Stay away from Shauna Shipman…
Showtime’s Yellowjackets returns with its highly anticipated fourth season. This leaves fans surprised to learn it will also be the series finale. Premiering in November 2021, the show follows a high school girls’ soccer team whose plane crashes en route to nationals. This leaves them stranded in the Canadian wilderness near the Rockies for 19 months.
Throughout the series, the girls must confront not only the harsh realities of survival but also the psychological toll of the wilderness. With the October 10 announcement, the series is now set to conclude, surprising fans who had expected a five-season arc based on showrunner Ashley Lyle’s 2023 statements with Entertainment Weekly. Season 3 cemented Yellowjackets as a cultural phenomenon, breaking viewership records by reaching 3 million streams within its first week on Paramount+, making it the platform’s biggest finale to date and proving the show’s continued appeal.
Throughout the series, questions of leadership, loyalty, and the long-term effects of trauma have shaped the girls’ relationships. The show continues to explore how survival and shared experience influence both individual choices and group dynamics.
Hive Mind: collective memory, power, and trauma
The series follows the traditional survival horror setup— a plane crashes, left in the isolation of the wildness, extreme stress leads to formation of power dynamics. At its core, Yellowjackets examines how extreme circumstances can bind people together in ways that are both intimate and dangerous.
As the show plays out, it is clear that the survivors share a selective conscious that influences their actions in the present timeline and reveals the pact of secrecy that was created while out there. Survival becomes more than a physical challenge; it transforms into a psychological experiment, where fear, hunger, and isolation push the girls to test moral boundaries and negotiate power among themselves.
Certain members of the group became powerful figures while the girls are fighting to survive, some by decision, others by pure ruthlessness. AKA Shauna Shipman, who becomes the most unhinged girl out there. Some might say, she makes the wilderness look tame.
Lottie Matthews emerges as a central figure in this psychological landscape, her presence and actions both reflecting and amplifying the tension, fear, and superstition that grip the group as they struggle to survive.
Pure madness
Within the first few episodes of Season 1, it becomes clear that Lottie struggles with some form of schizophrenia. She starts to make claims that she can feel and hear “The Wilderness”. This comes after a flashback from her childhood when she was taken to the psychiatrist for having disturbing visions.
Lottie’s returning hallucinations convinces the girls that she is a prophet, with the ability to understand what “The Wilderness” wants. Lottie’s ability to empathize with the group’s fears and predict danger, gives her the role that is similar to a spiritual leader. She teaches the girls how to hear nature and connect with the trees. This comes after Lottie leads them to believe The Wilderness is alive, having them personifying it.
In the present timeline, Lottie Matthews’ reappears as the leader of a self-help “wellness” group or, more accurately, a cult. This reveals how the psychological and spiritual influence of the wilderness never truly left her. The adult Lottie presents her community as a place of healing, mindfulness, and reconnection with nature, but beneath the serene exterior lies an unsettling familiarity. The cult becomes a manifestation of how trauma mutates over time—no longer an external environment, but an internal belief system.
One of the most enduring mysteries in Yellowjackets—and the question fans are most desperate to have answered—the meaning behind the iconic symbol. First appeared carved into trees, drawn on the cabin floor, and mysteriously linked to moments of death or ritual. The symbol has become the visual core of the show’s mythology. Its simple yet ominous design, a circle crossed with lines and a hook-like shape, suggesting purpose and intent. Will Season 4 give us an explanation?
Girls gone hunting
Speaking of explanations, the girls create their own brutal system for killing, one that blurs the boundary between order and madness. As starvation and fear take over, they turn to a ritualized method of deciding who would die—the infamous card hunt. In this system, each girl draws a card, and whoever pulls the Queen of Hearts is chosen as the next sacrifice. What started as an attempt for fairness lead to an overwhelming amount of superstition around the hunt.
Cannibalism is soon to follow, not just as a means of staying alive but as a moment of collective surrender to the wilderness. The act itself, horrifying and intimate, solidifies their bond while erasing the last traces of innocence and civilization. By consuming one another, the girls reinforced the idea that survival comes at the cost of their humanity.
Queerness in the wilderness
Through the chaos of the situation, the girls are able to find intimate connections that leave the audience shipping characters together and hoping to make them canon. The LGBTQIA+ representation in Yellowjackets is loud and proud!
Taissa and Van
One of the most iconic sapphic relationships in Yellowjackets is Taissa and Van. Their love feels raw; born out of chaos, fear, and survival. It’s messy and real, not tragic or performative, which makes it stand out from how queer relationships are usually shown in horror.
They find comfort in each other when everything else is falling apart, grounding each other when the wilderness starts to consume their sanity. It hits because it’s not about labels or aesthetics—it’s about connection, safety, and holding onto something real when the world around you is anything but.
Shauna and Jackie
Shauna and Jackie’s relationship is complicated in all the best ways—it’s not officially romantic, but the tension is undeniable. Their bond walks that thin line between love, envy, and obsession. Jackie represents everything Shauna thinks she’s supposed to be, while Shauna carries all the chaos Jackie’s too scared to face. When they’re stranded, that dynamic twists into something darker—codependence, betrayal, and maybe even desire.
“It felt very natural. I think there had been rumors or questions from the get-go with the relationship with Jackie, and a lot of people had their thoughts on Shauna’s sexuality. I think that’s what I loved about her, is there was no need to confirm one or the other”
Sophie Nelisse
Jackie and Shauna’s relationship is heavily theorized, whether it’s romantic or not—it doesn’t matter! Fans are still obsessed, especially after the unforgettable moment when Shauna literally ate Jackie’s ear…talk about a “bonding” moment.
Coach Ben
Coach Ben struggles with being a gay man in the 90s, keeping his identity mostly hidden. It is not until a cathartic moment in the wilderness when he screams, “I’m gay!” that he fully expresses himself, showing how the series captures the fear, pressure, and release of finally embracing one’s truth. Throughout the show, Natalie serves as someone he can trust, hinting that she always knew about his sexuality and providing him a rare sense of safety and understanding.
The last bite
As Yellowjackets comes to a close with its final season, here are a few questions we still have unanswered:
- What is the meaning behind the symbol?
- Who helped Javi stay alive while lost in the wilderness?
- What are Walter’s motives and does he truly like Misty?
- Is there actually a supernatural element or was it all psychological?
In the final episode of Season 3, it ended with Nat finally contacting help to initiate their rescue. Fans grip the edge of their seats, as we wait to see how it all unfolds.
Will we finally get answers, or just more chaos and trauma? Honestly, who even knows but one thing’s for sure: we’re all still obsessed, screaming at our screens, and secretly hoping Jackie and Shauna work it out on the remix.
