‘Yellowjackets’ EP/Director Karyn Kusama on That Shocking Season 2 Finale and What Might Be Explored Next

(Above, Karyn Kusama with Courtney Eaton and Samantha Hanratty of Yellowjackets at Varietys TV Fest in June.)

Somehow, Season 2 of Showtimes hit drama Yellowjackets managed to keep its sense of humor, even as the series story got darker and, yes, it finally went full cannibal. Its all about balancing the tone, which is something executive producer Karyn Kusama helped set last season as director of the shows pilot.

Kusama tells Varietys Awards Circuit Podcast that the Yellowjackets balance of shock and guffaw comes out of the visions of executive producers/showrunners Ashley Lyle, Bart Nickerson and Jonathan Lisco. Theyve always understood a tone that I really love myself, which is a kind of adrenalized intense experience that sometimes makes you feel like you need to laugh because youre so nervous.

Kusama, who also directed the series shocking Season 2 finale, talks about about where the series went this year, balancing the tone of the show even as it goes full cannibal and where shed like to see it go next. But first, on the Awards Circuit Roundtable, we talk about episodic submissions for this years Emmy awards and much more. Listen below!

In Season 2, Yellowjackets, which earned its second consecutive Emmy nomination for outstanding drama this year, dug deeper into what happened when a high school girls soccer team crash landed in the Canadian Rockies wilderness with no help or food. The series splits its focus between those flashbacks and today, when we see how the survivors are still haunted by what happened.

In 1996, the season ends with Natalie (Sophie Thatcher) taking over as leader from Lottie (Courtney Eaton), and the ramifications of what happened when none of the hungry survivors tries to save the youngest, Javi, as he falls into a lake and is eyed as dinner. In the final moments, their cabin erupts into flames leaving everyone outdoors in the cold. In the modern timeline, Lottie (Simone Kessell) suggests its time for one of them to be sacrificed. Ultimately, they race after Shauna (Melanie Lynskey), but its Natalie (Juliette Lewis) who is killed by an injection of phenobarbital by Misty (Christina Ricci).

For those new to Yellowjackets, yes, that sounds dark. But this season also featured a moment where Mistys pet bird Caligula, played by John Cameron Mitchell, performed a song-and-dance number with Ricci.

Were at this place with visual storytelling where, at the very least, take the swing, Kusama says. Who writes the rules, really? And why do we follow those rules? What was exciting about those kind of moments in the show was that it was just trying something. It was sort of imagining, OK, if were trying to get to the interior of some of these head spaces of these characters, maybe that interior is really fundamentally wild and interesting. Lets explore it. And I really respect that about the show. That it takes those chances.

As for when Yellowjackets might return with Season 3, the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes mean theres no timetable for the show, like most now. The writers room had just opened when the WGA called for pencils down, which means those Season 2 cliffhangers might be holding on for a while longer. But fans of the show saw a glimpse of what might be still to come at the start of the season, when we briefly see what happens after they return home from being rescued. Kusama says more will be revealed.

Ive been so excited by this, she says. The concept of that immediate aftermath of re-entry into the world, to me, theres a whole season worth of material there. And the fact that this is such a long game that each of these characters is facing, in terms of reorienting themselves to whatever normalcy is supposed to be. Im sure were going to learn that their normal is a lot different than our normal Theres a lot that needs to be figured out between Season 2 and Season 3.

Varietys Awards Circuit podcast, produced by Michael Schneider, is your one-stop listen for lively conversations about the best in film and television. Each week Awards Circuit features interviews with top film and TV talent and creatives; discussions and debates about awards races and industry headlines; and much more. Subscribe via Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify or anywhere you download podcasts. New episodes post weekly.