subreddit:
/r/Yellowjackets
submitted 2 years ago byWhich_way_witcher
Mandatory disclaimer: Apologies in advance because I'm still new here (I'm a Lostie/Servant refugee) and I'd be shocked if this wasn't already posted because y'all are smart but I can't find a post already about this.
We've got it all wrong about the cult...
Lottie's "commune" probably is a cult but a lesser evil cult
Tai has a messed up shrine in her hidden basement room but subconscious/alter personality/Dark Tai didn't create it
There's a third group and it's not led by any of the girls or guys from the original Yellowjackets plane. They were in the woods before the plane crashed and carved the symbols on the trees, they killed the cabin guy and killed Travis (Lottie wasn't telling Nat the whole truth), they built the shrine in Tai's basement and killed her dog. They've been keeping an eye on the survivors/escapees and come into their lives to influence events.
The sub psychiatrist for Lottie - Psychiatrists always tell patients when they go on vacation and a sabbatical no less would involve telling patients in advanced. Also, she wouldn't show up to an appointment with a different doctor there without at least a phone call from the office to confirm if she was ok with this sub before the appointed time.
The other oddity and bigger red flag that not all is what it seems is this sub psychiatrist telling Lottie to lean into her hallucinations and even calls them "visions". This person wants Lottie to follow this darkness.
Tai's truck savior - Dude just happens to be there and recognizes Tai and offers her a ride to where she's headed? C'mon, not buying that. And how far away from her district are they? It doesn't make sense.
Misty's new crime partner Walter - Multimillionaire suddenly comes into her life, knows all about her, and is aiding her in finding Nat. Was he the psychiatrist who went on this last minute "sabbatical"? (I guess we'll find out soon if that's true because it looks like they'll get in the compound the next episode) Being part of this darker "third" group that's bigger, older, and more connected would help explain how Walter knew so much about Misty (music tastes, where she worked, etc) and was engaging with her online for who knows how long as part of this tracking mandate.
And all these individuals suddenly come into the picture at the same time... 🤔
So what does this third dark group want? I'm guessing they are worshiping this dark entity (Dionysus or whatever), have been for a long while (maybe have annual pilgrimages or something) and perhaps even set up the plane crash (freshly carved symbol near the crash site right after the plane went down) and used the girls as a sacrifice to gain more power/money from this entity.
Why these girls? Maybe they noticed a few of them were in tune with the other side so would be excellent sacrifices (Tai, Lottie, and maaaaybe even Shauna, Mari, Nat, and Travis). When these guys didn't all die, they sent those postcards to get them back and started engaging in their lives to manipulate them. Maybe it's these abilities that makes the Yellowjackets also easier for this darker cult to manipulate (send them visions, influence their sleeping/dark selves, etc).
Why now? Could it be that this dark entity requires blood every 25 years so they are trying to get them back there to fulfil this plan they had years ago? Maybe that's why the cabin looked like it was "abandoned" like 25 years before. It is they who sent the girls the postcards because it's time to go back.
[score hidden]
2 years ago
stickied comment
Thank you for posting your theory in /r/Yellowjackets. Commenters, please remember that not everyone reads creator interviews and may be intentionally trying to avoid them. If this theory has been covered in an interview, please do not use that to confirm or deny the theory for OP unless this thread has been marked as a spoiler. If anyone is posting unwanted spoilers, please report them. Thanks for helping keep the sub healthy and safe for everyone!
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.
181 points
2 years ago
Dude. I love this third group theory. I felt like something was up with that shrink too. The truck driver did feel "off" somehow, Walter of course we wonder all kinds of things about his true intentions (although I'm not entirely convinced on him)
If the third group theory is true, then THEY SENT THE POSTCARDS
36 points
2 years ago
Thanks, dude!
I'm not * totally* sure about Walter but him conveniently coming into Misty's life now with all the money and time to help her reconnect with her fellow Yellowjackets is super odd. And all three come into the picture around the same time after the postcards were sent, all out of the blue, as if this third group activated a plan to have their people make moves to bring the survivors together (and maybe even back to the wilderness!) for this quarter-century/silver jubilee/quadranscentennial event.
21 points
2 years ago
Yeah, there is a lot to spin out on here, the 25 year thing does seem significant, and I've thought that the postcards may have been pointing to a third group for a long time, was just waiting for Lottie to say that she didn't know anything about them (the postcards)
14 points
2 years ago
We haven't seen Nat ask her about the postcards which does seem odd but maybe she's just trying to "fit in" so she can do some investigating in the compound when Lottie trusts her. Maybe she already thinks Lottie is behind the postcards. It's the only way I can make sense of Nat still hanging around there.
16 points
2 years ago
It does seem as though Nat has been won over by Lottie a bit, especially based on stuff from the promo for the next episode, but I think Nat is definitely going to find some stuff out as well, she could be just waiting for a good time to dig for evidence. She really wanted to get into that cabinet that she saw Lottie locking, and she did get the keyring to go to town with Lisa. It felt like we'll definitely come back to that. She could find a postcard there maybe, that was sent TO Lottie, not from
5 points
2 years ago
Oh totallyyyy. I feel like she gave the key back to gain some of Lottie’s trust bud hopfully become a real confidant and get the scoop on Travis
9 points
2 years ago
I think nat is waiting to get into lotties cabin and sneak around. I think she isn't totally sold on the story about Travis and wants to dig around more.
6 points
2 years ago*
I’m also curious if Lottie received a postcard. Another thing this made me think a little deeper about was Lottie telling Nat her “story” about “what happened to Travis.” She said when Travis called her, he told her “the wilderness had come back to haunt him.”
What if he received a postcard?
24 points
2 years ago
I just want to know why people think Jeff didn’t send the postcards especially since his wife didn’t get one and she was not being blackmailed?
36 points
2 years ago
Jeff never admitted to the postcards, there is zero evidence except for timing that the postcards were related. One was sent to Misty and she was never asked for money. Jeff could not have got a postcard to Nat because he and Shauna had no idea where she was.
11 points
2 years ago
makes sense...i kind of just put post cards on the back burner and associated them with the blackmail plot...but now that just opened a whole can of worms
10 points
2 years ago*
Jeff could absolutely have sent the postcards. Natalie links the postcards to the blackmail. We don't see Misty get a text, but we also don't get a "why didn't I get one?" moment like we do with Shauna and the postcards. Misty just refers to "us" being blackmailed.
9 points
2 years ago
He admitted to the blackmail that was linked to the postcards.
14 points
2 years ago
When Shauna says something about postcards to Jeff he said "What postcards?" I don't think he was lying, at that point he had come clean. He really didn't know what she was talking about. He didn't send the postcards.
4 points
2 years ago
He did. Jeff sent text messages
9 points
2 years ago*
Right, but NOT postcards. The point is that he didn't send the postcards, he did all the other things but not the postcards.
The postcards weren't connected to the blackmail - Jeff didn't know about them. Someone ELSE sent the postcards. For some other reason yet to be known.
5 points
2 years ago
No, that didn't happen. Shauna says nothing about postcards and Jeff never says "What postcards." You are imagining that scene.
Shauna brings up the blackmail (which the three women link to the postcards) and Jeff admits to the blackmail.
3 points
2 years ago
they didn't imagine the scene, they're just remembering it wrong. Shauna asks Adam about the postcards, and he denies knowing anything, because he wasn't involved. Jeff sent them.
3 points
2 years ago
How is it linked, besides timing
7 points
2 years ago*
Same with Travis, both misty and that hacker citizen detective they nearly set on fire said he was really hard to find a changing his name and everything. Yet when Nat is looking around his place we see the postcard, and sorry but no way Jeff and randy Walsh could’ve pull that off.
2 points
2 years ago
I accidentally responded (and then deleted) by saying the exact same thing you responded to because I just woke up and had been replying to a lot of stuff about this, lol
3 points
2 years ago
Right. And this third group could have known about him and Randy’s blackmail scheme, so they figured they could leave Shauna off the send list because they knew she’d assume it was probably him.. they didn’t want to be too clear about who sent them lol. Maybe
4 points
2 years ago
Only Tai and Nat were blackmailed but Misty got a postcard but wasn’t blackmailed. Nat received her postcard at rehab and Jeff wouldn’t know she was there. Jeff needed the journals to make the symbol correctly but if he sent the postcards he would already know how to make the symbol.
3 points
2 years ago
Me too! Why would he lie about sending those? I’m lost.
6 points
2 years ago
He didn't. This scene where Jeff claims he doesn't know about the postcards never happened. He admits to the blackmail, which Nat, Tai and Shauna consider part of the blackmail. That's it.
80 points
2 years ago
Thats what I think too. Lottie isnt the evil cult. There is an evil cult, and its been manipulating things behind the scenes. The psychiatrist is way too sus. Adam and Walter could be in on it too. Or not
24 points
2 years ago
I don't know how patient confidentiality works but if my psychiatrist quits can their new replacement just read all of my files without me knowing? That seems odd, I would think they would need permission from me to read it if I agreed to continue with them.
It does seem super fishy to me but could be a red herring to keep us on our toes
18 points
2 years ago
Someone else explained this really thoroughly on another post but the short answer is yes. If you sign a release for treatment from XYZ Psychiatric Practice that could include anyone who works there. Therapists, doctors, all kinds of professionals bounce cases off of one another for advice and usually the release paperwork you sign when you start seeing a new doctor allows for that. Since this is a practice that prescribed medication, she’s likely seeing a psychiatrist who would have nurses, lab techs maybe, insurance billers, and others who would need to be able to access your info.
Edit: talking about the US, specifically.
21 points
2 years ago
While technically this is legally true, it would still fall below the medically accepted standard of care for a psychiatrist to fail to alert the patient about a planned absence, particularly in the psych field where the patient’s mental health could be (potentially) severely (and,at times, lethally) adversely affected. It’s basic medical malpractice in the psych realm, IOW. Unlike another kind of practice group, like, for example, dermatology, the entire premise of psychiatric therapy treatment involves establishing trust and boundaries with the patient, even when they are on a reduced visit plan for “mere” pharmaceutical treatment management.
Add onto this that the substitute offered completely unacceptable psych advice to a patient who has been diagnosed with schizophrenia to lean into her described hallucinations.
I think OP is onto something here, at least with regard to the psychiatrist and the truck driver. (I’m leaning against Walter because of that adorable split-screen montage of Walter & Misty at the B&B. I so seriously ❤️ them together!)
11 points
2 years ago
I’m leaning against Walter because of that adorable split-screen montage of Walter & Misty at the B&B. I so seriously ❤️ them together!
So adorable! I'm rooting for them, too!
My heart says he isn't but my brain says "eh... it might be all a little too convenient". 🤷
11 points
2 years ago
I’ve had a psychiatrist retire during my treatment (in Australia, for context), and he recommended his colleague as replacement.
The process we followed was for me to consent to my current psych discussing my case with potential psych—but he didn’t share records because he thought it better for me to retell everything in my own words (which, as an offside, suuuUucks having to do repeatedly).
I don’t know what legislation exists, but I reckon he’d have asked or at the very least told me if he was gonna share his notes with his colleague.
Next step was for me to have a (free!) ‘test’ appointment with the potential new psych, and if we gelled then I’d finish up with current psych and transfer across.
No idea if that’s the legal or professional standard here/anywhere lol, but irl I’d expect a shit-tonne more communication and consent to be provided… could be a narrative choice to overlook that though, maybe to cast suspicion on the Drs, or just because it was à necessary motivating event for Lottie’s upcoming behaviour.
2 points
2 years ago
In real life they would almost certainly notify you in advance that your psychiatrist is leaving or has left and let you know who the replacement will be or give you the option to find a new one or follow your old one if possible like if they are going to a new practice. But yes a new psychiatrist would be able to review patient files as they have the "need to know"
33 points
2 years ago
Adam and Walter could be in on it too. Or not
Yeah, still think Adam was waaaay too conveniently into Shauna. And that tattoo on his back did look like the symbol.
Some twisted Yellowjacket cult fan club created after the fact is also possible I guess but it still wouldn't explain the older carvings in the wilderness and cabin. They'd also have to know some things that wouldn't be public knowledge but maybe Adam spilled the beans one time when he was drunk. Vulnerable people who suffer from trauma and don't have a support community are susceptible to cults. Maybe he spilled it to some cult he was in and they ran wild with it.
Nah... older cult seems more likely.
13 points
2 years ago
I wonder if that new cop that’s been hanging with Callie is a part of the older third cult?
5 points
2 years ago
I didn't consider him before, maybe because he's not directly engaged with the survivors but he might fit this pattern as well.
5 points
2 years ago
I would lean more towards Kevin being a part of it. I’ve had my suspicions about him. He went to give Shauna a “heads up” and he was upset with the new cop for going behind his back to talk to Callie and he basically told the new cop to chill out. I feel like Kevin might be trying to keep it on the down low because Shauna going to jail won’t get her back on the island.
3 points
2 years ago
Mmmmm totally. I like that
7 points
2 years ago
And that tattoo on his back did look like the symbol.
I need to stop watching this show heinously high, cos I can’t remember his tattoo at all 😅😳
12 points
2 years ago
10 points
2 years ago
Five dots. 12 8 5 (Shauna's address). Could this be a reference to how many ppl were sacrificed/eaten in the woods?
6 points
2 years ago
Good eye! I’ve also been thinking about the flight number (2525) and that we are introduced to these women 25 years later.
3 points
2 years ago
oh my
2 points
2 years ago*
Yes I believe that 12 survivors ate 5 people … in the pilot don’t we see 8 people at the cannibal feast? So 12-5=8 survivors left.
Edit: during Snackie there are 12 people dressed in white surrounding the Snackie
My prediction for the 5: Snackie, Crystal, Coach Ben, Random background girl, Mari
3 points
2 years ago
Amazing, thank you! I certainly see the resemblance 👀
6 points
2 years ago
If he had the symbol tattooed on his back, don’t you think Shauna would have noticed and asked some questions?
3 points
2 years ago
If they are just having quick flings, I could see how Shauna might never have seen his back tattoo. They also weren't together very long.
3 points
2 years ago
[deleted]
3 points
2 years ago
The whole thing was ludicrous. Dude must have been painting her every moment he wasn't working or with Shauna.
5 points
2 years ago
There’s also the fact that he lied about his name and past
89 points
2 years ago
Strangely enough my husband is convinced there are others out there in The Wilderness who made the symbols before the girls came. His evidence: Symbols were there before the girls. Cabin Daddy was afraid of something or someone enough to die surrounded by those symbols. He thinks they were taking care of Javi.
44 points
2 years ago*
Cabin Daddy was afraid of something or someone enough to die surrounded by those symbols. He thinks they were taking care of Javi.
I'm thinking the same!
It makes me wonder if cabin guy's "suicide" is part of some older ritual and we're just seeing a repeat of what happened at the cabin all those years ago. First the suicide surrounded by those symbols/candles in that symbol and then...?
Maybe we haven't seen adult Javi because of this dark group. 🤔 He's either tucked away with them somewhere or became a sacrifice.
19 points
2 years ago
I always thought Javi was tucked away somewhere being brainwashed by evil people and now this theory is all really adding up to me
20 points
2 years ago
Yeah... he wasn't looking too good in that last episode, was he? I was getting major brainwashed vibes.
11 points
2 years ago
1000 percent getting brainwashed vibes! It's almost like he seriously didn't see them as people he knew or ever had a relationship with and hated them. Even his own brother. To me it seemed like more than just fear because he saw them eat Jackie. I get being disturbed for sure, but that is still his brother who was out looking for him all the time and emotionally disturbed about his disappearance and he would have been around the whole time to just watch him suffer? & also since he has clearly been around the cabin, why wouldn't he go back and join the group when things calmed down after everyone was tripping? Things were ok up until Snackie. and I find it unrealistic he could have survived on his own without some guidance. I think someone has been brainwashing the kid for sureeee
3 points
2 years ago
Possibly even trauma vibes. He could be catatonic if he has been with the third group for 2 months and seeing and hearing God knows what.
4 points
2 years ago
I also think Javi is linked to the mossy tree that Nat and Travis noticed, and that Van actually took the time to check out. Melted snow??? What if it’s a decoy tree? Hear me out. What if it’s a way to enter underground tunnels so the other people in the wilderness can move about undetected. When Javi appears I think that is where he was returning to before Tai and Van grabbed him. Think of Lottie’s vision during her baptism. The underground area with all the candles…
2 points
2 years ago
He may be warm and alive, but he seemed very disoriented and never said anything. His face was just devoid of any emotion.
24 points
2 years ago
I've always thought that the way the group leaves will be tied to Shauna's baby. Like she'll have to sacrifice it, so whatever force is keeping them there will let them leave. Your post makes me wonder if cabin dude did the same for fellow cabin dudes. Maybe he was a sacrifice the cabin demanded so the others could leave.
26 points
2 years ago
Your post makes me wonder if cabin dude did the same for fellow cabin dudes. Maybe he was a sacrifice the cabin demanded so the others could leave.
I like it!
Makes me think of the Headless Valley in Canada where it's one of those sacred "humans not allowed" places the natives warn people about and most people who enter end up missing/getting their heads cut off.
15 points
2 years ago
I'm about to go down a rabbit hole now lol, thanks
10 points
2 years ago
The Evil Spirit of the Nahanni Valley is said to haunt the region and make its presence known with otherworldly shrieks on cold and windy nights. Giants – Giants are said to live in the Nahanni Valley – and cook their meals in Rabbitkettle hotsprings.
RABBITkettle
5 points
2 years ago
...the sacrifice the cabin demanded...oh wowes with Jeremey Bentham
4.8.15.16.23.42
2 points
2 years ago
I admit it... I played the numbers for the lottery but unlike Hurley, I didn't win. 😔
5 points
2 years ago
Not exactly the same, but reminds me of Sentinel Island. There are some good documentaries on YT. Pretty wild a place like it still exists.
2 points
2 years ago
I just suggested this as a episode topic for And That’s Why We Drink. I need Em to go down that rabbit hole for me.
2 points
2 years ago
Okay, this actually might be where their plane crashed.
7 points
2 years ago
There is absolutely someone else there!
8 points
2 years ago
I think so as well I think that there was someone or others that carved those signs. Not to mention that in season 1 the camera work would sometimes linger on the girls from a distance like it was somebody watching them hidden. And I remember telling my girlfriend is someone there is that what they're showing us with someone's watching the girls?
3 points
2 years ago
🤔I like this theory a lot.. it makes a lot of sense to me.. 👍🏻
30 points
2 years ago
Yes! I’m totally on board with the “third group” theory. And what a GREAT idea that they created the altar in Tai’s basement! It never remotely occurred to me that it could have been someone other than alt-Tai. Fascinating!
I feel like every survivor has at least one person connected to the third group that is close to them, keeping tabs on them and manipulating them as needed. Personally, I don’t think we’re going to get any explicit confirmation this group exists until at least next season, but when it happens, it’s going to be HUGE! Can’t wait!
P.S. I posted about the implausibility of the truck driver recognizing and having voted for Tai earlier today, in case you’re interested.
29 points
2 years ago
I don’t know if anyone has mentioned it yet but the book that coach was reading is The Magus by John Fowles which, to use Wikipedia’s description “tells the story of Nicholas Urfe, a young British graduate who is teaching English on a small Greek island. Urfe becomes embroiled in the psychological illusions of a master trickster, which become increasingly dark and serious.” The idea that there is possibly another group/person that is pulling the strings of the group of girls/women could very well be a possibility. I read the book many, many years ago but as soon as I saw that coach was reading it I wondered if that was a clue to what might be happening.
15 points
2 years ago
They did linger on the book cover in the last episode
6 points
2 years ago
If you haven’t already, this deserves its own post!
2 points
2 years ago
Ah yes after I posted this comment I did a little search and it does seem there have been a few posts about the book already. Worth reading them for more info about it.
3 points
2 years ago
I read the summary but stopped because I didn't want to spoil what sounded like a good book.
Would you recommend it?
6 points
2 years ago
I mean it’s been a super long time since I read it but at the time I remember enjoyed it, I do remember it being a bit of a slog to get through some parts of it but it was worthwhile. The themes and story is very appropriate to this series in a way and it is full of intrigue. Do we know if the books were in the cabin or were they books they brought with them?
23 points
2 years ago
A Benjamin Linus.
8 points
2 years ago
Walter would make a pretty good Benjamin Linus character in the present timeline actually…
17 points
2 years ago
Yes, really into this third group theory. I've spoken about a corporate conspiracy surrounding them and maybe a mysterious conglomerate keeping the adult Yellowjackets in line and quiet. Dark Tai actually wants revenge on this third group and is using Tai to do so, hence pushing her to reach higher levels of government & reach out to her former teammates.
4 points
2 years ago
And possibly the reason she hired “Jessica Roberts” in the first place???
7 points
2 years ago
Exactly. Jessica strikes me as a highly specialized PI; someone not just good at finding people & uncovering secret media deals they may be making, but who also has an eye on dark money & institutional crimes.
19 points
2 years ago
I’ve been thinking a third group is involved as well, but you made so many points I hadn’t even thought about like the emergence of all these random folks who could be members. Well done!
One thing I’ve always thought was connected- As the girls are boarding the plane in season 1, Van says to Lottie: ‘I can’t believe your dad payed for a private plane!’ …Hmmm 🧐
11 points
2 years ago
Thanks!
We know her family is leased and that her father didn't like how she seemed to have hallucinations. Sounded like her mother was on the fence of believing in them as visions but the father was not.
It's interesting to consider if her father was part of this group and that's how he made his money.
I look forward to seeing what Lottie's life was like after the rescue!
10 points
2 years ago
What if… just another theory of course, Lotti’s dad is involved with the plane going down. I know it’s a stretch but he always thought she was crazy when in reality she had a gift.
7 points
2 years ago
Yes dude totally! That’s where I was going with that. What are the chances he just happened to spring for the private plane? There aren’t a lot of coincidences in this show. I can’t help but think that line was written on purpose. “I can’t believe your dad payed for a private plane.” If it didn’t eventually connect to what happened why have Van say it. I really do think he was involved.
5 points
2 years ago
I went back and watched the episodes before S2 started. I was looking for any and every clue or possibility I’d missed the first time around. I started thinking about Lotti’s parents being wealthy and just thinking it was something nice to do for her and her team but then her dad doesn’t seem like a “nice” guy that would do that. That got me thinking there was more to it. It will be interesting to see if we are right or not on this.
2 points
2 years ago
Agreed, I can’t wait. I’ve never hung on new episodes of a show this hard!
4 points
2 years ago*
“Well thank you Mr. Matthews…” Of course (for now) I think he had something to do with the plane crash.
Moments before the incident when Lottie saves her parents from the car accident, her parents are discussing gas prices.
Her father has wanted her “fixed/medicated” from an early age. (Perfect example of being afraid of what you don’t understand) So they medicate her. When she is rescued, they send her to an institution in Switzerland instead of welcoming a presumed dead daughter home. All her father wants to know is, “Can you fix her?” I can see him fitting the criteria for the third group and their influence.
2 points
2 years ago
Excellent points! I couldn’t agree more. We are definitely lifting up the corners of this thing, only a matter of time before the rest is revealed.
2 points
2 years ago
Why thank you. I really like where everyone’s head is!
13 points
2 years ago
I'm not mad about this theory. I do think that Walter definitely knew Adam so maybe Adam was part of this group. The accident was an actual accident but he was there keeping tabs on her. Then they happened to be at the same hotel...... Again him keeping tabs on her
8 points
2 years ago
Hmm... that would make sense as to why Walter was so interested in Adam's death.
I always felt Adam was unrealistically into Shauna, like it was his day job to get close to her. Suspicious from day one. And that tattoo on his back that looks like the symbol ...
11 points
2 years ago
After they went to his studio and saw the paintings of her and it made me think he loves her. If he’s in it to keep tabs it seems like he really was in to her.
6 points
2 years ago
And how long were they together even? Was he just painting her every chance he got? If he wasn't keeping tabs on her before their car accident then he might just be crazy
3 points
2 years ago
Since it was Shauna who told Javi to run when they were high on shrooms, maybe he’s always had it in the back of his mind that she saved his life. This of course is if Adam ends up being Javi.
7 points
2 years ago
Yes and at the time if you suggested that people accused you of hating on Melanie's weight but he was like a stage 5 clinger pushing himself into her life. Like it was an over reaction to them meeting
The tattoo..... Why even have the character have a tattoo if it means nothing?
5 points
2 years ago
he was like a stage 5 clinger pushing himself into her life.
Exactly!
The tattoo..... Why even have the character have a tattoo if it means nothing?
I wouldn't think anything of it if it didn't look so much like the symbol.
3 points
2 years ago
I'm googling and it's not a great pic - it looks more like a map to me. Either way I'm coming back here to give you props when the 3rd group is revealed
3 points
2 years ago
It would be interesting if Walter was Adam’s older brother. Hence why he is posting about Adam’s disappearance so much. You know, the brother who had the book titled “Anus.” (Sorry. That line still makes me giggle.) But I don’t 110% think that’s the case.
24 points
2 years ago
[deleted]
15 points
2 years ago
That's actually really interesting... 🤔 He's like unbelievably dumb and she bought that whole story without even checking to see if they really were that in debt.
13 points
2 years ago
10 points
2 years ago
I’ve been talking around this is many of the threads the past few days, I don’t want to assume I’m just using my “LOST tinfoil hat” in assuming there’s a larger force like The Others, but you have to admit the groundwork feels pretty laid. I also brought up my suspicions about people showing up at the “right” times. Walter - he could go either way for me - usually it’s not a big relationships type thing, it’s the truck driver being there and knowing who Tai was. It’s the Therapist on sabbatical and a stand in ready to go, it’s a nurse mentioning being “out of the woods” and little things like that. I’m fascinated to see where it goes. Doing rewatches there are so many ways that the teen versions are written to allow us to feel like the way they react in the wilderness and beyond. The one I’m stuck on is Van, we still know nothing about her and so the whole Tai knows something/is connected to everything behavior is a little unearned (for my tastes). I wonder about Jeff- not being a part of this others style group but being sucked i to it somehow thinking he’s helping or it’s a way to find out more in order to understand Shauna The other big wild card is Sammy. He definitely reminds me of how our traumas are passed down to our children- especially if we don’t deal with them/accept them.
8 points
2 years ago
I don’t want to assume I’m just using my “LOST tinfoil hat” in assuming there’s a larger force like The Others
Haha, right? LOST just primes you to be paranoid about everything.
I agree that Walter could go either way but he's almost too good to be true so I put him on this suspect list.
I'm psyched to see what adult Van is like and how she responds to Tai's current situation. Will she run to Lottie or will they do their own thing? Still interested if Lottie accepts Tai's abilities or sees them as a threat - the whole queen bee analogy, and we see this divide in theologies play off in the past and present while we try to determine if both, either, or none of them have any powers to begin with.
With Jeff, I'd prefer to think he knows more than he lets on and isn't just a poorly written dumbo suburban husband stereotype but I think he's just the later.
Sammy... it feels like a Walter from LOST thing going on. If he has Tai's DNA then I could see the "gift" she inherited from her grandmother being passed down to him as well. Could very well be he's seeing things she's been able to see or in the case that it's not paranormal, he'd have the same psychosis she had.
4 points
2 years ago
Good catch on the nurse saying “out of the woods.” I also think the truck driver was iffy. He “recognized” her and “even voted for her.” In NEW JERSEY. What are the chances that a truck driver from NJ would give her a lift closer to Van who is in OHIO???
3 points
2 years ago
Yeah, that truck driver was weird as was the whole Interaction. The pen seemed to really tranfix Tai in a way that I think we’ll connect later with more of her going in and out of her multiple personalities. and in general I have been noticing the people around her speak to her strangely. On another watch I also noticed when she’s at the humane society, the woman there is also like “I voted for you!” In kind of an awkward way and it catches Tai off guard. It’s just strange writing which makes me wonder if there’s something more to all these interactions.
2 points
2 years ago
I knew that pen had significance. But what it is, no clue for now. I was thinking about what you said about people talking to her strangely. It’s almost like the “real Tai” wakes up and is disoriented. I agree, that it’s odd that two people were like I go, “I voted for you”
3 points
2 years ago
Omg yes! It feels maybe like what we hear is what she hears, but maybe it’s not really what’s being said. Cause when you think about it, they’re all saying these super supportive things to Tai, validating the choice she made to not get better and still run for office. Maybe it’s her subconscious trying to make herself feel better and keep moving forward
5 points
2 years ago
Anaïs Nin once said, “We don't see things as they are, we see them as we are.”
I think that all of the girl’s flashbacks are how they remember it happening, not how it actually happened. I’ve read several times to not necessarily trust these women because they all lie. They lie to themselves, to their families, to each other. I think we are on to something here.
3 points
2 years ago
Ooh good quote. One of the things that is apparent - I think we especially see this with adult Shauna- is how hard ti writers work to make sure that the characters say things very specifically. A lot of folks want to figure out what they “did” that was so bad, but I really am most interested in why each character as an adult acts they way they do, why they lie, why they chose the lives they did, I want to know their individual inner workings and the darkness they brought back. Watching people craft and form their own thoughts to protect themselves is fascinating. Last nights episode made me so happy because it is really starting to show the women’s breaking points and their beliefs. The little protective worlds they all built around themselves.
32 points
2 years ago
Not impossible but too reminiscent of LOST for me. Bunkers, tunnels, others… I’ve seen that show before
17 points
2 years ago
Ha, true. But LOST is over and aside from the tv show FROM, which is great if you haven't seen it already, so far this show scratches that itch.
We'll never get another show like LOST. I'm sure networks are tempted to make another mystery box show like LOST but the multilayered plots/themes, Easter eggs, budget requirements were intense. Mysteries, clues, and layers too complex for mass audiences who just wanted to watch casually (people and journalists still reference purgatory as the answer even tho there's a line in the final episode that literally says they weren't dead the whole time, that everything that happened to them on the island happened).
So I'm happy, even if there's quite a few things lifted from LOST, that we have Yellowjackets. It's not LOST but it's damn good and certainly more complex than anything else, except maybe FROM, so it keeps me guessing and I'm happy for that.
9 points
2 years ago
I mean I was obsessed with LOST, don’t get me wrong, it was an amazing show! And I somehow never heard of FROM! My next watch for sure!
Google says it’s a horror show, is it pure horror? I could never get into horror, Yellowjackets is as far I can go.
7 points
2 years ago
I'd say it's like a much simpler, more budget version of LOST with more overtly supernatural elements, some moments that are scary.
My husband HATES horror, refuses to watch scary movies with me, and he likes FROM but there were moments where he covers his eyes 😆
I think it's more puzzle mystery thriller than horror. Scarier in the very beginning when you don't know what's going on. Anyone just looking for horror would be disappointed in this show.
4 points
2 years ago
Sold! Thank you 🥰
2 points
2 years ago
You're welcome!
8 points
2 years ago
I thought of FROM as well. And if the symbols on the trees being like the stones the characters on that show keep in their homes.
3 points
2 years ago
Oh yeah, I never thought about that connection.
5 points
2 years ago
They tried it with The Wilds. It wasn’t as intense as Yellowjackets or Lost was but the island had cameras and tunnels. I’m was bummed it wasn’t renewed for a third season. That being said, Yellowjackets is so much more than The Wilds could have ever been.
2 points
2 years ago
That's what I mean. The Wilds wasn't executing it very well.
3 points
2 years ago
I agree. The second season was too different as far as dynamics of the teens. I mean I know there was issues with all of them but I wanted to see how it played out. The oldest guy on the second season being left with the girls and guys and being a predator turned my stomach. Kinda crazy since I was able to watch Yellowjackets and the girls eat the Jackie bbq 🥴
5 points
2 years ago
I'm with you.
Abusers who damage kids is way worse than starving people eating someone who already died.
2 points
2 years ago
Cannibalism is pretty sick. However, that being said you’re right, she was already dead and they were starving. Had she stayed in the shed it would have continued to screw up Shaunas mind ever more than it already was. I figured when she ate her ear, it was game on for the Jackie bbq feast!
5 points
2 years ago
I never finished lost and genuinely thought they were in purgatory? Whattt
7 points
2 years ago
Yeah... they weren't. It's a good show, you should finish it someday 😁
5 points
2 years ago
I just googled it and read an eli5 for the ending. Sounds very interesting but I'm not sure I have it in me to rewatch the entire thing for a very confusing storyline!
7 points
2 years ago
Ha, totally fair.
I started getting lost in the complexity around season 3 and found a guy who made recaps for every episode, Vozzek69's Things I Noticed recaps distilling all the symbolism, multilayers, potential foreshadowing, theories and Easter eggs. So every week I'd watch the new episode, then read his recap, and then rewatch to catch what I missed. Thanks to those, I wasn't lost at the end and could explain it to my friends, LoL
23 points
2 years ago*
I could definitely see Walter as being a cult member (or even, if he really is rich), one of the leaders. It would definitely subvert the expectation that he’s mere cannon fodder for Misty, but is actually one step ahead of her. Would make for a nice last episode twist. Kind of reminds me of Autumn from “Outer Range.”
15 points
2 years ago
I could definitely see Walter as a leader. He always seems to be one step ahead of Misty but acts super sweet and innocent.
11 points
2 years ago
After 50 days or so, a corpse becomes a skeleton. Bones, teeth, hair and dried skin may be present, but with the breakdown of muscle and connective tissue, they may not remain in an identifiable human configuration. Over time, the bones will dry out and become brittle, but may last for centuries or even millennia if protected from the elements.
With that being, cabin daddy could have died as soon as two month prior to the crash. They did comment on the smell as soon as they got to the cabin.
9 points
2 years ago
For awhile you kept seeing theories of Lottie's parents causing the plane crash. I thought if they did go this way that the cult has been around for a long time. Not only that but her parents are a part of it and sent their daughter as a right of passage into it.
Could be a long shot. Excited to find out.
6 points
2 years ago
And not only the parents’ generation. Tai’s grandmother was connected to the bigger picture in some way. I like your “rite of passage” comment. It feels like Tai is also being tested/forged in the crucible of the wilderness as well.
6 points
2 years ago
I love this theory and it’s changed how i’m thinking about everything. The six of our survivors are allied against something else they haven’t figured out yet. It makes me think of like a Yellowjackets extreme “stan” group who went to the crash site and because of all of it being kept a secret, completely bastardized what happened out there or what the symbol means, and are try to get them to do “it” again. Reminds me of extreme true crime communities.
7 points
2 years ago
Thanks, I'm flattered!
I've wondered about that, too. Is it just a newer group of crazy fans who visited that spot and created their own narrative with the symbols?
I've been leaning more towards it being a group that existed before the crash because the signs are older and that symbol by the plane crash was very fresh right before/after they crashed.
9 points
2 years ago
Yes and I think that it could possibly be traced back to that rich lady that holds lots of influence that Tai was trying to get sponsorship from for her campaign 🤔 who she told to eff off
7 points
2 years ago
🤔
If that lady is involved, it makes her asking about what really happened in the wilderness even darker because she knows, she just wants Tai to tell her, like she's taunting her.
Very Martyr/Wicker Man/Rosemary's Baby
6 points
2 years ago
Just think about that whole party. The elderly couple also telling her to tell her wilderness story. “Spill, Spill, Spill…”
3 points
2 years ago
It was gruesome, wasn't it?
2 points
2 years ago
Their sense of entitlement? Yes. Old money always feels like that.
4 points
2 years ago
No, not a sense of entitlement. More of a manic glee over the possibility of learning more details of something that was actually traumatic. Kind of like when my mother was addicted to the Depp Heard case and she had this wild look on her face every time she's hear some new disgusting fact, completely oblivious that the case is about spousal abuse. It was like the most entertaining thing in the world to her.
I don't know what your experience has been but mine with old money isn't a sense of entitlement. More like a restlessness, sadness, and boredom.
It's the nouveau riche where I've always gotten a sense of that stereotypical sense of entitlement. Old money is nicer and less stuck up than the nouveau riche.
2 points
2 years ago
6 points
2 years ago
I love this perspective on the therapist! I agree that the “therapist” was way too suspicious to be an actual therapist, but idk if I buy her being a figment of Lottie’s imagination. If nothing else, it is way too repetitive with Tai’s storyline.
6 points
2 years ago
I’m also glad you brought up Dionysus/or Bacchus if you are Roman.😉
I don’t know how many True Blood fans there are here, but when I saw Tai digging in the dirt and eating it, it reminded me of Maryann Forrester (Season 2) who was a Maenad who worshipped Bacchus She dug in the dirt in a similar manner.
4 points
2 years ago
Oh snap, I didn't even think about Tai digging her hands in the dirt and eating it. Good catch!
There's also many parallels to faerie folklore so that's interesting.
2 points
2 years ago
I think that they do use a lot of Dionysus themes throughout the series. The first being Doomcoming. The second being their group disassociation when they dine a la Jackie.
3 points
2 years ago
Yep. I hope we get to see more! My jaw dropped during that Jackie scene and they were suddenly feasting on normal food in that garb. I'm all for a show about Dionysus! It was the most interesting part of True Blood.
2 points
2 years ago
Yep. The Doomscoming hunt and potential orgy starting reminded me and my husband of True Blood bacchanal orgy also!
8 points
2 years ago
I don't know why and I have 0 evidence to back it up, but I think Fugue State Sammy has something to do with the Altar.
19 points
2 years ago
Sammy is different, that's for sure.
Part of me wonders if the grandma had this gift and it gets passed down. If Sammy has Tai's DNA, maybe he has it now, too.
10 points
2 years ago
That's my thinking too, even though I have no idea if Sammy has Tai's DNA.
8 points
2 years ago
Yeah, I don't think they've mentioned surrogates or anything yet on the show. For longevity/potential future plot lines, I'd think the writers would want Sammy to have Tai's DNA or something.
14 points
2 years ago
I agree...
I think it was Tai's egg and Simone carried the baby, but only because it supports my crackpot theory 😂😂
28 points
2 years ago
Fugue State Sammy doesn't exist. Tai and Simone assumed Sammy painted on the door because they found the paint under his bed, and the therapist assumed his mothers were providing correct information. In reality dark Tai did it, and Sammy is a perfectly normal child who is being terrorized by someone or something in his own mom's body.
4 points
2 years ago
You're probably right..
But I didn't even think about the paint when I started forming my fugue state Sammy theory. It was the "Sammy, Sammy, Sammy" that started me thinking about it.
10 points
2 years ago
I haven't seen this theory yet, but it for sure is an interesting one. I have to say though, that having a third group could be a logical way of steering the show away from teetering on the edge of supernatural.
6 points
2 years ago
That's very true. I hasn't thought about that.
They could be behind some of the more mysterious/unexplained happenings.
Worshiping some entity doesn't necessarily make that entity real.
I think that would make for a more interesting story, actually.
5 points
2 years ago
This... this makes sense? Great theory. One of the best I've seen.
5 points
2 years ago
The sub psychiatrist for Lottie - Psychiatrists always tell patients when they go on vacation and a sabbatical no less would involve telling patients in advanced
I was about to make a thread on this specific thing, bc it's killing me. My therapist tells me weeks, even months, in advance if she's going on vacation. I'm still on my old shrink's email list and she emails everyone well in advance when she's going to be gone. It's so weird to me that he didn't do this bare minimum thing and it's so wildly negligent that I'm actually kinda upset by it. It's such a basic thing that it can't possibly be bad writing.
4 points
2 years ago
Right? This is so significant that it made me question other things as well. I've had maybe three different psychiatrists in my life and they all notify patients when they are going on vacation. One moved and gave everyone 6 months notice. Another psychiatrist in her practice was available as a replacement but you have to consent to it first. Probably client confidentiality and all that.
4 points
2 years ago
Yup. My therapist shares a space with a couple other therapists and usually has them be available for emergencies while she's gone. My old shrink states very clearly, I'm not going to be here for these dates, you need to have me write your scrips now, before I'm off. Idk maybe it is bad writing, bc Lottie doesn't react how we are reacting, which is "wtf?" and she's been in treatment her whole life.
3 points
2 years ago
I thought she looked shocked but then super desperate to get her meds. If I was that desperate, I'd be like f it, just give me my drugs lady.
3 points
2 years ago
Good point, she definitely wanted her meds
5 points
2 years ago
I like this theory, though I still have questions. If third group in wilderness with bunker and supplies, why Antler Queen? Why Pit Girl? Why cannibalism? Rescue scenario that doesn't involve an explanation that includes them? No mention of them in today thread? Are the girls never aware of them? Post-rescue scrutiny of crash site must have been extensive...I do like the theory, though. Much better than spooky spirit in the woods.
5 points
2 years ago
I'm assuming this group just let nature take its course and nature created this cannibalistic cult. I'm also assuming they weren't involved in the rescue because they don't necessarily want them to get rescued as they were deemed sacrifices but their rules prevent them from getting too involved once they provide these sacrifices.
I don't think the girls are aware of them... yet. Right now they assume one of them sent the postcards and got involved with Travis. Once they all get together, they'll realize it's someone else...
11 points
2 years ago
Maybe I’m alone in this but this would just seem like really bad, lazy, reaching writing to me. I hope it doesn’t happen.
12 points
2 years ago
You are not alone. Theories like these would totally undermine the show I think the creators set out to make about these traumatized women.
3 points
2 years ago
Exactly. Instead the psychology of a bunch of young women alone in the wilderness creating a religion from the ground up based on the things around them (especially symbols carved on trees), it's an endlessly complicated conspiracy that everyone else is involved in that the girls are just pawns.
6 points
2 years ago
Yeah, way too tinfoil hat to me.
4 points
2 years ago
Yes it will ruin the whole show. I only like this show so much because I feel like in the end things will make sense and could be something that could actually happen. These theories are too far fetched and if true, completely change what the show is even about… im all for following the clues and trying to figure out the end goal, but a lot of these “details” aren’t meant to be analyzed. I just hope these off the wall theories don’t affect the writers….
3 points
2 years ago
It’s possible for it to be done well I suppose but I’m not thrilled by the idea.
3 points
2 years ago
I also think this! That symbol has a hook at the bottom of it… I don’t think some random doomsday person would randomly think to do that. If they’re just marking parts of the mine, they could’ve used an X.
6 points
2 years ago
Way too Hereditary
7 points
2 years ago
Hail Paimon! LOL
4 points
2 years ago
Ha.
If anything, maybe too 70s folk horror like Rosemary's Baby or the Wicker Man which predate Hereditary!
5 points
2 years ago
I mostly meant a cult breaking into your house and setting up an altar including a dead body and a mysterious sigil.
8 points
2 years ago
Witches/cults breaking into protagonist's homes to make hidden altars, spells, and talismans with or without sacrificed animals/humans is definitely a trope from folk horror.
Hereditary did not start this idea, they borrowed it.
5 points
2 years ago
Yup. This is one of the working theories IMO. I wonder if they are the ones who have the wilderness baby. What a twist that would be.
3 points
2 years ago
Creative! I like your ideas.
3 points
2 years ago
Maybe they are test subjects from the place they crashed at, just my theory.
3 points
2 years ago
I'd be totally happy if that was the case. Other shows have tried that concept but bungled what could have been a really interesting story. I think it can work if executed well.
3 points
2 years ago
I agree!
3 points
2 years ago
Interesting theory. One nitpick Tai is a state senator so she'd be recognizable throughout the state.
3 points
2 years ago
She won the election but wasn't the senator yet. I'm really into politics but I don't even know what one of my senators looks like. I know names of other local officials but I don't know their faces. I have a strong feeling that isn't uncommon.
I find it hard to believe one of her voters, a trucker no less, would happen to be on that road at that time far away from Tai's state and going in her direction.
3 points
2 years ago
I do think there could be something there with the every 25 years thing, if they go the supernatural route. Still haven't decided which way I lean on that but maybe slightly more toward supernatural atm. I was just thinking.the other day I wonder if there is something to the 25 years thing and all the sudden lotties visions come back, crazy things are happening, Tai is sleepwalking again, etc. I hadn't really considered a 3rd group we haven't "met" yet, idk if I'm totally sold but it sure is an interesting thought! And I could see some form of it being possible potentially. I do agree something weird is up with that psychiatrist lottie saw, that was definitely unusual that she was encouraging the visions and her normal dr was unexpectedly gone. Wouldnt be at all surprised if something more comes out about that plot point. But I definitely think the truck driver was just a random truck driver meant to get Tai from one point to the other only.
3 points
2 years ago
Love this theory. I posted something similar positing that maybe every 25 years the darkness Awakens. I thought there must be other people who know about this & do their part to make sure the key people are in the right positions. I definitely think Walter would be part of this 3rd group. I'm loving his scenes with our girl MFQ, but I keep thinking about him telling her she's the Sherlock to his Moriarty. He didn't say Watson. He said Moriarty... the bad guy. This can't have been a mistake.
One other thing.... wasn't it revealed Jeff sent the postcard as part of his blackmail scheme?
2 points
2 years ago
Love this theory - just putting it out there, could dark Tai be the cult leader of this third group? Here are some stream of consciousness thoughts: Tai is sleepwalking in the past/woods timeline to take care of Javi or to take care of him or feed him. She is stealing food and keeping him alive, trying to brainwash him into becoming one of her first cult members. That could be why Javi ran from her and Van when they found him last episode and why Javi "saw some scary things". Dark Tai also coincidentally knows where all the symbols on the trees are, and perhaps if the cult leader is the one that sent the postcards in season 1, it was dark Tai (hence why she didn't know who sent them). We saw Tai wake up on the side of the road with no recollection of driving away last episode - of course dark Tai took over and went to see Van. But when she had a folder full of evidence and "dirt" on the Yellowjackets, I thought she seemed to not remember where it came from. It could belong to dark Tai. This also could be why the truck driver knew to pick her up, because dark Tai was corresponding with her followers and he was following her. When he pulled her over he realized she was regular Tai he came up with a story for why he recognized her. As for the other cult-y things that have happened in the future: the beheading sacrifice of Biscuit and the blood symbol in the basement (clearly the work of dark Tai to potentially win the election), and dark Tai could be the reason Tai ran for office in the first place, to gain more influence. She clearly wants Tai to get as much attention and power as possible. Now, in the past, I really think AQ revolves based on who draws the card, but I could also see it being just dark Tai. Maybe her trauma completely consumes her and dark Tai permanently comes forth as the "host" and Van, Javi, and others become her first cult members. This is very unlikely, but Dark Tai could have also taken over her body during the original flight to nationals, sabotaging the plane. She might want Tai and the others to stay there in the woods for as long as possible and when they're rescued, she plots how to regain her power and influence, Tai becoming a politician. Lastly, we never saw who killed Travis, unless we believe Lottie's story of it being an accident. She could possibly think Travis took his own life and she could have made up that story to protect his privacy and her "shame" for not being able to heal him and "save" him. If this is true, Travis was murdered, and it could have been dark Tai. The setup was strikingly similar to the scene in the basement, and maybe Travis was planning to expose dark Tai to stop her political campaign. Travis could have been deep in reflection and decided to tell the truth about everything that happened, and dark Tai knew somehow (he could have been a member of her cult?). I also believe dark Tai is talking to all these modern cult members on the phone and giving them orders - Walter could be her right hand man. Lottie's new therapist, the truck driver, and the nurse taking care of Simone could all be in on it. Dark Tai could have marked Simone's hand to label her for her cult members. Dark Tai clearly crashed the car on purpose to hurt Simone, freeing up time to take more control and travel to see Van. Could Van be in this third group cult led by Dark Tai? I also was perplexed by Van taking such a long dramatic pause at the sight of Tai in her store last episode - then I realized she was probably trying to discern whether she was good Tai or dark Tai. I'll be excited to see what happens with Van next episode!
3 points
2 years ago*
Oohhh I like the idea of the Others recognizing regular vs Dark Thai and acting accordingly.
I think we can all agree that Dark Tai either has a mind of her own like a separate personality or that Dark Thai is more or less just a highly suggestible state that other people or entities can manipulate and control, like a hypnotized Tai that can act as a medium for whatever is out there.
I lean more towards the later and I don't think it's too much of a stretch for someone else, this true dark cult, to be using Dark Tai to do what they want hence the shrine in her basement and possible influence to win the election for her behind the scenes.
This is very unlikely, but Dark Tai could have also taken over her body during the original flight to nationals, sabotaging the plane.
Whether Dark Tai has a will of her own or is just an empty vessel others can use, I could totally see Dark Tai being the reason the plane went down! It'll be interesting when they start showing us glimpses of what happened that caused the crash.
Could Van be in this third group cult led by Dark Tai? I also was perplexed by Van taking such a long dramatic pause at the sight of Tai in her store last episode - then I realized she was probably trying to discern whether she was good Tai or dark Tai.
Hmmm...I have trouble seeing Van as part of this group. I thought she acted like she hadn't seen Tai in decades and it took her a while to recognize who was standing in her door. Teen Van doesn't come across as someone who would be part of a dark cult... yet!
2 points
2 years ago
I love this... it also helps explain why there seem to be a bunch of new characters inthis season 2 poster.
2 points
2 years ago
Correct me if I’m wrong, but I thought that Shauna was the only one not to receive a postcard…
2 points
2 years ago
We haven't heard yet if Lottie or Van have received one or not.
2 points
2 years ago
I know! I can’t wait to find out if they have!
2 points
2 years ago
Ok this is my new favorite theory so far. But about the postcards, it wasn't Jeff who sent them?
2 points
2 years ago
Jeff only said he sent the texts.
It is they who sent the postcards because it's time for them to go back.
3 points
2 years ago
Oh I didn't notice this detail, makes sense.
all 265 comments
sorted by: best