Yellowjackets Season 3 Episode 6 review – “Thanksgiving (Canada)”: A moral breaking point

Yellowjackets has been relentlessly driving its characters to the limits of morality and survival in Season 3, but Episode 6, “Thanksgiving (Canada),” may be its darkest, most emotionally ravaging hour to date.

As summer descends upon the wilderness, delivering the hope of survival, it also pushes the group toward choices that will never leave them. The present-day story also escalates with Shauna and Misty uncovering new truths, and a new arrival shakes the group’s fragile status quo.

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Wilderness Timeline (1996)

As the survivors transition from the brutal winter to a slightly more forgiving summer, you might expect their suffering to ease. Instead, this episode proves that survival isn’t just about enduring the cold—it’s about the slow erosion of everything that makes them human.

Coach Ben’s Final Stand

From the start, Coach Ben Scott was one of the last remaining voices of morality propelled by the survivors. Unlike the others, he never completely fell prey to the bloody ceremonies that have engulfed the group. But with food still scarce, his refusal to join the hunt and growing resistance to the group’s new way of life make him a target.

As the group watches him grow weaker from a self-inflicted hunger strike, the question remains: Will he survive long enough to be saved or become their next meal?

And in a moment that’s both shocking and inescapable, Natalie, long at odds with her own survival instincts, decides to take matters into her own hands. In a moment of mercy (or self-preservation), she stabs Ben in the chest, killing him and ending his suffering before the group has to make the decision for her.

This moment is damning not simply because it's the death of a character who embodied some form of civilization but because it’s the first intentional murder committed by anyone in the group. Until this point, the Yellowjackets have explained away their cannibalism as something they must do, not something they choose.

Cannibalism Takes a Darker Turn

On the one hand, if the first feast they had could be thought of as an act of desperation, the one they are having now feels like it is from some other realm of existence.

The only thing they have to face at this point is the fact that there is no snow to shield them from what they are doing and no cold weather to quiet down the hunger that they feel, so the decision to consume Ben is simply a choice. Moreover, the show doesn’t cover up the terror of it either—there is no storm to be blamed, no blackout to hide in. This time, they’re conscious of their actions.

Now more than ever, this moment makes it even clearer that the girls are not just surviving but are actually changing into something else. The changes, which follow Shauna's example, alter the nature of the relationship once more.

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Present-Day Timeline (2021)

Shauna, entering 2021, is still a victim of the ghosts, not only infiltrating the house but also her psyche. Shauna's death has left many queries unanswered. The mysterious tape that Shauna and Jeff receive at their home proves that someone is aware of their doings.

Misty Uncovers a Clue

As Shauna is getting her needs to have the tape translated discussed with them, Misty makes up her mind to approach the trail problems on her own, and she seeks further details regarding the past of Lottie. In the series, Christina Ricci gives an outstanding performance as she brings her character to life as a crazy investigator and, at the same time, as a real sociopath.

An Unexpected Visitor Arrives

The stage is set as the group is in the midst of a confrontation when a new character enters the storyline, someone who could be a game-changer. Their identity, besides being the major point of this, is a clear sign that the past is not yet done with the Yellowjackets.

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Themes and Analysis

The Ethics of Survival

One of the most intriguing aspects of Yellowjackets had been all the time its focus on morality in brutal situations. This episode carries this to its most horrific point: At what moment does the human instinct of self-preservation become irrelevant to the will of the person?

Due to Ben’s sacrifice, the clique ceases to be passive victims of their changed lives and becomes active co-owners. And Shauna, despite being the main decision-maker, might also pose this question: Is she revealing the route to their redemption or something more negative?

Shauna’s Duality

Shauna’s odyssey presents itself as one of the most diverse throughout the whole show. Both in the present and in the flashback, she appears to be at a crossroads, apart from the fact that she’s looking for an easy way to solve the problems within her. However, as we have witnessed, it is more difficult for her to maintain her individuality than ever, both in 1996 and 2021.

The Role of Faith and Leadership

With Lottie stepping back and a new leader emerging, the show continues to explore the nature of belief. Is faith a survival mechanism, or is it a way to justify the unthinkable? And with Shauna now in charge, what kind of ruler will she become?

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Final Verdict: A Harrowing, Unrelenting Episode

"Thanksgiving (Canada)" is Yellowjackets at its most brutal and unflinching. It doesn’t just push the characters to their breaking points—it shatters them completely. The wilderness timeline delivers one of the show’s most horrifying sequences yet, while the present-day storyline keeps the mystery and tension at an all-time high.

As we head into the final stretch of the season, the stakes have never been higher. With a new leader in the past and new dangers emerging in the present, the question isn’t just whether the Yellowjackets will survive—it’s whether they’ll even recognize themselves when it’s over.

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Standout Questions Moving Forward:

1. How will the group justify their actions now that the winter is over?
2. What does Shauna’s leadership mean for the group’s future?
3. Who sent the mysterious tape to Shauna and Jeff, and what do they know?
4. Who is the unexpected visitor, and how will they impact the present-day storyline?

Yellowjackets is now only a few episodes away from the season 3 finale, but its’ quality has been significantly growing.

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Did you like this episode? Will we come back from it?