The finale of “Yellowjackets” premiered Friday, April 11, closing out the show’s third season. The show is reliant on its shocking plot points, so fans of the show highly anticipated this finale. The result? A stunning disappointment.
The show tells two stories that take place 25 years apart — one about a soccer team suffering a plane crash in the woods in 1996 and the other following their adult lives in 2021. Both stories showcase murder, insanity and betrayal. Season 3 spends a significant amount of time developing the “present day” storyline, more so than we have seen in seasons past.
While “Yellowjackets” is primarily a dramatic thriller, there are significant supernatural elements to the story. Though a fairly present part of the plot, the show’s supernatural themes are unclear and intricate. The audience doesn’t get any concrete answers about the magical forces in the show, but we do see their lore develop. This is frustrating, as audiences have been waiting years to find out the answers to questions about the show’s mysterious aspects.
The acting quality in Season 3 is on par with the first two seasons, yet it still stands out as a positive. We get to see certain characters in ways that audiences haven’t before. For example, we see more of the adult versions of certain characters like Van, played by Lauren Ambrose; Lottie, played by Simone Kessell; and Melissa, played by Hillary Swank. The show develops the 2020s storyline a lot this season, especially focusing on interpersonal relationships between characters.
The third season of “Yellowjackets” is not bad by any means — in fact, it is actually quite good. The big issue with this most recent season has less to do with its content or production and more to do with its predecessors. The first two seasons of “Yellowjackets” are phenomenal, and while the third season is good, it lacks in quality compared to the first two. With such an ambitious storyline, it is not shocking that the show struggles to present it clearly. Fans of the show are sure to enjoy the new season, but it likely won’t garner any new viewers.
The most enjoyable parts of the season were the character interactions and set design. The cast is exceptional, and the writers built extremely dynamic characters. Some of my favorite interactions were between Callie and Jeff, Shauna’s teenage daughter and husband. Though these characters were present in the first two seasons, they are much more involved in the third. We rarely hear from characters outside of the Yellowjackets themselves, so it is nice to see them have more airtime.
The set and costume design were phenomenal this season. The shelters that the team built in the forest were particularly fascinating to me — though the showrunners sort of ruined the believability of the scenario, as it is hard to believe someone on the team randomly had the skill to create an ornate structure out of sticks. Ignoring this fact, they are wonderful to look at. The costume design is not very different from the first two seasons — which makes sense given that this show is about a soccer team abandoned in the woods — but it is still quite impressive. Characters sport capes made out of animal pelts and handmade masks created from scraps and found items.
The biggest drawback of the season was the fact that it was simply confusing. While you don’t need to be a genius to understand any of “Yellowjackets,” the plot is now so complex that it is hard to keep track. It is hard to remember all of the events of the series when the show runs at least three different intense plots at any given time. I think the show would have developed more seamlessly if it had focused on fewer storylines instead of juggling four or five.
The finale of the show was quite underwhelming, and honestly, it is hard to even remember everything that happened. While there was a big reveal at the end of the episode, it was predictable if you made any effort to figure it out based on clues from the previous episodes. The season didn’t really build up to the finale like it has in past seasons. Like the season as a whole, the finale was not bad, it just was not spectacular.
I am excited for the possible season four of “Yellowjackets,” though my passion for the series as a whole has faltered a bit. I have faith that the show will remain the same quality as season three in future seasons, at the very least. I think redemption is possible for “Yellowjackets,” but the show’s creators have to step up their game after the disappointment of Season 3.