Yellowjackets surprised viewers with multiple shocking plot twists ahead of the show’s third season. The series has a dual timeline where viewers follow a high school soccer team in the past as they survive a plane crash in the wilderness before catching up with them as adults more than two decades later.
During the second season, which concluded in May 2023, Lottie stepped down as the leader of the past group and handed over the role to Natalie. After the teens ate Javi as a group, they woke up to a fire started by Coach Ben that burned down their cabin.
The present-day timeline, meanwhile, took a dark turn when Lottie suggested that the group needed to choose a sacrifice for the darkness. Lisa interjected by trying to defend Lottie, and as a result, Misty almost poisoned her to death. But in a last-minute twist, Natalie stepped in to defend Lisa and was actually the one to die.
After the shocking finale aired, Ricci revealed that the cast was kept largely in the dark about the decision to kill off adult Natalie.
In the current timeline, Natalie was killed by Misty via a phenobarbital injection meant for Lisa. The death appeared to placate Lottie, who decided the darkness was there with them and claimed it accepted Natalie as the sacrifice. Lottie also hinted to Van that as a result, the darkness will heal her cancer.
The past timeline focused on the aftermath of Javi’s drowning and how the group prepared him as their next meal. Travis gave his permission for the others to eat his brother by biting off a piece of Javi’s heart. Coach Ben was disgusted by the behavior, which set off a chain of events where the group’s cabin was burned down.
Deadline reported in January 2024 that the writers room for season 3 reopened three months prior. As a result of delays from the Hollywood strikes, the third season of the hit Showtime series won’t air until 2025.
Melanie Lynskey, Ricci, Tawny Cypress, Ambrose, Kessel, Warren Kole, and Sarah Desjardins are expected to return for the present storyline. Sophie Nélisse, Samantha Hanratty, Jasmin Savoy Brown, Thatcher, Eaton, Liv Hewson, Alves, and Krueger will also presumably return to the past timeline.
After the season 2 finale, Lewis confirmed her exit from the show. Lewis has not yet addressed whether there is potential for her to return in flashback sequences.
Despite her character’s onscreen death, Lewis told The Hollywood Reporter in January 2024 that she wasn’t ruling out a return via flashback.
Production was initially delayed in May 2023 due to the WGA strike. Actors joined writers on the picket line two months later, and both strikes were resolved by the end of the year.
Lyle offered an update on how the writing process was going in December 2023 during a SAG-AFTRA panel, saying “We’re deep in the writing. Everybody came back so incredibly enthusiastic, raring to go and creatively invigorated. We’re having so much fun and are very excited about it.”
Lyle weighed in on the decision to burn down the girls’ cabin, adding at the panel, “We wanted to find a new way to test the team, and what better way than to take the big net of shelter away from them?”
While season 2 was still airing, Lyle hinted that there was a plan for five seasons.
There are five characters from the past timeline whose fates haven’t been revealed: Coach Ben, Mari, Akilah, Gen, and Melissa. Based on the glimpse viewers got of the Pit Girl in the pilot as the rest of the group hunted her down, Mari is the most likely candidate.
Steven Krueger, who plays Coach Ben, hinted that the upcoming season will be the “wildest, bloodiest” yet.
