'Yellowjackets' proves to be stinging psychological thriller
Buzz, buzz, buzz! Calling all fans of "Yellowjackets" — the season two trailer has officially dropped, and all of my insane theories about what's to come have plenty of new ammunition.
If you're a fan of the Emmy-nominated Showtime drama, you'll already be ecstatic by this news, but if you're not, it's time to pick up a soccer ball (or your weapon of choice) and join the team. As a recent inductee to the "Yellowjackets" fandom, I'm here to do my duty before season two to bring as many other people into the insanity of this show as I can.
The concept itself might seem simple and a bit reductive. It follows the titular Yellowjackets, a girl's soccer team from New Jersey who takes a plane to Seattle to compete at a national championship in 1996 — before promptly crashing into the Canadian wilderness. But simple and reductive, "Yellowjackets" is not.
We follow the Yellowjackets over the 19 total months they spend stranded in the wild, as well as their lives after their rescue — or, at least, the lives of those who survived. The girls struggle to survive in the past timeline, set in 1996. In the 2021 timeline, they wade through quickly unraveling conspiracies that exploit their trauma from their time in the woods.
Where "Yellowjackets" elevates itself is just about everywhere but the concept. The casting was expertly done, and the performances only further the viewing experience. Melanie Lynskey, Christina Ricci, Tawny Cypress and Juliette Lewis are a transcendent older core four of the show, with Ricci's performance as Misty Quigley deserving extra kudos.
Courtney Eaton, Jasmin Savoy Brown and Sophie Nélisse bring in some of my favorite performances from the Yellowjackets' younger iterations. There's not a weak spot in the entire ensemble, though, whether younger or older, a Yellowjacket or not.
The casting of the characters at different ages is also on point. From appearance to styling to mannerisms, it all makes you believe that these are the same girls, incredibly traumatized and 25 years out from where we first met them.
To the show's benefit, it also nose-dives completely into depravity and insanity. Surviving out in the woods for 19 months is obviously tough and can lead you to do a lot of messed up things in the name of survival.
"Yellowjackets" uses this to its advantage by looking beyond the struggles of chopping trees or hunting deer and acknowledging the psychological issues that come with surviving desperate situations.
Additionally, centering the show on female characters provides a unique perspective on the threads of trauma and the girl's experiences in the woods. Being a teenage girl is a uniquely traumatizing experience in and of itself, so seeing the emotions of the characters on the show, as girls and women, be validated through love, betrayal and trauma is fulfilling.
Still, there are some delightful men in the periphery, like Lynskey's character Shauna Shipman's hilarious husband, Jeff Sadecki, and the team's assistant coach, Ben Scott. Additionally, we'll be seeing the addition of Elijah Wood as Walter in season two.
While the show features a good amount of antagonists, it does a remarkable job of making these characters complex, sympathetic, charming and likable. There's no teammate I don't root for on the show, despite what they inflict on one another.
Seeing young women (and, in the present timeline, women in their 40s) be able to be so multifaceted on a prestige drama with no misogynistic pushback from fans or the show itself is a breath of fresh air.
For bonus points niche to The Daily Targum's likely readership, as mentioned, the show does follow a team of girls from New Jersey, and Rutgers even gets a mention!
Many of the New Jersey-specific points the show hits are accurate, from some of the shots of New Jersey suburbia throughout the show to the fact that one character remarks on how impossible it is to find liquor late at night in the state. The only thing the show is missing is the stranded group of Yellowjackets complaining about not having bagels.
It's hard to explain what exactly makes "Yellowjackets" the standout it is without giving away too much of the plot, and it's such a wild ride to go on uninhibited by spoilers that I thoroughly advise you to jump right in and experience the insanity — I promise you won't regret it.
With season two set to premiere on March 24, the perfect time to binge is now so you can read up on all the fan theories, pick your favorite team members and start complaining about the award snubs for the show. And be sure to fasten your seatbelts: Like our poor "Yellowjackets," you're in for a crazy ride.
