Doomcoming

The ninth episode of Yellowjackets, titled "Doomcoming" and directed by Daisy von Scherler Mayer, delivers a powerful and unsettling penultimate chapter that artfully escalates tension, deepens psychological complexity, and sets critical narrative stakes before the season finale. This episode stands out for its masterful interweaving of the dual timelines-1996 and 2021-while intensifying the themes of survival, madness, betrayal, and the enduring scars of trauma. Through striking performances, evocative direction, and a richly atmospheric style, "Doomcoming" both answers pressing questions and amplifies the series' eerie mystique, bridging raw human drama with subtle supernatural undertones.

In the 1996 wilderness timeline, the episode charts the Yellowjackets' grim reckoning with their deteriorating situation. After Laura Lee's failed escape attempt and tragic death in the previous episode, the group's morale has plummeted toward nihilism. In response to their impending doom, Jackie proposes throwing one last rager-a "Doomcoming" party-as a collective catharsis. This decision to embrace their impending oblivion becomes a potent thematic focal point, illustrating how the girls oscillate between surrender and fierce attempts to reclaim agency amid chaos. The party allows brief moments of joy and connection, particularly celebrating the confirmed relationship between Taissa and Van, yet this fragile reprieve quickly devolves into violent chaos as the party unravels.

A visually and narratively striking component is the girls' unintentional consumption of hallucinogenic mushrooms, gathered by Misty, which propels them into a vivid and disturbing psychedelic experience. This hallucinatory state deepens the episode's exploration of madness and fractured reality, blurring lines between perception and supernatural influence. The ensuing scenes feature unsettling animalistic behavior-most notably the fatal attacks on Travis and Jackie-unfolding with brutal immediacy yet poetic ambiguity. These moments are multilayered, manifesting both the primal survival instincts triggered by starvation and anesthesia, and the speculation surrounding a malevolent presence or entity in the woods, a motif the series has subtly threaded throughout its arc.

On the 2021 timeline, "Doomcoming" plunges into Shauna's unraveling as she confronts Adam, whom she suspects of blackmail over the journals containing their harrowing pasts. The confrontation escalates with Shauna stabbing Adam, an act as much about reclaiming power as it is about descending further into paranoia and desperation. The discovery that the true blackmailer is Jeff-in dire financial straits and driven by a bid to save his failing furniture store-adds complexity and a grimly pragmatic dimension to adult tensions. This revelation deepens the narrative's exploration of betrayal and moral compromise, reinforcing that survival's scars are not confined to the wilderness but resonate in the fractured present-day lives of the characters.

Daisy von Scherler Mayer's direction in this episode is taut, atmospheric, and carefully textured. The 1996 scenes utilize muted, earthy palettes juxtaposed with the surreal lighting effects of the mushroom-induced hallucinations, amplifying the eerie and otherworldly mood. The party's progression from raucous energy to violent descent is captured with kinetic camera work that immerses viewers in both the communal spirit and growing chaos. In stark contrast, the 2021 sequences are framed with colder, clinical tones, underscoring the emotional alienation and psychological fragmentation haunting the survivors. The editing balances these shifts adeptly, allowing tension to rise without sacrificing character nuance or clarity.

The performances across "Doomcoming" are exceptional, driving the episode's emotional and psychological weight. Melanie Lynskey's portrayal of Shauna is particularly compelling, conveying a woman teetering on the edge-her blend of vulnerability, rage, and desperation giving depth to Shauna's darkening trajectory. Christina Ricci's Misty, as always, remains an enigmatic and commanding presence, her role as both catalyst and menace gaining new shades amidst the hallucination sequences. Sophie Nélisse and the younger cast convincingly articulate the oscillations of hope, fear, and primal instinct, while Juliette Lewis's Natalie and Tawny Cypress's Taissa provide strong counterpoints that enrich the ensemble dynamic.

Key scenes that anchor the episode include the "Doomcoming" party itself-where fleeting joy and human connection collide with undercurrents of violence and supernatural dread-the hallucinogenic sequence marked by terrifying animal attacks, and Shauna's tense, blood-stained confrontation with Adam. The episode also subtly advances the motif of the mysterious entity haunting the woods, a spectral presence hinted at through visual and narrative cues that deepen the series' mythos without detracting from the human drama.

Thematically, "Doomcoming" probes the cyclical nature of trauma, the tenuous boundary between sanity and madness, and the complex interplay of power, control, and survival in extreme situations. The episode's title, a play on "homecoming" with a dark twist, encapsulates this blend of celebration and doom-an ambiguous rite marking the end of innocence and the descent into irrevocable change. The juxtaposition of the adolescent experience of survival with the corrosive impact of secrets and betrayal in adulthood broadens the series' exploration of identity and memory, with the mushroom-induced visions serving as metaphorical portals into the characters' fragmented psyches.

Contextually, "Doomcoming" situates Yellowjackets at the intersection of survival horror, psychological thriller, and coming-of-age drama, drawing upon influences from literary classics like Lord of the Flies while innovatively incorporating supernatural and cultic symbolism. The blending of personal trauma with broader thematic questions about human nature, community, and the unseen forces that shape behavior aligns the series with contemporary television works that foreground complex female narratives and psychological depth, such as Mare of Easttown and Sharp Objects. The episode's engagement with hallucinogenic experiences and ritualistic elements resonates with cultural and artistic explorations of altered states and primal fears, contributing to its rich intertextuality.

While "Doomcoming" has been applauded for its ambitious narrative and emotional intensity, some criticism arises around its pacing and the challenging ambiguity of the hallucination sequences, which may require viewer patience and interpretative engagement. A few contend the transition between party euphoria and violent chaos could be jarring, but this volatility arguably reinforces the episode's thematic intentions about instability and the precariousness of survival.

"Doomcoming" is a compelling, unsettling penultimate episode that deepens Yellowjackets' narrative and thematic fabric through expert direction, powerhouse performances, and a masterful balancing of psychological horror and human drama. It forces viewers to confront the fragility of sanity and camaraderie when faced with death's proximity, while reinforcing how past traumas ripple into present betrayals and fractures.

Buckle in, something is coming. It gets a bit trippy in the woods and the girls go stag hunting. RUN!

Woooo boy, best episode yet. The girls start to turn on one of their own and we finally get some concrete answers from both timelines. The Antler Queen?