A female version of 'Lord of the Flies'? A new 'Lost'? A horror about cannibalism? Or a coming-of-age story? 'Yellowjackets' is a unique spectacle that leaves many questions but doesn't allow you to look away from the screen.

Not long ago, the Showtime channel reported record-breaking viewership for its series 'Dexter: New Blood'. But that's not the only success for Showtime — alongside the project about a serial killer, an equally impressive story about a women's soccer team whose plane crashed somewhere in the Canadian wilderness was unfolding. 'Yellowjackets' turned out to be a lively and ambitious newcomer. The showrunners have planned the story for 5 seasons, so they hit the ground running, immediately hinting at occultism and cannibalism, post-horror, and a coming-of-age story nestled somewhere in between. And this gamble paid off — the project became an instant hit!

A Female Version of 'Lord of the Flies'?

1996. The women's soccer team 'Yellowjackets', having won a regional tournament, is preparing to head to the US national championship, but their plane crashes somewhere in an impassable forest in Canada. Now the girls, their coach, and a couple of surviving guys find themselves in the wild, with no help in sight.

2021. Several women who survived that fateful incident have no desire to remember the past for any amount of money offered by journalists. But at one point, they are blackmailed because of what they did in 1996.

The creators of the series 'Yellowjackets' didn't waste time with a gripping setup, and already in the pilot episode (directed by Karyn Kusama, author of 'Jennifer's Body'), they hinted that the schoolgirls, in their struggle for survival, went to the most extreme measures — cannibalism. However, who became the 'victim', the circumstances of what happened, whether it was actually our heroines — all of this becomes the intrigue for an entire season.

The motifs of William Golding's 'Lord of the Flies' will obviously not let filmmakers go for many more decades. One can recall the recent 'The Wilds', which already attempted a gender swap, placing girls instead of boys in familiar survival conditions. But 'Yellowjackets', unlike the Amazon show and many other attempts to rework 'Lord of the Flies', truly approaches the matter in a new way. 

Firstly, there isn't just one storyline here, but two. Moreover, they intertwine very cleverly and allow you to look at the heroines and their development in a new light each time. At some point, it even resembles a game of 'spot 10 differences'. And the key motifs of 'Lord of the Flies', like the fierce struggle for dominance in a closed society, are present here but are far from primary.

And it is precisely the presence of a parallel storyline that makes each of the narrative branches more voluminous, interesting, and unpredictable. 

Secondly, 'Yellowjackets' interestingly mixes genres. In one episode, the series turns into a horror with running through the woods, possession, and mysterious rituals. At certain moments, it's a typical teen rom-com with infidelity, gossip, and other adolescent problems that push survival issues into the background. Yes, even that is possible in a series. 

And the series also dissects the post-traumatic existence of the characters in an interesting way. Some prefer to escape reality with stimulants. Others pretend nothing happened. No one is indifferent.

This mixing maintains the dynamics (including narrative ones). This keeps the series from getting boring.

A New 'Lost'?

A bit more about the plot. As we already noted, the showrunners of the 'Yellowjackets' project have planned the story for 5 seasons. So don't be surprised that at the end of the debut season, many questions remain unanswered. Sometimes you might even experience the 'Lost' effect — there can be so many theories and assumptions about the plot, and they can be so plausible, that the desire to watch more and more will not leave you from episode to episode. On one hand, this is cool and motivates further viewing. On the other hand, we know how the creators of Lost eventually got tangled up in their own plots themselves. We can only hope that 'Yellowjackets' won't repeat the story of its legendary predecessor.

The Cast — What Makes the Series Remarkable

In addition to the plot and engaging genre-hopping, 'Yellowjackets' captivates with its acting performances. Both parts of the cast, which barely intersect, are wonderful. 

It is reported that the actresses agreed on the tiniest details of their characters, so there is never any dissonance between the young and adult versions of the characters.

Christina Ricci, Juliette Lewis, Melanie Lynskey — each of them managed to create complete and, in their own way, strong female characters, not devoid of a touch of madness and natural charm. How could it be otherwise, after 1.5 years of surviving in the wild forest with all that entails?!

Ella Purnell, Sophie Nélisse, Sophie Thatcher proved to be the best among the youth. They gave the series energy, naivety, and fresh breath. It was on their shoulders that the main responsibility for shaping the characters fell. And they handled it perfectly.

Is It Worth Watching the Series 'Yellowjackets'?

The Showtime project turned out to be full of mysteries. Online, you can already find dozens, if not hundreds, of articles with theories, analyses of potential Easter eggs, and interpretations of what was seen in the first season. This suggests that the creators managed to hook viewers with a captivating story, awakening in them a desire to learn more and more. This was largely achieved thanks to a solidly crafted script (though not flawless — the authors sometimes get too carried away with mind games with the audience), a brilliantly selected cast, and a non-trivial set of genres.

If you haven't yet joined the ranks of the show's fans, now is the time to do so, so you can stay in the loop on what everyone is talking about.

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