The opening scene of Yellowjackets teased that at least some of the teen survivors of the plane crash will meet a horrifying fate, with one of the girls getting murdered (and potentially eaten) by their teammates in ritualistic fashion. Yet which of these teammates will participate in this gruesome feast is unclear, as all of them (save for Misty, who reveals her face in the final moments of the episode) are masked — including one person who appears to be the ringleader of it all.
Wearing antlers and a white cloak over her face, this character is affectionately known by Yellowjackets fans as the "Antler Queen" — however, her identity is hotly debated. After episode 9, however, I'm starting to suspect that the person behind the Antler Queen mask might be someone seeking a power grab: Jackie.
When we first met Jackie, she was the benevolent, diplomatic leader of the Yellowjackets. Sure, Taissa was more strategic and decisive, and Van was more assertive, but Jackie had influence. She was able to convince the team to come together and make amends while on the verge of nationals. She had that shiny, girl-next-door thing about her — popular, pretty, and cool, but not showy about it.
Of course, it took about five days in the wilderness for Jackie's persona to crumble. Her teammates realized that she was kind of lazy. Telling everyone to just hug it out and get along doesn't really do much when the issue is a lack of deer to hunt or clean water to drink. There was no use for Jackie within the social dynamics of team post plane crash, and since she refused to adapt, Jackie just became, well, kind of entitled and unlikable.
Yet Jackie's true snapping point finally came in episode 9, when she realized that Shauna is pregnant with her boyfriend Jeff's baby. In conversation with Travis, she declared there was simply no point to any of the things she previously was so concerned about. Screw soccer. Forget friends. Love? It's total bullshit. Jackie's cynical worldview is only further cemented when Lottie locks her in a closet upon finding out she slept with Travis, and tells her (while high on mushrooms) that there's no place for her in this world anymore. Yikes.
Yet while Jackie is at her lowest point in episode 9, and arguably at her least powerful, it's exactly this episode that makes me suspect she may become the Antler Queen.
What do we know so far about the Antler Queen? Well, for one thing, we know that she's somehow orchestrated the murder of one of the Yellowjackets — aka, someone who used to be a dear friend. With the exception of Jackie, the other Yellowjackets have actually gotten much closer since the plane crash — that was seen during their group hallucination, in which they believed Travis to be the "stag" of the group. Jackie, however, boldly rejected the bonds of sisterhood in this very episode — does that mean she'll be the one who eventually destroys the team by turning some of them into prey?
A lot can happen between now and the flashforward that we saw in the opening, but I think it's important to note that Jackie is a woman of action. When she saw that Shauna had lost her virginity to Jeff, she decided to sleep with Travis — almost as a way to get her power back after Shauna "stole" something of hers. Why should we expect Jackie to sit quietly now that she's become the lowest ranking member of the Yellowjackets?
Watch out, girls. I think we're in for a pretty scary Jackie renaissance.