Yellowjackets Season 3 Ending Explained: Who Killed Lottie and What Is the True Identity of “Pit Girl”
Yellowjackets Season 3 of the Showtime Series said goodbye to the screens with the episode “Full Circle”, which runs over an hour. So, after enjoying it, perhaps you would like to review the main events that took place in this episode. Therefore, in the following lines, I bring you his final explained (ending explained). It is worth specifying that “Yellowjackets” is a series of suspense created by Ashley Lyle and Bart Nickerson, which focuses on the players of a high school soccer team who became the (unfortunate) survivors of a plane crash in the bowels of a forest in Ontario. In this way, the episode 03×10 from production moves us to when the situation turns icy… as new bloody alliances are built and destroyed. Yellowjackets Season 3 delves into what happened in the woods, grotesquely exposing the group’s darkest moments. The story follows Shauna and the transfer of leadership to Misty, who appears to be destined to be the central figure in the fourth season. Finally, the identity of the mysterious “Pit Girl” is revealed, as well as the motives of characters like Travis and Akilah. In addition, the season reveals key clues about how the Yellowjackets managed to survive that last winter in the forest.
After ten episodes full of suspense, Yellowjackets Season 3, available exclusively on Showtime, ended with a truly explosive ending. Match quietly on Valentine’s Day, Yellowjackets Season 3 recovered ground along the way, arriving on Friday, 11 April 2025, at a closure that untied old knots and left new questions open. The episodes of the third season not only shed light on the mysteries of the present, but they also revealed unpublished details of the past. The protagonists of the TV series, both young and as adults, have given rise to a disturbing escalation that reaffirms a profound doubt. Although more than twenty years have passed since the plane crash, the Yellowjackets have never really left those woods: time and personal transformations have only masked their true nature, now resurfaced. In this article, we deepen the ending of Yellowjackets Season 3, summarizing the main points of the third season to offer a complete picture of the story.
Yellowjackets Season 3: Plot Summary
The second season of Yellowjackets ended with dramatic events that left their mark on different planes. In the present, Misty causes involuntarily Nat’s death, while Lottie is hospitalized again in a mental health institution. In the past, the group’s teenagers miraculously survived the cabin fire, but the mystery remains about who set the fire. The third season starts from these developments: Natalie’s funeral, Lottie’s resignation, and suspicions that fall on Ben as the possible responsible for the fire, since the man had disappeared into thin air shortly before the start of the stake. In the Yellowjackets Season 3, Mari ends up in a trap that turns out to be Ben’s work, surviving in the woods living in the cave where Javi had taken refuge in the past. The Coach, fearing that the girl will reveal her hiding place, initially captures her, but decides to let her go, trusting in her discretion. Mari, however, once back from the group, reveals Ben’s position, who is dragged to base camp to be tried.
Even without concrete evidence, the Coach is sentenced to death, but the execution is postponed: Lottie, based on an alleged vision of Akilah, convinces others that Ben’s presence will be fundamental to return home and therefore is spared for the moment. After a long captivity in inhuman conditions, Ben begs Natalie to end her suffering, and she, although reluctant, fulfills her request. In the meantime, a group arrives in the woods of Ontario composed of two researchers, Hannah and Edwin, together with their guide, Kodiak. Attracted by the shouts of the Yellowjackets during the macabre banquet with Ben’s remains, the new arrivals find the group’s camp, causing tensions. While some Yellowjackets see the possibility of returning home in the trio, Lottie and others oppose it, following the hypothetical messages of the woods according to which the time has not yet come to leave. Eventually, the two men are killed while Hannah, with a little cunning, manages to survive by becoming a new member of the group.
Lottie’s Departure and Melissa’s Return?
In Yellowjackets Season 3, a series of ambiguous events convinces Shauna that someone is targeting her, pushing her to temporarily hide with her family. As the season continues, it turns out that these events are disconnected, but one in particular risks exposing the dark past of the Yellowjackets: an old audio tape, containing key moments in their history, reaches Shauna after being previously intercepted by his daughter Callie. Recordings include the murder of researcher Edwin and a posthumous message from Hannah for her daughter.
Meanwhile, Lottie is found dead after an alleged fall from the stairs. Misty, suspecting a murder, initiates an investigation and speculates that Shauna may have killed her to protect Callie, as Lottie had previously attempted to manipulate the girl. After a comparison between Shauna, Misty, Van, and Tai and further investigations, it emerges that the tape was sent by Melissa, a former companion of the group with whom Shauna had had a brief relationship when they were in the woods. Over the years, Melissa has built a new life with Hannah’s daughter, adopting a false identity and hiding the truth about the bond with the Yellowjackets from her wife. The clash culminates with Shauna ready to kill her, but in the end, Melissa has the upper hand and, to be able to escape, hits Van to death.
Yellowjackets Season 3 Ending Explained: What Happens to Shauna, Misty, and Callie?
The big unknown of the season was: Who killed Lottie? Finally, it is revealed that it was Callie, Shauna’s daughter, who pushed her down the stairs after a tense encounter. Lottie had hinted that Callie was the “daughter of the forest”, a predestined being that nature had granted them after the loss of Shauna’s baby. According to Lottie, the forest itself had manifested itself in Callie, making her a kind of new spiritual queen. Misty, who discovers the truth with Walter, encourages Callie to confess it to Jeff, leaving the family in a critical position. Callie, confused and scared, returns home and asks her father if she is as “monstrous” as her mother, to which Jeff replies no, regretting not having protected her from Shauna. In parallel, in the past, Akilah —manipulated by Lottie — kills the last game animal to force the macabre card game to be played again. Travis, for his part, makes enigmatic statements: he suggests that, having consumed his dead companions, his thoughts now belong to them. Is it just guilt, or is there really a supernatural element infiltrating their minds?
Who is the Mysterious “Pit Girl”?
The season reveals that “Pit Girl” is Mari. During the card game, Tai conspires with Van to manipulate the game and have Hannah take out the queen’s card. However, Shauna intervenes in the order of the cast, causing Mari to take out the dreaded letter. Before the hunt, Mari throws Shauna a prophetic comment: “You deserve what will happen to you”. While trying to divide the girls during the hunt, Gen tries to protect Mari, but amid the chaos, Mari runs uncontrollably and ends up falling straight into the skewer trap. Later, her body is prepared as food, and Shauna is crowned the new “Antler Queen”. This scene culminates in a grotesque feast, where Mari is devoured by her companions. Lottie, who had wanted to offer herself as a sacrifice, is confronted by Akilah but continues to firmly believe in the will of the forest.
What About Natalie?
During the hunt, the girls wear masks, allowing Hannah and Natalie to exchange their roles without anyone noticing. Natalie manages to climb a tree to look for a signal on a scientist’s phone and ask for outside help. Misty’s smile when Shauna asks about Natalie reveals her satisfaction at seeing Shauna’s apparent defeat. Finally, Natalie manages to communicate with the outside world, getting someone to rescue them. However, Shauna seems disoriented, searching for answers in Natalie about Mari’s fall and recent events, despite being crowned as the leader of the group. In the present, we see Shauna emotionally face her memories and the reality of what happened in the forest. Find a letter suggesting that there is still evidence of crimes committed during his time in the woods. In a moment of introspection, Shauna promises to remember every detail, not as a mother or wife, but as the warrior queen she once was.
What Can We Expect in Yellowjackets Season 4?
Next season promises a real internal war: Tai and Misty plan to unite to stop Shauna, convinced that she has lost control and should not be left as the last standing. Furthermore, many unknowns remain to be resolved: what really happened to Akilah, Gen, and Hannah, whose destinies in the current timeline are still a mystery? Walter is also emerging as a key piece. His obsession with Misty and his shadow movements hint that he might have hidden ties to the Yellowjackets or even be the great antagonist of the next installment. Melissa, who barely had a leading role this season, will be central in the fourth. Remember that he intentionally killed Van, anticipating that he would make extreme decisions. And, of course, the big question about Callie: Will she adopt the dark role that Lottie predicted for her? Will she be the key to saving (or condemning) survivors?
Complete Analysis of Ending
In Yellowjackets Season 3, the common thread between past and present is further intertwined, revealing crucial details on hidden dynamics, unresolved conflicts, and the complexity of the relationships between the various characters. As new truths emerge, both ties and tensions intensify, setting in motion decisive events for the future of the group and its survivors.
In the Present: Conflicts and Revelations
In the tenth episode of the TV series, Misty, after excluding that one of the Yellowjackets is responsible for Lottie’s death, discovers that the murder was committed by Callie. The girl had gone to Lottie to retrieve the stolen tape from Lottie before she could deliver it to Shauna. During a heated discussion, Lottie still tries to manipulate Callie, insinuating that she inherited the dark side of her mother. In anger, Callie pushes her, causing the fatal fall, and, panicking, recovers the tape and runs away. After confronting Misty, Callie also confesses everything to her father, sharing her fears of looking too much like Shauna. Jeff then decides to leave with his daughter to protect her, interrupting his relationship with his wife. For Shauna, the loss of the family adds to the tensions with the remaining friends: Taissa accuses her of being responsible for Van’s death and the events that led to this epilogue. Tai and Misty also worried about the consequences, they discussed how to intervene to stop Shauna before he remains the only survivor of their group.
In The Past: Sacrifices and Leadership
In the last episode of Yellowjackets Season 3, Lottie convinces the group that the presence of researchers has disturbed the woods, requiring a new sacrifice. While divided, the Yellowjackets decide to cast lots as usual. Tai and Van manipulate the draw to make the choice fall on Hannah, but Shauna senses their plan and intervenes, making Mari the Queen of Hearts happen. The girl tries a desperate escape but falls into an animal trap, being fatally pierced. Mari’s death solves a narrative piece: his body is the one seen in the flash-forward of the first episode of the TV series, dragged bloody into the woods by the Yellowjackets, covered with macabre masks and furs. In the same way, the emblematic image depicted in the posters of the television show and present in the same initial flashforward turns out to be Shauna, who becomes the absolute leader. With a ritual mask reminiscent of a deer, adorned along the body by the locks of Mari’s hair, its disturbing appearance symbolizes the dark power it exerts on the group, forcing them to follow it. A power that in the present, finding himself in difficulty, Shauna wants to reaffirm to restore the order of things.
Conclusion: An Escape Attempt and New Developments
In the season finale of Yellowjackets Season 3, in the plot set in the past, some tired members of Shauna’s abuse try to find a way back home. Misty, who initially sabotaged the transmitter to stay in the woods, decides to repair it with the help of Natalie, using the researchers’ equipment. Shauna, distracted by recent events, does not immediately notice the disappearance of Nat. When he realizes that something is wrong, it is too late: Natalie, who has reached the top of a mountain, makes a radio contact to ask for help. The end of the history of the Yellowjackets in the woods seems close, but to know what will happen, you have to wait for the next season of the TV series (currently not yet confirmed). The sure thing is that, meanwhile, in the present, Shauna is more determined than ever to bring back that dark past.
