Showtime’s hit Emmy-nominated series Yellowjackets has returned for a second season. It follows two plotlines, one in the 1990s and one in the present day. The 1990s storyline follows a high school girls’ soccer team whose plane crashes in the wilderness. With no rescue in sight, they wind up having to take extreme measures to endure the winter. The modern plotline revolves around the survivors as they deal with the trauma and implications of their actions. Joined with some sexy supernatural elements, fun murder, and lots of lesbianism, Yellowjackets is naturally one of the most addicting and fucked up dramas on television right now. As a gay person who frequently consumes horror and calls actresses “mother”, Yellowjackets was honestly made for me. I found the first season addicting and breezed through it within a week. Luckily for me, I started it late enough that I could immediately start the next season, which I similarly loved. 

Season two of Yellowjackets doesn’t answer all of the questions asked in season one, but it doesn’t need to. Instead it expands on these questions, creating more mystery to keep you watching. While the first season builds the worlds and the drama, season two dives in right away with cannibalism, murder, and culty shenanigans. It also confirms the survival of two fan favorite characters, Lottie and Van. As the plot thickens, it gets darker, weirder, and all the more incredible. Even if I found myself a little bored with the adult storyline (mainly that of Taissa’s), I was never truly disengaged. I found the teenage storyline even better than the first seasons, as their lives get more and more depraved.

Besides the unique and captivating storyline, the star of Yellowjackets has always been the performances. In fact, it’s impossible to pick a standout. While I was writing this, I wound up devoting a solid two paragraphs to the performances because I’d shout out one person and find it impossible to not shout out someone else. If you want my thoughts on them, just look at Melanie Lynskey’s Instagram feed. Every episode, she poured her heart out for her co-stars and gave each one endless praise. That pretty accurately reflects how I feel about every one of their performances. In my personal dream world, Yellowjackets would tie with Succession for SAG ensemble (the two most tonally similar shows ever!) because I need them all to win! I need to know that everyone has won an award for Yellowjackets!

As a long time horror fan, I find it really refreshing to not be watching women getting tortured for 2 hours. Instead, with Yellowjackets, you’re forced to watch the emotions that come with the horror and depravity, and how trauma turns into horror. All in all, Yellowjackets is a unique experience of television that had me at the edge of my seat and begging for more. I will be counting down the days until season 3, whenever that is!

9/10