This article contains spoilers for Season 3 Episode 7 of “Yellowjackets”
In this week’s jaw-dropping episode of “Yellowjackets,” we finally learn how guest star Joel McHale fits into the story: He plays a macho outdoor guide named Kodiak who is guiding two scientists (Ashley Sutton and Nelson Franklin) into the wilderness to film frogs when things, shall we say, take a deadly turn.
As we briefly glimpsed in the previous episode, these unfortunate travelers stumble across the plane crash survivors in full howling “feast” mode around a late night bonfire. At first, there is shock on both sides, until Edwin (Franklin) sees the head of Coach Ben and yells, “What the f–k?”
Before anyone can fully explain — that is, if you can ever really explain how you resorted to cannibalism to complete strangers — Lottie (Courtney Eaton) sneaks up behind Edwin and buries an ax in his head.
Kodiak gets off one shot with his crossbow, which hits Melissa (Jenna Burgess) in the chest, before he and Hannah (Sutton) make a run for it as the Yellowjackets shift into hunting mode.
The episode ends on a literal cliffhanger for his character as Travis (Kevin Alves) and Akilah (Nia Sondaya) decide to help him up or let him fall to his death from the edge of a cliff. Check back later for our interview with Ashley Sutton, who plays Hannah.
McHale told TheWrap he landed the role after running into series co-creator Ashley Lyle at a Built to Spill concert at the Troubadour in Los Angeles a year ago. They kept in touch and she told him, “Oh, you should play this psycho,” he recalled.
TheWrap: How hard was it to keep your role a secret?
Joel McHale: I was so scared to say anything. People would say, “Hey, you’re going to be in ‘Yellowjackets,’” and I was like, “No, I’m not.” They were very adamant, “Don’t spill the beans on anything.” People are so secretive about it and so careful. And, they had [fans] trying to get on set.
TheWrap: Were you a fan of the show beforehand?
Joel McHale: Yeah, it’s such a family show with many, so many heartwarming and uplifting messages. [Laughs] I didn’t think I was going to be able to do it with my “Animal Control” schedule, and God bless them, they made it work. I was so thrilled to do it.
Did you have a backstory for Kodiak?
He’s a mountain man, he’s a loner, and he lives off the land a lot of the time. But then, to make extra money, he does stuff like this, guiding folks. I built a lot of stuff in myself, but the writing was terrific.
I think he enjoys messing around with people that have no idea what they are doing in this environment. It was nice how they established it: We’re high and he’s flirting with Ashley’s character. And then immediately [after they reach the camp] Nelson gets an ax in the back of his head. And when I read that, I was like, “Oh, here we go.”
There’s a side of him that just can’t believe these kids are doing this. He realizes the stakes are life and death and he’s got to do something.
How arduous were those night shoots in the woods where you are running for your life?
We were outside shooting in September, which you could not have asked for a better time to shoot outside in British Columbia, the conditions were ideal. We shot a lot at night, which is really spooky and beautiful in the woods, and you hear owls swoop by without making a noise. I love that stuff.
The scenes at night when we’re running, that was so much fun. I still look back and I go, like, “How nice of them to have me on the show.” As a 53-year-old actor, I’m always like, “I hope I get to continue to do this.” And then, I’m shooting crossbows at teenagers. I was like, “How did I get here? How cool is this?” So, thank you, Ashley and Bart [Nickerson].
You described character as a psycho but that is a relative term on this show.
It’s very true. I love the part where they stumble into the camp, like, “What the f–k is happening?”
New episodes of “Yellowjackets” stream on Paramount+ on Fridays and air on Showtime on Sundays. Episode 7 of Season 3 is now streaming on Paramount+.
