Yellowjackets Season 3 Episode 5: How did Alikah's vision save coach Ben? Details from the finale, revealed

In Yellowjackets Season 3, Episode 5, the severe survival drives of the group push Coach Ben Scott (played by Steven Krueger) to the edge—literally and metaphorically.

As pressure intensifies, Shauna (played by Sophie Nélisse) and the others decide that Ben has survived his worth, sealing his fate in a frightening, ritualized way. But just as the trigger is about to be drawn, an alarming vision from Akilah (played by Nia Sondaya) reroutes the story entirely.

Now influenced that Ben holds the key to their rescue, the group quickly pauses their execution, letting him stay alive but in a far severer state than before.

So, what exactly did Akilah see, and why did it influence the others that Coach Ben may perhaps be their way out of the wilds?

Akilah’s vision: Coach Ben as the path to salvation in Yellowjackets Season 3 Episode 5

Akilah’s strange vision is a spiralling point in Yellowjackets Season 3 Episode 5. After facing visions inside the caves earlier in the season, she returns to the same place, hoping to gain more clarity. Under the impact of the puzzling gas cave, she finds herself standing on the border of the huge cliff.

Below her, she sees Coach Ben—but not as him being just an ordinary man. Instead, his literal body expands across the cliff, taking the shape of a bridge. As she lays her foot onto this stretched body, she overhears sounds from the city—car horns, distant voices of people— satisfying her with an overpowering feeling of hope.

(Post via. X/@cloneposter)

This vision in episode 5 of Yellowjackets assures Akilah that Ben is more than just a survivor—he is vital to them having their escape. When Taissa (played by Jasmin Savoy Brown) is seconds away from killing him, Akilah, Lottie (played by Courtney Eaton), and Travis (played by Kevin Alves) interfere.

They announce that killing Ben would mean undoing their only gamble at returning home. Regardless of the budding partition among the group, this scene influences them to reevaluate and think again. He is no longer just a man faulted for disloyalty —he represents something bigger.

A cruel mercy: Coach Ben’s survival comes at a cost

Even if Ben’s life is safe, the Yellowjackets are not ready to let him go scot-free. Shauna, already suffering with loss and pain, makes sure that he will never be able to run again – something that is pretty hard for a “coach”.

She forces Melissa (played by Jenna Burgess) into pushing a knife through his left-over good foot, making him immovable. This act of intended spitefulness serves two reasons —it blocks his escape and hardens Shauna’s influence and authority in the group.

(Post via. X/@ThePhantomSpidr)

In episode 5 of Yellowjackets Shauna exults in her talent to influence Melissa, impelling her into accepting the darkness inside herself. As the blood floods around Ben, Shauna and Melissa clasp hands, an unspoken yet disturbing affirmation of their bond.

Coach Ben may be alive, but for now he is nothing more than a convict, denied of any autonomy for himself, strained to stay put among people who have already made obvious that he is dispensable.

While Akilah’s vision in Yellowjackets shows mercy to Ben from having an instant death, it brings about more queries than it gives answers.

How will it work if he is the group’s bridge to a normal civilization? Is there a concrete route to escaping, or is this just another vision-driven faith, much like the group's past experiences with supernatural direction?

However, one thing is clear —whether a redeemer or a sacrificial victim, Coach Ben’s story is not over yet.

Trending

×

Was this article helpful?

Thank You for feedback