There was a lot of curiosity when the news broke that Joel McHale would play a role on Yellowjackets season three. Joel McHale, of course, is an icon in the world of pop culture for his role on Community. Yellowjackets is a very funny show at points, too, but it’s definitely much more of a dark humor—a bit removed from the purely hilarious sitcom energy that Community brought to the table. And it turns out McHale is very removed from his turn as Jeff Winger on Yellowjackets as well. For Community fans and Joel McHale fans overall, McHale’s role as Kodiak, a.k.a. Kodi, might be something of a surprise. We break it all down below.
Joel McHale Plays Kodiak, a Wilderness Survival Guide, on Yellowjackets Season 3
It’s all gruffness and toughness for Joel McHale on Yellowjackets season three. McHale’s character Kodiak is a serious outdoorsman who is not there to mess around with the wilderness but is there to flippantly throw knives past people’s faces. He claims he was named after tobacco. We meet McHale’s character alongside two biologists who have wandered into the wilderness, where the Yellowjackets team also crashed.
The university that biologists Hannah and Edwin work for hired McHale’s Kodiak/Kodi to help guide the researchers through the dense woods. Hannah and Edwin wish to observe a frog mating ritual and bring back a specimen of the Arctic Banshee frog. McHale’s Kodiak doesn’t seem to think too much of frogs, but he’s plenty willing to show off his wilderness chops. He also appears to think little of scrawny scientist Edwin, whom he clearly considers “less manly” than him, and meanwhile enjoys flirting with Hannah, Edwin’s partner—although he doesn’t think twice about abandoning her when danger comes.
Is Joel McHale’s Kodi a Dangerous Character?
In one scene, Yellowjackets makes a point of noting that Joel McHale’s Kodi has a bag labeled “Erik.” Edwin claims that he’s hiding something and that they know nothing about him, not even his name. Additionally, he feels that Kodi may have broken their satellite phone, the one connection the research team had to the outside world, on purpose. Joel McHale’s Kodiak claims that the phone is not their lifeline, and instead, he is. And he seems offended by the whispers about him. But as mentioned, Kodiak flees the scene, leaving Hannah to fend for herself once they encounter the Yellowjackets team in the woods. He also shoots Melissa from very close with his crossbow. We do not like the energy of this Joel McHale character on Yellowjackets.
Will Kodi Help the Yellowjackets Escape the Wilderness?
Although we don’t trust him, it is true that Joel McHale’s Kodi/Kodiak is the only character that has any hope of escaping the wilderness on Yellowjackets. Kodi has a good sense of where they are and how to survive and literally no one else does. At the end of the episode, Akilah and Travis help Kodiak survive his fall off a cliffside in the hopes that he will lead them home. But can they really trust him to help, or will he turn on them and leave them to die? What about the rest of the team? It doesn’t seem like Kodiak cares even remotely that the Yellowjackets are merely high school students trying to survive. And would kill them all if it meant his own skin. Only time will tell if he’ll become a friend or foe.
Will Joel McHale’s Kodiak Die in the Wilderness?
There’s a very notable toxic masculinity air to Kodiak. It’s honestly a character type that hasn’t really appeared on Yellowjackets before. Travis had a bit of that attitude at the beginning of the series, but time in the wilderness seems to have excised most of it from him. That’s why Kodiak’s angry, bullish disposition, his dislike for other men whom he considers less strong, and his immediate need to flirt with the only woman around stands out on the series. As Lottie said, the Wilderness does not want him (and his noxious manliness) there. But does that mean he’s doomed? We kind of hope so… Even though we also agree that going home would be nice for the team. If only the Yellowjackets could live their free life in a society without arbitrary standards but also have running water and enough food to live.
We’ll have to see what happens to Joel McHale’s Kodiak as Yellowjackets season three continues to air.
Content shared from nerdist.com.