Misty & Walter Are the Perfect Bizarre Romance for ‘Yellowjackets’
Opinion
[WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Yellowjackets Season 4 Episode 4, “Old Wounds.”]
Those two are just meant for each other… and that’s not necessarily a compliment.
As of “Old Wounds,” it’s clear that Yellowjackets is going full steam ahead in a sea of romantic setups with Misty (Christina Ricci) and Walter (Elijah Wood). That quirky little montage in separate hotel rooms that ended with them in separate beds, split-screened as if they were curled up next to each other? Obviously non-platonic. The same brand of cute as a hairless cat. But hey, we’d argue that if Yellowjackets ever committed to a romantic storyline for Misty Quigley—which we definitely didn’t see coming at the end of Season 1—it couldn’t have offered much better than Walter Tattersall.
Throughout the third and fourth episodes of Season 2, Misty’s been on a sort of main-story-adjacent quest to track down Nat (Juliette Lewis). Walter, a fellow citizen detective, has trailed along for the ride in a sort of overtly besotted and seemingly genuine haze of affection. He makes it clear that he’s not pursuing Misty because she’s a Yellowjacket, a major drawback the survivors of the crash have definitely suffered when it comes to potential romantic partners. He also makes it clear he thinks she’s the absolute greatest thing since cargo shorts or musicals. She… doesn’t quite know how to handle any of it. From the second episode, it was evident that those two were on the same plane of offbeat—he knew she’d put that note under a UV light — and weirded out as she is by his advances, they’ve remained on the same plane of offbeat since. It’s as awkward as it is awkwardly charming.
Kailey Schwerman/SHOWTIME
While some might decry Misty not being directly paired with any of the other Yellowjackets, Walter proves an entertaining sidekick as she goes about her detective work. He’s funny in his clumsy earnestness, wide-eyed and awed at the lauded “AfricanGrey,” wholly undeterred when Misty bristles and keeps keeping him at arm’s length. Elijah Wood works the comedy of their moments well, lending Yellowjackets a few lighthearted breaks that it often sorely needs. (It can’t all be cannibalism and murder, can it?) Wood and Ricci have such fabulous chemistry that it’s hard not to root for their characters, even though Misty’s a killer and the jury’s still deliberating on Walter.
Isn’t it almost better, though, if he isn’t? Misty’s strayed so far from the trail of normalcy that she couldn’t find her way back with a map, a compass, or a trail of breadcrumbs. Wouldn’t it be fitting if she found Walter in middle of the woods? If this puffy-vest-clad man isn’t into Misty because she’s a Yellowjacket and he already knows so much about her, it’s not too big a leap to say he might’ve dug deep enough to uncover evidence of her, uh, dark passenger. And for all we know, with Misty and Walter being so closely paralleled, Walter just might have a dark passenger of his own. Sociopathic soulmates! Imagine what their dates would entail…
Then again, it’s possible Walter’s interest isn’t pure as fresh-fallen snow in the Canadian wilderness. In an interview with Vulture, Wood implied there’s much more to the character that viewers haven’t yet learned, and that his whole “Moriarty looking for my Sherlock” quip wasn’t a throwaway line. Given his dogged pursuit of the case on their citizen detective boards, it’s possible he’s getting close to Misty to learn the truth about what happened to Adam Martin. When or if she slips up, he just might turn on her and turn her in.
Colin Bentley/SHOWTIME
Inherent in the Sherlock-Moriarty relationship, though, is a similar level of imbalance. If Sherlock had gone evil, he might’ve been Moriarty, and if Moriarty had used his powers for good, he might’ve been Sherlock. That reference leads us to believe Walter’s not on the side of the angels. It’s intriguing that he positions himself as the evil genius, and it’s equally intriguing that in the same interview, Wood hints there’s something more to Walter’s love of musicals. Sweeney Todd, anyone?
Either way, it’s difficult to say where things go for Walter and Misty, or whether Walter survives Season 2. (Wood is credited as a special guest star, so it’s not looking great.) If he’d piece together what happened to Adam and threaten any of her fellow Yellowjackets, Misty might kill him to protect them. On this show there’s also always the option of ritual sacrifice, although it’s unclear how Walter would wind up being offered to the mysterious, never-sated hunger of the woods. Until such a time as he breathes his last, we’ll keep having a blast with his and Misty’s off-kilter romantic kismet. We have a feeling it’s only going to get weirder.
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