Yellowjackets changed everything we knew about the survival thriller genre. Originally compared to Lord of the Flies and Lost, the show has evolved into something else entirely, telling two parallel stories: one of the Yellowjackets in 1996 struggling to survive in the Canadian wilderness, and the other following the survivors in the present day as they realize their past has followed them out of the forest.
Season 2 delivered a shocking season finale with a body count, leaving fans clamoring for more. Almost two years after Season 2, Season 3 is finally on the horizon — and we have our first teaser of what’s to come.
Showtime released a teaser and date announcement of Yellowjackets Season 3, revealing to fans that they only have to wait until February 14, 2025 — Valentine’s Day — for the Season 3 finale. The teaser shows yellowjackets (the insects) crawling all over a picked-over skull, with a necklace dangling from the eye socket and that mysterious symbol carved into the forehead. That necklace was Jackie’s, given to Shauna all the way back in the very first episode. Since then, it has become part of the team’s sacrifice ritual — when the girls draw cards to see who is doomed to die, Shauna puts the necklace on them, echoing Jackie giving it to her as a good luck charm before their doomed flight.
But as we learn in Season 2, it’s not the girls who decide who dies — it’s the wilderness. The last two episodes of Season 2 saw Nat draw the Queen of Hearts card, marking her for death, but it was ultimately Javi who died. Meanwhile, in the present, the survivors draw cards yet again and Shauna is chosen to die, but somehow Nat ends up on the wrong side of a deadly syringe. Therefore, this skull probably belongs to one of the Wilderness’ past victims, aka one of the Yellowjackets’ past meals: Jackie or Javi.
Season 3 of Yellowjackets has a lot to answer. Beyond just Natalie’s death, which puts the show in completely uncharted territory, the final moments of Season 2’s flashbacks revealed Coach Ben deciding the team has gone too far and setting fire to the cabin that has provided shelter for everyone since the crash. We know the team spent 19 months in the forest, and we’ve only seen about 9 of those months, so there’s a lot more story — and, if the showrunners get their wish, two additional seasons — to go.
But for now, fans can rest assured there are only a few months to wait for this show to return, leaving plenty of time to bone up on your ‘90s references and grunge haircuts.
