The first two episodes of Yellowjackets season 3 are streaming now on Paramount+. New episodes stream through April 11, 2025.
Synopsis
As summer arrives, the Yellowjackets face a fragile victory — the brutal winter that nearly claimed them is finally behind them, but distrust in leadership and tension within the team jeopardize their chances of being rescued. In the present, long-buried secrets from their pasts begin to surface. As the women fight to keep their lives from unraveling, they must confront a chilling question: who are they really, and what dark truths are they hiding from each other and themselves?
Review
It’s hard to believe but it’s been very nearly two years since the second season of Paramount+ thriller Yellowjackets came to an end. So you can be forgiven if today’s two-episode premiere arrives as you struggle to remember where we left Shauna, Misty, Lottie and the gang back in 2023.
The second season of Yellowjackets is widely perceived as a creative stall for the series. After a blistering – and award winning – first season. The second batch of episodes felt like it was treading water, searching for narrative purpose and struggling under the weight of the series’ initial success. Members of the press have had access to the first four episodes of season 3 and I’m happy to report it’s a creative return to form all round.
Picking up several months after the season 2 finale, the survivors have now entered their Lord of the Flies era. Summer is just around the corner so the weather is much improved and food is no longer in short supply. The girls (and Travis) are still reeling from almost being burnt to a crisp in their cabin and Coach Ben, the prime suspect, has disappeared deep in to the woods. Meanwhile, in the present day Van’s (Lauren Ambrose) cancer is taking a miraculous turn, Shauna is still trying to find a happy medium in her family life, Misty is struggling with the events of the season 2 finale and Lottie is released from hospital following her most recent committal.
The gentle shift forwards in time acts as a natural reset for Yellowjackets. The producers have re-embraced the more fantastical elements of its narrative and in doing so allow the series to have more fun. The cold, snowy winter of season 2 backed the series in to a corner. It forced a level of reality which seemed almost insurmountable. In doing so it took away much of the series’ spirit. So now, coming in to season 3, it’s almost jarring to see the changes. The group are living in manufactured huts, wearing robes made of animal pelts and they’ve crafted furniture and tools using the wilderness around them. A fully-functioning society has been created and now sits at the centre of the flashbacks.
With Natalie (Sophie Thatcher) now in charge, there are rules in place. Those rules are made to be followed and the consequences of breaking them are something we explore. Particularly in the fourth episode of the season. But Natalie’s grounded nature also stands potentially at odds with Lottie (Courtney Eaton) and her Pagan-esque faith. The religion of the woodland is clearly an element of the Yellowjackets plot which has been given a great deal of thought between seasons. It feels like the writers have a much tighter grip on this belief system. It also bleeds in to the present day narrative, particularly through Van and Taissa (Tawny Cypress) who still seem to hold its values in high regard.
This season the writers are also embracing the dichotomy between past Shauna (Sophie Nélisse) and her present day life. Nélisse is portraying a Shauna still suffering PTSD from the loss of her baby. The boy has become a central figure in Lottie’s faith and this only adds to Shauna’s seething anger. Across the first four episodes a bitter and scheming side comes to the surface which may have dire consequences moving forwards. Whilst in the present day Melanie Lynskey seems to be having more fun than ever before as housewife-Shauna. The events of season 2 seem to have brought the family closer together. Jeff (Warren Kole) and Callie (Sarah Desjardins) have a larger role to play in season 3 and it feels deliciously twisted that a family murder is what finally brought these three together.
Naturally the audience is curious as to the potentially supernatural elements in play throughout Yellowjackets. I can give no firm answers on the what of it all after these four episodes. But what I can say is that the writers are enjoying playing with the audience and those idea. Each episode finds a way to flirt with deeper meanings and darker motives. There’s never been a stronger sense of drive to the show and that certainly feels able to propel each of the characters through the rest of the season (and the series). It doesn’t feel like Yellowjackets has entirely been able to move beyond the issues of season 2. But if this four episodes are anything to go by then it should reach that point by the finale.
Verdict
The first four episodes of Yellowjackets season 3 feel like a course correction. As the series returns to its chaotic, cultish and most certainly twisted roots it rediscovers its spark. The synergy between past and present storylines returns the series to cult-classic, must-watch status.
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