“Yellowjackets”: Another gem on “Succession” night

In an all-or nothing world, this sort of fits:
Here we are in TV’s summer season, when viewers figure nothing worthy is available. Yet two important hours are at exactly the same time – 9 p.m. Sunday, May 28.
One is the series-finale of “Succession,” on HBO; the other is the season-finale of “Yellowjackets” on Showtime. Both show the extremes people will reach for survival and dominance.
And yes, you can still see both of them, by:
— Staying up late. “Succession” runs to 10:30 p.m., then reruns at 12:05 and 3:10 a.m. “Yellowjackets” runs to 10:05 p.m., then reruns at 11:05 p.m. and 1:10 a.m.
— Catching one on another day. That starts Monday, when “Succession” is at 5:25 p.m. and “Yellowjackets” is at 7:55.
— Or simply go with the streamers. “Succession” will be on Max, starting at the same time it’s on HBO. “Yellowjackets” is already on the Showtime hub of Paramount+.
With that in mind, we’ll tell you about the “Yellowjackets” finale, without spoiling anything:
This entire season – which rerun from noon to 8 p.m. Sunday on Showtime – leads up to this moment.
Some 25 years ago, these women survived a plane crash and 19 months in the mountain wilderness..
Now they’re at the cult-like retreat run by Lottie … who is convinced some “It” force needs sacrifices.
Weaved into the season-finale, as usual, are intense flashbacks to their mountain ordeal. This time, that includes two big moments – one starting early in the episode and the other in the final minutes.
But the real tension is nowadays. Just as the women face a life-or-death crisis, some very different characters arrive. They include:
— The police, who suspect (correctly) that Shauna (Melanie Lynskey) killed Adam, the guy she had an affair with.
— Shauna’s husband Jeff and their teen daughter Callie. He’s a handsome chap who’s good at selling furniture, but way out of his league here. She’s stunned by the extremes adults have reached.
— And Walter. As played by Elijah Wood, he’s the counter-force this dark drama needs.
Walter considers himself a “citizen detective” who was studying the Adam case. That worried Shauna’s friend Misty (Christina Ricci), who contacted him.
Now he brings his sunny daftness into a story where the craziness is usually solemn, desperate and totally compelling.