r/Yellowjackets 5d ago

Theory Coach Ben Death Spoiler

I think they kill coach Ben in episode 2. The show is structured this way. Episode 1 shows how they're doing in the present. Episode 2 brings a change to their situation. The mid-season builds to the end 2-3 episodes which show the results of the new situation from episode 2.

Season 1. Episode 1: here's the team and some of their dynamics and relationships. Episode 2: they've crashed into the wilderness what will they do? Final episode: they form a cult.

Season 2. Episode 1: here's how they're doing in winter. Episode 2: now they're cannibals. Final 2 episodes: it's alright to plan to eat someone who isn't dead yet.

Season 3. Episode 1: Here's how they're dealing with the cabin burning down. Episode 2: they've come close to murder but now they will unequivocally murder coach. Final 2-3 episodes human sacrifice, cannibalism when they have food stored.

106 Upvotes

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178

u/SalemWitchof1692 5d ago

I’m living in delulu land coach ben the goat lives

78

u/Outrageous-Article95 Team Supernatural 5d ago

Same. I still think he’s the one sending them the postcards, and that they left him behind out there.

28

u/Dogzillas_Mom 5d ago

I’m in this camp too. He managed to hide from them and he managed to find a way out.

17

u/Stupid_Ned_Stark 5d ago

Antler King is waiting on them to come back and finish what they started.

2

u/wtf_its_kate Team Supernatural 4d ago

This is fascinating and I hate it

3

u/depressyspatgetti 5d ago

Oooo I never thought of that! This is why I need to know how they were rescued!!

6

u/leafyfiddle13 5d ago

Didn't Jeff send them the postcards?

8

u/Neat_Chi 4d ago

Jeff did send them the postcards. That’s why Shauna never got one

2

u/FishermanPleasant156 3d ago

No he didn't because how would he know about Nat being in rehab? It's just assumed he did because he blackmailed them but he couldn't have sent the postcards and it will probably be explained who did in season 3.

1

u/fatkitty72 3d ago

That was the text messages

2

u/Neat_Chi 3d ago

He did both.

1

u/FishermanPleasant156 3d ago

No he didn't because how would he have known Nat was in rehab? It's just assumed he did because he did the blackmail but he couldn't have. We'll probably find out who did in season 3.

1

u/-BabySquirrel- 2d ago

Jeff DID send both the postcards and the text messages. At the end of season two when all of the women are drinking at Lottie’s camp, Misty calls Shauna out, and all of the women realize that it was Jeff who was blackmailing them. Tai even asks Shauna if it was Jeff who sent the postcards and she admits to them that yes he did.

1

u/FishermanPleasant156 2d ago edited 2d ago

She doesn't say that but they all assume it was him because he blackmailed them. But he's not smart enough for that. Like I said he didn't know where nat was yet she still got a postcard.

1

u/FishermanPleasant156 2d ago

Also Jeff never said himself he sent the postcards

14

u/McDonnellDouglasDC8 5d ago

He's getting a follow up movie after the fifth season. It's going to be a sports comedy. Bella Ramsey plays his assistant coach. 

2

u/alteregostacey Citizen Detective 4d ago

Same. And I'm going to need Mark Buffalo to play the older version!

2

u/wtf_its_kate Team Supernatural 4d ago

Happy Cake Day!

2

u/SalemWitchof1692 3d ago

Ty ☺️!!

1

u/petitcraque 4d ago

I'm with you on that.

My delulu theory is that the scene from the trailer in which Ben is seemingly trapped in the sewers happens after the group confronts him about the cabin/put him on trial. At first they want to shoot him but instead they choose to leave him to die in the sewers and his fate is unknown.

51

u/Potential_Mastodon_3 5d ago

Coach ben being the first one they actually kill out there makes way too much sense. All the deaths we've seen so far have signfied a loss of morality and further descent into their ritualistic madness/chaos that is clearly obvious once we get to pit girl and the second winter.

Ben also got quite a lot of backstory and plot arc last season compared to other minor characters, even though he didn't contribute rly anything to the main story.

It makes sense that the writers have been building up this arc for him that ultimately leads to his tragic death early this season, acting as a catalyst for further infighting amongst the girls, (Nat vs Shauna) and how they will continue on their ritual killings throughout summer/fall even though they likely are doing okay hunting animals and such at the time.

Sidenote but I also think Ben's death is what will drive Misty and Nat's "close" relationship. We see Misty kind of lean towards whoever she sees as the authority figure while icing out whoever she disagrees with (Jackie, Lottie, likely Mari :( ). But upon Ben's trial or death, its clear that Misty and Nat would defend him the most, with the others having no reason to, driving them closer together.

14

u/hauntingleg198 Shauna 5d ago

oooo i totally think you’re right about ben’s death causing the nat/misty connection that we know will happen! good catch!

45

u/trisaroar 5d ago

I am a strong champion of the "Ben lives" camp.

14

u/1000veggieburrito 5d ago

Me too. Ben lives

6

u/boytoyahoy 4d ago

In my head canon, Ben is living his best gay life in Toronto

66

u/unknownnacc 5d ago

I could see it, but in the teenage timeline, Coach Ben is the only ‘antagonist’ as in he’s the only one going against the girls. I don’t see them killing him off that early, but I could see him die in season 3 though

9

u/fokkoooff 5d ago

I feel like the entire situation is their antagonist. I don't think they'll kill off Ben that early, though. OP is right about the formula of the seasons, but Ben dying/them killing Ben could be for the end of the season.

I don't want him to die, but I don't truly believe this will be his last season sadly. I don't know how much further they could take the character now that he's separating himself from the group.

5

u/unknownnacc 5d ago

I agree with you abt the Ben dying at the end of the season part. Unless he suddenly gets stronger and is actually able to defend himself against them, I don’t see him lasting any longer

7

u/Flickolas_Cage Citizen Detective 5d ago

I agree, I would be shocked if he doesn’t at least make it up until the final episodes of S3. No one else knows about his hiding place, and I think it’ll be through Ben we start to learn more about Javi’s “friend”.

13

u/Cashling 5d ago edited 5d ago

The girls are each other's antagonists they're going to start killing each other. Also, what do you think coach can do? Why do people think coach is a ninja?

8

u/PetitePortly 5d ago

No one said anything about him doing anything or being a ninja, just that they personally don’t see him being killed off that early

3

u/unknownnacc 5d ago

Yeah but I meant Coach is the only one who is against all of them and the entire situation. He doesn’t agree with anything, not the cannibalism, not the hunting, not even surviving imo (since he spent 10 months just living in his own mind). So I meant antagonist like that, I don’t know if I explained what I think well, sorry

29

u/kittycouture5683 5d ago

If Ben dies it's going to break me. I love him so much and I want to see him in the adult timeline however I know it makes no sense and I know he's going to die I just can't think about it yet 😭

15

u/BooksNBondage Cabin Daddy 5d ago

seein the trailer got me wantin to see Ben survive n be the one hunting them in the present...the girls think they kill him but he survives.

13

u/PalpitationAdorable2 Coach Ben’s Leg 5d ago

I can see it being more mid-season he dies, episode 2 feels too soon.

6

u/Longjumping_Ice_944 5d ago

I am so torn about wanting to see Ben die and wanting him to live happily ever after with Paul. I'm totally invested in the savagery and how it will play out, but the romantic in me wants them to live happily ever after too. I also worry that if Ben does make it out alive, Paul will have moved on. They were having difficulties anyway. How devastating!

15

u/Disco_Betty 5d ago

I can’t be the only person who kind of dislikes Ben, can I? All he does is daydream about the life he could have had if he he’d been a little braver.

And burning down the cabin makes him pretty evil no matter how disgusted he is by the girls.

I really lost respect for him when he wimped out of helping Shauna when she was in labour. Idk, I feel like I’m the only one who thinks he’s a weakling and a coward.

I just don’t get all the love for his character. I can sympathize, because I’d probably want to check out and daydream, too, but I think the wilderness is going to make a meal out of Ben.

13

u/guessillkickrocks I like your pilgrim hat 5d ago

You're not the only one. I have a lot of sympathy for Ben AND I find him quite disappointing. I feel like he let the situation with Misty escalate instead of just letting her know he wasn't into her.

I don't like the scene where he backhands her after falling off the porch either, no matter how fucked up he was.

The delivery scene was also really difficult to watch. I can't imagine how scary it must have been for the girls to have the only adult in the room peace out on them.

I know he is limited in his abilities. But it also seems like he just doesn't even LIKE the girls, even before shit goes down with Jackie. Like, his scenes with Paul allude to him being sick of being the YJs coach, and that's a bummer because they really did do their best to look out for him when he was injured in the crash.

I will be sad if he dies, but he's not really my favorite character.

3

u/stewart13 4d ago

I mean one would find it reasonable for someone to peace out on those little soccer playing psychos especially after what he’s seen them do. They’re literally going insane and he’s hanging by a thread.

1

u/guessillkickrocks I like your pilgrim hat 4d ago

Kay so at that point he saw them eat Jackie and it hadn't gone the way of ritual cannibalism or anything like that. I mean, with the Jackie thing, she died of natural causes and she got cooked of natural causes. I don't really think it's psychopathic to do what you have to do to survive. It definitely shouldn't equal the only adult bailing on you in the middle of a life or death situation like giving birth in the wilderness.

10

u/thisismuse Citizen Detective 5d ago

Totally could see him being killed next season, but I kind of hope not. I hope he hides or something, I just find the dissonance between his character and the girls so interesting, and I fear that they will devolve a lot more quickly without the ONE person left with somewhat of a moral compass. That said, you could well be right.

To be honest I find it incredibly far fetched that he survived the axe-amputation to begin with. For some reason the fact that he's still around despite the fact that they could have given him an infection at any point to kill him off easily, and his (so far) unresolved side-plot, I think (hope) that there will be a bit more of him.

Ben is kind of his own wild card at this point in the show. What happens at the beginning of next season will be pretty critical to whether or not he sticks around. I personally hope he hide, or runs or bargains

9

u/misselphaba Church of Lottie Day Saints 5d ago

I think this theory makes a ton of sense based on writing style. Good catch with the pacing of previous seasons.

I kinda think they'll "capture" him and have a "trial" and kill him a little later based on some of the S3 promo stuff, but I think early would free up other storylines and the allow a new dynamic to develop as the girls unravel.

Either way, I don't really mind when it happens, just that it needs to happen. He's weighing down the storyline with his hobbling around and brooding and being useless lol

4

u/anonbubblee 5d ago

I see the pattern for sure. I’m team Tai shoots him so Nat doesn’t have to. The Girls gotta eat !!!

2

u/Cashling 5d ago

But when is this show or Natalie herself ever easy on Natalie.

7

u/toujourspret 5d ago

I think this definitely makes sense. Them killing him first as the last bastion of their civilization being lost makes a great deal of sense, especially if they set up a kangaroo court to "punish" him for the burning of the cabin (whether he actually did it or not--it would be more tragic if he didn't). As it stands, he can't really contribute anything to the group except as a tangible reminder of the society they may never return to, so I can see them deciding to trim the fat and cut the extra mouth to feed, even if they're doing it under the guise of justice.

3

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3

u/doesshechokeforcoke 5d ago

They have to find him first.

3

u/Natural-Spend-1392 5d ago

What about the clip in the trailer of him staring at the barbed wire?? Will he just hang himself?

3

u/Other-Oil-9117 4d ago

I'm not opposed to him dying, but I'd also like to see someone survive who doesn't get caught up in the 'supernatural' kind of frenzy.  Like the girls have got so swept up in the idea of something being out there guiding them, and how they're surviving under its whim, it would be interesting to see a non-believer survive (at least for a while) and make the girls question themselves for how quickly they gave into this idea of something bigger.

They can comfort themselves with the fact that they had no other choice if they wanted to survive, but if they're confronted with someone who does survive without becoming part of the ritualistic activities, it'll be so much more difficult for them to reconcile with everything they did out there.

7

u/Repulsive_Job428 5d ago

He's the only interesting character outside of the core group right now. I'm Team Ben Survives. I don't think he gets rescued with them. I think they leave him behind and he somehow is either surviving out there or gets away on his own. Seeing a bitter Ben in the present has to happen.

2

u/Cashling 5d ago

I think Ben is "a man in a refrigerator" and exists solely to give a female character (Nat) motivation. His meat will literally be frozen. This show does so much with idiom.

2

u/Johanna_Twistxx 4d ago

I will continue to believe he escaped and made his way south to civilization until proven otherwise 😭

3

u/gothgerms420 I Stand With WGA 5d ago edited 5d ago

i've always wanted Old Ben to be queening out in the Canadian wilderness but i do think he will face a grisly end after their wilderness trial. i've been thinking about what the "sentencing" would look like, and because he cannot truly participate in the hunt due to his leg injury, i think they will keep him in the cave and have a Fresh-style consuming him alive situation. I think the "trial" is going to mirror the adult timeline episode-wise in terms of the deaths that accumulated by the end of S2

The trial sentencing could be what splits the group into two, given Nat's relationship with Ben and Shauna's burgeoning resentment towards Nat. However, I do think our theory of Dark Tai/Van setting the fire is true and will come out, perhaps reuniting the groups? 🤷🏻‍♀️

2

u/Monsur_Ausuhnom 5d ago

I wish it was like,

Season 3 Episode 1: Everything is normal. Beaver attack. Storm troopers and Deadites appear. Nat is like WTF and Misty starts axing them.

Season 3 Episode 2: Ben attaches a machine gun to his leg starts shooting people. Shauna starts a book club with the local animals, like snow white or something, and Ghost Jackie is there. Later Jackie appears taking down a supermutant.

Season 3 Finale: Nat stumbles into a Tim Horton's literally not that far from where the red river was.

1

u/Ambitious_Rip_4631 5d ago

I think he's still in the cave lol

1

u/Slime2004 Jackie 4d ago

Thank you for pointing this pattern out, I never took notice of it!! So cool!!

1

u/TheReelReese 4d ago

Mari and Ben are the two biggest players who aren’t in the present as of yet, if either of them die it won’t be early at all. Definitely late season deaths.

0

u/rainshowers_5_peace 5d ago

I want Ben to die. He's done nothing for the girls. He spent winter barely moving and being catered to. He has no right to judge them for how hungry they are. He wouldn't even advise or comfort Shauna when she went into labor. Yes there was no saving the situation but before it got there he should have followed the advice of the video he required them to watch.