Yellowjackets season 3 review: "At its best when it leans all the way into its kookier – and scarier – side"

In Yellowjackets season 3, things are getting weird. Of course, teenage plane crash survivors participating in cannibalistic hunting rituals in the Canadian wilderness is already pretty weird, but the series is upping the ante for its third installment.

The season 2 finale, which aired back in 2023, certainly opened the door for – to put it bluntly – shit to hit the fan. In the present-day timeline, Misty (Christina Ricci) accidentally killed Nat (Juliette Lewis) during a confrontation at Lottie's (Simone Kessell) cult-like wellness retreat, and the girls' only shelter burned to the ground in the '90s timeline. There's a lot of rage and grief, then, being carried into season 3 – although you wouldn't know it immediately.

There's been a time jump in both timelines since the end of season 2, but it's more pronounced in the wilderness: it's summer now, so about six months have passed, while in the present day only six weeks have passed since the season 2 finale. Warmer weather means the girls aren't in any imminent danger of meeting a similar fate to Jackie (Ella Purnell) at the start of season 2 and freezing to death, while in the 21st Century only Misty seems particularly cut up about Nat's death (although for good reason).

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Rising tensions

It soon becomes apparent, however, that tensions are high in the wilderness and pre-existing splinters are starting to become more prominent cracks. Shauna (Sophie Nélisse), still overwhelmed with grief for Jackie and the baby she miscarried, has issues with Nat and Mari in particular, and Nélisse is a standout among the younger cast. She's almost uncanny in the way she channels Melanie Lynskey's performance as the adult version of Shauna into her own, capturing her anger, grief, and volatility – you could even be convinced the show had just used VFX to de-age Lynskey for the '90s scenes.

Against this increasingly fraught backdrop, the girls are moving further away from regular routines and life is becoming more ritualistic for the survivors. Since the cabin burnt down at the end of season 2, the girls are living in handmade wooden shelters instead and they're beginning to lose sight of normality: in episode 1, they're in the midst of a summer solstice celebration that involves one half of the group waiting on the other, for example. The show is starting to more heavily embrace its spookier elements and there are some genuinely creepy moments in the first four episodes that were available to press.

Although Nat (Sophie Thatcher) is the leader of the camp after she survived the hunt at the end of season 2, Lottie (Courtney Eaton) is pulling the strings from the backseat, manipulating Travis (Kevin Alves) into convening with the wilderness (under the influence of hallucinogenic substances) to increasingly unsettling results. There are some surreal dream sequences that get pretty wacky, too, and the show is at its best when it leans all the way into its kookier – and scarier – side.

Ghost stories

Meanwhile, 30 years later, the present-day timeline is still slower-paced with lower stakes, similar to how it was in season 2. Unlike last season, though, there are several unexpected twists that open up new threads of intrigue and promise to avoid the often languid pace and narrative dead ends that threatened to plague this part of the show's second season.

Van (Lauren Ambrose) and Taissa's (Tawny Cypress) re-developing relationship is one of two main storylines propelling the present-day timeline in the first four episodes, although Taissa's (ex?-)wife and son are now a bit too conveniently out of the picture. Taissa is succumbing further to the ideology of the wilderness, talking of "sacrifices" and "gifts", and plagued by more visions of the Man with No Eyes than ever. Van is going along for the ride, for now, but she's still dealing with her terminal cancer, as well as the emotional toll of reconnecting with her teenage traumas – and teenage sweetheart.

As for Shauna (Lynskey) and Misty, they're at odds with each other in a subplot that feels a little forced. With Nat out of the picture now, it kind of feels like the show is unsure of what to do with Misty. While Misty is still haunted by Nat's death, though, Shauna continues to be tormented by Jackie's from 30 years earlier – Purnell's appearance in the trailer hinted that Jackie's chokehold on Shauna would show no sign of loosening in season 3, and her presence is still being keenly felt in both timelines.

There's also another ghostly presence lurking just out of sight for Shauna, but the identity of that person joins the pile of other unanswered Yellowjackets questions. It's fun to have a new mystery to sink our teeth into, though, and the question marks only start to multiply as the season progresses.

As with any mystery-heavy thriller, the proof is in the pudding, and Yellowjackets season 3 will likely live or die by how well the show sticks its landing. Based on episodes 1 to 4, though, it's looking promising – we just hope it continues to keep it weird.

Yellowjackets season 3 episodes 1 and 2 are streaming now on Paramount Plus – check out our Yellowjackets season 3 release schedule for more details on when new episodes will be released.