How Did 'Yellowjackets' Season 2 Make Us Root for Jeff? (original) (raw)
Published Mar 30, 2023, 5:45 PM EDT
A New Jersey native, Kyle originally focused his writing in the world of sports with his work being featured across outlets like Sports Illustrated, The Philadelphia Inquirer and NBC Sports. After realizing that the world of entertainment, specifically television, was an area of interest for him, he took on a position at Pop Culture for a few years before settling in at Collider.
Editor's note: The below contains spoilers for Season 2 of Yellowjackets.Yellowjackets had the difficult task of having to get us to care about the large group of girls who were involved in the tragic plane crash in Season 1. To add to that, they also had to do so again with the present-day versions of some of those characters. The Showtime series knocked that objective out of the park, as the Ashley Lyle and Bart Nickerson-created phenomenon captivated us from the jump with its intricate character arcs and spot-on casting. Along the way, there had to be some people to root against.
The easy one for fans to not care at all about was Jeff (Warren Kole), and the show was effective in making him as unlikeable as imaginable — at least at first. We're first introduced to a younger version of him as Jackie’s (Ella Purnell) boyfriend, but later learn he's sleeping with her best friend, Shauna (Sophie Nélisse), on the side. In the present day, he's married to Shauna (Melanie Lynskey) and the two of them are parents to a teenage daughter, Callie (Sarah Desjardins). The whole Jeff narrative in Season 1 was very messy and got even worse as the writers made it seem he was cheating on Shauna in the present day. Then came the realization it was all a fake-out, and Yellowjackets Season 2 flexed its muscles in getting us to begin the process of actually liking his character.
The Season 1 Setup With Jeff Succeeded
Melanie Lynskey and Warren Kole in Yellowjackets Episode 10.
Image via Showtime
If you removed Jeff from the picture, there wasn't really anyone the audience could fully commit to disliking. Teenage Misty (Sammi Hanratty) and the older version played by Christina Ricci could be seen as evil. After all, she did destroy the plane’s transmitter and the survivors' best way to safety. Present-day Misty also poisons and kills a woman she had previously been holding hostage in her basement. Yet, in some twisted way (a la YOU and Dexter), it was possible to understand that Misty's reasoning was based on finally being accepted and protecting her friends. That's why the show needed someone like Jeff. For nearly 90% of the first season, he was the unfaithful husband who constantly was seen lying to his wife. There's absolutely nothing presented to us in those first eight episodes that suggest he’s worth our care — until we learned the truth.
Following Shauna’s stabbing of her young lover, Adam (Peter Gadiot), Jeff comes to find out Shauna’s affair was all done under the impression he was cheating on her. The showrunners then begin the process of flipping this character on his head as we learn that Bianca, the woman whose name Shauna saw on his phone and later saw with him at a hotel, was part of a loan shark group that Jeff was in debt to. With Jeff also being the masked man who framed Shauna, Misty, and Taissa (Tawny Cypress) for money, this shady betrayal was all done so he could recoup his debt. Once the baggage is cleared between Shauna and Jeff, the latter begins his redemption arc.
Jeff not only hearing about Shauna’s affair but the murder she carried out was brilliant television, with Kole delivering one of the show’s best lines when Jeff realized the lies Shauna had been telling: “What? There's no book club?” Despite all of this twisted stuff being aired out, Jeff’s response actually made him more human than we had ever seen from him before. This is a far cry from the teenager we once saw sneaking around town with Shauna. Yellowjackets could have let Jeff keep being Jeff. Instead, they allowed his character to finally express his emotions, showcasing that he's actually just a father and husband who's a bit clueless along the way.
We Now See Jeff in a Whole New Light in Season 2
Yellowjackets Season 2 Episode 1
Image via Showtime
This endearing persona continues into Season 2 now that Jeff is fully aware of what's going on. The first time he graces the screens in the premiere, he’s over the moon about the amount of furniture he's sold that day. His energy screams of a dorky dad with the jokes he makes while still managing to be charming. Said jokes continue even as he and Shauna break into Adam’s art studio, “Hey, how do you get an art major off your front porch? You pay for the pizza.” Although Jeff’s body language as he clocks the dozens of nude portraits Adam had painted of his wife is tough to watch, it also serves as an opportunity for us to feel sympathy towards him. For as twisted up as Jeff and Shauna's ensuing sex scene is, there's a real sense of the two finally seeing one another for who they are. It seems they somehow may finally be getting into a good place despite the tangled web they're in. The show gives us yet another standout Jeff moment when the two are finished destroying the paintings and he gets a minute to himself in his car, throwing on Papa Roach’s "Last Resort." When haven't you had a bad day and turned to a hard rock song to decompress?
There has been some brilliantly executed character development within Yellowjackets. The rise of Misty over the first few episodes of Season 1 made a ton of sense, as it served to contrast the fall of Jackie at the same time. The show’s ability to make us care so deeply about both the young and older versions of these characters speaks to the level of care and thought that goes on in the writers' room. Not to be overlooked, however, is everything that has unfolded with Jeff, since it'd be easy to have him get lost in the background. After all, the show’s premise is centered on everyone involved in the plane crash. Yet, the ascension of Jeff has truly been a bright spot for this series and one that emphasizes the show’s immense talent among its cast. Kudos to Kole for only continuing to flourish every time his character is on-screen.
Yellowjackets Season 2 releases new episodes every Friday on the Showtime streaming app and every Sunday on Showtime on-air.