Yellowjackets’ third episode of season three takes us on a trip in more ways than one. There is a lot that goes down in both timelines, from Shauna losing it on Lottie for good reason to a wild hunt during the Wilderness times. One thing that happened in this Yellowjackets season three episode that didn’t shock too many of us, considering we saw her in the Yellowjackets trailer, was the return of Ghost Jackie for a cameo. It’s not the first time she’s visited from the dead, but this is by far the strangest one. Ghost Jackie also makes a return appearance in episode four of season three, this time in the present timeline.
How Does Jackie First Return in Yellowjackets Season 3, Episode 3?
In the Wilderness timeline, Coach Ben makes the (probably not good) decision to let Mari go after they have some seriously cringe and hilarious moments. She goes back to the girls’ camp and Shauna pressures her into telling the truth about Ben’s whereabouts. So, this leads everyone on a hunt for Coach Ben. While in the tunnels of the cave, Shauna, Akilah, and Van end up having a series of trippy ass dreams. Ben claims that there is some kind of gas that is permeating the air and causing the dreams and hallucinations. This could be true to some degree, but considering all the girls are hearing howling noises, it is possible that they are 1) simply losing their sanity after enduring so many things or 2) consuming herbs and such that are causing some weird trips. Who really knows at this point?
Anyway, the three have their separate dreams, which include Shauna trying to swim to an imagined version of her son, Van being in a cabin and then consumed by fire in an airplane chair, and Akilah talking to a weird llama. It seems the Wilderness will get what it wants… whatever that truly means. As the third episode of Yellowjackets season three continues, the three of them are in a dream together in a classroom where Lottie is the teacher/leader and Ghost Jackie returns for a cameo. It is not clear exactly whose dream it is, and it is not impossible that they are having a shared experience, but it seems more likely to be Shauna’s dream, considering the Jackieness of it all.
What Does Ghost Jackie Want with Shauna, Akilah, and Van?
All three of the Yellowjackets are dressed in their soccer uniforms and Ghost Jackie is hitting a slap bracelet on her arm. They pass the slap bracelet around among the three of them at Jackie’s behest and try to use it. Akilah is able to do it easily and Van gets a cut on her arm and a warning that she “shouldn’t play with dangerous things” from Lottie. But then Ghost Jackie slaps it around Shauna’s neck. She begins to bleed out, and Akilah tries to help her but cannot.
Lottie says they will all die if Akilah doesn’t save Shauna. We assume this is some sort of foreshadowing that Akilah will save Shauna’s life for real at some critical moment in Yellowjackets season three or beyond. They all wake up to see Coach Ben, who says there is gas somewhere that is poisonous. Tai and a shotgun wielding Natalie show up and say he is coming with them.
What Does the Ghost Jackie Dream Mean in Yellowjackets?
It is hard to interpret exactly what the dream with Ghost Jackie means in Yellowjackets season three. Elements appeared in the dream that didn’t even have anything to do with those three girls. What was up with the Man With No Eyes, whom Tai often sees, strolling the hallways? Saying that there is only one dream speaks to their interconnectedness as a group of people trying to survive the Wilderness, which is calling to them all at this point. It makes sense for Shauna to see Jackie return in her Yellowjackets wilderness dream and for her to be the one to attempt to kill her after she indirectly caused Jackie’s demise. There’s certainly a lot of guilt on her end for good reason.
The various reactions to the slap bracelet may also be indicators of the girls’ status with the Wilderness in Yellowjackets, which Jackie is now forever a part of spiritually. If Shauna doesn’t give in and give It what It wants, she will certainly die. Akilah is in tune, especially considering her connection to flora and fauna. Van is mostly there, but there are hints that she has done (or will do something) to flirt with danger. Van has evaded a few literally fiery situations. So her connection to that dangerous element is much like Tai’s to the wolf. Akilah and Van are far more willing to engage and try, while Shauna is not. It is indeed a weird dream that may be giving us clever clues for the remainder of the season.
Ghost Jackie and Ella Purnell Return to Cameo Again in Yellowjackets Season 3, Episode 4
Even though Jackie is dead on Yellowjackets, Ella Purnell seems to be around quite a bit—Ghost Jackie returns once again to cameo in episode four of Yellowjackets season three. This time, Jackie is haunting Adult Shauna in the present-day timeline. In episode four, someone has locked Shauna in a freezer, ostensibly angling to murder her. Ghost Jackie appears in a cameo scene to tease out all of Shauna’s greatest fears. She taunts in her frozen, deathly form, “Remember what Jeff said about karma? Maybe this is exactly how it was always going to end for you: frozen and left for dead. Just like me. Someone’s trying to hurt you, Shauna, for what you did. Not just in the wilderness, but for what you did when you got back.”
These are some very interesting words from Ghost Jackie and though this cameo is less symbolic than the last, it is quite revealing. What does Jackie mean when she implies that Shauna did some terrible things when she got back. Did Shauna try to perpetuate the Wilderness rituals even after the team’s return? We can’t know for sure just yet. But Ghost Jackie isn’t done talking in her cameo scene, and we’re glad because Ella Purnell and Melanie Lynskey are incredible scene partners.
“Look at you now,” Ghost Jackie tosses out derisively, “Someone’s fucking with you, and you’re just hurling accusations left and right. You’re not even doing anything about it, you’re all talk… I’m the most interesting thing about you. After I died, did you finally turn into the person you always wanted to be, or did you become this?” Jackie is always great at cutting right into the heart of Shauna’s insecurities and even though Shauna is an adult and Jackie is a ghost, her tongue is as sharp as ever.
“It’s okay, you’ll be warm soon.” Ghost Jackie gloats, implying Shauna doesn’t have what it takes to survive. And that’s curtains for Ella Purnell in Yellowjackets season three, episode four.
Will There Be More Ghost Jackie on the Horizon?
We hope this won’t be Ghost Jackie’s last cameo on Yellowjackets season three. If there’s one actor we love seeing back on our screens, it’s Ella Purnell. It seems Jackie will even play a role in the present timeline, considering Lottie gave her necklace to Callie before Shauna rightfully took it away and kicked Lottie out of her house. Let’s see how it all goes down in future episodes.