If It Wasn’t Ben, Who Really Burned Down The Cabin In Yellowjackets’ Season 2 Finale?

WARNING! This article contains SPOILERS for Yellowjackets season 3, episodes 1 & 2!While it was implied that Coach Ben had burned down the cabin in Yellowjackets’ season 2 finale, that turned out not to be the case – opening the mystery of the arson’s identity back up in season 3. Following Coach Ben’s decision to abandon the others and go out on his own, Javi’s brutal death and being cannibalized, and Natalie being crowned the Antler Queen, Yellowjackets season 2 ended with the teens waking up to the cabin on fire. The survivors were then left without shelter in the winter, with all signs pointing to Ben being the culprit.

Thankfully, it’s revealed that spring quickly arrived after the cabin’s destruction. While the teens built small huts for themselves and thrived throughout the spring, they continued to blame Coach Ben for betraying them and burning down the cabin – and the younger Yellowjackets characters are no longer the forgiving type. However, when Mari accidentally falls into the trap uncovered and repurposed by Ben in the woods in Yellowjackets season 3, episode 2, she finds out that their former coach wasn’t actually responsible, begging the question of who really burned down the cabin.

Coach Ben Didn't Even Know That The Cabin Burned Down Before Yellowjackets Season 3

Ben Couldn't Have Been The One Who Burned The Cabin

When Mari finds herself stuck in the trap with a dislocated knee, she tries to appeal to Ben’s kindness by telling him that she never believed he was the one who burned down the cabin. To her surprise, Ben responds in disbelief, “What are you talking about? The cabin burned down?” Even though the cabin was burning in the woods for weeks and had a strong smell, Ben was supposedly completely unaware that it had happened. While it’s always possible that Ben could be lying, his response appeared genuine enough to make it very unlikely that he was the arson.

Ben explains that he’s been avoiding the teens by living as far away from them as he possibly can, and has instead found refuge in a cave. It’s implied that Ben’s new home is the cave where Javi miraculously survived during Yellowjackets season 2’s winter, but ended up being abandoned when Javi briefly returned to the cabin before his own demise. Still, it’s hard to believe that Ben wouldn’t have any idea that the cabin burned down and the teens moved their home base, especially since it’s implied that Natalie secretly knows where Coach Ben has been hiding.

It could have been lit ablaze by someone inside the cabin via the fireplace or someone outside the cabin with a different stash of matches.

In addition to the fact that he confronted Natalie about the corruption of the Yellowjackets teens becoming cannibals and being ruthless to one another, Ben was the most likely suspect for the cabin arson because he was last seen stealing matches and a rope while lingering near a pile of wood. Therefore, if it wasn’t Ben who burned down the cabin, the origin of the fire that night becomes more mysterious, as it could have been lit ablaze by someone inside the cabin via the fireplace or someone outside the cabin with a different stash of matches.

The Other Most Likely Candidates For Who Burned Down The Cabin

Was It One Of The Teens Inside The Cabin?

When looking at who wasn’t in the cabin that night, the possibilities for outsiders who could have been the arson are slim. If not Ben, there’s the potential that the cabin was burned down by a character who has yet to be introduced ahead of Yellowjackets’ season 3 premiere. Given the teens’ visions of unfamiliar people, the mysterious corpse of the Cabin Guy, and an abandoned plane that Laura Lee died in, there are some strong implications that the Yellowjackets team aren’t the only people living in the wilderness during that late-’90s timeline.

It was widely theorized that the Cabin Guy's backstory would be explored in Yellowjackets season 2's bonus episode, which has still yet to be released.

It’s possible that someone has secretly been watching the teens, then tried to burn them alive inside the cabin after seeing them perform the Queen of Hearts sacrifice ritual and eat Javi. It could even be the original owner of the box of survival supplies that Coach Ben finds hidden in the woods, or at least someone connected to the person who buried it.

Yellowjackets Season 3's Remaining Episode Schedule
Episode #	Release Date
3	February 21
4	February 28
5	March 7
6	March 14
7	March 21
8	March 28
9	April 4
10	April 11

If not a brand-new character, then it looks like the culprit would have to be one of the teens themselves. Nobody would have been brave enough to admit to the crime after everyone survived, but one of them might have secretly flipped on the others and tried to stop the chaos from within. A strong suspect would be Tai, as she was already standing at the back door when Shauna and Nat were frantically finding an escape. But, rather than Tai herself being responsible, it could have been Tai’s evil alter ego burning down the cabin while she was sleepwalking.

Could The Wilderness Itself Have Burned Down The Cabin?

Was The Fire Caused By The Supernatural Forces Of The Wilderness?

Taissa holding a gun while the teens look horrified in Yellowjackets season 3.

While the idea that the wilderness actually is a supernatural entity is still up to interpretation, the ambiguity opens up the possibility that the wilderness itself caused the cabin fire. Many of the teens have subscribed to Lottie’s visions and belief that the wilderness will protect, guide, and feed them if they “keep It happy,” which would also make the reverse true – the wilderness can punish or manipulate them to change their environment. If that’s the case, then similar to the snow dropping on Jackie’s burning body that led to them cannibalizing her, the wilderness might have caused Yellowjackets’ fire.

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