Season 3, Episode 1: ‘It Girl’ – A Return to Form for Yellowjackets
Welcome back to the wilderness, because Yellowjackets is officially back, and it’s clear the show is aiming to recapture the magic of its breakout first season. After Season 2 delved into darker, more somber territory—ending with a string of devastating deaths and, yes, cannibalism—Season 3’s premiere, “It Girl,” signals a shift toward a slightly lighter, more playful tone. It’s a bold move, especially given the show’s penchant for exploring the bleaker side of survival. But make no mistake, the cannibalism is still here; it’s just packaged with a bit more humor and a lot more heart.
The premiere wastes no time hinting at this tonal reset. The opening scene mirrors the pilot, with a dark-haired girl being chased through the woods. This time, however, we’re immediately clued in on who’s who and what’s happening. Teen Mari, the team’s resident mean girl, is being pursued by Teen Shauna in a game of “capture the bone,” a darkly comedic riff on “capture the flag.” The chase ends not with bloodshed, but with Mari’s team celebrating their victory. It’s a stark contrast to the horror we’ve come to expect, and it sets the stage for a season that feels more balanced—more fun, even—as it tackles the darker corners of human nature.
A New Beginning in the Wilderness
In the 1990s timeline, the Yellowjackets seem to have found a semblance of normalcy. The snow has cleared, and they’ve built new, artful huts. There’s a garden full of ducks and rabbits, and food is plentiful. Natalie, once the queen of toxicity, now rules with a benevolent smile, talking about miracles born from their sacrifices. The overall vibe is surprisingly lighthearted, almost optimistic, considering where we left off last season. But not everyone is embracing this newfound peace. Shauna, in particular, is a ticking time bomb of rage and guilt. Her anger stems from her teammates’ lack of remorse for their past actions, and she’s especially venomous toward Mari, who goads her mercilessly.
This contrast between the present-day (well, 2020s) Shauna and her teenage self is one of the episode’s most compelling threads. Grown-up Shauna, played by Melanie Lynskey, is dealing with her own set of problems: she watched her friend Natalie die, her other friends chased her with knives, and her daughter Callie knows she’s a murderer. Yet, instead of wallowing in her misery, Shauna seems to be coping by numbing herself to reality. She spends her days drinking with Taissa and Van, and when she finds out her daughter dumped animal guts on some rival teens, she’s not angry—she’s gleeful. The distance between Teen Shauna’s pain and Adult Shauna’s detached amusement is a fascinating study in how trauma shapes—and sometimes hardens—us over time. It’s a question the season seems poised to explore: how did Shauna go from being so consumed by her pain to someone who can laugh in the face of darkness?
The Supernatural Looms Large
While the show is clearly balancing its tone, it’s not shying away from the spooky, supernatural undercurrents that have always been part of its DNA. In the present day, there are hints of something sinister lurking just out of frame. After Natalie’s minimal memorial service, the surviving Yellowjackets are watched by an unidentified figure at a bar. Later, Callie finds a mysterious tape addressed to her mom, and Taissa catches a glimpse of her old friend—the man with no eyes—before a waiter seemingly dies after chasing them. These moments are textbook Yellowjackets—unsettling, cryptic, and just enough to keep us hooked.
In the 1990s timeline, the supernatural elements are even more overt. Travis, after taking mushrooms, hears the trees screaming—a trippy moment that could easily be written off as a hallucination. But when the rest of the group starts hearing the same eerie sounds during a memorial ceremony for their dead, it’s clear something more is at play. Are the trees mourning the Yellowjackets’ actions, or is there something—supernatural or otherwise—stalking the woods? The episode doesn’t answer that, but it does drop a significant clue: Coach Ben is alive and thriving in the wilderness, setting up animal traps and stumbling upon a mysterious pit filled with military-style supplies labeled “K.U.H.” It’s a classic Yellowjackets move—posing more questions than it answers—and we’re left wondering what this gear is doing out there and how it ties into the bigger mystery of their survival.
Ben’s Discovery and Mari’s Fall
Ben’s discovery of the pit is one of the episode’s most intriguing moments. The supplies he finds—protein bars, most notably—feel almost Too Good to Be True, and the show knows it. But before we can dwell on what this means, Mari, fed up with Shauna’s antics, stumbles upon Ben and falls into the same pit. It’s an eerie callback to the pilot, where an unknown girl meets a horrific end in a similar location. It’s a clever parallel, meant to remind us that while the show may be lightening up its tone, it’s still very much about the same themes of survival, violence, and the unbreakable bonds formed in the face of unimaginable horror.
More Mysteries, More Questions
The premiere leaves us with a lot to chew on. Who is watching the Yellowjackets in the present day? What’s on the mysterious tape sent to Shauna? And what exactly is “K.U.H.” doing in the wilderness? These questions, coupled with the show’s continued exploration of how these women cope with their past, make for a promising start to the season. The supernatural elements are finally being pulled into the spotlight, and it feels like we’re inching closer to some answers—though knowing Yellowjackets, those answers will likely lead to more questions.
One thing is certain: the show is back to doing what it does best—balancing the grotesque with the deeply human. Whether it’s Shauna’s complicated journey toward finding joy in the darkness or the group’s slow unraveling of the mysteries in the woods, Yellowjackets is as compelling as ever. And as we settle in for the ride, one thing is clear: the wilderness may have changed them, but it hasn’t broken them. Yet.
