Warning: Contains SPOILERS for Yellowjackets season 2, episode 2.An online theory hypothesizes that mercury poisoning could provide a scientific explanation for the strangeness experienced by the survivors in Yellowjackets, and there's some strong evidence to support it. The show follows the lives of a high school soccer team who survive a plane crash that leaves them stranded in the Canadian wilderness in both the immediate aftermath of the crash in 1996, and decades later in the modern day. As they struggle for survival in the wilds of Canada, the survivors have experienced strange visions and made grisly discoveries that imply there's something supernatural lurking in the forest with them.
A definitive answer to whether these unexplained events are the result of trauma from the crash, the supernatural, or something else entirely is yet to be provided. Although the accidental spiking of a meal with hallucinogenic mushrooms goes a long way to explaining the "Doomcoming" ceremony from Yellowjackets season 1, episode 9, it's possible that mercury poisoning is playing a much larger role. A Reddit theory drew attention to the strange red river discovered in Yellowjackets season 1, episode 7, "No Compass" which could be the clue that reveals what's happening to the survivors in the 1996 timeline, and what's still affecting their modern-day counterparts.
Yellowjackets Theory: Mercury Poisoning Explains The Survivors' Behavior
The Reddit user that drew attention to the red river suggested that a mining operation could explain why the river had changed color. Whatever it is that the mine was designed to take from the earth could be filtering into the river and poisoning the Yellowjackets survivors. After Yellowjackets season 2, episode 1, another Reddit user suggested that the river could contain cinnabar, the name for oxidized - and therefore reddish - mercury. The symptoms of mercury poisoning were the inspiration for Lewis Carroll's famous Mad Hatter character from Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, and they could explain the majority of the behaviors demonstrated by the survivors.
Common symptoms of mercury poisoning include hallucinations, depression, anxiety, and mood swings, which could be indistinguishable from trauma caused by experiencing a plane crash, meaning that the survivors' poisoning could go undetected. Yellowjackets brought back Jackie (Ella Purnell) as the hallucination of the teenage Shauna (Sophie Nelisse), while the teenage Taissa (Jasmin Savoy Brown) saw a gaunt-looking young man walking through the woods in season 2, episode 2, "Edible Complex". Arguably, the closing scene of Yellowjackets season 2, episode 2, in which the survivors eat Jackie's corpse is the most disturbing hallucination yet, as the scene cuts between the horrific reality and the fantasy of a grand Roman banquet.
How The Mercury Poisoning Links To Yellowjackets' Symbols
There are several theories about Yellowjackets' symbol, and one of these theories backs up the possible mercury poisoning explanation. The original Reddit theory suggested that the symbol could be a map directing the survivors to an abandoned mine. As the survivors have crashed in the Canadian wilderness, home to many cinnabar mines, it would make sense for one to be located in the vicinity of the survivors' cabin. The second Reddit theory suggested that the symbol could instead be the alchemical symbol for crystal, linking it to cinnabar, which can be found in red crystal form.
Faceted cinnabar is an extremely rare gemstone, so it would make sense for the symbol to be a means to direct someone - likely the man whose corpse was found in the cabin in Yellowjackets season 1 - to the mining shaft and the source of such a rare commodity. There have been regular hints of things happening under the earth in Yellowjackets, from the underground corridors seen by teenage Lottie (Courtney Eaton) in her baptism vision to the horrific shrine in the cellar of adult Taissa (Tawny Cypress). More recently, teenage Natalie found a tree that had melted snow around it, suggesting there is something under the ground that's generating a considerable amount of heat, which would fit with a mining operation.
What Does The Mercury Poisoning Mean For Yellowjackets' Supernatural Elements
One of the most compelling mysteries at the heart of Yellowjackets is whether anything supernatural is going on, or if there's a rational explanation for everything that the survivors experience. Extended exposure to mercury via the runoff from a cinnabar mine would put the explanation firmly on the side of the rational and scientific. There's always been a suggestion that things like Taissa's sleepwalking and Lottie's increasing belief in her own abilities as a faith healer are purely the results of their attempts to cope with the unimaginable psychological trauma that they've experienced. As the symptoms of psychological trauma and mercury poisoning have some similarities, it's unlikely that anyone will think to investigate the water supply or the possible mercury content in the bear meat.
The red river and lack of wildlife in the area suggest that the survivors are being exposed to mercury via the water. The fate of Shauna's baby in Yellowjackets could hold further answers, as mercury poisoning can seriously affect the fetuses of pregnant women. Now that the survivors have embraced cannibalism in their desperate struggle to survive, malnutrition may no longer be a risk to Shauna's unborn child. It seems as if the baby doesn't make it out of the woods with the rest of the survivors, so perhaps mercury poisoning tragically claims the child's life. It might be the stark wake-up call for the survivors to address that something very serious and scientific is happening to them, or it could push them further into embracing the supernatural as Yellowjackets season 2 continues.