I like a well-placed time jump and a good fake-out. “It Girl,” Yellowjackets’ entry into the third season has both. A question plaguing the show’s devoted viewership is the identity of “pit girl.” We (kinda) got an answer as this episode pulls the visceral, opening scene in two halves and places Mari within it. It’s been roughly two years between seasons two and three, and the Yellowjackets mysteries are still fresh. Given Natalie’s shocking death at the end of season two, things are moving considerably in where ‘It Girl’ picks up. In the past, we were at the doorstep of the Summer Solstice, and in the present, it’s been about six weeks since the whole tragedy happened. 

It’s interesting to see how the show places time and how our characters relate to it, especially regarding grief. In the wilderness, not only are the surviving members mourning the fallen (and trying to reckon about the..ya know, cannibalism), but they are searching for meaning in a mystic force that might not even be there. This holds somewhat true in the present timeline with Nat’s sudden death. Is it pre-ordained for them to meet a terrible end? Adult Shauna wonders if the adults are all resigned to a horrible fate because of what happened on the island. But she’s also sort of avoidant in addressing the roots of what happened. Adult Van still has cancer and, from what we gather, is on the cusp of not doing well. Adult Taissa is no longer a Senator and, while still married, is estranged from her wife and young son. Adult Misty is an emotional mess and has to reckon with accidentally killing the person she was closest to in the whole group. 

L-R: Sophie Nélisse as Teen Shauna and Alexa Barajas as Teen Mari in Yellowjackets, episode 1, season 3, streaming on Paramount+ with SHOWTIME, 2025. Photo Credit: Kailey Schwerman/Paramount+ with SHOWTIME.

The commonality between the two timelines is the search for “why?” Isn’t that a hallmark question of life itself? Travis is still mourning his brother Javi’s death, and Lottie tries to assist him with a bit of mushroom tea. In their exchange, Lottie lets her guard down about her past and that she can’t hear the voices anymore, and the show throws in a wrinkle. The screaming trees are a symptom of Travis’s drug trip; we can all agree on that. But it’s brought up again at the end of the episode once the ceremony in the graveyard is over. 

‘Yellowjackets’ has been deliberate, with drips and drabs of giving people the answers they want. We’re a little closer to trying to solve the “Is this a shared delusion or supernatural experience?” ultimate question, but yet so far. Season three might be the make-or-break point, where the mysteries weigh too heavily on the story. At some point, the wind will have to blow us in a definite direction. However, I find the theme of sorrow over decades a rich one to explore. 

The young, surviving Yellowjackets have rebuilt their stations after the cabin burned down and are thriving (mostly everyone). They are playing games, planting vegetation, having an animal farm, and acquiring a stable food supply so they don’t have to put themselves on the menu. Young Shauna is rather grumpy and ornery. Tension exists between her and Mari and escalates throughout the episode. They trade barbs back and forth, Shauna spits in her soup, and they eventually come to blows. Is Mari kinda annoying? Yes. Very much so. Does Shauna have things to be upset about? Absolutely. She lost her baby and her best friend. Being sore about not getting chosen for Antler Queen is a little ridiculous in retrospect. But there might be a timeline where young Shauna wouldn’t be as angry if she was bestowed that honor.

L-R: Melanie Lynskey as Shauna and Warren Kole as Jeff Sadecki in Yellowjackets, episode 1, season 3, streaming on Paramount+ with SHOWTIME, 2025. Photo Credit: Kailey Schwerman/Paramount+ with SHOWTIME.

Speaking of perception, this occurs during young Van’s campfire (somewhat meta) retelling of the events so far and young Shauna’s blunt journal entries. Shauna is really to call it for what it is—this is a messed-up situation in which she’s lost things dear to her, the survivors are surrendering to something (potentially) harmful, and they have to eat human flesh to survive. There’s no way to sugarcoat that. Van speaks of all the events as a story of perseverance against all odds. 

Storytelling and unreliable narrators have been everpresent throughout ‘Yellowjackets.’ Regarding the wilderness timeline, we don’t know what happened between the cabin burning down and this thriving society rising from the ashes. All we see is that things are relatively orderly under young Nat’s watch. How will this all fall apart in being closer to the eventual rescue? Nat might dismiss Shauna’s anger, but it will most likely haunt them. As for Coach Scott, yes, he’s alive and possesses valuable supplies. We find out Mari is indeed “the girl in the pit,” and for the most part, the surviving girls don’t think Scott is alive. I surmise Scott and Mari will converse and hang out, given her injury. But given this season’s trailer, will this somehow lead the girls to his whereabouts? (Mari, don’t snitch, please). 

In the present timeline, Callie is not okay. Can you blame her? She saw her mother and friends doing some weird ritual, shot Lottie, and saw Nat die. That’s just in one night. This isn’t even mentioning all the stuff with her father, Jeff. Shauna is not your typical mother who would be worried about this stuff. Jeff is taking on that parental role. Instead, Shauna connects with Callie over the guts prank that gets her suspended from school. Shauna is not your prototypical mom, and this is another textbook example. 

Adult Tai and adult Van search to rekindle what they had on the island as Van’s life approaches sunset. As they kiss, Tai sees the Man With No Eyes. Given the evidence provided with the mushroom tea in the episode, I will say he’s a figment of Van’s imagination. You can’t help but feel sad for adult Misty in her dive bar quest to be Nat’s avatar, complete with her leather jacket. She feels guilty about her role in Nat’s death, but there’s a throughline inside the timelines of “It Girl.” In all reality, the rest of the Yellowjackets tolerate her and don’t care for her as a person. All she has is Walter, which she will have to reckon with.  

In true ‘Yellowjackets’ fashion, there’s always a mystery cliffhanger. Callie intercepts a package intended for Shauna and pockets a cassette tape made for her. It’s still early, but I’m beginning to feel Callie start to mirror her mother in some way as she learns about what happened in the wilderness. 

Live From The Campfire

  • Speaking of fire, I’m not sold that Travis started the fire that took the cabin. Two deliberate scenes could implicate others. Van asks Tai if she wants to burn the restaurant down. Misty almost burns down the bar in a drunken rage. Both characters have viable pathways in which to do so. We all know Tai tends to give in to darker urges, which make it feel like she’s possessed by something. Misty will do almost anything to keep a perceived social status or ensure she’s in the mix with the survivors. There is more to come on this front.