Yellowjackets is a big success for a lot of reasons. Even before cannibalism came into play, the show’s mysteries surrounding that strange symbol and what exactly went down in the wilderness hooked people in. And, having a stellar cast didn’t necessarily hurt either, with stars like Melanie Lynskey, Christina Ricci, and Juliette Lewis in the mix. The hive began buzzing even more for season two, especially after finding out that Elijah Wood was joining the fun. So, who is Elijah Wood’s character Walter Tattersall in Yellowjackets? Let’s get into what he does in season two.
In the first episode, Misty notices PuttingtheSICKinforensics, a fellow Citizen Detective who is a little too good at deducing things. He specifically starts posting some solid theories about Adam’s disappearance. Misty, who uses the name AfricanGrey, downvotes his comments with annoyance and tries to brush off his theories as nonsense. She is, after all, quite busy with the Natalie conundrum.
In episode two, Misty asks for help with figuring out Natalie’s case. Elijah Wood’s still-unseen character offers to help if she will stop s**tting on his Adam theories. She rejects his help but, later in the episode, she gets a clever letter from PuttingtheSICKinforensics. He says he has a potential witness in Nat’s disappearance and offers her a chance to pretend to be an FBI agent alongside him. Of course, we know who this person is by now because we saw (and heard!) Elijah Wood at Misty’s job. He rolls in his elderly “mother,” who is a new resident, and locks eyes with Misty.
In Yellowjackets episode three, Misty accepts his offer to stage an interrogation. She wants to find Nat but she also wants to keep this guy busy so he won’t think about Adam anymore. Misty meets him on a boat and he is thrilled, revealing that he jumped at the chance to work with the incomparable AfricanGrey. He knows exactly who she is and, well, she knows his name is Walter Tattersall. It turns out the witness that Walter has to interrogate about Natalie’s disappearance is Randy, aka Jeff’s best friend who absolutely knows that Misty is not an FBI agent.
Walter does a chaotic and hilarious “interrogation” with Randy with earbud assistance from Misty before releasing him. Misty lies about being friends with Adam’s mother and that what he is posting would hurt his mother’s heart badly, explaining why she downvoted his comments. Walter admits that the elderly woman isn’t his mom and just used her to get in the door. He says he did all of that because he’s a bored Moriarty looking for his Sherlock. Notice that he did not say Watson. Moriarty is a formidable foe and intelligence match for Sherlock Holmes. Interesting. It seems their investigation into Natalie’s kidnapping is just heating up, thanks to new information bringing them one step closer to Lottie’s purple people.
The next episode, Misty and Walter head towards that random route where Lottie’s group lives. During the ride, Walter insists that he thinks Misty is interesting outside of the Yellowjackets stuff. During a food stop, we find out that Walter was hit by bricks (literally) and got a ton of money in a settlement. Hilariously, we see that they are truly two of a kind as they go through similar nighttime routines.
In episode 5, Walter and Misty arrive at Lottie’s compound, where she briefly reunites with Nat, who tells her to go away. Misty is confused that Lottie is 1) no longer in a Swiss mental institution and 2) is the leader of the purple people. Misty is upset that her super sleuth skills didn’t pick up on Lottie’s activities and Walter tries to be supportive by telling her to move on.
Of course, Misty thinks Nat’s genuine words are a lie. Walter points out that her friendships are complex. He brings up that the story about Adam’s mother is a lie based on his research. He knows that she lied about Adam and likely killed him to assist a friend because, well, she has the traits of a serial killer. (He’s not wrong.) He says he still likes her but Misty immediately cuts ties with him, making him leave.
The Adam storyline pales in comparison to a cult community, eyeless man, and that weird symbol. But it is still a big part of adult Shauna’s storyline.
What Is Up with Walter Tattersall on Yellowjackets?
We know his name and that he’s a Citizen Detective with interests in hacking and forensics. But Elijah Wood’s character Walter is still mostly a mystery on Yellowjackets, even after the finale. His sleuthing caused Misty to leave him in the dust… but he came back. Yes, we got more of Elijah Wood and his hilarious character Walter Tattersall in Yellowjackets.
Walter Tattersall shows back up in episode 8. He’s at his lavish home putting together an impossibly intricate puzzle when he gets an alert that Adam’s body has been found. He then emails the Wiskayok department to let them know that he has information that may be relevant to the investigation. Uh oh. Walter then grabs his clothes, including a purple jacket that he uses to infiltrate Lottie’s compound in the finale.
We spent much of the season thinking that Walter would tell on Misty and her friends, but instead he does the opposite. He uses the aforementioned email to lure Kevyn and Mustache Cop to Lottie’s compound. Walter clevery kills Kevyn and planting evidence to blame the Adam and Jessica’s deaths on him. We also presume that Kevyn will also take the posthumous blame for Natalie’s death. They did have a romantic relationship at one point, after all. We see Walter embrace a tearful Misty at the end to comfort her.
Will Walter Tattersall Return for Yellowjackets Season Three?
We know that Yellowjackets is greenlit for season three. Of course, Misty will come back for more mysteries but we don’t know what will happen with Walter. It seems the pair are heading towards a relationship but Walter could also be a one-season-and-done type of guy. Perhaps he wanted to “solve” this case and move on with his life, which is smart considering the constant shenanigans that come with being close to Misty. However, Misty could use a really good friend/possible romance in her life after so much loss and tragedy. So maybe we will see Elijah Wood as Walter when Yellowjackets returns.
Originally published on March 31, 2023.