Yellowjackets Season 3 Will Be Exciting, But Don’t Forget About The Show’s Other Big Mystery

Yellowjackets season 3 is poised to be another exciting entry in the beloved series, but viewers shouldn’t forget about the show’s other big mystery.

Although Yellowjackets season 3 is poised to be another exciting entry in the beloved series, viewers shouldn’t forget about the show’s other big mystery. The Emmy-nominated Showtime series centers on two distinct timelines: one unfolds during the 1990s, tracing the immediate aftermath of a plane crash on the New Jersey high school girls’ soccer team that’s stranded in the Canadian wilderness as a result of the tragedy. Yellowjackets’ present timeline focuses on the now-adult survivors of the disaster, who still can’t quite lay their past to rest — even 25 years later. That said, the show features accomplished actors playing the younger and older versions of its characters.

The young-adult cast boasts breakout stars like Sophie Nélisse (Shauna), Jasmin Savoy Brown (Taissa), Samantha Hanratty (Misty), Sophie Thatcher (Natalie), Courtney Eaton (Lottie), and Liv Hewson (Van). Meanwhile, acclaimed actors play the respective adult versions of the characters: Melanie Lynskey, Tawny Cypress, Christina Ricci, Juliette Lewis, Simone Kessell, and Lauren Ambrose. In the past storyline, newly minted cult leader Lottie, who communes with the wilderness, tells the team that Nat is their new leader; later that night, the Yellowjackets’ cabin is set on fire. In the present, the women navigate Lottie’s unhinged ritual, resulting in one of their deaths — something Lottie dubs a “sacrifice” to the wilderness.

Yellowjackets Still Needs To Release The Show’s Bonus Episode

Following the part-cliffhanger, part-tragic ending of Yellowjackets season 2, viewers began to theorize that the finale was the end of the line for the Showtime series’ sophomore outing. Interestingly, the second season of Yellowjackets contains just 9 episodes as opposed to the first installment’s 10-episode order. While it’s not unheard of for the number of episodes in a season of television to fluctuate, the change encouraged devotees to wait for a bonus episode the following week. This prompted the show’s co-creator, Ashley Lyle, to announce that there would be a between-seasons bonus episode — it just wasn’t dropping on the heels of season 2’s finale.

While Yellowjackets season 3 offers plenty to look forward to in the coming year, the series’ bigger mystery might just be the bonus episode. Because said chapter was supposed to air between the second and third seasons, fans are wondering why the show’s creators and network have remained tight-lipped about its premiere. Given the dual actors’ and writers’ strikes, work on Yellowjackets season 3 halted for a while, though production resumed after the strikes came to an end. Since the third season doesn’t have a projected air date either, it’s safe to assume Showtime will hold off on releasing the episode until the network cements its general release schedule.

How Yellowjackets Season 2’s Finale Sets Up An Interesting Bonus Episode

The Yellowjackets season 2 ending left viewers wondering how, exactly, the stranded team will survive the winter without shelter. In the closing moments of the ninth episode, the survivors flee the burning cabin — but one of their ranks is missing: Coach Ben (Steven Krueger). Prior to starting the fire, Ben had asked Nat to hide away with him, believing the rest of the team had crossed a line. When Nat rebuffs him and becomes the group’s newest leader, a terrified Ben sets the cabin on fire because he can’t believe what the young women have become. (Understandably, Ben is firm on his “no cannibalism” stance.)

With the cabin destroyed, the team is without protection from the elements. Not to mention, they’ll have a new common enemy in the form of Ben. What makes the Yellowjackets between-season bonus episode truly compelling isn’t that it’ll shine a light on the cabin-fire aftermath. Instead, the episode, which doesn’t really belong in either season, has the chance to shed light on the cabin’s origins. So far, the leading assumption is that the bonus episode will center on the man who owned the cabin — a mysterious figure who’ll possibly be played by Jason Ritter, who reportedly filmed scenes for Yellowjackets depsite not appearing in season 2.