Who “Other” Tai Is & Her Powers Explained

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Warning: There are spoilers for Yellowjackets season 3, episode 5, “Did Tai Do That?”

Yellowjackets season 3, episode 5 features the return of the “Other” Taissa Turner in the 1990s timeline. For both teenage Tai (Jasmin Savoy Brown) and adult Tai (Tawny Cypress), the “Other” version of her has been a significant part of her story. Yellowjackets season 1’s ending comes with the revelation that “Other” Tai killed Biscuit the dog and used his severed head as part of a shrine she created. In Yellowjackets season 2, Tai hallucinates an entire day spent with her son, Sammy (Aiden Stoxx), that never actually happened.

While these instances occur in Yellowjackets‘ present-day timeline, “Other” Tai also has a strong presence during the character’s time stranded in the wilderness. Teenage Van Palmer (Liv Hewson) becomes aware of the phenomenon that happens to her girlfriend and helps keep her safe when it happens. Tai goes to adult Van (Lauren Ambrose) for help in season 2 in the aftermath of hallucinating the day spent with Sammy. In season 3, the battle between Tai’s two halves continues, although it looks different from before.

“Other” Tai Is Her Darker, Fearless, More Threatening Alter Ego

She Does Things The Regular Tai Would Never Dream Of Doing

The “Other” Tai is bolder, believes strongly in the power of the wilderness, and is willing to do things that the other version of herself would never do. Tai would never willingly kill the dog that her son loves and use the decapitated head as part of a shrine. “Other” Tai is willing to do this as a sacrifice to the wilderness that she believes will help her. She is not burdened by the regular Tai’s concerns and only focuses on what she thinks needs to be done.

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While the regular Tai is skeptical about the wilderness having any real power, “Other” Tai is drawn to the wilderness. She makes sacrifices to it, finds the trees marked with Yellowjackets‘ mysterious symbol, and continues drawing the symbol 25 years later. The sacrifice involving Biscuit is followed by Tai winning her political election. When attacked by wolves in the wilderness, “Other” Tai safely ascends a tree. This version cares most about power, self-preservation, and she comes across as more confident and intimidating.

Why “Other” Tai Mostly Comes Out When She’s Sleepwalking

Tai Is At Her Most Vulnerable When Asleep

“Other” Tai often takes over when she is sleepwalking, likely because this is when she is most vulnerable and is unable to resist. When Tai is conscious, it is easier for her to stay in control of herself and to notice if she is acting in a way that feels unnatural. While “Other” Tai primarily manifests during sleepwalking, she has appeared at other times as well, including when she is about to shoot and kill Coach Ben Scott (Steven Krueger) in season 3, episode 5, and even during some of the instances she had sex with Van.

It seems like it is easier for “Other” Tai to step in, even when the other half is conscious, if her emotions are intense enough.

Shooting Coach Ben and having sex with Van are examples of Tai experiencing heightened and primal emotions. She is experiencing intense fear and anxiety at having to murder Coach Ben, and she experiences intense pleasure when she is intimate with Van. It seems like it is easier for “Other” Tai to step in, even when the other half is conscious, if her emotions are intense enough. Tai’s sleepwalking often seems to come at a time when she is particularly stressed, so even though she is unconscious, she is still consumed by strong emotions.

Why “Other” Tai Eats Dirt & Climbs Trees

It Is A Coping Mechanism When She Is At A Breaking Point

In both the past and the present, “Other” Tai has a habit of eating dirt and climbing trees. This seems to happen at times when Tai is struggling to handle her stress. In the present, Taissa starts eating dirt and climbing trees again during her political campaign, which is inherently stressful, and is also putting a significant strain on her relationships with her wife Simone (Rukiya Bernard) and with Sammy. While “Other” Tai may believe this is helping her, it only makes things worse, as Sammy sees her doing this from his window and it understandably frightens and confuses him.

Sammy makes drawings of “Other” Tai eating dirt in the tree and calls her “the bad one.”

In the wilderness, there is no shortage of reasons to be stressed. Eating dirt and climbing trees is most common for teenage Tai in season 1. This makes sense since the plane crash was still a recent experience. She was still trying to figure out how to get home, and had not yet accepted that she may be stuck in the wilderness forever. In the other seasons, there are still ample reasons to be stressed, but the regular Tai has become comfortable living in the wilderness, and does not need “Other” Tai to help her cope.

Why “Other” Tai Is So Connected To The Man With No Eyes & The Mysterious Symbol

She Has A Unique Connection With The Wilderness

If the wilderness possesses supernatural power, “Other” Tai may be in a unique position of understanding what it is and what it wants. This would explain how “Other” Tai knows where to find all the trees marked with the symbol. It would also explain why she was able to win the election despite being the underdog. She made sacrifices to the wilderness, including killing Biscuit, and in return, the wilderness may have ensured she won. The death of Natalie Scattorcio (Juliette Lewis) and the death of the waiter can also be considered sacrifices to the wilderness.

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What Really Happened To The Waiter Who Chased Van & Tai In Yellowjackets Season 3?

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In exchange for these sacrifices, Van’s cancer has gone into remission, and Tai has had more time to be with her. As for the Man with No Eyes, Tai now knows that he originally came from an ice cream shop commercial she saw as a child. She may have just combined what she saw in the commercial with what her grandmother thought she saw as she died. It is also possible that the Man with No Eyes is a manifestation of the wilderness presented to Tai in a way that her brain can understand.

Now that teenage Lottie Matthews (Courtney Eaton) no longer experiences visions, she has been searching for someone else that the wilderness can speak through as it once spoke through her. Lottie has focused on Travis Martinez (Kevin Alves), Akilah (Nia Sondaya), and Shauna Shipman (Sophie Nélisse) as potential successors. “Other” Tai may be the only one who the wilderness truly speaks through, meaning Lottie has overlooked the one with the strongest wilderness connection. As Yellowjackets continues, “Other” Tai’s connection to the Man with No Eyes and the wilderness are among the most important storylines to further explore.

TV Show

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Yellowjackets

7/10

Release Date

November 14, 2021

Network

Showtime, Paramount+ with Showtime

Showrunner

Ashley Lyle, Bart Nickerson, Jonathan Lisco

Directors

Benjamin Semanoff, Daisy von Scherler Mayer, Deepa Mehta, Eduardo Sánchez, Jeffrey W. Byrd, Liz Garbus, Scott Winant, Eva Sørhaug, Jamie Travis

Writers

Liz Phang, Sarah L. Thompson, Ameni Rozsa

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