Season Two left the Yellowjackets in a dark place (to say the least). The finale was so bleak that I couldn’t imagine turning on my screen two years later and being met with the never-ending snowy landscape of the Canadian Rockies.
For better or worse, the first three episodes of this season set a radically different tone: a significant amount of time has passed for the teens; no snow, only a stark yellowish filter indicating the coming of summer. It’s idyllic. The girls have set up camp for themselves, with shacks, a farm, and individual huts—they’re even growing their own food. No cannibalism is mentioned. It feels almost… too good to be true.
As for the adults, they pick up where they left off, two weeks after the finale’s events. Much like the teens, they appear to be trying to pretend that whatever happened… didn’t. In their storyline, you don’t get a sense of what the end goal is after everything that has happened—unlike with the teens, whom we know will be rescued—but isn’t that the point? Since Season One, we’ve been realising that the adults can have no conclusion besides something terrible. The first episodes of Season Three cement this idea that, no matter what happens, there is never going to be a “going back to normal” for them because there is no salvation or returning home after whatever happened during those 19 months.
Season Three feels like it picks you up in the middle of a marathon. Some scenes feel eerily calm, yet with the constant sensation that something may be watching over your shoulder. Similarly to the much-beloved Season One, this season feels intense. Instead of suddenly falling over the cliff, you’re already dangling over the edge—only you don’t know what’s underneath.
Some of the cast members have warned us that this season is going to be where it all hits the fan, leaving viewers to wonder:
Can it get worse than cannibalism?
Illustration by Lucy Wellington @luspaints