Warning: SPOILERS ahead for Yellowjackets season 3, episode 9, “How the Story Ends.”
I thought I knew who killed Lottie Matthews inYellowjacketsseason 3, but after the show’s latest tragedy, I’ve changed my mind.Yellowjacketsconfirms a harsh realityabout the adult survivors in season 3, episode 4, with the ending revealing thesudden death of Lottie in the present-day story. It seems the team’s time in the Wilderness is finally catching up to them, with each of the adult characters being picked off, one-by-one. And the latest chapter of the story adds another to the death toll.
In a surprising turn of events, Melissa kills Van inYellowjacketsseason 3, episode 9, dashing any hopes of the Wilderness saving Lauren Ambrose’s character. This death also changes my theory about who killed Lottie, as I initially believed Other Tai might be the culprit. After all, Other Tai sees Lottie before she dies and lies to the other Yellowjackets about it. However,Van’s fate makes this outcome far less likely. That means someone else must be behind Lottie’s death — and now I’m convinced it’s either Walter or Melissa.
Walter & Melissa Look More Likely To Be Lottie’s Killer Than Other Tai
Both Yellowjackets Characters Are Suspicious & Capable Of Terrible Things
Shauna feels too obvious to be Lottie’s killer, but I no longer believe Other Tai is behind her death, either. After the events of “How the Story Ends,“it looks more likely that Walter or Melissa are involved in Lottie’s sudden demise. Misty’s reaction after looking at Walter’s phone makes him seem more suspicious, and there must be some reason Elijah Wood’s character is still so involved in the adult timeline. His motives remain unclear, but it would make sense to lie about Shauna’s DNA if he’s truly the one responsible for killing Lottie.
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Of course,Melissa is also a wild card heading into theYellowjacketsseason 3 finale. Melissa seemingly kills Van in order to appease the Wilderness, so it’s possible she’s also behind Lottie’s death. She could have seen and killed her the day she died, though Hilary Swank’s character does seem genuinely surprised to learn that Lottie is gone. But Melissa is clearly desperate to keep her normal life intact, and she’s also haunted by the teens' actions in the ’90s timeline. There’s got to be more to her adult character, so I’m not ruling her out as Lottie’s killer.
I no longer believe that Other Tai is Lottie’s killer becausetaking her life should have spared Van’s— at least by the show’s Wilderness logic.Yellowjacketshas yet to reveal whether the Wilderness is a genuine supernatural entity or a creation of the girls' trauma, but season 3 leans into the former. For one, the turnaround with Van’s cancer seems to be a direct result of the survivors' actions atthe end ofYellowjacketsseason 2. There are other signs as well, like teen Lottie not falling into the pit that Travis so carefully constructed.
And with the Wilderness rewarding those who give into their darker impulses, it seems like Tai killing someone should have saved Van.
And with the Wilderness rewarding those who give into their darker impulses, it seems like Tai killing someone should have saved Van — or even kept her alive a little longer.Other Tai insists that this is the way to ensure Van is safe, and we have reason to doubt her. The fact that Van dies while the Wilderness is seemingly acting through Melissa makes it all the more likely that someone else killed Lottie. Melissa and Walter are top suspects, even if their potential motives aren’t clear just yet.
They Could Be Working Together
Image via Paramount+
While Walter and Melissa are both suspicious and dangerous enough to kill Lottie, there are questions about their potential motives. OneReddittheory posits that Walter wants a traumatic experience to bond with Misty over, especially after her comment that he’ll never understand her connection to the Yellowjackets. He does seem eager to work the investigation with her, andWalter is no big fan of the other survivors. Together, these details paint a damning picture of his character.
Perhaps Melissa is bitter over what happened in the teen timeline, with Walter helping her get back at the other women.
There’s also the popular theory that Walter and Melissa are siblings, which could still prove true inYellowjacketsseason 3. If Walter and Melissa are working together to enact revenge on the survivors, there could be a greater conspiracy at play. Perhaps Melissa is bitter over what happened in the teen timeline, with Walter helping her get back at the other women, years later.
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Finally, Melissa’s final words to Van suggest that she’s more wrapped up in the Wilderness worship than she previously let on. If that’s the case, she could be making sacrifices toYellowjackets' entity for her own reasons. Perhaps she’s hoping to save her daughter or wife, or even to preserve the peaceful life she constructed for herself. It’s hard to say why Melissa wants to help the Wilderness without seeing more of her. Fortunately, we probably will.
