showtime’s yellowjackets (2021 ‘til it inevitably falls apart)

also -- again, I'm only two episodes in -- but, Jackie def has that Alicia Silverstone privileged snobby girl vibe. Are we supposed to like her or be looking forward to the tables turning and her "influence" (as the coach cited when he told her why he made her team captain) wanes?

yeah her being on the team at all would have been odd at my first high school, but there were more "freaks" doing sports at my second one (which tbf is where I was in 1996).

I don't want to comment on Jackie since I've seen the whole season, but your ambivalence is the intended response imo!

all the characters are v ambivalent to me because they have no goals or pasts or achilles heels or grudges apart from the Great Mystery which we are supposed to care about

based on two episodes, here is where my sympathies lie:

Natalie - I'm a fan
Ty - I like her too
Jeff - dude just thinks with his dick and is dumb; i don't hate him enough to want him to suffer or anything, though maybe that's what we're supposed to think? idk
Misty - she's the walter white of this show, yeah (in that she breaks bad)?
Jackie - she isn't horrible but ...
Shana - idk, definitely ambivalent
the blond jesus girl - she's kinda supposed to be everyone's top pick to die next, yeah?
the tall girl with the rich dad who takes pills whose name I don't remember - no opinion
the red headed girl with the ponytail that Jackie was gonna let burn in the plane whose name I also don't remember - I like her

Misty - she's the walter white of this show, yeah (in that she breaks bad)?

misty is my favorite character in both timelines lol

Some of these characters get fleshed out a bit. Jeff doesn’t suddenly become a compelling protagonist or antagonist (no spoilers) but he’s def more interesting as the series goes on.

this show was pretty trashy but i enjoyed it. it's nice to have an entertainingly trashy show in the era of prestige TV. it was obviously modeled on "lost" but less pretentious and faster-paced.

one of my favorite threads was how realistically incompetent adult shauna is at doing sneaky tasks.

okay, i watched 3 more episodes yesterday (lol) ... impressed that they dealt with the girls having their periods, as that was one of the first things I thought about in terms of the premise "a bunch of girls get stranded in the woods for an extended period of time".

I'm starting to like Jackie more

was it intentional that the actor cast to play Adam looks like James Franco?

one of my favorite threads was how realistically incompetent adult shauna is at doing sneaky tasks.

― na (NA), Tuesday, March 1, 2022 9:59 AM (twenty-eight minutes ago) bookmarkflaglink

Ha this is otm. When she called Pratt to see if Adam had actually attended, she apparently didn't even come up with a backstory prior to dialing the phone. Part of me was annoyed -- why would you not prepare?! -- and part of me thought, actually, yeah, it makes more sense this way (for the character, for the story).

i thought adam looked a lot more like michael raymond-james from terriers, maybe with a bit of the nickelback guy mixed in

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMTQyNjU3NTQ2MV5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTgwMzEwODY0MDE@._V1_.jpg
https://www.tvinsider.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/yellowjackets-108-adam-1014x570.jpg

don't see it!

everyone should watch terriers btw

terriers is great, AND Adam looks a lot like James Franco circa F&G

I last saw Franco in The Deuce so was a bit puzzled at first, but I can see it; the louche artist character he's playing also part of it I would guess!

okay i finished the season

Natalie - I'm a fan still a fan, super cute = the snack machine incident where she smashes it but only takes the one thing that she wanted (as opposed to taking all the snacks she could possibly want); also that she was the only one with the wherewithal to allow Misty to perform her "true calling"

Tai - I like her too still a fan; the ways she handles her relationships with both Van and Simone are cool, in that, she isn't perfect but not a total wreck. Like, she is real. Also she's a land use lawyer, so <3

Jeff - dude just thinks with his dick and is dumb; i don't hate him enough to want him to suffer or anything, though maybe that's what we're supposed to think? idk i do appreciate him standing up for Shauna with Jackie's parents, I was impressed. Still think he was probably fucking Bianca, or had made moves that way and that was part of the leverage the loan sharks had on him, because if I were a loan shark, I would totally implement multiple points of leverage.

Misty - she's the walter white of this show, yeah (in that she breaks bad)? omg, there is a whole feminist essay to write about Misty, in terms of comparing her to other tv anti-heroes like Dexter and Walter White.

Jackie - she isn't horrible but ... another feminist essay in terms of Jackie's downfall as compared to Ralph in Lord of the Flies.

Shauna - idk, definitely ambivalent still ambivalent, but I feel like she is kinda the "stand-in" for the viewer in a way, in that we would naturally try and determine what _we_ would do if _we_ were in that situation, and most likely we would do some stupid shit and not be the heroic/visionary ones, but we would survive, because, well, we're sitting here in front of the tv watching this show, right?

the blond jesus girl - she's kinda supposed to be everyone's top pick to die next, yeah? yep, she was the first to go.

Lottie the tall girl with the rich dad who takes pills whose name I don't remember - no opinion lol there's another feminist Lord of the Flies essay here

Van the red headed girl with the ponytail that Jackie was gonna let burn in the plane whose name I also don't remember - I like her still like her.

also, since this is ILX, can we talk about the use of Ultravox's "Vienna" in this show? Like, it was a recurring song, but it was the one recognizable song that wasn't from the early-mid 90s? Not complaining about the inconsistency. I also like the song a lot. But it stuck out to me, and because this is ilx, I don't think I need to explain why.

the show was also triggering college flashbacks for me (because of the music), and the Rumpshaker song at the reunion reminded me of the horrible freshman roommate I had for a few months (because I had to move dorms mid-year) who would basically play that song over and over again, and was like the antithesis of glowering goth me ... and she actually had some very Jackie-like tendencies tbh

The only thing that made me angry -- because it's a hacky cliché, because I love dogs -- is when Biscuit first appeared, I thought, "Goddammit. Dog in series = dead dog by end of series." It's like when a character coughs ten minutes into a show or a movie, that character's definitely gonna die. With Biscuit, I knew he was only there to be killed off. With all the pseudo-supernatural stuff happening, couldn't they at least make it a talking dog that becomes Tai's campaign manager or something?

yeah ... especially in the context of the wolf motif appearing around the same time as the dog ... i was thinking, that dog is gonna be dead because the dog will represent wolf in trauma brain. ... also when the dog is beloved by a small child ... that's double points against the dog's longevity.

a few other minor things:
1. when they first find the lake, Van yells "Hell yeah, bitches!" -- and that was an anachronism ... like, I don't remember that being a common thing at the time.

2. They've been stranded for months at one point, and Natalie seems to have done touchups on her hair, because by that point, her roots would have seriously grown in ... i mean, maybe there was bleach on site, or she brought something with her ... but ... otoh i can see them being attentive to hair and make-up on a regular basis because there really isn't that much to do? It could be a way of preserving "normalcy" or "civilization" ?

3. the thing with Natalie's hair (and makeup tbh) is in contrast to Tai, who cuts her hair short and in one scene we see that her armpit hair has grown in ... like, that's kinda what I would expect would be the norm

Yeah, that was another aspect that I had trouble with...granted, they had access to a lake to bathe in, but none of them looked like they'd been stuck in the woods for one month, let alone six or seven.

As for anachronisms, the diary of Jackie's that adult Shauna read had references to music and movies that would have come out post-1996...but with Jackie being dead, it's either a mistake (and a weird one for a series where clues are constantly teased) or she's not dead. And if she's not dead, then she got caught up on 1997 films and music pretty quickly after they were rescued.

oh yeah, I read some Vulture article that mentioned that ...

it also thought Adam was actually Javi, and that made no sense to me.

Jackie was sporting a lot of spotless white outfits after living in the woods for six months

otoh Jackie was routinely criticized for not doing work, so maybe that's how come her whites stayed white? though Natalie's white & black checked pants looked pretty clean as well. and then there's the white nightgowns ... granted the only time we were shown the portion of a garment that could have a stain from vag blood was after Jackie fucked Travis ... like, those nightgowns could have menstrual stains but we were just not shown that part ... still ... it was established that there were some cleaning products left, but uh ... yeah

I binged this this week. Great show!

I became immensely emotional at both Nat's moment of suicidal resignation and Jackie's death; the latter not because I care a tonne for the character but because her death sequence was so sad and so sinister at the same time

season 2 when???!!?

Late March.

I should probably re-watch the last few episodes to get back up to speed on it.

finally watching - it’s diverting & i love juliette lewis always & forever so i’m in
but god i’m only 3 eps in & they need a misdirection intervention

but kim wilde “cambodia”!! <3

I thought Lewis was terrible in this, like unwatchably bad and selfconscious.

hard agree

in another mood i could have probably gotten into the ultra-pulp of this but it felt like so little actually happened… the show is deliberately withholding lots of information in order to ratchet up the suspense and i prefer the other way - that you get the information you think you need - what does the symbol mean? who’s leaving it? who’s the girl in the pit? - and are then presented with FURTHER questions i.e. why, or how etc

lewis was ok, i thought, just paled in comparison to the actress who plays her younger self

I liked all the performances, incl Lewis. I find Misty genuinely terrifying, Christina Ricci is so so good in this

I generally think this is some 10/10 fantastic trash TV and the only thing I'm dubious of is where they're going with adult Taissa's arc

lewis was ok, i thought, just paled in comparison to the actress who plays her younger self

― comedy khadafi (voodoo chili), Tuesday, December 20, 2022 6:58 AM (two hours ago)

totally yes!

I liked all the performances, incl Lewis. I find Misty genuinely terrifying, Christina Ricci is so so good in this

omg Misty -- otm!

idk, a lot of my enjoyment of this show is gendered. If this were a show about boys/cis-men, I wouldn't be as willing to accept certain imperfections, because these stories are generally about men. Probably because they were teenagers not too long after I was a teenager, the gender norms feel more salient to me? ... As opposed to just watching something solely from the vantage point of 2022 where there is a lot more gender equity in media

I just started watching this as well, just a couple episodes in. The animal killing and constant impalements make it a bit of a hard sell for my partner, but the triple timeline and soundtrack are pretty fun.

It is bananas to watch a show in which I know every word of every song that is sync'd

I anticipate the next seasons are going to be great.

I do hope that the showrunners/writers treat this more like an Agatha Christie murder mystery ("And Then There Were None", i.e.) rather then get too X-Files on us all. I dunno if this narrative world can carry too many supernatural elements or encounters with feral Quebeckers or "guess who's still alive in the present day?" reveals

My partner and I went back and forth on whether anything supernatural was occurring; there’s nothing too wild shown, and plenty that could be explained as the camera subjectively showing someone’s PTSD/hallucination/etc. rather than an objective depiction of supernatural phenomena.

I do hope that the showrunners/writers treat this more like an Agatha Christie murder mystery ("And Then There Were None", i.e.) rather then get too X-Files on us all.

agreed!

finally watching this and I enjoy bits and pieces of it but overall the number of storylines on this that I couldn’t give less of a shit about are staggering yet I am in for the long haul because obv I want to find out how they get to the cold open in the pilot

Christina Ricci is a lot of fun in this and Melanie Lynsky deserves better material

Also the music supervisors are as good at rationing their supply of 90s hits as the girls are at rationing food, yeesh

I think we bailed after three episodes, great hook but the writing just does not seem very good. :(

Coincidentally we're also watching I Love That For You, which also has Anna Waronker making fake (excellent) '90s songs.

ok i finished the season - show is pure pulpy trash and I love it

i got so triggered by the way the girls would gang up on each other & have those standoffs, even the way they would talk to misty felt verrry horribly familiar

mr veg was laughing/incredulous that Nat’s whole life / addiction was all so linked to Travis but in the flashbacks he treats her SO badly “like he’s never nice to her!”
and i was like dude that’s always how it works!!! high school boys are ~fucking rotted~ the more emotionally unavailable they are the more damage they’ll do.
like an out of control 18 wheeler leaving freeway pileups of girls in their wake lol

and i love the theme song

i was like dude that’s always how it works!!! high school boys are ~fucking rotted~ the more emotionally unavailable they are the more damage they’ll do.

otm!!! also it was super triggering ... like, it really is a horror tv series!

yeah like emotional horror and actual horror

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hyTgg0fb9DA

man I really forgot a bunch of what happened on this show, the recap at the top of episode one helped a bunch but some of it's still pretty foggy.

is that a deaged or AI Loder?

just watched the first season of this show in time to start the second. first season is the show most targeted to my sensibilities i’ve ever seen. season 2 premiere was a lot of fun but my confidence in the show is sapped a little now that they’re introducing teens we’ve never seen before into the past timeline and pretending they were always there

i do love that the gay coach is the worst “adult in the room” ever

Everyone woulda been rescued in season 1 if it wasn't for Misty. She's a legit psycho who will turn on you in an instant. I question the wisdom of anyone trying to "stay on her good side."

She also destroyed all threats towards the set let’s not forget that. Shooters shoot it’s in her nature Lottie was a bad leader let’s get to that. https://t.co/f3xa3gICGE

— vince (@vincestaples) March 24, 2025

Well I can't argue with that

Having just watched episode 8 I am no longer having difficulty believing past and present Shauna are the same person

Haha same

I'm just having difficulty enjoying her as any sort of protaganist.

I really want to see True Detective Season 5: Misty, Walter, and Shauna

groovypanda otm, I mentioned to a friend, "Hey, now we know that she was batshit crazy the whole time and we just didn't get the whole story"

Walter and Misty really deserve each other, they have so many parallels! Compare him cloning that phone and then wiping it before anyone else could look at it with Misty's sabotage way back in the beginning

YOU HAD THE TRANSPONDER THIS WHOLE TIME?!

I honestly would watch a whole series centered on Walter and Misty tbh

yeah def need a walter misty spinoff of weekly crimesolving

please everyone, get treatment for your trauma.
grownup women don’t need to be stabbing each other this often lol. but it does make for insane tv viewing

ep9 music was v good

feel like the inevitable falling apart prophesied in my thread title is happening

apparently most people have never seen the clip of juliette lewis, a professional in the industry for years, walking offstage during a yellowjackets panel bcs she resented where her character’s storyline was going due to the writing and misleading of the showrunners. pic.twitter.com/jLIl0rQyNM

— kristen (not crystal) yellowjackets shish-kabob 🍡 (@lordesbbqribs) April 6, 2025

she was huffy, sure, but it also seems like that was the end of the panel?

same with Morgan Wallen

I went back and rewatched season 1 episodes and I had forgotten how great adult Nat and Misty dynamic was …

man this season really has strayed from gods light ie s1

but teenage Shawna is kind of great in the finale episode

imo if it had to be 90s Aerosmith i would have preferred the final needledrop to be “The Other Side” …( or “Crazy” lol)
“Livin on the Edge” felt v captain obvious and kinda boring

Elizabeth Alsop wrote a good piece on Yellowjackets for LA Review of Books that i kinda like … she gets at what made the show good & where it has strayed

https://lareviewofbooks.org/article/rebel-girls/

Yellowjackets doing an obvious needle drop? no way

TBF apparently they very much less-obviously dropped a track off the Cocteau Twins FIRST album a few eps ago!

lol yeah i guess obv needeldrops go w territory

Xp re the article— she totally enjoyed writing that imo … one of the things I really like about this show is how there are so many angles to approach it.

There was some medium article I read recently that also analyzed it in terms of feminist politics… the critic was angry that there wasn’t as much solidarity as she had wanted… Someone else could write a thorough piece about it in re capitalism. And another about religion and belief systems. And of course there’s the obvious discussion around trauma.

I kinda eyerolled at the LARB writer comparing it to Daisies and Claire Denis and Virgin Suicides … like congrats on being versed in film studies canon and making obvious connections. I’m not saying that destroys any value it has though… not at all … it’s not the nineties anymore lol. I’m not going to say, sorry I can’t respect anything you say because you didn’t mention Carrie or the films of Dario Argento … nineties me would have tho lol.

I was thinking maybe I was done with this for the first half of Season 3, but the arrival of the frog scientists really livened things up!

My heart still drops a little when it switches to the present day, despite the excellent cast.

I do sometimes wonder if it wouldn't have been better as a lean 2 seasons and done all set in the wilderness (Could cut out tedious cave hallucinations as well).