“Lord of the Flies” inspired this series as did the 1994 film “Heavenly Creatures,” which starred one of the show’s actresses

The Final Jeopardy clue for Thursday, July 3, 2025, challenged contestants with a thought-provoking question in the category “TV.” The clue read: “Lord of the Flies” inspired this series as did the 1994 film “Heavenly Creatures,” which starred one of the show’s actresses.

What is Yellowjackets?

The correct response was What is Yellowjackets? This question connected literature and film influences to a contemporary television series that has gained a strong following for its complex storytelling and dark psychological themes.

Yellowjackets is a television drama that first premiered on Showtime in November 2021. Created by Ashley Lyle and Bart Nickerson, the series tells the story of a high school girls’ soccer team whose plane crashes in the wilderness. The narrative shifts between their harrowing fight for survival in the 1990s and their troubled lives decades later, as the secrets of the past continue to haunt them. The show blends survival horror, mystery, and psychological drama, earning critical praise for its writing and performances.

The clue referenced two major inspirations behind Yellowjackets. Lord of the Flies, the 1954 novel by William Golding, explores how a group of stranded boys descends into savagery, examining themes of power, morality, and civilization’s fragility. Similarly, Yellowjackets follows how isolation and desperation drive the teenage survivors toward brutality and cult-like behavior. The comparison highlights the way the series uses its wilderness setting to explore the breakdown of social order and the darker side of human nature.

Heavenly Creatures and the Show’s Cast

The 1994 film Heavenly Creatures, directed by Peter Jackson, tells the true story of two teenage girls in 1950s New Zealand whose obsessive friendship leads to murder. This film’s exploration of adolescent bonds, imagination, and violence was cited as another influence on Yellowjackets. The connection deepens as one of Yellowjackets’ lead actresses, Melanie Lynskey, made her film debut in Heavenly Creatures as one of the two girls. Lynskey’s role in Yellowjackets as the adult Shauna further ties the show to this earlier work, as both characters grapple with guilt, secrecy, and inner turmoil.

Melanie Lynskey’s involvement adds a layer of resonance for viewers familiar with both productions. In Yellowjackets, she portrays a character struggling to maintain a facade of normalcy while hiding dark truths from her past. The psychological depth and emotional complexity of her performance have been widely recognized as a key strength of the series. The show’s creators have noted how Heavenly Creatures helped shape their vision of fractured female friendships and the blurred lines between loyalty and destruction.

Impact and Reception of Yellowjackets

Since its debut, Yellowjackets has been praised for its ability to balance mystery with character-driven storytelling. The series has received multiple award nominations, including for writing, directing, and acting, with particular acclaim for Lynskey and co-stars such as Juliette Lewis, Christina Ricci, and Tawny Cypress. The structure of shifting timelines keeps viewers engaged, gradually revealing how the events in the wilderness shaped the women’s adult lives.

The show has been noted for tackling themes such as trauma, survival, and the legacy of violence. Critics have highlighted its skillful blend of psychological horror with realistic portrayals of grief and guilt. The layered storytelling and complex female characters have set Yellowjackets apart in the landscape of modern television dramas, solidifying its place as a standout series of the 2020s.

A Fitting Clue for Dedicated TV Fans

The July 3 Final Jeopardy clue offered a fitting challenge for fans of television and literature alike. By linking Lord of the Flies and Heavenly Creatures to Yellowjackets, the clue called upon contestants to connect classic themes of isolation, violence, and friendship with a contemporary series that reimagines these ideas for a new audience. Yellowjackets continues to build its reputation as a haunting, compelling drama that draws from rich and disturbing source material to tell its story.