It Girl
- Episode aired Feb 15, 2025
- TV-MA
- 59m
IMDb RATING
7.1/10
1.5K
YOUR RATING
Summer inspires the Yellowjackets to ditch soccer for a more contact-intensive sport and revive an old pagan tradition. In the present, a cringe-worthy funeral flows organically into a bar t... Read allSummer inspires the Yellowjackets to ditch soccer for a more contact-intensive sport and revive an old pagan tradition. In the present, a cringe-worthy funeral flows organically into a bar therapy session. Season premiere.Summer inspires the Yellowjackets to ditch soccer for a more contact-intensive sport and revive an old pagan tradition. In the present, a cringe-worthy funeral flows organically into a bar therapy session. Season premiere.
Simone Kessell
- Lottie
- (credit only)
Featured reviews
I just watched the first episode of season three, and I'm soo disappointed ! I don't understand why they always have to start the new seasons with completely different scenes and timeline ?!? After such a horror scene of last episode of season two .... Like what the hell just happened ? Summer , food, new clothes, houses, beddings, even Shana with new hair color!?!! How did they even survived one day in that winter ? Their house burned down to ashes , how did they get all those stuffs ???!
I loved this series soo much but to be honest I lost interest after watching this episode.... I'm gonna watch the rest perhaps , hope they'll be better , but still don't understand why they had to skip all that ....
I loved this series soo much but to be honest I lost interest after watching this episode.... I'm gonna watch the rest perhaps , hope they'll be better , but still don't understand why they had to skip all that ....
Been waiting extremely patiently for this season. I will say the budget looks like it's been cut a bit.
From the quality of the cameras down to the acting. I understand that it's been quite some time between season 2 and 3(this season also starts with summer), but this looks like a completely different forest. We went from plane crash in the middle of nowhere to extreme snow in a crazy haunted cabin, now we're in a backyard with freshly mowed grass and.. tiki bar tents?
The story is completely spaced out and the connection between some of the characters seems lost.
Mistie is still incredible. Elijah Woods character is growing on me. So a few good things. But as far as costume design, hair/make-up, character development and set design, let's hope it gets a little bit more intense/elevated because the 2nd season had me completely hooked!
From the quality of the cameras down to the acting. I understand that it's been quite some time between season 2 and 3(this season also starts with summer), but this looks like a completely different forest. We went from plane crash in the middle of nowhere to extreme snow in a crazy haunted cabin, now we're in a backyard with freshly mowed grass and.. tiki bar tents?
The story is completely spaced out and the connection between some of the characters seems lost.
Mistie is still incredible. Elijah Woods character is growing on me. So a few good things. But as far as costume design, hair/make-up, character development and set design, let's hope it gets a little bit more intense/elevated because the 2nd season had me completely hooked!
Not a good convincing start for season 3. The episode basically brings nothing that we already know or can more or less guess in the near future. As much as I like their adult and teens counterparts, the way the scenes and flashbacks are arranged in the timeline spectrum isn't very neat to say the least.
Also, what makes the whole series miserable so far is the lack of decent narrative and conversations. Add to that average mishmash scenes set in the present and past, then you start having the feeling that in each season (more and more) the writers are forgetting what the series was about and how they need to drive it forward.
What we are offered are scenes, more or less uninteresting happenings. That's not the way to conduct a show, let alone the start of a new season.
Also, what makes the whole series miserable so far is the lack of decent narrative and conversations. Add to that average mishmash scenes set in the present and past, then you start having the feeling that in each season (more and more) the writers are forgetting what the series was about and how they need to drive it forward.
What we are offered are scenes, more or less uninteresting happenings. That's not the way to conduct a show, let alone the start of a new season.
- Screenplay/storyline/plots: 6
- Production value/impact: 7
- Development: 7
- Realism: 6
- Entertainment: 6.5
- Acting: 7
- Filming/photography/cinematography: 6.5
- VFX: 7
- Music/score/sound: 6
- Depth: 6
- Logic: 3.5
- Flow: 6
- Drama/psychological/mystery/thriller: 6
- Ending: 5.5.
The first episode of Yellowjackets Season 3, titled "It Girl," directed by Bart Nickerson and created by Ashley Lyle and Bart Nickerson, serves as a tense and atmospheric reentry into the harrowing world this series has meticulously built. Premiering with a layered narrative that continues the dual timeline structure, the episode deepens both the wilderness survival drama of 1996 and the psychological aftermath in the late 90s and early 2000s, while also setting new mysteries and character tensions that promise a volatile trajectory for the season.
The episode opens in the 1996 timeline with a palpable sense of dread and raw survivalism. The opening scene intriguingly follows Mari, a character previously shadowed with mystery, sprinting through the woods, pursued by her teammates. This chase, initially charged with adrenaline and fear, subtly toyed with audience expectations, echoing the iconic "Pit Girl" scene from previous seasons but ultimately reframing it as a moment prior to the more infamous event. This careful subversion demonstrates the show's mastery of tension and narrative misdirection. The survival group is depicted as increasingly fractious and worn, with their makeshift huts and hunting expertise suggesting a dance between adaptation and desperation. However, Shauna's visible emotional collapse, marked by her erratic behavior and grief, casts a long shadow over the group's fragile cohesion.
One of the most resonant threads is Misty's isolated grieving process. Away from the others, Misty wrestles with guilt and loss, her character oscillating between vulnerability and biting dark humor, such as her whisky-fueled bar fights. This portrayal, anchored by Christina Ricci's nuanced performance, breathes life into a survivor struggling to reconcile her fractured identity. The dynamic between Misty and Walter, her not-quite-boyfriend, adds layers of psychological suspense, as his increasingly pushy demeanor teases a potential antagonist role, enriching the season's emotional stakes.
Meanwhile, the episode's adult timeline, set roughly in 1998, blends tension and subtle menace. The group's rather unsentimental response to Natalie's death, reflected in their detached funeral and casual bar gathering, embodies the series' consistent interrogation of trauma's long-lasting numbness. Shauna's relationship with her daughter Callie is foregrounded, with the young girl's budding rebellion and penchant for mischief intriguingly mirroring her mother's past feral instincts. The mother-daughter bond unfolds with an uneasy tenderness, foreshadowing generational cycles of survival and psychological complexity. The introduction of a mysterious tape left for Shauna, the unexplained baby cries in the forest, and the unsettling appearance of a "man with no eyes" contribute to the growing aura of enigmatic horror threading the season.
Direction by Bart Nickerson imbues the episode with a steady rhythm that balances suspenseful set pieces and intimate character moments. The cinematography vividly contrasts the bright, claustrophobic woods with dimly lit, tense interior scenes, emphasizing themes of entrapment and exposure. The editing fluidly transitions between timelines without sacrificing narrative clarity or mood, allowing the gothic undertones and psychological unrest to simmer.
The performances across the board remain powerful, with Sophie Nélisse's Shauna alternating between emotional fragility and hardened survivalist, and new cast members like Alexa Barajas as Mari bringing fresh intensity to the ensemble. The chemistry among the adult survivors crackles with simmering resentments and fragile alliances, illustrating the corrosive effects of trauma and shared secrets.
Several scenes stand out vividly: the opening forest chase imbues a kinetic anxiety that sets the tone; Misty's drunken bar fight tinged with bitter humor captures her complex grief; the bare-bones funeral juxtaposed with the ominous tape left for Shauna injects mystery; and the shadowy "man with no eyes" adds a chilling surreal layer that blurs the lines between psychological torment and possible supernatural influence.
Narratively and thematically, "It Girl" wrestles with the dialectics of survival versus humanity, isolation versus community, and the mutability of memory and identity under trauma's weight. The title itself-evoking notions of social status, attention, and transformation-acts as a subtle motif for the characters' fluctuating roles within their fractured world and the shifting power dynamics both in the past and present. The episode invites viewers to reflect on how identity is shaped, lost, and reclaimed amid extremity.
Contextually, this premiere situates Yellowjackets further within a lineage of genre-bending female-centric survival dramas, weaving influences from Lord of the Flies and psychological horror with feminist undertones and cultic mysticism. The series continues to push conventions by blending visceral survivalist realism with deep psychological exploration, maintaining a cultural relevance that interrogates the trauma and resilience embedded in female experience.
While some viewers might find the episode's deliberate pacing and subdued immediate drama less electrifying than the show's earlier, more shock-driven moments, its strength lies in building emotional and narrative foundations with care. The sense of mystery, combined with rich character work and atmospheric tension, promises a season that values psychological complexity and thematic depth alongside survival horror thrills.
"It Girl" is a compelling, quietly intense reintroduction to Yellowjackets that blends suspense, character complexity, and thematic richness. Through strong direction, nuanced performances, and cinematic storytelling, it sets the stage for a season that promises to delve deeper into trauma, identity, and the dark undercurrents of survival.
The episode opens in the 1996 timeline with a palpable sense of dread and raw survivalism. The opening scene intriguingly follows Mari, a character previously shadowed with mystery, sprinting through the woods, pursued by her teammates. This chase, initially charged with adrenaline and fear, subtly toyed with audience expectations, echoing the iconic "Pit Girl" scene from previous seasons but ultimately reframing it as a moment prior to the more infamous event. This careful subversion demonstrates the show's mastery of tension and narrative misdirection. The survival group is depicted as increasingly fractious and worn, with their makeshift huts and hunting expertise suggesting a dance between adaptation and desperation. However, Shauna's visible emotional collapse, marked by her erratic behavior and grief, casts a long shadow over the group's fragile cohesion.
One of the most resonant threads is Misty's isolated grieving process. Away from the others, Misty wrestles with guilt and loss, her character oscillating between vulnerability and biting dark humor, such as her whisky-fueled bar fights. This portrayal, anchored by Christina Ricci's nuanced performance, breathes life into a survivor struggling to reconcile her fractured identity. The dynamic between Misty and Walter, her not-quite-boyfriend, adds layers of psychological suspense, as his increasingly pushy demeanor teases a potential antagonist role, enriching the season's emotional stakes.
Meanwhile, the episode's adult timeline, set roughly in 1998, blends tension and subtle menace. The group's rather unsentimental response to Natalie's death, reflected in their detached funeral and casual bar gathering, embodies the series' consistent interrogation of trauma's long-lasting numbness. Shauna's relationship with her daughter Callie is foregrounded, with the young girl's budding rebellion and penchant for mischief intriguingly mirroring her mother's past feral instincts. The mother-daughter bond unfolds with an uneasy tenderness, foreshadowing generational cycles of survival and psychological complexity. The introduction of a mysterious tape left for Shauna, the unexplained baby cries in the forest, and the unsettling appearance of a "man with no eyes" contribute to the growing aura of enigmatic horror threading the season.
Direction by Bart Nickerson imbues the episode with a steady rhythm that balances suspenseful set pieces and intimate character moments. The cinematography vividly contrasts the bright, claustrophobic woods with dimly lit, tense interior scenes, emphasizing themes of entrapment and exposure. The editing fluidly transitions between timelines without sacrificing narrative clarity or mood, allowing the gothic undertones and psychological unrest to simmer.
The performances across the board remain powerful, with Sophie Nélisse's Shauna alternating between emotional fragility and hardened survivalist, and new cast members like Alexa Barajas as Mari bringing fresh intensity to the ensemble. The chemistry among the adult survivors crackles with simmering resentments and fragile alliances, illustrating the corrosive effects of trauma and shared secrets.
Several scenes stand out vividly: the opening forest chase imbues a kinetic anxiety that sets the tone; Misty's drunken bar fight tinged with bitter humor captures her complex grief; the bare-bones funeral juxtaposed with the ominous tape left for Shauna injects mystery; and the shadowy "man with no eyes" adds a chilling surreal layer that blurs the lines between psychological torment and possible supernatural influence.
Narratively and thematically, "It Girl" wrestles with the dialectics of survival versus humanity, isolation versus community, and the mutability of memory and identity under trauma's weight. The title itself-evoking notions of social status, attention, and transformation-acts as a subtle motif for the characters' fluctuating roles within their fractured world and the shifting power dynamics both in the past and present. The episode invites viewers to reflect on how identity is shaped, lost, and reclaimed amid extremity.
Contextually, this premiere situates Yellowjackets further within a lineage of genre-bending female-centric survival dramas, weaving influences from Lord of the Flies and psychological horror with feminist undertones and cultic mysticism. The series continues to push conventions by blending visceral survivalist realism with deep psychological exploration, maintaining a cultural relevance that interrogates the trauma and resilience embedded in female experience.
While some viewers might find the episode's deliberate pacing and subdued immediate drama less electrifying than the show's earlier, more shock-driven moments, its strength lies in building emotional and narrative foundations with care. The sense of mystery, combined with rich character work and atmospheric tension, promises a season that values psychological complexity and thematic depth alongside survival horror thrills.
"It Girl" is a compelling, quietly intense reintroduction to Yellowjackets that blends suspense, character complexity, and thematic richness. Through strong direction, nuanced performances, and cinematic storytelling, it sets the stage for a season that promises to delve deeper into trauma, identity, and the dark undercurrents of survival.
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Details
- Runtime
- 59m
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