Yellowjackets is to cannibals what Lost is to shipwrecks. Yellowjackets starts strong, establishing a cast of compelling characters and a central mystery—WHAT HAPPENED when those girls got stranded in the woods?

Yellowjackets is to cannibals as Lost is to castaways. Like LostYellowjackets starts strong, setting up a bevy of compelling characters and a central mystery—what DID happen when those girls were stranded in the woods?

Featuring a cast of Xennial icons including Melanie Lynskey, Christina Ricci, Tawny Cypress, Juliette Lewis, and Lauren Ambrose, as well as introducing a new generation of talented actors such as Sophie Thatcher, Ella Purnell, Sophie Nelisse, Courtney Eaton, and Liv Hewson (fans of Santa Clarita Diet been knew!), Yellowjackets was a sort of instant cult classic, not a show everyone was watching, but definitely a show a lot of people became immediately obsessed with.

But like Lost before it, it pretty quickly felt like Yellowjackets, created by Ashley Lyle and Bart Nickerson, maybe didn’t have its own blueprint figured out. Season two was a lot of wandering in the wilderness, figuratively and literally, as the show features a split timeline between the present and the past, when a high school girls’ soccer team is stranded in the forest after a plane crash in the Nineties. By the end of season two, I was not convinced anyone behind Yellowjackets really had a plan for where it’s going, which is much how I felt about Lost—brilliant setup, super interesting hook, love the actors/characters, but like…what are we doing here?

Lost was never able to deliver on its premise—the first in a long line of JJ Abrams’ mystery box letdowns—but Yellowjackets I haven’t quite given up on yet. Part of it is that cast, which just keeps getting better. Season two added Elijah Wood, season three, which premieres on Valentine’s Day, is bringing in Hilary Swank and Joel McHale. The other reason I’m clinging to Yellowjackets is its immaculate aesthetic. Sure, Lost had Hawaii and Daniel Dae Kim’s cheekbones, but eventually its sheer silliness overwhelmed everything else. Yellowjackets has gotten pretty bonkers, but it has not yet outpaced its own flawless style. I LOVE the look of this show. I can stare at Yellowjackets mood boards all day.

Season three is promising more of that aesthetic, with the teenaged girls building their nightmare forest camp and further ritualizing their survival. Meanwhile, the modern-day aesthetic is fun, too, especially everything about Christina Ricci’s look. Last Halloween I saw a mother-daughter pair do a flawless take on Misty Quigley and it was my favorite costume I saw. They looked amazing.

So, Yellowjackets might be getting increasingly insane, and I’m not convinced the writers can, er, land this plane, but I remain invested in the show, anyway. It’s just so much fun, and it looks like the actors have fun making it. The vibes, as they say, are good. And creepy. Yellowjackets isn’t scary-scary, but it is effectively creepy, so much so I’m slightly surprised by the February release date; this is a show I’d hold for September/October, but I’m not in charge of a cable network. Anyway, I will stay with Yellowjackets as long as I can stand it, which is exactly as long as its cool factor outweighs its silliness. Let’s see how season three maintains the balance.

 

 

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