Yellowjacketsseason 3 barrels toward the final episodes at full speed in episode 6, “Thanksgiving (Canada).” Now that we’re on the other side of the midpoint,Yellowjacketskicks into gear and starts connecting some of the dots laid out in the early episodes. At the end ofYellowjacketsseason 3, episode 5, Coach Ben is spared thanks to a vision from the wilderness, and adult Misty and Shauna begin the hunt for Lottie’s killer.The body count ofYellowjacketsseason 3 is getting high, and episode 6 sees it climb even further,making me wonder who will be left standing.
Sophie Thatcher’s Nat takes center stage in the wild, and because Thatcher’s star is on the rise, the series should keep taking advantage of this. However, even asYellowjacketstried to give Nat an emotionally resonant arc throughout the episode, it didn’t go as far as it could’ve. There were some gory moments in “Thanksgiving (Canada),” but I haven’t felt like anyone’s been pushed to their limits in a long time. Thatcher does a decent job working with what she’s given, butit’s easy to feel like even the actors are losing faith inYellowjackets.
I Wish Yellowjackets Would Give Its Characters The Chance To Develop
Many Arcs Have Stalled Out Since The End Of Season 2
When Callie’s first instinct after hearing about Lottie’s death is to pull out the tape, it’s a little too convenient, especially since I nearly forgot about the tape considering how much time had passed since it was mentioned. Callie is consistently my least favorite character, butthis season she’s starting to become more like Shauna, which is making me like her more.However, I’m not sure I understand her motivations in “Thanksgiving (Canada).” I doubt she really cares about getting to know her mother, so what makes her want to hear the cannibalism firsthand?
It’s not Melanie Lynskey’s fault that Shauna’s plot line in the present has her running in circles. The actress is consistently one of the best on the show, but she’s being underutilized this season. The same is true of all the characters inYellowjackets.The series has too many intersecting plot threads and not enough time to dedicate to each of themto convince us to care about them. This makes it easy to forget about tapes and interpersonal moments and lose the thread of where the character development is supposed to be going.
Without the winter,Yellowjacketsstruggles to find conflict and inherent strife in the wilderness now that the girls have become a well-oiled machine of survival.
Coach Ben’s story went in an interesting direction this week,and I genuinely felt a little bit sorry for him. Steven Kruger should’ve been gracefully written out last season, as his arc felt like a holding patternYellowjacketscouldn’t escape from. Without the winter,Yellowjacketsstruggles to find conflict and inherent strife in the wilderness now that the girls have become a well-oiled machine of survival. There have been rumblings of dissent, but even the regime change that episode 6 sparks is handled rather peacefully.
I’ve been waiting since Shauna first picked up a knife in the woods for her to take her place as the leader,and though the final moments of the episode throw a wrench in this plan, I’m glad we finally got here. However, the neat end to Nat and Ben’s moral dilemmas in “Thanksgiving (Canada)” has only made me more sure thatYellowjacketshas lost its sense of clear direction. If all the slapdash and anticlimactic choicesYellowjacketshas made this season don’t lead up to something big, I’m going to be disappointed.
“Thanksgiving (Canada)” Leaves Us With Yellowjackets' Biggest Plot Twist Of The Season
The Final Moments Of The Episode Hit Harder Than Lottie’s Death
Yellowjacketsdid something exciting in “Thanksgiving (Canada),” which was to surprise me for the first time all season. While Lottie’s death came out of nowhere, this was more annoying than intriguing. However, as interesting as the last-minute narrative turn is, I’m still wondering howYellowjacketsis going to top itself by the end of the season.The series played its cannibalism hand a long time agoand is perpetually on the brink of confirming the supernatural, so I’m wondering what exactly we’re waiting for. What could be more horrible and grotesque than what we already know?
Looking forward to next week, I’m intrigued by Taissa’s narrative in the present, asYellowjacketshas dropped hints that the Tai we know and love might not be driving the bus. “Thanksgiving (Canada)” shifted the dynamic between the past and present timelines, making me more compelled by the wilderness story for the first time this season. Though it frustrates me, I appreciate thatYellowjacketstakes big swings and tries to keep us guessing, and episode 6 piqued my interest, even if it simultaneously confused me.
Yellowjacketsairs weekly each Friday at 3 AM EST/12 AM PST on Paramount+ and on Sundays at 8 PM EST/5 PM PST on Showtime.
Yellowjackets Season 2, Episode 6
Yellowjackets is a television series exploring the survival ordeal of a high school girls' soccer team stranded in the remote wilderness after a plane crash. It interweaves psychological horror and coming-of-age themes, simultaneously depicting their harrowing transformation and its lasting impact on their lives 25 years later.
