I just watched the Yellowjackets s2 finale, and I have to say ...

No Yellowjackets, no!

[SPOILERS to s2 finale and s2 in general]

The first season of the show was so good; it is both impressive in that the first season of any show is very rarely its best, and, it's perilous for the follow-up seasons as they stretch to reach this very high standard.

Season 2 did not, unfortunately, reach it. It was still a decent watch, and I still want to see what happens to these ladies, but it was just not as compelling as s1.The resolution to some mysteries (what happened to Shauna's wilderness baby?) didn't quite satisfy. And the new mysteries didn't command my curiosity the same way.

What made s2 watchable, though, was it let its actors flourish. My affection for Melanie Lynskey, Christina Ricci and Juliette Lewis, not to mention the entire younger cast, has grown. Sophie Thatcher is a standout from the 96 timeline, she's fantastic. Sarah Desjardins as Callie is now also putting some major points on the board.

Warren Kole. In a sea of powerhouse women, he's given us some of the same level of LOL moments previously provided by Ms'z Ricci and Lewis, and he's also become perhaps my favourite TV husband and father already. (He has a dad's rock the f out playlist on Spotify btw, which is such excellent marketing.) Shauna's electric knife hands dream. Giving Callie some context of what her mom went through in the wilderness. A+ job, Mr Kole. (None of this could be done without Melanie Lynskey, of course - her underspoken Shauna in situations super fucked up is always also A+.)

So, my initial No! was aimed at the death of Natalie in the current timeline. I didn't want Nat to die, mostly because I don't want Juliette Lewis to leave. SHE IS TOO GOOD. Her and Christina Ricci together was 24k gold.

S2 certainly was not devoid of good writing: the tragedy of Javi, and how the drawer of the queen card keeps surviving for example (anxiety as our favourite characters draw the card, anguish as we see who has to die in their place). Everything Misty, from then and now. (though I can't tell how much Christina Ricci and Samantha Hanratty might be elevating the words, to be honest; they're both so good). This stuff - this is what we like. Give us this stuff in s3, and continue to allow your cast to ball the f out. Yellowjackets, you can still make it to nationals!

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Post script: I don't know how much this song would cost, but if I was Jeff I'd be rocking the f out to Burden in my Hand by Soundgarden. I mean, the chorus is perfect. Would love to see Warren Kole steering wheel drum that first chorus.

YELLOWJACKETS (or: I have looked all over the place / and you have got my favourite face)

I must right a wrong. 

Previously in my best of 2022 TV shows post I didn't even list Yellowjackets as a potential though not yet viewed candidate. This was wrong. SO, SO WRONG. EGREGIOUSLY WRONG.

Turns out Yellowjackets is this crazy phenomenal mix of three of my favourite shows of all time: Lost, X-Files and Hannibal. It's fun, funny, shocking, horrific (if my soul were not already baked and dried of humanity), heartbreaking, did I mention funny? The casting. I don't think there is an award for casting but if there was, it should be named after the people who cast this show. It's UNCANNY. YES MORE CAPS LOCK, IT'S fucking UNBELIEVABLE SOMETIMES.

The young cast acts beyond their age - and yeah they are technically 20 somethings not teens but you know what I mean. They are very, very good actors, the lot of them. But Sophie Nelisse who plays young Shauna, Sophie Thatcher who plays young Nat and Samantha Hanratty who plays young Misty in particular are just fantastic. The Sophies are again, beyond their years in their ability to play heartbreak and guilt that, let's face it, they probably haven't even experienced at that level in real life yet. Samantha's portrayal of young Misty is completely and utterly convincing when you line her up with the older Misty played by Christina Ricci. Not even isolating appearance or mannerisms or whatever; on literally every level, they ARE the same person.

Ms Ricci of course does a spectacular job, and in most situations I would tag her as my favourite character and actor on the show. But this particular show has this particular embarrassment of riches. The statement about uncanny casting? It's true, it's very much a fact. Juliette Lewis as older Nat is also spectacular, and in fact, probably the funnest scenes to watch are with her and Christina Ricci reacting to one another. It's a fucking clinic if you ever need to crack a buddy movie.

My favourite character, though, is older Shauna played by Melanie Lynskey. You know her from somewhere, but where? (I've seen her in several things but I 'know' her from the movie I Don't Feel At Home In This World Anymore - and then, more recently from the Last of Us.) Well, now I know her from Yellowjackets. Because her performance is everything. She does EVERYTHING. Standing alone, she is the funniest. She's also the saddest, and the most hearbreakingly open (but closed), the sweetest, definitely the most under the surface boiling-y-est. The juxtaposition of her soft-spoken sincerity during her dealings with her rebellious daughter Callie, or set beside her butchery ... it is awesome.

I have so much more to say about this show. Since I started s1 a couple weeks ago, I've become obsessed. I've already watched the first season twice - I'm waiting for s2 to conclude so I can binge it all (and then likely re-binge it immediately thereafter). All of the high quality content in which we drown, through the past few years of it, I've chosen to repeat watch only three shows: Severance, Party Down and Yellowjackets. They are all that good.

So I won't say more, because it's just droning and besides it has probably all been said on the internet anyway (chatbot, can you please review all Yellowjackets discussions to confirm?). But this brilliance must be recognized. This buzz must be buzzed.

Oh and PS, since my first watch of the pilot I've had Supernova by Liz Phair stuck in my head. So two weeks or so, this song has been playing in my head. It is wonderful.