What happens when a team of female high-school soccer players make it through a plane crash in the Canadian wilderness? An unrelenting and often ruthless fight for survival, backstabbing, horror scenes of ritualistic cannibalism, and a lifetime of trauma as they try in vain to escape their chequered past.
It’s been almost two years since the second season of Yellowjackets brought more intrigue, blood and gore to its fans. And as the long-awaited season three approaches, here’s everything you need to remember about where we left off with the survivors – in the past and the present day.
All the major things that happened in season 2…
In the past world of the teen survivors, the young women have been through it all in Season 2, especially young Shauna (Sophie Nelisse), who made it through her pregnancy in the woods only to endure the tragic stillbirth – and subsequent hallucinations – of her baby boy.
As she tried to keep her teammates in good spirits and on the path to survival, unofficial leader Lottie (Courtney Eaton) continued having the visions brought on by her schizophrenia. The long harsh winter took its toll on all the girls, and they eventually gave in to their unimaginable hunger, choosing to sacrifice Javi as their second human feast after devouring the corpse of their friend, Jackie (Ella Purnell).
But Coach Ben (Steven Krueger) isn’t about to risk being the girls’ next dinner. Having watched their humanity slowly stripping away, he set their sacred “home” on fire and bolted, leaving the group with no shelter and diminishing hopes of an eventual rescue.
There’s restored hope when Lottie hands over the reins to a surprised Natalie (Sophie Thatcher), insisting the wilderness has “chosen” the rebellious Yellowjacket to be their Antler Queen.
In the present-day lives of a reunited Shauna, Misty, Natalie, Van and Taissa, a deadly game at Lottie’s cult-like compound ended in tragedy when Natalie (Juliette Lewis) was accidentally poisoned.
One good thing for these troubled women? They seem to have gotten away with the murder of Shauna’s fling, Adam, as well as the private detective that Misty ‘disposed of’ back in Season 1, thanks to the skills of resourceful Walter (Elijah Wood). Misty’s obsessed-with-murder friend killed Detective Tan, then pinned the whole thing on him, after successfully blackmailing his partner Matt to help with the cover-up.
What can we expect from season 3?
“Once upon a time, a bunch of teenage girls got stranded in the wilderness and they went completely nuts,” a young voice explains in the trailer, before we see a group of girls being chased through the remote forest.
Season 3 picks up with the Yellowjackets still stranded in the woods, but with new leader, Natalie (Sophie Thatcher) now trying to guide them to safety.
Stephen Krueger, who plays Coach Ben in the past, predicted this will be “the wildest, bloodiest season that we have”, and that certainly looks to be the case with knives plunging into backs and guns being loaded in the trailer. The teen girls are desperate to make it through their nightmare ordeal and go back to normal life, but as they descend further into starvation and borderline madness, how many more casualties will there be?
There’s more in-fighting and tension among the girls – and more cannibalism ahead – with Shauna quipping, “I can’t believe we didn’t eat them first.”
A possible reckoning could also be on the way for Coach Ben, who set the girls’ shelter on fire and then vanished into the wilderness.
25 years later in the present day, the women are still facing the threat of an ever-present and unknown evil. Misty (Christina Ricci) – no doubt still grieving the part she unwittingly played in her friend Natalie’s death – now has to deal with a disturbing anonymous letter arriving at her house. Shauna (Melanie Lynskey) whispers the dreaded words that no one wants to hear: “Someone wants to kill us”, as she, Misty, Taissa (Tawny Cyprus) and Van (Lauren Ambrose) continue to run from the traumatic – and supernatural? – forces at play.
Guilt is expected to eat away at grown-up Shauna over her high school best friend Jackie (Ella Purnell). Not only did Shauna get impregnated by Jackie’s boyfriend Jeff (Jack Depew) behind her back, she went on to marry him after Jackie’s untimely death in the woods. It’s no surprise then that the ghost of Jackie is coming back to haunt Shauna….
In another clue to the deadly lengths each woman could go for their own survival, Shauna states, “The only way to truly be safe is to be the only one left.”
Who are the new players?
There’ll be a few new faces popping up this season, but the most familiar is Million Dollar Baby star Hilary Swank. The lid’s been kept fairly tight on her character’s identity and story arc, but the trailer hints at some dark times – given away by Swank’s character appearing bloodied, bandaged, and uttering the words, “Oh, shit” before hightailing it in the opposite direction!
Some Yellowjackets fans have speculated that Swank could play the grown-up version of a lesser-known plane crash survivor, but that seems unlikely as we already know the fates of most of the major players. She could, however, be a character from the post-rescue chapter – the mother of one of the surviving girls, a teacher or therapist helping them through the trauma, or in the present day, a new detective trying to unravel the murders happening.
Community star Joel McHale is another notable face in the new series, though his character has also been shrouded in secrecy. Ashley Sutton, who was last seen in Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story, will also have a recurring role.
Where to watch the new season of Yellowjackets
Yellowjackets Season 3 will debut with two episodes on February 14, 2025. Stream the show on Paramount Plus from $9.99/month, with a 7-day free trial.
