This article includes mentions of drugs, alcohol, and addiction.
Warning: There are spoilers ahead for Yellowjackets season 3, episode 10, “Full Circle.”
A moment in theYellowjacketsseason 3 finale teases what will happen to Travis Martinez (Kevin Alves) after being rescued. Since season 1, Travis has been one ofYellowjackets' confirmed adult survivors, with the older version of the character played by Andrés Soto. His death is one of the show’s first major mysteries, as the adult Natalie Scattorcio (Juliette Lewis) is convinced he was murdered, and searches for answers about what really happened to him.
InYellowjackets' 1990s timeline,Travis has suffered a great deal, beginning with his father, Coach Bill Martinez (Carlos Sanz), dying during the plane crash. The death of Travis' younger brother, Javi (Luciano Leroux), duringYellowjacketsseason 2is even more devastating. While the teenage Travis is still alive and guaranteed to eventually escape the wilderness, he is still struggling and grappling with tremendous grief by the time of the season 3 finale.
It Is Not The First Time This Season
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During the sacrificial hunt, Travis is drunk, and this becomes particularly apparent when he confronts Shauna Shipman (Sophie Nélisse). While slurring his words, he tries to tell Shauna how none of what is happening is real, that he is not always sure which reality they are in, and sometimes he hears the thoughts of deceased individuals like Javi and Jackie Taylor (Ella Purnell).Travis turns to alcohol while being overwhelmed with griefand the horrific reality that he and the other Yellowjackets are living in.
In previous episodes, Lottie (Courtney Eaton)has Travis eat hallucinatory mushroomsso he can experience visions and be closer to the wilderness. Travis spends much of the season inebriated, and season 3, episode 4 even references this with the title “12 Angry Girls and 1 Drunk Travis” during the trial of Coach Ben Scott (Steven Krueger). Travis has not been the focus for much of the season, but he has still been suffering the entire time, and that is still true in the season 3 finale.
Travis & Natalie Turn To Drugs & Alcohol To Cope With Their Trauma As Adults In Yellowjackets
The Season 3 Finale Provides A Glimpse Of Their Future
Travis being drunk duringYellowjacketsseason 3’s endingforeshadows how he will struggle with substance abuse as an adult. Both he and Natalie turn to drugs and alcohol to cope with the effects of their post-traumatic stress disorder. It is previously mentioned that Natalie even overdoses on drugs, which leads to multiple stints in various drug rehabilitation programs. Travis and Natalie’s addictions contribute to the unhealthy relationship they have as adults.
Jenna Burgess
Hilary Swank
This makes it all the more tragic to see that, as a teenager, and before he is rescued, Travis is already turning to alcohol in an attempt to cope with and numb his pain. Mari Ibarra (Alexa Barajas) becomingYellowjackets' Pit Girlmakes Travis' story even darker, as he is the one who lined the bottom of the pits with the stakes that kill Mari.Mari’s death is now another tragedy that will continue to weigh heavily on Travis for the rest of his lifeand that contributes to his reliance on drugs and alcohol.
Yellowjackets
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Yellowjackets is a television series exploring the survival ordeal of a high school girls' soccer team stranded in the remote wilderness after a plane crash. It interweaves psychological horror and coming-of-age themes, simultaneously depicting their harrowing transformation and its lasting impact on their lives 25 years later.
