Warning: Spoilers for Yellowjackets season 2, episode 6 ahead.In the season 1 finale of Showtime's Yellowjackets, the Taissa sleepwalking problem takes a deeply unsettling turn, setting up her alter-ego's hostile takeover in season 2. Following the plane crash of her all-girls high school soccer team in 1996, Taissa began to sleepwalk, venturing out in the wilderness on her own and behaving extremely peculiarly. Though the sleepwalking seemed to have stopped after she attended Lottie's wilderness meditations in the past, it has returned in the present day, possibly due to the tremendous stress Taissa is under or the influence of the mysterious wilderness.
How much of what she does while sleepwalking is Taissa aware of? She doesn't seem to remember anything that happens before she wakes up, but given all the secrets the Yellowjackets are keeping, that may not be the whole truth. Viewers likely won't know the answers to both where this alter ego comes from, and what it wants overall immediately. However, it seems that Taissa's alter ego mostly acts in ways that benefit or protect her, sometimes to the detriment of other people (and pets). Here is everything that has occurred with the Taissa sleepwalking problem, including what she did and why she may have done it.
Eating Dirt
The Taissa sleepwalking problem sees her sneaking out to eat dirt in the middle of the night. Early on in season 1, Taissa's son Sammy plasters over his window because he is scared of the "lady in the tree," though Taissa doesn't seem to know what he's talking about. He also acts out more with her than he does with his other mother, Simone, despite telling Taissa that he knows she's not "the bad one," much to her confusion. Later, it is revealed that Taissa is the lady in the tree, as the tree is where she crouches at night in a defensive, trance-like state to eat dirt.
Lottie also found Taissa sleepwalking and eating dirt in the woods after the plane crash. If Taissa's alter ego is attempting to protect her, it's possible that she ate dirt back then because the Yellowjacket girls were undernourished, and dirt contains low amounts of nutrients such as iron, zinc, and calcium. However, this behavior makes even less sense in the present day, when Taissa is not wanting for food. Perhaps she is enacting a residual sense-memory from her time in the wilderness. There could also be a supernatural symbolism to her devouring the earth that hints at a monster living within Taissa, or the wilderness influencing her.
Climbing Trees
In her waking hours, Taissa repeatedly makes her disbelief and downright disdain for spiritual and supernatural explanations very clear. It's only at the behest of Van that Taissa begins giving into Lottie's spiritual activities in Yellowjackets season 2. When sleepwalking, however, Taissa takes Van's good luck charm that she previously derided and climbs up a tree, leaving Van and the other girls to get viciously attacked by wolves while Taissa remains safe. The Taissa sleepwalking problem ends when she wakes up in the branches, seeming to have no idea of how she got up there.
This scenario raises the question of how Taissa's alter ego knew that the wolves were coming. Between her preternatural awareness and the charm, supernatural factors within Yellowjackets are teased. Additionally, Taissa's actions save herself while leaving the others to be mauled. She could have restarted the group's fire or used her flare gun to stave off the wolves, but she doesn't. Clearly, the Taissa sleepwalking alter-ego is only out to protect herself and does not care about hurting others. That lack of caring is the most compelling reason to believe that Taissa is telling the truth when she says she is not in control or aware of her own actions.
Creating A Shrine (And Killing Her Dog)
In a big Yellowjackets twist, the season 1 finale reveals that Taissa and Simone's missing dog has been sacrificed at a hidden macabre shrine in their basement. The poor dog's head and heart are on display on an altar, next to one of Sammy's dismembered dolls and the mysterious Yellowjackets symbol. Presumably, the Taissa sleepwalking alter-ego killed the dog and fashioned this shrine for the purpose of helping her win the election - which she does.
However, winning the election was not a matter of life or death, but rather personal ambition for Taissa. That Taissa sleepwalking helped her succeed once again begs the question of Taissa's own awareness of her actions, as her and her alter ego's goals seem to align for the first time on something other than survival after the plane crash. Taissa seems to have known that she was responsible for losing their dog, guiltily confessing to Simone that she may have let him out while sleepwalking.
Taissa also expresses fear for her family's safety around her, suggesting that she is conscious of the Taissa sleepwalking alter-ego's violent capabilities. If she knows that the dog's disappearance was her fault and that she is dangerous, this could imply that she knows more about her shadow self, and where else might the two personalities might overlap.
Hallucinating A Whole Day With Sammy
The Taissa sleepwalking alter-ego only grows in power as Yellowjackets season 2 progresses. Notably, she spends almost an entire day with Sammy only to find out she had hallucinated the whole thing. In season 2, episode 2, Sammy seemingly surprises Taissa by showing up at her house after school. She and Simone have been on the outs ever since Simone found the altar in the basement, and has been keeping Sammy away from Taissa out of concern. He tells his mom that he walked home from school, and while she is happy to see him, she does the right thing and calls Simone while telling him to play with the new dog.
When Simone shows up at the house, Sammy is nowhere to be found, and the two rightfully freak out and start looking for him. While driving around town looking for Sammy, his school calls Simone and tells her that Sammy is still there, and has been waiting to be picked up for two hours. In short, the Taissa sleepwalking alter-ego made her imagine the whole thing. Shortly after the revelation, Simone mentions that she thinks Taissa is sick — then Taissa crashes their car, putting Simone in the hospital.
Almost Walking Off A Cliff
In Yellowjackets season 2, episode 2, the Taissa sleepwalking alter-ego nearly kills her by almost walking off a cliff. It's revealed during this particular excursion in the 1996 timeline that when Taissa sleepwalks, she follows the mysterious man with no eyes. At this point in the series, teens Taissa and Van have developed a system for her sleepwalking, with a makeshift restraint that keeps the pair tied together at the wrist during the night. One night, Van wakes up in the middle of the night to see that Taissa has undone the restraint and quickly rushes outside to see where she might've gone.
Van catches up with Taissa sleepwalking just in the nick of time, as she nearly walks straight off a cliff. It's later revealed that Taissa has been walking to the Yellowjackets symbols at night, but why her alter-ego nearly killed her while going to this one, remains unclear. It's highly out of character, given that her sleepwalking companion generally steers toward unencumbered self-preservation. Ultimately, it depends on whether her sleepwalking is a byproduct of the wilderness' influence or something she brought with her on her own. The man with no eyes originated prior to the wilderness, so it's possible these two forces could be battling to control Taissa.
Drawing The Yellowjackets Symbol On Simone’s Hand
The meaning of the Yellowjackets symbols remains unknown, but Taissa's connection to the symbols is clear. After the car accident, Yellowjackets season 2, episode 3 sees Simone in critical condition in the hospital. Taissa emerges from a haze to see that her alter-ego has drawn the symbol on Simone's hand. Immediately horrified, she tries to rub the symbol off before one of the nurses or doctor sees but only gets so far. Why Taissa drew the symbol on Simone's hand isn't explained, but it could have to do with her connection to the symbols and what they could mean.
There are plenty of theories behind the meaning of the Yellowjackets symbol, and Lottie in particular is under the assumption that it's a protection charm. If the Taissa sleepwalking alter-ego knew this, she probably drew the symbol on Simone's hand to make sure that she pulls through from her injuries. There are also strong indicators throughout the series that the symbol is connected to death. It's possible that sleepwalking Taissa is claiming one more victim to sacrifice to the wilderness. This would fall in line with Travis and Natalie's assertions that they brought something dark from the wilderness back with them — and it obviously wants something, possibly more bloodshed.
Mapping Out All The Yellowjackets Symbols
The Taissa sleepwalking alter-ego is made all the more mysterious when Yellowjackets reveals her connection to the symbols. In the past timeline, Van decides to start tracking where Taissa goes when she's sleepwalking. Van soon discovers on their nighttime excursions that Taissa has been walking to the symbols that have been carved in trees. She creates a makeshift map and shows it to Taissa, and all the symbol locations happen to map out one giant Yellowjackets symbol. They attempt to finish the map while awake, but on their quest to find the symbol they end up locating Javi instead.
Somehow, the Taissa sleepwalking alter-ego is deeply connected to the wilderness, possibly even more so than Lottie. Van proclaims after finding Javi that Taissa is connected to "all of this," and while Lottie doesn't say anything she seems to agree. It's also notable that once Taissa finds Javi and she attends Lottie's morning meditations that her sleepwalking stops. This could mean that her traveling to the different symbols was her sleepwalking alter-ego's attempt at finding Javi. It's been posited that the symbols map out an underground mining or tunnel system, and where Javi could've been hiding. Perhaps each symbol marks an underground entrance, where finding Javi would've been easier.
Ransacking Jessica Roberts’ Apartment
The Taissa sleepwalking alter-ego takes over when she goes to the bathroom at the hospital in Yellowjackets season 2, episode 3, and both sides of Taissa have a conversation in the mirror, with her alter-ego signaling to her to go find adult Van. Since the two haven't spoken in a long time, Taissa has no clue about Van's whereabouts. She calls Jessica Roberts (who was murdered by Misty in season 1), saying that her "problem" has started up again. At this point, sleepwalking Taissa takes full control and commandeers her assistant's car.
The Taissa sleepwalking alter-ego drives to Jessica Roberts' empty apartment and completely turns it over to find information on Van. She then drives her assistant's car until the gas tank hits empty, and subsequently wakes up while on her way to Van's house. While it's not the first time her alter-ego has taken over, this marks the longest time the other Taissa has been in control. This scary incident proves that sleepwalking Taissa can do all the things her awake counterpart can, including driving, talking, and finding and retaining information. The moment solidifies the fact that Taissa sleepwalking is like an entirely separate personhood, and Taissa is powerless to her.
Leading Adult Van To Lottie’s Cult
Though adult Van and Taissa go to Lottie's compound while awake, there's proof that this is where the Taissa sleepwalking alter-ego wanted them to go all along. While staying overnight at Van's apartment in Yellowjackets season 2, episode 5, she begins sleepwalking again and corners Van in her kitchen. She kisses Van, and then ominously tells her "this isn't where we are supposed to be." Though she doesn't end up taking Van anywhere, the two discuss her words the next morning, but come to no conclusion. While driving, Misty calls Taissa and convinces her and Van to join Misty and Natalie at Lottie's cult compound.
An overhead shot of Lottie's compound reveals that it's in the shape of a giant Yellowjackets symbol — and this is no mistake. Since the Taissa sleepwalking alter-ego was leading Van to the symbols in the past, it stands to reason that she's doing the exact same thing in the present. The wilderness clearly wants all the survivors together again, and since Taissa's sleepwalking is deeply connected to the wilderness entity, she may have been trying to do just that. Viewers will have to wait and see what happens when the survivors are forced to spend time with one another, and how the wilderness' influence affects all of them.
What Does This Mean For Taissa Going Forward?
Out of all the characters in Yellowjackets, Lottie and Taissa are by far the most connected to the supernatural. In addition to her sleepwalking, Taissa also sees a man with no eyes appear after her grandmother's death. Unlike Lottie, however, Taissa refuses to believe that there is anything reason and logic cannot explain. Perhaps she is so adamant in denying the supernatural because to accept it would mean acknowledging her lack of control over her life, as well as the existence of something dark within her that she would rather not face, the same darkness that Natalie claims the group brought back with them from the wilderness.
With the Taissa sleepwalking alter-ego taking full control of her waking life, she doesn't have the option of ignoring the implausible going forward, especially since she's having blackouts and hallucinating almost entire days. It remains to be seen in Yellowjackets how much Taissa will admit to the rest of the survivors, now that they're back together. Hopefully, there will also be an explanation for the mystifying man with no eyes and Sammy's strange behavior. In the meantime, Yellowjackets leaves its audience with many questions and many possible answers for fans to speculate about.