Why Natalie Gives Jackie's Necklace To Ben In Yellowjackets Season 3 Episode 5

Warning: SPOILERS ahead for Yellowjackets season 3, episode 5, “Did Tai Do That?”Jackie’s heart necklace crops up frequently throughout Yellowjackets, and there’s a deeper meaning behind Natalie giving it to Coach Ben in season 3, episode 5. Yellowjackets season 3, episode 5 shows the aftermath of Coach Scott’s Wilderness trial, with the girls delivering a death sentence after finding him guilty. This is undone at the end of the episode, as Akilah has a vision of Ben becoming their bridge home. But Ben nearly faces the firing squad in “Did Tai Do That?,” and Natalie places Jackie’s necklace around his neck beforehand.

The necklace is passed around multiple times after Jackie’s death in Yellowjackets season 1. And while it holds one meaning for the girls in the past timeline, it seems to serve another purpose in the overall story. Natalie giving it to Ben plays into both of the necklace’s meanings. Natalie continues what’s becoming a tradition in Yellowjackets‘ past timeline, and she also unwittingly keeps another trend going with the object — one that could suggest a greater purpose for future recipients as well.

Why Jackie’s Necklace Is Given To Yellowjackets’ Characters Who Are Sentenced To Die

It Acknowledges Their Sacrifice For The Girls & The Wilderness

Custom Image by Yailin Chacon

Jackie’s necklace is given to Yellowjackets characters who are sentenced to die, with Natalie and Ben receiving it before the teens attempt to kill them. Given that Jackie is also “chosen” to die — more by the Wilderness than the girls themselves — their passing of the necklace acknowledges a sacrifice made for the group’s survival. Jackie’s death keeps the starving teens alive, and Natalie’s sentence in Yellowjackets season 2 serves the same purpose. Ben isn’t being killed for sustenance, but Natalie views his execution as a way to keep order and avoid deadly division within the camp.

By giving him the heart necklace, Natalie might be hoping he’ll escape his death sentence, just like she did.

So, in a sense, Jackie’s necklace becomes a thank you and good luck token. It simultaneously honors the victims for what they’re giving the girls and wishes them well in the face of their deaths. Natalie surviving after being given the piece of jewelry adds another layer to her choice ahead of Yellowjackets season 3, episode 5’s ending. She’s one of the few teens who doesn’t want to see Coach Scott punished, and by giving him the heart necklace, Natalie might be hoping he’ll escape his death sentence, just like she did.

Why Nat & Ben Both Survived Their Death Sentences After Being Given Jackie’s Necklace

The Necklace Seems To Be More About Being Chosen In Yellowjackets

Although Jackie’s necklace is purposefully given to characters about to die, the two people who receive it in the show’s past timeline survive their time wearing it. With both Natalie and Ben living beyond their death sentences, it’s clear the necklace has a deeper meaning than the girls realize in the teen storyline. And perhaps they come to that conclusion later, as Lottie tells Shauna that Jackie’s necklace “never meant what you thought it meant” after giving it to Callie in season 3.

A cutout of Ella Purnell as Jackie Taylor in Yellowjackets season 3 against a closeup of a turquoise Yelowjackets poster with sparkle overlays.

Jackie’s Return In Yellowjackets Used To Be Fun, But Season 3 Is Ruining What Made Her Cameos So Great

Yellowjackets used to bring back Ella Purnell’s Jackie Taylor in meaningful and fun ways, but season 3 has ruined what made her cameos so great.

For Lottie, Jackie’s necklace seems to represent being chosen, and that fits with what we’ve seen from Yellowjackets so far. Jackie’s tragic fate allowed the girls to view her as a chosen one of sorts, but Natalie’s and Ben’s time wearing the necklace takes this meaning beyond that. Natalie is made the Antler Queen after wearing Jackie’s necklace and surviving in season 2, and Ben is revealed as the bridge back to civilization while he’s wearing it. Perhaps this means Pit Girl will also prove crucial to the story after receiving it in Yellowjackets — though we know she won’t survive it.