The first episode of Yellowjackets 2 ends with a scene full of romantic-esque cannibalism. Yes, it can be, Sophie Nélisse plays it strangely well.
Posted at 7:15am
The second episode ends with a cannibal banquet that doesn’t elicit as much gagging from those gorging themselves on pieces of corpses cooked over a wood fire.
Vegan friends, bon appetit! If reading the first two sentences puts you off, go under the chart for this show. Because the second season of Yellowjackets promises to be even scarier, darker and more disturbing than the first, albeit perhaps less surprising.
The first three episodes I watched spill over the trauma experienced by plane crash survivors, distilling few clues to the occult power that haunts teenage girls – and their adult versions – even in their nightmares.
But of course, despite a softer and watered-down plot that is stronger than us, we want to know the meaning of the mystical symbols engraved on the trees and, above all, to see how the girls managed to live in the middle of the world for 19 months to survive forest, without amenities, without anything.
Before proceeding, here are the technical details. Combining horror, fantasy and paranormal, this thriller begins Friday in English and French on the Crave platform. Super Ecran subscribers will reconnect to Yellowjackets 2 on Monday, March 27 at 8:00 p.m.
Halfway between Lost, Alive and Midsommar, Yellowjackets begins in the summer of 1996 when a small plane carrying a New Jersey high school girls’ soccer team crashes in remote mountains. The series then alternates between two time periods, 1996, when the teenage girls try not to die of hunger and cold, and today, when they live with memories of the horrible things they did.
The second season begins two months after the death of beautiful Jackie, the team’s captain, who is found frozen outside the chalet. Her best friend Shauna (Sophie Nélisse), who is about to give birth, experiences this grief with difficulty, you will quickly understand why.
At the camp, the witty Lottie acts as the official guru for the increasingly hungry, dirty, violent, and confused young women. The winter is harsh, food supplies are running low, and the group’s mental state is declining. Lottie and her visions take up a lot of screen time, both past and present.
For those who forgot the story, the first installment of Yellowjackets 2 skillfully replaces each of the characters. In the present, the police hover around Shauna (excellent Melanie Lynskey) over the disappearance of her lover Adam, whom she killed. Senator Taissa experiences episodes of sleepwalking and hallucinations that are not very comfortable.
One of my favorite characters, former cocaine addict Natalie (Juliette Lewis), finds herself practically in a cult, while the lovable but troubled Misty (Christina Ricci) throws herself into a citizen investigation, let’s not reveal anything, aided by a new character by Elijah Wood.
Quebec actor François Arnaud comes in the third episode of Yellowjackets 2. He plays Paul, assistant coach Ben’s lover, who had his leg amputated (with an ax!) in the first season, forget it.
Yellowjacket’s selection of teen and adult actresses remains great. It’s amazing how these actresses manage to embody their characters, who are 25 years apart, in the same way and with the same intonation.
Another perfect addition to the cast is redhead Lauren Ambrose, who we saw in Servant and Six Feet Under (hello Claire!). In the current storyline, she plays Van, who was Taissa’s first girlfriend.
You don’t replace Van? She is the one who was disfigured by a wolf in the first season and had her face stitched up by her comrades.
That’s it, yellow jackets. Gore shrouded in mystery and shamanism. Featuring songs by Tori Amos and Veruca Salt.
Zenith on the way to Fox
Louis Morissette is currently negotiating a major deal to sell the format of the Zénith show, as well as its international operations, to American giant Fox, a network accustomed to huge variety shows like American Idol and The Masked Singer.
“Fox wants to take Zenith, produce it in its studios and distribute it around the world. Personally, I would see a Kelly Clarkson hosting the American version of Zenith,” notes producer Louis Morissette of KOTV.
To give you an idea of the scale of this potential transaction, Fox is now owned by Disney. Let’s assume it opens doors more easily.
Zenith is also attracting interest on France 2 and in Germany. “Internationally, no one has commented on the concept, it would be difficult to understand,” emphasizes Louis Morissette in an interview.
There are only three episodes left of the first season of Zenith. Nostradumas is not mistaken when he announces that Véronique Cloutier and her four generations will return for another musical tournament in winter 2024. Sing to the zenith! (you have the topic in your head all day long, bye).