Yellowjackets Season 3 Review: I'm Loving The Drama's New Direction As It Better Balances The Darkness, Humor & Characters

Yellowjackets season 3 begins with a much-needed time jump to the past while the surviving members of the team deal with the fallout from Natalie's death at the end of season 2. For a series that began with teasing various mysteries, the second season disappointed when it came to answers about the wilderness and what exactly the team got up to while stranded.

Answers don't come easily in shows like Yellowjackets, though, and when they do, they often don't live up to what audiences have imagined. These new episodes seem to finally understand that. As if the pressure has been lifted, the first four entries of Yellowjackets season 3 (which were provided for review) feel lighter somehow, even as they continue to deal with very dark subject matter.

The show finds a good balance between humor and horror, giving many of the plots that felt tightly wound in season 2 room to breathe. Anyone expecting a plethora of answers early on will find themselves disappointed again, but Yellowjackets is proving, like shows before it have often done, that answers aren't the point. I'm even starting to suspect that creators Ashley Lyle and Bart Nickerson don't have all the answers themselves.

They may have begun with them, but the beauty of television and the long-form format is that things can and will change. Yellowjackets continues to evolve, and this new season feels like a breath of fresh air, one that is as sharp as before but with a new confidence that is refreshing.

Yellowjackets Season 3 Finds A Nice Medium For The Show's Wild Swings

The Lack Of Answers May Be Frustrating, But The Series Is Still A Gripping Watch

When we get back together with the team in the wilderness, the dire situation at the end of season 2 has fixed itself. The Yellowjackets, for the most part, are in a relative state of peace. They hold a Summer Solstice celebration, with Van recounting the events thus far. They have a garden and animals and shelters. It's a time of abundance.

Shauna is still grieving, though, and the girls are still scared of Coach Ben, who many believe is responsible for burning down their cabin. Rage and fear boil right under the surface of this idyllic picture, with Shauna the driving force behind much of this.

In the present day, all the Yellowjackets are grieving the death of Natalie, with Misty in particular hurting because of her direct involvement in Natalie's demise. It's a fascinating counterpoint to see the ways grief drives their younger selves versus how the adult Yellowjackets handle it. The younger Yellowjackets mostly still have hope. Despite the destruction of their shelter, they find ways to build a new method of survival.

While the beginning of Yellowjackets season 3 focuses primarily on the emotional fallout from season 2, the new episodes still have threads of mystery.

In the present day, this grief manifests in much darker ways. Van and Taissa are driven further into each other's arms, in an almost toxic way. They feed into each other's worst impulses. Misty is driven to alcoholism and the relentless pursuit of friendship, despite Shauna making it very clear that she wants nothing to do with her. And Shauna must contend with all the rage still bubbling inside of her.

Shauna is very quick to blame everyone else for her internal strife in both the past and present, something we saw in her relationship with Jackie and now, in her marriage with Jeff and friendship with Misty. She refuses to look inward, which is a response to the trauma she has experienced. In a way, all the Yellowjackets do this, but it affects Shauna the most deeply.

With her being such a prominent influence on her teammates, this leads to some infuriating decisions in the new episodes, particularly when it comes to her behavior in the wilderness. I'm starting to wonder whether this darkness that is so often talked about by the team is not something ephemeral, but something that literally blooms from Shauna herself.

While the beginning of Yellowjackets season 3 focuses primarily on the emotional fallout from season 2, the new episodes still have threads of mystery. Someone is stalking present day Shauna again, another thing that is contributing to her very slow spiral. It might be obvious who it is to anyone paying attention to casting, but Melanie Lynskey is so delightfully deranged in her role that it's still fun to watch.

Tai still continues to pursue the mystery of the man with no eyes as the ever-present "it" of the wilderness begins to take hold in the present-day timeline. But, it's in the past that Yellowjackets goes full Lost, as the team begins to hear a mysterious noise that may or may not be a collective hallucination.

All of these elements (and many, spoiler-y ones unmentioned) make for a great beginning to the new season. I won't lie — I'm as impatient for answers as anyone and sometimes, the series feels afraid to commit to any. Luckily, Yellowjackets finds a new groove in season 3 that makes this easier to roll with. The balance between humor, emotion, and darkness is one that is hard to pull off, and it seems that the series has finally found a way to manage it all.