TV Review: ‘Yellowjackets’ Season 3 Finds Salvation In Three Little Words – “WTF?!” 

To anyone who was watching Showtime’s Yellowjackets and abandoned the delightfully deranged series about a girls’ soccer team turned cannibals—take it from someone who’s watched all ten episodes of Season 3: don’t walk away, run BACK to Yellowjackets, or you’ll miss one of the most electrifying comebacks I’ve witnessed in all my years of TV viewing.

When Yellowjackets premiered in 2021, it was a dark, tense, haunting marvel—secrets dripping from every frame, mysteries like the Pit Girl’s identity, the Antler Queen’s rise, and cryptic symbols keeping us guessing. Fans, myself included, dissected every feral twist: Who survived? What’s stalking them in the wilderness? Season 1 was a slow-burn triumph. 

Then came Season 2 in 2023—a sophomore slump for many. It had moments of brilliance: like the raw emotion of Shauna’s (Sophie Nélisse) heart-wrenching miscarriage, Walter (Elijah Wood) and Misty’s (Christina Ricci) Citizen Detectives adding some quirky fun to the typically ominous series, young Misty’s involvement in the death of Crystal (Samantha Hanratty) the long-awaited, stomach churning cannibal feasting on Jackie (Ella Purnell). Even with plenty to enjoy, at the same time pacing faltered, underdeveloped threads like adult Lottie’s (Simone Kessell) cult, and Natalie’s (Juliette Lewis) abrupt death felt like a gut punch to nowhere, and left many fans wondering if the show’s untamed spark had fizzled. Hope lingered, but doubt crept in.

After a strike-delayed wait, Season 3 landed in 2025. It opened with a breathless chase through the snowy woods—Natalie (Sophie Thatcher), now Antler Queen, hunting with the desperate teen pack—promising the chaos we desire.  Plus, a power struggle was taking form with Shauna’s rage and paranoia peeking through her facade. Yet, by Episode 5, “Did Tai Do That?,” both timelines felt lost in the forest of trees, unsure where it was headed. 

The teens’ storyline is the stronger of the two but still erratic at times, talking llamas, an attempt to bring more girls to the forefront, and the ep4 tribal trial of Coach Ben (Steven Krueger) exposed both the best and worst of the series all at once. Back in the 2020s timeline, the adult versions drifted without purpose, often treading water as we waited for a spark of the intensity of season one. Van (Lauren Ambrose) and Tai (Tawny Cypress) started the season off with a shocking twist, but the relationship pulse started to fade after, unable to fully capitalize off it. Killing off another fan favorite, Lottie, off-camera and without explanation, only added to the frustration. 

It was stop and go, stop and go. Every time it appeared the season was finding creative momentum, we had to sit through some seemingly unnecessary side conversation or worse a cringy fake tech support call (even the great Melanie Lynskey struggled to make that scene work). Ep 5 turned out to be IMDb’s lowest-rated episode yet – and for good reason, it was messy.

Has our beloved series jumped the shark? Is the magic gone, lost in the clutter of ambitious writing gone unleashed? The concern was rising, even for this day-one supporter of the series. 

That’s when episode 6, “Thanksgiving (Canada),” flipped the script. It starts unassumingly: the Sadeckis—Shauna, Jeff (Warren Cole), and Callie (Sarah Desjardins) —hunkered down in the motel, spooked by a DAT tape of wilderness screams Callie found. Shauna’s paranoia spikes, convinced an unexplained stalker is closing in on her family. Meanwhile, in the 90s timeline, things are getting darker by the minute: Natalie mercy-kills Coach Ben, and his decapitated head ends up like a trophy on the feasting table—proving the girls’ humanity is tattering. Their taste in decor, though? Exquisite.

The girls dance in furs and tattered clothes, lost in a cannibalistic ritual, their voices mingling with the wilderness’s eerie song. Lottie (Courtney Eaton), gleefully gnawing on what appears to be one of Coach Ben’s ribs, suddenly freezes as a figure emerges in the distance. Confusion flickers across her face— she unleashes a blood-curdling ‘No!’ as three figures stumble into their camp.

Silence.

Everyone freezes in their tracks (including me, watching at home). Breathes halt. Eyes widen. Who (or what) the hell was entering the camp? From the darkness, wrapped in the glow of the campfire, a trio of hikers appears, led by a dweeby guy in glasses, who quickly raises his hand as if saying —“We come in peace.”

This is the moment we have been waiting for, the one that changes the series forever…Salvation! Except with one little caveat, just feet away from a way home lies Coach Ben’s head on display like a gruesome Yankee Candle centerpiece. Talk about your poor timing. Maybe the dweeby hiker won’t notice it. Salvation or damnation teeters in the balance for the Yellowjackets.

The hiker slowly turns his head, then jumps back as three words escape his mouth “What the f*ck?” Oh shit – he definitely noticed Ben’s decapitated head! This is the spark that ignited the powder keg. An absolutely killer television moment. And it is just getting started.

Cut to black. Cue the outro music and credits. The Yellowjackets are back!

I leapt off my couch in awe of what I just watched, as my heart raced in anticipation for what’s to come. This wasn’t just a memorable moment; it was Yellowjackets reborn—raw, unhinged, Season 1 energy pulsing through its veins. Like the prodigal son (daughters), they who once appeared lost are now found in one of the most jaw-dropping, heart-racing, mind-blowing ways imaginable. An instant classic TV moment that changes the series forever.

Does this mean full redemption for the series? It alone does not. Thankfully, what follows in episodes 7 – 10 is some of the best Yellowjackets yet, the chef’s kiss of pure chaos. So many shows start to lose their way and either never find it or overcompensate by trying to please the audience to the point that they lose their identity and never regain their magic. That is not the case here. This moment relit a fuse that was looked as if it may go out. It is the catalyst for some of best of television this year.

Sorry – no spoilers here. I will not share details or even hint at them. (Episode 7 “Croak” – a magnificent episode – is out already – go watch it for yourself.) What I will share is that: questions are satisfyingly answered, some long-awaited questions and other more recent ones. At the same time, some lingering questions/theories are more or less dismissed. After years of analyzing each frame and line of dialogue delivered, it is oddly cathartic to finally learn the answers, even when some are simpler than expected up to be. Of course with answers come new questions which will drive the series for its final two seasons.

It’s impressive how re-focused, cohesive Yellowjackets feels as the season wraps up. The character arcs become clearer and more fleshed out as the breadcrumbs to what’s to come are laid out for each – a delicious recipe for mayhem. My faith was restored to the point that I am even excited how/if they tie up some of the lesser loose ends that I had dismissed.

From that ‘WTF?’ moment on, it delivers one of the greatest course corrections I’ve seen in all my years of TV viewing. It is again the most bloody fun series on TV. My love for Yellowjackets, once wavering, is back in full force. Even the first five episodes absolve many of their sins—they make much more sense now.

As the season concludes, the credits roll, and the spot on music selection plays, I was left with chills, head to toe as I look forward to feasting on the next season of Yellowjackets.

Season 3 of Yellowjackets continues with episode 8 “A Normal, Boring Life” streaming on Paramount+ on March 28th and then broadcast on Sunday the 30th.

Season 3 Yellowjackets Review:
***1/2 our of 4 stars

Episodes 6-10 (****)