What does the death in Yellowjackets Season 3 Episode 9 mean for the finale? The director reveals the details

Yellowjackets Season 3 Episode 9, which is called How the Story Ends, included a death shock that paves the way for a revelation-packed finale. In the second last episode, Van (Lauren Ambrose) is stabbed through the heart by Adult Melissa (Hilary Swank).

The emotional impact of her passing is huge, not only for the characters but also for viewers who have tracked Van's path from the wilderness to adulthood. As Yellowjackets Season 3 Episode 9 director Ben Semanoff describes it in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Van's death was planned as a turning point.

"There’s a theme of faith in this episode," he said, referring to the system of beliefs that arose among the survivors.

Van's refusal to accept that system — even if it kills her — reflects the emotional and psychological shifts of these characters.

"Van has decided, 'That is not the person I want to be, even if that result is my death.'"

As the finale draws near, Van's death serves as a symbolic and narrative pivot. It separates past from present, belief from survival. With Melissa on the run, Travis's pit in play, and Misty learning who killed Lottie, the finale promises resolution to open questions while new ones are teased.

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Van's death and its Complete Circle meaning in Yellowjackets Season 3 Episode 9

Van's death was not only a plot twist, but a conscious choice that served her character arc. Director Ben Semanoff had previously directed Van's first episode in Season 2 and described the experience of her exit as a "full circle."

He said:

"It was a unique experience for me… getting an opportunity to craft a character… and then when I came back for this episode, we commiserated about how it was an interesting alpha-omega to our relationship on the show."

The segment begins with a dream sequence that features Adult Van and Teen Van, shot as a "metaphysical space."

Semanoff said, "Shauna speaks with Jackie all the time, but this was sort of a new metaphysical space for the show."

He employed visual references such as an old '80s-style airplane projector to highlight Van's pop culture devotion, indicating that this vision represented a personal purgatory or in-between place.

Van’s final expression “looked like one of amazement,” and Semanoff interpreted it as, “Whoa, okay, so what’s next then?”

He conceded, "I have no idea what’s coming," but made sure to stress that Yellowjackets has always lived on being unpredictable.

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The effect of Melissa's actions and the return to savagery

Melissa's assault on Van was not premeditated, Hilary Swank said.

"I think she’s going minute by minute, because she wasn’t planning on doing that," she said.

Semanoff seconded that, positing Melissa had no master plan:

"She bottles all this stuff up and at some point realizes there’s this massive void in her life."

Melissa's need to get back in touch with the past leads her to extremes. Her aggressive act echoes earlier wilderness behavior, which Semanoff characterized as "learned savagery." When Shauna threatens Melissa, and she decides to kill rather than freeze, the scene marks a return to the cruel survival strategies of the past.

Semanoff also pointed out the intentional similarities between Melissa and Shauna's adult lives.

"One of the things I picked was Melissa’s minivan when she gets away. I wanted that to parallel the two characters as living similar, essentially, boring lives."

This mundane setting makes the return to violence even more shocking.

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Yellowjackets Season 3 Episode 9: The Pit, the Plane, and the Mystery Ahead

Another key component of Yellowjackets Season 3 Episode 9 is the pit trap that Travis builds.

As Semanoff explains:

"In the woods, it’s tough to give people landmarks that tell you, 'Hey, you’re in the exact same place you’ve been before.' But yes, he is supplementing to that pit."

The pit is a nod to the infamous "Pit Girl" scene in Season 1, and its reconstruction illustrates how the group's faith in sacrifice endures. The moment Lottie steps over the trap without falling adds depth.

"They all have this idea that was born of faith: sacrifice somebody, save yourself." Semanoff stated.

The point at which faith becomes delusion it becomes diffused, and that is central to the show. At the same time, Hanna stabs Kodiak in the eye with a knife, almost out of nowhere. Semanoff feels this was a strategic move.

"As a mother, if I’m ever going to get back, I need to show [Shauna] that I can be part of the tribe."

This reasoning illustrates just how fast new characters adapt to the wilderness code when it comes to survival. Yellowjackets Season 3 Episode 9 also sets up answers to previous questions. Misty discovers who murdered Lottie, although the viewers have to wait until the finale to know. Semanoff continued:

"All of the finale was a bit of a shock and kept very close to the vest."

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Yellowjackets Season 3 Episode 9 wraps up several character storylines and lays out high-stakes tension for the season finale.