The Buzz: ‘Yellowjackets’ Perpetually Lost in the Wilderness

The female perspective is brought to the wilderness. Yellowjackets is not the first of its kind when it comes to survival dramas, but it is original in its focus on a mostly female cast creating a unique perspective to the survival experience. The series, streaming on Showtime, also touches on the burden of trauma that can be carried for years, but when that trauma is shared, there becomes a bond that can last a lifetime. An inventive narrative structure, strong acting performances and a distinctly female centric soundtrack with some great 90’s tracks, Yellowjackets is captivating to watch.

In 1996, a girls soccer team from New Jersey wins states and is given the opportunity to compete in the national tournament. On the flight to get to the tournament, the plane crashes in the Canadian wilderness and many of the team members survive the crash. They are stranded in the woods for nineteen months and only a few survive. Fast forward to 2021, four women who survived the ordeal Shauna (Melanie Lynskey), Taissa (Tawny Cypress), Misty (Christina Ricci) and Natalie (Juliette Lewis) receive letters with a symbol that relates back to their time in the wild and are concerned that someone is trying to dig up what happened to them. At the same time, they are each dealing with their own trauma. The story reflects on the four main characters and their lives in 1996 and 2021 simultaneously. The story is created and written by Ashley Lyle and Bart Nickerson, who have both written together on episodes of Narcos - Season 3 (2017) and Jason Segal’s Dispatches from Elsewhere (2020). This is the first series created by Lyle and Nickerson.

The story jumps effortlessly from 1996 to 2021 and follows each storyline evenly. The exposition of information also feels very natural. If a question is posed in one episode, it is addressed in the next or at least later in the season. It is a prime example of tight writing where all loose ends are followed through. With every episode, the past illuminates what these women have gone through and resorted to in order to survive in the wilderness. The story is also brimming with intrigue as there is a natural eagerness to learn more about their characters because their lives are so relatable. The teenage characters are faced with young love, losing their virginity, doing drugs and other normal things that teenagers face. What adds to this teen drama angle is the survival aspect, elevating these relatable teenage drama plot points and giving them real weight. Their actions all have consequences either in the immediate future or twenty-five years later. There is also a supernatural aspect that arrives over halfway through that gives the series a darker side. However, it is never made clear if it is real or not. This ambiguity of a higher power really pushes the series towards an interesting direction with a primal instinct later on in the season, which all of the younger actors play exceptionally well. 

The acting performances from the cast members are phenomenal in the series. As the show jumps back and forth in time, the audience is seeing both the teen and adult versions of each character. The casting department did a wonderful job finding actresses to play the teen versions. Teen Shauna (Sophie Nélisse), Teen Taissa (Jasmin Savoy Brown), Teen Misty (Samantha Hanratty) and Teen Natalie (Sophie Thatcher) are all striking in resemblance to their adult counterparts and provide standout performances. There is also a mirroring in performance that is lent to the writing being consistent. The creators of the series and lead writers, Lyle and Nickerson, paid close attention to how each character acts and infuses that into the dialogue. There is no jolt in performance, the teens act exactly like the actresses playing their adult counterparts and makes Yellowjackets a smooth viewing experience because of the attention to detail in dialogue.

One of the strongest aspects to the show outside of the acting and story in the series is the music. The first type of music that lends itself to the story is 1990’s rock music. Each episode is filled with rock hits that fit both the period and the type of music that would be popular with teenage girls in 1996. It also feels like an homage to the burgeoning feminine power movement in rock music during the 1990’s with many songs from female lead bands that were popular like Hole, PJ Harvey and Liz Phair. The use of this music highlights the impact women made when they used their voices to express defiance and independence in a male centric society. The other area of music in the series is the score, composed by Craig Wedren and Anna Waronker, that relies on the sounds of women gasping, yelling and humming to create music that is animalistic and unnerving, while still remaining feminine. Everything about the music is centered on the female voice, emphasizing how Yellowjackets is audaciously about women.

The feminine angle in the show makes it stand out. While there are male characters both in 2021 and in 1996, they are neither relied upon or looked up to in an authoritative way. They have their own worlds that do not rule the female perspective in the show. The female characters are fleshed out and deal with problems that are unique to their own experience. They are not just romantic interests for men and they do not rely on male characters for physical and emotional support. The show is about women supporting women when dealing with a psychologically scarring event, providing a feminine perspective within the survival genre. 

Unlike stories of survival in the wilderness like The Grey (2011), the Lord of the Flies book (1954) and Lost (2004 -2010), Yellowjackets shows how women pave their own path in the wilderness. It is a special kind of survival drama that recognizes female experience, struggle and empowerment in an industry that has relegated female characters to the background of a man’s world. The show is truly empowering to see so many strong female characters on screen. It is no secret that Yellowjackets has been successful, with an article from Deadline stating, “Across (Showtimes) various platforms, the Yellowjackets averaged more than 5 million weekly viewers.” This is incredible news and unsurprising considering how strong a start the show has. The first season has left some questions unanswered, but with Showtime ordering a second season, there is only excitement in finding out what happens next to this tight knit group of women, in both 1996 and 2021.