Warning: There are spoilers ahead for Yellowjackets season 3, episode 10, “Full Circle.“A heartbreakingYellowjacketstheory argues that Lottie Matthews (Courtney Eaton) killed Akilah (Nia Sondaya). Ever since Travis Martinez (Kevin Alves) told Lottie that Akilah was closer to the wilderness than him, Lottie has been fixated on her. After experiencing visions in the cave duringYellowjacketsseason 3, episode 3’s ending, Akilah believes that her visions are trying to tell her something important. Lottie has encouraged this by taking Akilah back to the cave on multiple occasions.
In theYellowjacketsseason 3 finale, one of Akilah’s visions seemingly comes true when the animals are found dead. Later in the episode, it is revealed thatAkilah’s animalshad poison mixed into their food to make a new sacrificial hunt happen, and Akilah is the one who had this idea and the one who did the poisoning.During the hunt, Akilah confronts Lottie, as she hates what she has done and does not like how her visions have been weaponized, but there may be more to this confrontation than what was shown in the episode.
A Yellowjackets Theory Suggests Lottie Killed Akilah In The Season 3 Finale
The Death May Have Happened Offscreen
According to this theory shared onTikTok, Lottie killed Akilah during their last scene together in the cave. This would explain why Akilah is not seen again in the finale after the cave scene, as Lottie has already killed her offscreen. Despite Lottie insisting that a hunt needed to happen, she does not seem intent on killing Mari Ibarra (Alexa Barajas) when running into her during the hunt. The theory posits that this is becauseAkilah is already dead, meaning the wilderness has already been satisfiedwith a sacrifice from the Yellowjackets.
As for why Lottie would kill Akilah, it could have been out of self-defense, as Akilah had picked up a rock, and seemed like she might hurt Lottie with it due to the depth of how hurt and betrayed she felt. Lottie could also have killed Akilah to preserve the lie that led to the hunt. Akilah could tell everyone that she had poisoned the animals and that their deaths were not an omen from the wilderness, but this revelation could undermine everything Lottie had built.
It Will Be Another Turning Point
Image via Paramount+
Yellowjackets' charactersare already deeply divided at the end of season 3, largely between those who want to escape the wilderness and those who want to stay, butAkilah’s death will tear the group further apart. Natalie Scattorcio (Sophie Thatcher), Van Palmer (Live Hewson), and others who want to find rescue will be horrified to learn that Akilah is dead, especially when a way home finally feels possible after making contact with the outside world.
Even those who worship the wilderness will have a difficult time accepting Akilah’s death, as it happened outside the established rules of the hunt.Mari becoming Pit Girlis somewhat easier for the group to accept since, as per the rules, she drew the Queen of Hearts card, and died while being chased as agreed upon beforehand. Lottie would have been the only one involved with killing Akilah and the group will struggle to accept the death of one of their most loved teammates. Without Akilah’s innate goodness, the group will only become more cutthroat.
Why Akilah Could Still Be Alive In Yellowjackets
She Has Become Too Important To Die Offscreen
While there is merit to this theory,Akilah’s death feels like it is too significant to happen offscreen. She is the most well-liked and best-developed teen survivor who is not confirmed to be alive duringYellowjackets' adult timeline. Lottie, Travis, Natalie, Van, Shauna Shipman (Sophie Nélisse), Taissa Turner (Jasmin Savoy Brown), Misty Quigley (Samantha Hanratty), and Melissa (Jenna Burgess) are all confirmed to survive the wilderness. Akilah is one of the last characters who can die in the wilderness and have her death feel genuinely impactful.
Jenna Burgess
Hilary Swank
From a practical standpoint, it is also worth noting that the survivors have their faces covered for most of the episode after the cave scene. Most of their faces are covered during the hunt, as they prepare Mari’s body to be eaten, and as they feast on her. Their faces only begin to be shown again when Shauna thinks she is confronting Natalie, and it is actually Hannah Finch (Ashley Sutton). The scene focuses on Shauna, Hannah, and on Misty’s reaction, and not on Akilah, which is another sign that she will still be alive inYellowjacketsseason 4.
Yellowjackets
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Yellowjackets is a television series exploring the survival ordeal of a high school girls' soccer team stranded in the remote wilderness after a plane crash. It interweaves psychological horror and coming-of-age themes, simultaneously depicting their harrowing transformation and its lasting impact on their lives 25 years later.
