Teen Wolf Season 3, Episode 3: "Fireflies" Recap/Review
This week's episode, despite being a filler episode to set up more drama for next week, was still pretty awesome to watch, tbh. I read some people who really noticed how obvious the CGI, greenscreen, and slow-mo fight scenes were, but to me, that is part of what makes Teen Wolf awesome and kind of hilarious. It's an MTV show, it's obviously going to be campy and cheesy as hell. Annnyway, there is plenty of action going on this week, despite how much time it took to get those runaway werewolves under control, so let's get moving, yeah?
Previously, on Teen Wolf: Stiles' childhood BFF Heather was kidnapped by a phantom or other beastie just before she was about to swipe her v-card at his register, if you know what I mean. Allison realized that her and Lydia's weird-shaped forearm bruises from Braeden are actually part the logo of an abandoned bank. Scott, Derek and Stiles came to the same conclusion, via more-or-less torturing a (willing) Isaac in order to access his repressed memories. Derek and Scott went to rescue Boyd and Erica, but instead, they found Boyd and Derek's younger sister Cora, who he thought died six years ago in the Hale fire and hadn't been seen since. Boyd and Cora had been prevented from turning for three months due to the material the bank vault was made of, so they are extra 'roid-ragey and rabid as hell. Derek and Scott ended up in a trap and were locked in with Boyd and Cora, which almost killed Scott; fortunately, Allison (who happened to break in the vault herself, and stumble across Erica's dead body [!!!] in a supply closet) managed to save them. Unfortunately, by doing so, Allison accidentally released the bloodthirsty Boyd and Cora from within the confines of the vault, and as you can imagine, they immediately got loose and rushed off to ravage the town for the rest of the full moon. Derek yelled at Scott multiple times to tell Allison what really happened the night Derek accidentally bit her, and eventually brought it up in front of her so Scott would have no choice but to tell her the truth. Finally, Lydia, per usual, wakes up screaming hysterically for reasons we do not yet know. Now, onto this week's episode!
The cold open begins with a young boy and his slightly older sister, who are running around catching (CGI) fireflies in jars. The sister sasses her brother a bit as they run around the woods with absolutely no parental supervision. They act as though there has never been mysterious animal attack-related deaths in this town! The little boy moves away from where his sister is for a bit as he searches for more lightning bugs. He stops and sees a weird shadowy figure a little ways away, which happens to be Boyd, who is fully wolfed-out, and whose shirt is completely shredded from the night's events. He crouches down growls menacingly at the kid.
The boy understandably runs the fuck away, and grabs his sister so they can hightail it to a conveniently-located, but shabbily-built shed. The shed has holes rotted in it in various places and is barely standing, so the two kids worry that it's not going to be enough to keep him out. Sure enough, Boyd skulks around the outside of the shed, peeks into one of the holes in the wall, and then just fully lifts the shed off the ground and throws it several hundred feet away, as if it were made of plastic and not corrugated steel. These children are clearly terrified, but suddenly, a jar of fireflies rolls towards Boyd's feet, and the fireflies fly out attack his face like killer bees! Boyd is so distracted by these harmless glowing insects that he doesn't even notice when Scott swoops in like the IRL superhero he is to whisk the children off to safety.
We meet back up with Scott moments later, as he calls Derek to explain that he lost track of Boyd and Cora. Derek's like, "Are you fucking kidding me with this shit? That wasn't the plan!" but Scott decides that it's better if they stick together. Derek eventually agrees to meet him at the entrance to the nature preserve after Scott drops "something" off, first. That "something" is actually the two terrified children who are currently clinging to his arm. Oh Scott, you lovable puppy, you. TITLE CARD!
After the break, we visit Lydia's bedroom, what appears to be shortly after she woke up screaming in "Chaos Rising," since this episode seems to be picking right back up where we left off last week. Teen Wolf's timeline is crazy, I don't know why I bother trying to keep up with it. Lydia rubs her temples and reaches for a bottle of ibuprofen on her nightstand, but it's empty. The nurse in me worries for her stomach lining; NSAIDs will give you ulcers in high doses! And that's not to mention the roughly 30% of people who develop kidney disease/failure from over-medicating with Advil/Aleve/other NSAIDs. Take it easy, girlfriend.
She doesn't listen to me, though, and instead chooses to put on her coat and yell to her mom to inform her that she's going to the store for more pain relievers. Her mom is nowhere to be found, though, because with the exception of Scott and Stiles, these children are quite literally raised by wolves. (And even Mama McCall and Papas Stilinski and Argent work like twenty-four hours a day anyway, so their children are still always unsupervised.) Lydia mutters under her breath that obviously her mom isn't awake/around, otherwise she would have heard her yelling like a "lunatic." As she speaks, she looks out the window to notice that it's a full moon and ties it to her use of the word "lunatic", as it is a type of madness caused by the moon. Lydia, WHAT IS YOUR DEAL?
Scott and Derek are running really fast through the woods, doing flips out of trees and rolling on the ground and other acrobatics that seem to be pretty typical of this season. To be honest, I would DEFINITELY do the same thing if I had super-speed, senses and reflexes, in addition to the ability to quickly heal from injuries. I can barely do a cartwheel without hurting myself somehow, since I was born without grace or coordination of any kind.
(via carlosfsmaraujo)
The boys notice other footprints in the mud/dirt, and Derek concludes that they're not the only ones who decided to stick together tonight. Scott confesses that he had to save a bunch of children from becoming Boyd's midnight snack, and asks Derek if he and Cora are really going to try to kill everyone they see tonight. Derek amends that sentence to "everyone and anyone," which does nothing to make Scott feel less worried and guilty.
Lydia gets out of her car in a parking lot as she's reading or texting or something on her phone. She doesn't realize that she's not actually at the store until she looks up from her phone, when she finally realizes she has, in fact, arrived at the town's swimming pool. She's weirded out at the fact that she zoned out and drove to some random place instead of her intended destination, but instead of turning around and going home and vowing never to leave the house again, she decides to take a look around. Upon closer inspection, she sees what looks like a body floating in the pool, and shrieks loudly in terror.
She hysterically starts to mumble, "please don't be dead please don't be dead" over and over as she walks toward the pool, and actually has the ovaries to REACH INTO THE WATER and flip the body over to reveal that it's actually a CPR dummy or something, and not a real person. At first she looks relieved as hell, which then turns to frustration when she remembers how terrified she was when she thought it actually WAS a dead person.
She takes a beat to catch her breath and wrings her hands, and when she looks down, she realizes that her hands are covered in mystery blood. ACK! There are lots of high-pitched violin squeaks, so you know something bad is happening/about to happen. She turns around to find a pool of blood next to her, and as she follows the trail of it, she finds a bloodied body perched in the lifeguard's chair. She shrieks and yells and screams bloody murder, pun intended. I want so badly to know what's going on with her, but I really just wish she had more of a role than just screaming. Poor Lydia!
Allison is sitting in her car, her face cold as stone, as she flash-backs to a couple hours earlier when she was in the vault with Scott and Derek. In this memory, Scott FINALLY admits that Derek got into the fight with her mom because he was trying to save Scott from being killed by Mama Argent via a vaporizer filled with wolfsbane. Plus, Derek was ALREADY injured after being shot up with even more wolfsbane and tasered by a group of hunters, who were led by Papa Argent, so biting her was pretty much the only tool he had in his arsenal with as weak as he was at the time.
She takes it much better than expected and simply asks why he didn't tell her. (To be fair, Allison, you didn't really give him much opportunity, between pointing a cross-bow at him, stabbing the hell out of his friends, shooting dozens of arrows into his wolf pack, breaking up with him, and then leaving the country immediately afterward for the entire summer) He promises her that he will tell her anything she wants to know, but that right now, he needs to wrangle the runaway wolves to protect the town. She maintains that she just wants to know why he kept it from her, so he confesses that he couldn't bear to tell her something like that because he didn't want her last memory of her mom to be of her being a killer. (Now, to be fair to Allison, Mama Argent had pretty much always been that way, but I get it why he'd want to hide it from her, anyway, as we often want to see the best in our parents despite having flaws that are obvious to others.)
Just then, Derek walks in, even more stone-faced than usual, as he carries ERICA'S DEAD BODY, which effectively cuts off their conversation. Derek looks like he's going to cry, which makes ME want to cry, and omg this is the saddest thing. ERICAAAAA. Luckily this is the last we acknowledge of Erica's death in this episode, because I'm emotionally vulnerable enough at this point. Still, I'm hoping we'll get answers at some point later on about the actual details of her death. Right now, though, Derek and most of the Teen Wolf fandom is like, "Don't touch me! Don't even look at me!"
Back in the present, Allison pulls an arrowhead out of the glove box of her car, and twirls it so it catches the light like some kind of gorgeous crystal. Pretty! Here comes Allison Argent the badass, whom I have missed terribly. And, she's not totally homicidal either! It's a perfect compromise. YES! Get it, my warrior princess!
Now we're in a tent somewhere in the woods, where a cute, but unknown girl decorates the inside of her tent by lighting candles and hanging these awesome strings of lantern lights. I'm digging that this show is so cool about having gay and lesbian characters who aren't defined solely by their sexuality, but I'm a little sad that he didn't use the gay character we already have (Danny!) for a scene like this. On the other hand, women loving women relationships are important in television, although not so much for the purpose of being killed off, and likewise, I love Danny (everybody loves Danny!), so I don't want what is inevitably about to happen to one of these girls to happen to him. So, I guess I'll just move on and quit complaining.
Girlfriend flicks it away so she can get back to more smooching, but after a few moments, Emily notices that the outside of their tent is COVERED in huge, gross bugs! My worst nightmare! Emily freaks out while I gag and shiver in the comfort of my own bug-free home. She runs outside and flees the campsite, as she flicks at the bugs and shakes her arms and legs to get the approximately ten bazillion bugs off of her person. Eventually, Emily gets so overcome by the enormous number of what appear to be scarab beetles crawling in her direction, that she trips and falls on the ground in a heap. The beetles move in a huge wave toward her, and eventually cover her completely. After a moment, the beetles scatter, but Emily has completely disappeared.
Emily's girlfriend tries to chase after her, but apparently she runs in the wrong direction, because Emily is nowhere to be found. She hears growling behind her, and is totally shocked to see a werewolf behind her. Oh shit, it's Cora! Totally wolfed-out! We don't often see girl werewolves with their full wolf-face, do we? I think we only saw Erica's once, if I recall correctly, during her first full moon. Remember, when Derek got his ass torn apart when he tried to lock them in that subway car that they lived in for a while? Now that I think about it, Cora and Erica are only two of the three female werewolves that we've actually seen on this show, so I guess we haven't had much opportunity to see their wolf faces.
Anyway, Girlfriend is seriously freaked out at the sight of Cora, but IRL angel-pup Isaac appears out of nowhere in a dapper jacket/scarf combo to save the day! He crouches down so and grins wolfishly (pun intended) at Cora before he lunges for her. Keep it in your pants, Lahey! We've got bigger problems right now! He manages to fully smack her the fuck down, and looks SO impressed at his fighting skills as he gazes at her on the ground. Unfortunately for him, this distraction gives Cora the opportunity to flip herself back onto her feet, and pushes Isaac so hard that he flies up against the tree. We can hear bones crunch as his spine makes contact with a thick branch. Ouch!
No worries, though! Scott and Derek finally swoop in to help, though Boyd also appears to back up Cora, and all five of the wolves growl at each other a little bit before they eventually scare Cora and Boyd into running away. Derek and Isaac immediately chase after them, but Scott hangs back to do the hero routine with the clearly distraught Girlfriend. He holds his hands up in a non-threatening manner and gently asks her if she's okay. She nods, but her eyes are screaming, "FUCK NO I'M NOT OKAY, WTF IS HAPPENING?" Scott urges her to GTFO of the woods, PRONTO, and gives her a sympathetic right before he sprints away to catch up with his bros.
Sidebar: What is the climate in Beacon Hills? I assumed they were in northern California, so I figured it does get cold there, unlike say, Los Angeles, but I don't think I've ever seen a character not bundled up in at least a hoodie and jeans during any part of the year. In this episode, Isaac is wearing the aforementioned jacket and scarf, though that's completely understandable, as he is probably still feeling the effects of hypothermia from being frozen in an ice bath. Scott is wearing his usual henley and jeans, and Derek is wearing a t-shirt with jeans. Stiles is wearing a hoodie, as always and Lydia is wearing a pea coat over her skirt and blouse. I don't get it, shouldn't it be like September at the earliest? Ohio isn't exactly NorCal, but even here in the Mideast it stays at pretty summery-temperatures (mid-70s to 90 degrees) until like, October at the very EARLIEST.
Over at the swimming pool, Stiles pulls up in his Jeep and runs to Lydia. He asks if she's okay, and though she says she is, she adds that the dead body she found really isn't doing so hot. He takes one look at it and is like, "Yeah, I guess I should probably make up a story and call my dad, huh?" but Lydia's just like, "Uh, what do you think I did as soon as I found it? Stiles is super offended that her first instinct wasn't to call HIM when she found the body, and when she's shrieks, "I'm supposed to call you first when I find a dead body?", he TOTALLY yells, "YESSSSSS!", right in her face. Dude, dial it down a notch! This is no time for dramatics!
We cut quickly to Scott, who is still in the woods with Derek and Isaac, and who is on the phone with Stiles. As expected, Stiles is totally freaking out about this current situation, and compares the scene around him to The Shining. Scott asks him if Stiles can examine the body a little closer to make sure that the guy's throat was actually ripped out by a werewolf, and not some other regular murderer, but Stiles doesn't think there's anyone else who could have done it. You know, because Beacon Hills is really lacking in mysterious cases with causes of death they can't explain and all. Anyway, as Stiles is examining the body (as closely as he can without vomiting, anyway), he notices the guy is wearing a purity ring on his left hand.
Derek argues that he doesn't understand how Boyd and Cora could be moving so quickly on foot, since the pool is on the other side of the woods, and neither of them haven't tracked the two anywhere near that area yet. Scott, struggling to figure out who else it could be at this point, is more concerned with the fact that some innocent person is actually DIED as a result of something that they did. Derek is feeling super guilty about everything, and murmurs that it is his fault. Scott doesn't disagree, but insists that they need backup. Derek reminds him that Isaac is with them now, so they have plenty of help. Isaac gets SUPER offended when Scott suggests that they need more than just him. Aw, Isaac, you're a much better werewolf now than you were that first full moon! I'd say you're just as helpful as anyone else.
(via selfishpromise)
Scott, in part to soothe Isaac's ego, points out that Boyd and Cora are too strong, juiced-up, and rabid to catch easily. Derek grumbles that they'll figure out a way to get a hold of them, but Isaac brings up a very legitimate point: even if they ARE able to catch them, what are they going to do after that? Hold them down until the sun rises? Derek doesn't have any other solutions, and sadly wonders aloud if maybe it'd be best/easiest to just kill them. Scott doesn't think that's the right thing to do, either, though, because Boyd and Cora didn't ask to be kidnapped and starved from the full moon for months, and thus shouldn't be punished for it. Isaac, however, seems pretty partial to Derek's idea, since they seem to be lacking in better options. Scott's big plan is to bring in someone who knows how to hunt and trap werewolves. Oh shit, you know what that means! Hello, Daddy Argent!
Speaking of daddies, Sheriff Stilinski and a female deputy are talking to Girlfriend from earlier, whose name we learn is Caitlin. Stilinski's partner, Deputy Graeme, asks if she and Emily were drinking. They weren't, but Caitlin admits that they did split a tab of ecstasy. The Stilinski reminds her that MDMA has been known to cause hallucinations, not to mention whatever it was possibly laced with, but Caitlin is pretty bummed that they don't believe her when she says that she saw a girl with fangs and claws and glowing eyes.
Stilinski changes the subject and informs her that they're going to take her to the hospital for tests so they can find out exactly what she took. Deputy Graeme adds that they'll need her to give them better descriptions of the "three guys" she saw, too. When Stilinski and Deputy Graeme move off to the side to confab, we can tell by Graeme's tone that she doesn't really buy Caitlin's story. Stilinski, on the other hand, seems to be much more open to the idea that there's something more going on, and insists that Caitlin definitely saw SOMETHING. I think he's starting to catch on to the supernatural happenings, and I really hope that he figures it out, sooner rather than later. It'd be a lot better for all involved parties if he knew what was going on, at the very least so he could cover for the kids when supernatural shit goes down.
Back in town, Daddy Argent is in the parking lot of some grocery store, fumbling around a bit as he loads a couple bags of groceries into the back of his SUV and complaining under his breath when he, naturally, drops the one bag that has the eggs in it. When he's finally all packed up, he closes the trunk, pulls out his handgun and points it directly at Scott's head without even looking to see who it is. Yikes, easy, Argent! Scott's like, "Uhhhh hi?" which seems to help calm him down a tiny bit.
(both gifs via summcohen)
A couple cars away, Derek and Isaac are chilling in Derek's new SUV, discussing whether or not they think Scott can convince Argent to help. Needless to say, neither of them are very optimistic about their odds. Isaac awkwardly brings up Derek's sister, which earns him the most adorable side-eye/bitch-face combo that I've ever seen from Derek. Keep it in your pants, Lahey! Needless to say, Isaac quickly and wisely shuts up about it without Derek having to say a word. Aw, I like them being buds. Derek needs people who will sass him a bit, and make him less of a sour-wolf.
(via sergenycl)
Argent reminds Scott that he doesn't give one single fuck about anyone related to Derek, and adds that he doesn't even know anything about Boyd, either, so why should he help them? Scott fills him in on Boyd's actual name (Vernon Boyd IV, which, yikes! What a name!) and after a few moments, he politely asks Argent why he's still pointing his gun at his skull. Chris admits that there's probably still a part of him who wants to shoot him, and Scott just shrugs and earnestly replies, "I get that."
Disarmed by Scott's puppy-like demeanor, Argent reluctantly stashes his gun away, before he explains why he can't get involved again-- the hunting world (and thus, the werewolf world) ruined his family by killing both his sister and his wife, not to mention what became of his dad, Grandpa Murder. He's also feeling super guilty about Allison's behavior last season, and his role in it, which is why he is so hesitant to be pulled right back into that mess. Still, even super-hunter Chris Argent can't resist Scott's puppy face! Scott emotionally manipulates him into helping them by innocently asking for a ride to the crime scene at the swimming pool. Once they've arrived, Argent sees the body bag on a stretcher being loaded into an ambulance, and his hunter instincts and intense desire for justice kick in to the point where he can't not get involved. Resigned to his role as team leader for this mission, he sighs and asks Scott where they last saw Boyd and Cora.
They all meet there, which is a spot a ways inside the preserve from the entrance, and which is where Argent asks how they've been tracking them. Scott informs him that the gang has been following them by footprint, but Mr. Argent, the super-hunter, pooh-poohs their little attempts at tracking in this manner. He explains that only man, a trained man, at that, can track and read footprints. He demonstrates this statement by pointing out Boyd's footprints; as he starts to point out the next set, Isaac interrupts him to proudly state that the footprints are Cora's, causing Argent to TOTALLY school him by smugly retorting that they're actually ISAAC'S, because he accidentally trampled over Cora's prints when he joined them. Whoops!
(both gifs via westtly)
Derek declines the goggles he was offered, and demonstrates that he has his own by flashing his red Alpha-eyes. Argent finishes his lecture by stating that they shouldn't underestimate Boyd and Cora, because though their human side is suppressed, it IS still there, so they're still capable of intelligent thought regarding surviving and evading capture. As he speaks, we see the two splashing through puddles to drown out their scent as they dart around the woods. Drama!
The music shifts to intense orchestral mission-music as the four men walk purposefully through the woods, lit perfectly under the moonlight. They look like the Backstreet Boys of fucking werewolf-werewolf-hunters. It is dramatic and cheesy and perfect.
(gif by salvatore-vampire)
As they stand, looking out over the city from Look-Out Point, Argent asks Derek when he last saw his sister, but Derek replies that it's been years, and awkwardly admits that he thought she died in the fire. Was that a pang of guilt that crossed Argent's face? Guilt-by-proxy since it was Kate who caused the fire in the first place? Anyway, Argent assumes that Derek probably wouldn't have a lock on her scent, then, and asks Scott about his confidence in his own sniffing abilities. Scott confesses that he spends most his time and energy ignoring most of what he smells. Totally understandable, Scott! You're in high school, and teenage boys smell super gross 98% of the time.
Unfortunately, this is Beacon Hills, which is only beat by Mystic Fall and Sunnydale in the "most supernaturally-fucked-up fictional towns" rankings, so of course this is the night that Ms. Blake decided to pull an all-nighter and grade papers in her classroom. Oh Jennifer, my beloved, you are in for a terrible nightmare of an evening/early morning.
Daddy Argent has pulled out these crazy chrome-looking baton things, called "ultra-sonic emitters," which emit an extremely high-pitched noise that only werewolves can hear. He demonstrates how they work by pushing the button on top, which automatically has our makeshift wolf-pack grabbing their ears in agony. (Future Emily edit: it's so weird how the episodes are cut in different ways! In the initial airing of this episode, which I downloaded shortly afterwards to reference while writing this recap, and which was the version MTV aired, you just see the boys wincing and bending over with their hands over their ears when Argent uses the emitters. However, in the DVD version, you can hear Isaac's voice dubbed over it saying, "Turn it off! Turn it off!" Interesting!)
We transition into a dramatic montage of the wolves (plus their hunter accomplice) running around, doing flips and throwing those glowsticks into trees. Argent, the pro that he is, lazily drops his emitter out of the window of his SUV and into the ground below. This whole scene is set to epic orchestral music, like in Indiana Jones, and it is amazing in it's cheesiness. I seriously eat this shit up, and happily.
Meanwhile, Boyd and Cora run around the woods, occasionally gazing at the moon and howling a whole bunch. Our makeshift pack of misfit wolves and Daddy Argent meet up in front of the school, where they wish reeeeeeeeaaaaaaaalllllllllyyyyyyyyy hard that their plan doesn't go completely to shit. (I tried to find gifs for these scenes but couldn't find any except for one of Isaac. I'll edit them in if I end up stumbling across some!)
Stiles is walking Lydia to her bedroom to make sure she gets home safely, much to her chagrin. She points out that she had a police escort, but Stiles counters that he's seen firsthand how incompetent the Beacon Hills police force is. Word, dude. Although, if they knew what was up, supernaturally, they might not be so useless.
And of course, speak of the devil and he doth appear. As Derek is placing one of the last glow sticks, Peter waltzes out of the woods and starts talking in dramatic riddles, per usual, all, "And the hunter becomes the hunted!" Derek's not really in the mood, and reminds Peter that he's not exactly doing much to help them out himself. As you can probably guess, he doesn't like Derek's plan, both because he thinks it sucks, and because he thinks it's a waste of Derek's time and energy. "I'm personally trying to cut down on futile endeavors," he drawls, since we all know Peter doesn't like getting involved in fights unless he knows for sure that he can win them.
Derek informs him that Cora's alive, and weirdly, Peter doesn't seem that happy or shocked about it, he just acknowledges that he heard, and deadpans that they should hold off on the reunion until after she's done being homicidal. Did he know this whole time that Cora was alive and kicking? Why isn't he more surprised? What is Peter's deal, man? Derek's sure he can catch Boyd and Cora, but Peter's tone is slightly superior as he patronizingly explains that this is exactly what Deucalion was planning on-- the whole point of this exercise is that Derek was supposed to kill Boyd and Cora, thus eliminating two of his packmates and making him that much closer to finishing off his pack, which is a requirement to join the Alpha Pack like Deucalion wants him to do.
Derek doesn't seem to physically respond to this revelation; he just states that he's not cool with innocent people dying. Peter literally says, "Let Scott deal with it. Let Scott be the hero of his morally black-and-white world. The real survivors-- you, and me-- we live in shades of gray." Derek's face breaks my heart, because you can tell he's definitely considering it, but really doesn't want to, and he knows that he shouldn't because Scott says they shouldn't and, at the end of the day, he trusts Scott, just like Isaac does.
Peter breaks it down for him: he has to either let his feral Betas kill a couple of randoms until the full moon is over, OR, he can kill said Betas (and the others, Isaac and Scott) and join the Alphas. He even adds that he's still an Alpha, no matter what happens, and reminds him that he can always make more werewolves, if worse comes to worst. Because that worked so well the first time, too. Jesus, talk about history repeating. Also, shouldn't Peter be a little less okay with Derek killing all his Betas, considering Peter is technically one of those Betas? I mean, he made a big point at the end of last season of saying that he needed an Alpha because of his weakened state, and Derek needed a Beta to get added strength to his pack as well.
Over at the hospital, Stiles meets up with Mama McCall, who takes him down to the morgue and threatens slow and painful death on him if he tells anyone she took him there. Stiles is like, "Um, why am I here? I was the one who found the body," but Melissa informs him that he didn't see all of it. I really don't like the sound of that, tbh.
She shows him the body, who has been strangled, in addition to having his throat slashed. They both agree that these injuries aren't very characteristic of werewolf killing, since it's not like they're torn to shreds. She then shows him the guy's head, which appears to have been bashed in with some kind of blunt object. As usual, Stiles almost pukes when he sees the wound. "Is that brain matter? Yeah, of course, it's brain matter..." Melissa explains that any one of these three injuries could have killed him, so someone REALLY wanted him to be dead. Stiles determines it couldn't have been Boyd or Cora, since they would have nommed on them instead of going through all the trouble of strangling, beating, and slashing the throat of the victim. He suggests that maybe it was just a coincidental random murder, but unfortunately, Melissa reveals that there's another body that was recently found, who has the same injuries.
Back at the school, Isaac and Scott break the front doors to the school open before they meet up with Argent again in the parking lot. Scott and Argent get distracted when they see a couple more fireflies flying around, which seems to concern the latter. Scott asks him what the deal is, so Argent informs him that Californian lightning bugs don't glow. Is that actually true? What's the point of being a firefly if you don't glow? We don't get to learn why the appearance of actually-glowing fireflies is unnerving, because Boyd and Cora's howls cut through the air to give them a heads up that they're getting close. We cut to Boyd and Cora, who hop a fence and take off towards the school. Inside, Derek has planted himself in the middle of the main hallway, and whips out his claws in preparation for yet another smackdown.
Isaac is standing out front when hears growling directly behind him. He deadpans "Oh, great," before he turns around and gets ready to lunge toward them. Argent pulls his SUV around to the front to help Isaac out, and drives toward the wayward werewolves as he honks his horn. The headlights blind all three of them for a moment, and Boyd and Cora growl at Argent menacingly before they're scared off and run towards the entrance to the school. They are almost over the threshold when they see Derek inside, which spooks them so badly that they decide it's better to jump OVER the school instead of running through it. It's kind of like when you're a little kid and you do something you know will piss off your parents, so instead of facing them, you decide to find yourself a hidey hole until they get over it. It never works, though.
(via isaacllahey )
(via beautifulwolfsins)
She gently reminds him that he needs to call his dad, since he's a witness and will need to give a statement, but Stiles gets distracted as he starts putting the pieces together-- the dead dude from the pool had a purity ring, and Heather was snatched up right before she was about to do sex to Stiles, after talking about not wanting to be "a seventeen-year-old virgin," which seems to be a pretty obvious pattern. He finally breaks out of his reverie and frantically asks Melissa if they had any more bodies or missing people come in today. LOL, Stiles, if they're missing, then... they're missing. They're not coming in. But you're upset, so I give you a pass. She tells him there are no other bodies, but that Caitlin, the girl from the woods, came in with the Sheriff for a tox screen. Melissa then adds that Caitlin mentioned that her girlfriend, Emily, was missing. Stiles is insistent on talking to her, and when Melissa starts to reject that idea, he exclaims that he thinks he knows what's happening.
Dun dun dunnnnnn. Now we get virgins who are dying, rather than all those promiscuous fornicators who normally die in horror movies. Nice touch, Teen Wolf! Stiles better get on that whole sexy times thing, quickly. I'm sure there's already about a million fics out there at this point of Derek boning Stiles to protect him from whatever virgin-killing boogeyman is out there right now as we speak.
Over at Beacon Hills High, the dudes are all regrouping to figure out how to get Boyd and Cora back into the school. They decide to break open the rear door and somehow lure them back in, so Isaac makes the executive decision to do it, because he's faster than Argent and his cattle-prod-taser. With those long legs of his, I absolutely believe it tbh. I'm so jealous of tall people, gods. :(
(via tuperting)
So much for that! Isaac should be getting all kinds of ladies, but as cute as I find Daniel Sharman and Crystal Reed to be in their real-life relationship, I can't deny that I'm a little concerned about what their budding relationship will do to each of their friendships with Scott. We'll cross that bridge when we come to it, I guess! I have to admit that if it were not for Scott, I would be totally into this pairing, because they're my faves.
Inside the school, Scott and Derek have cornered Boyd and Cora, and are quickly joined by Argent, ridiculous cattle prod-taser thing in hand. Derek literally taunts them with a "Come and get us!", before he and Scott run down the stairs to the boiler room to lure Cora and Boyd there.
The boiler room is pitch black, and all we can see is two sets of golden wolf eyes, which look like fireflies fluttering around. Nice visual, DP! After a few moments of them looking around, Derek and Scott hop out of nowhere and spray the rabid twosome (I'm running out of ways to describe them, and I'm already sick of typing their names out so often) with fire extinguishers before running outside. Derek quickly pushes the door closed and locks it by bolting it shut. He leans against the door for a few moments as the wolf cubs beat on it from the other side, and he slowly backs away from the door to see if it will hold. Amazingly, it does!
Scott is completely shocked, and exclaims, "Did that seriously just work?" Derek looks as overjoyed as he has ever looked, and admits that it did, and Scott looks like he's about to actually kiss Derek in happiness and relief. Derek relaxes and leans against the corner of the hall, and tbh, he looks like he's about to pee his pants from relief/exhaustion that for once, their plan wasn't an epic failure.
Of course, you and I actually watch this show, so we know that it's not going to be that easy. Scott looks as though he hears something, and focuses his hearing on it. Derek notices, and asks him what he hears, worrying that maybe one of the feral wolves killed the other or something. Scott admits that he's hearing heartbeats, but unfortunately, there are THREE sets of heartbeats inside the boiler room, not just two. Ohhhh fuck!
The boiler room apparently also doubles for a supply closet, so naturally, Ms. Blake just happened to be inside collecting some packages of paper and pencils when she is startled by some strange noises. SHIT.
Hospital: Stiles has managed to sneak in to talk to Caitlin, with Melissa keeping lookout in the doorway. Caitlin tells him that she has been in a relationship with Emily for three months, and that they were camping tonight because they were trying to have a romantic evening, since they don't get any privacy at their own homes. Stiles presumes that it was going to be their first times having sex, which Caitlin reluctantly confirms. She asks if the police are going to find her, and Stiles and Melissa's facial expressions are not at all reassuring.
Back to the school. Derek has reached Elena Gilbert or Bonnie Bennett-levels of martyrdom and survivor's guilt, and is ready to enter the boiler room in order to save the teacher from the wolf bbs. He instructs Scott to lock the door behind him and keep it shut, but, of course, Scott is not at ALL a fan of this plan. He makes an excellent point when he reminds Derek that if he goes in there by himself, he will have no choice but to either kill Boyd and Cora, or be killed by them. Derek replies somberly that that's the reason why he is going in alone-- to make sure no one else dies-- and opens the door and slips in to avoid having to argue with him anymore. Scott sighs and sadly locks the door again, knowing that now that Derek's basically made the decision for him, he has to back his play.
Ms. Blake has just run into Boyd and Cora, who are growling at her and generally being really intimidating. She's just kind of cowering in fear in a corner when Derek swoops in to fight them and give her a chance to flee. As they battle, she manages to slip behind a chain-link door and hide behind a bunch of bookshelves.
Upstairs, Argent and Isaac can hear the growling, and they run towards the sounds from their respective locations.
Cora, Derek, and Boyd are duking it out, and Derek's holding his own, for once. He manages to get each of them in a choke-hold, one in each hand, and he growls at them like the fucking Alpha he is. Unfortunately, this leaves his midsection vulnerable to their claws, and the two Betas end up turning him into a literal scratching post. As they tear into his torso, he crouches down, bleeding all over the place and looking so defeated that you almost for a second think he might actually end up dying. Almost. But, we know better, because Derek never ever dies. NEVER.
Isaac is running through the halls, shouting for Scott, when he notices the light shining through the window. He shouts, "Scott! The sun is coming up!" Look at this gorgeous lighting. The lighting people and director of photography really know what they're doing when it comes to golden light, and Daniel Sharman's perfect face!
(this shameless excuse to post more gifs of isaac is by selfishpromise)
He finds Scott outside the boiler room door. Now that Scott knows the full moon is nearly over, he immediately throws open the door to go save Derek. Isaac sees him enter the room and runs after him. Once inside, they find Boyd and Cora passed out on the floor, either from exhaustion or Derek finally knocking them out or maybe a combination. Derek's bleeding and panting, but otherwise fine, and he informs them that there's a teacher hiding nearby. He assures them that he'll take care of her, and instructs the boys to get Boyd and Cora out of there, wherever that ends up being. Probably Derek's loft.
(via whittemoreargent)
Derek walks into the little cubby-hole where Ms. Blake is hiding, and silently opens the door and approaches her cautiously. He holds his hand out to her to help her up, and she takes it. Come on, wouldn't you? He looks all puppy-sad and rugged. And weary and bloody. That is when Derek is hottest. I want to hug him, tbh. As he pulls her upright, little hearts shoot out of their eyeballs and float around their heads.
(via courfeirac)
LOOK AT THAT TENDER FUCKING EXPRESSION!!!! Like who is this person??? You mean Derek can show expressions that aren't glaring????
Scott is like, "So, Boyd and Cora DIDN'T actually kill these people?" Just in case all of us in the audience weren't clear yet. I'm not even going to try to paraphrase the rest of this conversation, because there's too much important information and I can't do it justice. Here's the transcript:
YIKES, you guys. I did NOT expect this season to go in this direction at all, I really didn't. I'm going to save the rest of my thoughts for the notes at the end, if you guys are interested!
Coming up next week: More people get murdered in a non-wolfy way; Stiles tries to find a way to tie together the murders; Allison and Isaac get some quality time together; the Alpha twins antagonize Isaac and bait him into fighting them; Derek gets a house-call from Kali and Ennis the Alphas; Deucalion talks about his evil plans, possibly to Derek; and Lydia acts weird some more and possibly finds another body.
If you want to read the next Teen Wolf episode's recap, click HERE.
[beautiful screencaps were made by Gallicka @ LJ!]
NOTES/SPECULATION:
-Allison barely had any lines this episode, but her badassery really impressed me a lot. I hope this attitude sticks around for a while, she'll be a good addition to the BH Wolfpack with those skills!
-No Isaac torture this week, hooray! Plus he was seriously styling in that jacket/scarf combo tonight!
-I was under the impression Derek's love interest would be Cora, back when they first announced her character, way before we learned that they were SIBLINGS, so I didn't even consider the possibility of Derek/Ms. Blake. I kind of dig it, tbh.
-I'm pretty sure Gerard is involved somehow into these sacrifices. I don't know what his endgame is, or how/if his plan involves the Alpha Pack, but I feel like somewhere, he's pulling the strings. I think they want us to think Peter is involved, which is why I'm skeptical, because it seems too obvious. ALTHOUGH, maybe they're working together? Sigh, who knows!
-I need to know what is happening to Lydia like, last year. Please, whatever it is, be awesome?
-I've read some speculation that the wine-bottle-smashing when Heather was abducted and the overflowing river of bugs in the forest when Emily was abducted could possibly be hallucinations on the victims' part, since the people they were with before it happened didn't appear to understand what was happening. Stiles didn't seem to notice any broken glass, blood, or spilled wine on the floor of the basement, and I kind of got the impression that Caitlin didn't see any of the bugs covering the tent/Emily when Emily was freaking out, either. The theories are that there is some form of mind-control at play here, and I can definitely see that being a possibility. But, considering how weird the animals are being lately, I wouldn't be surprised if the bug thing was real, either. Something mysterious is afoot, that is definitely for sure.
Previously, on Teen Wolf: Stiles' childhood BFF Heather was kidnapped by a phantom or other beastie just before she was about to swipe her v-card at his register, if you know what I mean. Allison realized that her and Lydia's weird-shaped forearm bruises from Braeden are actually part the logo of an abandoned bank. Scott, Derek and Stiles came to the same conclusion, via more-or-less torturing a (willing) Isaac in order to access his repressed memories. Derek and Scott went to rescue Boyd and Erica, but instead, they found Boyd and Derek's younger sister Cora, who he thought died six years ago in the Hale fire and hadn't been seen since. Boyd and Cora had been prevented from turning for three months due to the material the bank vault was made of, so they are extra 'roid-ragey and rabid as hell. Derek and Scott ended up in a trap and were locked in with Boyd and Cora, which almost killed Scott; fortunately, Allison (who happened to break in the vault herself, and stumble across Erica's dead body [!!!] in a supply closet) managed to save them. Unfortunately, by doing so, Allison accidentally released the bloodthirsty Boyd and Cora from within the confines of the vault, and as you can imagine, they immediately got loose and rushed off to ravage the town for the rest of the full moon. Derek yelled at Scott multiple times to tell Allison what really happened the night Derek accidentally bit her, and eventually brought it up in front of her so Scott would have no choice but to tell her the truth. Finally, Lydia, per usual, wakes up screaming hysterically for reasons we do not yet know. Now, onto this week's episode!
The cold open begins with a young boy and his slightly older sister, who are running around catching (CGI) fireflies in jars. The sister sasses her brother a bit as they run around the woods with absolutely no parental supervision. They act as though there has never been mysterious animal attack-related deaths in this town! The little boy moves away from where his sister is for a bit as he searches for more lightning bugs. He stops and sees a weird shadowy figure a little ways away, which happens to be Boyd, who is fully wolfed-out, and whose shirt is completely shredded from the night's events. He crouches down growls menacingly at the kid.
The boy understandably runs the fuck away, and grabs his sister so they can hightail it to a conveniently-located, but shabbily-built shed. The shed has holes rotted in it in various places and is barely standing, so the two kids worry that it's not going to be enough to keep him out. Sure enough, Boyd skulks around the outside of the shed, peeks into one of the holes in the wall, and then just fully lifts the shed off the ground and throws it several hundred feet away, as if it were made of plastic and not corrugated steel. These children are clearly terrified, but suddenly, a jar of fireflies rolls towards Boyd's feet, and the fireflies fly out attack his face like killer bees! Boyd is so distracted by these harmless glowing insects that he doesn't even notice when Scott swoops in like the IRL superhero he is to whisk the children off to safety.
She doesn't listen to me, though, and instead chooses to put on her coat and yell to her mom to inform her that she's going to the store for more pain relievers. Her mom is nowhere to be found, though, because with the exception of Scott and Stiles, these children are quite literally raised by wolves. (And even Mama McCall and Papas Stilinski and Argent work like twenty-four hours a day anyway, so their children are still always unsupervised.) Lydia mutters under her breath that obviously her mom isn't awake/around, otherwise she would have heard her yelling like a "lunatic." As she speaks, she looks out the window to notice that it's a full moon and ties it to her use of the word "lunatic", as it is a type of madness caused by the moon. Lydia, WHAT IS YOUR DEAL?
Scott and Derek are running really fast through the woods, doing flips out of trees and rolling on the ground and other acrobatics that seem to be pretty typical of this season. To be honest, I would DEFINITELY do the same thing if I had super-speed, senses and reflexes, in addition to the ability to quickly heal from injuries. I can barely do a cartwheel without hurting myself somehow, since I was born without grace or coordination of any kind.
(via carlosfsmaraujo)
The boys notice other footprints in the mud/dirt, and Derek concludes that they're not the only ones who decided to stick together tonight. Scott confesses that he had to save a bunch of children from becoming Boyd's midnight snack, and asks Derek if he and Cora are really going to try to kill everyone they see tonight. Derek amends that sentence to "everyone and anyone," which does nothing to make Scott feel less worried and guilty.
Lydia gets out of her car in a parking lot as she's reading or texting or something on her phone. She doesn't realize that she's not actually at the store until she looks up from her phone, when she finally realizes she has, in fact, arrived at the town's swimming pool. She's weirded out at the fact that she zoned out and drove to some random place instead of her intended destination, but instead of turning around and going home and vowing never to leave the house again, she decides to take a look around. Upon closer inspection, she sees what looks like a body floating in the pool, and shrieks loudly in terror.
She takes a beat to catch her breath and wrings her hands, and when she looks down, she realizes that her hands are covered in mystery blood. ACK! There are lots of high-pitched violin squeaks, so you know something bad is happening/about to happen. She turns around to find a pool of blood next to her, and as she follows the trail of it, she finds a bloodied body perched in the lifeguard's chair. She shrieks and yells and screams bloody murder, pun intended. I want so badly to know what's going on with her, but I really just wish she had more of a role than just screaming. Poor Lydia!
Now we're in a tent somewhere in the woods, where a cute, but unknown girl decorates the inside of her tent by lighting candles and hanging these awesome strings of lantern lights. I'm digging that this show is so cool about having gay and lesbian characters who aren't defined solely by their sexuality, but I'm a little sad that he didn't use the gay character we already have (Danny!) for a scene like this. On the other hand, women loving women relationships are important in television, although not so much for the purpose of being killed off, and likewise, I love Danny (everybody loves Danny!), so I don't want what is inevitably about to happen to one of these girls to happen to him. So, I guess I'll just move on and quit complaining.
Her girlfriend, whose name is Emily, gets super freaked out after she finds a snake outside, and she frantically hops in the tent to avoid it. The girls are all smoochy and adorable, until Emily sees a huge bug on the outside of the tent and is pretty freaked out by it. I totally get it, girl. Bugs are gross! I am cool with them only so long as they don't crawl on me/my bed. This summer, we're having the worst time with shield bugs, aka stink bugs, and those damn orange lady bugs that stink really bad, too. They're everywhere!
Girlfriend flicks it away so she can get back to more smooching, but after a few moments, Emily notices that the outside of their tent is COVERED in huge, gross bugs! My worst nightmare! Emily freaks out while I gag and shiver in the comfort of my own bug-free home. She runs outside and flees the campsite, as she flicks at the bugs and shakes her arms and legs to get the approximately ten bazillion bugs off of her person. Eventually, Emily gets so overcome by the enormous number of what appear to be scarab beetles crawling in her direction, that she trips and falls on the ground in a heap. The beetles move in a huge wave toward her, and eventually cover her completely. After a moment, the beetles scatter, but Emily has completely disappeared.
Emily's girlfriend tries to chase after her, but apparently she runs in the wrong direction, because Emily is nowhere to be found. She hears growling behind her, and is totally shocked to see a werewolf behind her. Oh shit, it's Cora! Totally wolfed-out! We don't often see girl werewolves with their full wolf-face, do we? I think we only saw Erica's once, if I recall correctly, during her first full moon. Remember, when Derek got his ass torn apart when he tried to lock them in that subway car that they lived in for a while? Now that I think about it, Cora and Erica are only two of the three female werewolves that we've actually seen on this show, so I guess we haven't had much opportunity to see their wolf faces.
Anyway, Girlfriend is seriously freaked out at the sight of Cora, but IRL angel-pup Isaac appears out of nowhere in a dapper jacket/scarf combo to save the day! He crouches down so and grins wolfishly (pun intended) at Cora before he lunges for her. Keep it in your pants, Lahey! We've got bigger problems right now! He manages to fully smack her the fuck down, and looks SO impressed at his fighting skills as he gazes at her on the ground. Unfortunately for him, this distraction gives Cora the opportunity to flip herself back onto her feet, and pushes Isaac so hard that he flies up against the tree. We can hear bones crunch as his spine makes contact with a thick branch. Ouch!
Sidebar: What is the climate in Beacon Hills? I assumed they were in northern California, so I figured it does get cold there, unlike say, Los Angeles, but I don't think I've ever seen a character not bundled up in at least a hoodie and jeans during any part of the year. In this episode, Isaac is wearing the aforementioned jacket and scarf, though that's completely understandable, as he is probably still feeling the effects of hypothermia from being frozen in an ice bath. Scott is wearing his usual henley and jeans, and Derek is wearing a t-shirt with jeans. Stiles is wearing a hoodie, as always and Lydia is wearing a pea coat over her skirt and blouse. I don't get it, shouldn't it be like September at the earliest? Ohio isn't exactly NorCal, but even here in the Mideast it stays at pretty summery-temperatures (mid-70s to 90 degrees) until like, October at the very EARLIEST.
Over at the swimming pool, Stiles pulls up in his Jeep and runs to Lydia. He asks if she's okay, and though she says she is, she adds that the dead body she found really isn't doing so hot. He takes one look at it and is like, "Yeah, I guess I should probably make up a story and call my dad, huh?" but Lydia's just like, "Uh, what do you think I did as soon as I found it? Stiles is super offended that her first instinct wasn't to call HIM when she found the body, and when she's shrieks, "I'm supposed to call you first when I find a dead body?", he TOTALLY yells, "YESSSSSS!", right in her face. Dude, dial it down a notch! This is no time for dramatics!
We cut quickly to Scott, who is still in the woods with Derek and Isaac, and who is on the phone with Stiles. As expected, Stiles is totally freaking out about this current situation, and compares the scene around him to The Shining. Scott asks him if Stiles can examine the body a little closer to make sure that the guy's throat was actually ripped out by a werewolf, and not some other regular murderer, but Stiles doesn't think there's anyone else who could have done it. You know, because Beacon Hills is really lacking in mysterious cases with causes of death they can't explain and all. Anyway, as Stiles is examining the body (as closely as he can without vomiting, anyway), he notices the guy is wearing a purity ring on his left hand.
Derek argues that he doesn't understand how Boyd and Cora could be moving so quickly on foot, since the pool is on the other side of the woods, and neither of them haven't tracked the two anywhere near that area yet. Scott, struggling to figure out who else it could be at this point, is more concerned with the fact that some innocent person is actually DIED as a result of something that they did. Derek is feeling super guilty about everything, and murmurs that it is his fault. Scott doesn't disagree, but insists that they need backup. Derek reminds him that Isaac is with them now, so they have plenty of help. Isaac gets SUPER offended when Scott suggests that they need more than just him. Aw, Isaac, you're a much better werewolf now than you were that first full moon! I'd say you're just as helpful as anyone else.
(via selfishpromise)
Scott, in part to soothe Isaac's ego, points out that Boyd and Cora are too strong, juiced-up, and rabid to catch easily. Derek grumbles that they'll figure out a way to get a hold of them, but Isaac brings up a very legitimate point: even if they ARE able to catch them, what are they going to do after that? Hold them down until the sun rises? Derek doesn't have any other solutions, and sadly wonders aloud if maybe it'd be best/easiest to just kill them. Scott doesn't think that's the right thing to do, either, though, because Boyd and Cora didn't ask to be kidnapped and starved from the full moon for months, and thus shouldn't be punished for it. Isaac, however, seems pretty partial to Derek's idea, since they seem to be lacking in better options. Scott's big plan is to bring in someone who knows how to hunt and trap werewolves. Oh shit, you know what that means! Hello, Daddy Argent!
Speaking of daddies, Sheriff Stilinski and a female deputy are talking to Girlfriend from earlier, whose name we learn is Caitlin. Stilinski's partner, Deputy Graeme, asks if she and Emily were drinking. They weren't, but Caitlin admits that they did split a tab of ecstasy. The Stilinski reminds her that MDMA has been known to cause hallucinations, not to mention whatever it was possibly laced with, but Caitlin is pretty bummed that they don't believe her when she says that she saw a girl with fangs and claws and glowing eyes.
Stilinski changes the subject and informs her that they're going to take her to the hospital for tests so they can find out exactly what she took. Deputy Graeme adds that they'll need her to give them better descriptions of the "three guys" she saw, too. When Stilinski and Deputy Graeme move off to the side to confab, we can tell by Graeme's tone that she doesn't really buy Caitlin's story. Stilinski, on the other hand, seems to be much more open to the idea that there's something more going on, and insists that Caitlin definitely saw SOMETHING. I think he's starting to catch on to the supernatural happenings, and I really hope that he figures it out, sooner rather than later. It'd be a lot better for all involved parties if he knew what was going on, at the very least so he could cover for the kids when supernatural shit goes down.
Back in town, Daddy Argent is in the parking lot of some grocery store, fumbling around a bit as he loads a couple bags of groceries into the back of his SUV and complaining under his breath when he, naturally, drops the one bag that has the eggs in it. When he's finally all packed up, he closes the trunk, pulls out his handgun and points it directly at Scott's head without even looking to see who it is. Yikes, easy, Argent! Scott's like, "Uhhhh hi?" which seems to help calm him down a tiny bit.
(both gifs via summcohen)
A couple cars away, Derek and Isaac are chilling in Derek's new SUV, discussing whether or not they think Scott can convince Argent to help. Needless to say, neither of them are very optimistic about their odds. Isaac awkwardly brings up Derek's sister, which earns him the most adorable side-eye/bitch-face combo that I've ever seen from Derek. Keep it in your pants, Lahey! Needless to say, Isaac quickly and wisely shuts up about it without Derek having to say a word. Aw, I like them being buds. Derek needs people who will sass him a bit, and make him less of a sour-wolf.
(via sergenycl)
Argent reminds Scott that he doesn't give one single fuck about anyone related to Derek, and adds that he doesn't even know anything about Boyd, either, so why should he help them? Scott fills him in on Boyd's actual name (Vernon Boyd IV, which, yikes! What a name!) and after a few moments, he politely asks Argent why he's still pointing his gun at his skull. Chris admits that there's probably still a part of him who wants to shoot him, and Scott just shrugs and earnestly replies, "I get that."
Disarmed by Scott's puppy-like demeanor, Argent reluctantly stashes his gun away, before he explains why he can't get involved again-- the hunting world (and thus, the werewolf world) ruined his family by killing both his sister and his wife, not to mention what became of his dad, Grandpa Murder. He's also feeling super guilty about Allison's behavior last season, and his role in it, which is why he is so hesitant to be pulled right back into that mess. Still, even super-hunter Chris Argent can't resist Scott's puppy face! Scott emotionally manipulates him into helping them by innocently asking for a ride to the crime scene at the swimming pool. Once they've arrived, Argent sees the body bag on a stretcher being loaded into an ambulance, and his hunter instincts and intense desire for justice kick in to the point where he can't not get involved. Resigned to his role as team leader for this mission, he sighs and asks Scott where they last saw Boyd and Cora.
They all meet there, which is a spot a ways inside the preserve from the entrance, and which is where Argent asks how they've been tracking them. Scott informs him that the gang has been following them by footprint, but Mr. Argent, the super-hunter, pooh-poohs their little attempts at tracking in this manner. He explains that only man, a trained man, at that, can track and read footprints. He demonstrates this statement by pointing out Boyd's footprints; as he starts to point out the next set, Isaac interrupts him to proudly state that the footprints are Cora's, causing Argent to TOTALLY school him by smugly retorting that they're actually ISAAC'S, because he accidentally trampled over Cora's prints when he joined them. Whoops!
He then begins to lecture them about the fact that they're kind of the underdog in this fight, considering they're using half their energy to resist their own full moon-induced urges. Conversely, since Boyd and Cora are basically running on pure instinct from all their pent-up frustration from not feeling the moon all summer, they have the upper hand, because they're fully in touch with their animal side. Because of this, Argent encourages them to use their animal nature to track them by focusing on their sense of smell, which I'm pretty sure Derek could have told them without Argent's help, but whatever.
The next couple of scenes cut quickly back and forth between Argent teaching the boys about hunting, and Allison, who is out in some other part of the woods, setting up her own traps like the badass warrior princess that she is. Whoever edited it did a really good job, I dig it. Argent continues to say that wolves are able to track their pray from many yards away, or even miles, if the wind is with them. Meanwhile, Allison swings her butterfly knife around her fingers and cuts a small incision in her wrist, so she can drip some blood onto the ground in order to lure Boyd and Cora into her traps.
The next couple of scenes cut quickly back and forth between Argent teaching the boys about hunting, and Allison, who is out in some other part of the woods, setting up her own traps like the badass warrior princess that she is. Whoever edited it did a really good job, I dig it. Argent continues to say that wolves are able to track their pray from many yards away, or even miles, if the wind is with them. Meanwhile, Allison swings her butterfly knife around her fingers and cuts a small incision in her wrist, so she can drip some blood onto the ground in order to lure Boyd and Cora into her traps.
Argent tells the boys that their makeshift team of wolves and hunters do have one advantage this evening, which is that wolves under the full moon have a higher heat signature, and thus can be seen with infrared goggles. He tosses a couple pairs of goggles out to them; elsewhere, Allison pulls her own pair out and peers into them after she's finished setting up her tripwire.
(both gifs via westtly)
Derek declines the goggles he was offered, and demonstrates that he has his own by flashing his red Alpha-eyes. Argent finishes his lecture by stating that they shouldn't underestimate Boyd and Cora, because though their human side is suppressed, it IS still there, so they're still capable of intelligent thought regarding surviving and evading capture. As he speaks, we see the two splashing through puddles to drown out their scent as they dart around the woods. Drama!
The music shifts to intense orchestral mission-music as the four men walk purposefully through the woods, lit perfectly under the moonlight. They look like the Backstreet Boys of fucking werewolf-werewolf-hunters. It is dramatic and cheesy and perfect.
(gif by salvatore-vampire)
As they stand, looking out over the city from Look-Out Point, Argent asks Derek when he last saw his sister, but Derek replies that it's been years, and awkwardly admits that he thought she died in the fire. Was that a pang of guilt that crossed Argent's face? Guilt-by-proxy since it was Kate who caused the fire in the first place? Anyway, Argent assumes that Derek probably wouldn't have a lock on her scent, then, and asks Scott about his confidence in his own sniffing abilities. Scott confesses that he spends most his time and energy ignoring most of what he smells. Totally understandable, Scott! You're in high school, and teenage boys smell super gross 98% of the time.
Argent rolls his eyes at this news, all "Sigh, amateurs," and reminds them that the major problem is that the runaways are starting to get awfully close to the residential area-- once they breach it, they'll be in the middle of town, where there will be tons of townsfolk for them to accidentally maim and kill. Isaac asks again if the two will actually try to kill everything they see. Haven't we already established that this is absolutely what is going to happen?
Apparently not. Argent is like, "Ehhhh, not exactly," and explains that while most animals/werewolves kill to feed, and eventually get full, Boyd and Cora are in a different situation. They've been deprived from the moon for so long that they're killing just for the primal pleasure of killing, and it's anyone's guess when that craving for ripping up human flesh will be satisfied. Scott is adamant that they don't kill Boyd and Cora, but Derek reminds them that they may not have a choice in the matter. Argent, who has been silently been brainstorming for the last few moments, suggests that they barricade the gruesome twosome in the school until the full moon is over. Because the last time that happened, when Peter locked Scott in the school to make him kill his friends, it TOTALLY worked like a charm. Isaac mentions that there is a boiler room with a steel door and no windows in the basement, which Argent believes could be a good place to trap them, so long as no one is still hanging around in the school. Scott's sure that there can't be, since it has to be like 2am at this point, and on a school night, at that!
Daddy Argent has pulled out these crazy chrome-looking baton things, called "ultra-sonic emitters," which emit an extremely high-pitched noise that only werewolves can hear. He demonstrates how they work by pushing the button on top, which automatically has our makeshift wolf-pack grabbing their ears in agony. (Future Emily edit: it's so weird how the episodes are cut in different ways! In the initial airing of this episode, which I downloaded shortly afterwards to reference while writing this recap, and which was the version MTV aired, you just see the boys wincing and bending over with their hands over their ears when Argent uses the emitters. However, in the DVD version, you can hear Isaac's voice dubbed over it saying, "Turn it off! Turn it off!" Interesting!)
Anyway, as you can imagine, Argent is pretty amused by his small way of getting some petty revenge against these werewolves who fucked his life up so much despite being more or less innocent. He tells them that the boys need to scatter the emitters around the woods to herd their rabid werewolf pals toward the high school. Then, it's up to them to get Boyd and Cora inside and into the boiler room. Isaac isn't very optimistic, and asks if anyone wants to reconsider their plan to kill them, but Scott, who is eternally optimistic, as we've previously established, swears that their plan will work.
We transition into a dramatic montage of the wolves (plus their hunter accomplice) running around, doing flips and throwing those glowsticks into trees. Argent, the pro that he is, lazily drops his emitter out of the window of his SUV and into the ground below. This whole scene is set to epic orchestral music, like in Indiana Jones, and it is amazing in it's cheesiness. I seriously eat this shit up, and happily.
Meanwhile, Boyd and Cora run around the woods, occasionally gazing at the moon and howling a whole bunch. Our makeshift pack of misfit wolves and Daddy Argent meet up in front of the school, where they wish reeeeeeeeaaaaaaaalllllllllyyyyyyyyy hard that their plan doesn't go completely to shit. (I tried to find gifs for these scenes but couldn't find any except for one of Isaac. I'll edit them in if I end up stumbling across some!)
Stiles is walking Lydia to her bedroom to make sure she gets home safely, much to her chagrin. She points out that she had a police escort, but Stiles counters that he's seen firsthand how incompetent the Beacon Hills police force is. Word, dude. Although, if they knew what was up, supernaturally, they might not be so useless.
Lydia argues that even despite the shitty protection detail, he didn't have to walk to all the way to her room, and to his credit, he doesn't even try to come up with an excuse to explain that away. He's just, like, "Okay, I'll just go!", but she insists that he ask her what he has clearly been dying to ask her since she called him at the pool. Stiles tries to play dumb, but Lydia is no fool, y'all. After a beat, she confesses that she has no clue as to why she ended up at the swimming pool to find that body, and adds that she didn't even realize where she was until she got out of her car. Stiles is concerned, like the rest of us, and reminds us all that Lydia hasn't gone into weird fugue-states since before Peter used her to resurrect him. OH SHIT, this is bad news.
And of course, speak of the devil and he doth appear. As Derek is placing one of the last glow sticks, Peter waltzes out of the woods and starts talking in dramatic riddles, per usual, all, "And the hunter becomes the hunted!" Derek's not really in the mood, and reminds Peter that he's not exactly doing much to help them out himself. As you can probably guess, he doesn't like Derek's plan, both because he thinks it sucks, and because he thinks it's a waste of Derek's time and energy. "I'm personally trying to cut down on futile endeavors," he drawls, since we all know Peter doesn't like getting involved in fights unless he knows for sure that he can win them.
Derek doesn't seem to physically respond to this revelation; he just states that he's not cool with innocent people dying. Peter literally says, "Let Scott deal with it. Let Scott be the hero of his morally black-and-white world. The real survivors-- you, and me-- we live in shades of gray." Derek's face breaks my heart, because you can tell he's definitely considering it, but really doesn't want to, and he knows that he shouldn't because Scott says they shouldn't and, at the end of the day, he trusts Scott, just like Isaac does.
Over at the hospital, Stiles meets up with Mama McCall, who takes him down to the morgue and threatens slow and painful death on him if he tells anyone she took him there. Stiles is like, "Um, why am I here? I was the one who found the body," but Melissa informs him that he didn't see all of it. I really don't like the sound of that, tbh.
She shows him the body, who has been strangled, in addition to having his throat slashed. They both agree that these injuries aren't very characteristic of werewolf killing, since it's not like they're torn to shreds. She then shows him the guy's head, which appears to have been bashed in with some kind of blunt object. As usual, Stiles almost pukes when he sees the wound. "Is that brain matter? Yeah, of course, it's brain matter..." Melissa explains that any one of these three injuries could have killed him, so someone REALLY wanted him to be dead. Stiles determines it couldn't have been Boyd or Cora, since they would have nommed on them instead of going through all the trouble of strangling, beating, and slashing the throat of the victim. He suggests that maybe it was just a coincidental random murder, but unfortunately, Melissa reveals that there's another body that was recently found, who has the same injuries.
Back at the school, Isaac and Scott break the front doors to the school open before they meet up with Argent again in the parking lot. Scott and Argent get distracted when they see a couple more fireflies flying around, which seems to concern the latter. Scott asks him what the deal is, so Argent informs him that Californian lightning bugs don't glow. Is that actually true? What's the point of being a firefly if you don't glow? We don't get to learn why the appearance of actually-glowing fireflies is unnerving, because Boyd and Cora's howls cut through the air to give them a heads up that they're getting close. We cut to Boyd and Cora, who hop a fence and take off towards the school. Inside, Derek has planted himself in the middle of the main hallway, and whips out his claws in preparation for yet another smackdown.
Isaac is standing out front when hears growling directly behind him. He deadpans "Oh, great," before he turns around and gets ready to lunge toward them. Argent pulls his SUV around to the front to help Isaac out, and drives toward the wayward werewolves as he honks his horn. The headlights blind all three of them for a moment, and Boyd and Cora growl at Argent menacingly before they're scared off and run towards the entrance to the school. They are almost over the threshold when they see Derek inside, which spooks them so badly that they decide it's better to jump OVER the school instead of running through it. It's kind of like when you're a little kid and you do something you know will piss off your parents, so instead of facing them, you decide to find yourself a hidey hole until they get over it. It never works, though.
Back at the morgue, Melissa removes the sheet from the other body, revealing a blonde teenage girl who is clearly Heather. :( Stiles tears up, and but Melissa is too absorbed in looking at the body and explaining the injuries to notice right away. She tells him that instead of being regularly strangled, like the first dude, the killer used a garrote to strangle her and cut her throat. She realizes at the sight of Stiles' teared-up face that he knows this girl, and automatically feels terrible about it. She quickly covers Heather up again, and looks back to Stiles to see what she can do to comfort him. "I was at her party...it was her birthday...it was Heather..." Tears start to fall from his eyes, and he absently wipes at them with the sleeve of his hoodie. HEART = CRUSHED. When Stiles cries, everyone cries. I just want to hug him, and I'm kind of sad that Mama McCall doesn't, tbh.
Dun dun dunnnnnn. Now we get virgins who are dying, rather than all those promiscuous fornicators who normally die in horror movies. Nice touch, Teen Wolf! Stiles better get on that whole sexy times thing, quickly. I'm sure there's already about a million fics out there at this point of Derek boning Stiles to protect him from whatever virgin-killing boogeyman is out there right now as we speak.
Over at Beacon Hills High, the dudes are all regrouping to figure out how to get Boyd and Cora back into the school. They decide to break open the rear door and somehow lure them back in, so Isaac makes the executive decision to do it, because he's faster than Argent and his cattle-prod-taser. With those long legs of his, I absolutely believe it tbh. I'm so jealous of tall people, gods. :(
Allison, who has badassery oozing out of her pores, totally beat him there, though, and is already disorienting the rabid twosome by shooting one flash-bang arrow after another in their general direction from on top of a school bus. Boyd is probably having Vietnam-style flashbacks of last season's finale, but he still sticks with Cora as they both frantically cover their eyes from the light. They make a break for the rear entrance, and as soon as they're in, Isaac swoops in to lock the door behind them. He turns around to see Allison, who looks super proud for her part in the plan. Tbh, Isaac seems to be pretty proud of her, too. He kind of smiles and looks like he's just melted into a puddle of affection for her, but when she realizes that she's been spotted, she runs away in a flash.
So much for that! Isaac should be getting all kinds of ladies, but as cute as I find Daniel Sharman and Crystal Reed to be in their real-life relationship, I can't deny that I'm a little concerned about what their budding relationship will do to each of their friendships with Scott. We'll cross that bridge when we come to it, I guess! I have to admit that if it were not for Scott, I would be totally into this pairing, because they're my faves.
Inside the school, Scott and Derek have cornered Boyd and Cora, and are quickly joined by Argent, ridiculous cattle prod-taser thing in hand. Derek literally taunts them with a "Come and get us!", before he and Scott run down the stairs to the boiler room to lure Cora and Boyd there.
The boiler room is pitch black, and all we can see is two sets of golden wolf eyes, which look like fireflies fluttering around. Nice visual, DP! After a few moments of them looking around, Derek and Scott hop out of nowhere and spray the rabid twosome (I'm running out of ways to describe them, and I'm already sick of typing their names out so often) with fire extinguishers before running outside. Derek quickly pushes the door closed and locks it by bolting it shut. He leans against the door for a few moments as the wolf cubs beat on it from the other side, and he slowly backs away from the door to see if it will hold. Amazingly, it does!
Scott is completely shocked, and exclaims, "Did that seriously just work?" Derek looks as overjoyed as he has ever looked, and admits that it did, and Scott looks like he's about to actually kiss Derek in happiness and relief. Derek relaxes and leans against the corner of the hall, and tbh, he looks like he's about to pee his pants from relief/exhaustion that for once, their plan wasn't an epic failure.
The boiler room apparently also doubles for a supply closet, so naturally, Ms. Blake just happened to be inside collecting some packages of paper and pencils when she is startled by some strange noises. SHIT.
Hospital: Stiles has managed to sneak in to talk to Caitlin, with Melissa keeping lookout in the doorway. Caitlin tells him that she has been in a relationship with Emily for three months, and that they were camping tonight because they were trying to have a romantic evening, since they don't get any privacy at their own homes. Stiles presumes that it was going to be their first times having sex, which Caitlin reluctantly confirms. She asks if the police are going to find her, and Stiles and Melissa's facial expressions are not at all reassuring.
Back to the school. Derek has reached Elena Gilbert or Bonnie Bennett-levels of martyrdom and survivor's guilt, and is ready to enter the boiler room in order to save the teacher from the wolf bbs. He instructs Scott to lock the door behind him and keep it shut, but, of course, Scott is not at ALL a fan of this plan. He makes an excellent point when he reminds Derek that if he goes in there by himself, he will have no choice but to either kill Boyd and Cora, or be killed by them. Derek replies somberly that that's the reason why he is going in alone-- to make sure no one else dies-- and opens the door and slips in to avoid having to argue with him anymore. Scott sighs and sadly locks the door again, knowing that now that Derek's basically made the decision for him, he has to back his play.
Upstairs, Argent and Isaac can hear the growling, and they run towards the sounds from their respective locations.
Cora, Derek, and Boyd are duking it out, and Derek's holding his own, for once. He manages to get each of them in a choke-hold, one in each hand, and he growls at them like the fucking Alpha he is. Unfortunately, this leaves his midsection vulnerable to their claws, and the two Betas end up turning him into a literal scratching post. As they tear into his torso, he crouches down, bleeding all over the place and looking so defeated that you almost for a second think he might actually end up dying. Almost. But, we know better, because Derek never ever dies. NEVER.
Isaac is running through the halls, shouting for Scott, when he notices the light shining through the window. He shouts, "Scott! The sun is coming up!" Look at this gorgeous lighting. The lighting people and director of photography really know what they're doing when it comes to golden light, and Daniel Sharman's perfect face!
He finds Scott outside the boiler room door. Now that Scott knows the full moon is nearly over, he immediately throws open the door to go save Derek. Isaac sees him enter the room and runs after him. Once inside, they find Boyd and Cora passed out on the floor, either from exhaustion or Derek finally knocking them out or maybe a combination. Derek's bleeding and panting, but otherwise fine, and he informs them that there's a teacher hiding nearby. He assures them that he'll take care of her, and instructs the boys to get Boyd and Cora out of there, wherever that ends up being. Probably Derek's loft.
(via whittemoreargent)
Derek walks into the little cubby-hole where Ms. Blake is hiding, and silently opens the door and approaches her cautiously. He holds his hand out to her to help her up, and she takes it. Come on, wouldn't you? He looks all puppy-sad and rugged. And weary and bloody. That is when Derek is hottest. I want to hug him, tbh. As he pulls her upright, little hearts shoot out of their eyeballs and float around their heads.
LOOK AT THAT TENDER FUCKING EXPRESSION!!!! Like who is this person??? You mean Derek can show expressions that aren't glaring????
Anyway, Stiles is still in the morgue, where Scott has just joined him, presumably after dropping Boyd and Cora off at Derek's apartment. Stiles is saying his last goodbyes to Heather, and eventually, he covers her face up with the sheet again and just looks so, so sad.
Scott is like, "So, Boyd and Cora DIDN'T actually kill these people?" Just in case all of us in the audience weren't clear yet. I'm not even going to try to paraphrase the rest of this conversation, because there's too much important information and I can't do it justice. Here's the transcript:
STILES: You're gonna wish they did.
SCOTT: Why?
STILES: Well, I'm not exactly sure yet...but, the other girl who was out in the woods, Emily? Eventually they're going to find her. She's one of them. Emily, Heather, the guy Lydia found at the pool. All three were virgins. [As he speaks, the Sheriff and his deputy find Emily's bloody body in the woods, tied to a tree, with the rope around her neck] And they're all going to have the same three injuries...strangled, throat slashed, head bashed in. [sighs] It's called the three-fold death.
SCOTT: ...So, if these aren't random killings, then what are they?
STILES: Sacrifices. [beat] Human sacrifices.
Coming up next week: More people get murdered in a non-wolfy way; Stiles tries to find a way to tie together the murders; Allison and Isaac get some quality time together; the Alpha twins antagonize Isaac and bait him into fighting them; Derek gets a house-call from Kali and Ennis the Alphas; Deucalion talks about his evil plans, possibly to Derek; and Lydia acts weird some more and possibly finds another body.
If you want to read the next Teen Wolf episode's recap, click HERE.
[beautiful screencaps were made by Gallicka @ LJ!]
NOTES/SPECULATION:
-Allison barely had any lines this episode, but her badassery really impressed me a lot. I hope this attitude sticks around for a while, she'll be a good addition to the BH Wolfpack with those skills!
-No Isaac torture this week, hooray! Plus he was seriously styling in that jacket/scarf combo tonight!
-I was under the impression Derek's love interest would be Cora, back when they first announced her character, way before we learned that they were SIBLINGS, so I didn't even consider the possibility of Derek/Ms. Blake. I kind of dig it, tbh.
-I'm pretty sure Gerard is involved somehow into these sacrifices. I don't know what his endgame is, or how/if his plan involves the Alpha Pack, but I feel like somewhere, he's pulling the strings. I think they want us to think Peter is involved, which is why I'm skeptical, because it seems too obvious. ALTHOUGH, maybe they're working together? Sigh, who knows!
-I need to know what is happening to Lydia like, last year. Please, whatever it is, be awesome?
-I've read some speculation that the wine-bottle-smashing when Heather was abducted and the overflowing river of bugs in the forest when Emily was abducted could possibly be hallucinations on the victims' part, since the people they were with before it happened didn't appear to understand what was happening. Stiles didn't seem to notice any broken glass, blood, or spilled wine on the floor of the basement, and I kind of got the impression that Caitlin didn't see any of the bugs covering the tent/Emily when Emily was freaking out, either. The theories are that there is some form of mind-control at play here, and I can definitely see that being a possibility. But, considering how weird the animals are being lately, I wouldn't be surprised if the bug thing was real, either. Something mysterious is afoot, that is definitely for sure.
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