Script pages from the pilot to the hit series Yellowjackets reveal the names of the cannibalistic survivors shown at the beginning of the episode. Yellowjackets was renewed for a second season last December after the first season was a breakout success for Showtime. The series quickly amassed a large following for its compelling mysteries and twisty storylines. Filming for the second season is predicted to begin later this summer.
Yellowjackets follows a group of teen soccer players who end up trapped in the wilderness after their plane crashes and are left to survive for nineteen months. The first episode's opening is a sequence that shows some of the survivors resorting to cannabilism to survive the winter, with the cannibals wearing masks that obscure their identities, leaving them a mystery to the audience. Fans of Yellowjackets have formed many theories on who the cannibalistic survivors could be.
Deadline shared the entire script for the pilot episode, including the opening sequence that provides titles for the cannibals. Among them are the labels "The Hunter," "Butcher," "The Overseer," and "The Shamen," implying that the cannibals have had enough experience with eating the other survivors that they have specific jobs for it. "The Shamen" also further implies the supernatural overtones that have been hinted at throughout the series and that it plays a part in the eventual cannibalism. Check out some clips from the script pages below:
The creators and actors on the show have said before that no one knows who the cannibals depicted in the cold open are, with the names in the script in place of the survivors' real names furthering this claim. The second season of Yellowjackets will revisit the winter story and will likely provide further hints on the identities of the cannibals. The second season will also introduce more adult survivors, casting a wider net for who made it out of the wilderness.
Yellowjackets is one of the rare modern examples of a series that's successful on its own merits, without leaning on established IP or nostalgia to find an audience. Though cannibalism is a good hook, the audience has maintained interest due to the consistently sharp writing, stellar performances, and unique tone, all elements that should be enhanced and refined in the second season. Though it's unlikely audiences will find out who the cannibals are anytime soon, tiny hints like their titles and roles show the level of detail and care Yellowjackets puts into its story, a story many fans are eager to continue.
Source: Deadline