After four years of death twists, convoluted murder plots, cannibalism, and book club ruses, Yellowjackets has posed more questions than it has answered. We're fast approaching the finale of season three, and we're still no closer to learning exactly what went down in the wilderness with the surviving soccer team, how they are rescued and returned to civilization, and whether or not we can expect some supernatural stuff to go down.
For Shauna (Sophie Nélisse/Melanie Lynskey), Taissa (Jasmine Savoy Brown/Tawny Cypress), Misty (Samantha Hanratty/Christina Ricci), and Van (Liv Hewson/Lauren Ambrose), life is arguably more complicated in the present than it was in the past as the group grapples with the mysterious death of former cult leader Lottie (Courtney Eaton/Simone Kessell), and the reappearance of the DAT tape from who knows where. In the past, we've seen the teens become more and more comfortable with eating one another (as you do) while also coming into contact with outsiders for the first time, whose motives could well be very different from what we know so far.
More fun than watching each episode, arguably, is deconstructing them with fellow fans as keen to crack the mysteries of the wilderness as you are. As such, theories have become a huge part of the Yellowjackets fandom, from fans unraveling plots before we've seen them air, to more bizarre imaginings. As the season three finale approaches, we've rounded up all the key Yellowjackets theories going into the final episode that we could see come to fruition.
-
The identity of Lottie's killer
One of the biggest shocks of Yellowjackets season three has been the death of Lottie after leaving the mental institution. Walter (Elijah Wood) has since discovered that Shauna's DNA was found under Lottie's fingernails, suggesting that she murdered her former Yellowjackets teammate after she grew uncomfortably close to Shauna's daughter, Callie (Sarah Desjardins).
But fans of the show aren't so sure, suggesting that it was, in fact, Shauna's husband Jeff (Warren Kole) that was behind her untimely demise. In episode six, when Shauna tells Jeff that Lottie has been found dead, his reaction is far from normal and instantly makes him seem suspicious.
Some eagle-eyed viewers have claimed that scratches can even be seen on Jeff's hand, suggesting a struggle between the two. In episode seven, Jeff is more than slightly uncomfortable during the family's hotel stay – could it be that the pressure of the ongoing investigation into Lottie's death is getting to him? Considering this is the person who blackmailed the Yellowjackets survivors through season one, and how quickly he has adapted to covering up Shauna's crimes, it doesn't seem out of the realm of possibility that he could keep secret a murder he has committed.
The Peril of Pit Girl
A long-standing Yellowjackets mystery is the identity of Pit Girl, the mysterious girl hunted in the opening scene of the very first episode. A few ideas are floating around as to who might fall foul to the ravenous young Yellowjackets, but the fanbase appears split into two main camps.
The more obscure idea – and probably least likely – is that the scene wasn't set in the past and actually happened in the present, making it possible that Pit Girl is Callie, in a heartbreaking twist, hunted by her mother and Shauna's childhood friends.
Teenage Misty actor Samantha Hanratty has even weighed in on the idea, telling Us Weekly: “One of my favorite theories has been that Pit Girl is Shauna's daughter, Callie. People think it's not a flashback and it's actually the current day and that some of it is flashback. I love that theory. I'm not going to say if it's true or not, but I think it's really cool.”
Season three's most popular potential explanation is that Hannah Finch (Ashley Sutton) is Pit Girl. It has been speculated that Pit Girl's death at the start of the show means that it is an important plot point, and could well be the driving force behind many of the terrible things that have and are happening to the surviving Yellowjackets.
At the same time (and these two things come together, just stay with us), as Hannah is hiding from the Yellowjackets in a ditch, she records a DAT tape for her daughter, Alex, whom she gave up for adoption. Many fans believe that Alex, resentful over the Yellowjackets being the cause of her mother's death, is hellbent on revenge and behind many of the events that trip up the survivors throughout the show. Which brings us to another theory…
A secret alliance has formed
Fans online are convinced there is more to Walter than meets the eye, suspecting he is working alongside Melissa to bring down the Yellowjackets. “Clues” that have fueled fans’ suspicions over Walter are vast, including the simple fact that his license plate reads “NOTWLTR.”
The cast and crew have said that the plate was chosen because of how ridiculous it is, but could that be a red herring? This is without mentioning his vast knowledge of the criminal and judicial system and the Yellowjackets themselves and the ease at which he can dispose of a body.
Viewers believe that Melissa – who we now know to be alive in the present timeline and played by newcomer Hilary Swank – came across Walter in his citizen detective work, or he tracked her down given his knowledge of the Yellowjackets. She could then have shared what had happened to her at the hands of her teammates and, resentful of the girls, plotted with Walter to ruin their lives.
To do this, some viewers think Walter sought out Misty deliberately and his desperate attempts to earn her trust are part of his long con to keep his enemies close. His covering up of Adam Martin (Peter Gadiot) and Jessica Roberts’ (Rekha Sharma) deaths helps get the Yellowjackets on his side, while also keeping Shauna and Misty from getting arrested so he can wheedle out a confession as to the things they did while in the wilderness.
His orchestration of events could run as deep as causing Lottie and Natalie’s (Sophie Thatcher/Juliette Lewis’) deaths as the paranoia of the Yellowjackets heightens, which if this theory proves true, could make for an explosive and devastating reveal for the women when they realize how deeply they have been betrayed by someone who is fast becoming considered one of their greatest allies. It could well mean that the adult timeline ends just as the teenage one began – an absolute bloodbath.
For a time, fans believed Walter was actually Alex, and that Shauna's sleuthing uncovered some dud intel that Hannah had given up her daughter, when in fact she had a son. Fans believed Melissa made it out of the wilderness with Hannah’s DAT tape and the knowledge that Alex/Walter was out there.
On tracking him down, fans believed Melissa revealed what happened to Hannah, and that was the source of their alliance. However, in episode eight, we meet Hannah's wife, who claims to be Alex, laying that theory to rest once and for all.
There's more to Kodiak than meets the eye
Another Yellowjackets season three newcomer is Joel McHale, who has joined the cast as wilderness guide Kodiak, also known as Kody. He accompanied frog scientists Hannah and Edwin (Nelson Franklin) on their trip into the wilderness, soon coming into contact with the Yellowjackets. Following his introduction in episode seven, many fans think his aloof attitude and guarded nature mean that he is hiding a dark secret, one that could be deadly for the Yellowjackets.
In a classic hunter becomes the hunted trope, it is theorized Kody will hunt the Yellowjackets for sport rather than survival, giving them a warped taste of their own medicine. We know he possesses basic survival knowledge and a decent amount of hunting know-how, so it wouldn't be difficult for him to track and stalk the girls through the trees. When he gets lost with Hannah and Edwin, some believe this might have been deliberate and a chance to disorient the couple while out of their comfort zone, turning them into his prey.
Others think his grift could be money motivated, in which he kills and steals from people, using the wilderness as a place to leave unsuspecting victims alone and vulnerable, while it also acts as a handy place to dump the bodies. Fans have backed this up by pointing to the fact he has different names on his clothes and the fact that he is in a job where he doesn't seem to have the right knowledge of university connections, alluding to the idea that he killed off the real guide and assumed his persona. And Kody isn't the only character people are convinced could be a serial killer.
Misty is a serial killer
Of course, little old Misty. I mean, she has a torture dungeon in her house with a door covered in locks and chains. Suspicious, much? One of the VHS tapes she owns is that of Stephen King's Misery, possibly likening Misty to notorious horror villain Annie Wilkes.
There have been various instances of her enjoying others' suffering, watching creatures die, and enacting small cruelties upon her patients. And, when push comes to shove, she's the first Yellowjacket on the scene covering up a murder. Her high knowledge of body disposal and lethal doses of different drugs certainly seems to point to this theory being correct.
Some fans online have pointed out that she has mentioned she has never been through a breakup, but she has been dating throughout the seasons – so what is happening to her potential suitors? In the pilot episode, we also see her manipulate a date inside her house after experiencing car troubles – is it possible she mastered her own automobile issues to trap her potential victim? Even Walter has told her she has the traits of a killer, which, if the above Walter/Alex theory is correct, could make for a bloody showdown.
The real question is – what happens to her victims after she has killed them, presumably in her basement? Well, she does say how much she loves eating meat. So we'll let you be the judge of that one.
Is this the end?
We really hope this one isn't true. With no announcement yet of a Yellowjackets season four renewal, a small section of fans have speculated whether we're coming to the end of the show. The last two episodes of the season are titled ‘How The Story Ends and Full Circle, which does feel like wrapping up loose ends.
Despite no official word on a continuation, Young Shauna star Sophie Nélisse told Cosmopolitan she is confident the story will continue: “I haven't heard anything, but I think it would be crazy if we didn't get one. Maybe I'm just being delusional…I mean, the finale of Season 3 is so strong and so powerful and leaves you on such a cliffhanger that there's no way, in my mind, we're not being renewed.”
The creators of the show have also said that a fourth season has always been in the cards, so it looks like girl dinner is likely still on the menu.
The Yellowjackets season 3 finale, episode 10, will be available to stream on Paramount+ with Showtime April 11 at 12 am PT (3 am ET).
