Wait, Is Yellowjackets' Mystery Symbol Actually A Deep-Cut Reference To A Supernatural Episode?
As a show whose timelines are split between the mid-1990s (offering up one of TV’s best soundtracks) and the early 2020s, Yellowjackets perhaps understandably isn’t rife with references harking back to 2005. But much of it does hinge on head-scratching mysteries, from weird weather patterns to the Pit Girl’s identity to the sporadic dripping noises and beyond. Unbelievable as it may seem, it appears as if the core symbology used in the series — the ever-present circle/triangle/curved line/hook design — could be a subtle homage to the Winchester brothers, as it eerily resembles a symbol that pops up during an early episode of Jensen Ackles and Jared Padalecki’s Supernatural.
The SPN fandom is well-aware that many pop culture roads lead back to Supernatural, but I’m not sure everyone was waiting expectantly for the long-running CW hit’s narrative tendrils to show up as an ominous visual moniker on Yellowjackets. However, an eagle-eyed Redditor who happened to be rewatching Supernatural noted the similarity between the horror-drama’s still-unexplained symbol and the one that appeared for around 6 seconds of screentime in an early ep. Check it out!
It’s hard to argue with there being some kind of connection here, given the shared elements: something round atop a triangle crossed through with a straight line and crescent shape on one side. The one on the book Ackles’ Dean is holding obviously isn’t exactly the same, as it doesn’t feature the hook or the additional lines coming off of the triangle, but come on! It’s the same, right?!?
That shot comes from Supernatural Season 2, Episode 4, titled “Children Shouldn’t Play with Dead Things,” (currently available to stream with a Netflix subscription). For those who haven’t watched or don’t remember, the book in question is described as being “ancient greek” by Serge Houde’s teacher Dr. Mason. Later, when Dean is angrily accosting the seemingly grieving father for knowing more than he let on, Jensen Ackles' character explained the symbol's ties to necromancy.
Apparently, they use symbols like this one for communicating with the dead, even bringing corpses back to life. Full-on zombie action.
The episode revolves around a teen girl coming back to life and getting revenge on those who wronged her, including a boyfriend. By and large, there are more than a few circumstantial parallels to the Yellowjackets squad of survivors if one cares to head down that rabbit hole. If you think about it, Jackie kind of came back from the dead both by appearing in the premiere as a hallucination and by the cells of her flesh being consumed by all of her teammates. Plus, the name of the resurrected girl name is revealed to be "Shauna Natalie TaiVan." Okay that part isn't real at all, but it's still pretty convincing.
The symbol comes up elsewhere in the episode, as carved into the teen girl's coffin, which Sam and Dean discovered in a feat of coulda-been-way-more-disturbing grave exhuming.
While this obviously might not be completely legit, it would be a mystery worthy of Yellowjackets itself as far as how the creators came up with that symbol without being aware of the Supernatural episode. Maybe it's just imprinted in all of us, and would explain our growing need to devour other humans, amirite?
Check out how to stream Yellowjackets from wherever you live, and give this connection theory some thought ahead of future Season 2 episodes, which air every Sunday night on Showtime at 9:00 p.m. ET, but are available two days earlier with a Paramount+ subscription.
