Misty Analysis: is she a "sociopath"?
Iâve been meaning to write an analysis on Misty Quigley ever since I started Yellowjackets, over one year ago. My primary reason for wanting to do so is because of a very specific label that is often attributed to Misty. Given the title of this post (and the name of my blog), it should come as no surprise what said label is: "sociopath" (or psychopath). Now, in both cases, the correct label would be âanti-social personality disorderâ (aka ASPD), so Iâll refer to it as such. So, for this analysis, Iâll go through Mistyâs history and background in the show, analyze her personality, actions and choices, as well as her relationships with others, and see if she would qualify for a diagnosis of ASPD. Or if she perhaps would actually fit another diagnosis, or multiples.
That being said, I will be analyzing teen Misty and adult Misty separately at some point, given that a diagnosis of ASPD can only be given to someone above the age of 18. Also, a lot can change in 25 years, especially when one is 16-17 compared to in their forties. So without further ado, letâs start analyzing Misty.
(cw: SA, animal cruelty, substance abuse, and overall just the regular dark topics present within the show)
ps: this analysis is over 14k words (over 20 pages)
Edit: this analysis is now available on AO3 here !
Letâs begin with teen Misty before the crash and what we know about her. She is the equipment manager for the Yellowjackets, a task she takes quite seriously and is shown to be very enthusiastic about the team. Not much is known about her family situation, but it is possible her parents were emotionally neglectful, given that the few times Misty did cry out of genuine sadness, she quickly scolded or punished herself for doing so and even said, âonly babies cryâ. It might be something her parents told her when she cried as a child, which could suggest some form of emotional abuse.
According to the Yellowjackets' original pitch, Misty was the only child of a neurologist and a shrink, and her medical knowledge she displayed was thanks to being raised by two doctors. Of course, this isnât canon to the actual series, but itâs not necessarily ânot-canonâ either. Given that nothing is known about her parents in the show, this could still be her (non-mentioned) backstory. Misty does display medical knowledge far beyond what a girl of her age would know, giving credence to her being raised by doctors. The show does explain her knowledge by her taking the babysitter test (twice), but I still think that it is not impossible for her to have also learned from her parents. It may explain one of the reasons why she ended up working as a nurse, given that hospitals would be an environment familiar to her. Ultimately, this isnât that important for this analysis, but if her parents were both doctors, that could explain why she might have been neglected as a child. Both parents working as doctors would most likely be really busy with their jobs, leading to them not giving as much attention as they should to Misty. But that is mostly just speculation based on outdated information, but I still strongly believe there was some emotional neglect and/or abuse going on in Mistyâs childhood.
Another thing we know about Mistyâs life prior to the crash is that she was bullied. She didnât seem to have any friends either, even among the Yellowjackets. She remains, however, dedicated to her duty as the equipment manager, despite not always being appreciated for her enthusiasm. In season 3, Ben revealed that Misty actually wanted to join the team, but he put her as equipment manager because he knew she would get bullied, suspecting that she would not perform well as a soccer player. For the assistant coach himself to fear this outcome, Mistyâs bullying must have been something known. Something that happened enough that even Ben would have noticed, and decided to try to spare her further bullying. At least, it allowed Misty to feel useful to the team, and in a way, be part of a group, something she clearly does crave. Of course, the team didnât seem very close to her, or even like her, but she was still part of the âgroupâ. Being associated with the Yellowjackets, a beloved team, might have helped Misty get less bullied. Not necessarily respect, but at least left alone. So it would make sense for Misty to feel this kind of devotion and loyalty to the team, because in her mind, she is part of the group too, and her experience with them, albeit not great, is far better than the bullying she went through.
Now, before delving into the possibility of Misty having ASPD, there is another condition that I believe she has and should be discussed first, since it applies to both teen and adult Misty. A condition that isnât developed but born with. I am talking about autism spectrum disorder. It is a common headcanon or theory among the fandom that Misty might be neurodivergent, autistic, more specifically, and I do believe this is very likely, even if it might have been unintentional. At the very least, this is my opinion as an autistic person who also did my own research. Also, I found an incredible, in-depth thread on why Misty might be autistic, so feel free to check that out since I may use some points from it going forward.
In summary, Misty being essentially âdifferentâ could be the reason why she was bullied growing up. Even if you are not diagnosed as autistic yet, you still are, and other kids can sense that you are different and, therefore, a target for bullying. For a while, girls were rarely ever diagnosed with autism; it was considered to be only affecting boys, so even if Misty is actually autistic, it is unlikely sheâd be diagnosed, especially back in the 90s. Even nowadays, it is still harder for girls to get a diagnosis compared to boys. So all people could tell from Misty was that she was âdifferentâ, she was âoddâ, and that can attract bullies.Â
Misty also struggles with recognizing peopleâs emotions, or which emotional response is appropriate in specific situations. We saw her make research about how to comfort a friend in grief after Travis seemingly committed suicide, possibly because she did not know what would be the appropriate way to comfort Natalie. She also tends to observe peopleâs reactions and what emotion they show before doing the same, if everyone starts laughing at a joke, she will too, even if she possibly didnât get it. Thatâs also called âmaskingâ, something a lot of autistic people (especially girls) do, in order to fit in.Â
Misty also has the tendency to overshare, or not have a filter, and not know what is appropriate to say. It is common among autistic people, as we often struggle with social cues and socializing in general. Similarly, Misty tends to infodump, talking excessively about her interests, often unprompted. This is often our way as autistics to âsocializeâ. And it is often about our special interests or sometimes, hyperfixations. Which Misty does seem to have. That can cause trouble maintaining relationships, which we also see with Misty.
There is also pattern recognition, something common among autistic people, that is the ability to notice little details most people might disregard. That makes sense why sheâd decide to become a citizen detective, given that she has the skills to notice patterns and details others might not. It happens multiple times in the show that she is the one to notice something the other characters did not. Another trait she might have is âstimmingâ, something a lot of autistic people with sensory issues will do, often to calm themselves. Misty seems to do that with her glasses, often readjusting them when she is nervous.Â
I do think, even if unlikely that it was intended to be written that way, Misty does display a lot of autistic traits. From her social awkwardness, her very specific interests, lack of understanding of peopleâs emotions sometimes, not being able to read social cues and from, unfortunately, getting bullied for being seen as âdifferentâ. Those are all traits we see both within teen and adult Misty, since autism is something you are born with.
But now, the real question is: is autism the only condition Misty has that may explain her behaviors in the show? And my reply would be⌠no. Autism wouldnât typically cause someone to commit all the crimes Misty had done. So, even if I do think it is highly possible she might be on the spectrum, I also believe she might have something else.
Could it be ASPD? Well, if you had asked me that question after I finished season 1, I might have said yes, without hesitation. Though at that time, I hadnât thought of the possibility she might be autistic, so take that with a grain of salt. Once Iâm done with this analysis, we should have a more definitive answer.
First, letâs start with teen Misty. Once again, someone cannot be diagnosed with ASPD under the age of 18, and we know Misty, at least in season 1, was not 18 yet. But, one of the requirements for an ASPD diagnosis is showing signs of conduct disorder before the age of 15. Now, even if we arenât sure how old teen Misty is, she is possibly older than 15. But, she is also below 18, so it could still be pertinent to look if she does meet the requirement for conduct disorder by going through the criteria.
Aggression towards people or animals: There are instances of teen Misty acting aggressively toward people. One of the notable examples is Crystal, when she threatened her, and it unfortunately caused her death (which technically was an accident).
I wouldnât necessarily count how she cut Benâs leg since it was to save his life, but this does show her being quick to resort to a violent act without feeling fazed. There are also other instances of Misty intentionally hurting Ben, when she tripped him while he was walking with his crutches so she could âhelpâ him, and when she poisoned him after he rejected her. As for animals, we donât directly see teen Misty mistreat animals, but the pilot did take the time to show Misty watching a rat drown, without trying to help it, nor did she seem fazed by its distress. We donât know if she simply left it to die or if she actually put it there, but usually, showing a character being unempathetic to an animal in distress is intentional.
Aggression can also involve sexual aggression, which teen Misty is guilty of. She purposefully drugged Ben with the intention of being intimate with him, which does qualify for attempted SA. This criteria does include threatening and the use of weapons to cause serious harm, which could more or less apply to Misty.
Destruction of property: This one is tricky, because Misty did destroy the black box, which in itself constitutes destruction of property. And in this case, a property that could have been vital to get rescued. I donât think we have seen her destroy anything else, but itâs not like there are many options in the wilderness. Given how quickly she was to destroy the black box, it might indicate that this is a common thing for her to do. Destroy something that she considers inconvenient to her, or simply impulsively.
Deceitfulness: This one is possibly the trait we see the most. Misty is portrayed as extremely manipulative, even as a teen. From destroying the black box to ensure they wouldnât get rescued for her own benefit and hiding it from the others, to how she acted towards Ben. When she invited him to Doomcoming, and she could tell he was going to refuse, she guilt-tripped him into feeling bad for her so he would accept. As mentioned before, she also regularly hurt Ben in discreet ways so she could âhelpâ him, making herself seem like a helpful person for the sake of getting what she wanted from him.
There is also how she tried to direct negative attention from herself to Jackie after the Doomscoming fiasco, where she snitched on her for not âthankingâ the Wilderness for the food. Thereâs also after she accidentally caused Crystalâs death, she managed to deceive everyone about Crystal supposedly going missing, faking being worried and distressed about her friend being missing, while she knew that she was already dead, and made the others look for her to avoid suspicion. Misty even brought up Crystal as a potential suspect for burning down the cabin during Benâs trial, despite knowing damn well she is dead. She also lied to the others about Lottie saying the Wilderness was âpleasedâ with Javiâs sacrifice, while in reality, Lottie felt guilty over this. Thereâs also how she seems to play âboth sidesâ, when she told Shauna that she thought Nat was hiding that Ben was alive, or how she tried to spy on âTeam Rescueâ on behalf of Shauna, trying to make them believe there was a plan, but then later switching side and helping Van fix the communication device and Nat escape with it to call for help. In most cases, her deceitfulness is self-serving, but it can be used to benefit the group as a whole, like my last example, where she deceived Shauna. Although part of her reason to do so was because Nat found out about the black box, so itâs possible she only helped to avoid Nat telling the others and to gain back her trust.
Serious violation of rules: This one is hard to answer because we donât see much of Misty prior to the crash as a teen, and there are technically no rules in the wilderness to be broken. Examples of rule violations given in the diagnosis would be: staying out at night despite parental prohibitions, running away from home, and being truant from school. We have no way of knowing if any of those applies to Misty since we havenât properly seen her at home or at school.
Among those four main criteria, Misty fits at least three of them. Other criteria for conduct disorder can include lack of empathy and remorse, as well as impulsivity and recklessness. I would say that it also fits, to a certain degree. Misty, as a teenager, does seem to have lower empathy. Not a complete lack, but still low. The scene with her watching the rat drowning and not helping is there to show that. Lack of remorse is a tricky one. Misty does show regret for her actions. But regrets arenât necessarily the same as remorse. Regret is feeling bad about the negative consequences on oneself, while remorse is feeling bad for how our actions affected others. Misty does regret causing Crystalâs death, she does regret not being able to save Shaunaâs baby, she does regret how telling Shauna she thought Nat was hiding Ben did her a disservice during the trial, and she does regret breaking the black box. But does she feel remorse for those actions, or is it only regret for how negatively it affected her? Letâs find out.
Firstly, Crystalâs death. It is undeniable that her death did cause a lot of distress for Misty, and possibly even traumatized her. But Iâd argue itâs possible Misty does not feel bad for Crystal herself, but rather feel bad for what she lost. At this point in the show, Misty is rather unpopular, and Crystal was essentially the only person who would be her friend. Losing Crystal meant losing her only friend and being once again isolated. After the initial shock of Crystalâs death, Misty was mostly worried about getting caught, and had no issue lying to others and manipulating them in order to avoid suspicion, even faking concerns for Crystalâs well-being while knowing she was already dead. I do think Misty cared for Crystal and viewed her as a friend, but I also think she mostly cared about what Crystal brought her rather than Crystal herself as a person. The way Misty threatened Crystal once Crystal rejected her friendship does show that outside as being her friend, Misty could easily switch up on her if she no longer was âusefulâ to her. So yeah, Iâd say rather than genuine remorse, Misty feels regret because of how Crystalâs death personally affected her rather than feeling bad for Crystal herself.
Then there is the baby. I do think Misty has regret for not being able to save him. Shaunaâs labor happened shortly after Crystalâs death, and we saw that Misty was unable at first to help Shauna because she was still traumatized by her death. The sight of blood kept reminding her of Crystal. A big part of Mistyâs personality is how she wants to be seen as useful by others, she wants people to rely on her and feel important. So not being able to help Shauna at first, and later even when she did everything she could to deliver the baby, he still died, does make her feel like itâs her fault. Perhaps Misty thought that if she was able to help from the start, he could have survived. It doesnât help that Shauna specifically asked Misty to keep her baby alive. This might feel more like a personal failure to her. But, I do think itâs possible she felt bad for Shauna, hence why I donât think (teen) Misty has a complete lack of empathy, just low empathy.
Regarding Ben, Misty has always been deeply infatuated with him to an obsessive and unhealthy level. Telling Shauna that she thought he was still alive and Nat knew ended up being a mistake for her, since it was used in the trial and didnât help her cause. Iâm sure she regretted saying that, especially given how things ended for Ben. She was clearly devastated at the idea of him getting executed. She was also visibly distraught when he got his ankle maimed, his cries of pain making her cover her ears because she couldnât bear to hear. Itâs one of the rare times where someoneâs pain actually affects Misty. Again, Iâm going back to her having low empathy and not a lack of empathy. It appears she can have some empathy for a selected few people whom she shares a deep bond with (or, with whom she believes she shares a bond, more on that later). However, it did not prevent her from being in favor of force-feeding Ben, despite how painful and cruel it was for him. If it meant keeping him alive, she had no issue with that, despite being told by Nat that Ben was suffering. So her empathy towards him stops when itâs no longer convenient for her. She was genuinely sad when he died, and showed she was still infatuated with him by kissing his corpse.
There is also the incident that Misty caused that had awful consequences, which she does not seem to feel bad about. When Misty intended to drug Ben with shrooms in order to âmake a moveâ on him, (basically, SA him), even if he explicitly told her they needed to have some boundaries. That was already bad on its own, but when she saw that her mushrooms had been put in the soup by mistake, instead of warning people, she did nothing. She let everyone get high simply to get what she wanted, with no concern of how it would affect the others. She did what felt convenient to her with a complete disregard for the safety of others. And it ended up having disastrous consequences, where Travis was SAâd by the group while they were high, and later hunted down and nearly killed. Her actions could have caused the death of Travis, and this isnât something she showed remorse for, or even acknowledged her part in this. Instead, she shifted the blame on others for putting her mushrooms in the soup, ignoring the fact that they couldnât have possibly known those were magic mushrooms, and that her intention had always been to drug Ben against his consent. Itâs not just a lack of remorse, itâs also a lack of accountability for her actions and how it affected others.
Another case worth mentioning is how Misty is the one who chose to let Javi die to save Nat. In all fairness, everyone let him drown, but this was still initially her decision to actually prevent Nat from saving him, so I would say she had a more direct role in Javiâs death than the others. And when Lottie learns about Javiâs death and does feel bad about it and express remorse since she would have rather be the one dying instead of Javi, Misty is quick to shut her down, putting the blame on Lottie instead and accusing her of wanting to make people feel bad for something she considers Lottie caused, despite the fact Misty knew Lottie was willing to be the sacrifice. Not only do I not think Misty feels remorse for Javiâs death, but I donât even think she feels regret. I think to her, it was a necessary thing, both because it allowed Nat to survive, and because they were starving and were going to die if they didnât eat someone. Everyone recognized the necessity of sacrificing someone in order to survive, but it did take a toll on their conscience. Itâs even what led to Natalie dying at the end of Misty, because she felt bad someone died because of her. Even Van, who claims she doesnât feel bad, is most likely putting on a front to avoid dealing with her guilt, because we do see that as an adult, she doesnât want people to die in order for her to survive. Misty however, nothing indicates she ever felt bad about Javi dying, or reflect on the decision she made to let him die.
Something else I donât see discussed often is how Misty actually caused the unfortunate argument between Shauna and Jackie that tragically ended up with Jackieâs death. What started it is when Misty snitched on Jackie for not thanking the Wilderness for the food. I would argue it was something particularly callous for her to do, given Jackie was never mean to her. On the contrary, she had been kind to her, even giving her advice about love when Jackie herself was having love issues (regarding the Shauna and Jeff situation) and was at her lowest. Jackieâs previous kindness to her did not prevent her from taking advantage of the situation to divert the negative attention she was receiving onto Jackie. And it indirectly led to Jackieâs death. This is yet another situation that Misty doesnât have remorse for, or possibly even acknowledge her role in Jackieâs death, so I donât think she feels regret either. Other than perhaps no longer having a scapegoat for the groupâs negative attention, which was now back on her.
Then finally, we have destroying the black box. Arguably, the most infamous action committed by Misty on the show. The black box incident is interesting because it wasnât done out of malice. She didnât destroy the black box to hurt her fellow survivors. It was truly an impulsive act done out of desperation. Possibly for the first time since she was part of the team, Misty felt useful and appreciated. She felt like people finally needed her. She even heard Van and Laura Lee praising her. So when she found the black box and knew it could mean she would back to being unappreciated, Misty impulsively broke it.
I donât think she knew they would get struck for almost 2 years in the wilderness (nor do we know if itâs actually her fault), but Iâd say she didnât even think about the consequences. She saw the black box as an inconvenience for her, something getting between her and the appreciation she so desperately craved, therefore destroyed it. I would say she regrets doing it, but I donât think she feels genuine remorse for potentially being the reason they couldnât get rescued earlier. She does experience negative consequences from doing that (notably, Crystalâs death), but I donât have the feeling she feels personally guilty for any of what happened in the wilderness that might be a direct result of her destroying the black box. I donât think there are any moments in the series that show her feeling remorse for that. Yes, she does regret it, because of the consequences. But also, because she is afraid of how the others would react. She knows they would blame her for everything and hate her, something she deeply wants to avoid. When Nat found out, one of Mistyâs main concerns was that Nat would tell the others. So Iâd say itâs not remorse, just regrets because of how it affected her and because she fears what would happen to her if the others find out.
And last but not least, impulsivity and recklessness. I think this one is a given. Despite being someone who can be extremely calculating and meticulous, a lot of Mistyâs actions and decisions, both as a teen and adult, are impulsive and reckless. Cutting Benâs leg, even if it was the right thing to do in order to save his life, was still an impulsive and reckless thing to do, especially for a teenager. Then, an even better example, destroying the black box. Iâd say the way she decided to save Natalie by preventing her from helping Javi (who was drowning) was impulsive too, given Misty was hunting down Nat too until she saw an opportunity to save her at the expense of someone elseâs life. Then, itâs not just her actions that are impulsive. She also impulsively says stuff, like when she snitched on Jackie as soon as she saw she didnât âthankâ the wilderness for the food, or when she told Shauna about how she thought Nat was hiding the fact Ben was still alive. Also, telling Crystal about how she destroyed the black box was not only impulsive but a reckless thing to say. Misty is undeniably smart and can methodically plan stuff, but she can also be quite impulsive and reckless and not think things through. And thatâs something she carried on even as an adult.
One might argue that all of those traits have been displayed by the other characters too, and I wouldnât disagree. But, the difference is, for the most part they displayed those traits as a response to their current predicament. Either they were on the influence of drugs, or when they were all starving, under peer pressure, or after spending more than a year in the wilderness. For most of the characters, their more violent behaviors are a direct result of the trauma they experienced during their time in the wilderness (Shauna being a prime example). But for Misty, she displayed some of those traits even before the crash, and are all displayed during season 1 as soon as the first few episodes. Her antisocial behaviors were not the result of the crash or the time spent in the wilderness, they were already present. The wilderness might have exacerbated them, or even encouraged them by giving her the opportunity to enact them, but she did not become that way because of it. Those were something already present within her. If anything, the wilderness ended up being a place where someone like Misty could thrive, for the better or worse.
My conclusion regarding (teen) Misty having conduct disorder: From my (unprofessional) opinion, I think itâs a very likely possibility. I donât think the writers did it on purpose, as in, they were aware of what conduct disorder was and applied the criteria to Misty, but Iâd argue that when they wrote her character, they intended for her to fit the âsociopathâ label. And this would, unintentionally, make her character fit those said criteria. Although, conduct disorder is not the same as having anti-social personality disorder, and not everyone who had conduct disorder as a youth will develop into having ASPD. So now, the question is: Does adult Misty fit the criteria for an ASPD diagnosis? Letâs find out.
But first, just like with teen Misty, letâs start what we know of adult Mistyâs background. Not much is known about the 25 years gap between the teen and adult timelines, especially for Misty. She now works as a geriatric nurse, and she seems relatively friendless. It doesnât seem like she is close to her coworkers, who donât seem like they appreciate her, something Misty seems unaware of. She is shown to commit elderly abuse towards her patients, most notably an old woman who, to punish her, withhold morphine from her. She is shown going on a date with a man who she was particularly verbally sexual with. When he showed a lack of interest in going home with her, she guilt-tripped him into accepting. She does mention later going out with other men, who all seemed to be peculiar towards her (one of them asking for her socks). She was particularly happy to be in contact with the Yellowjackets again, especially Natalie, whom she seems particularly fixated on.
I would like to theorize a bit about adult Mistyâs life before going forward with the diagnosis part. Mostly, about the one aspect of her life we know about: her choice of career. In the 25 years gap, Misty most likely went to college (or university) and got a degree to become a nurse. And she is now working more specifically as a geriatric nurse. I think itâs interesting that Misty chose that field. If we choose to believe her parents were both doctors like in the original concept, her wanting to work in a hospital could make sense. Itâs a familiar environment for her where Misty might feel more comfortable. Also, it ties back to her role in the wilderness as the "medic" of the group, who took care of some of the injured (notably, Ben and Lottie). But then, it begs the question: why a nurse and not a doctor? Even if we decide her parents being doctors is completely non-canon, Misty does seem to have the skill set, knowledge, intelligence and even some experience to become a doctor. I do think she could have become one, if she wanted to. But it seems like thatâs not what she chose. It is possible she did try to study medicine and couldnât succeed for various reasons, such as lack of interest or even patience in pursuing such a long course. Perhaps becoming a nurse was her second choice after not being able to go through with the studies required in order to become a doctor. But there is also the possibility that being a nurse was actually her first choice and what she wanted to be from the start.
But then the question remains: why a nurse and not a doctor? I think itâs most likely so she could prey more easily on vulnerable people. Nurses are usually the ones who deal with the direct care for the patients, unlike doctors. Mistyâs choice of career needs to satisfy what has always been her biggest desire, which is to have people rely on her, being someone who is needed. Which, sure, that could work as a doctor, but it wouldnât have given her the instant gratification and personal satisfaction, it would have been a lot more work with not as much direct contact with her patients that make her feel useful and needed by them. To her, it isnât about actually helping the patients, itâs about them needing her help, and feeling useful. As a doctor, sheâd be required to actually help them even if she doesnât get anything out of it, but as a nurse, she has more control over this. Itâs easier to commit malpractice as a nurse than a doctor, she was more easily abused of her power to get what she wants from her patients without getting caught. This is probably why she chose to work with the elderly. They are more vulnerable and less likely to be able to defend themselves if she mistreats them. She can more easily make sure that they actually need to rely on her, otherwise she has no scruples abusing them, like she did when she denied morphine to an old lady after she upsetted her. Thatâs definitely something sheâd have a harder time doing as a doctor and getting away with. Thatâs also probably why she is working in a nursing home rather than a hospital, once again, easier to get away with mistreating her patients.
So, I think the most likely scenario is that she became a nurse first and foremost to satisfy her desire of being needed and having people rely on her, and she most likely preferred becoming a nurse over becoming a doctor simply because itâd give her more access to patients for her own personal gratification, as well as more control over them, hence why she probably decided to be a geriatric nurse more specifically where her patients are even more vulnerable and dependent on her.
Right off the bat, all the criteria she fitted for conduct disorder still applies to her as an adult, and in some cases worse. She still committed aggressions, most notably towards her patients, and even went as far as to commit murder. She is still shown causing material damage, notably to Natâs car, in order to make Nat come with her in her car. She is still extremely deceitful, regularly lying and manipulating people in order to get her way. And as for breaking rules, now she is straight-up breaking the law. There is an escalation in her antisocial behaviors, showing that it persisted in adulthood. Given itâs likely she would have fit the diagnosis of conduct disorder as a teen, thatâs one criteria fulfilled. So, letâs see if Misty would qualify for a diagnosis of anti-social personality disorder.
Failure to obey laws and norms by engaging in behavior which results in criminal arrest, or would warrant criminal arrest: The list of crimes Misty has engaged with is ridiculously large. There is elderly abuse, vandalism, spying, breaking and entering, drugging, kidnapping, unlawful imprisonment, covering for murder, helping to dispose of a body, and first-degree murder. And thatâs for season 1 only. I donât think I need to elaborate more on Mistyâs criminal activities. She most certainly fits this criteria.
Lying, deception, and manipulation for profit or self-amusement: This one is a given. While Misty is usually, to some extent, honest with those she considers her friends (like her fellow survivors), she does not extend the same courtesy to others who arenât. Just like with Ben, she is manipulative with the men she is interested in, using the same guilt-tripping tactics in order to get her way. She lied to the police when she was in custody, pretending to be Natalie so she could get Kevyn (who is a cop) to bail them out. She also continued to impersonate Nat with Kevyn, whom she knew was interested in Nat. When she helped Shauna dispose of Adamâs body, she used one of her deceased patients to get rid of some part of his body, taking advantage of the cremation to burn those. She had no issue lying to the patientâs family with such ease, it is clear that this level of deception is a normal occurrence for Misty. At some point, while there were children visiting her nursing home for Halloween, she made it look like a patient had flatlined in order to make the kids believe the patient had died. So her deceitful behaviors are both for profit but also self-amusement. Even with Natalie, she sabotaged her car so Nat would have to accept going on a road trip with Misty to go find Travis. She also hid a camera in a gift for Nat without her knowing so she could spy on her. Misty will lie, deceive and manipulate to get her way like itâs a second nature for her.
Impulsive behavior: Another trait that she exhibited that persisted in adulthood. Just like I said for teen Misty, yes she is smart and can plan ahead, she is calculating and meticulous, but sheâs also very impulsive. Her impulsivity and recklessness is probably one of her biggest flaws that led her to commit the most egregious mistakes in her life. Natâs death is probably the best example. She impulsively decided to try to inject Lisa with a lethal dose, and it resulted in her accidentally killing Nat. This is something even the actress, Christina Ricci, described as an impulsive act. Iâd say another impulsive trait of hers is how she seems to have no filter when she talks, often saying whatever she has on her mind without thinking. Another example is when she decided to snort Natâs cocaine, which I would qualify as a very impulsive thing to do. She did not think that through. The way she interrogated Randy (through Walter) was also impulsive, she did not even know Randy was the one whoâd show up and had to improvise by making Walter interrogate him instead.Â
Irritability and aggression, manifested as frequently assaults others, or engages in fighting: Even if she does not necessarily engage in actual fights, Misty does commit a lot of aggressions and assault, often when she is irritated towards someone. Case in point, the way she treats some of her patients, committing elderly abuse on those who irritated her. How she drugged and kidnapped Jessica Roberts, even threatened to poison her father, and later killed her, and how quick she was to try killing Lisa. It is possible that Jessica wasn't the first person Misty killed, given how familiar she was with disposing of a body without getting caught when she helped dispose of Adam's body. Her aggressions towards others are often calculated, but she still displays violent tendencies in her own way and how quick she is to resort to violence when something doesnât go her way. Another indirect instance would be when she pressured Walter to hit Randy when they were interrogating him. We also saw that she has violent fantasies when she is irritated when she imagined herself stabbing Shauna when she was upset at her.Â
Blatantly disregards the safety of self and others: There are instances of Misty disregarding her own safety, notably when Nat threatened her with a gun, or when the police did so too. She was calm despite the danger, and even took some enjoyment in the situation. Also, snorting all of Natâs coke was definitely unsafe for her and reckless (especially since she had never done that before). Same for going on a road trip with Walter, who she barely knew, and later joining Lottieâs cult. As for disregarding the safety of others, the way she treats her patients is a good example. Thereâs also when she admitted to locking Shauna in a freezer because she was mad at her, which could have ended badly if Randy wasnât there to let her out. There are exceptions, notably those she views as friends, like Natalie to whom she was very concerned about her well-being when she went missing. But for most people, Misty does not seem to care about their safety and well-being, unless she has a reason to, which usually benefits her.
A pattern of irresponsibility: I would say she is very irresponsible at her job. As a nurse, especially a geriatric nurse, itâs her responsibility to take the utmost care of her (very vulnerable and dependent on her) patients. And we know she has no issue abusing her patients if she sees fit. The way she interrogated Randy, by making Walter do it for her, is also irresponsible. That and just agreeing to go on a road trip with Walter, a man she barely knew, and later telling him off, leaving herself stranded without a ride near a cult. Oh, joining said cult too could be considered irresponsible. Also, Iâd argue carrying with her a syringe filled with a lethal dose is pretty irresponsible, and it did end badly when she accidentally killed Natalie.Â
Lack of remorse for actions: Misty does not seem to express remorse for the people she has hurt. She does not feel bad when she abuses her patients, she does not express remorse for killing Jessica, and there is no indication that she carries any guilt for what she has done as a teenager back in the wilderness, despite being potentially responsible for breaking the black box. She does, however, feel bad for killing Natalie. But again, we have to establish if she felt remorse for that or regrets. Does she feel bad for Natalie, or does she feel bad because she lost Nat? She undeniably feels sadness at the loss of her friend, and she does recognize it is her fault. That would be hard to deny given, even if it was an accident, she is the one who injected Nat with a lethal dose. I do think she feels bad, because of the consequences. She lost Nat, someone she cared about, and she misses her, but Iâd argue it could simply be regrets rather than remorse. It happened because she was trying to kill Lisa, whom she does not express remorse for nearly killing her. So Misty does not have remorse for the attempted murder, but does regret that she killed Nat instead.
Another trait that is often common for people with ASPD is a lack of or low empathy. This is something we saw with teen Misty, but also adult Misty. I think even if it may not be a complete lack of empathy, she does have low empathy. She certainly doesnât seem to empathize with her patients, whom she has no issue abusing. Or with Jessica, whom she had no issue killing. Then there is Adam, who she did not know but didn't seem to mind at all that Shauna killed him and was more than eager to help dispose the body of. She does have trouble empathizing even with her friends, when Travis died Misty is seen researching how to comfort a friend who lost someone to suicide, indicating that this does not come naturally for her. She does attempt to comfort Natalie and later Taissa when she learns about Vanâs cancer, but it felt more like she knew it was what was expected of her in those circumstances rather than empathizing with them.
I would say, once again from my (unprofessional) opinion, that Misty does meet the requirement for a diagnosis of ASPD. I do think, however, that it was once again unintentional on the writers' part. As mentioned earlier, I do think they wrote Misty to fit the idea of a âsociopathâ, resulting in her fitting most criteria for ASPD. I doubt the writers were using the official ASPD diagnosis while writing Misty or took them into consideration in the show, which would explain any discrepancy between that disorder and how Misty behaves sometimes in the show that might contradict her having ASPD. But, I think overall, it is fair to think she might have ASPD, she does fit most criteria. I do think it was more apparent in season 1, while from season 2 onward, her character seemed to have softened a bit, especially in season 3. But that might be because her plot in season 3 revolved around solving Lottieâs murder while still grieving Natalieâs death. It is possible that Natâs death did âmellowâ down Misty, but at the core, she is still the same person. ASPD does have a lot of stigma around it, as well as misinformation. Not everyone with that condition is dangerous or a criminal, and unlike popular belief, people with ASPD still have emotions and can feel love, care about certain people, and even if very limited, some empathy. Just like any disorder, it exists on a spectrum, so not everyone with ASPD will experience the symptoms at the same degree.
I think if she does indeed have both autism and ASPD, that would explain why she doesnât always fit all the criteria for both conditions. Autism could affect how her ASPD traits present, and vice versa, making both conditions within Misty quite unique and outside the norm, and different from the average autistic/ASPD individual who do not have both conditions comorbid. It is common for people with ASPD to appear very sociable, and be charismatic and even charming. Which isnât really the case with Misty and that might be because she is also autistic, so she has less social skills than the average person with ASPD normally would. Also, the more analytical mind common for autistic people might help manage some of her ASPD traits better, making it easier for her to plan ahead and be calculating despite her impulsiveness. Also, while she is irresponsible in some aspects of her life, Misty is still capable of holding a job and (I assume) pay for her house. Those can be an issue for people with ASPD, but a lot of autistic people are used to having a routine, so it could make it easier for Misty to manage having a job and taking care of her house if both are part of her routine. And inversely, it can be hard for autistic people to understand other peopleâs emotions, especially through body language, making it harder sometimes to empathize with others. Not because of a lack of empathy, but simply not recognizing how others feel. And if on top of that someone has ASPD, when itâs often associated with low or lack of empathy, that can make it even harder for the person with both conditions to understand how others feel. Misty is often clueless about how others feel, and often misunderstand their emotions. She doesnât seem to notice when people dislike her, or misinterpret how people act towards her for love and/or affection when they are simply being polite. But that last trait may be related to yet again another condition she might have, which Iâll elaborate in a moment.
Autism and ASPD are commonly ascribed to Misty within the fandom, but Iâd argue there is another condition she does show signs of other than these two. But before I go further with this, letâs discuss one of Mistyâs fundamental traits first: her desire to be loved. This is something we see throughout both teen and adult timelines. Misty desperately wants to be loved by those around her, she wants to be useful to them and to be relied on. This is the main reason that drives a lot of her decisions. She destroyed the black box specifically because she finally felt appreciated by the team and useful to them. This is at the core of Mistyâs character, the need of being seen as useful, and having the approval of others. Even at the expense of others or need to manufacture situations where she can âhelpâ others. And thatâs why I believe it is possible that, on top of autism and ASPD, Misty might have histrionic personality disorder (HPD). Letâs take a look at the definition of HPD first:
I do think, to some extent, it fits Misty. HPD belongs to the same cluster as ASPD, so there is the possibility of both conditions being comorbid within her. I would say that a lot of Mistyâs behaviors are attention-seeking, where she does crave the approval and validation of others, and desperately needs to be seen as useful and reliable. As for the inappropriate seduction, this one might be more subtle, but we do see that she does have inappropriate and sexually provocative behavior when it comes to men she is interested in (notably, Ben, and that one guy she went on a date with). Misty also does tend to express her emotions in a very exaggerated way and does crave stimulation. In a way, she does get easily influenced by others, as in, their opinions on her are extremely important to her. As for egocentrism and self-indulgence, that does describe Misty. Even when she is helping others, it is to satisfy her own ego and needs to be appreciated. And I donât think I need to elaborate on the manipulative behavior, we know by now Misty is extremely manipulative when it comes to getting what she wants.Â
But, before I can say for certain that I do believe Misty may have HPD, letâs go through each criteria one by one. Given HPD can start at adolescence, I will be including both teen and adult Misty into my examples for each trait.
Is uncomfortable in situations in which he or she is not the center of attention: Misty does seem like she enjoys being the center of attention, she craves the validation of others and gets really distressed when sheâs being ignored. She wants to feel important and needed by those around her and will go to great lengths to achieve that goal. The length she is willing to go in order to get that attention from others speaks for itself.
Interaction with others is often characterized by inappropriate sexually seductive or provocative behavior: With the men she was interested in, Misty did display some inappropriate sexual and seductive behavior, and with others at large, some provocative behaviors.Â
Displays rapidly shifting and shallow expression of emotions: There are instances of Misty showing insincere emotions, usually for the sake of manipulating others and getting what she wanted. Once she gets the reaction she wanted, she will quickly shift back to her initial emotion, showing that the outburst was shallow.
Consistently uses physical appearance to draw attention to self: This one, Iâm not sure it applies. Unless her using the tactic of calling herself ugly to gain sympathy counts, since that's still using her physical appearance, just in a negative way. But, I'm not sure it's enough to fit that criteria, especially since it's the only instance I can think of.
Has a style of speech that is excessively impressionistic and lacking in detail: Basically, this means that instead of stating specifically what is going on or what happened, they use expressions, subjectivity, and hyperbole to mask the events and paint them in a biased light. I can think of a few examples, like referring to killing Jessica as "taking care of a problem". Or how she considered attempting to SA Ben as "making a move" on him.
Shows self-dramatization, theatricality, and exaggerated expression of emotion: I would say the way Misty expresses her emotions and feelings are often very intense and possibly exaggerated. There is something dramatic and sometimes theatrical in the way she expresses herself, as well as her mannerisms.
Is suggestible, i.e., easily influenced by others or circumstances: Given Misty desperately wants the validation and appreciation of others, she lets herself be influenced by those she seeks the approval of. She also tends to âmimicâ those she views as her âbest friendâ, notably Crystal as a teen, who made Misty develop an interest in theatre and musical, and later Natalie as an adult where Misty started to adopt her aesthetic and personality after her death.
Considers relationships to be more intimate than they actually are: That is, by far, the most notable histrionic trait that Misty displays. This is something we see in almost all her relationships, both romantic and platonic. From how she was convinced she and Ben had this forbidden romance and that he was in love with her, and how she genuinely seems to believe her fellow survivors consider her a friend when most of them try to avoid her if they can. She seems oblivious to how most people do not like her, and is convinced that they share a deep friendship that is, for the most part, one-sided.
In conclusion, do I think Misty fits the diagnosis of HPD? My answer⌠maybe? Itâs hard to tell. She does fit certain criteria while others, not really, or not enough to qualify for the criteria. So Iâd say it is possible, but it could also be autistic and ASPD traits that resemble those of HPD. iâm definitely more confident about Misty being in the autism spectrum and having ASPD than her having HPD. Either way, I still think itâs an interesting possibility that was worth exploring. I do think the last trait more specifically really does apply to her. Which is the perfect opportunity to move to the next part of this analysis: Mistyâs relationships.
As stated before, Misty does mistake some of her relationships as deeper than they actually are. But also, her low empathy and lack of remorse for her actions also make her relationship with others add to this lack of actual depth. It doesnât mean she doesnât care about those she views as friends, or is incapable of loving them. So letâs analyse each of her most meaningful relationships, and what it says about Misty as an individual.
Ben: Mistyâs self-proclaimed âfirst boyfriendâ (and first amputation). Misty had an intense crush on Ben throughout the series that bordered on obsession. She was unable to see that he had no interest in her, nor did she consider the fact it was highly inappropriate for her as a teenage girl to make advances to a grown man. This crush turned quite unhealthy when she started to purposefully harm Ben when he kept rejecting her, or simply to make him need her. She even went as far as to try to SA him twice, once when she tried to touch his genitals when he was sleeping, the second when she drugged him with the intention of âmaking a moveâ on him. One could blame Ben too for allowing Misty to believe he was in love with her, since he was the adult and should not have encouraged this. But, Ben had no actual intention of actually giving in to Mistyâs advances, and he acted to protect himself. After all, Misty had poisoned him once when he rejected her, and with a missing leg, he was in a vulnerable position. Probably not in the best headspace to actually have a talk with Misty about how inappropriate the situation is. Something I found interesting though is that, after Ben came out as gay to her as a final way to reject her, although Misty was upset and felt like she had been led on, she never outed Ben. She never expressed any hatred for him being gay either. It did make her stop going after him, which makes sense. Misty wants to be loved and appreciated, as well as desired, and she now knows itâs impossible for Ben to be in love with her. The only time she actually used Benâs sexuality was when he was about to commit suicide, when she threatened to out him if he jumped. Despite stopping to try getting with him, Mistyâs crush towards Ben never truly faded away. She was adamant in keeping him alive when he was kept prisoner by the group and one of the most distressed when he was about to get executed. She was willing to do anything to keep him alive, even at his own expenses and against his wish of dying. And when he died, outside of Nat, she was the most devastated. She kissed his corpse, showing she still loved him, and took advantage of the situation to finally kiss him. I do think Misty genuinely believed she had feelings for Ben, and did care for him in her own way. But he did not reciprocate and was, for the most part, uncomfortable with her. For a short period it is possible he softened a bit around her, especially when she was his lawyer. Perhaps he was one of the rare men in her life who showed her basic kindness (pre-crash) and she mistook it for affection, and after the crash where she could take care of him, it only further her feelings for him. But overall, this was a very one-sided relationship where Misty had an unhealthy crush on him that was obsessive.
Natalie: Mistyâs self-proclaimed âbest friendâ. Mistyâs attachment to Nat started as teens. She decided to save Misty during the hunt and let Javi die instead. She chose Nat over Javi. And when Nat was chosen as their new leader by Lottie, Misty bowed to her in a way that felt more sincere, like she now considered Nat to be their queen. Nat was among those who were rarely rude to Misty, so it makes sense Misty would try to befriend her, and even interpret their relationship as a deep friendship. Nat was someone Misty could admire, and strive to be noticed by her and seek her approval. Their relationship took a temporary dark turn when Nat killed Ben, something that led Misty to even demand Nat to be punished. But the resentment didnât last long. Once Nat discovered that Misty destroyed the black box, Misty was afraid Nat might tell the others. But Nat kept it a secret and Misty continued to help her find a way to get rescued. Nat did express contempt for Misty afterward, for what she did. But, as far as we are aware, she did not tell the others about the black box. This might be another reason why, even as an adult, Misty is so devoted to Natalie. Nat would have kept her darkest secret for over 25 years and in this, did protect Misty from facing repercussions from the others who would most likely blame her for everything and possibly want retribution. Given that Crystal rejected her as soon as she learned about the black box, it makes sense why it would make Misty view Nat as her best friend for keeping it a secret for that long. Of course, this is once again one-sided. Even if Nat does seem to have develop a certain fondness for Misty, I think itâs just in her nature to want to keep everyone safe. Even if she despised Misty for breaking the black box, she knows the others might hurt her if they knew the truth, so I do think she kept it a secret in order to protect Misty. As adults, Nat does seem to find Misty annoying and try to avoid her, but ended up teaming up with her once with was convenient for her. She does seem to have a love/hate relationship to Misty, whom she doesnât seem to be able to get rid of, and did defend her from the others. When Natalie went missing, Misty was at first devastated, thinking Nat abandoned her, only to find out she had been kidnapped instead. Misty made it her mission to find and save Natalie, showing how devoted she was to her âbest friendâ. Ultimately, though, Misty ended up being the one killing Nat, even if it was by accident. This is possibly Mistyâs biggest regret, and throughout season 3 she was mourning Nat, even starting to wear her leather jacket and try to mimic her. I would say, her relationship with Nat was probably one of her most sincere and deep, and even if the best friend part was one-sided, the whole relationship wasnât, as Nat did, to some extent, care for Misty.
Crystal: Mistyâs short-lived best friend in the wilderness. They became friends during winter, bonding over their shared isolation. Misty was being ostracized due to the shroom incident while Crystal was unpopular due to her tendencies to sing, which annoyed some people. They both became friends at a time where they felt alone and could benefit from having a friend. Especially for someone like Misty, who desperately needs to feel loved and appreciated. Despite how short-lived their relationship was, they did seem to have developed a sincere friendship where they ended up having some aspects in common. Crystal is the reason why Misty started to be interested in theatre and musicals. But unfortunately, it didnât last long. Feeling too confident in the depth of their friendship, and after Crystal started confessing what she considered her âdarkest secretâ, Misty felt emboldened to confess hers (which was, destroying the black box). I think Misty really overestimated how much she meant to Crystal, because as soon as the truth dropped, Crystal didnât want anything to do with her. She quickly shifted from seeing Misty as her best friend and called her a âpsychoâ. When Misty begged her to keep it a secret, Crystal asked Misty if sheâll poison her if she doesnât. Judging by Crystalâs reaction, it might be possible that she did have negative feelings towards Misty prior to befriending her, and that part of why she became friends with Misty was because she had no other friend. Learning about the black box was a reminder of what kind of person Misty was, in a way, since Crystal was aware about the poisoning. Once she saw that begging wasnât working, Misty switched to threat, telling Crystal she will kill her if she tells anyone. Unfortunately, the threat worked too well, and a panicked Crystal accidentally fell down the ravine. Misty was shaken by what had happened and to her credit, she did attempt to do CPR on Crystal, to no avail. She was legitimately saddened by her death, but lost no time trying to cover it up with extremely manipulative tactics, like pretending that Crystal went missing and feigning being worried, even faking tears. She was, however, worried the others might eat her body, but that might just be how Misty rationalized her actions. Instead of hiding evidence, she was âprotectingâ Crystalâs body. Misty seemed to have moved on from the initial shock of Crystalâs death fairly quickly, the trauma did prevented her from helping Shauna gave birth at first (because of the sight of the blood), but after that the only time she ever mentioned Crystal was to bring her up as a potential suspect for burning down the cabin, knowing damn well that she is dead. So overall, for the time it lasted, I do think they did share a genuine friendship, but it was perhaps one born out of convenience between two outcasts. They liked each other on a superficial level, and once Crystal knew what Misty was truly capable of, she wanted nothing to do with her. One of her relationships that was technically not one-sided, but not for a long time.
Walter: Mistyâs (ex) boyfriend. Introduced in season 2, Walterâs role was essentially to be Mistyâs own âMistyâ. In a lot of ways, his behaviors towards her mirror the way Misty behaves towards others. He is her peer among the Citizen Detectives and shares many traits with her, potentially being on the spectrum like her (or perhaps have ASPD, but thatâs not his analysis). He is deeply in love with Misty to an obsessive level, and devoted to her. He was willing to kill to help her without a second thought, and is completely unfazed by the idea she might be a killer. While Walterâs feelings for Misty are undeniable, the same cannot be said for Misty. She did seem to warm up to him during season 2, enough to consider him her boyfriend. She did try to reject him at first, due to her past experience with friendships who ended badly (notably, Crystal) and was struggling with her friendship with Natalie, who refused to leave Lottieâs cult. When Walter admitted to Misty that he suspected her to be a killer, and accepted her, this is when she told him to leave. I think the idea of someone knowing her true nature frightened her, especially someone who was essentially a stranger to her. Itâs possible it was related to Crystal and the trauma her death caused her. But, in the end, she finally accepted Walterâs presence and officially started a relationship with him. However, it wouldnât last long. After Natalieâs death, Misty was mourning, and desperate to cling to the âfriendshipâ she had with the other survivors. Walter could tell that they did not reciprocate that friendship and tried to make Misty realize that, to no avail. Walter constantly questioning their friendship is what made Misty break up with him and kick him out of her life. So it does seem to suggest she never cared that much for Walter, or at least, not as much as she cared for her fellow survivors. I think part of why is that Walter is too similar to her. He wants to take care of her to a very invading degree, while Misty wants to be the one who takes care of others and be needed. She doesnât get that with someone like Walter. He doesnât need her that way, and I think thatâs why she never actually reciprocated his feelings. She does crave attention and validation, but she doesnât want to be taken care of. Watler doesnât seem to respect that she is no longer interested in her and keeps trying to get back into her life, once again doing to Misty what she does to others, mirroring her behavior. I think the fact Walter is a mirror to herself added to that dislike, because she finds Walter annoying and has grown to despise him, and she doesnât want to view herself that way. He is a constant reminder of how others perceive her and of her own wrongdoings, and Misty refuses to see herself as a bad person or as wrong, or acknowledge people might dislike her too. At this point, in Mistyâs eyes, Walter is nothing more than a tool she can use to further her own goal, with no intention of getting back with him. She used him in her investigation for Lottieâs death and quickly dismissed him once she found out who the culprit was. She is seemingly done with him, but it doesnât seem like he is done with her as he is seen stalking her in the finale.
Shauna: Mistyâs attempted new âbest friendâ, after Natalieâs death. There isnât anything unique to their relationship in season 1 and 2, until Natalieâs death. In season 3, it does appear Misty intended to make Shauna her new best friend, accepting to do her favors in the name of their friendship⌠until she finally realized Shauna doesnât feel the same way. Then their relationship quickly turned antagonistic, on both sides. Things turn particularly sour when Shauna suspects Misty of being the one who is supposedly trying to kill her, accusing her of cutting her brakes. After being treated poorly by Shauna, Misty decided to retaliate by locking her in a freezer. Something that contributed to Shaunaâs growing paranoia that someone was out to kill her. Misty fully renounced trying to be friends with Shauna after the latter attacked Melissa, no longer wanting to help her. Misty do not care about helping Shauna anymore, because she realized that Shauna will never be grateful to her, and that she canât get the validation and appreciation she needs from her. Her newfound dislike for Shauna went as far as Misty threatening to call the cops if Shauna doesnât leave her house. It is safe to say that Misty do not care about Shauna anymore, enough so that she agreed to team up with Taissa to take her down in the finale. We will have to wait until season 4 to see if that new alliance sticks.
Caligula: Mistyâs bird pet. Yes, Iâm including Caligula, because I do think a lot can be said about Misty from her choice of pet. First of all, Caligula is an African grey parrot, hence Mistyâs online pseudonym. It does appear that Misty genuinely cares for Caligula. And I do think she does. She is very caring of his needs, and was very distressed when Jessica threatened to hurt him. She did pretend she didnât care, but as soon as she managed to get her bird free, Misty immediately apologized to him. Given we know adult Misty doesnât have any close friends, Caligula is probably the only âfriendâ she got. For her to choose a bird as a pet is interesting in itself. Especially a parrot, who has the capacity to mimic human speech. So it gives Misty the illusion that she has âsomeoneâ to speak to, and she can have the feeling she can have discussions with Caligula. Also, unlike a dog or a cat, birds are way more high-maintenance and reliant on their owner to take care of them. So I do think itâs another appeal for Misty, to have a pet who is completely dependent on her. This is how she is with people too, she loves when she has someone being dependent on her and who she can take care of. A bird, especially a parrot, seems perfect for that kind of need. A living being who has no choice but to rely on Misty, and can also provide her with her need to have a friend she can talk to. A pet that can be kept in a cage if needed. I would say that Mistyâs love and care for Caligula are genuine. I do think it is very telling that the being Misty seems to care the most for is an animal, whom she might have an easier time bonding with than people. A pet might be more high-maintenant in general, but when it comes to the social aspect, it can be easier to deal with than a person.
Jessica: Mistyâs hostage. Jessica is an interesting case because she could have been someone Misty befriended. Their ârelationshipâ started when Misty suspected her of being the blackmailer, so she kidnapped her and held her captive in her basement. Since this wasnât the first time Jessica had been in a similar situation due to her work, she did try to manipulate Misty and take advantage of her desire of being appreciated, promising her that they could co-write a book together about what happened in the wilderness. Throughout the season, it did seem like Misty might actually trust Jessica and even warmed up to her, until it was revealed she intended to kill Jessica. I think Misty did see through Jessicaâs manipulation and knew she wasnât sincere. And ultimately, Mistyâs true loyalty would always be towards her fellow survivors. If anything, Mistyâs relationship with Jessica highlights how her bond with the Yellowjackets truly was special, where she is more naive with them and willing to believe them even if they arenât truthful to her or using her, while with Jessica she knew all along that she was trying to manipulate her. Not even the close proximity she had with Jessica for days was enough to make Misty care for that woman. In the end, Jessica was nothing more than a mean to an end, and as soon as she stopped being useful and was a potential treat to her and those she considered as friends, Misty methodically disposed of Jessica. The way she killed her was extremely calculated and even callous, showing she never had any sympathy for her and possibly, always intended to kill her. And she had no remorse or guilt for doing this, since killing Jessica was nothing more than taking care of a âproblemâ in her eyes.
The Yellowjackets: Mistyâs âfriend groupâ. I already went through certain of the Yellowjackets with whom Misty had a closer relationship and I wonât go through every single individual, but I think itâs worth exploring Mistyâs bond with the team as a whole. She does genuinely view the team as her friends, in both timelines, but not necessarily for the same reason. As a teen, she views them as friends the way a high schooler would, she wants to be part of the group and be seen as a member of the team. I think teen Misty has such an attachment to the Yellowjackets because itâs the first time she feels like she is part of a group in a meaningful way. We know she used to be bullied and didnât really have any friends, so I think part of her feels âgratefulâ to the team. Even if they donât necessarily view her as a friend, being part of the team (even as just equipment manager), given the popularity of the Yellowjackets soccer team, might have provided her with some protection. That could explain why she seems so loyal and devoted to them, and wants their approval so badly. That would explain why she bonded with them in a way she doesnât seem to with other people and grew to care for them. And that bond persisted in adulthood, even 25 years later. And possibly stronger. Because itâs no longer just a bond with high school friends whom she shared a team, but a bond between fellow survivors (which Misty wrongly referred to as âtrauma bondâ). Her devotion but also obsession with her fellow survivors is undeniable. She might not have interacted with them for years, she still kept tabs on them and never stopped viewing them as friends, or assumed they didnât feel the same way towards her. She might have incorrectly used the terms âtrauma bondâ (this is specifically about how a victim bonds with their abuser), but what she probably means was that they shared a bond over a common trauma, and I do think it is true and that it contributes to Mistyâs persisting fixation on the remaining Yellowjackets.
The Nursing Home: We donât know much about Mistyâs relationship with her coworkers. She doesnât seem to be friends with them, but does act friendly towards them, or at the very least, courteous. They however do not seem fond of her and only seem to keep things civil, probably the sake of their workplace environment. I think itâs very likely Misty is indifferent to them and possibly putting up a facade when interacting with them, probably because Misty wouldnât want to be openly hated by those around her, especially not at her workplace. Her relationship to her patients though, thatâs another story. There isnât just indifferent, there is outright animosity towards some of her patients. I do think Misty became a nurse in part to âreliveâ the thrill she had in the wilderness, when she was the designated medic of the group and could take care of others and have them need her. As a nurse, she gets to be needed and have people rely on her, mostly for medical help. But, unlike with the Yellowjackets, Misty doesnât have that special bond with her patients. She can tolerate a lot coming from her fellow survivors, she still views them as friends even when they are rude to her, because of that deep bond they form through their shared trauma. She doesnât have such a bond with her patients, so she isnât as tolerant with them if they have the misfortune of upsetting her. I think part of Misty had higher expectations when she became a nurse, that she would be able to feel needed the way she felt she was back in the wilderness. But her patients couldnât be a replacement for the Yellowjackets, for her âfriendsâ. So I think part of her resents them, in a way. For not giving her the satisfaction and gratification she wanted from that job. So when some of her patients are rude to her, after she considers she was âtaking care of themâ, then she views them as ungrateful and that came her act callous to them in retaliation. For not giving her the satisfaction and appreciation she craves so much and thinks sheâs entitled to. This is similar to how she treated Ben, when he didnât reciprocate her feelings or appreciate what she was doing for him, she poisoned him. She hurts her patients out of frustration and to âpunishâ them, perhaps with the hope they will be more âgratefulâ next time, and to assert control over them.
There is a pattern with Mistyâs relationships, where she desperately seeks the approval and appreciation of others, to any means possible. She wants to take care of others, and be seen as helpful and valuable. That is something we see both as a teen and as an adult. She will go as far as engineer problems herself in order to âfixâ them so she can appear as helpful, for example when she harmed Ben so heâd have to rely on her more, or when she sabotaged Natâs car so she could drive her. Even her choice of career, a geriatric nurse, put her in a position where her patients have no other choice but to rely on her. She enjoys when people are dependent on her, especially if they are in a vulnerable state and do need her help. If someone refuses her help, she will make sure that they do, even if she needs to hurt them to do so. She has no interest in people who she canât take care of, like Walter, hence why their relationship couldnât last. She will also lose interest in people who clearly express that they wonât give her the appreciation she desires, no matter how much she helps them, like with Shauna. And possibly some of her patients whom she deemed ungrateful and therefore, she has no issue mistreating. Mistyâs relationships with others are very self-serving, what she looks for are people who need her and will make her feel appreciated and useful. Anyone else is essentially irrelevant to her, at worst they are nuisances and at best, they are tools she can use whenever she needs, or dispose of if they becomea threat to her. The only people she values are those she views as friends, and even those âfriendshipsâ are conditional.Â
Outside of friendships, Misty is someone who desperately wants to âbelongâ. She wants to be part of a group and be accepted, and seen as useful and valuable by her peers, as well as appreciated. That is probably why she wanted to join the Yellowjackets, to belong somewhere and have people who need her. Even if she was put in the equipment management, she does value the Yellowjackets and her role within the group. She wants to please and be liked, even if she is oblivious to people disliking her. That is something she carries as an adult, where she joined the Citizens Detective, a group that gives her a sense of purpose by solving crimes. She doesnât seem to view any of them as friends though, but when she needs a favor, she will use them, often taking advantage of the men in the group who seem to be interested in her. She, however, doesnât seem to share their interest, but will use their skills whenever she needs them.
We do see some differences between teen Misty and adult Misty, as well as the natural progression of some personality traits as a teen into adulthood. Teen Mistyâs actions, even the most reprehensible ones, feel more ânaiveâ. There is a certain innocence in what she does, because of her young age and how she doesnât fully understand that what she is doing is often wrong. There doesnât seem to be actual malice, and most of her more callous actions feel like sheâd view them as a ânecessary evilâ (for example, letting Javi die to save Natalie). Teen Misty seems more ruled by her emotions, more impulsive in her decisions, and more likely to panic when she commits a mistake. She is also more sensitive to others, or at least, more sympathetic to those she views as friends. She does seem to suffer more from being ostracized, more aware that she is seen as odd by others. She even considers that there might be something wrong with her, even referring to herself as a âfreakâ once. She does seem more aware of the negative impacts her actions have.
Adult Misty however, does not seem to even entertain the thought she might be wrong, or consider herself a bad person. She even accused other people of being bad, such as Jessica Roberts, while being completely oblivious that what she is doing is also bad. She doesnât view her actions as a ânecessary evilâ, she just views her actions as ârightâ. She didnât see an issue with killing Jessica, and when confronted about this. She never saw an issue with how she tried to kill Lisa too, she only regretted it because she accidentally killed Nat instead. But no acknowledgement of wrongdoing regarding her initial intent. If adult Misty still thinks there is something wrong with her, or views herself as a freak, it doesnât seem to affect her anymore, because she thinks what she does is right anyway. She does seem less affected by being ostracized, or perhaps she notices it less now. She views the surviving Yellowjackets as close friends, possibly even more than when she was a teen, so she possibly doesnât even consider the possibility they might not like her. While she is still impulsive as an adult and prone to emotional outbursts, she has better control over her impulses and emotions, something she probably had to learn as she grew older. She is more calculating and has become better at manipulating people, and a bit colder than she used to be as a teen.
So, we have a fairly negative profile of Misty as an individual. She is a dangerous person who causes non-negligible harm to those around her, without much concern for others unless it benefits her. Her actions, harmful or otherwise, are guided by a deep need of being appreciated by others, instead of genuine malicious intentions. But, in her quest of getting that validation and being âhelpfulâ, she ends up causing more harm than good in the long run, and sometimes she can get cruel towards others if she doesnât get what she wants.
But why is Misty the way she is? What led her to this path? Well, weâd have to go back to her childhood. People are, for the most part, the product of their environment. If I am right that Misty is on the autism spectrum, then this is something she is born with, itâs innate. But, if Iâm right about her having ASPD (and possibly HPD too), this is not innate. Personality disorders, even if they can have genetic disposition, are usually caused by the environment and trauma. As discussed before, we donât know much about Mistyâs childhood, but I do believe she might have been raised by parents who were either neglectful or emotionally abusive. It would explain a lot about how Misty turned out this way. She might have felt unappreciated at home, which resulted in her desperately seeking appreciation from others to compensate for something she lacked growing up. If she is autistic and is undiagnosed, then she probably had specific needs that went unanswered and ignored, contributing to this craving for attention and validation from others. Also, we do know she was bullied, and it makes sense if, as an undiagnosed autistic child, she was considered odd by other kids and therefore an easy target. This would further her feeling of being unappreciated by others, and reinforcing her need to find people who would appreciate her. Conduct disorder and later ASPD can be a way to cope with that kind of trauma, where we feel constantly under attack, as a way to protect oneself. Itâs hard to feel empathy for others when you yourself werenât shown empathy from others. And those traits were exacerbated by the time she spent in the wilderness. Misty is someone who grew up being different, and being bullied for it, so in turn she began to compensate by trying to be useful to those around her, and be part of a group. Because if people appreciate her and value her, then they wonât bully her or ostracize her anymore. And this kind of thinking led to her becoming the person she is as an adult, who is willing to do anything to feel needed and loved, even at the expense of others.
In conclusion, I do believe it is very likely that Misty has both autism and ASPD, with perhaps HPD. A lot of her behaviors are explained through those conditions. I do need, however, to clarify that this isn't entirely because of those conditions that someone would end up being that way, and that most people with those conditions do not become dangerous and/or criminals. If Misty hadnât experienced the trauma she went through in the wilderness and if she had received the support and psychological help she clearly needed as a teen, she could have turned out differently. But, with Misty being undiagnosed and never receiving the help she needed, those traits went unchecked and became worse over time, resulting in the adult she is now. A dangerous person who causes more harm than good to those around her. It is true that Misty started up as a victim, and we can sympathize with her and understand why she ended up the way she is. But she is now the victimizer towards people who are innocent, including her patients, and that is not justifiable.
But as viewers, she is an entertaining character. So this isnât me having a moral judgement on her or trying to âhold her accountableâ (she is fictional, we canât do that), this is simply my observation of her character within the fictional universe she belongs in.Â
This analysis was written after season 3 finished airing and before season 4, so I might do an update whenever season 4 finishes airing. Perhaps we will learn more about Misty in the final season, especially regarding her past. Until then, stay tuned, and thank you for reading until the end. Please donât hesitate to comment, regardless of whether you agree or disagree with me.Â
Bonus: Melanie Lynskey referring to Misty as a "sociopath or psychopath, or something" in an interview with Christina Ricci, and Sammi Hanratty saying she thinks Misty is "on the spectrum".















