Awards Daily talks to Yellowjackets director Ben Semanoff about what “Edible Complex” is like to watch without the medieval dream sequence and whether Episode 5 marks a turning point for Misty (Christina Ricci).
Director Ben Semanoff got initiated into the Yellowjackets family with a doozy in Episode 2’s “Edible Complex.”
“It was Episode 2, so I thought, it’s a second episode,” says Semanoff. “Not that anything in the Yellowjackets world is a snoozer, but it’s got to be contained. Then I remember on the plane back from New Zealand, reading the episode and going, ‘Oh no!’ It’s a big one, for sure, with a lot of sensitive things to deal with that haven’t really been dealt with on the show directly yet.”
Because of the sensitive nature of the episode, Semanoff says there were also a lot of discussions about the logistics of, you know, burning a body and eating it.
“Look, the moment was intercut with this bacchanalian [feast]—I think we can take some liberty with the reality as well,” he says with a laugh. “There were a zillion conversations, moments in conference rooms where you’re standing around a dummy on a table, and you’re asking these ludicrous questions you never thought you’d ask another person before. Is it too much if there’s a cavity in the dummy Jackie’s face that’s filled with meat that someone starts to eat? It was a lot of discussing, ‘What’s too far?’ And ‘What’s real and what’s right?'”
I had a fun conversation with Semanoff about how the bacchanal feast came to be (it wasn’t in the script!), the lighter moments in Episode 5’s “Two Truths and a Lie,” and that other team member death that Misty may (or may not!) have had a hand in. Watch the interview below!
