If you’ve been following the survival horror of the Wiskayok High girls' soccer team, you knew things were going to get messy. But nothing—honestly, nothing—could have prepared us for the chaos of "Doomcoming." This is the penultimate episode of the first season, and it’s basically where the thin veneer of civilization finally snaps. It’s the moment the girls stop being athletes and start becoming something else. Something much, much darker.
Yellowjackets season 1 episode 9 is titled "Doomcoming," a play on words for the makeshift homecoming dance the survivors throw in the wilderness. It's a desperate attempt to feel normal. They dress up in salvaged clothes and scavenged flowers. They try to dance. But under the surface, there's hunger, trauma, and a whole lot of fermented berries.
The Shrooms and the Shift
Mistakes happen. Sometimes those mistakes involve Misty Quigley, a pressure cooker, and a handful of hallucinogenic mushrooms. Misty’s decision to poison the group (initially intended just for Coach Ben) is the catalyst for the entire episode's descent into madness.
The psychedelic trip isn't just a gimmick. It serves a narrative purpose. It strips away the logical brain. When the girls start tripping, their latent fears and primal instincts take over. We see Jackie—the captain, the prom queen, the symbol of "old world" hierarchy—becoming irrelevant. Meanwhile, Lottie begins her ascent into the role of a mystic leader. It's jarring to watch. One minute they are teenagers giggling about boys, and the next, they are hunting Travis through the woods like a pack of wolves.
The imagery here is heavy. The "Antler Queen" isn't just a fan theory anymore; we see the physical manifestation of that hierarchy forming in the firelight.
Why Yellowjackets Season 1 Episode 9 Is a Turning Point for Shauna and Jackie
The core of the show has always been the toxic, codependent, and deeply loving friendship between Shauna and Jackie. In this episode, it reaches a breaking point that can't be fixed.
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Shauna’s pregnancy is out in the open. The betrayal is hovering in the air. During the "Doomcoming" festivities, Jackie tries to maintain control by sleeping with Travis, mostly out of spite or a desperate need to feel desired in a world that's forgotten her rules. But Shauna has already moved on. She’s adapted to the woods in a way Jackie hasn't.
The Confrontation
When the group turns on Travis, Jackie is the only one who stays "sane," mostly because she didn't eat the mushrooms. She watches her best friend, Shauna, hold a knife to Travis’s throat. This isn't just drug-induced mania. It's the release of months of suppressed rage. Shauna is tired of being the sidekick. In the 2021 timeline, we see the echoes of this. Adult Shauna is still haunted by what happened in that cabin, and "Doomcoming" shows us exactly why. The guilt isn't just about surviving; it's about the person she discovered she could be when the lights went out.
The Modern Day Fallout: Jeff, Callie, and the Blackmail
While the 1996 timeline is a literal fever dream, the 2021 storyline in Yellowjackets season 1 episode 9 is a masterclass in suburban noir. We finally get the big reveal: Jeff Sadecki is the blackmailer.
It's almost funny. We all expected a grand conspiracy involving a secret cult or a long-lost survivor. Instead, it’s just Jeff. He’s a guy whose furniture store is failing. He’s a guy who read his wife’s journals and knows exactly how much she’s capable of. His "affairs" were just meetings to save the business. It’s a brilliant subversion of the "cheating husband" trope.
- The Glitter: That's the giveaway. When Shauna finds the glitter in the closet, the realization hits her—and the audience—like a ton of bricks.
- The Journals: Jeff has known everything for years. He’s known about the cannibalism, the rituals, and the baby. And he still loves her. That might be the most terrifying part of the whole episode.
This revelation recontextualizes their entire marriage. It’s not a marriage built on a lie; it’s a marriage built on a horrific, shared understanding of the truth.
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Lottie’s Prophecy and the Bear
We can't talk about this episode without mentioning Lottie Matthews. Courtney Eaton’s performance is chilling. As the drugs take hold, Lottie’s "visions" become the group’s new North Star. She’s no longer the girl who ran out of meds; she’s the girl who hears the wilderness.
When she tells the others that "it" wants them to hunt, she isn't just talking about food. She’s talking about a spiritual exchange. The episode ends with the group finally finding a source of meat—a bear that practically wanders into camp to be sacrificed. To the girls, this isn't luck. It's a sign. It’s the moment the "It" they keep referring to becomes a god.
What Most People Get Wrong About the Hunting Scene
There’s a common misconception that the girls were just "high" and didn't know what they were doing when they chased Travis. That’s a comforting thought, but the show suggests something worse. The mushrooms lowered their inhibitions, but the desire to hunt was already there.
They were hungry. They were angry. They were tired of the rules.
If you look at Natalie’s reaction, she’s the one who pulls them back. She’s the anchor to humanity. But even Natalie is losing her grip. The hunt for Travis was a trial run for the "Pit Girl" scene we saw in the very first episode. It proved that given the right circumstances, these girls would turn on their own.
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Actionable Insights for Yellowjackets Fans
Watching Yellowjackets season 1 episode 9 requires a bit of a "detective" mindset because the showrunners, Ashley Lyle and Bart Nickerson, hide so much in the background. If you’re rewatching or catching up, keep these things in mind:
- Watch the background characters. During the Doomcoming dance, look at who is standing with whom. The factions that form in the woods are the same factions that exist in the present day. Lottie, Van, and Misty are the core of the "believers."
- Pay attention to the music. The 90s soundtrack isn't just nostalgia. Songs like Mazzy Star’s "Fade Into You" are used to highlight the tragic loss of innocence. The music choices often telegraph the emotional state of the characters before they even speak.
- Track the symbols. The symbol from the floor of the cabin appears more frequently as the girls lose their grip on reality. In episode 9, it’s practically a character itself.
- Re-evaluate Jeff Sadecki. Now that you know he's the blackmailer, go back and watch his scenes in earlier episodes. His awkwardness and "bad" lying take on a whole new meaning when you realize he’s a desperate man trying to protect his family from loan sharks—and from themselves.
Next Steps for Your Yellowjackets Obsession
If you've finished episode 9, you're headed straight into the season 1 finale, "Sic Transit Gloria Mundi." Prepare yourself for the fallout of the Shauna/Jackie confrontation. It is the most polarizing moment in the series.
To get the most out of the experience, focus on the power dynamics. The "Doomcoming" changed the hierarchy. Jackie is no longer in charge. The wilderness has chosen its queen, and it isn't the girl with the most spirit points. It’s the one who isn't afraid of the dark.
Check out the official show podcasts or deep-dive forums to see the frame-by-frame breakdowns of the ritual scenes. There are clues in the masks they wear during the "Doomcoming" that hint at their future roles in the clan. For instance, the specific animal traits assigned to each girl reflect their survival style. Van is the protector; Misty is the scavenger.
The most important takeaway? Nobody leaves the woods entirely. Even in 2021, they are still dancing around that fire.