Yellowjackets S2: The Showrunners Didn't Take Inspiration From Any Wild Fan Theories (And It Was The Right Call)
The second season of "Yellowjackets" is finally here, and with nine episodes of the story in total, it's clear that at least some fan theories will eventually get addressed. According to the showrunners, though, they ignored a bunch of those theories when they went into Season 2.
Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter after the Season 2 premiere — titled "Friends, Romans, Countrymen" — showrunners Ashley Lyle, Bart Nickerson, and Jonathan Lisco opened up about every far-fetched possibility that fans floated after Season 1. Asked if they incorporated any fan theories into the new season, Lisco spoke first.
"I'll answer for myself, and my answer is no. But that's not to say that I don't read and appreciate the fan reactions. I'm very grateful for them. But my process is just very specific. The more I get down the rabbit hole of what everybody thinks, the less sometimes I know what I think. And ultimately, to create a cohesive narrative with Ashely and Bart and our team of writers, we really need to cut out the noise sometimes and make sure that we know what we want to do."
The creative team behind Yellowjackets charted their own narrative path
After Jonathan Lisco said the team is "cautious" in terms of making sure they stick to the plans they've made, Ashley Lyle agreed. " Because, let's not forget, that is allegedly what our audience responded to in season one. It was us trusting our impulses. And while sometimes we'll read something that's a great idea, it may also not fit the tapestry of what we're doing. So we have to be very careful, I think. Cautious is what I really mean."
Bart Nickerson even had a favorite fan theory, even if it's definitely wrong. "We definitely love the fan theories," he admitted. "I still am such a giant fan of 'Callie is the pit girl.' Where the flashback is actually a flash-forward [for Shauna's daughter, played by Sarah Desjardins]. And it kind of breaks down, because we see in the pilot that's not true. But still, such a fun theory."
The team has definitely had to come forward and debunk potential theories before. After Jackie (Ella Purnell) froze to death at the end of Season 1, fans who clearly loved the character thought she must be a time traveler and somehow survives until the future timeline (Sorry, but no). Then fans got worried that the girls' soccer team, while stranded in the woods, might eat the baby young Shauna (Sophie Nélisse) is carrying (That's definitely not going to happen). Fan theories are plenty fun, but obviously, not all of them hold water.
It's great news that Yellowjackets isn't incorporating fan theories
When all is said and done, it's a complete relief that those on the creative team behind Yellowjackets are simply enjoying the fan theories and not actually using them in the show's narrative. First of all, it's clear that they don't need the fan theories. The showrunners have said multiple times in various outlets that they want the show to run for about five seasons to tell the story they want to tell, which Lyle reiterated to THR. "Five is still currently the plan, but we're big believers in the idea that the story will tell us when it's over," she said. "We just want to tell the best story that we can and so that means not rushing, and it also means not dragging things out. And we'll find the natural conclusion point."
The other good thing about leaving fan theories on Reddit and Twitter where they belong is that too much fan service is rarely a good thing — capitulating to fan demands rather than crafting an original story not only takes away the element of surprise, but creates a wholly uneven dynamic between showrunner and audience member. It's welcome news that Lyle, Nickerson, and Lisco are making their own story exactly the way they want to.
The Season 2 premiere of "Yellowjackets" is streaming on Showtime now.