'Yellowjackets' Season 2: Bold, gutsy storytelling that's even more twisted than we imagined
The impressive cast, including Melanie Lynskey, Christina Ricci, Juliette Lewis and Tawny Cypress, keeps the disturbing mystery alive
If you were transfixed by the first season of the Showtime hit Yellowjackets, Season 2 of the show (filmed in Canada), with an impressive cast that includes Melanie Lynskey, Christina Ricci, Juliette Lewis and Tawny Cypress, is even bloodier, more twisted, alluring and mysterious.
As a refresher, the Yellowjackets are a high school girls soccer team that survived a plane crash, but are now stranded in the remote Canadian wilderness. The series jumps in its timeline between this group of teens trying to survive, and 25 years later to see where the surviving women ended up, and the lasting effects of living in the woods.
What happens in 'Yellowjackets' Season 2?
Premiering March 24 on Crave in Canada, before making its on-air debut on March 26 at 9:00 p.m., Yellowjackets Season 2 drops us right back into this survival story, but now it's winter, which makes it exceptionally more complicated for the teens to survive, including getting food.
For teen Shauna (Sophie Nélisse), after the death of her best friend Jackie (Ella Purnell), and let's not forget that Shauna is pregnant with Jackie's boyfriend's baby, she's developed an odd and concerning way of coping with that grief, while all the girls try to move forward from that tragic moment.
During the adult timeline, Natalie (Lewis) was just moments away from suicide when she was kidnapped by cult followers, under Yellowjackets friend Lottie's orders (Simone Kessell). Lottie has her own trauma from the woods to manage, while she's in a position to help others live as their "best selves."
Misty (Ricci) is still one of the most intriguing, oddly unsettling characters on TV. As Taissa (Cypress) and Shauna (Lynskey) start to pull away from her at the beginning of Season 2, Misty teams up with another citizen detective she's been connecting with online, played by Elijah Wood. Misty surprisingly finds someone who is very similar to her.
Shauna and her husband Jeff (Warren Kole) are still trying to conceal the murder of Shauna's lover Adam (Peter Gadiot), attempting to hide the truth from their daughter as well. This is all while Taissa, after winning her campaign for senator, scared her family away.
How does 'Yellowjackets' Season 2 compare to Season 1?
With so many characters and jumping timelines, it would be easy for Yellowjackets to get lost in its own story and come across as just a chaotic story. But creators Ashley Lyle and Bart Nickerson, and their showrunning partner Jonathan Lisco, exemplify how to really dive in and use the breadth of characters to create a compelling, suspenseful story.
There is also such a diverse use of tone and genre in Season 2, from sweet and funny moments, to truly terrifying plot points and mystery story elements. The show always keeps you on your toes. Season 2 also dives into more paranormal or supernatural elements in a way that doesn't at all seem gimmicky or too inconceivable, which tends to be the case in many shows.
While much has been written about the cannibalism in the show, which was shown in the pilot episode, we will tease that these moments in Season 2 are even more disturbing than you likely imagined, but absolutely gripping.
We also can't talk about Yellowjackets without mentioning that the music used in Season 2 is just fantastic, with tracks that are so perfectly paired with each moment.
Based on the first four episodes made available in advance of the season premiere, Yellowjackets Season 2 is committed to bold, gutsy storytelling. Its disturbingly lovable characters are a highlight and we can't wait to see what else this psychological thriller has in store for us.
