The third season of Showtime’s hit show Yellowjackets premiered its first two episodes on February 14th, and its third episode was released last Friday. So far, we have to say the third season is off to a great start. With the series’s previous season being controversial, there seems to be higher hopes for what this season has to offer.
Yellowjackets tells the story of a high school girls’ soccer team as they struggle to survive in the wilderness after surviving a plane crash that was meant to take them to nationals. During their time in the woods, the survivors go through psychological torment as they start to believe there’s something more to the woods than meets the eye. The show bounces back and forth between the girl’s time in the wilderness and the remaining survivors’ lives in the present as they struggle to live with the ghosts of their past.
Something that concerned viewers was the capability the showrunners had to keep both storylines interesting throughout the course of the show. While season two seemed to be straying from the original direction that had been set in season one, season three manages to reign it back in and make it feel believable again. Not only does it feel believable, but it also feels eerie again, which is something that the second season got very wrong. The usage of the music, the atmosphere, the new conflicts, and the new mysteries all make for what is sure to be a creepy and engaging season. Season two failed in these aspects as it leaned more towards the humorous, campy tone of the story and paid less attention to the horror aspects that the first season got across so well.
If you haven’t had a chance to check out the new season of the show or haven’t seen the series at all, go give it a shot before reading the rest of the article!
SPOILER REVIEW/SYNOPSIS OF EPISODES 1-3
While the show carries on much of the same ideas and builds on its mysteries from previous seasons, there is still much to be addressed and a lot to handle. The absence of adult Natalie is something that is felt heavily this season after her shocking death in the season two finale. Her storyline with Misty was something that brought a lot of charm and humor to the show. Now that she’s gone, we’re left with Misty as she grapples with losing her closest friend. This plot line adds more to Misty’s character and takes her from a comedic relief character to someone we can take as seriously as the other survivors.
The other survivor’s plot lines carry on as more drama is added to the story. The addition of Lottie and Van from last season adds a new layer of mystery to the plot and more concepts and plot lines to explore. While it’s not as well executed as some of the previous adult storylines, they’re still fun to watch. As the season develops it’ll be interesting to see where exactly the Van and Taissa plot goes, as of now it seems they’re both falling back into their superstitious ritual beliefs they formed back during their time in the woods. As of now it seems they believe that the spirit of the wilderness or “It” as they call it, is seeking blood in exchange for Van’s cancer to continue to go into remission.
Callie’s character is seeing more focus this season, as well as she steps into a main character position. After witnessing the traumatic event of the yellowjacket survivors trying to murder her mother, Shauna, in a ritual last season, she’s taken an interest in learning the truth of what exactly happened during her mother’s and friends’ time in the wilderness. Callie is seen spending more time with Lottie, a relationship that is destined to lead only to bad things, given Lottie is constantly surrounded by dark supernatural energy that leads to hectic actions that influence the entire plot.
There is also a mysterious person who is meddling with the lives of Shauna and Callie, pulling both of them further into the affairs of the woods. Audiences have speculated that this person will most likely be Hillary Swank’s character, but other than the vague clues in the first three episodes, it is unclear who Swank will be playing. In the teen flashbacks to the woods the character Melissa has become more important to Shauna’s story, so there is a high chance that Swank will be playing an adult Melissa who messes with Shauna’s life in some way. Perhaps Hillary Swank could be playing some investigative agent who is out to uncover the secrets of the yellowjacket survivors? We’ll only get the answers as the season progresses.
The flashback scenes to the wilderness continue to be the strongest part of the story. The characters grow more desperate with each passing episode, and we’ve begun to see the mental toll that living out in the woods for so long has taken on them. While the violence has been toned down so far this season, the psychological horror aspect of the show has been put forward into the spotlight. Both the adult plot and the teen plot are intertwined with confusing and eerie elements that make the show extremely creepy. The ambiguity of what is happening to the characters makes it difficult to discern whether what’s happening to them is paranormal or something that their minds are showing them. This makes for scary storylines and thrilling episodes.
So far, the main focus of the teen plot line has revolved around the girls attempting to track down Coach Scott as they believe he is responsible for burning down the cabin last season. The interactions between Coach Scott and Mari in episodes 2 and 3 have been full of tension and anticipation. Given how episode 3 ended with the girls capturing Coach Scott, the stakes and tension for the fourth episode are sure to be high. Each episode brings something new and uncomfortable to the characters. It’s very entertaining to watch and really makes you think after a while, as it’s fun to speculate about what is actually going on and what will end up happening.
Overall, this season has the potential to be better than the second, and hopefully, each episode continues to deliver on the stakes and plots that are being set up. It’ll be fun to see how each character’s arc becomes intertwined, and perhaps we’ll learn more about the true nature of the woods. Be sure to check out the new season of Yellowjackets on Paramount+ with a SHOWTIME plan if you’re interested in seeing a fun, eerie, bloody TV drama!
