SPOILER ALERT: This article contains spoilers for “Yellowjackets” Season 3, Episode 7, titled “Croak,” now available for streaming on Paramount+ with Showtime.
The Yellowjackets have made new additions to their group—this time as captives.
The episode “Croak” opens with events that transpired prior to the Yellowjackets’ initial encounter with outsiders in the wild. Audiences discover that the unnerving “screaming trees” heard by the young survivors are not supernatural phenomena; rather, they are the mating calls of a frog species called the Arctic Banshee frog.
Three new characters are introduced: scientists Hannah (Ashley Sutton) and Edwin (Nelson Franklin), who are keen on documenting the sounds of mating frogs, along with their wilderness guide, Kodiak (Joel McHale). During a thunderstorm, the scientists attempt to bond with Kodiak by sharing a pine-flavored joint. Edwin jokingly suggests calling a psychic for guidance but retracts when playful flirting breaks out between Hannah and Kodiak. Their tussle leads to the accidental snapping of the emergency satellite phone’s antenna, effectively severing any means of communication.
As tensions increase during their hike, Edwin notes a name tag in Kodiak’s backpack, raising suspicions about their guide’s honesty. Hannah dismisses his concerns, suggesting it could be secondhand. Eventually, they are sidetracked by the enticing aroma of barbecue; Edwin, dissatisfied with Kodiak, proposes they follow the smell to find others nearby, despite Kodiak’s warning about approaching anyone this far from civilization.
The trio stumbles into the midst of the Yellowjackets celebrating, dancing, and feasting on Coach Ben Scott’s (Steven Krueger) remains. Hannah records the incident on her DAT tape recorder just as Edwin exclaims, “What the fuck?” upon seeing Ben’s head.
“We’re going home,” declares Van (Liv Hewson) as everyone stares at the outsiders in disbelief. The ray of hope is abruptly crushed when Lottie (Courtney Eaton) drives an axe into Edwin’s skull, asserting, “They don’t belong.”
In the chaos, Hannah and Kodiak make a break for it, but Kodiak shoots Melissa (Jenna Burgess) with his crossbow before they escape. The Yellowjackets split into groups to pursue the fleeing outsiders through the forest. While Hannah turns herself in and returns to the group with Van, Natalie (Sophie Thatcher), Shauna (Sophie Nélisse), and Taissa (Jasmin Savoy Brown), Kodiak forms a precarious alliance with Travis (Kevin Alves) and Akilah (Nia Sondaya).
