Um, wow. If you're still left reeling from last week's episode of Yellowjackets season 3 - episode 9, "How the Story Ends" - then so am I. That episode definitely felt like a season finale, but actually we had one more to go. This week's! And it certainly delivered as well. Here's our review and ending explained of season 3 episode 10, "Full Circle," on Paramount+ and Showtime. SPOILERS BELOW.
Revenge of the Tai
The number of yellowjackets certainly keeps dwindling in the present, that's for sure. In the aftermath of Van's heartbreaking death, Tai is mad at Shauna and blames her for her death. Uh, yeah. Me too! I'm not sure why Tai buries her in a random spot in the woods. That didn't make sense to me. But ok. Then something strange happens and Tai takes out what I think is Van's heart and starts eating some of it. Gosh, this show. If that's what you need for closure I guess, Tai.
In the final moments of the episode, Tai is still very angry and she and Misty meet up. And we already know how Misty feels about Shauna right now. Their conversation is alluding to the fact perhaps they're planning to take Shauna down somehow. Because she's definitely getting out of control. We see that as the present timeline closes. We'll get to that in a moment.
Lottie's killer is...
So the whole thing about Lottie's death and who actually killed her is a good plot twist, though the way it happened sort of felt like a soap opera. It turns out that Callie is the one who pushed Lottie down the stairs. After leaving their home she'd taken the tape Shauna was sent and Callie went to get it back. Then Lottie being Lottie takes her down to some alter or something and starts telling Callie she's their child. For It and everyone who was in the wilderness. This is a callback to when younger Lottie thought of Shauna's then unborn baby as everyone's as well in the past.
Callie gets scared of what Lottie is saying and her emotions get the best of her. She wants to think that she's not like her mom, but perhaps Lottie's crazy words are a little true. Shauna's tendencies are in her too. Callie takes the tape after pushing her down the stairs and runs. Misty figures it all out and though she thought it was Shauna's DNA under Lottie's fingernails, it was actually Callie's. Mothers and kids share mitochondrial DNA. After telling Jeff the truth, he's supportive of his daughter and they pack up and leave, leading to Shauna arriving to an empty house when she gets back home.
Shauna wants to be queen
As mentioned above and as we've now seen in the last couple of episodes of Yellowjackets season 3, Shauna is going off the rails. And it all comes to a head both in the past and present. She finds the letter that Melissa said she wrote when sending the tape under the fridge, which means Melissa was telling the truth about everything. But Shauna destroys it then starts to write down some of her inner thoughts. There's a strange shift that's happening to her, bringing the wilderness mindset back it seems.
In her narration, she says that she, and the others, don't remember everything that happened to them while stranded. And while some believe it's because of the trauma, Shuana believes it's because they had so much fun. Like, what? This girl is delusional now. She remembers being "queen" for what seems like it's going to be a hot second in the past, and wants that feeling once again. OMG.
Are the yellowjackets finally going home? How ending sets up season 4
After teasing us that they might actually go home with the appearance of Edwin, Kodi, and Hanna, perhaps we'll finally see the yellowjackets go home if the series gets renewed for a season 4. In the past, winter is in full swing once again, and Lottie and Shauna decide another hunt needs to happen to make It happy. Mari draws the queen of hearts, and it was really sad to see. Even though I do still hold a grudge against her about Coach Scott. Does she deserve to die the way she does? No, I'm not saying that. But if she'd kept her mouth shut in the first place, he may still be alive right now and not gone through all that he did.
She meets her end and is offered to everyone in a feast, with Shauna even taking her hair for whatever reason. She's being fueled by power, even though most of the girls are so over her now. And we finally understand what the key art of the season meant. It was about Shauna! But the girls seem to trick her, or at least a good number of them do. Hanna and Natalie switch places and Natalie goes away from the group to try and get in contact with someone to save them with the fixed radio device. And... someone answers and can hear her!
The Yellowjackets season 3 finale was an amazing episode that kept us hooked the whole time. The beginning of the season was rough, but the series really picked up the story about halfway through. Another loose end is the fact that we don't know where Melissa is right now. Plus, if this is the time when the girls get saved, loss and spilled blood are not over yet. We know that for whatever reason, the yellowjackets kill Hanna and she doesn't make it home. Neither does Gen. But they haven't died yet as of season 3 episode 10. Let's hope there's at least one more season in store to wrap up the story! Episode grade level: A.
Yellowjackets season 3 is now streaming on Paramount+