By its very nature, I knew several characters in the 1996 storyline of Yellowjackets were not destined to survive, and Coach Ben (Steven Krueger) was one of the most obvious. What I did not anticipate, though, was how heartbreaking his death would be, and Ben's mercy killing at the hands of Natalie (Sophie Thatcher) does a lot to justify why she is so damaged in the present day. Morally, it is undoubtedly the right thing to do, but it also costs her both spiritually and politically at the exact time when her leadership is falling into question. More than anything, the killing and resulting funeral also display how far the girls as a group have fallen, and how much worse it could get now that their last connection with the outside world is gone.