Yellowjackets is an outstanding Paramount+ TV series that has gotten a large following through only two seasons. The series mixes supernatural elements with survival horror, keeping the audience on the edge of their seats. However, as it follows teenagers surviving in the wilderness and the aftermath of that experience, the series does not lack its fair share of heartbreaking moments.

While Season 2 of Yellowjackets develops the plot into a more horrific environment, with the girls learning to survive in ruthless ways, Season 1 still has the most devastating scenes in the show. As the girls face the worst fears, death takes them by surprise, and it leads to some truly harrowing moments.

10Shauna Gifting the Necklace to Jackie

Episode
Title
IMDb Score

5

Shauna and Jackie have one of the most complicated friendships in Yellowjackets Season 1. The two girls are best friends, but they’re also very different. What’s more, Shauna had been sleeping with Jackie’s boyfriend behind her back before the plane crash, resulting in a very inconvenient pregnancy.

However, before Jackie finds out about Shauna’s betrayal, they have a heartwarming moment in “Blood Hive.” Jackie tells Shauna that she’s a baddie, and Shauna tells Jackie that she’s an optimistic and charming leader. At that moment, she puts her necklace around Jackie’s neck and then hugs her. The scene is very charged as Shauna’s guilt shows on her face, but also heartbreaking in light of what happens to Jackie later in the show.

9The Collective Funeral for Everyone Who Died in the Crash

Episode
Title
IMDb Score

3
“Dollhouse”

The third episode of Yellowjackets, “Dollhouse,” begins with a harrowing scene as the surviving members of the plane crash bury the people who didn’t make it. The girls join hands as they say a few kind words about everyone on the plane they used to know, the plane staff and their coach.

What’s especially sad is Van commenting on Rachel’s plans to go to see Oasis, the musical band. Van reflects on the fact that now Rachel can never listen to Oasis again. This is one of the first times the girls confront their own mortality, as their teammates are way too young to die.

8Shauna Admitting to Taissa She’s Having Jeff’s Baby

Episode
Title
IMDb Score

6
“Saints”
7.5

When Shauna starts obviously faking her period, Taissa notices something is wrong. Pretty soon, she asks Shauna if she’s pregnant, and Shauna confirms the other girl’s suspicions. Taissa becomes Shauna’s rock for the next weeks, as she’s the only one who knows what Shauna is going through.

As time passes, Shauna becomes more and more concerned. She knows she might die if she gives birth in the wild. What’s more, she was afraid of Jackie’s reaction. She admits to Taissa that she’s considering a self-induced abortion because that way, at least, she might die without Jackie knowing what a bad friend she is. Seeing Shauna’s vulnerability truly breaks the audience’s hearts.

7Shauna Looking Around After the Plane Crash

Episode
Title
IMDb Score

2
“F Sharp”
7.9

The second episode of Yellowjackets, “F Sharp,” follows the girls, Javi, Ben, and Coach Ben, in the aftermath of the plane crash. The camera makes close-ups of Shauna and Jackie’s faces as they leave the plane in shock. Everyone around them is screaming, suffering, and dying.

This scene shows how confusing, overwhelming, and disheartening an event like this can be. At this moment, Shauna tries to go back to the plane to save Van, but Jackie stops her just seconds before it explodes. Fortunately, Van survives, but everyone will leave the wilderness with the metaphorical and literal scars of this terrible accident.

6Natalie’s Flashback with Her Father

Episode
Title
IMDb Score

4
“Bear Down”
7.4

Natalie and Travis become the hunters of the team after the two discover their proficiency with the shotgun they find in the abandoned cabin. However, this process is more traumatic for Natalie than it is for Travis, as she has a complicated and harrowing history with guns.

As Natalie learns to hunt, Yellowjackets shows a couple of flashbacks of her relationship with her abusive father. Natalie’s father yells horrible things at her as he physically hurts her mother. When Natalie threatens her father with a shotgun, the man makes fun of her, eventually shooting himself and dying. The whole scene is difficult to watch and makes the audience further empathize with Natalia, who has experienced things none of her teammates could understand.

5Travis Tries to Save His Dad

Episode
Title
IMDb Score

2
“F Sharp”
7.9

Coach Bill Martínez, Javi’s and Travis’s father, is one of the first characters to die in Yellowjackets. Even though people find out later that he wasn’t a good dad, his death was both disturbing and harrowing. After the plane crashes, Laura Lee is hugging her Teddy Bear when a drop of blood falls on her forehead. She looks up and starts yelling because she sees Coach Martínez impaled on a tree branch.

This death is particularly tragic because Coach Martínez’s sons had to see his bloody corpse. Travis, in denial, climbed the tree, trying to save him. However, he only managed to break the branch. Coach Martínez’s body fell to the ground in one of the most brutal scenes in Yellowjackets.

4Shauna’s Nightmare About Giving Birth

Episode
Title
IMDb Score

6
“Saints”
7.5

In the sixth episode of Yellowjackets, “Saints,” Shauna is further along her pregnancy, which understandably scares her. She has a bad dream where she gives birth to a stillborn baby that turns out to be a roasted chicken. She and the rest of the girls start eating the baby.

While the scene is mostly shocking, it’s also pretty sad when people think about it. While Shauna expresses fear of dying while giving birth, this nightmare shows she’s mostly afraid of the baby dying during birth. What’s more, it’s clear that she’s subconsciously scared of the other girls, and even herself, eating the baby to survive. No one, especially a teenager, should have to go through a pregnancy the way Shauna did.

3Van Asking Tai to Leave Her Behind

Episode
Title
IMDb Score

8
“Flight of the Bumblebee”
7.9

Van and Tai are one of the most beloved couples from Yellowjackets. The two girls (and women) are always there for each other, even if the relationship doesn’t always work. When Tai decides to try to explore the surrounding area, Van goes with her. Unfortunately, the girls are attacked in the middle of the night by a horde of wolves. Van is the most hurt, but Tai saves her just in time.

Of course, the group decides to return to the cabin, but it’s a hard trip as Van can barely walk. Taissa has to hold her most of the way, which makes for a dangerous journey. In the middle of the way, Van insists for Taissa to leave her behind, but Taissa obviously doesn’t relent. The fact that Van was willing to die alone in the forest to save her teammates is truly heartbreaking.

2Laura Lee’s Plane Explodes

Episode
Title
IMDb Score

8
“Flight of the Bumblebee”
7.9

Even after the second season of Yellowjackets aired, no one can deny that Laura Lee’s death is one of the most devastating moments in the TV series. She’s full of hope and optimism when she embarks on her journey using the plane she had learned to use, only to die minutes after takeoff.

Laura Lee had an incredibly sweet personality, and it was heartbreaking for everyone to see her die. The moment is all the more harrowing because Laura Lee thought she had actually made it. She was convinced she could save her teammates, but soon enough, the plane caught on fire and exploded.

1Shauna Crying Over Jackie’s Body

Episode
Title
IMDb Score

10
“Sic Transit Gloria Mundi”
8.2

There are many deaths throughout Yellowjackets, but none of them are as preventable as Jackie’s. When she and Shauna get into a fight, and Jackie alienates the whole group, she sleeps outside the cabin. Unfortunately, it snows during the night, so Jackie freezes to death while sleeping.

Shauna sees Jackie’s body through the window and immediately leaves the house running. She starts shaking Jackie’s body, begging her to wake up, but she’s obviously gone. Shauna screams inconsolably, having lost her best friend. The scene is even devastating when people think about the guilt Shauna must be feeling, even though it wasn’t truly her fault. This moment totally shattered Shauna, who became a very different person in the following season.