Yellowjackets (Season 2)

Creators: Ashley Lyle and Bart Nickerson
Starring: Melanie Lynskey, Tawny Cypress, Sophie Nélisse, Jasmin Savoy Brown, Sophie Thatcher, Samantha Hanratty, Christina Ricci, Juliette Lewis, Courtney Eaton, Liv Hewson, Kevin Alves, Simone Kessell, Lauren Ambrose, Elijah Wood, Ella Purnell, Steven Krueger, Warren Kole, Sarah Desjardines, Alexa Barajas, Rukiya Bernard, Aiden Stoxx, Alex Wyndham, Nicole Maines, Nuha Jes Izman, François Arnaud, John Reynolds, John Cameron Mitchell
Original Airdate: 2023

**The Following Review Contains Plot Spoilers For The First Two Seasons Of 'Yellowjackets' **

★★★ ½ (out of ★★★★)   

Sometimes the big test for a dramatic series is whether its showrunners can make the tough, uncomfortable decisions that serve the story's larger purpose. And now after Yellowjackets' latest nine episodes, it's becoming easier to envision there is one. In ending its first season with a major character's death, the psychological survival thriller hinted it wouldn't be shying away from those difficult calls, generating optimism and dread surrounding what's next for the 1996 plane crash survivors and their emotionally traumatized adult counterparts. As such, this entire second chapter may as well share the same title as its eighth episode, "It Chooses." 

What "It" is has emerged as a show defining question, or even the dividing line that separates real from imagined and past and present. But whether the catastrophes in these two timelines can be traced to a supernatural entity or exists primarily in the survivors' heads is becoming harder to distinguish. Whether it's a combination of both, or neither, there still isn't a way for them to change what's happening. We're getting a lot of answers, as creators Ashley Lyle and Bart Nickerson rarely drag their feet, reeling us in by introducing new complications and dangling some unresolved threads awaiting a pay off. 

They know we're hooked for the long haul, and even if this season is noticeably different and crazier, there's no drop-off, with the 90's timeline becoming increasingly unpredictable despite knowing the fates of some involved. And after hints and glimpses of forthcoming tribal violence, attempted murder and cannibalism, this follows through, retaining its dark, twisted sense of humor in the process. And it all culminates in a finale that will have fans scratching their heads as to what lies ahead. "It" may have chosen, but not without shocking consequences that will surely take these characters to even more disturbing places. 

It's late 1996 and the team of plane crash survivors struggle to make it through a brutal winter in the wake of Jackie's (Ella Purnell) death, turning to their anointed leader Lottie (Courtney Eaton) for spiritual guidance, believing she can talk to the wilderness. But as a guilt-ridden, pregnant Shauna (Sophie Nélisse) remains incapable of processing her best friend's death, Taissa's (Jasmin Savoy Brown) nightmares and sleepwalking incidents escalate to alarming levels, with girlfriend Van (Liv Hewson) desperately trying to contain the problem. 

Natalie (Sophie Thatcher) helps Travis (Kevin Alves) continue the search for his missing brother Javi (Luciano Leroux) while Misty (Samantha Hanratty) forms a bond with quirky teammate Crystal (Nuha Jes Izman). Depressed and withdrawn, the one-legged Coach Ben (Steven Krueger) is the odd man out, morally disgusted by the girls' actions as they fall deeper under "Antler Queen" Lottie's mystifying spell.

The adult Yellowjackets aren't faring much better in 2021, with Shauna (Melanie Lynskey) enlisting the help of Taissa (Tawny Cypress) and Misty (Christina Ricci) in covering up her boyfriend Adam's (Peter Gadiot) murder. But with cops closing in, husband Jeff (Warren Kole) and daughter Callie (Sarah Desjardins) prove surprisingly invaluable in protecting Shauna and keeping their family intact. 

Plagued by escalating hallucinations and a personality disorder that's put estranged wife Simone (Rukiya Bernard) and young son Sammy (Aiden Stoxx) in grave danger, Taissa finds Van (Lauren Ambrose), which introduces a new set of challenges. And in reluctantly teaming with eccentric fellow online "Citizen Detective" Walter (Elijah Wood), Misty attempts to rescue a kidnapped Natalie (Juliette Lewis), realizing all roads lead back to Lottie (Simone Kessell), whose woodsy spiritual retreat more closely resembles a cult, dredging up painful memories for the Yellowjackets.                       

After the finale tease of Lottie being behind Natalie's abduction, one of the bigger curiosities heading into this season was the potential addition of more adult survivors. But Lottie and Van's presence is a little more complex than anticipated, at least so far as the former's motivations, as she psychologically teeters on the edge, hinting at something more sinister. Then again, the same could be said for everyone who made it out of the wilderness in one piece, yet remain permanently shattered by the experience.

Simone Kessell keeps us guessing as the middle-aged version of the Lottie, now going by Charlotte. On one hand, she's credible as a spiritual guru you want to believe has the purest intentions in helping Natalie, until realizing that's exactly how cult leaders operate. Still, it's clear both the younger and older iterations of the character suffer the same painful effects of being able to see what no one else can. Upon their arrival at her compound, the team again becomes quickly entangled in Charlotte's web, discovering what Nat and troubled followers like Lisa (Nicole Maines) already know. Forgiveness is a nice idea, but letting go is harder than it looks. 

As owner of the incredibly named "While You Were Streaming" video store, adult Van also hasn't moved on or dealt with what happened twenty five years earlier. And Taissa showing up does little to improve that, even if their connection is still immediately apparent and seemingly stronger than ever. It's fun contrasting how fan favorite Lauren Ambrose plays Van character in comparison to Liv Hewson's '96 take. While there are still shades of her younger counterpart's sarcastic humor, whatever joy she had as a teen has been wiped clean away in the decades following the crash. And the fatal medical diagnosis she's withholding from Taissa only makes her depression that much worse. 

Adult Misty further pushes the envelope of what we perceive she's capable of after eliminating Taissa's hired investigator Jessica Roberts (Rekha Sharma) last season. Her unbridled excitement at helping Shauna dispose of Adam's body is typical Misty, even as the plan implodes, bringing her no closer to achieving the respect and acceptance she's always craved. The arrival of true crime soulmate Walter provides reassurance, bringing out a certain vulnerability, energizing her with the possibility someone truly sees and accepts who she is. 

Ricci and Elijah Wood's Ice Storm reunion is the highlight of the season, if not the entire series thus far. If you thought Misty and Nat road trips had spin-off potential, a show with these two joining forces to solve crimes would easily top it, as Ricci continues to play Misty as the show's most desperately likable sociopath. She and the equally eccentric Walter each harbor legitimate doubts they can trust each other, while we speculate whether he'll even survive the season. Walter's obsessive interest in Adam's disappearance raises Misty's suspicions, even as their relationship takes some outrageous detours, including a surreal Twin Peaks-inspired musical dream sequence featuring John Cameron Mitchell. 

Even with Misty's criminal expertise, Shauna's doing enough on her own to attract suspicion from detective Kevyn Tan (Alex Wyndham), as Jeff temporarily shelves his shock and anger over Shauna's affair to help cover up Adam's murder. But considering how Jeff's blackmail plot with buddy Randy (Jeff Holman) partially led to this mess, he proves surprisingly loyal, with Warren Kole adding some needed dimension and humanity to his overgrown jock character. 

Sarah Desjardines basically steals these episodes as Callie, flipping the script on last season's angry teen trope and proving the apple doesn't fall far from the tree. When Callie's involvement with undercover detective Saracusa (John Reynolds) jeopardizes everything, she quickly adjusts, showing an aptitude under pressure few expected from this previously irritating character. Of everyone, she might be the shrewdest, as an impressed Lottie eventually finds out firsthand. But as sad at it seems, it took Shauna killing someone to finally bring her and Callie closer.

It's not difficult to see how the loss of Shauna's baby would directly inform that dysfunctional relationship with Callie later on. Shauna's doomed pregnancy is hard to watch, as is the team staring in stunned silence as she later beats the hell out of Lottie, nearly killing her. But the group's impromptu Midsommar-like feast (with Jackie as a main course) is a bridge too far for the disgusted, suicidal Coach Ben. He's haunted by his decision to board that plane and leave behind an unexplored life with boyfriend Paul (François Arnaud). Misty's friendship with Crystal goes south, as we knew it would, but more revealing is how she covers up her bestie's barely accidental death, planting seeds for the Citizen Detective she'll become.

Nat makes some morally questionable calls in dealing with Travis before her number seemingly comes up. It's alarming how quickly the team's bloodthirst kicks in, becoming all too eager to hunt and kill her because the wilderness "chose." But if what happens to the returning Javi is any indication, it's the Yellowjackets calling all the shots. They could have saved him and didn't, instead getting another meal and paving the way for Lottie to pass the Antler Queen baton to Nat.

Adult Nat won't be so lucky, but at least goes out sacrificing herself to save Lisa. This is as big a death as it gets on an ensemble drama like this, placing the remainder of Nat's story in Sophie Thatcher's hands. And she often doesn't get enough credit for channeling Juliette Lewis's mannerisms and voice, with many opting instead to focus on a perceived lack of physical resemblance (which isn't true upon looking at clips and photos of a younger Lewis). 

Heightened by the use of Radiohead's "Street Spirit (Fade Out)," Nat's strangely moving death sequence is more notable for seeing Thatcher and Lewis act side-by-side in the same scene. As the character passes over to the other side having apparently found some kind of peace, you remember just how interconnected everything is. Because the format can sometimes make this feel like two different shows, any chance to see the older and younger versions of these characters interact on screen is bound to feel special. And this definitely does.

With adult Shauna apparently in the clear over Adam's murder thanks to Walter, Misty will have to wrestle with the fact she's directly responsible for Nat's demise. Beyond that, everything's a question mark in that timeline, almost as if it's wrapped up. The past looks a little clearer, as more death, betrayals and dark days seem inevitable until rescue. Feeling increasingly dispensable, Coach Ben's burning of the cabin indicates he's officially gone off the rails, setting him up as a far bigger threat and making those brief glimpses of the team's 1998 return home even more intriguing.   

Like most second seasons, this tries to jam a lot in, but even as we're sometimes left perplexed by character motivations or storytelling holes, it's kind of shocking how steady it remains. And while the musical choices seem a little more on the nose compared to last season, it's tough to complain about such an impressive catalogue of mid 90's hits, along with an Alanis Morrisette cover of Craig Wedren and Anna Waronker's brilliant "No Return" opening theme.

Considering its perilous setting and a plot dependent on physical survival, the makeup and costuming needs to be unmatched, which it is. This also seems to be outgrowing all those early, superficial comparisons to Lost, as you sense the writers know the importance of having enough creative guardrails in place to prevent the series from devolving into an impenetrable puzzle-box. But based on what we've seen, Yellowjackets is still headed in an upward trajectory, delivering a tight sophomore season that doesn't overstay its welcome and still has us clamoring for more. 

Your Honor

Creator: Peter Moffat
Starring: Bryan Cranston, Hunter Doohan, Hope Davis, Sofia Black-D'Elia, Isiah Whitlock Jr., Michael Stuhlbarg, Carmen Ejogo, Lilli Kay, Amy Landecker, Tony Curran, Lamar Johnson, Benjamin Flores Jr., Jimi Stanton, Chet Hanks, Andrene Ward-Hammond, David Maldonado, Melanie Nicholls-King, Lorraine Toussaint, Margo Martindale, Maura Tierney
Original Airdate: 2020

★★★ ½ (out of ★★★★)

When Breaking Bad ended its run in 2013, all this speculation followed as to what Bryan Cranston would do next. Or, in other words, how do you top THAT? Of course, the answer is that you can't, nor is it necessary to. The freedom and clout to do whatever he wanted led him to dabble in a little bit of everything, resulting in a successful case study in how to build off an enormous once-in-a-lifetime  career juggernaut. A character actor long before that series came along, he'd pick up where he left off, albeit with much better projects and collaborators from which to choose. Having done some TV, feature films and Broadway, even winning a Tony for playing LBJ in All the Way (a role he'd reprise in the HBO adaptation), he definitely hasn't been hurting for quality work, enjoying the benefits of  effortlessly slipping in and out of supporting and lead roles without viewers thinking twice, even now. 

While Cranston would probably be the first to say there are far worse things than forever being linked to one of the greatest roles ever written for an actor, his inspired, ecelectic choices since have strayed pretty far from it. Until Now. Showtime's limited series Your Honor (loosely adapted from the Israeli series, Kvodo) not only marks Cranston's return to long-form episodic TV drama, but the first part since his seminal series wrapped that screams, "WALTER WHITE." If the similarities between the chemistry teacher turned drug kingpin and this put-upon judicial protagonist are undeniable, Cranston (also sharing executive producing credits and directing the finale) and showrunner Peter Moffat wisely don't avoid them, ironically helping to cement the character and series as uniquely its own despite a "parent covers kid's crime" plot that's kind of become a television trope of late.

Though Cranston's big screen work as a desserting husband in 2017's unfairly overlooked Wakefield still ranks way up there, this is arguably his strongest post-Breaking Bad project and performance, returning him to the kind of desperate, flailing do-gooder he's a master at playing. Like his most famous role, the character begins with noble intentions and as an upstanding citizen attempting to do the right thing. Then something happens and a single lie turns into a bigger one, and into an even bigger one still, and before long, he's breaking the very law he took an oath to uphold. You could actually argue he's relatively well-intentioned until about half-way through these ten episodes, when the lies start becoming more elaborate and immoral, affecting lives far beyond those directly involved. 

Even with all its dizzying twists and turns, this remains Cranston's show and we get the feeling his character's actions could easily enter Walt territory if the series continued past its limited number of episodes. By the end, he's almost already there, stuck squarely in the middle of a dangerous cat-and-mouse game where his survival depends on staying multiple steps ahead as the walls close in. And that alone should make many Breaking Bad fans feel right at home.     

On the one year anniversary of his wife's murder, respected New Orleans judge Michael Desiato (Cranston) is placed in an impossible situation when his 17 year-old college-bound son Adam (Hunter Doohan) accidentally runs down and kills another teen in a hit-and-run. Panicked and in the throes of a full-blown asthma attack, he initially tries to resucitate him, attempting to call to 911 before fleeing the scene in shock and fear. After confessing to his father, Michael's plans to have Adam turn himself in are derailed when it becomes apparent the victim is Rocco Baxter (Benjamin Wadsworth), son of organized crime kingpin, Jimmy Baxter (Michael Stuhlbarg) and his cutthroat wife Gina (Hope Davis). 

Fearing certain retaliation if Adam's crime is exposed, Michael's priorities shift to covering up his son's actions by calling in some favors and covering their tracks. He starts with best friend and politician Charlie (Isiah Whitlock Jr.), whose crime connections could help make the vehicle disappear.  He'll also have to control and manipulate the involvement of suspicious detective Nancy Costello (Amy Landecker) and former protégé and lawyer, Lee Delamere (Carmen Ejogo), both of whom Michael called immediately following the accident, much to his regret. 

With Michael's cover-up triggering consequences devastating enough to escalate an already raging gang war within the city, the Baxters reign over the corrupt NOPD with every resource at their disposal, ensuring it isn't long before they find out what really happened to Rocco. Further fueling their vengeance is that their eldest son, Carlo (Jimi Stanton) is incarcerated while spunky teen daughter Fia (Lilli Kay) is rebelling against her Catholic upbringing in the wake of their brother's tragic death. 

The biggest hole in Michael's convoluted plans just might be the moroseful, introspective Adam, who hasn't yet recovered from his mother's death long enough to truly process what he's done. While an ongoing illicit affair with his photography teacher, Frannie (Sofia Black-D'Elia) only compounds this anxiety, it's the overwhelming guilt surrounding the accident that's breaking him, and may unintentionally unravel his dad's schemes to prevent Jimmy Baxter from uncovering the truth, and killing them both. 

Everything keeps coming back to the car, as Michael either directly or indirectly involves nearly half of New Orleans' population in his plans to dispose of the vehicle, only to have it come right back and bite him at the worst possible moments. But what's so impressive about Cranston's performance is that we believe this is a man who overthinks every detail to the point that he's almost outthinking himself in a frantic bid to make sure every base is covered. As a result, he gets sloppy, overcovering his tracks to the point of micromanagement, too often drawing unecessary attention in all the wrong ways. 

Michael's decision to go through all these channels to have the car "taken care of" temporarily gets Adam off the hook, but causes a chain reaction that essentially destroys the lives of Kofi Jones (Lamar Johnson) and his little brother Eugene Jones (Benjamin Flores Jr.), two young black kids running in the wrong circles. In a series full of senseless tragedies, what ends up happening with them is easily the most senseless and undeserved. And unfortunately for Adam, he'll never truly be off the hook.

What Michael has most in common with Walter White is his inventive responses to each new impossible obstacle put in his way, in turn opening the floodgates for another calamity that's usually twice as damaging. In some ways it's the toughest kind of episodic storytelling to write because there has to be an escalating tension based off events and actions that require a certain degree of sloppiness to get the story where it needs to go. Creative risks often accompany the manufacturing of these messy scenarios, and as far as over-the-top legal thrillers go, this does snuggly fit within that wheelhouse. 

The amount of sympathy and understanding we have for the Desiatos start at a high point, gradually descending the further their big lie extends, even while acknowledging few would have the courage to do what's most obviously the right thing from the start and confess. But is it? Michael's clearly correct in assessing the ruthless Jimmy Baxter wouldn't hesitate to off Adam if he ever found out he killed his son, however accidental it was. As viewers, we're instinctively protective of a kid who made a snap bad judgment in a scary scenario while having an asthma attack. So even while conceding that both his immediate and long-term actions afterward are wrong, the criminal threat of the victim's family muddies already murky ethical waters. 

We reach a point where the mildly justifiable becomes indefensible, most especially as it relates to Michael. Adam, on the other hand, seems to be behaving in such a way that he wants to get caught. Either that, or the writing has holes big enough to drive a truck through. There's just no other way to explain him returning to the scene of the crime, hanging around courts and prisons, blabbing to people in such a way that implicates himself, attending a public memorial for his victim, and in the grandaddy of them all, getting involved with Fia Baxter, a move that subsequently raises the stakes and tension. If the deck isn't already stacked enough against Adam, his affair with Frannie (which doesn't seem to come exclusively from a place of lust, ranking as almost tame compared to other illegalities on the show) could make the teacher more vulnerable than she even knows. The same could be said for his grandmother, and Michael's mother-in-law, Elizabeth (the great Margo Martindale), whose political position as a senator is yet another hurdle Michael must clear.

Jimmy Baxter hardly needs an excuse to commit heinous crimes, but now with something resembling an actual excuse to, and the means, the threat he poses is frighteningly real. Frequently unrecognizable from role to role, Michael Stuhlbarg is able to go incognito again with this subtly powerful performance, made all the more impactful that it's opposite Cranston. 

Just seeing these two acting titans go face-to-face is really what we're really here for and it doesn't disappoint, with Stuhlbarg playing the grieving Jimmy with a quiet sensitivity that's interspersed with sporadically violent fits of rage. It's inevitable he'll find out what Michael's up to as we wait for the other shoe to drop, but how that happens, and the adjustments he must make, is where all the surprises are found. 

The wildcard is Carlo, the eldest Baxter son who's doing time, but still a massive amount of damage from within his prison cell. Michael and Adam's very survival could depend on whether his dad can wield his judicial influence to help the thuggish, drug-dealing, murdering brute, and in the process potentially betraying everything and everyone he holds dear. This is where Cranston's performance kicks into the highest gear possible as Michael frantically scrambles to come up with solutions that could spare him and his son's life, if only even for just another day.

With a trial as its closing arc, this series disproves the theory that all legal thrillers need to be spend an inordinate amount of time in the courtroom bogged down by procedure and expository dialogue. Presiding over a case that has to go a certain way, Michael's in a position where he can't so obviously tip the scales as to draw attention to his own impropriety. Playing in a chess game rather than overseeing a trial, every single move counts and even the slightest ruling the wrong way could be catastrophic. He can control a lot, but not everything, and it becomes torturous fun watching all the curve balls thrown his way and how Cranston conveys Michael's flummoxed reactions. 

Fitting into a far larger discussion in how popular entertainment is choosing or not choosing to incorporate the pandemic into storylines, the assumption that these events were taking place prior to that are shattered when masks start showing up in the last quarter of the series. Well, kind of. There doesn't seem to be much consistency in their depiction, but give the writers credit for ingenuity and comic relief as Michael actually uses "social distancing" as an excuse to pull off one of his manipulative tactics during the trial.

Much like HBO's Treme, this dives far into the atmosphere of New Orleans, framing the city as important a character as the rogues gallery of corrupt law enforcement, nefarious politicians, lawmakers, family and gang members that put our protagonist in the worst of company. And there's still yet another side that exposes a sense of bustling community in the streets and an underlying and overriding sense of loyalty amongst its people to protect their own, making the betrayals that occur especially heartbreaking. 

The broken system Michael attempts to navigate proves impenetrable, even for someone with his standing. Its ending has been accurately compared to a Shakespearian tragedy, concluding on a note depressing enough to make Better Call Saul feel like a trip to Disney World. There's a mad dash to wrap it all up with many dangling threads, but it's an appropriately straightforward closer considering what got us there. It's easy to believe this was only intended as a limited series with no plans to go further. But if we've learned anything, it's always possible to continue, no matter how creatively inadvisable that may seem. The bigger question is why you'd bother when within its ten episodes Your Honor manages to jam more in than most series have in their entire extended runs.