Yellowjackets Celebrate 'Doomcoming' By Tripping Out And Flipping The Script
Throw your theories and predictions in the trash because "Yellowjackets" doesn't give a single fermented berry about our feelings and is flipping the script. Is Adam Javi? DOESN'T MATTER 'CAUSE HE'S DEAD NOW! This week opens with Shauna stabbing her lover to death while her mind is flooded with flashbacks, so it seems like teen Shauna is going to stab someone at some point too (my money is on Jackie) but this all goes down before we even hit the opening credits! The penultimate episode of season 1 comes from Daisy von Scherler Mayer ("Party Girl," "Madeline," Every TV show you like...) and a script by returning writers Ameni Rozsa & Sarah L. Thompson. Put on your finest dress, craft yourself a flower crown, because we're going to "Doomcoming," baby. BUZZ! BUZZ! BUZZ!
Shauna comes home to find her missing wilderness journals returned to the safe. With Adam dead, he couldn't have been the one to put them there, so that leaves Jeff as the prime suspect. Shauna barely even pushes for answers and Jeff sings like a canary. I didn't think he had it in him, but JEFF IS THE BLACKMAILER! Not only that, but he's also not cheating on Shauna! He got involved with some loan sharks and getting that sweet Yellowjackets honey was the only way to get the sharks off his back and save the furniture store that's being taken over by online retailers! The big reveal about Jeff? HE'S A LOVING HIMBO HUSBAND!
Raise Your Hand If You've Been Personally Victimized by Jackie Taylor
Mari reveals that the berries she's been keeping have fermented into some weird survival cabin pruno, and Jackie comes up with the idea to throw a Doomcoming party. She is the captain of influence after all, and all of the girls follow suit. The entire episode is a giant power trip for Jackie, who torments Shauna by dropping comments like "I'd never want us fighting over the same guy" while still not admitting to her that she knows the truth about Jeff. In her biggest power move yet, she seduces Travis and the duo lose their virginities to each other. Jackie looks like she's getting off on Travis' sweet virginal moves, but she is CLEARLY getting off on the fact she's back on top of the pyramid. Jackie's not been eating for some reason, which also means she doesn't eat the Doomcoming stew complete with hallucinogenic shrooms foraged by Misty. Everyone is tripping their faces off and can't tell left from right, but all of the girls unanimously decide they f****** hate Jackie for breaking girl code with Travis.
$10 says she misdirects the blame to Shauna and defends her decision as being one made out of sadness after having been betrayed by her best friend. I have such a love/hate relationship with Jackie because she's a brilliant master of mean girl manipulation, but Ella Purnell does such a good job that I genuinely feel my inner 17-year-old hit fight or flight mode with every glare, head cock, and pointed expression. She is That Girl™ from high school who bullied people by stating facts, a special brand of torture so core-shattering I'd choose being punched in the face than revisiting that kind of treatment.
Adulthood is Boring, Let's Do Shrooms!
The Stab-Adamming is the biggest deal in the adult Yellowjackets' storyline, but otherwise there's not a whole lot going on. Nat gets a text message from her contact looking into Travis' bank account, Misty has some more really heartfelt moments with her hostage, and Taissa realizes she may have thrown away her marriage seeking election. Obviously the fact Shauna murdered someone is a big deal, and her decision to lie to the team about Jeff's participation in blackmail and Adam's innocence is inevitably going to blow up in her face a few seasons down the line, but the adults are playing second fiddle to their teenage counterparts this week.
Doomcoming is quite sweet, with Van and Taissa proclaiming their love in front of the team, an impromptu sing-a-long to "Kiss From A Rose," a moment of silence for Laura Lee, and all of the girls looking genuinely happy for the first time since the crash. But thanks to Misty's shrooms (which were supposed to be for Coach Ben only) and Mari's survivor's sangria, the entire team is tripping balls. Lottie is evidence that schizophrenia + shrooms = no good, Misty physically throws herself at Coach Ben, Natalie cries about thinking she loves Travis, Travis thinks he's time traveled after c***ing, Taissa and Van are high AF while boning in the woods, the girls collectively hallucinate Travis as being a stag, and after a "Midsommar" style group sex attempt with him ...TRY TO HUNT AND EAT HIM.
To Quote Dana Freeling in Poltergeist, WHAT'S HAPPENING?!
A friend who was able to see the episode before I did warned me that this week was going to rock my world, and they were absolutely correct. Shroom sequences are usually silly or funny, but Team Yellowjackets are in a waking nightmare. Travis is absolutely devoured by all of their most carnal instincts before running for his life while a group of howling, screaming, cawing women go absolutely feral and chase him down with makeshift weapons. They run past Javi who Shauna tells to run in the voice of a demon, and there's a wild pack of howling heard later. Got a bad feeling that since he's not Adam, he's wolf food. When they finally get him where they want him, Lottie gags him with a pinecone and instructs Shauna to bleed him out. She genuinely gets a cut into his neck before Nat and Jackie (who they locked in the cabin for "taking what doesn't belong to her") stop them.
Had Nat not stepped in, I genuinely think Shauna would have slit his throat. God, tomorrow is going to be awkward. I don't think she knows that Jackie slept with her dude, but Nat is absolutely DONE with Lottie's vague premonitions like "something's coming," but Lottie IN ANTLER QUEEN REGALIA is still saying ominous s*** like claiming there's something "in" all of them. I genuinely feel bad for Lottie as a fellow person living with severe mental illness, but also, LOTTIE YOU ALMOST KILLED AND ATE TRAVIS! She's falling into a cult-like prophet real, real fast.
Buzzworthy Moments and Additional Thoughts
Warren Kole's delivery of "What? THERE'S NO BOOK CLUB?!" needs to be preserved and protected for future generations to study. Usually Misty is the source of my genuine guffaw moments, but after his surprisingly calm response to hearing Shauna confess to murder, the outburst of shock regarding book club not being real was absolute gold. I'll say it again, how dare this show make me love a straight husband character?! I was already starting to love him after the conservative brunch from hell with Jackie's parents, but his no-questions offer to take the fall for Shauna killing Adam earned him so many points in my book. Oh, Jeff. You sweet, himbo, idiot.
- Jeff does say that Randy knows about the blackmail plot which implies that Randy also knows the truth of Shauna's journals and I am personally offended that RANDY WALSH knows more about their time in the wilderness than I do. Rude.
- Coach Ben telling Taissa and Van that he's proud of them for kissing is such a sweet and tender moment between two generations of gays, one of which was alive during the AIDS crisis. His coming out moment to Misty, while tragic for her, is an absolute delight. Yelling it out to his mom, dad, God, and furry forest friends is just great.
- If Akilah survives she should become a surgeon because Van's face is healing immaculately.
- This episode gave Misty her flowers in the form of everything she's ever wanted: an apology, a compliment on her looks, a date to the dance, and a request for her to use her Citizen Detective skills to help hide a dead body.
- Next week's season finale is directed by Eduardo Sanchez of "The Blair Witch Project" fame and I am swearing now that I will do my best not to recap the entire episode in all caps, but I can't make any promises.