WARNING: This article contains spoilers from Yellowjackets.
thriller Yellowjackets has returned for its third season, leaving fans once again engrossed in the show’s timeline.
It’s been two years since viewers last saw the drama, which ended its second season with the shocking death of former Antler Queen Natalie, portrayed by Juliette Lewis.
Now, fans are being gradually revealed what transpired next in the Canadian wilderness during the 1990s timeline, as well as how the characters’ lives have evolved into adulthood.
Numerous questions remain unanswered, including whether a powerful force exists in the wild, who survived and died, and who might be the next casualty.
A simpler question also piques subscribers’ curiosity: exactly how long did the teens have to survive before they were rescued?
Yellowjackets timeline explained as clues indicate how long they were in the wilderness (Image: PARAMOUNT PLUS)
Yellowjackets season 2 had a winter backdrop which turned into summer for the third season. (Image: PARAMOUNT PLUS)
Yellowjackets wilderness timeline
Yellowjackets tells the story of a high school girls’ soccer team that must do everything possible to survive after their plane crashes into the Canadian wilderness en route to the Nationals.
The series alternates between 1996 and the present day, revealing that the teenagers were stranded for 19 months with various clues throughout the series hinting at the duration of the team’s ordeal.
It is mentioned that the girls had to miss their prom to attend the Nationals, which typically takes place in May.
By the final episodes, snow is falling and there’s chatter about a grim “doomcoming” bash, a play on the usual October homecoming festivities.
It’s hinted that Shauna, portrayed by Sophie Nélisse, may have conceived just before the crash and in the season finale, she’s struggling to squeeze into her “doomcoming” outfit.
Yellowjackets timeline: Shauna’s pregnancy is a good indication of how much time had passed as she gives birth in the second season. (Image: PARAMOUNT PLUS)
These hints suggest the debut series covers roughly five to six months of the survival saga.
Contrastingly, the second season spans a tighter timeframe, estimated at four to five months, including a two-month leap from the first series’ conclusion.
This is underscored when Taissa, acted by Jasmin Savoy Brown, mentions Shauna’s ongoing conversations with Jackie’s (Ella Purnell) remains for a few months.
Furthermore, as Shauna faces labour pains and the group practices morning meditation, it’s deduced it’s been about nine months post-crash.
A further time jump occurs between seasons two and three, changing from a winter backdrop to a summer one, signalling several months had passed.
The timeline for the upcoming episodes in season three, however, remains a mystery, as does the potential for a fourth series.
Yellowjackets season three continues every Friday on Paramount+.