[Editor's note: The following contains spoilers for Yellowjackets, Season 2, Episode 6, “Qui."]
Yellowjackets Season 2, Episode 6, “Qui,” is an exceptional episode of television with an Emmy nomination-worthy performance at its core from Sophie Nélisse. After nearly two full seasons of wondering what will happen when Nélisse’s Shauna gives birth to her baby out in the wilderness, we got our answer and it’s utterly crushing.
Filming a birth scene is a monumental challenge no matter the circumstances, but Shauna’s situation makes that experience especially intense and perilous. Not only do the Yellowjackets have zero access to medical personnel and equipment, but they’re also suffering themselves - they’re starving and struggling to keep sound minds as their circumstances become more and more dire. Showrunners Ashley Lyle, Bart Nickerson, and Jonathan Lisco, and Episode 6 writers Karen Joseph Adcock and Ameni Rozsa don't just make use of the physical and logistical challenges of giving birth while stranded in the wilderness; they also heavily tap into the emotional devastation of such a situation as well.
In addition to showing the birth scene play out linearly, the team also adds a fantasy/dream sequence. Initially, the audience is led to believe that Shauna’s son survived, but, extremely malnourished, she struggles to get him to breastfeed. She finally succeeds, but the much-needed relief that moment offers is immediately ripped away when it’s revealed that it was all just a dream. Shauna’s son never made it.
Check out what Nélisse had to say about filming the episode in this Yellowjackets Season 2 interview!
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