Warning: SPOILERS ahead for Yellowjackets season 2.Laura Lee dies while trying to save her friends in Yellowjackets, and a flaming teddy bear is the only real clue about what happened. Yellowjackets follows a girls’ soccer team that’s involved in a plane crash over the Canadian Rockies, leaving them stranded in the wilderness for 19 months. The survivors are forced to contend with the harsh environment and tensions within their own group, leading them to embrace mysticism and cannibalism. There’s little hope of escaping the wilderness, though Laura Lee attempts to get help using an old plane the group finds in the woods.
Laura Lee is among the most innocent members of the Yellowjackets stranded in the Canadian Rockies, and she leans into her religious faith to help her survive. Despite the other girls mocking her beliefs, it’s obvious she cares deeply for her teammates. Upon finding the abandoned plane in the woods, she becomes determined to fly it using knowledge from her grandfather and the pilot’s guide. Unfortunately, Laura Lee’s flight ends in tragedy. And with the show’s ambiguity about what’s real and what isn’t, it’s hard to pinpoint the exact cause of her death.
Laura Lee Dies In A Plane Explosion In Yellowjackets
Her Plane Goes Up In Flames While She Tries To Seek Help
Laura Lee’s is one of the biggest deaths in Yellowjackets season 1, and it’s also among the most mysterious. As Jane Widdop’s character attempts to fly the old plane to safety, she notices her teddy bear on the seat next to her is on fire. It doesn’t take long for that fire to spread, and the Yellowjackets watch in horror as Laura Lee’s plane explodes over the nearby lake. There’s been some debate over what causes the teddy bear to burst into flames in Yellowjackets season 1, episode 8, and there might be a logical explanation.
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Given how old the aircraft is, it’s possible the plane that Laura Lee flies is set ablaze because of a mechanical issue. Although the fire seemingly starts far away from the plane’s engine, there might be wiring under the passenger seat that causes the fire to begin there. This would explain why the teddy bear catches fire first. Whatever the cause of the fire and subsequent explosion, one thing is obvious: Laura Lee has to die. She’s too innocent to handle what comes later, and like Jackie’s Yellowjackets death, hers symbolizes the departure from the girls’ former society and its values.
Did The Wilderness Set The Teddy Bear On Fire In Yellowjackets?
It Doesn’t Appear To Want The Yellowjackets To Leave
While Laura Lee’s Yellowjackets death could have a logical explanation, the show’s supernatural teases suggest there could be something more sinister at play when her plane explodes. Yellowjackets frequently blurs the lines between what’s caused by the girls’ trauma and what’s caused by supernatural forces. The show turns the wilderness into a character of sorts, hinting that a darker force is influencing the girls while they’re stranded in the mountains. The wilderness appears to want them there, and assuming it’s real, it could be responsible for Laura Lee’s death.
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There are a few signs that the wilderness is behind Laura Lee’s plane explosion, starting with the fact that Lottie has a vision of her friend’s demise. This is one of several times Lottie’s visions predict something that happens later on, and it’s difficult to tell if they’re real warnings or the result of her being off her medication and traumatized. Either way, Lottie sees Laura Lee consumed by fire when she asks the other girl to baptize her. The fact that Laura Lee dies in the same way Lottie envisions in Yellowjackets suggests the wilderness could be involved.
Just as the wolves prevent the girls from making progress, the teddy bear’s combustion ensures that Laura Lee never makes contact with anyone who can help.
The wilderness also seems to take on an aggressive quality when anyone tries to leave it, and Laura Lee isn’t its only victim. When a group of Yellowjackets venture into the woods to find help, they’re attacked by wolves, forcing them to return to the cabin. The severity of Van’s wounds prompts Laura Lee to turn to the plane. But just as the wolves prevent the girls from making progress, the teddy bear’s combustion ensures that Laura Lee never makes contact with anyone who can help.
What The Plane Explosion Means For The Yellowjackets Survivors
It’s Their Last Hope Of Being Saved
Laura Lee’s death symbolizes a departure from civilized society and old values in Yellowjackets, but it also has a devastating impact on the survivors who witness it. The characters’ grief goes beyond losing their friend and teammate, too. Laura Lee’s flight is their last hope of being saved, and with the plane’s explosion, that hope is completely squashed. Yellowjackets season 1, episode 9 picks up with the girls in a state of despair, and they even throw a “doomcoming” feast to have one last night of fun, as they believe they’ll die once the winter hits.
Before Laura Lee’s plane explodes, the girls have some hope of being saved.
While some of the Yellowjackets do survive their 19 months in the wilderness, Laura Lee’s death — which is swiftly followed by Jackie’s — marks a turning point for the Showtime series. Before Laura Lee’s plane explodes, the girls have some hope of being saved. There’s a lighter attitude when it comes to their circumstances, but things get much darker after season 1’s major deaths. These tragedies are accompanied by the winter and the girls’ struggles to find food, which make their situation seem much more dire than their early days in the mountains.
Adult Lottie Is Still Haunted By Laura Lee’s Death
Lottie Sees Laura Lee When Travis Dies
Laura Lee doesn’t share any strong bonds with the other members of the Yellowjackets, except for Lottie, whom she finds a kindred spirit in while they’re stranded in the wilderness. Like the other girls, Lottie is devastated by Laura Lee’s death when it initially happens. However, Lottie’s grief follows her into Yellowjackets’ 2021 timeline. Laura Lee makes a surprising appearance when Lottie witnesses Travis’ death. The older version of Lottie has a vision of a dead Laura Lee screaming at her. This speaks to the responsibility she feels for Laura Lee’s death, as well as Travis’.
It’s possible we’ll see more of adult Lottie’s trauma and grief in
Yellowjackets
season 3.
Since Lottie foresees her friend’s death and does nothing to stop her from flying the plane, she clearly blames herself. Lottie’s Yellowjackets season 2 vision highlights this, and she also hallucinates Laura Lee in the 1996 timeline. When she has a hunting competition with Natalie, Lottie nearly freezes — and she encounters the plane that exploded. She climbs down a hatch and finds herself in a mall, where she sees Laura Lee and the remaining survivors in the food court. Laura Lee pushes Lottie out of this vision before she freezes to death, suggesting she’s still looking out for her.
The Yellowjackets Teddy Bear Scene Almost Didn’t Happen
Laura Lee Was Supposed To Die During Episode 1
Laura Lee is a crucial part of Yellowjackets season 1’s narrative, so it’s somewhat shocking that the character wasn’t supposed to make it past the pilot episode. In an interview with Collider, adult Shauna actor Melanie Lynskey opened up about working with a talented ensemble cast. Lynskey revealed that Yellowjackets’ showrunners initially intended for Laura Lee to die in the opening plane crash. However, they were so impressed with Widdop’s table read, they decided to give her character a bigger part in the story.
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Considering how large a role Laura Lee plays in Yellowjackets‘ story — and how much she contributes to Lottie’s descent into supernatural beliefs — it’s nearly impossible to imagine how the show would look without Widdop’s involvement. This means that in the earliest stages of development, the Yellowjackets teddy bear scene wouldn’t have happened, and foreshadowing of the wilderness’ power would’ve had to come later.
Yellowjackets is a thriller and drama television series created by Ashley Lyle and Bart Nickerson. The series stars Melanie Lynskey, Tawny Cypress, and Ella Purnell. The plot sees a high-school Soccer team from New Jersey returning home from a National Tournament in Seattle. As they make their way back by plane, there is an unfortunate crash that sees them stranded in the Canadian wilderness.
- Cast
- Juliette Lewis , Sophie Thatcher , Warren Kole , Jasmin Savoy Brown , Tawny Cypress , Steven Krueger , Christina Ricci , Ella Purnell , Sammi Hanratty , Sophie Nélisse , Melanie Lynskey
- Release Date
- November 14, 2021
- Seasons
- 2
- Streaming Service(s)
- Paramount+ with Showtime
- Writers
- Ashley Lyle , Bart Nickerson
- Showrunner
- Ashley Lyle , Bart Nickerson , Jonathan Lisco
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