. He puts Shauna squarely in the “not a friend” category re: her and Misty. Shauna reminds him that he’s messing with Misty’s investigation.
To the Caves
Then, Walter presents her with a strand of his hair. If Shauna forks over some of her hair, they can run tests to determine who killed Lottie. Who’s telling the truth? Walter tries to grab a strand of Shauna’s hair. She walks away from him. After this, Walter removes a strand from Shauna’s baseball cap. Did wearing this hat remind her of Melissa of hat fame?
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Later, in the ’90s timeline, Tai tells Van that having sex didn’t summon Other Tai. She’s still here. They hear a rabbit getting caught in their trap—more bunny symbolism. Van encourages Tai to kill the creature like Lottie taught them. She does this, and a sudden gust of wind whips through the trees. Van wonders if Other Tai is present now, but it’s still Tai.
Next, Akilah moves through the caves with a rope fastened around her waist. Lottie encourages her to observe her surroundings. Suddenly, Akilah falls unconscious. Travis and Lottie cover their faces as they barrel after her. Travis carries her to safety. He tries to wake her up, fearing they have gone too far. He tells Lottie they shouldn’t have brought Akilah here. Lottie urges Travis to hold on a second as Akilah’s eyes move. She wakes up.
Hard to Show Love
In the present timeline, Misty searches Lottie’s room. She discovers Lottie’s phone. However, Walter arrives, revealing he made a copy of its contents and would gladly share them with Misty. Misty is furious. She can’t believe she let someone like him bathe Caligula. This made me LOL.
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Then, after Misty leaves, Shauna enters Lottie’s bedroom. Mr. Matthews addresses her as Lottie. We see he views her as teenage Lottie, potentially before the crash. They sit on the bed. Mr. Matthews admits it’s challenging to understand his daughter. The “voices” she hears in her head. He tries to love Lottie as best he can, but it’s hard. Shauna tells him that sometimes, it’s hard to show the love way we want to, which is so true.
Mr. Matthews asks Lottie/Shauna if she wants to get food from her favorite Chinese restaurant and watch the latest Martin Scorsese flick. Shauna embraces him before he leaves to get the menu. She looks emotional. This is a lovely scene with a man who has dementia. Does he realize Lottie’s actually gone, or does he believe she’s still lost in the Wilderness?
The Bridge
Meanwhile, Van sits with Tai in Sammy’s room. Tai is heartbroken over how things went with her son. Van supports her through this. Tai proposes they leave the house and go someplace else. Where that is remains to be seen.
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In the ’90s timeline, after Akilah wakes up, she informs Lottie and Travis about her latest vision. She was standing on a cliffside in the Wilderness. Ben’s body materializes and acts as a bridge, allowing her to cross to the other side. She tells Travis and Lottie she doesn’t see anything on the other side, but in the visualization, we spot the dazzling lights of a city and hear car horns. Ben is their key to getting home.
Suddenly, the teens grab Ben from his cell. They take him to the site of his execution. Nat tearfully puts Jackie’s necklace around his neck. He begs for his life. Then, Ben demands they look him in the eyes while they kill him. It’s a devastating parallel to Nat urging Shauna to do the same during Season 2’s hunt. However, Gen (Vanessa Prasad) puts a bag over Ben’s head.
At the Last Minute
Tai struggles to pull the trigger. That is until Other Tai seamlessly takes over. Van notices the shift. Other Tai reassures her that it’ll be okay. She fires the rifle. Thankfully, Travis knocks Ben aside, and Lottie does the same to Other Tai, ensuring Ben doesn’t take the bullet.
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Akilah tells the teens of her vision — that Ben will help them get home. He must stay alive. They collectively breathe a sigh of relief. Later that night, Shauna and Melissa visit Ben in his cell. Shauna gives Melissa the knife and urges her to do the honors. Melissa’s reluctant. Shauna encourages her not to shy away from her dark parts.
So, Melissa slices Ben’s heel (ouch). He screams in agony. The girls return to the others, revealing the deed is done. Ben won’t be going anywhere anytime soon. Nat calls Shauna out for enjoying it all too much. Then, Van notices Shauna and Melissa holding hands as they enter Shauna’s tent. Do we have a new queer power couple on the rise?
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Yellowjackets drops new episodes every Friday on Paramount+ with SHOWTIME and airs on the SHOWTIME network every Sunday at 8 pm EST/PST.
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