“Yellowjackets” is Supernatural. Get Over It.
Frankie Colao-Piñeyro
She/Her
Arts and Entertainment Editor
2/28/25
Popular television show “Yellowjackets” aired its season three premiere on Feb 14. To recap what the series is about (in case you didn’t already know): a girls’ highschool soccer team finds themselves victim to a plane crash, and are stranded in the Canadian wilderness. While stranded, the girls seem to invoke some sort of ancient spirit which is quite literally referred to as “The Wilderness.” Though the existence of this spirit or force is often debated within the series and the fandom, the underlying supernatural nature of the show is undeniable.
Some characters and fans believe that the wilderness is just the girls attaching meaning to the trauma they’re facing, while some believe there is a supernatural element at play. One of the girls, Lottie, believes very heavily in the wilderness, and even seems to be able to communicate with it. Characters like Shauna believe it was just the girl’s brutality coming alive within the woods; “There is no It, It was just us.”
The supernatural element, however, is far too prevalent to not be real. Upon the girls arrival we learn that Lottie takes medication, presumably for schizophrenia. When she runs out, however, she starts having premonitions that correlate with real show-time events. We are even shown a flashback of her as a child where she predicts a car crash. If the show weren’t supernatural, this, among other plot points, would be entirely moot.
Theories have circulated that the spirit the girls are encountering is the Wendigo, a cannibalistic monster from Algonquian folklore. The Wendigo often serves as
a cautionary tale about the dangers of isolation and selfishness. Historically, Wendigos’ are depicted as having antlers as well, of which there is much imagery in the show, additionally reinforced by the presence of “The Antler Queen,” a mysterious character in the wilderness.
While some fans have alleged that they would be disappointed if the show was confirmed to be supernatural, more favoring the argument that the show’s events were just their trauma; it’s possible that two things can be true at once. The storyline can be an effect of their trauma and supernatural all at once. Furthermore, the overarching meaning of the show would be pointless without the supernatural element, as it serves as an allegory for not just the girl’s trauma, but the brutality and selfishness that inherently lies within us all.