The Cards Drawn in ‘Yellowjackets’ Season 2 Mean More Than You Think (2023)

Editor's Note: The following contains spoilers for Season 2 of Yellowjackets.

Showtime's horror-leaning series Yellowjackets is fantastic for many reasons, namely because of its incredible use of foreshadowing and small details that prove to have massive payoffs in the long run. One of the best examples yet was during Season 2 Episode 8. This moment was foreshadowed all the way back in Season 1 and finally came to fruition with a brilliantly devious twist involving playing cards. But since we know that the showrunners like to leave clues and hints, could it be that there’s an even deeper meaning to the scene than it seems?

RELATED: 'Yellowjackets': What Would Van Have Done Had Taissa Drawn the Queen of Hearts? Here’s Liv Hewson’s Take

The Writers Chose Each Card Strategically

With Lottie (Courtney Eaton) in pretty bad shape after Shauna’s (Sophie Nélisse) beating, she tells Misty (Sammi Hanratty) that if she dies the team is not to waste her body. The team, however, is adamantly against this and decides they need to find another way to survive that isn’t by eating Lottie, but we aren’t told what that is. We suddenly cut to the team standing in a circle as Van (Liv Hewson) shuffles a deck of cards and holds up a Queen of Hearts as the chosen card. It’s left ambiguous what they’re drawing for, but it all became clear when the card was inevitably drawn: they were drawing cards to choose a sacrifice.

Since we know that the showrunners are big on putting in little details that have bigger consequences, could the cards mean something? During a Collider Forces interview with Liv Hewson, they revealed that the order of the cards was anything but random. “Okay, I don't know, but I will tell you, the cards that we pull were written down in the script. And we asked on the day, we were like, ‘Do we have to decide what order the cards [are in]?’ And they were like, ‘No, no, no.’ They made sure that they were in order so that every time each character drew the same one.” Upon further digging into cartomancy (the meanings of cards including playing and tarot) it’s clear why each card was chosen specifically for its character. Each one spells out subtle yet poignant readings of our teammates, from potential fates, to personality quirks. It’s almost eerie how spot-on some are.

Is Love in the Air?

Misty is the first to draw, and pulls the Eight of Diamonds, the meaning of which is unpredictable, and, well, who is more unpredictable a character than Misty? I mean, she cut off Coach’s (Steven Krueger) leg without any warning, and she destroyed the transmitter… perhaps unpredictable is too tame a word for Misty. Eight of Diamonds also has a deeper meaning of prudence which is also quite fitting of Misty, because while she may be unpredictable she is a fairly good person to have around in a crisis due to how critical and cautious she is.

Akilah (Nia Sondaya) chose Seven of Spades which has the central meaning of certainty. However, it also has a deeper meaning of grief and loss, and during this episode, we found out that the mouse Akilah had found and was keeping as a friend was actually dead. But more than that, it can also serve as a warning for the loss of a friend. Could this be a sign that someone close to her is doomed?

The Jack of Hearts was pulled by Van and is a card that signifies love. It also often announces a new intimate friendship, which we’ve seen over the season as she grew closer to Lottie and found a deeper connection with Tai (Jasmin Savoy Brown). It also states that, as a lover, the Jack of Hearts is often away, but is committed and sincere and would make good marriage material, which feels on par with present-day Van (Lauren Ambrose) and her potential rekindling of romance with Taissa (Tawny Cypress).

Jackie Isn't Really Gone

Shauna pulled the Four of Diamonds which is supposed to signify important revelations, as well as feelings of being confined and restricted. It all seems to spell out Jackie (Ella Purnell) who has constantly been the shadow looming over Shauna even after her death. It’s also a card that means inheritance, and we know in the present-day timeline that Jackie’s parents still meet up with Shauna (Melanie Lynskey) every year on Jackie’s birthday and allow her to open the present.

Travis (Kevin Alves) pulled the Ace of Clubs which many consider to be the luckiest card in the whole deck. It signifies the power of getting anything that you want, and that of better health, happy relationships, and longer life. Travis’ card is a tricky one because knowing all that we know about his life post-crash, none of the above seems true. And losing Javi (Luciano Leroux) doesn’t feel very lucky. So perhaps his card is more of an irony of sorts, as Natalie (Juliette Lewis) stated in Season 2 Episode 5, every time he was happy, she wanted to ruin it.

Taissa pulled the Six of Spades, and it’s maybe the most on-the-nose one yet. The Six of Spades means infidelity, though it’s not always cheating or divorce, but simply a sign that a couple isn’t being truthful with one another. We saw throughout Season 1 and into Season 2 in the present-day timeline that Taissa and her wife Simone (Rukiya Bernard) have a bit of a rocky relationship. Or at least, that’s what it grows into. She isn’t truthful with Simone about her sleepwalking, nor does she tell her of her past. Of course, she has her reasons, but it still counts against her. And now that she has reunited with Van and the pair shared a steamy kiss, the infidelity rings true. The Six of Spades can also signify a journey, and not only did present-day Taissa hitchhike to Van, but '90s Taissa led an escape mission through the woods that ultimately ended in disaster. Who was that disaster centered around you ask? Van. It all comes back to Tai and Van.

Why Do King and Queen Mean Danger?

We may not know much about Melissa (Jenna Burgess) which is honestly a shame, so it’s a bit harder to decipher her card. She pulled the Three of Hearts which means success in a creative endeavor. It is also said to be a sign of a happy outcome and that it can signify new opportunities and people in your life. Could this be a sign that Melissa makes it out of the woods alive?

And finally, Javi pulled the King of Spades. The King of Spades indicates a man of bad faith and is considered one of the worst cards in the deck. According to cartomancy, the King of Spades is a predator who seeks to use you for his own ends. Now this card is an interesting one because, while we know Javi is the ultimate sacrifice in the end, he had seemed fairly innocent. Though he did disappear for a time, and told Coach about a “friend” he had out there in the woods. Coach has now discovered the very same cave Javi was going to take Natalie (Sophie Thatcher) to hide in, and with it has found piles of bones. Is it possible that Javi was a more sinister character than we originally believed? I suppose that’s something we’ll have to wait to find out.