Coach Ben's death in Yellowjackets season 3 episode 6 might have changed everything and here's what we know

The popular Showtime series Yellowjackets remains gripping in its two-timeline story about a high school soccer team lost in the woods and their adult selves years later.

Spoiler Alert: This contains spoilers for Yellowjackets. Proceed with caution.

With each new episode in the third season, recent dramatic plot twists include the killing of Coach Ben and Natalie's on-the-boards euthanization of him in the woods timeline. Based on current reports, last night's newest episode, "Thanksgiving (Canada)," which aired on March 16, 2025, was a turning point for the show as it revealed the cannibalism of the team by two adult strangers.

In the meantime, co-creator Ashley Lyle has given hints that season 3 will finally offer "clear answers" to two of the biggest questions haunting viewers since the start, possibly including the identity of the enigmatic "pit girl" from the opening credits.

With only three episodes left this season, tensions are building on both the wilderness and contemporary storylines as the show edges toward what may prove its most groundbreaking installment to date.

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Ben's death in Yellowjackets season 3 changes everything

The most recent episode marks a pivotal turn in the wilderness dynamic after Ben met his demise at the hands of Natalie. Having endured his Achilles tendon sliced by Melissa at Shauna's behest, Ben begged Natalie repeatedly to put him out of his misery.

When she finally did so out of pity, the rest of the team responded with indignation, and Shauna was appointed their new leader while Natalie was compelled to slaughter Ben's corpse for a ritual feast. This shift in power between the stranded teens clearly indicates their further fall into savagery.

At this feast, the team listens to "the wilderness screaming again" and reacts by singing, but they are interrupted by the arrival of two adult strangers who see Ben's decapitated head on a tree stump. This scene is the initial contact with outsiders after the crash and can be a complete alteration of the course of the wilderness plot.

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Baffling cassette tape spans past and present

A baffling cassette tape in the modern-day storyline becomes the focal point of the plot, which may reveal vital information on the team's past and ongoing threats. Based on the episode information, Callie presents Shauna with a cassette tape sent in an ominous envelope, leading Shauna to relocate her family to a hotel in fear that they will be attacked.

The message on this tape, which Shauna, Van, and Taissa listen to together, evidently includes information so horrific that they feel it forms a threat. At the same time, Misty's digging into Lottie's killing revealed that Lottie paid Lisa $50,000 and had a meeting with Taissa before her death, hinting at a conspiracy that could be exposed in future episodes.

These hints mean that key revelations on the wilderness' secrets are soon to come, perhaps providing definitive answers to long-standing questions about what happened during the stranded team's experience.

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The final episodes of Yellowjackets promise resolution

With the upcoming episodes "Croak," "A Normal, Boring Life," "How the Story Ends," and "Full Circle" in the weeks to come, audiences can anticipate big things in both timelines. These are the last four episodes of Yellowjackets season 3, with the season finale airing on April 11, 2025.

Furthermore, co-creator Ashley Lyle has also previously verified that an anticipated bonus episode is out there but has been pushed past season 3. According to Screenrant, this bonus episode was set to feature Jason Ritter and potentially answer what happened to the man who once occupied the cabin, as indicated by the skeleton discovered in Yellowjackets season 1.

Though the exact release date is unknown, these future episodes are set to provide what Lyle said were "clear answers" to big questions driving the show's mystery.

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Overall, Yellowjackets seems to be at a turning point, with recent episodes shocking the power struggle in the wilderness timeline and dark threats brewing in the present timeline.