We Finally Know Who Pit Girl Is
Editor’s note: The below recap contains spoilers for the Yellowjackets Season 3 finale.
After a whirlwind season, the Yellowjackets Season 3 finale is here, and with it comes a slew of answers to many of the season’s biggest plot points. Who killed Lottie (Simone Kessell)? Who is Antler Queen? Will the team be rescued? There’s even the answer to a question we’ve been wondering since the pilot: Who is Pit Girl? It’s an explosive finale, one that rivals its predecessors, complete with spine-tingling needle drops and acting performances that will be all the buzz.
Taissa Promises To Avenge Van in the ‘Yellowjackets’ Season 3 Finale
Yellowjackets Season 3 has not held back in the death department, killing off multiple main characters — one of the most shocking being Van (Lauren Ambrose), who dies in the penultimate episode at the hands of Melissa (Hilary Swank). We pick up with the aftermath in the finale’s opening minutes, as Taissa (Tawny Cypress) bids Van farewell in a way only a Yellowjacket can. As they drive, Shauna (Melanie Lynskey) attempts conversation, but Tai is not interested in talking and simply tells her to pull over before opening the trunk of the van, where a single strand of red hair peeks out from a rolled-up rug. Shauna offers to help, but Tai is adamant and says that Shauna will not touch her, instead telling her to get a shovel. Tai digs a hole in the woods and rolls Van’s body towards it, then pauses and reminisces about their time together, with flashbacks to their time in the woods and their brief reconciliation as adults. In private, Tai makes a vow: “I’m done forgetting Van. Starting now, I’m gonna remember. All of it. All of you. All of me.” She then pulls out a knife, and though we don’t see what she does, we certainly hear it, and the show doesn’t leave us wondering for long. When Tai lifts her hand, she’s holding Van’s heart, and she takes a big bite out of it, mirroring what Travis (Kevin Alves) did to Javi’s (Luciano Leroux) heart in Season 2.
Later in the episode, we circle back with Tai talking to an unseen person. As she says, the Yellowjackets all agreed when they came back that they would keep the past in the past, and protect one another as long as they kept their secrets. In Tai’s mind, Shauna is to blame for everything because she kept her journals where Jeff (Warren Kole) could find them — plus she murdered her lover and mutilated her ex. As far as Tai is concerned, it’s also Shauna’s fault that Van and even Natalie (Juliette Lewis) are dead. As the person who thrived on the things they did out in the woods, Shauna is going to be the last one standing if they keep letting this happen. It’s finally revealed that Misty (Christina Ricci) is the person Tai is speaking with, and she feels the same way. Looks like there’s a new alliance forming.
Lottie’s Murderer Is Revealed in the ‘Yellowjackets’ Season 3 Finale
After Lottie’s shocking death early in the season, we’ve been waiting for the show to reveal how she died — and who, or what, was behind her death. The Season 3 finale answers this mystery, but gives us even more questions to ponder in the process. In a flashback, the younger Lottie (Courtney Eaton) glimpses the ominous Antler Queen in her dreams, while adult Lottie says, “I am ready. My will is your will.” Suddenly, younger Lottie awakens in a morgue, staring at herself on the slab. Adult Lottie also awakens in a panic, but her teenage self assures her she didn’t miss anything, and it’s time to meet “her.” From this moment on, we follow adult Lottie as she walks through the basement down to the candlelit altar she saw in her vision, while a baby cries in the distance.
At the high school, Callie (Sarah Desjardins) is vaping under the bleachers when Misty shows up. First, she interrogates Callie about spiking her drink, which Callie shamefully admits to and apologizes for, but that’s not all Misty is vexed about. She then asks Callie if she got the answers she was looking for that night — or right before she killed Lottie. It turns out the picture Misty found on Lottie’s phone in the previous episode features Callie, wearing Jackie’s (Ella Purnell) necklace. While a photo like that doesn’t explain anything, according to Misty, it does explain the DNA found under Lottie’s nails, because mothers and daughters share mitochondrial DNA… and apparently, homicidal tendencies as well.
Callie insists she didn’t mean to kill Lottie, and this is when we finally learn the whole story. While Callie admits to having stolen the tape that Melissa sent to the Sadeckis’ house, she never listened to it. Then, when Shauna kicked Lottie out, the tape conveniently went missing, and Callie suspected Lottie of having taken it. It was easy to track down Lottie from there, since Callie knew where she was staying. In a flashback to the moment itself, Callie finds Lottie coming up from the basement, but the older woman escorts her into the space and toward the candlelit stairs. Lottie doesn’t even attempt to claim otherwise when Callie accuses her of stealing the tape, but she doesn’t think Callie came to confront her; she’s there because she wants to understand her mother. Lottie promises to tell Callie anything she wants to know, and Callie heartbreakingly asks Lottie if Shauna actually loves her. According to Jeff, Shauna has PTSD, but Callie isn’t sure that’s what it is — because even though Shauna does “normal mom stuff,” her eyes are still cold.
Lottie sympathizes, explaining that looking into Shauna’s eyes is like looking straight into the Earth — but as for where it comes from, Callie already knows. It’s “It,” the wilderness, and Callie can feel it right now. Lottie noticed “It” in her the first time they met, when Callie was holding the gun, and again when she drugged Misty. Shauna felt “It” more than anyone, but it’s growing in Callie now, too. When Callie asks what’s on the tape, Lottie dismisses the question, becoming more and more pushy and preventing her from leaving. As the conversation intensifies, Lottie finally points out that Shauna can’t love Callie because she’s jealous — because Callie is just like her, but more. Suddenly, Callie shoves Lottie, knocking her backwards down the stairs, until she hits the floor with a sickening crack. Immediately, she realizes what she’s done, but Lottie is already dead, so Callie simply takes the tape from her pocket and flees the scene.
Shauna Fully Embraces Her Dark Side in the ‘Yellowjackets’ Season 3 Finale
Later, Callie confides in Jeff about killing Lottie, and she can see that her dad is disturbed by her admission: “You think she’s right, don’t you? That I’m fucked up, just like mom.” Jeff immediately moves to console Callie, insisting that he’s known his daughter her whole life — and she’s nothing like her mother. He then apologizes for not protecting her from Shauna like he should have. There’s no time like the present, though, because later in the episode, Shauna arrives home, having discovered that Jeff and Callie checked out of the hotel, only to find the house empty — not just of her family, but of all of their belongings as well. Even their phones are disconnected.
Shauna then goes to Misty’s house and confronts her, accusing her of having done something to her family, but Misty figures out Jeff and Callie have finally left and says, “Good for them.” She then turns the tables and tells Shauna that she had the information all along to solve Lottie’s murder, since Lottie gave Callie the necklace and Shauna knew about it. She then informs her that Callie was the one who killed Lottie, which rocks Shauna, and sends her spiraling fully into the breakdown that has been brewing this season. When Shauna arrives home, she sees the note Melissa had claimed to have sent with the tape peeking out from under the fridge. It’s not malicious or meant to be blackmail; it’s truly just intended to help Shauna let go of her own trauma and guilt and hopefully turn over a new leaf. By this point, though, Shauna is having flashbacks of the horrible things she’s done — killing the bunny back in Season 1 (and serving it to her family for dinner), killing Adam (Peter Gadiot), biting Melissa’s arm, and ripping the necklace from Callie’s. She starts sobbing as it all comes crashing down around her, but then she pulls out a pad of paper.
Shauna begins to write down her confessions as she remembers them. She’s tried for years to remember what happened, and she now believes the reason she never could is because the team became so alive in the woods that they lost their capacity for self-reflection. Survivors often forget things to protect themselves because what happened was so horrible, but Shauna can’t, or won’t, remember because they simply were having so much fun, and that’s the terrible truth they left buried out there alongside their friends. It’s all coming back to her now — the danger, the thrill, the person she was back then, not a wife or a mother. “I was a warrior. I was a fucking queen.” And as it turns out, this isn’t just a figure of speech, because this monologue is juxtaposed with a scene of teen Shauna (Sophie Nélisse) being crowned Antler Queen. Back in the present, Shauna says that she let it all slip away, but it’s time to start taking it back, hinting at an even more intense and fierce version to come.
Related
“How did these relationships evolve?”
The Wilderness Calls for Another Hunt in the ‘Yellowjackets’ Season 3 Finale
In the wilderness timeline, snow is covering the ground, meaning things are about to get a lot more treacherous for the team. They barely survived winter in Season 2, and now they’re forced to face it again — but the way they made it through last time was by having a hunt. Before that happens, Akilah (Nia Sondaya) screams, alerting the entire team to the fact that all of her animals are dead, just like in her previous vision. Natalie (Sophie Thatcher) muses that maybe “It” wants them to leave, while Lottie says that they’ve become too arrogant and “It” is unhappy with them. They’ll have to prove their faithfulness, and “It” wants blood. Nat points out that all they’ve done is spill blood — Coach Scott (Steven Krueger), the scientist, the guide — but Mari (Alexa Barajas) interjects and says that those were all their enemies. It’s not a real sacrifice unless they cherish it, Lottie adds. Shauna declares another hunt, saying they’ll do it right this time. Nat is immediately against the idea and tries to walk away, but Shauna calls her back, once again pulling her leadership card.
Later, Van (Liv Hewson) and Tai (Jasmin Savoy Brown) are conversing in their tent about the team’s deck of cards. Tai insists they can’t leave the draws to chance this time, but Van reminds her that leaving it to chance is the point. In Tai’s mind, they have to ensure neither of them draws the Queen of Hearts, but Van doesn’t feel right about choosing which of her teammates dies. It’s largely hinted that the two rig the deck so that Hannah (Ashley Sutton) will pull the Queen of Hearts. The next morning, Shauna wakes to find even more snow on the ground, so the team circles up to draw cards. Misty (Samantha Hanratty) pulls the 10 of Hearts, Van pulls the 9 of Diamonds, Nat pulls the Ace of Hearts, Lottie pulls the 8 of Clubs, and Tai pulls the Jack of Spades. All the while, Shauna notices Van and Tai exchanging glances, so she decides to switch spots. Tai tries to nudge Shauna back to her original spot, but Shauna doubles down, insisting that she trusts what “It” wills. Unfortunately, Mari pulls the card that was intended for Hannah — and Shauna just shrugs and says, “Tough break, Mar,” before Lottie starts counting down to the hunt.
Pit Girl Is Finally Revealed in the ‘Yellowjackets’ Season 3 Finale
Mari takes off running into the woods as the team chases her, howling like animals. Shauna and Tai come across two sets of footprints, and at first believe the team is trying to cut Mari off at the caves — but Shauna thinks something weird is going on. Tai’s not even sure that the tracks they’re following are Mari’s, which angers Shauna, who calls her out for tampering with the deck and trying to help Mari get away. Before an actual brawl can break out between them, Gen (Vanessa Prasad) shows up and urges Tai to come with her because Van has gotten hurt. This successfully splits Shauna and Tai up, leaving Shauna to track Mari on her own. While all of this is going on, Mari sheds her jacket to deter the team, as well as her pants — but she also has to ditch her shoes when they get stuck in her pant leg. The move successfully delays Shauna, but she also makes note of the fact that Mari is now without shoes. This becomes a big deal later when Mari trips and cuts her now-bare foot open, leaving bloody prints on the crisp white snow.
Shauna immediately recognizes the footprints as belonging to Mari and tracks them, only to be deterred by a fellow teammate knocking her down. It’s Melissa (Jenna Burgess), and she immediately attacks Shauna, nearly choking her to death before her conscience catches up to her. Shauna simply fires back, “I knew you’d turn out to be boring,” and then scrambles to meet the rest of the team. Meanwhile, Gen and Tai are out looking for Van when Van suddenly shows up, thwarting Gen’s plans. Gen admits she lied about Van because Mari is her friend, and she just wanted to give her a fighting chance. Tai says there is still hope for Mari to get out in one piece, but alas, we quickly learn the opposite is true.
As Mari continues to run, she slams into Lottie near the caves, but she isn’t interested in entertaining Lottie’s preaching right now, so she takes off in the opposite direction, and this is her undoing. Lottie watches as Mari unknowingly falls into the pit, still covered from when Travis tried to kill her in the previous episode. Suddenly, the forest is so quiet you can hear a pin drop. The horn is blown, signifying the end of the hunt, and the team gathers around the pit, where Mari has been impaled, fingers still horrifically twitching in a horrific sight. It’s one of the most gruesome deaths of the show, even if we knew it was coming. Shauna is the only one unfazed by the sight and tells the team to get Mari out and bring her back to camp. Natalie is ordered to “do the honors” of preparing the body and bringing Shauna the hair when it’s done, thus giving us the origin behind the Antler Queen’s eerie ornamentation.
Natalie Gets the Word Out in the ‘Yellowjackets’ Season 3 Finale
In the penultimate episode, Natalie learned Misty’s secret about destroying the plane’s black box, something that has been looming since Season 1 — and the finale reveals the fallout. First, Natalie curses Misty out, blaming her for everything that’s happened to them since, and punches her when Misty claims she wishes she could undo things. Tearfully, Misty asks if Natalie is going to tell everyone, but Nat just wants to know how the SAT phone will get them home, if they can repair it. Later, during the hunt, Natalie is grabbing the phone’s case from its hiding spot when she hears rustling behind her. It’s Hannah, who insists she’s on Nat’s side, and only killed Kodi (Joel McHale) because Shauna would have killed them both otherwise. She’s just trying to survive, and she wants out just as badly.
After the feast of Mari and the crowning of Shauna as Antler Queen, the team returns to camp, where Shauna calls out Natalie for her actions. Natalie is silent the entire time Shauna is berating her, and when Shauna yanks Natalie’s mask down, it’s actually Hannah; she and Natalie have swapped clothes. Shauna turns around to discover that the rest of the team is smirking, clearly in on it, and screams in frustration, demanding to know where Natalie is. Misty breaks the fourth wall with a smirk, and the episode cuts to an aerial shot of the mountains. Aerosmith’s “Livin’ On The Edge” scores the scene, and Natalie treks to the top with SAT phone in hand. When she makes it to the top, she turns the phone on and manages to get a strong signal. She dials out, screaming and pleading into it, slowly losing hope as it does nothing but crackle with static. As Natalie screams out, “Can anyone hear me?” a man’s voice suddenly answers on the other end. Maybe rescue isn’t out of the question for the Yellowjackets after all.
The Yellowjackets Season 3 finale answers many questions while hinting at potential rescue for the team.
- Release Date
-
November 14, 2021
- Network
-
Showtime, Paramount+ with Showtime
- Showrunner
-
Ashley Lyle, Bart Nickerson, Jonathan Lisco
- Directors
-
Benjamin Semanoff, Daisy von Scherler Mayer, Deepa Mehta, Eduardo Sánchez, Jeffrey W. Byrd, Liz Garbus, Scott Winant, Eva Sørhaug, Jamie Travis
- We finally learn who killed Lottie.
- Pit Girl is revealed after three seasons of speculation.
- Shauna is crowned Antler Queen in an eerie ceremony.
- Natalie is the team MVP for fixing the SAT phone and heading to the mountains for help.
- Hannah is revealed to be double crossing Shauna.
