After three seasons of fan speculation and red herrings, Yellowjackets finally confirms that Mari (played by Alexa Barajas) is the infamous Pit Girl. Her demise, hinted at since Season 1, is made official in the episode titled “Full Circle.” Foreshadowed through her physical resemblance and a dramatic game of Capture the Flag gone wrong, Mari’s fate is sealed when she falls into a trap dug by Coach Ben—a trap that ultimately becomes her death pit.
Mari’s death doesn’t just answer a mystery—it symbolically ties back to the very first episode of the series and to the seeds planted at the start of Season 3. Her brutal end also gives Shauna the grim satisfaction of exacting vengeance for Mari’s earlier bullying. The wilderness feast that follows positions Shauna as the show’s rising queen, while reaffirming the group’s descent into primal chaos.
While Season 1 suggested a unified cult-like hunt, the reality shown in “Full Circle” is more complicated. The group has split into uneasy alliances: Shauna and Lottie lead the bloodthirsty faction, while others like Van and Tai are hesitant participants. Tai even tries to fix the draw to protect an outsider, Hannah, showing that not everyone is fully committed to the wilderness’s rules.
Unresolved Arcs, Twisted Motives, and a Chilling Murder Reveal in the Present
Subplots involving newer characters like Hannah, Melissa, Gen, and Akilah offer intrigue but often fall flat. Natalie makes a key escape with the satellite phone after swapping identities with Hannah, but the show does little to develop Hannah as a character. Meanwhile, Akilah’s confrontation with Lottie goes unresolved, raising more questions than answers about her fate.
Yellowjackets Season 3 (Photo: Showtime Networks)In a twist, Akilah confesses that she and others poisoned their own animals to push the group toward another hunt—though not for food, as there were plenty of animals left. The motivation remains murky: was it power, distraction, or something deeper? Mari may have been collateral damage in a larger, murkier plan, possibly intended to target Shauna instead.
In the present timeline, Misty discovers that Lottie’s killer wasn’t Shauna but Callie—Shauna’s daughter. Confronted with DNA evidence, Callie confesses to pushing Lottie down the stairs after a chilling encounter in Lottie’s candlelit basement. Lottie’s eerie speech about the wilderness and Callie being its “child” adds a disturbing psychological layer to the murder.
Unanswered Questions, Lost Villains, and the Dark Evolution of Shauna and Misty
Some mysteries remain unsatisfactorily resolved—most notably, the “paranoia campaign” against adult Shauna. The show brushes off the series of creepy incidents (like the locked fridge or haunting music) as coincidences or misunderstandings. These explanations fall flat and suggest the show may be deliberately gaslighting its own characters—and its audience.
Adult Melissa, who is hinted to be far more dangerous (she did kill Van, after all), fades into the background again by the finale. Despite a few clues pointing toward her deeper involvement, the show sidesteps exploring her potential as a more significant antagonist, leaving her development oddly stunted.
The season ends with a haunting journal entry from Shauna, who reflects on whether they forgot the wilderness because of trauma—or because they secretly enjoyed it. She admits to relishing her identity as a warrior and queen, not just a wife or mother. This disturbing self-awareness hints that Shauna is ready to reclaim her dark wilderness persona in future episodes.
The finale mirrors Misty’s iconic smile from Season 1, now with new context. In Season 3, her grin represents not hunger but success—she’s helped orchestrate Natalie’s escape via satellite phone. This contrast underscores the diverging paths among the Yellowjackets: one group yearning for escape, the other embracing the wilderness. With Season 4 on the horizon, this internal divide promises escalating conflict.
