Yellowjackets' weirdest character in Season 2 is still Jeff

In the first season of Yellow jackets, by far the funniest moment, suddenly arose out of a moment of tension. When Shauna tearfully confesses to her husband Jeff that she didn’t actually go to a book club but cheated on him with Adam, a man she recently met, Jeff (Warren Kole) replies incredulously and logically: “What?! There is no book club?”

It’s a great example of the delicate tonal balances in Yellow jackets, and part of what makes the show so good; In the midst of an emotional scene where both actors are either crying or on the verge of tears, there’s a line (and a line adaptation) so perfect it forces you to laugh out loud.

And Jeff is back in Season 2, just one episode of it.

[Ed. note: Spoilers follow for the premiere of Yellowjackets season 2.]

A little over halfway through the episode, Jeff and Shauna join forces to destroy the many, many paintings and drawings Adam had of her in his art studio. They have sex in the studio and later Jeff sits alone in his car in the garage, contemplating the experience deeply. Suddenly he turns the radio up to full volume and Papa Roach’s “Cut My Life Into Pieces” blasts into the car. He starts nodding his head, pounding the steering wheel in time before exploding into the kind of solo drumming to Papa Roach you only do when nobody’s looking.

Warren Kole looks confused as Jeff in Yellowjackets, who is wearing a t-shirt and fumbling with something in his hands.

It can be difficult to get a needle drop on the nose to work, especially one that’s so recognizable, but Kole sells it by going all out with his facial expressions (sticking his lips out in what could only be described as a “serious rocker duck.” “could call face”) as he plays up the exhilaration of seeing a grown man rock to Papa Roach in 2023. It’s the funniest moment of the episode, right next to Misty angrily berating Elijah Wood ~~Reddit~~

forward post.

There are two more moments of Jeff’s hilarity in the season 2 premiere: Right after the scene with Papa Roach, Jeff and Shauna burn some of Adam’s stuff. They neglect good fire protection because the grill they set up is directly under a tree, which of course immediately catches fire.

But later, at an awkward family dinner with Jeff and Shauna still in their post-makeup sex glow, Jeff starts the darkest of all dad jokes: “What did the bun say about the hot dog?” What did said it? We’d all like to know, because Jeff never found the punch line. Classic Jeff.

Jeff and Shauna dance together at the Yellowjackets reunion.

Jeff and Shauna smile together on a couch in Yellowjackets. He lies down next to the crook of her arm as she sits up.

Jeff could have been a difficult character to like, as a pseudo-idiot husband was occasionally at odds with a main character. It would be easy for Jeff to be like many other TV spouses: an afterthought, a punch line, or simply an obstacle to her significant other’s goals (and often the show, too).

But Warren Kole’s Golden Retriever-esque performance and the way Jeff supports Shauna help elevate the character from a source of punch lines to a crucial part of a large ensemble cast. He’s the goofus of the ladies’ gallant, the scooby of this mysterious gang. Kudos to Jeff, our goofy warrior Yellow jackets.