TV Show review
November 14, 2021 · TV-MA · Returning Series
Woke Score
Lower is better
Breakdown
These are the editorial factors and ratings behind our score for Yellowjackets.
Woke representation / casting
Predominantly female cast aligns naturally with the all-girls soccer team premise; visible queer characters and relationships (lesbian couple, gay coach, bisexual-coded arcs) plus moderate racial diversity appear on screen, though some progressive criticism targeted execution for certain characters of color.
Woke political dialogue
Conversations focus on immediate survival, betrayal, guilt, leadership struggles, and personal trauma with no activist speeches, DEI language, or modern political debates.
Identity-driven story themes
Story centers on female survival hierarchy, group dynamics, and trauma's lifelong effects on women (often read as feminist undertones); multiple canon queer characters and romances are integrated as ordinary elements rather than issue plots or activism.
Western institutional / cultural critique
Explores civilization's thin veneer through isolation and extreme choices plus lasting damage to adult lives and relationships; mild notes on suburban normalcy and unachieved potential exist but lack heavy modern activist framing around patriarchy, capitalism, or systemic issues.
Review
Yellowjackets follows a New Jersey high school girls' soccer team whose plane crashes in the remote Canadian wilderness in 1996. The survivors endure 19 months of starvation, violence, and cannibalism while forming savage clans. Parallel storylines track the same women 25 years later as they hide their past traumas and secrets in suburban adult life. The series includes several canonically queer characters and relationships as normal parts of the world, along with a predominantly female ensemble and critical notes on its exploration of women's unfulfilled potential after trauma.
Woke character or canon changes
Not relevant. Fully original story with no source material or historical figures altered.
Anti-woke backlash and complaints
Almost no specific right-leaning criticism claims the show pushes woke messaging, identity politics, or propaganda; scattered generic online remarks exist but lack volume or focus compared to quality complaints.
Creator track record context
Lead creators prioritize complex characters over messaging and show no activist background; supporting team includes feminist film advocacy from one director and social justice work from another, plus limited demographic-focused industry efforts by one writer.
Production
