Editor's note: The following contains spoilers for Yellowjackets Season 2, Episode 8.
To say Yellowjackets is a masterclass of foreshadowing would be an understatement. The show is filled with small details that get casually introduced, only to become a crucial part of the story a few episodes later or even in a different season. That’s the case with the Queen of Hearts card, which appeared at the opening of the show’s first season before making becoming a significant plot point. And while many of us suspected the card was somehow connected to the cannibalistic rituals the Yellowjackets survivors created in the wilderness, it’s not until Season 2, Episode 8 that we fully understand its purpose. However, Yellowjackets showrunners Ashley Lyle and Bart Nickerson are well aware the series thrives in unexpected twists, which is why they pull the rug under our feet right after explaining the meaning of the Queen of Hearts card.
What Is the Meaning of the Queen of Hearts Card?
While the Queen of Hearts first appeared in the series opening in Season 1, the card gained more importance as the story developed. First, we learned that the survivors used playing cards to decide who would be responsible for each task, from cooking to cleaning the pee bucket. As soon as we realized how the card deck was being used, we instinctively asked ourselves if the choice of victims for each cannibalistic ritual would be somehow connected to it. The fact adult Lottie (Simone Kessell) still keeps the Queen of Hearts card she had in the wilderness was another clue about the gruesome use of the object.
Still, while we could wonder what the card was for, it wasn’t until this week’s episode that we witnessed the first draw of the Queen of Hearts. In Episode 8, the survivors are still starving, fearing they won’t last long without food. To make matters more pressing, Lottie (Courtney Eaton) is on the brink of death after being beaten up by Shauna (Sophie Nélisse). So, the group knows they must find something to eat to save Lottie’s life, which is a high priority for everyone who still believes the girl has a special connection with the wilderness.
The only solution the survivors can think of is sacrificing someone and using their body as food. And, to make the decision process as fair as possible, all the survivors agree to pick up cards randomly from a deck. The person who ends up with the Queen of Hearts must give away their life so everyone else can live on. It sounds like a simple process, but we soon realize there’s something weird going on. That’s because the first person to pick up the Queen of Hearts card is Nat (Sophie Thatcher), who we know is still alive in the adult timeline.
‘Yellowjackets’ Season 2 Adds a Mindblowing Twist to That Card Reveal
If there’s something we can always expect from Yellowjackets it's for the series to keep surprising us. That’s precisely what happens when Nat picks up the Queen of Hearts card. We know Nat survives, so she can’t accept her sacrifice. Still, we don’t know what will happen next, even if we had figured out the importance of the Queen of Hearts card for ourselves.
As a result of this surprising card drawn, Travis (Kevin Alves) snaps and tries to protect Nat, helping her to escape the hungry mob aiming for her tasty flesh. Nat runs through the snowy wilderness while the remaining survivors arm themselves with whatever they can find and chase their prey. In just a few seconds, Nat’s supposed sacrifice turns into a hunt while the teenagers scream in anger and despair. So, while Episode 8 explains how the Queen of Hearts card plays into the survivors’ cannibalistic rituals, it also introduces the hunting part of the ritual.
In the Yellowjackets series premiere, we watch a girl run away from an unknown danger until falling into a pit filled with sharp stakes. The girl’s body is recovered by hunters clothed in animal fur, hung from a tree, and chopped down as an animal. We still have time until the survivors become entirely feral, but Nat’s escape makes the hunt part of their cannibalistic ritual. Besides feeding their bodies, running after their prey helps to create an environment that dehumanizes the human victims the survivors are trying to cook. So, it’s only fair to assume they’ll use this experience as an example when setting the rules for the next hunt, whenever that might happen.
While we didn’t expect the survivors to go hunting for human flesh so soon in the series, that’s not the biggest surprise Episode 8 has in store for fans. While trying to hide from her hunters, Nat stumbles across Javi (Luciano Leroux). Javi reveals he knows a hiding place where people can’t find Nat and offers to take the girl there. At first, Nat is suspicious, but she chooses to trust Nat. To get to Javi’s hideout, the two need to cross the frozen lake nearby the cabin in the woods. Soon, the hunting party finds them, wailing to the skies while closing the distance to Nat and Javi. Suddenly, the ground cracks beneath Javi’s feet and the cold water engulfs the boy. At first, Nat wants to save Javi somehow. But when the hunting party arrives, they tell Nat if Javi lives, she’ll become the meal.
Javi’s death ends up saving Nat since the survivors see the boy’s demise as the wilderness manifesting its will. Javi was chosen to be sacrificed in Nat’s place, which means she gets to live another day. Yellowjackets have taught us to expect the unexpected, but Javi’s death was not something we could anticipate. Javi disappeared for several weeks, surviving alone in the woods. So, when he came back, we all expected him to stick around and tell us what happened during his time alone. It feels weird to bring a character back just to dispose of him quickly, but we have to admire this show's determination to surprise the audience. Javi’s death is the kind of twist that made us fall in love with Yellowjackets in the first place, and we can’t wait to see what other surprises the series has in store for us in the next episodes.
New episodes of Yellowjackets Season 2 premiere every Friday on the Showtime streaming app and every Sunday on-air.