Yellowjackets Season 3 Episode 6, “Thanksgiving (Canada),” kicks things into high gear in both timelines as the mysterious tape reenters the narrative and Ben’s death brings surprises. Listen, Ben’s death isn’t unexpected, but damn, is it bittersweet. He was too pure for this world. “Thanksgiving (Canada)” is a solid episode after the dip in quality that is last week’s outing. It feels like we’re getting somewhere now.
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Yellowjackets, “Thanksgiving (Canada)”
We open with Shauna (Melanie Lynskey) arriving home to a worried Jeff (Warren Kole). She informs him about Lottie’s death and her suspicion that someone murdered her. Callie (Sarah Desjardins) overhears this, which sends her in search of the tape. She admits she never listened to said tape but that someone sent it to Shauna. Shauna orders Callie and Jeff to pack the essentials so they can leave. Someone is clearly out to get them.
Next, in the ’90s timeline, Natalie (Sophie Thatcher) brings Ben (Steven Krueger) breakfast. She checks his heel, which doesn’t look so hot; however, it doesn’t appear to be infected. Ben begs Nat to kill him. He feels his death is inevitable. After all, the teens are keeping him in the same pen as the animals. Nat refuses to oblige.
Keep a Promise
What transpires next is a montage of Nat giving Ben food and him pressing her to deliver the killing blow. She could even give him the knife, and he would do it himself. Nat could also take him to the stream for a bath. Still, Nat won’t entertain the thought. Finally, one day, Ben confesses to burning down the cabin. He claims he wanted to kill them all, but especially Nat. Of course, this is a ploy to motivate Nat to plunge the knife. She doesn’t fall for it.
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Outside the pen, Nat bumps into Mari (Alexa Barajas). She declares she’s done feeding Ben; Mari should add it to the chore chart for someone else to do. Meanwhile, Teen Taissa (Jasmin Savoy Brown) and Teen Van (Liv Hewson) observe Teen Shauna (Sophie Nélisse) and Melissa (Jenna Burgess) from afar. Van jokes that Shauna probably makes Melissa wear Jackie’s clothes when they makeout. Van the Comedian, everyone. Tai remarks that Shauna at least seems stable.
Then, in the present timeline, Misty (Christina Ricci) asks Karl (Wesley MacInnes), a friend, to test the samples Misty found under Lottie’s nails. He’s clearly into her. After this, Walter (Elijah Wood) texts Misty. He asks what Misty said to scare off Shauna. Misty orders him to back off — this is her case.
DAT Tape
Elsewhere, the Sadeckis enter their hotel room. Shauna feigns dizziness to get Jeff out of said room. He makes a beeline for the snack machine. While he’s gone, Shauna calls Taissa (Tawny Cypress), who’s getting a massage in another hotel. Shauna asks to speak with Van (Lauren Ambrose). Shauna tells Van she has a DAT tape. Van reveals she has a player for DAT tapes, but she wonders why Shauna has something so obsolete. Shauna urges Van to bring the player to her hotel room that evening.
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After this, Van informs Tai about her chat with Shauna. Tai laughs it off, assuming Shauna is past her breaking point. She orders room service, complete with meat. The Tai we know is a vegetarian, meaning Other Tai is in control right now. Van confronts Tai. Lottie is dead, Shauna is spiraling — why isn’t Tai in panic mode? Tai is focusing on self-care because the world is falling apart. That and the love of her life is dying from cancer. Van understands this.
Then, something clicks for Van. She presses Tai to get dressed. In the ’90s timeline, Travis (Kevin Alves) asks Akilah (Nia Sondaya) about her visions. Akilah claims the messages are different, but they’re for everyone. Akilah’s cradling a, you guessed it, bunny. More rabbit symbolism. Travis wants to ensure Akilah is okay. He’s clearly feeling guilty about sending Lottie her way.
He Needs to Eat
Mari arrives with food for Ben this time. He weakly jokes about the state of his space. He’s between cleaning ladies. Mari notices several plates of uneaten food beside him. Mari, Tai, Nat, Akilah and Lottie (Courtney Eaton) have an emergency meeting about Ben. He can’t die. Like Travis, Mari is curious about Akilah’s visions. Akilah explains that she sees things from back home — school and teachers. Tai remarks that those could be memories from before the crash, though.
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Later, in the present timeline, Walter sends Misty an apology text and the requisite apology bags of trash. That’s true romance, baby. Misty now has Lottie’s trash, which she can rummage to find more evidence. In the ’90s timeline, Teen Misty (Samantha Hanratty) snaps into action. She’s going to take care of Ben and make sure he eats. Nat asks her if perhaps it would be better to mercy kill Ben. Of course, Misty is very against this.
Travis pulls Nat aside to pose a new question: What if what Akilah saw was bullsh*t? What if there’s nothing supernatural at play? Nat reminds Travis that his visions apparently pointed toward Akilah being the most connected to It — the Wilderness. Travis drops the issue.
Hello?
In the present, Van finds the DAT player among her belongings. Suddenly, a corded phone in a cardboard box starts ringing. Mind you, it’s not plugged in. Van answers it to hear Tai on the other end, asking for help. This must be our Tai, not Other Tai. The line clicks. Then, Tai appears behind her in the basement. Creepy.
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In the city, Misty searches through Lottie’s trash near some dumpsters. She finds a container from Bamboo Cafe, but upon a Google search, she discovers that it’s a 2.5-star establishment with a C Health Score and no vegetarian options. Weird.
Elsewhere, Jeff and Callie laugh at a reality show while Shauna gets a call from Van about the DAT player. She leaves, but not without Jeff trying to tag along and Callie complaining about staying behind. Shauna admits she and Jeff haven’t been the best parents. However, they’re trying to be better. Callie embraces Shauna while surreptitiously slipping her phone, which is recording, into the latter’s purse. Sneaky. Like mother, like daughter.
By Force
Then, in the ’90s timeline, Misty and the other teens descend upon Ben while donning masks. Funnily enough, Shauna is in the rabbit mask. Those damn rabbits. They force-feed Ben a questionable food substance. Afterward, Misty questions whether Ben will keep any of it down. Shauna vows they’ll get better at it before giving Nat a silent nod.
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Nat finds Ben coughing up blood in the pen. Ben doesn’t understand why they won’t let him die. Nat insists they can’t kill him. He starts laughing deliriously and dryly. It’s equal parts heartbreaking and eerie. Meanwhile, Lottie touches a tree, begging the Wilderness to speak to her. Akilah approaches and asks if Lottie will accompany her to the caves. She wants more context regarding her visions.
In the present, Shauna climbs in the back of Tai and Van’s vehicle. She hands Van the DAT tape, which the latter slips into the player. At the same time, Misty reunites with Lisa (Nicole Maines), who works for Bamboo Cafe. She’s in the middle of a delivery order. Naturally, Lisa is unsettled by Misty’s presence. After all, Misty tried to kill her. However, Lisa acknowledges that she was definitively in a cult. Misty wants to chat, but Lisa will only do so in public.
Testing, Testing
Meanwhile, our trio finishes listening to the tape, which opens with a series of screams and a woman saying, “Testing, testing.” Van adds that the only people who know about this event are either them or, well, dead. Tai suggests they dispose of the tape. Van counters that there could be copies. Shauna finds Callie’s phone in her purse and turns off the recording. She grabs the DAT tape and player, telling Tai and Van she has to leave. They’re bewildered by her behavior.
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In the ’90s timeline, Akilah envisions the village with the teens cavorting around the fire. Then, she spots the same bear Lottie killed in Season 1; however, the bear appears to be in stop-motion animation. The creature stands on his hind legs. The stab wound between his eyes almost resembles a third eye. Akilah comes to, wondering what it all means. She sobs as Lottie embraces her.
That night, Nat wakes up, knife in hand, and sneaks to Ben’s pen. Travis tries to stop her, claiming the others will never forgive her. Realizing she won’t abandon this, Travis stands watch while Nat does the deed. Ben thanks Nat as she stabs him in the chest. He dies. RIP, Coach Ben Scott. Gone too soon. But damn, this scene is so good. Sophie Thatcher and Steven Krueger are incredible.
A Mercy Killing
The following morning, Travis and Misty watch Nat emerge from Ben’s makeshift tent with blood on her hands. She looks dazed. Misty screams before calling Nat a murderer. Misty checks out Ben for herself. She removes the ropes around his wrists and clears the hair from his eyes before kissing him on the lips. Is this Misty’s first kiss? If so, that’s heartbreaking. But also, why violate Ben’s corpse?
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Next, the teens call Nat out for killing Ben. She made a decision without their input. Not to mention, according to Akilah’s vision, he’s their bridge home. Tai declares they’ll have another trial. Not on Shauna’s watch, though. The group believes they need a new leader. Lottie states that Shauna should lead them.
Switching gears, Shauna acknowledges the pain the group feels. However, when someone dies in the Wilderness, they honor them. Shauna proposes they have a feast for Ben. As for Nat’s punishment, she’ll prepare said feast. Oh, we know what that means.
I Wanna Be Close to You
Later, in the present timeline, Jeff and Callie chat on the bed. Jeff reassures that he won’t let anything happen to Callie. Shauna marches into their hotel room, demanding to speak with Callie. She calls her daughter out for recording her conversation with Tai and Van. Then, Shauna urges Callie to get out before she says something she’ll regret. “I just wanna be close to you,” Callie admits before leaving. We see her retrieve the recording Shauna disposed of on her phone. She smiles.
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In the ’90s timeline, Shauna shows Nat how to butcher a body. You know, normal teen stuff. Shauna covers Ben’s face so Nat doesn’t have to look at him per se. Nat removes Jackie’s necklace from around Ben’s neck.
Next, in the present timeline, Lisa reveals Lottie left her a tip of $50,000 in an envelope with “I’m sorry” scrawled on it. Then, Lisa observed Tai meeting with Lottie in front of the cafe on the day Lottie died. Lisa doesn’t believe Lottie was murdered — she more than likely fell down the stairs. I’m starting to think she intended to kill herself.
The Results
Elsewhere, while Van researches how long DAT tapes last outdoors, Tai wakes up screaming. She calls for help. Then, Other Tai seamlessly takes hold. Other Tai asks Van why she’s still awake. Double creepy. Meanwhile, after learning that Tai met with Lottie, Misty texts her that they need to talk. After this, Karl sends her the results of the samples she gave him. She can’t make heads or tails of it, so Misty reluctantly texts Walter for help.
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Next, in the ’90s timeline, the teens wear their ceremonial furs while sitting around a roaring fire. They feast on Ben. Apparently, Nat makes a decent butcher. Mari sits beside Nat and secretly expresses her support for Nat’s actions under the guise of disapproval. Lottie mutters that this is all wrong. She seemingly starts hearing It again — voices fill her ears.
Communing With the Wilderness
Lottie screams in response. Everyone else goes silent. Then, we hear the screeching again. Lottie encourages the teens to sing, to communicate with It. They all start dancing around the fire, some screaming, others singing. They look like a proper cult now. During all this, Lottie spots who she believes is Ben in the distance.
However, two hikers (Nelson Franklin and Ashley Sutton) approach the group. The teens stop dancing. The man says hello before noticing Ben’s head atop a tree stump. “What the f*ck?” he yells.
RELATED: Read our Yellowjackets recaps
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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