Pilot

## Episode guide

**"Pilot"** is the premiere episode of the first season of the Showtime series *Yellowjackets*. It premiered on Showtime on Sunday, November 14, 2021. However, the complete episode was advance-released freely to YouTube on Friday, November 5, 2021.

## Summary

On the eve of a fateful flight, a championship high school girls soccer squad celebrates being a team by betraying one another. 25 years later, the survivors do their best imitations of well-adjusted people.

## Plot

### They were champions

A teenage girl races through snowy woods, the sound of hissing voices pursuing her. Birds screech and the girl crouches down, sobbing. She resumes her run, then falls through a hole in the ground. The barren landscape shows bloody footprints and the girl collapsed below. Someone in thick, furry robes, her face heavily covered, approaches the hole and looks down.

An adult woman, smoking and drinking, narrates that she'll never forget the day she heard their plane went missing. She says that could have been her. Another woman, Jessica Roberts, asks if she'd say she was close to any of the girls on the team. This cuts to a man, at desk with a plaque reading Vice Principal Berzonsky, who tells her that he would not say that. Another man, Randy, says that he did know them. An old woman complains that none of them cared about trigonometry. The questioner asks the Vice Principal what he thinks really happened. He replies that he only knows that what happened was a terrible tragedy, that some kids are no big loss, but the girls were special, they were champions.

It is now 1996 and the girls on question on are the field, playing soccer. The score is tied 3-3. They pass the ball and score, winning the game. They gather together, putting up a cheer of "buzz, buzz, buzz." Their team is headed to the nationals. It is now a bit later on in New Jersey and one of the members of the team, Jackie, is having sex with a boy named Jeff. She warns him they'll be late, but he tells her to relax. They continue and he tells her he loves her. She brushes her teeth and they head out, Jeff sneaking out of the house through an upstairs window. Jackie heads to a car that is being driven by another girl, Shauna Shipman. While they're driving along, she tells her that she saw Jeff. Shauna asks her what happened to "no distractions before nationals," and Jackie tells her she decided that showing up to college a virgin was a mistake. She says that they've been together so long, if they're each other's first, they'll be together forever. They drive by a restaurant sign celebrating the boys baseball team, which Jackie points out is under .500. She honks the horn and shouts.

### The reporter

In 2021, Shauna lays in bed and mopes. She gets up and does some laundry. She goes out and works in the garden when she is approached by Jessica Roberts. She asks if they know each other and Jessica tells her she's with the *Star-Ledger* and left her a few voicemails. Shauna tells her to fuck off and starts to walk away, saying she doesn't talk to reporters. Jessica counters that she's been letting other people who barely knew her tell her story and make a lot of money doing it. Shauna agrees to five minutes. Jessica agrees, promising to leave her alone if she doesn't like she has to say. Inside, Shauna tells her that she knows what she wants to hear, but that "The truth is, the plane crashed, a bunch of my friends died and the rest of us starved and scavenged and prayed for 19 months, till they finally found us. And that's the end of the story." Jessica replies that they both know there's more to it. She says she can't imagine what they went through and it's worth a seven-figure book advance. Shauna tells her she's not interested. Jessica asks what she would say if she told her the others were. Shauna replies she'd say she's lying and denies being in contact with any of them. She says she moved on and hopes they've done the same. Jessica calls it the kind of money that could change her life, that she was an elite athlete with straight As and admission to Brown. Seeing her shabby surroundings, she asks if what she really how she thought things would turn out. Shauna gets up in her face, calling her a "smug little bitch" and saying she doesn't know anything about her life. She leaves a card, saying it's if she changes her mind.

A woman sits meditating at the edge of a beach. This is Natalie and a man tells her that it's time for group. She does a bit more breathing, then heads off. In the past, someone is dragging a bloodied body tied to a rope. They hang the body from a tree while another person dressed in furs watches as they cut into it, blood dripping down. In the therapy group, a therapist reminds those attending that anger can be helpful. One of the attendees, however, says to tell that to her parole officer, wondering just how she was supposed to react to someone cutting in line, that she's on the line for assault. The therapist tells her that violence is never the answer, but it doesn't mean that anger isn't useful, that you have to... "Find a way to keep the tiger in the cage," completes Natalie. The man says that since it's her last day with them, she might want to pass on some last inspirations. She tells them to find a purpose. She says that she used to think that the drugs, drinking and sex were things she did because of what happened and what she saw and did after the plane crash. She continues that the real reason is much simpler, that after they rescued them, she lost her purpose. Thanks to her time there, she finally knows how to get it back.

In the past, Natalie is out drinking with a boy named Rick. She is disgusted and he and his friend tease her for it. He tries a drink and admits it is actually terrible. He gets a page from his cousin and Natalie asks if he got them the "stuff." A car pulls up and the guy driving says "show your tits." One of the boys does and then Natalie tosses the bottle at them and they take off. In school, the girls of the WHS Yellowjackets kick back in the locker room. A girl, Allie, is having a cartoon yellowjacket painted on her face by Jackie. Jackie asks if she's alright, saying that it's just a pep rally. Another girl, Lottie, comes in, saying that Coach wants to see Jackie. Allie tells Jackie that she's not nervous. Jackie leaves and her spot is taken by another girl, Van. Allie tells her that she's the only freshman who got asked to prom, saying that it's unfair she can't go, that her dress was going to be amazing. Van tells her she can wear it next year, but she says she doesn't get it, that nobody asked her. Van tells her that she's done. She leaves and Lottie comments that Allie needs to worry less about prom and more about the nationals, given how she played at states.

### Freeze her out

In his office, Coach Bill Martinez tells Jackie that he didn't choose her as team captain because she's their best player, that others are faster and have better footwork. He tells her that she has influence and that when things get tough, the girls are going to need someone to guide them. He asks she can handle that and she nods. In the gym, the girls are introduced as the New Jersey Girls' State Soccer Champions. Misty Quigley cheers them all on. Back in the present day, Shauna is busy doing more housework while watching a quiz show on TV. A commercial comes on, with a woman named Taissa Turner campaigning for state senator. She states that she wants to lead New Jersey out of the economic wilderness. Shauna swears. The scene cuts to Taissa, who is doing a photo-shoot with her family. The photographer tells them to just breathe. Taissa reins in her restless family, telling them they're almost done. She promises that it's a profile in *Jersey Monthly*, not *Italian Vogue*. They playfully joke with each other and the photographer, seeing their smiling faces, gets his shots. He calls Taissa a real inspiration, saying that she gives him chills and that he doesn't believe any of the nasty stories, calling her the "queer Kamala." She replies that she just wants to focus on the future, not her past.

In the past, Taissa argues with Natalie, saying that it seems like she doesn't even care. She asks if she really want to take the chance about something and Natalie says she does, that she's not an asshole. Another player comes up, asking what they're talking about. They explain that it's about Allie, that she choked at states. Taissa calls her a liability, and they should freeze her out. The others are wary about it and Natalie calls it bullshit. Taissa asks what her plan is and she suggests they play like a team and win, that it's worked so far. Taissa says that everything works till it doesn't, saying she smells like a wino and should get it together. Natalie walks off in a huff. The others agree that it doesn't feel right. Shauna says Jackie won't like it and Taissa says not to tell her. They begin a practice with Coach Scott there instead of Martinez due to a family emergency. Laura Lee asks if they shouldn't say a prayer first. Scott replies it's only scrimmage, but nevertheless agrees to it. They do so and then start play. During the scrimmage, Taissa bumps Allie, unable to freeze her out. She is delighted to see her finally start playing, but then collides with her, causing her to fall over and badly injure her leg. It is badly bloodied and she screams in pain. Misty comes over, trying to apply a tourniquet, but they push her out of the way. Scott sends them to Coach Martinez's office for an ambulance.

The girls are all in the locker room, in something of a state of shock, particularly Taissa. Jackie says it might not be as bad as it looks, but Natalie shoots back that you could see her bones. It's as bad as it looks. Jackie tells them they're still a team and have each other. Laura Lee agrees that the Lord works in mysterious ways. Natalie stalks off, telling Taissa "nice work." In the present, someone enters Shauna's house. She asks if it's Callie and the girl, who is indeed Callie, quips that she's a burglar who's come to steal her ceramic bunnies. She asks Callie how school was and they say "fine" in unison. Shauna asks if her teacher is going to let her retake the trig test and she agrees "probably." Shauna asks her to put down her phone and try to have a meaningful conversation. However, her next words are to discuss the evening's dinner, leading Callie to point out that it isn't a meaningful conversation. She continues that they've been a chicken kick lately and Callie comments that if this feels meaningful to her, she should take a hard look at her life. She says that she can't stay anyway, that she and her boyfriend are going out. Shauna says she thought they could hang out and watch a movie. Callie points out it's Friday. A teen boy named Kyle shows up asking if she's ready to go. Shauna tells them to be home till 11. When Callie calls it "bullshit," she agrees to midnight.

### One nice, true thing

In the past, the girls are getting ready for a party, but Shauna finds it weird to go given what happened to Allie. Jackie points out that going won't change Allie's situation. Things turn to boy talk, and the boys Jeff and Randy. Shauna is most definitely not interested in Randy. They get into an argument, Shauna saying she doesn't want to wear the dress Jackie picked out for her, nor hook up with Randy. Annoyed, Jackie tells her to wear whatever she wants. She admits she's probably right about Randy, saying that she once saw him get outsmarted by an escalator. Jackie says she once heard him ask who invented the Pope. The scene changes to late at night and the party in question. There are trucks, beer kegs, smoking and loud music. Natalie lands some LSD, but one of the boys points out that she's going to the "Olympics" tomorrow. Despite this, she uses it anyway. In the present, adult Natalie is having a smoke when a taxi pulls up. He asks where she's going and she asks if he picks up a lot of people there. "A few," he agrees. She asks how many go straight to a bar. He asks if she wants to go to a bar and she tells him to take her to LAX instead, that she's catching a red-eye. Back at the party, Jackie seems to be having a good time, dancing with a lot of boys. Shauna, not so much, as Randy chugs from a keg and then passes out. She walks up to Taissa Turner, saying that she admires her resilience, but it can't be easy, knowing she crippled someone. She demands she admit she did it on purpose, calling her a sociopath.

Vanessa tells her to call down, but Shauna continues that they don't have to worry about the Allie problem anymore, that Taissa fixed it for them. Things quickly devolve and they are all at each other's throats until finally Jackie comes over, shouting that it's enough. She demands they all come with her. They gather together and she says she doesn't know what that was, but it's over, that they're about to go to nationals. But based on what she's looking at right now, they may as well not even get on the plane. She orders them to all line up then tells them to each go down the line and say one nice, true thing about every other girl on the team. Taissa asks if it's Girl Scout camp, but Jackie asks for someone to go first and Laura Lee agrees. She tells Taissa that she's beautiful in the eyes off their Lord, but when she starts to say the same thing to Van, they cut her off. Jackie orders her to fall back and swears, saying *she'll go first*. She tells Taissa that she has more fight than anyone she's ever known and that she's inspired by her determination. She continues down the line and soon everyone is getting into it. Shauna apologizes to Taissa and Taissa tells her that she really didn't mean to hurt Allie. Jackie and Shauna then talk and Jackie says that Shauna is the only one who's ever been there for her, her best friend. "Let's get you home," she says. While they do so, Natalie goes on an LSD trip. She appears to see Misty, though she's not sure if it's a hallucination or not. The scene changes. The girls are in the woods, feasting on meat.

Jackie and Shauna head home with Jeff. Jeff drops Jackie off and then Shauna asks Jeff to pull over. He asks if she's going to puke, pleading with her not to. She asks him to just pull over and he does so. She then grabs him and kisses him. He says he thought they weren't doing this again. she says that they're not, again, and continues. Soon they are full-on making out, but she warns him that if he comes inside her, she will raise the baby out of spite and train it to become a killing machine that eventually hunts him down. She asks him to tell her he loves her, promising she won't hold him to it. He does so and she climaxes. In the present, Shauna kills a rabbit in her garden, then heads inside and washes the blood off her hands. She picks up the card reading *The Star-Ledger*, as pictures are shown of her wedding and her with her husband and daughter. She grabs some laundry and opens a safe. She pulls out several items, before finally grabbing an old-style flip phone. She dials a number. "We need to talk" she tells the person on the other end of the line.

### Reconnecting with old friends

In the past, the girls spend their last moments before the flight. Misty watches a drowning rat in her family's pool. Shauna reads a letter informing her that she has gained admission to Brown University's Class of 2000. The team boards the flight. The other girls cheer Lottie for her father having paid for a private plane, but she comments that it's pretty much his only form of parenting. The team settles in, Coach Martinez telling them to hustle up, that it's going to be a long flight. The captain comes on, saying that their flight plan to Seattle has them heading further north than expected due to weather. Jackie asks Shauna if she remembers coming with them to Hilton Head in second grade and crying the whole flight. She gives her some Valium she swiped from her mother's medicine cabinet, which Shauna takes. She also hands her a heart-shaped necklace, saying that it's a good-luck charm and that nothing can touch her. In the present day, Shauna sits inside a lonely cafe. The plane takes off in the past. In the cafe, Taissa Turner takes a seat across from her. She apologizes for being late. Shauna tells her that a reporter approached her, claiming to be from the local paper, but when she Googled her she wasn't credited in any bylines anywhere. Taissa says that these people come out of the woodwork on anniversaries, but there's no reason to think this is any different. Shauna replies that she can think of a few, and they agreed to stay out of the public eye, but she saw her on television. She warns her they're in trouble if someone's digging, demanding that she take care of it. She asks Taissa if she talked to Natalie and Taissa explains about her being in rehab. Shauna asks if there's any sign of the others and Taissa says there hasn't been for months. Shauna agrees that it's okay, that they're fine, so long as nobody does anything crazy.

Natalie pulls up the door of a storage unit. She pulls a sheet off a car and extracts a rifle from inside the hood. She aims it, then covers it back up. A man approaches, saying that it's a nice ride. The man tells her that he's Dave, the manager, and that he's sorry but that he hasn't seen anyone around the unit since he first arrived. He tells her that vultures have been circling it for years but that he tells them "Long as the bill's paid." He asks if she's local and she replies that she was, but it's been a while since she's been home. He welcomes her back and she thanks him, saying that she wasn't sure how'd she feel, but she thinks it'll be good to reconnect with some old friends. The scene changes to back in the woods, where the meat is roasting on the fire. The woman in furs from before serves up a tray of it to a group of several others.

In the present, an adult Misty is in a hospital or nursing home. She visits the room of a Mrs. DeGenaro, wishing her a happy Friday and telling her that it's time for her meds. She asks if she's been a good girl, but examines a chart and comments that she sees she's still on a hunger strike. She tells her that she'll never get her strength back up if she doesn't eat and asks if she had another accident. She sighs, saying that she can just press the button and someone will come. She sets down a tray of food and walks off, complaining that she just changed those sheets. Mrs. DeGenaro knocks the tray to the floor and Misty turns slowly and stares at her. She walks back over and suggests that her morphine might be upsetting her tummy. She walks over and whispers "Let's skip this dose." She picks up a cup and gets in her face, warning her "Don't fuck with me." She leaves and Mrs. DeGenaro whimpers. She exits, greeting a couple of other nurses with "Happy Friday, ladies!" She enters her car and Natalie watches from a distance. In the woods of the past, one of the individuals lifts the fur, revealing their face. It is Misty and she looks haunted as she puts on her glasses. The girls continue to eat the meat and the scene cuts briefly to show the blood dripping, making it very clear that they are consuming the human flesh of one of their own. The girls walk off into the deep woods, the camera panning to reveal the remains of their wrecked plane among the vast mountain wilderness. A note is shown, stained in blood: "It's been almost two weeks. Where are we? Why haven't they found us yet? We're all trying to remember how people survive in movies, but it's hard to..."

In the present, Shauna sits reading. She has a flashback. The girls are all screaming. The plane is crashing and they are fitting oxygen masks to breathe. Laura Lee begins praying The Lord's Prayer. The engine gives a terrible whine and she is knocked to the floor. Everyone is jostled terribly. Shauna opens a window, watching their chaotic descent.

## 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
* Keeya King as Akilah
* Kevin Alves as Teen Travis
* Jane Widdop as Teen Laura Lee
* Alexa Barajas as Teen Mari
* Jack Depew as Teen Jeff
* Carlos Sanz as Coach Martinez
* Rekha Sharma as Jessica Roberts
* Sarah Desjardins as Callie Sadecki
* Rukiya Bernard as Simone Abara
* Pearl Amanda Dickson as Teen Allie

### Co-starring

* Luciano Leroux as Javi Martinez
* Aiden Stoxx as Sammy Abara-Turner
* Mya Lowe as Yellowjacket #1
* Princess Davis as Yellowjacket #2
* Charlie Wright as Teen Kevyn
* Riley Baron as Teen Randy Walsh
* Jeff Holman as Randy Walsh
* Tonya Cornelisse as Wine Lady (Adult Allie)
* Jill Basey as Retired Teacher
* Tony Winters as Vice Principal Berzonsky
* Julien Ari as Douchebag
* Jacob Houston as Smartass
* Jahred King as Orderly
* Steve Lenz as Counselor Carl
* Van Epperson as Facility Manager
* Andrew Tippie as Dan
* Laura Miranda as Ariana
* Tracy Silver as Wendy
* Erika Hau as Mrs. Martinez
* Eve Sigall as Gloria DeGenaro
* Adil Zaidi as Photographer
* Wes Martinez as Taxi Driver
* Kohbe Clarke as Kyle
* K. Scott Malcolm as Taissa's Father
* Jannen Karr as Taissa's Mother
* Deborah Vancelette as Van's Mom

## Trivia

* A screening of this episode was held at the 2021 Vulture Festival in Los Angeles on Saturday, November 13 at 8:15 P.M. This was followed by a conversation with cast members Melanie Lynskey, Juliette Lewis, Christina Ricci, Tawny Cypress, Ella Purnell, Samantha Hanratty, Jasmin Savoy Brown, Sophie Thatcher and Sophie Nélisse. Tickets were made available here.
* Lottie disparagingly refers to Allie as "Kelly Kapowski." Kelly Kapowski was a character on the teen drama *Saved by the Bell* who was the head cheerleader and captain of the volleyball, swim and softball teams at her school, Bayside High.
* The photographer taking shots of Taissa Turner and her family refers to her as the "queer Kamala," a reference to Kamala Harris, the Vice of President of the United States as of 2021.
* The following songs were featured in this episode: "Today" by Smashing Pumpkins, "Supernova" by Liz Phair, "Informer" by Snow, "Shoop" by Salt n Pepa, "Good Vibrations" by Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch, "What If..." by Dore Soul, "Let Me Find Out" by Pos Neg, "Miss World" by Hole, "Counting Backwards" by Throwing Muses, "Never Tear Us Apart" by Paloma Faith and "Down by the Water" by PJ Harvey.
* The veiled antler figure seen in this episode has been dubbed the "Antler Queen" by the online fan community. While not explicitly confirmed, it is heavily implied by the end of season one to be Lottie.
* The original script for the "Pilot" was released by Deadline on May 24, 2022. It reveals certain aspects of the series that did not appear in the final TV version, including the deleted character Cat Wheeler and that Shauna's daughter Callie had an older sister named Mandy. It also indicates the scenes from the past as taking place in 1994. This was likely changed when the series premiered in 2021 instead, to match up with the idea of the events in the past taking place 25 years before. Additionally, the note seen written by Shauna at the end of the episode asking why the Yellowjackets haven't been found and rescued yet is dated June 6 in the original script. As she states that it's been two weeks, this would place the plane crash as having occurred on or around May 23.

## Full episode video

Yellowjackets - Series Premiere - Free Full Episode (TVMA)

## References

1. ↑ Bundel, Ani (December 14, 2021). These Theories About the *Yellowjackets* Antler Queen Will Have You In Shock. Elite Daily. Retrieved on January 4, 2022.
2. ↑ Fleming, Ryan (May 24, 2022). It Starts On The Page: Read The Script That Started It All For Showtime’s ‘Yellowjackets’. Deadline. Retrieved on May 27, 2022.