The wait is finally over. After what feels like an eternity of waiting, Yellowjackets Season Two has arrived. The first season seemed to come out of nowhere, slowly building up buzz, until it became one of the highest rated shows on Rotten Tomatoes (holding a score of 100% at time of writing). Set simultaneously in the present, and the year 1996, Yellowjackets tells the story of a girl’s football team whose plane crashed in the Canadian wilderness on their way to a big competition.
During season one, In the present, the audience were introduced to four of the survivors – Misty (Christina Ricci), Taissa (Tawny Cypress), Shauna (Melanie Lynsky), and Natalie (Juliette Lewis) – and chronicled how they were coping twenty-five years later. The 1996 flashbacks revealed how the girls survived the crash, with an added layer of potential supernatural occurrences, and a hint of cannibalism. Check out the video below for a more detailed reminder.
Picking up soon after the climatic moments of season one, the second season is a perfect continuation of the Yellowjackets saga. Typically most shows attempt to reset the story in a new season premiere. No matter how high the cliffhanger from the previous chapter, the creators dial everything back down to zero, quickly establishing a new status quo. Yellowjackets deviates from this pattern, sticking close to where the story left off to create a seamless continuation. For those fresh off a rewatch of Yellowjackets season one, the season two premiere episode – Friends, Romans, Countrymen – could easily pass as an eleventh episode of the first season.
When last seen, the present versions of the core four were dealing with the fallout of Shauna’s accidental killing of her secret lover, Adam (Peter Gadiot). All four had helped dispose of the body, and whilst Misty was helping Shauna tie up the final loose ends, Taissa and Natalie had returned to their own lives. In the season’s final moments, Taissa won the election she had spent all series campaigning for, and Natalie was accosted in her motel room and bundled into the back of a van by a mysterious group.
Friends, Romans, Countrymen resumes their stories around a day later. The four have separated, splitting the narrative back into four strands, each woman intent on their own journey. Shauna is trying to maintain a happy homestead. In the wake of the revelation of her affair, her marriage to Jeff (Warren Kole) lies in strained tatters; her relationship with daughter Callie (Sarah Desjardins) remains equally terse. To make matters worse, Shauna is trying to navigate covering up her involvement in the murder of her former lover.
Despite the emotional wreckage of their marriage, there is a lot of humour within the scenes between Shauna and Jeff. Their ineptness at covering their tracks injects some much needed lightness in their lives. They do however, seem to be papering over the cracks of their relationship, and just how long this forced happiness lasts remains to be seen. Callie is less forgiving and if her discovery at the end of the episode is anything to go by, she is going to become a tricky thorn in Shauna’s side. Her behaviour and personality is very close to that of teen Jackie (Ella Purnell), but hopefully Callie will earn a happier ending than Shauna’s former BFF.
Another family in crisis is that of Taissa. At the end of last season, Taissa’s wife, Simone (Rukiya Bernard), uncovered a creepy altar complete with the remains of the family dog, Biscuit, hidden in the basement. The discovery, coupled with Taissa’s strange behaviour, caused Simone to leave, taking their son, Sammy (Aiden Stoxx), with her. But this is the least of Taissa’s woes. Her strange nocturnal antics (which previously saw her eat Biscuit) are beginning to take a stronger hold on her daytime life. After an encounter with Simone, Taissa discovers the horrific shrine herself, but still refuses to admit that she has a serious problem.
Misty AKA African Grey is still playing detective. After first trying to help Shauna prepare for a potential police interrogation, she turns her attention to Natalie. Misty has always had a strong affinity for the other woman, her warped perception of reality causing her to believe that they are the best of friends. This connection spurs her to pay Natalie a visit and upon discovering her missing, she sets out to find the truth behind her disappearance. After being dramatically grabbed in the season one finale, Natalie’s whereabouts are disclosed, though her reasons for being taken remain unclear.
Meanwhile, back in 1996, there has been a slightly longer time-jump. Two months have now passed since the tragic death of Jackie, and winter has well and truly arrived. A new routine has formed. Natalie (Sophie Thatcher) and Travis (Kevin Alves) spend their days waking up before dawn and trekking the surrounding area in search of much needed food, which is scarce on the ground. Lottie (Courtney Eaton) who had previously been written off as crazy has now gained some leverage in the group. Her rituals are now part of daily activities, though how invested certain members of the group are in it are unclear. Van (Liv Hewson) is trying to help Taissa (Jasmin Savoy Brown) through her scary sleepwalking episodes with mixed results, and Misty (Samantha Hanratty) is still persona non-grata after the mushroom incident in season one, though she might be about to make a new friend in showtune-loving Crystal (Nuha Jes Izman).
As with the present day story, it is Shauna (Sophie Nélisse) with whom the audience spend most of their time with. The now very heavily pregnant teenager is not handling the death of Jackie particularly well. Consumed by the guilt of feeling responsible for her best-friend’s demise, Shauna spends her days in seclusion, being tormented by hallucinations of her former friend. Even in death, Shauna is not free of Jackie, her visage a manifestation of all of her unresolved emotions towards her friend. It’s a creepy opening to the flashback section, but as the first season teased, their situation will inevitably get much worse.
A great opening to the season, Friends, Romans, Countrymen quickly proves that Yellowjackets has lost none of its spark. Rather than rest on its laurels, the show immediately dives straight back into the action. A welcome return, the season opener will make viewers fall head over heels for Yellowjackets all over again.
Yellowjackets: Friends, Romans, Countrymen
Summary
Prepare for Yellowjackets to become your obsession once more as the show returns with another decadent slice of mystery.
Yellowjackets Season 2 screens exclusively on Paramount +.
