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Yellowjackets returns for a third season, nearly two years after the season 2 finale. The Showtime series continues to follow the teenage girl soccer team stranded in the 1990s Canadian wilderness after their plane crashed.
Meanwhile, the adult survivors in the current time must deal with life after Natalie’s sacrifice in the season 2 finale. The first three episodes available for review of Yellowjackets season 3 start to address some of the mysteries set up from the past seasons but also threaten to create even more confusion.
Season 3 is the first to take place in summer after a long, harsh winter. We meet the (un) lucky survivors of the plane crash in a jovial mood, playing games in the sunlight. Now the weather had warmed up, the girls had a whole new set of challenges.
Teenage Shauna (Sophie Nélisse) is still grieving her baby and is angry that the group has seemingly moved on. She holds on to her losses, still not over being forced to feast on Jackie’s corpse, while the others try to make the best of a bad situation. There are hints that the women are learning to thrive in the forest alone, still trying to understand what lurks in nature alongside them.
Teen Taisa (Jasmin Savoy Brown) and Van (Liv Hewson) are side-lined in favor of following Lottie and her newfound power as their teen’s cult leader. There are just too many girls in the wilderness, and it’s impossible for Yellowjackets to give them all the time they need.
Teen Nat (Sophie Thatcher) and teen Missy (Sammi Hanratty) also don’t get the time they deserve. Hanratty’s performance is especially extraordinary, perfectly mimicking the mannerisms of their older counterpart
It’s implied that Coach Ben (Steven Kruger) set fire to the cabin at the end of season two. The upcoming season will put the football coach at the center of the 1990s narrative. The show offers answers about his survival while also adding another hundred questions. Anyone expecting easy answers about the cabin burning down and the identity of the antler queen will need to be patient. Yellowjackets has no interest in giving up its mysteries easily, making the audience work for the resolutions.
The opening episode of the third series concentrates far more on the adult survivors than the teenagers. At times, the balance feels like it tips too much toward the grown-ups when the real mystery and intrigue comes from the girls’ stories in the wilderness.
Grown-up Misty (Christina Ricci) is struggling in her own way after Natalie’s death, seemingly turning to alcohol to suppress whatever evil lurks within her. Her boyfriend, Walter (Elijah Wood), seems concerned but there is something untrustworthy about his behavior. Despite casting someone as earnest as Wood for the role, it’s hard to really believe the nice guy persona. Expect upcoming episodes to explore this partnership further and whether Misty is a threat or just a lonely busybody.
Meanwhile, the central plot for the opening of season 3 revolves around grown-up Shauna (Melanie Lynskey), her husband Jeff (Warren Kole), and their curious daughter Callie (Sarah Desjardins). In her full teenage rebellion phase, Callie starts to investigate what really happened to her mother in the Canadian wilderness. Anytime anyone tries to get close to the truth, it never ends well for them.
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Melanie Lynskey’s powerhouse performance makes Shauna the most captivating character on the show, but too much time is spent on her day-to-day life with Jeff. With so many mythical plots, and nods to the supernatural and possible cannibalism involved, do audiences need to see Jeff and Shauna argue over parenting their teenage daughter?
Adult Taissa (Tawny Cypress) and Van (Lauren Ambrose) are still trying to rekindle their romance after years apart. The trouble is that Taissa is still struggling with blackouts and visions, while Van’s cancer leaves her unable to leave her home. Their story is where the clues about the past lie, with one of the show’s oldest mysteries hinted at being resolved in episode three.
Season 3 appears to be further investigating the concept of giving “the wilderness what it wants.” At the end of last season, Shauna was chosen as a blood sacrifice, only for it to be Natalie (Juliette Lewis) after Misty accidentally kills her. The circle of life and the idea that “what the right hand gives, the left-hand takes” feel like they will be central to the plot as audiences go into the season.
With Oscar-winner Hilary Swank and Community actor Joel McHale joining the cast of season 3, there is speculation on who they could be and in which timeline we meet them. Neither one appears in the opening three episodes, and no hint is given about their possible roles. There are still more adults to meet in the current-day timeline, so perhaps grown-up Missy, Shauna, or Lottie will find even more survivors.
Yellowjackets has put itself in the tricky position of setting up so many mysterious events that it needs to start resolving them before audiences become lost. In season 2, there were an overwhelming number of questions and not many answers. The drama has to be careful not to become so convoluted that audiences lose interest.
The opening episodes of season 3 only begin to address one enigma but add four more puzzles to solve. If the start of the season is anything to go on, this third outing is a slow burner that demands the audience’s attention. Don’t expect easy answers, as Yellowjackets asks: Was their plane taken down by mysterious entities, or is this all a shared delusion by teenage girls going through an immensely traumatic experience?
The first two episodes of season three of Yellowjackets premiere on Paramount Plus and Showtime on Friday, 14 February 2025.
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Grade: B
Yellowjackets
This equal parts survival epic, psychological horror story and coming-of-age drama tells the saga of a team of wildly talented high school girls soccer players who become the (un)lucky survivors of a plane crash deep in the remote northern wilderness. The series chronicles their descent from a complicated but thriving team to savage clans, while also tracking the lives they’ve attempted to piece back together nearly 25 years later.
Release Date: February 14, 2025
Director: Ashley Lyle Bart Nickerson
Cast: Melanie Lynskey , Tawny Cypress , Christina Ricci
