Shauna Shipman, PLEASE Let Me Fix You! 

You’d think a character with nicknames that include “Oshauna Bin Laden,” “Bisexual Stalin,” and “Shaunibal Lecter” would be beyond fixing or saving. However, I’m here to say that Shauna Shipman is capable of being fixed. Sue me!

Shauna Shipman is arguably the main character in Yellowjackets. The show, which follows a high-school girls soccer team who survive a plane crash in the wilderness and their adult counterparts 25 years later, has garnered a loyal fanbase and many awards. Played brilliantly by Sophie Nélisse during the show’s 90s flashbacks and Melanie Lynskey in the present day, Shauna Shipman’s character development has been the subject of much scrutiny, particularly from Yellowjackets fans that once loved and sympathized with Shauna. However, I would argue that despite the interesting writing found in season three of Yellowjackets, Shauna’s descent into darkness is, controversially, warranted.

Shauna has always been messy. In the Yellowjackets pilot, it is revealed that Jeff, Shauna’s husband in the present timeline, was cheating on his girlfriend Jackie Taylor with Shauna. Oh, and Jackie and Shauna were best friends, because why wouldn't they be?! And there also may have been romantic feelings between the girls as well! This is never directly stated on the show, but JackieShauna is implied so often that I have no choice but to believe that these romantic feelings were present. I’m also choosing to believe that Shauna was in love with Jackie and her sleeping with Jeff was the only way Shauna felt that she could be close/intimate with Jackie. This topic is a whole multi-page essay, so I’ll wrap it up.

As I was saying, Shauna’s messy! The dynamic between her and Jackie aided Shauna’s compelling nature. One of the most memorable scenes in Yellowjackets happens when Shauna finds Jackie’s body outside the cabin in the wilderness after she freezes to death. Sophie Nélisse’s performance is devastating. I may or may not have fought back some tears as Shauna tries to shake Jackie awake. At the end of the day, these are teen girls who were best friends. Further, Shauna feels responsible for Jackie’s death, since they had an argument which led to Jackie sleeping outside. The argument was about Shauna being pregnant and Jeff being the father. I cannot imagine the immense guilt Shauna felt here. Brutal.

In adulthood, Shauna is also a cheater! Here, she cheats with an aspiring artist named Adam, pursuing this affair because she believes Jeff is cheating on her. Oh, and she also kills Adam after she believes he is blackmailing her about her past! She is the queen of being paranoid, but partaking in cannibalism for survival would probably do that to anyone. From episode one, there is something severely off-putting about adult Shauna. I mean, one of the first times we see her, she is masturbating in her daughter’s room to a photo of her boyfriend. On the surface, adult Shauna is an awkward mother and wife. But underneath said surface lies the most fucked up trauma you can imagine and someone who is deeply, deeply disturbed. She continuously tries to hold on to her adolescence. There is something cruel, dark, and unnerving about adult Shauna in season one of Yellowjackets, but her character is not yet the terrorist she later becomes.

Shauna Shipman suffers more than biblical figures in season two of Yellowjackets. From eating Jackie’s body to survive the winter (they’re so “Strangers” by Ethel Cain coded, it’s crazy), to her baby being stillborn, her descent into darkness feels inevitable. In season two, audiences can still sympathize with Shauna because of the immense tragedies she faces here. But there is something sinister awaiting viewers. Shauna quickly turns vicious, and honestly, I get it.

Shauna has – in some way – always been unkind to those who consider her a friend. She constantly disrespects Nat, Van, Taissa, Misty, and Lottie, and I have no idea why or how they put up with her for so long. Must be the trauma bond! This becomes prominent in season three when Shauna becomes the Antler Queen, surrendering to the Wilderness’ supernatural powers and becoming the group’s ritual/spiritual leader. With Shauna’s increasing brutality and cruelty, it makes sense that she would take up this mantle. The Antler Queen is the leader of the ritual where a person is hunted, killed, and cannibalized by the group. Shauna’s brutality symbolizes the group’s straying from kindness and humanity, as they must survive the wilderness by any means necessary, including worshipping the Antler Queen and the power she represents.

Yellowjackets is a very unserious show, which means many characters who were nameless background extras in the wilderness in season one suddenly had lines in later seasons. One of these includes Melissa aka “Hat Girl.” In season three, Melissa and Shauna begin a romantic relationship, as Melissa is arguably the only person in the wilderness to see beyond Shauna’s harsh exterior. And, honestly, I get her! Their relationship quite literally begins with Shauna putting a knife to Melissa’s throat. Although Shauna treats her like shit, Melissa is always kind to her. I can’t say I’d do the same if I were in Melissa’s shoes, but trying to appeal to someone’s kindness in the situation they find themselves in feels like a testament to humanity.

The relationship between Shauna and Melissa is compelling because Melissa encourages Shauna’s violent and ruthless behaviour, even telling her to embrace these parts. It’s because of this that Shauna puts up with Melissa for so long. In Melissa, she has someone to encourage her cruelty, like torturing Coach Scott and putting the fear of God in all their teammates. What Shauna does to Melissa as their relationship begins to deteriorate is straight up inexcusable. Shauna says, “No one cared about you until me,” even shooting a gun at Melissa to assert her dominance and control.

I’m going to be real; This part of Shauna is unfixable, especially harming the only person who was loyal to her and supportive of her dangerous behaviour in the wilderness. Melissa’s character is heartbreaking to me. In a way, she tries to “fix” Shauna by seeing her. Of course, encouraging this kind of violence ends poorly for Melissa. However, she represents what it means to try to see the strongest parts of a person. Despite Shauna’s darkness feeling inevitable, there are some parts that cannot be fixed... Not by Melissa or me! I haven’t even mentioned what Shauna does to Melissa when they’re adults...

Season three ends with Misty and Tai plotting revenge against Shauna for all the shit she has caused in their lives. Rightfully so. Every bad thing coming Shauna’s way is something she probably deserves. YET! I am still interested in Shauna’s journey. I am frustrated that this upcoming season is the show’s final one because I don’t know how they’ll tie up the many, many loose ends. It’s because of this that the criticisms of Shauna are justified. However, I think most of these criticisms stem from the bloated writing of Yellowjackets. There is just too much always going on, which means Shauna’s cruelty feels too abrupt for some viewers. This may be true, but it’s also not unwarranted. I wonder if Shauna’s character would be polarizing if the pacing of Yellowjackets allowed for more room and development. At first glance, Shauna Shipman is beyond fixing. The damage (aka questionable writing and character development) has been done. However, I have a hard time completely disregarding messy characters, especially female ones that are simply labelled “evil.”