Warning: There are spoilers ahead for Yellowjackets season 3.death of Laura Lee, which was soon followed by the death of Jackie Taylor (Ella Purnell), made it clear in season 1 that other than the survivors in the present timeline, no character was safe in the wilderness. Season 2 twisted the knife further with the tragic death of Javi Martinez (Luciano Leroux), whose accidental death was deemed a sacrifice to the wilderness, and led to his heart being eaten.
Arguably the most shocking death in the entire series occurred in Yellowjackets' 1990s timeline were not guaranteed to survive in the long run. Season 3 has not pulled back, with two major character deaths taking place in just the first six episodes of the season.
6 Ethan Pines
The Waiter Has A Fatal Heart Attack
Ethan Pines (Nathaniel Shuker) is a waiter who has the misfortune of serving Taissa Turner (Tawny Cypress) and Van Palmer (Lauren Ambrose) at a fancy restaurant in Yellowjackets season 3, episode 1. In a moment of impulsivity, Taissa and Van decide to sneak out of the restaurant without paying. Ethan chases them, and they are able to evade him, but not before he is almost hit by a bus. A stranger pulls Ethan out of harm's way, but not before he collapses and dies from a fatal heart attack.
What Really Happened To The Waiter Who Chased Van & Tai In Yellowjackets Season 3?
Darkness continues to follow the survivors in Yellowjackets' present-day timeline as the waiter who chases Tai and Van meets a grim fate.
Taissa and Van do not see this happen, but Taissa learns about what happened, which is followed by Van's cancer going into remission. This leads Taissa to believe that Ethan's death was a sacrifice to the wilderness, and the wilderness has rewarded them by allowing Van to live longer. Taissa's season 3 story largely revolves around her believing that more people need to be sacrificed in order to help Van, while Van makes it clear that she is opposed to killing innocent people.
5 Lottie Matthews
Her Body Is Found At The Bottom Of A Familiar Set Of Stairs
Yellowjackets season 3, episode 4's ending sees Misty learning from Walter Tattersall (Elijah Wood) that the body of Lottie Matthews (Simone Kessell) has been found at the bottom of a set of stars. Misty's investigation leads her to the building where Lottie's father lived, and she sees that the stairs are located in the building's basement. Lottie's death is ruled an accident, but Misty is convinced that someone murdered her, and has been dedicated to finding the truth.
Misty prides herself on being a citizen detective.
Where the body was found looks strikingly similar to the tunnel in one of Lottie's season 1 visions. The similarity is further emphasized by the candles that were placed on the stairs. Lottie's death has been the impetus for reuniting Misty, Taissa, Van, and Shauna (Melanie Lynskey) in the present as they try to solve her murder. This is the central mystery in season 3's present-day story, along with the identity of Shauna's stalker, although the two mysteries may be intertwined.
4 Coach Ben Scott
He Is Mercifully Killed By Natalie
After being put on trial, Coach Ben Scott (Steven Krueger) is voted guilty of burning down the cabin. The initial plan is for him to be sentenced to death via firing squad, with teenage Taissa (Jasmin Savoy Brown) drawing the card that means she has to shoot him at close range. However, just as Taissa is about to kill him, teenage Lottie (Courtney Eaton), Travis Martinez (Kevin Alves), and Akilah (Nia Sondaya) save his life. This is due to Akilah's vision, in which she sees Coach Ben as a bridge who will be the key to the Yellowjackets being rescued.
Natalie's action cause her to be dethroned as the group's leader, and as Coach Ben's body is eaten, the smell of cooking meat gets the attention of new characters.
season 3, episode 5 ends with the Achilles tendon in Coach Ben's remaining foot being cut so he is unable to escape. He is kept captive and kept alive against his will, even being force-fed to the point that it makes him vomit. Teenage Natalie (Sophie Thatcher) eventually gives in to Coach Ben's pleas for her to kill him, and she mercifully ends his life. Natalie's action cause her to be dethroned as the group's leader, and as Coach Ben's body is eaten, the smell of cooking meat gets the attention of new characters.
3 Edwin
He Is Brutally Killed By Lottie
Edwin (Nelson Franklin) is a scientist who has come to the wilderness to study and record a rare species of frogs during their mating event. Against the advice of the wilderness guide, Kodiak (Joel McHale), Edwin follows the scent of the Yellowjackets' fire. Shortly after saying hello and being startled by the sight of Coach Ben's severed head at the end of episode 7, Lottie swings the axe into the back of Edwin's head, which quickly kills him. Kodiak and the other scientist, Hannah Finch (Ashley Sutton), run for their lives.
Episode # |
Release Date |
|---|---|
8 |
March 28 |
9 |
April 4 |
10 |
April 11 |
Killing Edwin makes any chance of being rescued much more complicated. While some of the Yellowjackets seem to think Lottie did the right thing, others are horrified by her actions. This is causing a divide in the group between those who want to be rescued and those who want to stay in the wilderness. Hannah and Kodiak get caught in the middle of this conflict as well.
2 Kodiak
Hannah Stabs Him In The Eye
The main Yellowjackets have mentioned Hannah spending significant time with them while in the wilderness. Since Kodiak was never really mentioned, it has been assumed for several episodes that he would die. Yellowjackets went a different route, though, killing him off in an unexpected way. Instead of the girls doing something to him, the plan to escape alongside him was thwarted by Hannah.
Just as Hannah and Kodiak are attempting to leave, Shauna arrives to stop them. Hannah shockingly takes a knife and stabs Kodi through the eye, killing him. She then offers the knife to Shauna, explaining that she wants to be part of what they've built. It's unclear why she did this, whether she believes she can find a mother/daughter bond with some of the girls or if she just wants to study their fascinating situation a bit more.
1 Van Palmer
Melissa Stabs Her To Death
While Lottie's death was surprising, especially since it happened off-camera, the ing of Van has felt like it was coming for a long time. However, it seemed like her cancer would be the cause of death. Instead, she was murdered by Melissa in shocking fashion, with Yellowjackets again subverting expectations. After rescuing Tai and Shauna from carbon monoxide poisoning, she goes back for Melissa, only to threaten her with a knife. Alas, Van is unable to kill her old friend. Melissa turns it around on her and stabs Van, killing her.
This could be a case of a "wilderness" sacrifice as the show has been focusing on the idea of taking a life to preserve Van's, like Ethan's death leading to her cancer going into remission. Van couldn't kill Melissa, but Melissa reverted to her time in the wilderness to take her life, saving her own in the process. Like Natalie's season 2 death, both adult and younger Van were seen together on the plan. Young Van's line of "this isn't the ending" is likely to have some kind of pivotal meaning going forward.
Yellowjackets
- Release Date
- November 14, 2021
- Network
- Showtime, Paramount+ with Showtime
- Showrunner
- Ashley Lyle, Bart Nickerson, Jonathan Lisco
Cast
Shauna Sadecki
Tawny CypressTaissa Turner
WHERE TO WATCH
- Directors
- Benjamin Semanoff, Daisy von Scherler Mayer, Deepa Mehta, Eduardo Sánchez, Jeffrey W. Byrd, Liz Garbus, Scott Winant, Eva Sørhaug, Jamie Travis
- Writers
- Liz Phang, Sarah L. Thompson, Ameni Rozsa
- Creator(s)
- Ashley Lyle, Bart Nickerson
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