was sansalicent

Something about how Yellowjackets reflects our own society when it comes to valuing human life based on usefulness and contribution. Specifically when it comes to Jackie, Javi and Ben. Jackie is ostracised mainly because she hasn’t been a productive, helpful member of the group. Was she depressed and traumatised? Yes but when your society is made up of traumatised individuals the empathy will only stretch so far, Javi is just a kid, they saw him as a dependent, he can’t reasonably be expected to do as much as the older teens. He does have survival skills but when it came down to him and Natalie, one of the most useful members of the group because of her hunting skills. Javi was the “chosen” sacrifice. Then there’s Ben. He became disabled and at first empathy and compassion won over usefulness. His life had value and they didn’t leave him behind. As time went on they needed his guidance less and he couldn’t physically contribute. From the moment he became disabled he lost the chance to solidify himself as a valuable member of the group and lost his grip on authority. If they’ll turn on their captain and friend, for being “useless” how long before they’ll turn you? Maybe the issue with these characters, who’s value and position in the group ultimately came down to their abilities and usefulness isn’t solely because they’re in a survival situation but because they were raised in a society where they’re taught that a human beings value comes down to how useful and productive they are.

Feels like it took away Mari’s agency by not having the Mari vs Shauna plot in the finale. It was MARI that volunteered to kill Shauna. Mari had her own plan and motivations which were not sacrificing herself so a white girl could escape. The hunt was supposed to be the tragic end of their rivalry because the both were willing to hunt each other to achieve the respective goals.