‘Yellowjackets’ Season 3 Is More Lopsided Than Ever: TV Review

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In the wild Canadian landscape, home to the soccer team known as “Yellowjackets,” it’s now summer after months of their stranded existence. Snow has thawed, trees are leafy, and where an abandoned cabin turned into ash in Season 2 finale stands a temporary village made of wooden shelters. This group, deeply connected with nature, feels a significant change with the weather, symbolizing a major alteration in their usual circumstances. For viewers of the Showtime drama, this new season brings a refreshing breeze that is both physically and figuratively invigorating.

In the present-day timeline, which makes up half of the series, surprisingly little seems to have evolved. The second season reached its climax with the first significant death among the grown survivors from a 1990s plane crash and the prolonged solitude that ensued. As the younger Natalie (Sophie Thatcher) was elected leader of her makeshift tribe, her older counterpart (Juliette Lewis) met a tragic end due to a lethal dose of fentanyl. Although Misty (Christina Ricci) might have administered the fatal injection, devotees like Lottie (Simone Kessell) saw her as a sacrificial offering to “It,” the spirit of the wilderness, which could have accompanied them back into urban life.

As a die-hard movie enthusiast, I must say that the mysterious, off-screen demise of my ex, Travis (previously played by Kevin Alves), seemed to set the stage for the unraveling drama in Yellowjackets, but Natalie’s predicament feels like an unprecedented escalation of their struggles. Or so it appears – however, the contemporary scenes of Season 3 feel surprisingly mundane, as if nothing much has changed from the status quo. The grown women are still separated and trying to find their footing, with many of the pairings feeling contrived. They’re still grappling with a lack of purpose as urgent as their younger selves’ desperate need to survive.

The long-awaited return of “Yellowjackets,” which last graced our screens in May 2023, was delayed due to the Hollywood strikes, but unfortunately, the four episodes sent to critics only seem to magnify the defining flaw of Season 2: a growing disparity between the two storylines. The flashbacks continue to captivate us with their intensity and focus, while the contemporary scenes feel diffuse and less purposeful in comparison.

Great news! The previous scenario continues to move forward at a steady pace. With the immediate dangers of hunger or freezing lessening, the Yellowjackets are now able to focus on addressing higher priorities in Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. After close to a year, the crash site has transformed into something resembling a true settlement. There are festivities such as a winter solstice game of ‘capture the bone’, presumably an animal bone. They also have a small farm with rabbits and ducks. And fortunately, there have been no more instances of cannibalism — at least not for now. As we move into Season 2, the Yellowjackets have advanced from consuming a frozen body to hunting victims determined by drawing cards, but they haven’t escalated their actions any further… yet.

The atmosphere remains tense. After her baby’s stillbirth, Shauna (Sophie Nélisse) is more angry and hostile than ever. Those who follow a quasi-religious belief that considers the woods as alive have become a faction with a growing mythology. Coach Scott (Steven Kreuger), an amputee disturbed by the girls’ wild behavior, is still on the loose following the cabin fire. The mix of paranoia, supernatural leanings, and typical teenage drama creates a volatile situation that provides some of the series’ most impressive scenes yet. Although “Yellowjackets” may lack in practical realism at times – for example, a complete courtroom appearing out of nowhere after destruction, equipped with judge’s robes and a makeshift gavel – it compensates with deep psychological understanding.

The series continues to excel at its primary asset: portraying how the raw, potentially spiritual, aspects of untamed nature reveal characteristics inherent in adolescent girls. One character remarks, “You were maddeningly persistent,” highlighting the ruthless competition among the players. This observation is both amusing, heartwarming, and unsettling as we witness glimpses of normalcy amidst extreme situations. A wounded Yellowjacket finds solace in a humorous reference to Right Said Fred (“I’m…too sexy for this cave”), while another imagines everyday ’90s items like snap bracelets during a harrowing collective hallucination. The contrast between what the wilderness brings out and what it instills remains difficult to distinguish.

In the 2020s, Callie (Sarah Desjardins), Shauna’s daughter, serves as the primary source of teenage angst. Shauna, now middle-aged, is played by Melanie Lynskey. Since her introduction to her parents’ scandalous past, which includes “murder, attempted murder, and complicity in murder,” Callie has grown as a character. The way Shauna recognizes her own hidden aspects, both positive and negative, mirrored in her daughter, creates an engaging dynamic. Similarly intriguing is the rekindled romance between Tai (Tawny Cypress) and Van (Lauren Ambrose), where their personal struggles – such as a breakdown for Tai and a cancer diagnosis for Van – lead to a newfound openness towards past lovers and the supernatural.

What ties these relationships together is a natural, preexisting connection that surpasses mere efforts to keep Lottie and Misty informed. Following the majority of Season 2 being consumed by a murder cover-up, it’s reasonable why “Yellowjackets” might want to skirt over or delay addressing the consequences of poisoning a police officer or Natalie’s death having witnesses. However, the storylines that replace these events lack the necessary energy, as if a mid-season twist is meant to rejuvenate them.

Despite some unresolved mysteries in “Yellowjackets”, the main events in the woods and the developments in New Jersey are generally understood. Whether ‘It’ is real or a shared hallucination, an aspect the show may never clarify, it drove them towards cannibalism, leaving a guilt that haunts them now. “Yellowjackets” shines brightest when it delves into personal experiences and falters when it conceals these experiences behind less engaging distractions.

The initial two installments of “Yellowjackets” Season 3 are currently available for streaming on Paramount+ with Showtime, and they will also be broadcasted on Showtime on February 16 at 8 p.m. ET. Subsequent episodes will be released weekly on Fridays for streaming, and aired weekly on Sundays.

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2025-02-14 11:17