Yellowjackets: Season 3 Review. Incompetent Writers Tank a Fantastic Series

The actors can't save it this time.

There comes a point in the life of nearly every TV series when it faces a crossroads: either end on a high note or stumble into decline. If it’s not canceled early or doesn’t deliver a satisfying finale, it risks veering into a downward spiral, one where even the best acting, direction, or production values can’t make up for incompetent writing. We’ve seen this with once-beloved shows like Game of Thrones, The Walking Dead, Lost, Dexter, etc. Sadly, it looks like Showtime’s Yellowjackets has now fallen into the same trap. The drop in quality is so severe that I honestly feel bad for the cast and crew. Despite their talent and hard work, they can’t save the show from the mess created by its writers.

Mild spoilers ahead.

It’s no secret that Yellowjackets stumbled in its second season, with much of the story, particularly the adult arc, feeling aimless and unfocused. That storyline wandered without purpose, ultimately concluding in a deus ex machina that raised serious questions about the direction coming from the writers' room. Given the extended break afforded by the writers’ and actors’ strike, one would expect the team to take that time to reflect on the criticism and course-correct for season three. Unfortunately, and perhaps predictably, the writers haven’t learned from their missteps. If anything, they’ve doubled down on them.

Over the course of ten episodes, both the adult and wilderness storylines crawl along at a glacial pace, as the show attempts to stretch a narrative built for, at most, three seasons into a bloated five-season arc. The wilderness storyline remains the more engaging of the two, largely because it still retains a semblance of direction. But both arcs suffer from the same fundamental flaw: the writers may know where they want the story to end up, but they have no clear idea how to get there. The result is a season that meanders aimlessly, full of narrative detours that ultimately lead nowhere.

In the wilderness arc, the Yellowjackets have fully descended into madness. Despite the thaw of spring—which should, in theory, bring some relief—their mental unraveling only deepens, with factions forming and tensions rising within the group. To the show’s credit, this arc still delivers some genuinely compelling moments, like Coach Ben’s trial, where Steven Krueger gives a heartbreaking performance, the chaotic hunts, and the group’s slow surrender to their own primal instincts. But despite these highlights, it's clear this storyline is nearing the end of its rope. Where else can it realistically go before the inevitable rescue?

We already know how this ends. What’s left feels like an extended montage of the girls bullying and cannibalizing each other. And while the series somehow keeps it watchable, largely thanks to the shifting power dynamics between believers and skeptics of "the wilderness" and the gripping rivalry between Natalie (Sophie Thatcher, easily the MVP of this arc) and Shauna (Sophie Nélisse, playing a character that borders on psychopathic)—the narrative feels like it’s spinning its wheels. A particularly frustrating moment comes when Shauna, Lottie, Tai, and a newly introduced frog scientist, Hannah, refuse to leave the wilderness... and the rest of the group just goes along with it, effectively throwing away their shot at rescue for no good reason. It’s a moment that doesn’t just defy logic, it makes it painfully clear that the writers are dragging their feet, delaying the inevitable for the sake of stretching the story.

We know how it ends and all that is left to show is a bunch of girls bullying and eating each other until they are rescued. I will give the series credit as they do manage to make it compelling as the power dynamics within the Yellowjackets between who believes in the wilderness and who doesn't and the power struggle between Natalie (Sophie Thatcher, MVP of the wilderness arc) and Shauna (Sophie Nelisse, who is a psychopath) was intriguing. But it feels like they are stalling their narrative until they are rescued. Hell, when Shauna, Lottie, Tai, and newly introduced frog scientist, Hannah, refused to leave the wilderness, I found myself infuriated by the team because they just obeyed them and squandered their chances of rescue for several months. Proving that the writers are stalling the inevitable.

The adult storyline has somehow gotten worse than it was last season, its narrative is now completely adrift. To the writers’ credit, they have returned to the original concept of the adult arc: that the survivors are the real villains of the story. There's something compelling in how these women will scorch everything in their lives, including themselves, just to avoid facing their trauma. But despite that intriguing premise, and the consistently strong performances from the adult cast, the storyline just doesn’t land this time. It lacks internal logic, emotional weight, and any real momentum.

It’s no secret that the pedo-cop subplot and especially Natalie’s death derailed the adult narrative. The writers clearly backed themselves into a corner, and it shows. While it makes sense that they chose to quietly abandon those threads in season three, doing so hasn’t helped. If anything, the adult arc feels more directionless than ever. Much like the wilderness storyline, the writers might know where they want to end up, but they have no clue how to get there. The result is a scattered, incoherent narrative that meanders endlessly and, ultimately, feels empty.

For the first five episodes, the adult survivors are essentially given busywork. Van (Lauren Ambrose) and Tai (Tawny Cypress) feel like they’ve wandered into a romcom, spending their days running around in love and casually murdering people, all while contributing nothing of substance to the story. Shauna (Melanie Lynskey) and her family go through the motions of domestic dysfunction as Jeff (Warren Kole) and Callie (Sarah Desjardins) slowly come to terms with the fact that Shauna is a narcissistic, murderous psychopath. It should be compelling, but it’s presented in the dullest way possible. Lottie (Simone Kessell), once one of the most intriguing figures in the adult timeline, is effectively sidelined, her storyline has all but dissolved into nothing. And Misty (Christina Ricci), the standout of the adult arc, is surprisingly underutilized. Reduced to lashing out at everyone and torching her relationships, she feels more like a narrative afterthought than the chaotic anchor she once was.

By the time the adult storyline finally starts to gain momentum in episode six, it still feels like the show is dragging its feet. Rather than advancing the plot in a meaningful way, it leans heavily on shock value, killing off multiple characters, to keep the audience hooked. Hillary Swank, who is criminally underused, is revealed to be Melissa, and the person behind the tape of the Yellowjackets murdering the frog scientist. But instead of being a satisfying twist, it lands as a cheap narrative cop-out that makes little to no sense. Why would she give the tape to Shauna, someone who’s notoriously paranoid about the group’s secrets getting out? Because she married the frog scientist’s daughter and suddenly feels guilty? That logic just doesn’t hold. And if my math is correct, the show has now revealed the final surviving Yellowjacket, which completely undercuts one of the last threads of suspense the series had left. Worst of all, once this arc wraps up, nothing really changes. There are no real consequences, no fallout, just more narrative wheel-spinning.

All of this could have been avoided if the show had made Walter (Elijah Wood) the son of the frog scientist murdered by the Yellowjackets in the wilderness. That twist would have instantly given him a compelling, personal motivation to go after them, turning him into a morally complex antagonist. Imagine an arc where Walter, under the guise of quirky charm, is slowly driving the Yellowjackets toward their own unraveling, trying to force them to confront and confess to their past. It would’ve fit the show’s themes perfectly and elevated the tension. Instead, Walter remains stuck in narrative limbo, an enigmatic figure the writers clearly have no idea what to do with. As a result, Elijah Wood’s talents are completely squandered on a character with wasted potential.

It’s disappointing to watch Yellowjackets implode, especially considering it started with such a fascinating premise, a modern, feminist take on Lord of the Flies. Unfortunately, the series has become a parody of itself. While it gains some momentum in the latter half of the season, with a strong finale and a talented ensemble giving their best performances, none of that can salvage it from the ineptitude of the writers. It’s clear they know where they want to go, but they have no clue how to get there. It’s a real shame, and if history is any guide, the show likely won’t improve from here.

My Rating: C