Flight of the Bumblebee

## Episode guide

**"Flight of the Bumblebee"** is the eighth episode of the first season of the Showtime series *Yellowjackets*. It premiered on Showtime on Sunday, January 2, 2022.

## Summary

What is madness and what is divine? While in triage after a vicious attack, the Yellowjackets are left to suss out the best of their worst ideas; Shauna dabbles in some light cyber stalking.

## Plot

### Having faith

Following the horrific wolf attack, Taissa and the others are gathered around Van's body. Taissa lights the branches around her as she lies motionless and they prepare to burn the body. Her eyes flutter. "Oh, my God. She's alive," they realize. Hurriedly, Taissa pulls her from the fire and rolls her to put it out. "R-Really? Fire?" she asks.

In a flashback, girls are shown playing at a Bible camp, the Mary Magdalene Summer Camp. They play in the pool while two girls sing a skipping rhyme nearby. Laura Lee dives into the pool and cracks her head. She passes out and is pulled from the pool by a lifeguard. He is shown giving chest compressions to her, having pulled her from what is labeled as the shallow end. She coughs water and wakes up. She sees his dangling cross pendant and says that he saved him. He, however, tells her that he did not. He looks to the sky. "He did," he tells her. In the woods, Laura Lee asks God for a sign. A bird flies down next to her. She reaches out her hand for it, but it flies away. Lottie sits down next to her. She asks if she thinks the others are okay. "They're in God's hands now," Laura Lee tells her, saying they can only have faith. In the present day, Shauna heads into the kitchen to find her daughter Callie. She comments that she thought she was at her friend's house. Callie says she came home to change. She says it's lucky, or Dad might have found "this" first. "This" turns out to be an ID she found by the house of "Adam Martin." She asks if she's really having him over now, when she decided how he could come in their house now. Shauna says that she's sorry, but that Jeff isn't innocent either. She says that Callie is judging her, but Callie points out that she doesn't even know anything about him. Shauna replies he's a starving artist, but Callie points out that she can't even find him online, not even an Instagram profile. She tells her that everything is on the Internet, except for her boyfriend. "What if he's conning you, Mom?" she asks, saying he just wants her story and to say that he slept with a Yellowjacket. Shauna tells her that *she* is what he wants, but Callie walks away.

Afterwards, however, Shauna does some digging. She discovers that the college that "Adam" supposedly went to, Pratt, doesn't have any record of him. She holds her head, troubled. Just then, Jeff comes in. He presents her with a bag from Saks Fifth Avenue. It turns out to be a yellow dress, and she says if it's an anniversary present, he's three months and her whole personality off. He says that the reunion is tomorrow and he thought she might want to look the part. "To hell with it," he then says, saying she'll turn heads no matter what. In the woods, Natalie asks Travis if he wants to go hunt, saying he might get lucky. He says that she should go, that she's better anyway. In the present day, Natalie applies makeup and drinks. She curls up on her bed with alcohol and curses Kevyn. She types a message on a phone, to somebody who is "Victor's friend." In the woods, Natalie finds Coach Scott and sits with him. She asks how he convinced Misty to go. He tells her that he didn't have to, that he did think about it, but she beat him to the punch. "Dumped by Misty Quigley?" she quips. She says she's pretty sure she's not his type. "You like guys, right?" she asks him. He asks her what this is about and she explains that he never looks at their boobs. She says she thinks it's cool, asking if he has a boyfriend. He tells her he did, Paul, a writer. He explains that he wanted to him to move in the city with him, to really be with him. "If you lost him, you're afraid you'd have nothing left," Natalie realizes.

She asks him if he thinks that maybe Travis is gay. She explains that they tried to have sex, but he couldn't get it up. Scott tells her that it's not unheard-of and that he probably just got nervous in his head. He continues that he's seen the way he looks at her and he's in pretty deep. He tells her to not make too big a deal out of it and he'd be happy to get another chance if she wants to give him one. She thanks him and he asks that she not tell anyone about his being gay. She promises that she won't. Elsewhere, Taissa leads Van through the woods as she moans in pain, her face covered in bandages. Misty says they're going to need sterile water and thread to stitch her face. "No, leave me," says Vanessa. Taissa tells her to stop it, but she says it's not safe. "Let them go," she says, and Taissa tells them go back to the cabin as fast as they can, that they'll be right behind them. Van collapses and Taissa holds her. In the present day, Misty watches TV. A phone rings. Jessica Roberts tells her that her phone is ringing, but Misty explain that it's a live feed to her friend's hotel room. She watches the feed and sees Natalie taking a bag of cocaine. "No, no, no!" she shouts. In the woods, Travis heads to the lake and takes off his shirt. He checks a net. Jackie asks him if there's anything, but he says there isn't. She asks why he isn't out hunting. He explains about Natalie and says that he thinks he messed things up. She tells him that relationships are bullshit and she'll get over whatever he did. She says that Nat's standards are low, compared to her hooking up with Bobby. She says that she missed a week of practice screwing him. "Bobby who?" asks Travis angrily. Bobby Farleigh admits Jackie, asking if matters. Travis stalks off.

### "None of it felt real"

In the present day, Natalie prepares to snort the cocaine when suddenly Misty bursts into the room. She pushes her inside and inhales it herself instead to stop her. "It burns? Is that normal?" she asks. Natalie asks what she's doing and she says she's trying to protect her. In the woods, Travis confronts Natalie. She asks if they can talk. "Bobby Farleigh?" he asks. She asks who told him, but he says he can't believe her. She says that she knew if she told him about it that she would hate him, that she had no idea about the whole "Flex" thing. She says she made a mistake. "Yeah, well apparently so did I" he agrees. She asks what that means and he asks what she thinks. She asks if he's really going to ruin this over something so stupid. She says it's a good thing he couldn't get it up, that it would be much harder if they'd actually had sex. He walks away, slamming the door. Natalie sees Jackie and asks if was her. She curses her. Back in the present day, Misty monitors her heart rate as Natalie complains she wasted $300 worth of blow. Misty tells her that she'll pay her back and she couldn't just watch her destroy her life. "Watch?" asks Natalie, smashing the tchotchke with the camera. "You were spying on me?" she asks. Misty says that friends watch out for each other, but Natalie says it's not with hidden cameras. Misty replies that she should be thanking her, that she just saved her life and has been working night and day on Travis's case. She asks if she knew that Travis's bank account was emptied the day after he died, but Natalie asks how she can possibly trust her. Misty tells her it's fine, that next time she'll just let her knock her brains out. She says she's never even tried cocaine before, or at least, that's what she hopes it was.

At Shauna's, Shauna and her family are having a meal when the doorbell rings. Jeff wonders if Shauna was expecting someone. He goes to get the door and Callie eyeballs her. Shauna gets up and goes to the door. It turns out to be Taissa. "We got a celebrity in our midst," Jeff says. Taissa plays it cool saying that she was in the neighborhood and remembered that they used to live around there. Shauna calls it "a nice surprise after 20 years." Jeff invites her to stay. Later, Shauna and Taissa go out walking. "I'm sleepwalking again," Taissa tells Shauna. Shauna asks how long and she says it's a couple of weeks, that she thinks it's stress from the campaign and the blackmail, as well as problems with Simone. Shauna asks how bad it is and she tells her that their dog, Biscuit, is missing, that she freaked him out and he got out the gate. She continues that Sammy loves the dog and that he's seen her sleepwalking, that he thinks there's another version of her, "the bad one." She says she's afraid to go to sleep, that she spends the night pounding espressos to stay in control. She tells Shauna that she doesn't know how bad it's going to get, but she knows how bad it can get. Shauna suggests that she stay at her place for the night, that she can sleep in Callie's room, since she's over at her friends. "I'll stay with you," she says and Taissa agrees, hugging her.

In the woods, the group arrives back at camp. The others wonder what happened and where Taissa and Van are. Panting deeply, Misty explains that they needed to get help. "Show us which way to go," says Laura Lee. They wander through the woods, but it's so dark they have trouble finding them until Taissa releases a flare from the flare gun. They find them and escort them back to the cabin. Once there, they stitch up Van's face in a highly painful process. Van can only endure the pain as the others watch on, horrified. Back in the present day, Shauna asks Taissa if she ever thinks about what their lives would have been like if the crash never happened. "Sometimes," admits Taissa. Shauna says that she was going to Brown, write papers on famous authors, then meet a poet who ran the school lit magazine. She continues that they would be rivals until they fell in love. But she would have to leave him broken-hearted to take a year abroad and meet "Francois" in France. Taissa asks her to tell her Francois was a brooding musician, but Shauna says he was a mime. Taissa says she was going to go to Howard, pre-law, with a double major in history and philosophy. She would date a bunch of beautiful women, make first string on the soccer team and graduate first in her class. She would then go to Columbia Law and land an internship in one of the biggest firms in the city. Shauna points out that she *did* do all those things. "Yeah," agrees Taissa, saying that if she's being honest, none of them felt real. At Natalie's, Natalie tries to get information out of the bank about Travis's account, but is unsuccessful. When the person on the other end of the line won't listen, she begs them to just help her, then breaks down raging, tossing the phone and throwing a fit, asking if they believe in love. She sobs, finds some spilled cocaine leftover on the floor, and starts doing lines.

### Laura Lee's decision

Back at Misty's, Misty arrives downstairs to find Jessica Roberts holding her pet bird, Caligula. Roberts tells her that she's either going to let her go or she'll wring her bird's neck. Misty tells her to go ahead, saying she'll just get another one. "I will," says Jessica, but then Misty screams and starts throwing objects at her. Caligula flies off and she tells her she didn't mean a word. She comes back downstairs, sobbing and tightens Roberts's handcuffs. Roberts says she looks like hell,, asking if she's okay. She tells her she's having one of those days. Roberts stares and she asks if she's hungry. She tells her she'll make them something to eat. In the woods, Taissa tells Shauna about how she let the fire die down and must have been sleepwalking, that she was in a tree. She says she's reason Vanessa went and the reason she got hurt. She tells her she doesn't know what's happening and she's scared to go to sleep. Shauna tells her she'll stay awake and won't let her go anywhere. In the present day, Shauna admits to Taissa that she's having an affair. She says that she's sorry, that she doesn't know why she told her that. Taissa tells her not to be sorry and asks who it's with. She begs her to tell her it's not Randy Walsh, but Shauna explains about Adam. She describes him as earnest in a way that makes you want to punch his face, but he makes her feel something. She says the sex is great, but it's more than that. "He makes you feel 'it'," agrees Taissa. Shauna asks if Simone doesn't make her feel "it" anymore. Taissa says that she doesn't, but what they have is okay, that it's stable and safe, but "it' wasn't good for her. That it wouldn't be good for anybody if someone made her feel "it." She asks if she knows what she means and Shauna says she does.

That morning, Shauna pays a visit to Adam and his flat. "My turn," she tells him. He lets her in and she says that she was thinking that their interactions have been singularly focused. She says she realized she doesn't know anything about him. He asks what she wants to know and she tells him to tell her more about his art school days. "You went to Pratt, right?" she asks, asking what it was like. He calls it "pretentious." She asks what classes he took and his favorite professor. He says that she caught him, that he didn't go to Pratt, but had a girlfriend who did, so it felt like he did. He asks if it impressed her. She asks where he grew up, what high school and whether he has any siblings. He has ready answers for all of these. He tells he would love that she finally wants to get know him, but he wants to know what it's really about. He says that what they have is real, suggesting they go away to his cabin in the Poconos, that she can ask him anything. She stammers, asking how she would explain that. He says he doesn't care, that she should just pack a bag and get back there.

In the woods, all the girls are sleeping except Laura Lee. She declares that she has an announcement. When she gets no response, she clatters a spoon, waking them. She says that with the way the expedition ended, she's going to take the Cessna and find help, and get them out of there. "You're gonna fly?" asks Lottie, stunned. "But you don't know how," points out Natalie. She says that she's been studying the flight manual for weeks, the gas tank is full, and she used to watch her grandfather fly. She tells them she knows she can do it, and they can't deny that Van needs serious medical attention. "She's not the only one" declares Jackie, telling Shauna to tell them. Shauna admits that she's pregnant. Coach Scott speaks up, saying that she can't do this, that it's not close to safe. She tells him there isn't anything close to safe, that it's going to be winter, and they'll all "fucking starve" if she doesn't do it. The others stare, stunned at her use of profanity. He counters that he's the only adult there, so he won't let her do it. She asks what he's going to do to stop her. She stares at him, but he has no answer to this.

### The flight of the bumblebee

Back in the present day, Natalie visits a Narcotics Anonymous meeting. She sits down and later approaches a woman. "Not you," says the woman. Natalie promises she won't assault her again, saying that she heard she got a promotion at the bank. She says she just got out of rehab and she wanted to see her, calling her her best sponsor. "Why?" she asks. Natalie says that nobody could understand things like her. They go to a cafe and she asks if she remembers the guy she used to always talk about. "Trevor?" asks the woman. "Travis," says Natalie, explaining that he died and the cops ruled it a suicide. She says she knows it wasn't because he made her a promise and when she was on the brink, he made her swear that she would never do that. She says that her words don't mean much, that she's a liar, but he always kept his word. She repeats that she knows he didn't kill himself. She replies that for once, she's actually telling the truth. Natalie tells her she needs to find out who closed Travis's account. The woman, Suzie, tells her that she can't give out personal information unless she's family. Natalie says she thought she might say that and that she'll have to call the bank and tell them about how they used to feed their habits by selling personal customer information to identity thieves. "I think they'd be really interested to know that." Susan replies that she wishes she'd never met her.

In the woods, the girls and even Coach Scott cut down vines and debris, preparing a runway for the plane. Shauna asks Jackie if she really had to tell anyone. Jackie asks how she couldn't, that all that matters is the chance to get her and the baby out of there. She says that it's not really the time to be keeping secrets. In the present day, Taissa arrives home to find Simone and Sammy at a table making lost dog posters. Taissa talks with Simone, explaining about her sleepwalking, and how it began with the crash. She says it stopped when they were rescued, but she thinks the stress of the campaign has brought it back. She tells her it scares her, and that she thinks she was the one who let Biscuit out of the house. Simone hugs her, telling her it's okay. She tells her that they'll get her help, that they can find her a sleep study. Taissa tells her that she needs her and Sammy to go stay at her Mom's house. Simone tells her they're a family, but Taissa shouts that she can't be there, that she's afraid she's going to hurt her or Sammy. She begs her to leave. At Shauna's, Shauna considers the yellow dress. She then throws it aside and enters the closet. She is stunned to see glitter on the floor, glitter like that which got on the blackmailer. She recalls Adam being in the closet. She opens her safe, only to find it empty. She gasps, stunned. She visits Adam, asking just who he is.

In the woods, Laura Lee boards the plane. She gets hugs from the other girls, Jackie telling her to be safe. Coach Scott comes up to the window, pleading with her not to do it. She thanks him for worrying, but says it's her purpose and closes the door. She sets her teddy bear in the co-pilot seat. "Just you and me now, Leonard." She starts the plane. The engine knocks, then rumbles. She rolls forward and then takes off. The others wave and cheer, their hopes with her. She takes off, rising above the lake. "Oh my gosh, Leonard, we're flying," she says. The others race ahead and cheer. As the plane continues to fly ahead, Laura Lee comments that they're really going to save them. Then, suddenly, Leonard bursts into flames. "What the?" wonders Laura Lee. "No, no." She sputters and coughs. "Is that smoke?" wonders Jackie. On the plane, Laura Lee closes her eyes, accepting her fate. The plane explodes in a fireball. Stunned, Natalie collapses to the ground, while Lottie races to the lake, watching the falling debris, then collapses as well. Everyone is in shock at this destruction of their hopes. Lottie screams, but the sound is silent.

## Cast

### Starring

* Melanie Lynskey as Adult Shauna
* Tawny Cypress as Adult Taissa
* Ella Purnell as Jackie Taylor
* Sophie Nélisse as Teen Shauna
* Jasmin Savoy Brown as Teen Taissa
* Sophie Thatcher as Teen Natalie
* Sammi Hanratty as Teen Misty
* Steven Krueger as Ben Scott
* Warren Kole as Adult Jeff

with

* Christina Ricci as Adult Misty

and

* Juliette Lewis as Adult Natalie

### Guest starring

* Courtney Eaton as Teen Lottie
* Liv Hewson as Teen Van
* Jane Widdop as Teen Laura Lee
* Keeya King as Akilah
* Peter Gadiot as Adam Martin
* Kevin Alves as Teen Travis
* Alexa Barajas as Teen Mari
* Rekha Sharma as Jessica Roberts
* Sarah Desjardins as Callie Sadecki
* Rukiya Bernard as Simone Abara

### Co-starring

* Luciano Leroux as Javi Martinez
* Aiden Stoxx as Sammy Abara-Turner
* Colleen Wheeler as Suzie
* Austin Macwhirter as Drug dealer
* Gig Morton as Bible instructor
* Jason Vaisvila as Group leader
* Mia Bella Shewchuka as Patty cake girl #1
* Sophie Drever as Patty cake girl #2

## Trivia

* This episode features the song "Fade Into You" by Mazzy Star.
* The show's visual effects supervisors described the plane explosion scene in this episode as their most challenging of the series, due to concern about it possibly coming across as comical or unrealistic if not done right, as normally planes don't explode in that manner. They were, however, quite satisfied with the final result.

## Gallery

### Videos

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## References

1. ↑ Urban, Sasha (February 11, 2022). The ‘Yellowjackets’ VFX Supervisors Break Down Shocking Moments. Variety. Retrieved on February 12, 2022.