Content Warning: The following article contains spoilers for the Showtime series Yellowjackets, as well as discussions of drugs, suicide, abuse, and cannibalism.
Showtime’s Yellowjackets is a series full of drama, deceit, and sometimes, cannibalism. Some characters manage to be likable despite the dark twists and turns in the series, with the best among them showing how fiercely loyal, courageous, and smart they can be.
It’s easier to fall in love with the characters who obviously try their best to do the right thing for their friends, no matter how difficult the situation may be. People like Nat who, won’t give up on finding Travis’ killer, and Taissa, who continues to fight for her beliefs in the world of politics, are just two of several likable characters in the drama series.
Misty Quigley
If Misty ever turns into an actual hero in the unpredictable show, she may become more likable. As a bullied outcast among her peers, Misty struggles to prove to others that she’s not as weird and terrible as they make her out to be – but others’ opinions about her are often right.
Any empathy viewers may have felt for Misty liked immediately disappeared when she decided to ruin the flight recorder so that rescuers couldn’t detect the plane’s distress signal. She enjoyed the praise and attention she was getting for her survival skills and decided to put the group in danger for her ego. She isn’t any better as an adult, either, as she nonchalantly endangers the senior citizens in the care home just for fun.
Travis Martinez
Travis is introduced as an angsty teen with disturbing sexist views. Although fans can’t be blamed for feeling bad for him after his father’s death, his questionable actions afterward quickly make viewers feel distrustful of him.
He obviously doesn’t have a problem hurting Nat’s feelings, as aside from walking out on her after an embarrassing sexual encounter, he also betrays her by sleeping with Jackie soon after. It’s implied that they had a happier relationship beyond the wilderness as adults, but since the storyline is focused on his suicide, audiences haven’t had to chance to learn more about his hopefully more mature side.
Vanessa Palmer
The first thing fans may recall about Van is how she gets unreasonably angry with Jackie and Shauna for saving their own lives instead of risking staying with her before the plane’s final explosion. She holds this over Jackie’s head for a while, which gets old and annoying really fast.
Over time, however, Van’s more positive traits like her kindness and protectiveness towards Taissa shine through. What’s more, her unfortunate experience of being attacked and marred by wolves easily makes her a sympathetic character.
Jackie Taylor
Unlike Van, Jackie is a classic teen drama "it girl" who starts out as a likable character and ends up being despicable. She’s effortlessly beautiful, popular, and influential in school. The way she motivates her teammates as their leader and takes care of her best friend Shauna are just a few of her admirable characteristics.
Out in the wilderness, Jackie finds that she’s having a hard time adjusting as fast as the other survivors do. She becomes cynical and is often preoccupied with fantasizing about what’s happening in school at that moment than helping the women out with chores. Her worst traits come out when she learns of Shauna’s affair with Jeff. Instead of confronting her about it, she exposes Shauna’s pregnancy and then sleeps with Travis despite her protests.
Adam Martin
Adam may have been depicted as a suspicious character at first, but in hindsight, he really was just a naïve “starving artist” who fell in love with Shauna. His romantic cliches and grand gestures are refreshingly innocent in the intense and violent series, but depending on who’s watching, they can also be a bit silly.
He crosses a line when he goes to Shauna’s house, despite knowing Callie could be there. That said, he really did make Shauna happy – at least for a little while – by giving her the teenage experience she never had a chance to live through.
Jeff Sadecki
The moment that likely began to change most fans’ opinions of Jeff is when he decides to stand up for Shauna in front of Jackie’s parents. Far from being a cheating, passive husband, Jeff is actually a fiercely loyal and loving partner who believes he’s lucky to have someone as amazing as Shauna as his wife.
He’s not exactly the brightest person, which can be frustrating for viewers to witness. His dim-witted plan of blackmailing Shauna’s friends for the sake of his failing business backfires in the worst way. However, it can be argued that his admissions about never cheating on Shauna and accepting her awful actions in the wilderness take away some of the sting from that dizzying revelation about him stealing the journals.
Lottie Matthews
When Lottie isn’t being possessed by demons, she’s a decent person who wants to do the right thing despite how confusing her visions may be. Her insecurity often gets in the way of her attempts at interpreting the paranormal, which does have consequences for the group (most notably for Laura Lee).
No one can say that she doesn’t try, though, as it’s Lottie who adamantly points out that something is horribly wrong with the cabin and the forest around them. Without her, they likely wouldn’t be able to figure out that some larger supernatural force is at work all around them. It’s worth noting that she almost gets Travis killed at one point, but that was under the influence of shrooms and most of them were doing some horrific things at that time.
Shauna Sadecki
Shauna struggles to find happiness and meaning in her family life and when she suspects her husband is cheating on her, audiences likely feel bad about her situation. It’s satisfying to see her reenergized after she meets Adam, but extremely disappointing to watch the end of that storyline.
Her more likable version is her teen counterpart, as she’s protective, kind, and courageous. She makes sure that Jackie is in good standing with the group, even after what she did to hold Shauna back from rescuing Van on the plane. Despite all her flaws, Shauna’s dry humor and witty comebacks make her a likable character overall.
Taissa Turner
In a lot of ways, Taissa is a badass female lead who refuses to bend to the rich and powerful in the political world. She’s motivated by her principles and will do anything to make the world a better place for her family, even if it means having to threaten her opponent with propaganda.
Her teen version is just as headstrong, as she won’t let Lottie’s mysterious visions stop her from attempting to save everyone by trekking south. The way she protects Van and reminds her that she’s beautiful even after the wolf attack shows that she can be kind. That said, she can be ruthless, too, like when she injures Allie for the sake of increasing the chances of success for the team.
Natalie Scatorccio
Nat has been through some horrific things, most of which have likely not even been shown on the series yet. From what viewers know, though, she’s had to deal with abuse from her family and conflicting feelings after watching his father’s gruesome death. Despite her tragic backstory, she manages to become a kindhearted teen who guides characters like Travis and Ben when they struggle with their identities and ideas.
Her adult version is much more cynical and jaded, but arguably remains likable because of how much fans just want to see her succeed. Her pain after Travis’ suicide is obvious and it’s amazing how she pushes through to find his killer. The fan-favorite character will hopefully get the closure and answers she deserves in future episodes.