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There have been multiple renditions of the classic “Lord of the Flies” trope, where a group is stranded and forced to work together, or against each other, to survive. Despite the oversaturation of this genre, “Yellowjackets” came back for a third season and remains just as renowned as its first two.

“Yellowjackets” follows the story of a girls soccer team, the Yellowjackets, during and after a plane crash that stranded them in the Canadian wilderness for 19 months. The show manages to be original in its insanity, and continues to do so in its third season.

During their time in the wild, the girls devolve into animalistic versions of themselves. They become feral so they can survive harsh winters and madness-inducing hunger. Many predecessors, such as “The Wilds,” follow a similar plot with a plane crash story, but “Yellowjackets” remains a standout in the genre.

For those unfamiliar with the show’s approach, it plays with chronology, showing the audience who survives their time in the wild by jumping into their adult life post-rescue. Rather than leaving us to wonder who lives and dies in the wild, some Yellowjackets are depicted as both teenagers and adults.

There are parallels between what the girls go through in the wilderness and where they end up in life, illustrating how much being stranded affected them, and how they can’t seem to run from what they did or who they killed. These parallels provide crucial context on how their experience in the wilderness shaped them. In fact, the traumatic violence even influences the children of the teenage soccer players.

When the players are grown up, Lottie (Simone Kessell) gives Shauna’s (Melanie Lynskey) daughter, Callie (Sarah Desjardins), a necklace that once belonged to Shauna’s best friend, Jackie (Ella Purnell) who was cannibalized first in the wilderness. After Jackie’s death, the necklace began to represent whoever the girls were going to hunt and cannibalize next — it passed between Shauna and her best friend, and then between the Yellowjackets after Jackie’s death.

Clearly, the Yellowjackets can’t escape their time in the wild. The hunts and cannibalism they resorted to, and even worshipped, still haunt them in the future, just like in the previous season when they attempt to host another hunt in the adult timeline.

Throughout the third season, Shauna delves into brutality in both the teen and adult time period. Taking on a dictatorial role in the wilderness, it’s clear she enjoys her power, and the adult Shauna confesses just that. She actually enjoyed the Yellowjackets’ brutal time in the wilderness, and continues to torment her teammates when they’re adults.

Shauna’s reign in the wilderness ties into a climactic ending for this season, and perhaps two of the most important reveals yet. The “antler queen” is supposedly part of the wilderness the girls are stranded in, and the show consistently alludes to it as the Yellowjackets’ figurative ruler. Fans always wondered who the “antler queen” really was, and this season revealed it was Shauna after an eventful hunt in which beloved character Mari Ibarra (Alexa Barajas) dies.

But Mari’s death isn’t pointless. In fact, two of the most climactic reveals on the show occur because of it: who “pit girl” is, and how the Yellowjackets escape being stranded in the wilderness.

At the start of the series, there’s a horrifying scene of what looks like one of the Yellowjackets running and falling into a pit of wooden spikes, leaving viewers to wonder who met that gruesome fate.

The reveal occurs in the final episode, in which Mari is picked for “the hunt,” and her teammates chase her through the woods to cannibalize. She falls into the pit, solidifying herself as “pit girl.” Yet, there’s more to her death than this reveal.

As Shauna continues her totalitarian regime in the wilderness, the girls finally decide to rebel against her antics and find a way to escape by distracting her. Not only had Shauna previously stopped the only hikers who could’ve saved them, but she monitored the Yellowjackets and threatened anyone who disobeyed her. They decide to use Mari’s hunt as a distraction, and while Shauna’s murderous tendencies keep her occupied, Natalie (Sophie Thatcher) escapes and calls for help using a radio the girls set up.

While Shauna may be interesting, she’s extremely cruel and self-centered. Having her assume an underdeveloped role, such as “antler queen,” made the reveal fall a bit flat. But, if Shauna’s connection to and enjoyment of the wilderness is played right, her as the “antler queen” could be interesting in future seasons.

At the end of the season, Callie kills adult Lottie. While Lottie was trying to push her ideology on her, claiming Callie was the daughter of the wilderness, Callie snapped and pushed her down a flight of stairs. This pushed Callie away from the rebellious daughter trope and towards being like her mother, Shauna. Using a beloved character’s death to advance the story of a side character seemed counterproductive, given Lottie’s complexity.

Despite this, the third season didn’t disappoint, and neither did the characters. The characters in “Yellowjackets” aren’t overtaken by the wilderness and action-packed plot. If anything, the girls themselves become more harrowing than the wilderness. Each character has depth, and the show does an incredible job fleshing each of the Yellowjackets out.

“Yellowjackets” remains enthralling in its third season, with the fanbase just as rabid as in past seasons. Fans are now waiting for the show to be renewed for a fourth season, leaving them wondering if the girls will ever be rescued.

Published on April 22, 2025 at 12:36 am