Culture writer Emma Fraser argues that Showtime’s buzzy freshman survival series “Yellowjackets” could — and maybe should — beat HBO juggernaut/Emmy favorite “Succession” for Outstanding Drama Series.
Kusama’s tantalizing opening installment of "Yellowjackets" received a nomination in the Outstanding Directing category, which speaks to its brilliant combination of spectacle and intimacy. Grounding a mystery in the familiar is a tricky line to walk, but the tense forest cult ritual that kicks off the "Yellowjackets" premiere is integral to the fan theorizing that lit up subreddits like Christmas trees and helped make the show such a cultural sensation last winter.
The pilot then draws us into recognizable interpersonal landscapes and supernatural circumstances across two timelines — a teenage survival story circa 1996 and a present day character drama where the adult versions of those high school survivors are still struggling to put the past behind them. It’s a testament to Kusama that she manages to keep the tone playful and foreboding across both timelines.
Girlhood is a nightmare for the Yellowjackets soccer team long before they step foot on the plane, and a fight that breaks out at a bonfire in the pilot is indicative of the tricky teeange politics that will only grow larger across the series. In these character moments, it’s clear the "Yellowjackets" creatives have a handle on their high school era scenes and aren’t simply dialing up on-trend ‘90s nostalgia.
The second episode, "F Sharp," meanwhile, focuses on marital strife and the aftermath of the plane crash, which don’t score equal trauma points but emphasize the ability of "Yellowjackets" to serve each crisis with care and attention. It isn’t all doom, despair and amputating legs either, as present-day survivor Misty delivers a dinner date that doubles as a lesson in romantic perseverance.
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