WARNING! This article contains SPOILERS for Yellowjackets season 3, episode 9! The early scenes of Yellowjackets hinted at Travis’s involvement in the shocking feast of Pit Girl, but the latest season delves deeper into his darker role in this horrific ritual. While the mystery of the identity of Pit Girl has lingered since the show’s inception, the series is gradually peeling back layers to reveal the truth behind her fate. Although we have yet to see the exact circumstances of her death unfold in the past timeline, the narrative is progressing towards explaining the ritualistic elements surrounding it.
The haunting opening scene features Pit Girl fleeing barefoot through the snow in a white gown until she tragically falls into a concealed pit lined with sharp stakes. A chilling focus is placed on the necklace she wears—a gold heart pendant that originally belonged to Jackie. This sequence culminates in a harrowing scene where the other masked teens ceremonially consume her, under the shadow of the enigmatic figure known as the Antler Queen. This season has finally shed light on the dark backstory of the death pit, adding layers of meaning to the characters’ actions.
Travis Constructed the Death Pit and Intended It for Lottie
The Death Pit: A Disturbing Trap Created by Travis
Earlier in season 3, the groundwork for the death pit’s sinister purpose was laid when Coach Ben discovered a survival box with the KUH label hidden beneath a camouflaged pit in episode 2. Initially, the pit lacked the treacherous stakes; however, by episode 9, Travis repurposes this already-dug ditch for a much darker scheme. In a shocking twist, he sharpens the stakes and covers the pit with leaves and branches to ensnare Lottie, believing that her death would eliminate a significant hurdle to their escape from the wilderness.
Driven by desperation, Travis perceives Lottie as a primary threat after she kills Edwin and influences others with her cult-like devotion to the Wilderness. He thinks that eliminating her is the sole solution to their prolonged suffering. Yet, when Lottie walks across the pit that Travis had disguised, the inexplicable powers of the wilderness protect her from the trap he set.
The Death Pit: A Symbol of Travis’ Disturbing Offering to the Wilderness
A Twisted Innovation in Ritualistic Sacrifices
Although Travis’s plans fail to eliminate Lottie, the death pit still plays an integral role in the teens’ increasingly chaotic rituals to appease the Wilderness. In a haunting scene, Travis joins the other masked members as they consume the sacrificed victim, marking a tribute to the mysterious forces of the Wilderness that they believe will sustain their survival. While Lottie may escape his twisted offering, Travis implicitly transforms the death pit into a conduit for violence and unnatural death within their rituals.
As the chilling snow begins to fall at the conclusion of episode 9, it signals that the blizzard preceding Pit Girl’s death is nearing, heightening the show’s tension. Travis’ involvement in the ritual from the opening scene—though he never directly commits murder—positions him as a key orchestrator in the tragic fate of Pit Girl. This links him indelibly to the dark themes of survival and sacrifice that are central to Yellowjackets.