Yellowjackets

Plot Summary

The Yellowjackets were a girls' high school soccer team on their way to compete at the 1999 Nationals, but they never made it because their plane crashed. They were then stuck in the wilderness for nineteen months before they were rescued, forced to learn to survive and do things they never imagined they’d have to do. Whatever they did and experienced in those woods still haunts those who survived more than twenty years later. As adults, they are still reckoning with their past as someone is trying to bring it all up again.

Critical Evaluation 

In an interview, the creators stated that they didn’t intend for this show to be a YA show, but they saw how it bridged between adult and teen audiences (Rice, 2022). Since half of the time the show centers around the teenagers and the other half centers around the same characters in their forties, it has the potential to grab the attention of both demographics, creating a show that crosses generations and categories. Because Lyle and Nickerson didn’t create the show with a teen audience in mind, the writing doesn’t fall into the pitfalls of other teen-aimed media. The show requires the viewer to pay close attention to understand who the characters are and their relationships with each other as time jumps between the 1990s and 2020s. It’s a show that expects the audience to be engaged and curious throughout; it’s definitely not a show that can be watched while looking at your phone (or crocheting, to my dismay). 

The way that Yellowjackets forces the viewer to stay engaged is through using a unique feature of the format: visual cues. In the first episode, “Pilot,” the viewer isn’t immediately told through dialogue or a title on screen which character you are viewing. Instead, we have to use visual clues based on the actor’s movements and speech patterns to be able to decipher who is who. While the easiest parallel to spot is with the character of Misty, who has kept the same haircut and glasses from her teenagehood, Shauna and Natalie are less obvious, making the acting skills of Melanie Lynskey/Sophie Nelisse and Juliette Lewis/Sophie Thatcher, respectively, more important to pay attention to. 

There are also small looks and images that give important plot points or character development that are not explicitly mentioned, but are pivotal to the plot. At the end of episode two, “F Sharp,” Misty finds a blinking box in the night. Even though it’s difficult to read what the box says, it’s clear that it is a distress signal that would allow the team to be found by rescuers. Misty destroys it. It’s clear why she decides to doom the group, but only by putting pieces together between Sammi Hanratty’s acting, previous scenes after the crash, and the dialogue between other characters. The viewer has all the pieces and can solve each of the little mysteries. It’s through moments like these that engage the viewer and require us to remain active in our viewing. 

Yellowjackets is an enthralling story, particularly since the greatest mysteries are never given away. The most interesting events that will happen to the girls have just been hinted at, forcing us to wait along with them for the horrors to come. Even as adults, the women won’t share what happened, and there is some outside force that is trying to bring them back to their past. It’s a show full of mysteries that engages people of all ages, and it’s one that I desperately want to find answers to! 

Creative Use for a Library Program 

After seeing just how useful Misty, one of the main characters, was in the aftermath of the crash due to her Red Cross babysitting training, it inspired me to think of initiating a first aid program at the library. Regardless of age or circumstance, knowing first aid and how to respond in a crisis is useful for everyone. This could be a short one-off program or one that takes place over multiple sessions with different focuses for each one. If working with a professional organization, there is also the opportunity for those who participate to receive a certification. First aid certification is great for teens who want jobs as lifeguards, babysitters, and a number of volunteer positions.

Potential Challenge Issues and Defense Preparation

Along with depicting teenage sex, drug use, and drinking, this show has some truly horrifying and disturbing visuals. If it isn’t challenged for its portrayal of teens doing normal teenage things (like sex and underage drinking), it is very likely to be challenged for its violence and gore. The purpose of the show is to unsettle and scare its audience, but the simple inclusion of a summary should be enough to inform the viewer of those aspects before they watch it if they do not enjoy the horror genre. This show won’t be everyone’s favorite, but it should still be available to those who enjoy engaging in the horror and thriller genres.

Reason for Inclusion 

I had heard only good things about this show before I ever decided to watch it. I heard that it was filled with drama and mysteries that kept its fanbase engaged with theories. I’d been wanting to watch it, but as I’ve recently tended towards more lighthearted television, I’ve avoided it for the past few years. But given its reputation, I figured I finally had to watch it. While half of the show centers around the adults and how they are dealing with their past and their trauma, the other half is about the teens, their interpersonal drama, and their survival. This show exemplifies YA narratives where the teens are those who are right and empowered because they are the only ones who are left. The story is gripping, and the action is so terrifying that you can’t help but watch, completely engrossed. I know that there are teens who are already watching this show, and they probably will into the future.