Yellowjackets season 3, episode 9 kills another adult survivor, and Van returns to the plane during her final moments in “How the Story Ends.” This isn’t the first time adult Van has a mysterious vision in season 3; she sees her teen self when she’s in the hospital, and their encounter foreshadows her later demise. But while Van’s vision in Yellowjackets season 3, episode 7 isn’t hard to decipher — it suggests the Wilderness is punishing her for her rejecting baser impulses — her plane scene is a bit more perplexing.
In fact, Van’s return to the plane at the end of “How the Story Ends” raises more questions than it really answers. It’s obviously a callback to Yellowjackets season 2’s ending, and the appearance of teen Van comes with its own implications. But some of the things that are said during Yellowjackets season 3, episode 9’s ending don’t immediately make sense. It’s possible the series is setting up a bigger twist later on, or it could be cryptically referencing Van’s part in the narrative. Either way, it makes for an intriguing segue into season 3’s final episode.
Adult Van Encounters Her Teenage Self In The Yellowjackets’ Plane When She Dies
After Melissa stabs Van in Yellowjackets‘ adult timeline, Van returns to the plane as she dies — and she sees her younger self there. Teen Van crops up in adult Van’s mind throughout season 3, and she’s not the only teen survivor to haunt her adult counterpart in the show. These visions are a clever way to mix the actors and characters from both storylines. However, they also speak to the series’ greater themes. At its core, Yellowjackets is about how trauma manifests later in life, and the c ontinued appearance of the teens in the present day is symbolic of that.
The survivors’ experience in the Wilderness heavily impacts their adult lives, and it directly ties into their deaths.
The survivors’ experience in the Wilderness heavily impacts their adult lives, and it directly ties into their deaths. Given the enormous effect the Yellowjackets’ Wilderness trauma has on them in adulthood, it’s not surprising that they return to their teen selves in their final moments. This is why younger Van talks adult Van through their death. However, their conversation suggests there could be more to her appearance than it seems.
What Teen Van Means When She Says “This Isn’t The Ending”
The conversation between both versions of Van is an interesting one, as adult Van wonders what the point of everything was if she was just going to die — and the teen character comforts her by insisting, “It wasn’t my call. This is just how our story goes.“ It seems like teen Van might have known what was coming, and her words suggest someone or something else is calling the shots. This line could hint that the Wilderness’ plan for the adult survivors is inescapable, or it could be symbolic of the fact that the Yellowjackets’ stories were always going to end tragically.
Given Yellowjackets’ ambiguous supernatural elements, it could be setting up a Lost-esque twist.
Teen Van could be referencing whatever comes after death, as we know she holds a belief in a greater power; that’s why she worships the Wilderness in the ’90s timeline. She could also mean that the story is continuing without her, as Tai, Shauna, and Misty get to go on — two of them because of her sacrifice. And finally, given Yellowjackets‘ ambiguous supernatural elements, it could be setting up a Lost-esque twist, where the characters come together back in the Wilderness or in a different timeline before moving on.
Yellowjackets Season 3’s Plane Scene Calls Back To Natalie’s Season 2 Death
In addition to referencing Van’s trauma and giving her character a proper send-off, Yellowjackets season 3, episode 9’s plane vision is meant to reference the one Natalie has in the season 2 finale. Natalie also dies suddenly and for the sake of the Wilderness, and Juliette Lewis’ iteration of the character returns to the plane, too. She sees her teen self there, and when she insists, “I’m not supposed to be here,” Sophie Thatcher’s character tells her, “This is exactly where we belong. We’ve been here for years.”
Like Van’s teen self, younger Nat symbolizes the continued trauma the survivors face throughout Yellowjackets. But her words are mysterious enough that they could support a return to the Wilderness or some other supernatural twist as well. We’re unlikely to learn the true meaning behind these visions for a while. But if we see Lottie’s death in the Yellowjackets season 3 finale, it could shed further light on them. After all, it would make sense for her to return to the plane as well.
