We hear the Wilderness, and It hears us … and our pleas for a fourth season of Yellowjackets. (I suppose Showtime is the Wilderness in this case.) Season 3 concluded with the reveal of Pit Girl — Mari (Alexa Barajas) — and tackled the hunt from the pilot. The adults found themselves divided, while the teens worked in concert to distract their Antler Queen as Natalie (Sophie Thatcher) made contact with civilization.
I don’t know about you, but that cliffhanger ending has me champing at the bit. I’m excited to see how the rescue plays out, in particular. While we don’t have the greenlight yet for Season 4, that doesn’t mean we can’t speculate about what might happen should the story continue.
So, without further ado, here are my 10 buzzing predictions for Yellowjackets Season 4.
RELATED: Our 15 Favorite Yellowjackets Needle Drops
The Present Timeline
Taissa and Misty’s Vendetta Against Shauna Will Take an Unexpected Turn
In the Season 3 finale, Taissa (Tawny Cypress) and Misty (Christina Ricci) decide to join forces to knock Shauna (Melanie Lynskey) off her pedestal. That vendetta will most likely take them to unexpected places in Season 4. I can envision Shauna being preoccupied with Jeff (Warren Kole) and Callie (Sarah Desjardins) vanishing, especially after learning that the latter inadvertently murdered Lottie (Simone Kessell). Sure, Shauna writes in her journal entry about embracing the primal warrior she became in the Wilderness, but the loss of her family is certainly a chink in her armor.
I can picture Tai and Misty trying to pin Van’s (Lauren Ambrose) murder on Shauna. Ultimately, though, I think this turning on Shauna, much like in the ’90s timeline, will lead the adults back to the Wilderness. Perhaps in the Season 4 finale, we’ll see them return to where it all began.
Shauna Will Hunt Melissa, Who Will Try to Stay Off the Grid
The penultimate episode of Season 3 won’t be the last we see of Shauna versus Melissa (Hilary Swank). Remember when Shauna makes Melissa eat the flesh from her arm … after biting it off? While Shauna wasn’t particularly close to Van, she still considers Tai a friend, and might pretend that’s a virtuous enough motive to pursue Melissa.
RELATED: How Yellowjackets Depicts Trauma Responses Through Its Main Characters
However, Melissa threatened Shauna by sending her the DAT tape. Shauna’s gonna Shauna. I can see Melissa going off the grid, leaving Alex and their daughter behind. To pour salt in the wound, Shauna might tell Alex the truth about her wife, that Melissa isn’t who she says she is. Melissa is right about one thing — Shauna wants everyone to feel as miserable as she does.
A New Survivor Might Emerge
I believe we’ve met all the survivors, so this crackpot prediction is more like wishful thinking. That said, we could see a new survivor emerge by the end of Season 4. My guess, nay, my hope? Akilah (Nia Sondaya). Well, the adult version of her. We didn’t see her leave the cave with Lottie (Courtney Eaton), but that could simply be misdirection. We’re meant to think that Lottie killed Akilah, even though that might not be the case.
What if Akilah never got rescued? What if she remained in the Wilderness all these years, only to reunite with the survivors when they inevitably return? That could add an intriguing layer to the narrative. However, I really want to see Akilah make it back to society and have her own rich inner life, so I’d much rather the others reunite with her in civilization proper.
RELATED: Yellowjackets: A Buzzing Recap of Season 2
We’ll Learn About Walter’s True Intentions
Walter (Elijah Wood) is quite the enigma. He seems to be Misty’s ride or die, despite her wanting nothing to do with him. However, Walter’s assessment of Misty’s “friends” is spot on. They only contact her when they need something. Those tides could shift — at least regarding Tai following their team-up. For the most part, though, Misty’s only true friend was Kristen (Nuha Jes Izman).
I predict we’ll learn more about Walter’s true intentions in Season 4. Is he really pro-Misty? Does he have her best interests at heart, or is he simply trying to extricate — well, in his mind — her from the others? More importantly: Who the hell is Walter Tattersall?
Jeff and Callie Will Try to Steer Clear of the Chaos (and Fail)
Those father-daughter smoke sessions might be short-lived. Try as they might, Jeff and Callie won’t be able to steer clear of our titular team’s chaos. Shauna is a vortex of madness, sucking everyone into her orbit. Plus, I can’t imagine the writers brushing Callie killing Lottie under the narrative rug (well, more like I hope they don’t). Could this be an opportunity to bring back Matt Saracusa (John Reynolds) and another police investigation?
RELATED: Yellowjackets Season 3 Trailer Puts the Pedal to the Metal
Regardless, Callie’s already struggling to disentangle her identity from her mother’s, and believes her first kill means that the traumatized apple doesn’t fall far from the Wilderness tree. Might we see Jeff and Callie wind up in the Wilderness with the adults down the line? A popular theory is that Callie will be the end of Shauna, and it’s certainly plausible. Perhaps she “breaks the cycle,” as it were.
The ’90s Timeline
Rescue Won’t Come Quickly
Natalie makes contact with the outside world in the Season 3 finale, and it’s a moment of unadulterated triumph. Unfortunately, rescue won’t come quickly. I believe they still have at least two months remaining before they get rescued. Perhaps they won’t leave the Wilderness until the end of Season 4 as the adults return there (with Season 5 focusing on the teens reacclimating to civilization while the adults embrace their feral roots).
Plus, Shauna (Sophie Nélisse) has it out for Nat and the rest of the group, since everyone, save Lottie, worked in tandem to ensure Nat made it out of the village with the sat phone. Hannah (Ashley Sutton) is also probably high on Shauna’s sh*t list for switching places with Nat. Shauna will fight tooth and nail to keep everyone in the Wilderness with her, where she finally has true power.
RELATED: 6 Great Books to Help Satisfy Your Yellowjackets Cravings
More Teens (and Hannah) Will Die
While it’s not confirmed that there are eight survivors, clearly not everyone survives the Wilderness (See: Hannah). I envision that, if the creatives can tell this story as part of their original five-season plan, the remaining teens without adult counterparts will die. Well, and Hannah.
So, this means Hannah, Gen (Vanessa Prasad), Britney (Silvana Estifanos) and Robin (Anisa Harris) will bite the dust. I’m excluding Akilah here because I’m delusional and desperately want her to survive her cave encounter with Lottie (not that I’m wishing death on the others, either). I believe we’ll also get more character development for Britney and Robin, in particular, since they’ve been little more than background players so far. This would make their inevitable deaths pack more of an emotional punch.
Shauna Will Rule With an Iron Fist
The Antler Queen rules with an iron fist. As mentioned above, we’ll get Nat versus Shauna, which was teased some in Season 3. The survivors will splinter into factions, although Shauna’s “followers” will side with her in the name of self-preservation.
RELATED: 12 Buzzing Questions We Need Answered in Yellowjackets Season 3
I believe our teens will descend further into ferocity in those final weeks as the second winter is in full force. Shauna will demand more hunts, not so much for food, but for entertainment. She might even order the others to get more creative with their kills, like Travis’ (Kevin Alves) spiked pit. We’ll see them go past the point of no return, as it were, becoming so detached from humanity that they won’t recognize themselves when rescue eventually arrives.
Additionally, I imagine they’ll still want to tie up loose ends (ahem, Hannah), conceal any evidence of their cannibalistic activities (the bones in the plane wreckage) and ensure their stories are straight for when the media hounds them about their time in the Wilderness.
Natalie and Travis Will Mend Fences
Nat and Travis seldom interact in Season 3. This hurts my heart. However, you see evidence that, despite what transpired with Javi (Luciano Leroux) in Season 2, Travis still cares about Nat. He assists her when she mercy kills Ben (Steven Krueger) and supports her when Shauna prevents the group from leaving the camp with Kodi (Joel McHale) and Hannah. They still love each other.
RELATED: Read our Yellowjackets recaps
Too much darkness and unrelenting pain in storytelling can sink any viewer into the depths of depression. Yellowjackets often balances that with levity and dark comedy. For Season 4, I want to see Nat and Travis mend fences. We need a shining beacon of hopefulness to offset Shauna’s coldness.
We’ll Finally Learn Who Burned Down the Cabin (and It Wasn’t Ben)
Y’all, I’ve been Team Ben since the beginning. I knew he didn’t burn down the cabin in the Season 2 finale, even when he “admits” to it to force Nat’s hand. That was an act of desperation in a bid to persuade his friend to put him out of his misery. So, who really set the cabin ablaze? Other Tai? Or was it the dirty chimney itself?
There’s a logical explanation for many of the “supernatural” events on this show, so it could easily have been the chimney. That said, I like the idea of Other Tai burning the cabin, and this knowledge emerges, further dividing the survivors. However, perhaps this is one of those mysteries best left to audience interpretation. Not every question will get an answer.
Yellowjackets Seasons 1 through 3 are now streaming on Paramount+ with Showtime.
10 Melanie Lynskey Roles to Watch if You Love Her on YELLOWJACKETS
[email protected]
What I do: I'm GGA's Managing Editor, a Senior Contributor, and Press Coordinator. I manage, contribute, and coordinate. Sometimes all at once. Joking aside, I oversee day-to-day operations for GGA, write, edit, and assess interview opportunities/press events.
Who I am: Before moving to Los Angeles after studying theater in college, I was born and raised in Amish country, Ohio. No, I am not Amish, even if I sometimes sport a modest bonnet.
Bylines in: Tell-Tale TV, Culturess, Sideshow Collectibles, and inkMend on Medium.
Critic: Rotten Tomatoes, CherryPicks, and the Hollywood Creative Alliance.
- DOCTOR WHO Recap: (S02E06) The Interstellar Song Contest - May 17, 2025
- MURDERBOT Recap: (S01E02) Eye Contact - May 16, 2025
- MURDERBOT Series Premiere Recap: (S01E01) FreeCommerce - May 16, 2025
