Yellowjackets Season 3 Episode 10 Review: Full Circle

Yellowjackets Season 3 Episode 10, “Full Circle,” sees the sun rise on a new hunt as the truth about Lottie’s death surfaces. As for Shauna, she continues to spiral down the dark abyss of suppressed trauma, and just when you think she’ll finally try self-reflection on for size, she doubles down on her deeply entrenched delusions of grandeur. 

We’ve Come Full Circle 

Yes, Mari is Pit Girl. Pit Girl is Mari. “Full Circle” brings us to the events that kickstart the pilot episode, unveiling the identity of the poor girl who fell victim to the spiked pit. While Mari’s unfortunate fate isn’t out of left field, it’s emotionally hefty because we’ve gotten to know her in Season 3. 

If you think about this, the first few episodes of the season have heavily foreshadowed Mari’s death. There’s Shauna antagonizing Mari, signifying the former inevitably overpowering the latter. Shauna biting Mari’s arm also hints at her downfall and what Adult Shauna will do to Melissa. Lastly, and most obviously, Mari falling into the pit and dislocating her knee shows us where she’ll wind up. 

The hunt is well-executed, complete with nods to key moments in that sequence in the pilot, from Mari’s white nightgown to her cutting the sole of her foot and leaving a trail of blood in her wake. Van’s pink converse as she’s standing on the edge of the pit. This sequence also takes on new weight, given everything we’ve seen thus far. We finally know these characters and what they endured to get here. 

Bring Me Her Hair 

Mari’s (literal and figurative) descent culminates in Shauna’s ascent as the official Antler Queen. To pour salt in the wound, not only does Shauna rise victorious in her feud with Mari, but she also dons the latter’s hair as part of her AQ regalia. 

There’s a real deep-seated fear of Shauna among the group, so naturally, they go along with her weird cannibalistic ceremony. However, a few moments in “Full Circle” show that Shauna doesn’t have as tight of an iron grip on the survivors as she believes she does. Taissa stands up to her in a gratifying moment, while Melissa whacks her with a tree branch. 

Even more importantly, though, the teens — Mari included — orchestrate the hunt to ensure Nat can slip away undetected and call for help. Unfortunately, Mari gives her life for it, but Nat successfully makes contact with the outside world. It’s a scene of unadulterated triumph for viewers. Nat is literally standing atop a mountain, having outsmarted Shauna. Rescue is on the horizon, and even the headstrong Shauna Shipman can’t stop it. 

Now we know why the adults always credit Nat for helping them get home. That said, it’ll be interesting to see how the group ties up loose ends in the Wilderness before returning to civilization, as it were. More people will probably die — Hannah’s death is a certainty. Akilah might already be dead, as we never saw her leave that cave after confronting Lottie. 

I Was a Queen

The present timeline still isn’t as strong as the ’90s narrative, but the captivating performances keep it afloat. Melanie Lynskey nails Shauna’s hubris and inability to confront her trauma head-on. That moment of reflection — and I think she was reflecting on her actions — proves to be too much for her, so she reconstructs her walls. It’s compelling work from Lynskey. 

Tawny Cypress captures Tai’s grief so poignantly and viscerally. We also see the true Tai emerge after lying dormant: the pragmatic, no-nonsense, ambitious politician who had Shauna’s downfall on the brain. Her joining forces with Misty makes sense in the grand scheme of things. 

However, Tai pinning the blame solely on Shauna for Van’s death feels egregious. Melissa is still on the run, and she was the one who drove the blade through Van’s heart. As it turns out, Mel isn’t fully healed from her trauma. 

The Lottie of It All 

Callie killing Lottie is also pretty predictable. In fact, Lottie’s death is sloppily done overall. It feels like a launchpad for Callie’s story in future seasons. That said, Simone Kessell gives it her all. I’ll miss seeing her on my screen in Yellowjackets. 

That scene really speaks to the religious undertones in this series. There are those who devoutly follow It and those who decry the Wilderness religion as fake. Lottie gives some context regarding what It is.

Interestingly enough, the scene following the morgue where Lottie winds up in an empty tunnel, to me, means that It isn’t real. After her death, Lottie thinks she’s going to meet the Wilderness entity, only to find, well, nothing. Could this be an indicator from the creatives that what’s happening to the Yellowjackets isn’t supernatural? 

Trauma-Based 

At the end of the day, this series is about trauma and mental health — a group of young people who endure unimaginable tragedy and how they handle that trauma decades later. Their actions are erratic; their behavior mercurial. Instead of working through that trauma, they dissociate and become combative. 

“Full Circle” might bring us full circle, but it also sets the stage for a third timeline — the post-rescue timeline — and indicates that the worst is yet to come. Shauna trying to become Antler Queen again can’t be good for anyone. 

Stray Observations:

• Shauna and Lottie enjoyed the hunt a little too much. 
• Crackpot theory: Lottie burned down the cabin. At the beginning of the episode, we see a series of images associated with Lottie, one of which is the blazing cabin with the Wilderness symbol emblazoned across it. I believe she set it afire as it was the last vestiges of “civilization” for the survivors. Ergo, they’re now closer to the Wilderness entity by living in makeshift huts. 
• Travis casually confirmed that Shauna and Jackie made out at slumber parties. Jackieshauna is canon, y’all. Side note: his being intoxicated on rotten berry juice while dissociating hardcore is probably how I’d be in that situation. 
• Jeff finally getting the hell out of dodge with Callie is such a triumphant moment. I love that it coincides with Mari telling Shauna in the ’90s timeline that she deserves what’s coming to her. *Chef’s kiss* Our fave mean girl Mari is cursing Shauna from the grave — erm, the inside of Shauna’s stomach. 
• Shauna telling Melissa in the ’90s timeline that she knew the latter would wind up boring makes Mel’s present-day description of her “normal, boring life” more interesting. 
• I hope Lottie’s death isn’t the catalyst for Callie taking center stage. Ultimately, this story is about our titular Yellowjackets, not the Next Generation Wilderness baby. 

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Yellowjackets is now streaming on Paramount+ with SHOWTIME. 

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