Qui (Yellowjackets)
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Episode 6
- Karen Joseph Adcock
- Ameni Rozsa
| "Qui" | |
|---|---|
| Yellowjackets episode | |
| Episode no. | Season 2 Episode 6 |
| Directed by | Liz Garbus |
| Written by |
|
| Cinematography by | Shasta Spahn |
| Editing by | Jeff Israel |
| Original air date | May 7, 2023 |
| Running time | 55 minutes |
| Guest appearances | |
| |
"Qui" is the sixth episode of the second season of the American thriller drama television series Yellowjackets. It is the sixteenth overall episode of the series and was written by Karen Joseph Adcock and executive producer Ameni Rozsa, and directed by Liz Garbus. It aired on Showtime on May 7, 2023, but it was available to stream two days earlier on Paramount+ with Showtime.
The series follows a New Jersey high school girls' soccer team that travels to Seattle for a national tournament in 1996. While flying over Canada, their plane crashes deep in the wilderness, and the surviving team members are left stranded for nineteen months. The series chronicles their attempts to stay alive as some of the team members are driven to cannibalism. It also focuses on the lives of the survivors 25 years later in 2021, as the events of their ordeal continue to affect them many years after their rescue. In the episode, Misty contacts Taissa to help her in Lottie's commune, while Shauna and Callie are called for a police interrogation. Flashbacks depict the group's efforts in delivering Shauna's baby.
According to Nielsen Media Research, the episode was seen by an estimated 0.158 million household viewers and gained a 0.04 ratings share among adults aged 18–49. The episode received critical acclaim, who praised the flashback sequences, present-day storylines and performances.
Flashbacks
Shauna (Sophie Nélisse) starts going into labor, and despite her reservations, the team gets Misty (Sammi Hanratty) to help deliver her baby. However, Misty is still affected by her role in Crystal's death, and struggles to perform her duties. Natalie (Sophie Thatcher) asks Ben (Steven Krueger) to help as he showed them a childbirth video, but he still has no idea how to do it. The team decides that they need to make an offering, and Travis (Kevin Alves) cuts his hand.
Per Lottie's request, Misty returns to deliver the baby. The team sings a chant, and Misty successfully delivers Shauna's baby. Shauna tries to calm her baby, but his cries continue growing louder. Lottie claims she does not have milk to feed him, but Shauna is confused when she believes they want to eat her baby. Shauna sits with the baby, comforting him and finally breastfeeding. After sleeping, she is horrified to learn that the team has eaten her baby. This is revealed to be another dream, but Shauna is given bad news; her baby did not survive and she simply dreamed everything after the delivery. Shauna breaks down sobbing, insisting that she can still hear her baby crying.
Present day
Misty (Christina Ricci) meets with Lottie (Simone Kessell), intending to get Natalie (Juliette Lewis) out. Despite refusing, Lottie asks her to stay for her sake. Lottie once again visits her psychiatrist, as her visions keep worsening. She begins to question if "it" followed from the wilderness. Natalie is visited by Lisa (Nicole Maines), who wants her to take care of her fish, hoping this can mend their past interactions. Lisa explains that she believes in the concept of forgiveness, as suffering will only ruin their lives.
Van (Lauren Ambrose) tells Taissa (Tawny Cypress) that her sleepwalking self told her that they were not supposed to be there. Unwilling to get involved, Van asks her to go. As she leaves, Taissa notices Van's past due notices in the trashcan, but Van brushes it off. Taissa is called by Misty, who asks her to come to the commune. When Van learns about it, she decides to accompany Taissa.
The police asks Callie (Sarah Desjardins) to come over for an interrogation, and Shauna (Melanie Lynskey) accompanies her. Shauna confronts Matt (John Reynolds) for using Callie, revealing her affair with Adam, while Callie lies to Kevyn (Alex Wyndham) by claiming that Matt took her virginity. During this, Jeff (Warren Kole) receives a call from Taissa, who explains she is going to Lottie's commune. When they leave the station, Jeff tells Shauna to go to the commune, believing her presence is affecting Callie. As Taissa and Van reach the commune, they notice Shauna coming along. Upon entering, they reunite with Misty and Natalie, and face Lottie together.
Development
Production
The episode was written by Karen Joseph Adcock and executive producer Ameni Rozsa, and directed by Liz Garbus. This marked Adcock's first writing credit, Rozsa's fourth writing credit, and Garbus' first directing credit.[1]
Filming
On the episode's ending, director Liz Garbus said, "The idea was to make Shauna feel grounded and like the audience is with her. You didn't have any knowledge ahead of her, you're right alongside her going through this." Garbus used Rosemary's Baby as inspiration, which she showed to the cast. She added, "in some ways, the reality of episode six is so dark that I bet it felt different to them than to eating Jackie, which was certainly part of their grounded, pragmatic timeline."[2]
Much of Shauna's birth scene had to be reshot due to a technical malfunction, where a significant portion of the footage was lost. Jasmin Savoy Brown called it "the worst day of a lot of our lives, no exaggeration, because it took four days to shoot that scene."[3]