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In its first season, Yellowjackets' blend of survival thriller tropes, tantalizing mysteries, and the savagery of high school girls made it must-see TV. In its second outing, the show delivered some much-anticipated cannibalism and further explored the adult Yellowjackets' trauma. But wonky pacing and an unfulfilling 21st-century storyline meant that Season 2 couldn't reach the exquisite highs of Season 1. Was the show in decline, or was Season 2 just a misstep?

After watching the first four episodes of Season 3, the answer is unfortunately the former.

SEE ALSO: In Memoriam: Who is dead on 'Yellowjackets'?

Despite the occasional jaw-dropping moment, Yellowjackets continues to feel unmoored this season, especially when it comes to its adult timeline. Not only does the series have no clue what to do with several members of its ensemble — it also seems like it's just treading water until it can get to its terrifying Season 1 cold open.

What's Yellowjackets Season 3 about? Christina Ricci in "Yellowjackets." Credit: Colin Bentley / Paramount+ with SHOWTIME

Yellowjackets Season 2 ended with the teen Yellowjackets' cabin burning down — presumably at the hands of Coach Ben (Steven Krueger) — and the promise of a tough winter without shelter. Season 3 skips ahead to the summer, when the team has built a thriving commune complete with animal pens and exquisitely build shelters. In a speech celebrating the summer solstice, Van (Liv Hewson) catches us up to speed on what we missed in the time jump as well as the events of Season 2, a moment of self-mythologizing that also doubles as an eyeroll-worthy recap. ("Previously, on the Yellowjackets," Van says, in a meta nod that falls flat.)

Shauna (Sophie Nélisse), on the other hand, wants no part in Van's sanitizing of the horrors the team has endured (and committed) — understandably so, given the still-fresh loss of her baby. Her anger, which mostly manifests in fights with the ever-annoying Mari (Alexa Barajas, taking on a bigger role this season), will drive a wedge between team members and challenge current leader Natalie's (Sophie Thatcher, Companion) hold on power. Natalie, for her part, is in a precarious position: How can she protect Coach Ben while her teammates beg for his blood?

SEE ALSO: 'Yellowjackets': 10 burning questions we have for Season 3

In the present, the adult Yellowjackets grieve the loss of Natalie (Juliette Lewis). Well, Misty (Christina Ricci) does, at any rate. Aside from one scene of post-funeral commiseration, it seems like Shauna (Melanie Lynskey), Taissa (Tawny Cypress), and Van (Lauren Ambrose) have moved on fairly quickly. That most of the grief falls on Misty makes sense given her role in Nat's death, but the other Yellowjackets' quick moving on cheapens Season 2's biggest loss.

It's not like they even move on to more exciting things! Shauna has to deal with her daughter Callie (Sarah Desjardins) prying further into what happened in the wilderness, as well as a mysterious new person trying to reach out to her. (Yes, the latter reads as an uninspired rehash of Season 1's blackmailing plot.) Meanwhile, Tai and Van rekindle their teen romance, but despite Cypress and Ambrose's solid chemistry, their arc feels like a boring, slow-moving side quest in an already unfocused present-day storyline. Take me back to when the adults were working together, instead of scattered.

Yellowjackets Season 3 doesn't know what to do with many of its characters. Tawny Cypress, Lauren Ambrose, Warren Kole, and Melanie Lynskey in "Yellowjackets." Credit: Kailey Schwerman / Paramount+ with SHOWTIME

The unfortunate adult Tai and Van storyline is just one symptom of Yellowjackets' biggest problem: a lack of understanding of how to use its ensemble cast. (A similar problem has befallen The White Lotus, another show with an underwhelming third season.)

In any ensemble show, there are bound to be characters who fall to the wayside. But in Yellowjackets Season 3, these characters are among those who were set up to play a huge role. Teen Tai and Van are often sidelined as much as their adult counterparts, making story elements like Shauna and Tai's Season 1 bond a distant (and much-missed) memory. Lottie (played by Courtney Eaton and Simone Kessell) also gets short shrift this time around. Without a cruel winter pushing the team to put their faith in the wilderness, teen Lottie has been pushed to the sidelines, where she attempts more vague, spiritual practices that, despite some ominous visions, seem more like filler than anything meaningful. And remember how adult Lottie was set up as a major new arrival in Season 2? You'd be hard-pressed to find anything remotely close to that impact in Season 3.

SEE ALSO: The 'Yellowjackets' cast tries to define the show's wilderness

Elsewhere, characters who get more airtime, like Melissa (Jenna Burgess) or Mari, struggle to stand out against the far more developed leads. One single joke about Melissa suddenly having a personality does not, in fact, a personality make! That disparity is even more clear when the two interact with Shauna, who remains the show's most fully-formed lead in both timelines. In the present, Yellowjackets dives deeper into her relationship with Misty, which results in scenes that, while fun, also remind us of all the rich interpersonal dynamics we could be having across the season if Yellowjackets knew how best to showcase its incredible cast.

Did Yellowjackets set itself up for failure? Sophie Thatcher in "Yellowjackets." Credit: Kailey Schwerman / Paramount+ with SHOWTIME

Aside from its shoddy character work, Season 3 of Yellowjackets meanders even more than Season 2. Yes, there are a collection of episode-ending cliffhangers that will shock viewers, but don't expect Yellowjackets to do much with them — certainly not an intriguing kiss that feels more and more like wasted potential the further we get from it. Meanwhile, Hilary Swank, whose mystery role has been teased in Yellowjackets' trailers, doesn't even show up in the first four episodes.

The lack of propulsion feels extra egregious considering Yellowjackets' first-ever scene: the team hunting an unknown victim through the snowy woods as part of their ritualistic cannibalism. Said scene gives us a definitive ending point for the teen Yellowjackets' journey (aside from their rescue), but the show risks dragging its feet too long to get there. The Season 3 premiere even opens with a fake-out echoing that first hunt, so the show is aware how much we're craving that payoff. But three and a half years and two seasons have passed since that premiere, and as Yellowjackets continues to spin its wheels about what really happened in the wilderness, its momentum suffers.

Its present-day timeline suffers too, as the survivors are reduced to cryptic vagaries about "what we did out there" in order to surprise the audience about what other atrocities they committed as teenagers. There's only so much pussyfooting I can take, though, especially when Yellowjackets set itself such a high bar in Season 1.

In setting that bar — and specifically singling out that scene — Yellowjackets may have set itself an impossible task. Can it truly keep audiences invested in the show's many mysteries, several of which have remained mysteries since Season 1, over the course of its planned five-season arc? Based on the start of Season 3, with its unsatisfying character development and continued foot-dragging, it seems unlikely. Yellowjackets may already be running out of steam.

The first two episodes ofYellowjackets Season 3 are now streaming on Paramount+ with Showtime, with new episodes weekly.

Yellowjackets not only has one of the greatest opening credits sequences in TV, but it's also one you have to pay attention to. Because even though it's mostly the same each season, with Craig Wedren and Anna Waronker's "No Return" blaring, there are subtle differences — and some of those differences may contain clues for what's to come.

We've combed through the Season 3 opening credits to see what new shots have been added, and what that might mean.

SEE ALSO: In Memoriam: Who is dead on 'Yellowjackets'? A sketch of a body lying horizontally

It's brief, but there's a shot of what appears to be a sketch on a piece of paper. The image drawn looks like a body lying horizontally. What's this all about, then? To be honest, it's a pretty tricky one to decipher because it's so fleeting. Aside from the body, the only other things on the piece of paper are what look like three large spikes at the bottom of the page.

Could this be some kind of diagram? Maybe a plan for a trap? It's worth noting the design heavily resembles the pit seen in the opening of Season 1 – remember the mystery Pit Girl that gets impaled? – so maybe the sketch is the origin of that.

A playing card being drawn

We already know what this means, and it's nothing good. Back in Season 2, the Yellowjackets in the wilderness resorted to drawing cards in order to pick who'd be hunted and eaten next (a ritual they later repeat as adults at Lottie's wellness centre in the Season 2 finale). The shot of a playing card, the damning Queen of Hearts, being drawn suggests that we may see even more of this in Season 3.

Tai and Van about to kiss

Neither Tai (Tawny Cypress) nor Van (Lauren Ambrose) are in a great place in present day Yellowjackets, but in Season 2 they find some solace in each other. Judging by a brief shot of them leaning in to kiss each other in the opening credits, it seems likely their romance storyline will continue in Season 3.

Credit: Kailey Schwerman / Paramount+ A shot of the girls moving some wooden planks

Back in the woods in the past timeline, we see a glimpse of some of the girls — it's hard to make out who because it's an overhead shot — moving some wooden planks across the forest floor. It's possible they're building another pyre of some kind, but the flatness of the wood makes us think they're more likely covering something up. Maybe setting some kind of trap? Or even burying a body?

A shot of a girl floating in the water

OK, now this one is really hard to make out — but towards the end of the opening credits, there's another oh-so-brief overhead shot of what looks like a girl in a white dress against a dark background. Someone floating on a body of water? Maybe someone at risk of drowning? Too early to say, but maybe a clue for a scene to come.

Yellowjackets Season 3 is streaming on Paramount+ with Showtime from Feb. 14, with new episodes weekly.

The memorial held for Irving (John Turturro) in Severance Season 2, episode 5, was memorable for a couple of reasons: 1) the deeply disturbing fruit head, and 2) the discovery made by Dylan (Zach Cherry) behind that poster.

But what exactly did the note he found say, and what does it mean?

We've dug into it all below...

SEE ALSO: You've got to hear Zach Cherry's 'Severance' Season 2 fan theory What's written on the note?

After Mark (Adam Scott) and Helly (Britt Lower) leave Dylan alone at the memorial, he finds a note behind the "Hang in There" poster on the wall — an image which resembles Dylan holding the switches in Season 1's finale, and words that echo the final words Irving says to him in Woe's Hollow at the end of episode 4. On one side of the note is a drawing of the long, dark corridor that outie Irving obsessively recreates in artworks. On the other side is a written message.

Credit: Apple TV+

Here's the full transcription, which basically amounts to a series of directions:

"From O&D, first turn right, all the way down the hall and turn right, turn right, turn left, down a long hall and turn left, turn left, turn right, right, left, left, right, right, left, right, left, left, right, right, left, left down long hall and turn right, then left, right, turn right one more time and all the way down a long hallway..."

So where do those directions lead, and why did Irving leave them behind in a note?

What does the note mean?

To understand the meaning behind the note, we need to revisit two earlier scenes in Severance Season 2: one from episode 3, and one from the start of episode 5.

In the first one, Irving revisits the department where Burt (Christopher Walken) used to work — the O&D (Optics & Design) referred to in the note. There he meets one of Burt's colleagues, Felicia (Claudia Robinson), who accidentally sees a drawing of the dark corridor that he's sketched in the back of his notebook.

"Who do you know about the Exports Hall?" she asks him. "We send a lot of shipments there. Used to go ourselves, but now they send a guy."

Irving's response, before the scene ends, is to ask Felicia where it is.

At the start of episode 5, meanwhile, we see a man pushing a trolley. He meets Felicia and another woman, presumably at O&D, where they hand him a tray of what looks like surgical or dental tools. The man is then seen swiping a card in a door that opens on a long black corridor — the same corridor from Irving's drawing — that ends in an elevator with a red down arrow. The man steps inside and the door shuts.

When we put all these moments together, it seems pretty clear that the note Irving has left for Dylan is a set of directions to this "Exports Hall". His outie was obsessed with it and his innie became obsessed with it, too.

Ms Casey walked down the "exports hall" in Season 1. Credit: Apple TV+ Where does the exports hall lead?

This isn't the first time we've seen that long, dark corridor. In Season 1, this is the corridor that Mark's wife, Ms Casey (Dichen Lachman) is sent to after she loses her job — a place then-boss Harmony Cobel (Patricia Arquette) refers to as "the Testing Floor".

In a nutshell, Irving has unknowingly just given Dylan the key to solving the puzzle that Mark and Helly are trying to get to the bottom of: Where is Ms Casey?

Severance Season 2 is now streaming on Apple TV+, with a new episode every week.

Tension and disagreement are inevitable in the workplace. But there’s a difference between healthy and unhealthy conflict. Here are four ways to encourage productive conflict on your team. Say it’s ok. Normalize disagreement. Tell your team it’s expected and essential for collaboration. Set clear norms: focus on ideas, not people, and respect different perspectives. When […]

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TL;DR: Mashable readers can learn ethical hacking, penetration testing, and cybersecurity with lifetime access to 18 online courses, on sale for £27.85 (reg. £874.33) through 23 February.

Opens in a new window Credit: StackCommerce The All-in-One Super-Sized Ethical Hacking Bundle £27.85 at the Mashable Shop
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This ethical hacking bundle offers a lifetime of learning for those eager to master this critical and in-demand skill set. With 18 courses and 132 hours of content, this £27.85 bundle (sale ending 23 February) covers a wide variety of cybersecurity topics, from beginner-friendly basics to advanced penetration testing.

Dive into practical lessons that teach real-world techniques, like exploiting vulnerabilities, safeguarding networks, and building custom tools using Python. Courses such as "Complete Python 3 Ethical Hacking" walk you through coding your own backdoor tools and automating repetitive security tasks, while "Hacking Wireless Networks" teaches you to identify and protect against vulnerabilities in WiFi environments. These are hands-on experiences tailored for those who want to go beyond theory and practice in safe environments.

For those interested in web security, the bundle offers in-depth training in tackling vulnerabilities like SQL injections and cross-site scripting, using tools like Burp Suite to run penetration tests and secure applications. You’ll also explore Metasploit, the industry-standard framework for penetration testing, giving you the skills to identify and fix system weaknesses.

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TL;DR: A large selection of online courses from Stanford University are available to take for free on edX.

Ever heard of edX? This popular online learning platform offers up a wide range of online courses covering useful topics like Python, AI, communication, and much more. And some of these online courses are delivered by famous schools like Stanford University.

We have checked out everything on offer and got you started with a standout selection of online courses from Stanford University. And the best thing is that all of these online courses are available to take for free. The only catch is that these free courses do not include certificates of completion or graded assignments/exams.

These are the best Stanford University courses you can take for free this month.

• Algorithms: Design and Analysis

• Algorithms: Design and Analysis Part 2

• America's Poverty and Inequality Course

• Communicating with Presence

• Comparative Democratic Development Part I: Conditions of Democracy

• Comparative Democratic Development Part II: Structuring Democracy

• Compilers

• Computer Science 101

• Databases: Advanced Topics in SQL

• Databases: Modeling and Theory

• Databases: OLAP and Recursion

• Databases: Relational Databases and SQL

• Designing Your Career

• Introduction to the Natural Capital Project Approach

• Language, Proof, and Logic

• Mining Massive Datasets

• Nano at Stanford

• Quantum Mechanics for Scientists and Engineers 1

• Quantum Mechanics for Scientists and Engineers 2

• R Programming Fundamentals

• Semantics of First-Order Logic

• Statistical Learning with Python

• Statistical Learning with R

• The Threat of Nuclear Terrorism

• Thermodynamics and Phase Equilibria

• Your Body Inside and Out: Using Exercise Physiology to Slow Aging

For unlimited access to all course material, you'll need to upgrade for a small fee. But you can still learn at your own pace without paying anything, so there's nothing stopping you from enrolling.

Find the best free online courses from Stanford University at edX.

Opens in a new window Credit: Stanford University Stanford University Courses Free at edX Learn More

Captain America: Brave New World breaks tradition with most of the recent MCU movies, delivering one end-credits sequence and skipping a mid-credits sequence entirely.

However, the end-credits scene does uphold a different recent MCU tradition: teasing more multiversal battles.

SEE ALSO: 'Captain America: Brave New World' review: Can Harrison Ford and Anthony Mackie save the MCU from itself? What happens in the Captain America: Brave New World post-credits scene?

In Captain America: Brave New World's post-credits scene, Sam Wilson/Captain America (Anthony Mackie) visits the villainous Samuel Sterns/the Leader (Tim Blake Nelson) in the high-security prison known as the Raft. There, Sterns warns Sam of a major new calamity.

SEE ALSO: 'Captain America: Brave New World' brings adamantium into the MCU. Here's what that means.

"It's coming. I've seen it in the probabilities, seen it plain as day," Sterns tells him. "All you heroes, protecting this world — do you think you're the only ones? Do you think this is the only world? We'll see what happens when you have to protect this place from the others."

Who are "the others" Samuel Sterns mentions in the Brave New World post-credits scene?

As far as MCU end-credits scenes go, Brave New World's is fairly lackluster. Another vague multiverse tease? Groundbreaking.

But the mention of "the others" is a fascinating detail to latch onto, even though it's — once again — vague as can be. Who could Sterns be talking about?

Perhaps, since Brave New World spotlights the forming of a new Avengers team, "the others" will function as a counterpoint to that. Could it be a team of supervillains assembled by Dr. Doom (Robert Downey Jr.), confirmed to be the villain of Avengers: Doomsday? Or could the Avengers have to contend with evil variants of themselves once the multiverse threatens Earth? I say let them fight!

Captain America: Brave New World is now in theaters.

Vibranium may not be the top fictional metal in the Marvel Cinematic Universe much longer.

SEE ALSO: 'Captain America: Brave New World's end-credits scene, explained

That's because Captain America: Brave New World brings adamantium into the fold. The substance shows up in the body of the Celestial that emerged from the Indian Ocean in Eternals. Now, it's the cause of international conflict, as major world powers try to control the world's only known adamantium supply.

But adamantium is more than just a MacGuffin for Brave New World. It's part of the MCU's groundwork for introducing the X-Men in their upcoming projects — especially one in particular.

What role will adamantium play in the MCU?

Adamantium is the metal that reinforces Wolverine's skeleton. In the Marvel comics, it's a man-made substance, while in the MCU, it's naturally occurring within the Celestial.

Now that adamantium is in play, the MCU's own take on one of the most famous X-Men can start to take shape. (And no, for timey-wimey, multiversal reasons, Hugh Jackman's appearance in Deadpool & Wolverine doesn't count as the prime MCU universe's Logan.)

In Brave New World, U.S. President Thaddeus Ross (Harrison Ford) highlights adamantium's potential for technological and medical advancements, so perhaps Wolverine's origin story is already underway in some secret lab. Elsewhere, adamantium could provide upgrades to MCU characters' armor, or to iconic props like Captain America's shield.

The adamantium mention is far from the first time the MCU has teased the X-Men following Disney's acquisition of 21st Century Fox. WandaVision reintroduced Evan Peters' Quicksilver (kind of). The Marvels' mid-credit scene showcased Kelsey Grammer as X-Men mainstay Hank McCoy/Beast, reprising his role from 2006's X-Men: The Last Stand and 2014's X-Men: Days of Future Past. And of course, Deadpool & Wolverine was one long celebration of the Fox-era X-Men, complete with crazy cameos and an end-credits crawl paired with behind-the-scenes footage from the original X-Men films. But while that movie felt like a farewell to the X-Men we've come to know over the last few decades, Brave New World's adamantium mention feels like we're one step closer to meeting the MCU's iteration of the X-Men. After several years and quite a few projects' worth of teasing, I'd say we're ready.

Captain America: Brave New World is now in theaters.

Full-fat Microsoft Excel is still the big kid in the spreadsheet playground, and while the free version of Excel online is good for many use-cases, it has some key limitations compared to its desktop brother.

Keyboard shortcuts can significantly increase your workflow efficiency, though the sheer number of them can make them difficult to prioritize and remember. This is why we've created a cheat sheet of some of the most useful keyboard shortcuts for the new Microsoft Outlook—specifically aimed at the email section of the app on Windows computers—which you can print and have to hand whenever you need it!

Chatbots have gotten better over time at remembering the stuff we tell them. ChatGPT has its own memory feature, and now, Gemini is getting the capability to remember context across different chats.

WhatsApp has introduced a new feature that lets users change how their chats look. It comes with different backgrounds and chat bubble colors to make things feel a lot more personal.

Considering picking up a used electric vehicle to save? Take a look at our top pick for the best two-year-old Tesla to stretch your money all while enjoying a newer and feature-rich ride.

As a Gen Z gamer, I missed the heyday of interactive fiction games. I was always curious about these text-based games but worried they wouldn’t hold up after experiencing modern gaming. After giving them a shot, I think everyone should play an interactive fiction game at least once.

Over a year ago, Apple removed its ads from X after Elon Musk backed a series of antisemitic posts from far-right users on the social media platform. Around the same time, a new report found that ads from companies such as Apple were being served on pro-Nazi content on X.

However, since November 2023, when Apple stopped advertising on Musk's X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, a lot has happened. Namely, Donald Trump was elected president once again, and this time, Musk is essentially operating as his right-hand man.

Now, roughly 15 months after Apple halted its ad spend on X, Apple has returned to advertising on the platform.

SEE ALSO: Elon Musk says he'll stop trying to buy OpenAI if it stays a nonprofit

MacRumors first noticed that Apple is currently running at least two different ad campaigns on X. One ad, from the official @Apple X account, promotes the company's Safari web browser. The other ad is being run on Apple's @AppleTV account for the Apple TV series Severance.

The ads currently do not appear on either of the accounts' X profiles. But that's not unusual for Apple. X allows advertisers to promote regular posts as ads, which would show up on their profile page, or run a post specifically as an advertisement, which does not appear on the advertiser's profile page. When running ads on X, Apple has always utilized the latter mechanism. However, for a user to observe these posts, X must serve the ads to them.

As MacRumors points out, although Apple paused its ads campaigns, Apple CEO Tim Cook and other Apple executives continued to maintain a presence on Musk's platform.

While Apple has resumed ads on X, it's unclear how big their current ad campaigns are. The Safari ad, for example, has just over 600,000 impressions as of publishing on Feb. 13. It was originally posted on Feb. 10. Other advertisers who previously left have returned at various points but with a significantly reduced marketing budget for ad spend on X.

Faith in hybrid technology is growing, meaning that more and more automakers are finding ways to include hybrids in their lineups. This is particularly true in the luxury segment, where hybrid technology is offsetting the poor fuel economy the market is traditionally known for without sacrificing power.

In an effort to reduce my screen time, I've stopped using my iPhone for absolutely everything. It's hard, but making the swap can have meaningful benefits. Here are some things I've stopped doing on my iPhone, and why.

Asahi Linux, the project bringing a native Linux desktop to Apple Silicon-based Mac computers, has hit some roadblocks with development and hardware support. The project’s founder is also retiring.

Google Family Link is getting a design upgrade.

The control panel, which is available as an app, offers parents a way to supervise their children's activity on Android devices.

But keeping track of screen time, settings, and permissions could be confusing, especially for parents whose children have multiple devices, like a phone, tablet, and laptop.

SEE ALSO: Google Messages could get upgraded 911 emergency texting soon

Google announced Tuesday in a blog post that Family Link will now provide streamlined access to settings in a single "screen time" tab.

The tab brings together Family Link's screen-time management options and tools, including time limits. Parents can now also use the tab to control the "downtime" and "school time" settings, which curtail usage during certain time periods.

The existing Control tab has been updated so that parents can access, in one place, account data management, approval of app downloads, and blocking of websites.

Google is also launching the "school time" setting on Android phones and tablets next week, after introducing it on the Samsung Galaxy Watch for Kids and Fitbit ACE LTE last year.

This year, according to the blog post, parents will be able to use Family Link to approve contacts for the Galaxy Watch for Kids.

Apple has announced a new product launch for next week, which is expected to be a new iPhone SE model. The current iPhone SE is the last remaining iPhone with Touch ID and a Lightning connector, so an upgrade with a more modern design is exciting.