Showtime's popular series Yellowjackets finally returns for season 3!
Yellowjackets follows a high school soccer team whose plane crashes in the Canadian wilderness on their way to nationals. Stranded for over a year, they have to find a way to survive.
In the season 2 finale, we left off with the cabin burning down in the teen timeline, and in the adult timeline, Natalie (Juliette Lewis) was killed by Misty (Christina Ricci) during a ritual gone wrong.
The first scenes we see in season 3 immediately hint at a reset. It mirrors the opening scene from the pilot — a dark-haired girl is running through the woods, being chased. But this time, it’s obvious who’s chasing and who’s running. Teen Mari (Alexa Barajas), the team's resident troublemaker, is trying to get away from Teen Shauna (Sophie Nélisse), who tackles her and even bites her hand. The girls are playing a game called “Capture the Bone” which is a wilderness version of capture the flag. No one dies this time - yet.
As we settle back into the wild, we see that the group hasn’t just survived, they’ve actually thrived since the cabin burned down. They’ve built some pretty impressive, well-constructed A-frame-style huts, game is plentiful, there’s a lush garden, and Akilah is taking care of bunnies and ducks for cuddles (and the occasional snack).
Teen Natalie (Sophie Thatcher) now leads with a more laid-back vibe. They talk about how their sacrifices led to some kind of miracles. For the most part, everyone’s doing okay... except Shauna. She’s really pissed that her teammates aren’t burdened with guilt over everything they’ve done. It makes sense, though. She’s probably dealing with some serious depression after giving birth to a son and losing him, and she’s just not feeling the vibe everyone else seems to be into.
Shauna’s misery in the past contrasts sharply with Adult Shauna (Melanie Lynskey) in the present. Shauna has her own heavy stuff to deal with, watching Natalie (Juliette Lewis) die, her friends trying to kill her, and her daughter Callie (Sarah Desjardins) knowing she’s a murderer. Instead of facing it, she just kind of avoids reality. She spends her time drinking with Taissa (Tawny Cypress) and Van (Lauren Ambrose) after Natalie’s brief memorial. When the principal calls to say Callie dumped animal guts on some teens, she’s pretty amused when Callie shows her the video.
Later, Van and Tai have dinner at a fancy restaurant and then skip out on the bill. The waiter chases after them, and even though someone saves him from getting hit by a bus, he ends up having a heart attack right in the street while Tai and Van, completely oblivious, giggle around the corner. Full of adrenaline, they slowly make their way toward each other, their heads forming a heart shape. Then, they head into an alley and make out.
Back in the past, the wilderness seems to be taunting the Yellowjackets during their Summer Solstice celebration, with creepy sounds like chittering, growling, and even a baby's cry echoing from the woods around them. I'm intrigued to see what the young Yellowjackets go through this season. Shauna seems to have a new ally in Melissa. Ben is still alive and out there, as Mari soon discovers when she falls for one of his traps. The change of season will be an advantage to the teens, but for how long? As the seasons change, the girls must not be far off from being rescued..
The first two episodes of Yellowjackets season 3 are now streaming on Paramount+. New episodes will drop Fridays on Paramount+ and Sundays at 8 p.m. ET on Showtime.
