The first two episodes of Yellowjackets season 3 are now streaming on Paramount+ with Showtime, and the season has certainly kicked off to an exciting start! The Yellowjackets are finally experiencing relief now that the brutal winter has come to an end. However, there's tension between some of the girls, which threatens to unravel the fragile peace they've managed to find. Meanwhile, in the present timeline, their adult counterparts are facing their own challenges, all while coping with the emotional aftermath of Natalie's death.
We haven’t been introduced to any new characters so far in season 3, at least not officially. It's already been confirmed that this season has two new cast members, Academy Award-winning actress Hilary Swank and Emmy nominee Joel McHale. However, their roles have yet to be fully revealed, leaving fans to speculate about who they might be playing. They could be playing characters that were already introduced or new characters. Well, we might've just figured out who Swank will be portraying after watching the first two episodes of the season.
Spoilers ahead from Yellowjackets season 3!
In Yellowjackets season 3, episode 1, a mysterious woman seems to be stalking Shauna in the present timeline. We first spot her after Natalie's funeral when Shauna, Taissa, and Van head to a bar for drinks. As the trio chats, the camera shifts to reveal the woman watching them from a distance. Though we can make out her blonde-ish brown hair, her face remains obscured. Shauna senses someone watching her and looks toward the spot where the woman stood, but by the time she checks, the woman has vanished.
The same woman appears again later in the episode, observing Callie from outside a window. Once again, all that is shown is her hair and not her face. She leaves an envelope on the doorstep, but she's no longer there when Callie goes to pick it up. In Yellowjackets season 3, episode 2, she's believed to be the person who follows Shauna into the restroom during her dinner with Jeff. But while she doesn't appear in the second episode at all, we think we might have figured out her identity based on other events that unfold in the episode.
At the very end of the second episode, teen Shauna and teen Melissa are having a heated argument in the wilderness. The episode cuts back and forth between this confrontation and another scene set in the present timeline. In the present, Shauna is on the phone with the restaurant where she had dinner with Jeff, inquiring if anyone has claimed the phone she found in the restroom.
The restaurant confirms that someone did come to claim it, prompting Shauna to ask what the person looked like. The episode then cuts back to the scene with teen Shauna and teen Melissa and they're kissing. This implies that the mysterious woman who has been stalking Shauna in the present timeline might actually be the adult version of Melissa.
Now, how does this tie into Swank's role? We believe she's playing the adult version of Melissa in the series. In both the Yellowjackets season 3 teaser and trailer, Swank sports a similar blonde-brown hairstyle to the mysterious woman in the show, and the length of her hair matches as well. Of course, there's a chance we're wrong, and Swank could be portraying a completely different character. But based on what we've seen in the third season so far, it seems likely.
As we get further in the season, we should have a clearer idea of who Swank is portraying. But for now, all signs point to her playing the adult version of Melissa.
A new episode of Yellowjackets season 3 drops on Paramount+ with Showtime every Friday before airing on Showtime the following Sunday!