In a snow-covered forest, a young woman runs through the trees, sobbing in only a nightgown. She stumbles and falls through a trap. The young woman in white is then dragged away by people donning animal furs, masks, and yellowjacket t-shirts. After that, she is slaughtered.
In 1996, an elite girls varsity soccer team headed to Seattle for their national games.
They never make it there.
19 months later, in 1998, the girls were found in the Canadian Rockies plane crash and survived in the wilderness. 25 years later, the girls are now grown and living relatively normal lives. Though the events that happened in the woods were years ago, the memories of it still haunt them and affect their lives.
This ShowTime series is amazing and able to reach a variety of audiences. For Generation X, the show brings them a feeling of nostalgia for the 90s as well as representation in media today as interesting characters instead of giving into the normal adult mom trope. The show also appeals to Gen Z’s audience by showing a coming-of-age story between a group of close friends and comparing today’s feminism to 90s feminism through the different timelines presented on the show.
It has the trope of dual timelines, from the beginning of the plane crash to 25 years afterward. The show also includes the LGBTQ+ community in the 90s, the differences between then and now, and the acceptance of it. Yellowjackets is loosely based off of the Andes plane disaster (1972) and The Donner Party (1845), which all included cannibalism, an element of the show that makes it distinct from any other horror or thriller show. One of the directors of the show, Ashley Lyle, wanted an all-female version of “Lord of the Flies” by William Golding to show how women could be just as barbaric as men with limited options for survival.
The cast includes many notable actresses, from Christina Ricci to Juliette Lewis. As well as the teenage characters of their older counterparts, such as Sophie Nelisse and Liv Hewson. The performances of all these actors give a wide range of emotions, from jaw-dropping moments to tears in your eyes from laughter scenes. “Yellowjackets” has even been nominated for seven Primetime Emmy Awards in 2022, with acting nominations for Melanie Lynskey.
The show has two seasons streaming on ShowTime, and the writing of the third season resumed shortly after the SAG-AFTRA strike ended and will premiere later in 2024. If you are interested in a show with female rage, great acting, memorable characters, amazing plotlines and plot twists, and 90s music, you will love this show. “Yellowjackets” is my favorite show, I could watch it on repeat and still love it every time.
