Yellowjackets: Van's 10 Best Quotes | Screen Rant
While Van Palmer may have left Yellowjackets viewers with the overwhelming astonishment at her narrow escapes from death, her one-liners are just as impressive. Van's sarcastic wit and dark humor often come out when times are most desperate for the team. The way she communicates begins to shift over the course of the season, and with each tragedy she endures, Van drifts farther from her skeptic nature.
Although Van's sharp witticism is a credit to the writing of creators Ashley Lyle and Bart Nickerson, the performance and delivery given by actor, Liv Hewson, allow Van to come to life on screen.
Still shaken by the wolf attack and subsequent burning, Van confronts Taissa to discuss her newfound belief in the supernatural. Formerly a skeptical character rooted in logic, Van's near-death experiences, coupled with the uncanny predictions from Lottie, lead her to question what she once believed was true.
Taissa's dismissal of Van's worries turns to mockery as she brings up Van's past statement that The X-Files's Scully was too good for Mulder, a believer in the paranormal. This quote marks the shift in Van's relationship with Taissa and hints at her new loyalty to Lottie.
Whispered to Taissa amidst a game of guessing a word traced on the other's back, Van allows herself to be vulnerable for once. Up until this point, Van has used sarcasm and quips to avoid confronting serious feelings. However, standing in the water with only Taissa, she is able to let those defensive walls down and ask for the public relationship she wants.
This line also serves as foreshadowing for the secrets revealed among the Yellowjackets that will inevitably be unearthed in the future.
Van unleashes this deep cut as the team discusses Taissa's plan to venture out into the wilderness in search of help. Usually in agreement with Taissa, it is the first time that Van goes against her in front of the other girls.
The mention of the New Zealand explorer also reveals more about Van's intelligence. Van may be a skilled goalie and extensively versed in pop culture, but she can also make historic references in her snarky retorts.
After the group reluctantly follows Taissa, despite their growing fears and the sounds of howls in the darkness, Van uses her storytelling skills to recant Sandra Bullock's role in While You Were Sleeping.
Despite her own uncertainty, Van steps into a leadership role and hides her own anxieties to calm her teammates. Her use of humor as a coping mechanism is an aspect of her character that repeats throughout the season and allows her to move within the group, controlling the emotional tone.
As the tension from the séance grows, combined with the effects of Lottie's withdrawal from her medication, Van's lingering resentment of Jackie comes out full force. Reminiscent of an iconic Michael Kelso quote from That '70s Show, Hewson's delivery of this line injects an undeniable humor to the otherwise serious scene.
In moments of terror, Van's reaction is often to point out the humor of the situation. Although Jackie's usefulness in the middle of nowhere continues to dwindle, the team still looks to her at this moment for guidance as their captain.
Full quote: "... I want to go to New York with you, and I want to buy you a f**king soft pretzel, and I want to take you on a f**king horse and carriage ride through Central Park."
In a rare moment of vulnerability, Van opens up to Taissa about her first and only trip to New York City, during which she was disappointedly taken to a performance of Cats instead of the activities she always dreamt of experiencing. Van's monologue not only reveals her hopes for their future as a couple, but also the sobering reality that they are all just kids being forced to grow up quicker than ever imagined. Van's desire for simple pleasures and a life with Taissa away from everything else leads her to join Taissa's expedition into the wilderness.
After being given the bone necklace and warned of Lottie's ominous dream, Van begins to question whether Lottie really does possess the power of clairvoyance. While the conversation about skeptical characters in horror movies is masked as light-hearted jabs, it reveals more cracks in their relationship.
The internal commentary on horror tropes in Yellowjackets turns a humorous conversation between Van and Taissa about their differing beliefs into a subtle nod at the show's determination to flip the script on overused plot devices. Viewers are, once again, left wondering if there are logical explanations for the seemingly supernatural events.
Van cements her role as team WAG while unearthing the deceased cabin resident's extensive porn collection. While the magazines won't be useful for much more than kindling, Van takes any moment to lighten the mood.
Through her dry humor and sarcasm, Van is able to unite whoever she comes in contact with, even the most stubborn of people. She engages Travis in playful banter that allows him to let his guard down and come out of his shell if only for a moment. This discovery also foreshadows the future sexual politics that plague the group as they try to find normalcy in their new lives.
In response to Jackie's idea of throwing shoes at their former coach's lifeless body, Van unleashes her full ire, making it clear that Jackie is by no means forgiven for abandoning her in the burning plane.
While the Yellowjackets are no stranger to dissension among the ranks, the drama of high school is long forgotten, replaced instead with life or death circumstances. The newfound mistrust Van has for Jackie is just one of the many factors contributing to the growing divide between Jackie and her teammates.
Van's survival despite being left behind in the burning wreckage of the plane by Jackie is possibly the most shocking moment of episode two. From the utter disbelief on Jackie's face to the betrayal on Van's, this moment shatters the illusion of loyalty and adds a new level of distrust to the group dynamic.
Van has countless meme-able moments throughout the season, but this one stands out in the minds of viewers as well as the actor themself, harkening back to a similar quote from American Horror Story: Coven.