Christina Ricci as Misty and Elijah Wood as Walter in YELLOWJACKETS Season 2.

In Season 1 of Yellowjackets, Misty Quigley was the only citizen detective we needed to keep an eye on. True crime-obsessed, Misty proved a friend indeed when her friend in need, Shauna, needed help disposing of the body of her slain lover Adam. Season 2 begins with Misty grilling Shauna in a mock interrogation, just to cover their bases. But could Misty have met her match with a mysterious man online? 

On the citizen detective message boards that Misty frequents as « AfricanGrey, » a potential rival has arisen. A user with the handle « PuttingtheSICKinForensics » has been focusing his amateur sleuthing on the missing person’s case of Adam Martin, which could be disastrous for Team Yellowjackets. So, who is this guy? 

Let’s chase down the clues each week to uncover this Yellowjackets mystery. 

Who is PuttingtheSICKinForensics?

Elijah Wood at the SHOWTIME Premiere for YELLOWJACKETS, Season 2. The red carpet and screening were held at The TCL Chinese Theatre followed by a private after-party at LAVO in Los Angeles, CA.
Credit: Scott Kirkland/SHOWTIME

From the trailers for Season 2, we know Christina Ricci, who plays present-day Misty, shares scenes with fellow ’90s icon Elijah Wood. Plus, the Lord of the Rings star’s sprightly voice is easily identifiable in episode one, « Friends, Romans, Countrymen, » as the voiceover source of fellow online citizen detective PuttingtheSICKinForensics; Wood is also listed as Walter in the show’s credits.

In this first ep, Misty is infuriated to find Adam Martin’s (Peter Gadiot) disappearance has become the focus of PuttingtheSICKinForensics. More worrisome, her fellow sleuthing fan is on the right track, posting a theory that Adam’s disappearance might be blamed on an unknown girlfriend. To save Shauna from suspicion, Misty uses her reputation as a well-reputed citizen detective to malign this theory. But could there be clues within Walter’s initial post? 

Amid the tedious telegraph schtick, Walter notes that he’s gotten ahold of Adam’s bank statements, and from the charges has determined the missing man had a new love interest. Of course, he’s onto something. But how did Walter get ahold of Adam’s bank statements? Maybe he’s a savvy hacker. Maybe, like Natalie’s former sponsor, he works at a bank. Maybe he’s pulled a Misty, getting his hands dirty by going through Adam’s trash. By the end of episode 1, we have no way of knowing for sure. 

What does Episode 2 tell us about PuttingtheSICKinForensics? 

Christina Ricci as Misty Quigley in Season 2, Episode 2 of "Yellowjackets."
Credit: Kailey Schwerman/SHOWTIME

In Season 2 episode 2 (« Edible Complex »), Walter makes his first appearance on Yellowjackets while making an intriguing impression on Misty. 

It begins with Misty reaching out on the f/BureauofCitizenDetectives message board for help hacking the motel security camera, so she might uncover what happened to Nat. Walter pipes up, offering, « I might have an idea, but only if you stop shitting all over my Adam Martin theories. »

Misty snarls and quickly accuses him of going on « wild goose chases. » But Walter’s not giving up. 

Soon, Wood’s familiar voice is drifting through the old folks’ home where Misty works. Amid probing questions about air quality and staff background checks, Walter makes knowing eye contact with Misty. She then finds a note addressed to her in the staff fridge. It appears to be blank, but a flash of a UV light reveals that SICK has found her and is eager to help her in her quest to find Nat. He’s even set up an interview with a potential witness, masquerading as an FBI agent.

Asking if « Agent Quigley » would care to join is just about the most romantic thing Misty might hope for. But this guy is trying to expose her friend for murder. So, their love story has a rocky road ahead. 

Shipping potential aside, who is Walter beyond a rival/love interest for Misty? Could there be a clue in Season 1? 

Is Walter a friend of Adam’s? 

Peter Gadiot as Adam in YELLOWJACKETS, "Flight of the Bumblebee."
Credit: Michael Courtney/SHOWTIME

Consider this: Misty’s current focus on the message boards is cracking the case of MIA Nat, a friend for which she’d do anything (including hard drugs). If Walter is Misty’s match, as he seems to be, could he be similarly motivated in Adam’s case?

When Adam died, Shauna knew frustratingly little about him. In Season 1 episode 8, « Flight of the Bumblebee, » Shauna confronts Adam over his lies about going to art school at Pratt. From there, Adam proposes a romantic get-to-know-him getaway. « Look, I’ve got this friend with a cabin in the woods in the Poconos, » Adam said, « Let’s go away for the weekend. I’ll be an open book. » 

He doesn’t say, « Let’s get a hotel » or « Let’s take a trip. » Adam specifically mentions a friend with a cabin. Presumably, he’s already asked that friend if he could borrow the place for the weekend. And maybe he even floated why: time alone with a new girlfriend. 

Could Walter be the friend with a cabin? Could it be that this is actually why he knows Adam had a girlfriend and that she might be the key to finding him? Of course, there was a bigger fear that Shauna had about Adam. 

Is Walter a Yellowjackets fanboy? 

Melanie Lynskey as Shauna and Peter Gadiot as Adam in YELLOWJACKETS, "Flight of the Bumblebee."
Credit: Michael Courtney/SHOWTIME

As Season 1 episode 9 (« Doomcoming ») kicks off, Shauna is storming back to Adam’s apartment, armed with a handful of glitter and allegations that he’s the blackmailer who’s been harassing her fellow Yellowjackets. She’s convinced he figured out the code to her safe and stole her missing journals from the wilderness. « The code is the flight number, » she exclaims. « It’s so fucking dumb. Any fanboy could figure that out. » 

Yellowjackets fanboys have been mentioned in passing, always disdainfully by the survivors. While Adam is bewildered by these accusations (we later learn Jeff was the blackmailer and borrowed the journals), Shauna discovers that Adam has been hiding a copy of the loathed true crime tell-all Skin in the Game: The Unofficial Story of Flight 2525.

From there, Adam says he googled her after they met. « I saw you were in that plane crash and I was curious, » he insists. She doesn’t believe him. She fears they didn’t meet by a chance car collision but that he’s a stalker obsessed with the tragic girls of 25 years ago. Adam claims he didn’t know her at all before the accident, but he dies before Shauna learns what his deal really is. 

Whether or not they met by happenstance, was Adam a Yellowjackets fanboy? The old book might have been bought easily and recently on eBay, but behind it sits a ragged issue of a gossip magazine, which presumably would be trickier to find. Could it be something he scored from a Yellowjackets message board? Or maybe Adam got it from a friend who has an obsession with crime, conspiracies, and cover-ups.

Perhaps Walter had previously owned that trashy true crime book and/or gossip magazine. At the very least, he’d be the right person to turn to for information when Adam started asking questions about Flight 2525.

After all, the Yellowjackets girls have been largely living outside the spotlight, but Walter somehow connected AfricanGrey to Misty Quigley’s name and workplace. Presumably, he also knows Misty is a Flight 2525 survivor, as that would rank far higher on her search results than her job. So, could he have a fanboy ulterior motive in proposing a meetup? Does he suspect Misty is Adam’s secret girlfriend?

Misty’s typically pretty good at sniffing out bullshit. Could her desperate hunger for love blind her when it comes to this cute true crime buff? 

Stay tuned. We’ll update as new eps air.

Yellowjackets Season 2 is streaming on Showtime, with new episodes streaming weekly on Fridays. Episodes also air every Sunday on Showtime at 9 p.m. ET.