ShowtimeCoach Scott lost his life for allegedly burning down the cabin in Yellowjackets, but Season 3 Episode 8 just showed us who the real perpetrator is, and it’s not a question of who but of what.
Four major events unfolded at the end of Yellowjackets Season 2. In the ‘90s, the girls ate Javi, made Nat their new leader, and their cabin was burned down. Meanwhile, the present-day timeline saw the team embark on a brand new hunt, leading to the accidental death of Nat.
While three of those are clearcut, we still don’t know who burned the cabin down. It was initially assumed to be Coach Scott, as he was horrified by the cannibalism and seen with matches in the Season 2 finale.
However, in Yellowjackets Season 3, Coach Scott didn’t even know the cabin had burned down. Although there are plenty of theories that the Wilderness is to blame, the third chapter of the horror series makes it clear what really happened. Warning: spoilers ahead!
Yellowjackets Season 3 Episode 8 supports Wilderness theory
ShowtimeThe cabin burned down due to natural causes, meaning no one in particular tried to ‘kill’ the Yellowjackets. This is my theory and I’m backing it up with evidence.
Up until now, the TV show has alluded to the idea that the gang are tapping into some sort of spiritual entity, one that demands sacrifices, offers guidance, and punishes defiance.
It’s why the adult Yellowjackets organized another hunt in the present day. Many of them were left convinced that the Wilderness had drawn them back together for another sacrifice.
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There have always been theories that it’s all in their heads, resulting from their shared trauma and starvation, but only now has the show more or less confirmed this to be the case.
Those screeching sounds that drove them to eating Coach Scott? We found out in Season 3 Episode 7 that they were the mating sounds of nearby frogs. The girls’ visions in the caves? A result of gas poisoning.
Even though Lottie is convinced Travis has been chosen to receive messages from the entity, he doesn’t have any more visions until she forces him to take magic mushrooms.
ShowtimeWe know Lottie had been taking medication to treat schizophrenia before the plane crash, and without her meds, it’s safe to assume her visions are a result of her mental illness rather than any woodland spirit.
One detail that hasn’t been explained is the collection of symbols on the surrounding trees, resembling a figure impaled with a hook. But as we’ve learned time and again, sometimes the simplest explanation is the right one.
Given the Yellowjackets were found by frog researchers, and there was a cabin in the middle of the woods, perhaps these were markings left by previous visitors.
Now, you may have another question. If the Wilderness spirit doesn’t exist, how did Van miraculously recover from cancer? Well, in Yellowjackets Season 3 Episode 8, we find out she hasn’t – and she doesn’t have long left.
Even though Tai doesn’t want to admit it, neither Nat nor Lottie’s deaths were exchanged for Van’s life.
There’s another clue in the latest chapter, too. You see, when Shauna finally tracks down Hannah’s daughter Alex, she’s shocked to discover that she’s married to Melissa… yes, Yellowjackets Melissa (played by Hilary Swank, FYI).
She explains to Shauna that she faked her own death and fell in love with Alex. She’s yet to tell Alex about the fact that she and her teammates killed her mother, but she’s been feeling bad about it.
That’s why she left the DAT tape for Shauna. Melissa also left a note too, although it appears Callie may have swiped it.
As for the rest of the incidents – Shauna getting locked in the walk-in freezer, her car brakes malfunctioning, the phone left in the bathroom, and Lottie’s death – Melissa had nothing to do with them.
Showtime“I didn’t kill Lottie. I didn’t do any of those things you said,” she explains. “My life is normal. It’s boring. And that’s exactly how I want it.”
When Shauna’s not buying it, Melissa later says, “Were your brakes cut, Shauna, or is your car just old? Did someone lock you in a freezer or do walk-in freezers just have doors that don’t stay open unless you prop them open?
“Someone left a cellphone in a bathroom with a popular song as a ringtone – wow. Did someone murder Lottie or did she just struggle from a lifetime of mental health issues?”
Even though these events weren’t related to the Wilderness entity, Melissa’s explanation highlights how the girls’ fractured minds twisted reality, leading them to see omens and conspiracies where there were none.
Their paranoia turned coincidence into intention, convincing them that every accident was a message, every death a sacrifice.
The cabin fire resulted from “science”
ShowtimeWith this in mind, the likeliest explanation for the cabin fire is that it was caused by nature. This idea has been supported by and elaborated on by Yellowjackets viewers, with one writing on Reddit, “I know who burned the cabin and I am on ‘team science’ now more than ever.
“It wasn’t a person who burned the cabin. The adults are suffering from lifelong chronic psychiatric and physical conditions caused by 19 months of chronic exposure to toxic metals from contaminated water, plants, and wildlife while they were still developing teens.
“My theory (the AMD theory which has been mentioned before but idk if anyone has linked all of the below to it and after seeing what happened to our new characters, I am sold):
“AMD stands for ‘Acid Mine Drainage.’ Near the cabin there is an abandoned or natural iron/sulfide-rich geology that is leaching acidic, metal-laden runoff into a river. Most likely a mine.
“The old mining tunnels or exposed sulfide-rich rocks nearby oxidize upon contact with air and water. This produces iron oxide (red/orange) and creates sulfuric acid. Toxic metals that are normally trapped in the rocks are dissolved into the river and the nearby lake.
“These could include lead, arsenic, manganese, mercury, or a combination of a few.” They go on to highlight that this would explain many of the strange occurrences in the Wilderness, including the red river, the weird smells, and the compass going haywire.
“Animals become sick and disoriented (deer filled with maggots, bear that wanders over to the cabin, crows that die and land on the roof) and toxic to eat,” they continued.
It would also explain a random fire breaking out.
ShowtimeAnother replied to the post, “I am BIG paranoid psychosis and shared trauma team. This makes so much sense to me,” to which the OP said, “Yes! Shared trauma ON TOP of long term exposure to poison that leads to neurological damage on TOP of being malnourished on TOP of being teens.”
A third agreed, “Yeah, for sure – I always thought that the Yellowjackets contacting one another in the adult timeline is why they started all falling into their delusions again. I think the very things you mentioned are what gave Van such an aggressive form of metastatic cancer as well.”
“Season 3 has solidified it for me,” added a fourth. “It is trauma, not supernatural. Van and Tai looking for someone to sacrifice for the wilderness in the adult timeline was SO absurd, it really felt like the show was painting how it is a delusion.”
Find out when the next episode drops with our guide to the Yellowjackets Season 3 release schedule. You can also check out the Season 3 soundtrack, and find more TV shows streaming this month.