Yellowjackets' Misty And Walter Are Headed Into Dark Territory, Says Elijah Wood

This article contains spoilers for "Yellowjackets."

In the second season of "Yellowjackets," Misty Quigley (Christina Ricci) and her reluctant bestie Natalie Scatorccio (Juliette Lewis) have been separated — one friend being kidnapped by a cult will do that. So now, Misty has a new partner in (solving) crime, Walter Tattersall (Elijah Wood). They're both part of the "Citizen Detective" online forum (Misty's username is "AfricanGrey," Walter's is "PuttingTheSICKInForensics") and Walter is hot on the trail of the disappeared artist Adam Martin (Peter Gadiot).

Misty always downvotes his theories — for good reason, because Shauna (Melanie Lynskey), another of her semi-friends, is the one who killed Adam. Misty even helped her clean up the crime scene back in season 1. However, Walter is a longtime admirer of "AfricanGrey" and when Misty turns to the forum for help in finding Natalie, he orchestrates an in-person meeting between them — both of them show up to it having gleaned each other's real names. As of the most recent episode, "Old Wounds," they're on a road trip to upstate New York to find Natalie.

Now, Misty is maladjusted and Walter doesn't seem entirely on his rocker either — are they heading for a dark conclusion? Speaking to Harper's Bazaar, Wood was asked about Walter calling himself "a Moriarty looking for his Sherlock" and if that's a hint of his future with Misty. Wood answered:

"I don't know that [Misty and Walter] will get adversarial — not in this season, at least. Although all those hints certainly suggest that possibility. Who knows where [their relationships] could go? But it definitely crosses into darker territory than one would initially have imagined it going into."

What are some of those other hints?

Walter is enamored with Misty due to her investigative instinct and their shared love of musicals. When she accuses him of being a "Yellowjacket obsessive," Walter retorts that he actually thinks that her 19 months in the wilderness is "the least interesting thing about her." Even so, Misty isn't returning Walter's feelings. She finds him off-putting — finally, someone makes her feel the way she does everyone else.

The strongest tell that they aren't on the same page is when they check into a bed and breakfast. The clerk asks if they just want one room. Walter replies "Probably" before Misty cuts him off with a firm "No." So, he backtracks and agrees with her. When they head up the stairs to their separate rooms, she declines his offer to carry her back. Once they're in their rooms, though, the episode goes split-screen, showing how closely their actions mirror each other (such as placing the remote control in a plastic bag to not leave fingerprints).

Will these similarities bring them closer together? Or will Misty decide Walter is too accurate a reflection for comfort? Before I read Wood's interview, I wasn't expecting Walter to make it out of this season alive — he's getting dangerously close to the most unstable character on "Yellowjackets." However, Wood implies that Walter and Misty's relationship will carry on past season 2.

While he could just be saying that to conceal spoilers, I'm reminded of one of Ricci's previous roles: "The Addams Family." Morticia and Gomez are two deeply weird people, but they're the perfect match for each other. More darkness could be the very thing Misty and Walter need to come together.

New episodes of "Yellowjackets" stream on Showtime every Friday and air on television every Sunday.