Editor’s Observe: The next incorporates spoilers for Season 2 of Yellowjackets. Season 2 of Yellowjackets has had no scarcity of horrifying and surprising moments to this point, from the ladies lastly succumbing to their starvation and feasting on Jackie’s (Ella Purnell) corpse, to the heartbreaking realization that Shauna’s (Sophie Nélisse) son was stillborn. One shock, nonetheless, was a contented one, and this was the introduction of Grownup Van (Lauren Ambrose), lastly confirming that the resilient redhead made it out of the woods alive. When Taissa (Tawny Cypress) and Van are lastly reconnected as adults on the finish of Season 2 Episode 4, it’s tempting to suppose that these two might be collectively once more. (Possibly this time with out professing their love by writing it on one another with blood.) Nonetheless, as Taissa struggles to manage her murderous alter ego and Van tries to maintain the previous up to now, we will see that there are various explanation why these two trauma-bonded baddies haven’t any enterprise getting again collectively.
In Season 2 of ‘Yellowjackets,’ We Study That Van Survived the Wilderness
As Yellowjackets has a nonlinear narrative that flashes again between the ’90s and the current day, we’ve recognized since that starting that Taissa, Shauna (Melanie Lynskey), Natalie (Juliette Lewis), and Misty (Christina Ricci) survived the aircraft crash and are all dwelling as semi-functional adults — once they’re not killing individuals, that’s. The destiny of many of the different ladies has remained unsure as they drop off one after the other, and up till Season 2, we weren’t certain if Taissa’s girlfriend (performed as a teen by actor Liv Hewson) survived the cannibal rebellion of the Yellowjackets.
Whereas it’s nice to know that Van survived the wilderness, it’s additionally a disgrace that any semblance of normalcy she’s achieved is about to be blown to bits now that Taissa the Sleepwalking Senator has come again into her life. Once we meet Ambrose’s Van as an grownup, she’s the proprietor of a fairly rad video retailer and appears content material organizing her VHS tapes and recommending films to loyal prospects. She could also be hooked on oxy and on observe for an eviction discover, however contemplating the remainder of the crew has been busy killing harmless artists (taking a look at you, Shauna), taking detectives hostage (and also you, Misty), and stabbing individuals within the face with forks (ahem, Natalie), let’s imagine that Van is doing fairly rattling nicely for herself.
May Their Traumatic Previous Collectively Result in a Glad Ending?
In Season 2 of Yellowjackets, although it’s established that it’s been a very long time since Van and Taissa have seen one another, there’s a right away ease between the 2 once they reconnect as adults. When Tai informs Van of the horrifying altar she inbuilt her basement, Van instantly asks if Sammy (Aiden Stoxx) noticed it, letting us know that there’s some type of familiarity there as Van is aware of about Tai’s household. Nonetheless, this may be as a result of Taissa has been within the public eye all through her political marketing campaign.
Moreover, Taissa discovered Van’s deal with by means of a file that she took from Jessica (Rekha Sharma), letting us know that earlier than this, she didn’t know the place Van lived, and Van by no means felt the necessity to inform her. Whereas there’s an plain spark between the 2 girls as they arrange Sandra Bullock films, should you liken an surprising reunion to having an anvil dropped into your life (which Van does), odds are it’s not a terrific shock. Though Taissa nonetheless has love for Van and Van clearly nonetheless cares for Tai, most of this attachment comes from a particularly traumatic time for the each of them, which isn’t essentially the most effective basis for a wholesome relationship.
Teenage Van and Taissa Are a Nice Couple on ‘Yellowjackets’
There’s no denying that as youngsters struggling to outlive within the unrelenting wilderness, Taissa (Jasmin Savoy Brown) and Van have been a terrific couple. They persistently stood by one another even once they disagreed, like when Taissa was much more reluctant than Van to purchase into Lottie’s (Courtney Eaton) seemingly supernatural talents. Van was extra whimsical and optimistic whereas Tai was extra sensible, and so they balanced one another out.
The ladies have been additionally one another’s primary protectors when confronted with each bodily and emotional threats. When Van is attacked by a wolf on the ladies’ ill-fated expedition, Taissa fights it off with alarming ferocity, and is devastated when it seems to be like Van has died. As soon as it’s revealed that Van is definitely alive (did no person suppose to test for a pulse earlier than this spontaneous cremation?), Taissa by no means leaves her aspect and virtually carries her all the best way again to the cabin. Afterward, when the crew hosts a “Doomcoming” dance to morbidly rejoice their impending demise, Tai even makes masks to put on with Van as a result of she is aware of that she’s self-conscious about her scars.
Whereas teenage Taissa is fiercely protecting over Van, Van reciprocates this love every time she will, most notably by tying herself to Tai whereas they sleep in an try to manage Tai’s sleepwalking episodes. Between the aggressive lip biting and the rope burns, Van proved herself to be fairly unflappable within the face of Taissa’s fugue states. Nonetheless, it was clearly nonetheless terrifying for Van as she tethered herself to her girlfriend each night time within the hope that she may forestall her from strolling off a cliff. Now, all this time later, Taissa is displaying up out of the blue for assist with the identical drawback, which doesn’t actually appear honest to Van. Talking of Taissa’s sleepwalking, is that this girl actually in any form to be leaping into a brand new relationship?
Taissa’s Sleepwalking Poses a Risk to Herself and These She Loves, Particularly Van
Sleepwalking Taissa a.okay.a. The Unhealthy One is a complete nightmare, actually. When she’s not looming in bushes, consuming grime, and decapitating beliked household pets (RIP Biscuit), she’s scaring the crap out of her son and steering her spouse into oncoming visitors. The Unhealthy One’s final motivation continues to be fairly unclear, and due to this, Taissa’s actions this previous season have been completely erratic and complicated. Whereas this alter ego has at occasions been useful, like when it helped Taissa and Van discover Javi (Luciano Leroux) within the woods, The Unhealthy One is commonly only a automobile for violence. This makes it all of the extra regarding that she’s the explanation that Taissa went to trace down Van.
Despite the fact that it made sense for Taissa to observe The Unhealthy One’s urgings and discover Van, we’ve realized by means of what occurred to her spouse, Simone (Rukiya Bernard), that in her fugue state, Taissa doesn’t care a lot for others’ well-being. Taissa’s alarming habits doesn’t depart a lot room to foster wholesome bonds, with Simone or anybody else. If issues don’t work out along with her spouse (both as a result of they’ve misplaced the spark or as a result of Taissa straight-up tried to kill her), this nonetheless doesn’t imply that Taissa ought to soar into one other relationship. For the reason that begin of Yellowjackets, Taissa has reconnected with teammates like Shauna and has different help techniques that perceive what she’s going by means of, that means that she doesn’t have to (or at the least should not) rekindle issues with Van.
Merely Put: Van and Taissa Shouldn’t Get Again Collectively
In the end, you always remember your old flame, particularly when this love has helped you survive a soccer crew turned cannibal cult. Whereas it’s romantic to suppose that Taissa and Van may discover one another once more in any case these years and make it work, a relationship between these two simply isn’t a good suggestion. Van nonetheless bears the bodily and emotional scars from the time within the woods however has discovered some sense of normalcy, and he or she deserves to take pleasure in any scrap of peace she will maintain onto. It’s additionally clear that Taissa has plenty of trauma that she wants to beat earlier than she’s able to be companion to anyone. As Van says to Tai after their surprising reunion, Van has to maintain herself too, and at the least for proper now, this implies not getting again along with Taissa.