Teen Wolf Season 3, Episode 11: "Alpha Pact" Recap/Review

On Sunday evening, Jeff Davis, or whoever usually runs the Teen Wolf tumblr, warned that the last five minutes of "Alpha Pact" would leave us breathless, and JFC they were not lying. This episode was so intense that I literally held my breath through an entire scene on more than one occasion, partly from confusion and partly from shock. SO MUCH HAPPENED.

Basically, when this show is good, it is really, really,  r e a l l y fucking good. All of the actors did the best work they've ever done in this episode, and everything happened so fast that I'm still getting random realizations about the implications, even twenty-four hours later. I'm serious, you guys-- I don't know how long this show will endure (though I hope it's forever), but I think "Alpha Pact" may just be my favorite episode of all time. I have been so excited to start this recap ever since the episode ended, so I'm just going to get to it. Settle in, gentle readers, we've got quite a lot to talk about!

Previously, on Teen Wolf: Scott doused Jennifer with powdered mistletoe to prove to Derek that she is, in fact, the Darach, a former Emissary of Kali's original pack who managed to survive Kali's attempts to kill her, although her face and neck were horribly scarred as a result. Jennifer bargained with Scott, Stiles, and Derek by claiming that she was the only one who could cure Cora, who has been vomiting mistletoe-tinged werewolf ink and drifting in and out of consciousness for the last two episodes.

The theme of the last round of Jennifer's ritual sacrifices are guardians, as in parents, and Jennifer managed to snatch up both Papa Stilinski and Mama McCall to fulfill those roles, leaving one slot left to be filled. Deucalion used Melissa and Stilinski's kidnappings to manipulate Scott into helping him find and/or fight Jennifer, despite Stiles' emotional protests that Scott stick with him and the pack instead. So, Scott left his BFF alone on the roof of the hospital (though both of them looked like the saddest kicked puppies of all time) and walked away with the Demon Wolf himself. And finally, Jennifer, while trapped with Derek in the elevator, revealed her true face and scared him so bad he knocked himself unconscious. Man, I'm already a hot mess of emotions and the new stuff hasn't even started yet!

We pick up this week just moments after Scott left with Deucalion on the roof of the hospital. Stiles, who is 1,000,000% done with literally everything at this point, immediately rushes to Derek for help, since his best friend up and left him and he's kind of at a loss for better options. Unfortunately, Derek is still passed out in the elevator after being knocked out by Jennifer, so Stiles desperately slaps him across the face about a half dozen times to try to wake him up. I'm talking like, full-force slapping. To be honest, it's probably pretty therapeutic for Stiles, considering everything that's happened and Derek's role in it. Anyway, Stiles is finally like, "Fuck this shit," and makes a fist. As he takes his swing at Derek's face, Derek awakens with a start and manages to grab Stiles' arm just in time to protect his precious cheekbones from Stiles' knuckles.

(via stereksbutt)
He takes a couple deep breaths while he takes in his surroundings, and suddenly remembers what happened with Jennifer, and notices that she's nowhere to be seen, which forces Stiles to have to break the news to him. "Jennifer? She's gone, with Scott's mom." When Derek realizes that she's the second sacrifice, Stiles rants on, practically hyperventilating, because they're already out of time as it is. "Yeah, and if that's not enough of a kick to the balls, Scott left with Deucalion, okay, so we gotta get you out of here. The police are coming right now and we need to get you the hell out of here!" Stiles helps him up, but Derek stops short when he remembers the other person he was worried about. "Whoa-- what about Cora?"

Cora is safe, but still passed out in the backseat of Chris Argent's RAV4. Peter sits beside her, while Isaac chills in the driver's seat. Isaac asks Peter if he sees the twins, but thankfully, he doesn't. However, he does growl bitterly when he sees the Argents approaching them. Hey dude, you're currently sitting in Allison's car, which ultimately saved your whiney ass, along with the Argents themselves, so maybe you could tone down the hate a bit. Argent and Allison jog towards the car just as they hear wolves howling in the distance, causing the former to make a face, and when Allison notices and asks what it means, I think he says, "Retreat." JR Bourne is kind of quiet and mumble-y tonight, plus his voice is already so deep and growly anyway, so I had a hard time making out what he was actually saying.

Inside the car, Isaac gives us a brief moment of laughter and levity before we're completely emotionally assaulted by the remainder of the episode. "Not to bring up uncomfortable memories... wasn't the last time you saw them the time you killed Kate and they burned you alive, when..." HA! Oh Isaac. He trails off as he turns around to look at Peter, but he's already run off to hide from the Argents or something. Isaac swears under his breath and pops out of the vehicle to update Argent and Allison on everyone else's whereabouts: Stiles and Scott had to go back for Derek and Jennifer, and since the Alpha Twins came after them, he had no choice but to leave without the boys.

Derek pulls up in his Toyota SUV thing, and the second he gets out of the car, Allison rushes toward him and asks about Scott and Stiles. Derek, clearly not at all eager to have to drop the bomb about Scott leaving with Deucalion, skips over that and instead says that Stiles is holding off the police for them as he gently picks Cora up from the backseat and places her in his own car. Once she's loaded into the SUV, he quickly barks at Isaac that they need to get out of there right now, and the look on his face seems to silently add, "before anyone can ask me anymore questions, pls and thx. 

Derek doesn't get his wish, though, because Argent asks about Scott and Melissa, so Derek, again ignoring the Scott part, has no choice but to break the news that Jennifer got away and took Melissa with her. Everyone is stunned, not the least of whom is Isaac, who looks like someone just punched him in the gut, a reaction that doesn't go unnoticed by Derek, either. Dude, I know you kicked Isaac out ~for his own good~ or whatever (in the shittiest way possible, I might add), but you can't get mad that he's making familial connections with the people he lives with! Melissa is probably the closest thing he's had to a mother since his own mom died, don't begrudge him that!

Man, I have so many feelings about each of the characters this week, but Isaac especially! I'll get into that a little later, though. Allison considers this news for a minute before she realizes that Derek is pretty blatantly avoiding bringing up Scott, and worriedly demands again for an update on her ex-beaux. Derek ignores her, since we know he's not a fan of the difficult conversation, nor is he a fan of Allison in general, but that does nothing to stop our girl, who lunges for him and yells, "DEREK! WHERE'S SCOTT?" He turns to her and has no choice but to fill her in-- I mean, have you ever seen that girl with Chinese ring daggers? She's super deadly, even to a werewolf who has nearly died no less than one dozen times in the history of the series, so I don't blame him for being startled into finally spilling the truth.

It's daylight now, and Stiles is sitting in the ER reception area. Outside, police sirens are going off in the parking lot as various law enforcement officials congregate on the scene. Stiles glances toward the doorway, only to notice a specific FBI agent headed his way through the crowd. At the sight of him, his eyes flicker with recognition as he mutters, "Juuuust perfect," under his breath. You can see the awesomeness that ensues for yourself:

(via smolderhaldereyes)
The agent, who is played by Matthew Del Negro and who shall henceforth be referred to on this blog as "Agent Douchenozzle," just grins patronizingly, since he's probably used to dealing with smart-asses on the regular, and gets to the important questions. "Where is your dad, and why can't we get a hold of him?" Stiles sighs, and replies that he hasn't seen him in hours. So, the agent brings up his dad's fondness for Jack Daniels and hints that Stilinski used to have a drinking problem, something which has been suggested previously as well. WEIRD HOW THIS DUDE SEEMS TO KNOW STILINSKI, ISN'T IT? It's almost like he's from Beacon Hills and knows one of our faves on a biblical level...

Anywho, Stiles denies that his dad is an alcoholic, but Agent Douchenozzle reminds Stiles that his dad did have to cut down the amount that he was drinking, once upon a time, and repeats the question. "Is he drinking like he used to?" Stiles is pissed, and I feel for him, because I've unfortunately had similar conversations with police officers about my dad and his affinity for the sauce, usually after a DUI. It's not a fun situation for anyone. Stiles swallows down his rage and just spits, "Whatever, I'll give him a field sobriety test when I see him," and basically tells the guy to go fuck himself.

Agent Douchenozzle changes the subject to what happened last night, but Stiles lies that he was stuck in the elevator the entire time. However, when ADN asks if he was responsible for the name painted on the elevator door, Stiles' angry, stressed annoyance turns immediately to genuine shock and confusion. "Wait, what name?" Stiles asks. We cut to the hallways, whose lighting is still flickering in and out. At the end of the hall is the elevator, whose doors close to reveal the name "ARGENT" has been tagged across the doors in bright red spray paint. NOOOO! TITLE CARD! (Sidebar: what a dumb fucking question! How could Stiles spray paint "ARGENT" on the outside of an elevator if he was trapped inside? OMG HE IS SO ANNOYING, I HATE HIM)

Cora is laying on Derek's bed at the loft, coughing and gasping and writhing in pain. Her lips are stained black from all the werewolf ink she's been barfing up, and she just looks completely miserable, generally. Derek is sitting at her bedside, staring at her, as Isaac paces in front of the bed. Peter lurks in the spiral staircase, as usual, eavesdropping on them, as Isaac asks Derek if she's dying. Like the rest of us, he has no idea, and when Isaac asks what Derek plans to do, Derek grunts the same answer-- he has no plans, no ideas, and no answers. 

Isaac's pretty frustrated, right about now, and understandably so, considering two of his close friends and packmates have been murdered, his newest friend/packmate is dying, and his surrogate mother, Mama McCall is about to be three-fold-sacrificed in a creepy Druid ritual. So, he's is like, "Well, if you could, you know, maybe spit-ball some ideas or something, ANYTHING, that would actually be really helpful, since we needed to get moving on this shit like, two days ago." Derek is too defeated and too overwhelmed to function at this point, and remains silent. Isaac can't take any more of this, so he blows up with pretty much every bit of anger, grief, and stress he has pent up from the last twelve episodes or so. It's heartbreaking, his voice cracks more than once because he's so overwhelmed with everything that is happening.

"Because while Scott and Stiles were out there, trying to stop people from getting killed, you were in here, rolling around the sheets with the actual killer! Do you get how many people she's killed? Erica and Boyd are dead, Cora is dying and you are doing NOTHING!" 

Oh Isaac, baby. :( And, he's not done yet:

(via thestilinskimen)
Daniel Sharman is perfect in this scene, because at first he seems a tiny bit happy that Derek was actually honest with him, for once, but then he remembers just how fucked they all are, and runs a hand through his hair as he heads right for the door.

Knowing Isaac is about to leave, Derek sighs and mutters that he promised Cora he wouldn't leave again. He claims he wants to help them, and promises to help as soon as he figures out how to help her. "THERE'S NO TIME!" Isaac bellows, and goes to wrench the sliding door open. "The full moon's coming, and the Sheriff and Melissa are going to be dead, so I'm going to try to help them." Before he slams the door behind him, he adds, "You can sit here and perfect the art of doing nothing." 

Damn, Isaac! I have never been more attracted to you. (Except for maybe his other scenes, but this one was perfect. I love Derek, but Isaac didn't really lie in this speech, and as shitty a position as Derek is in at the moment, he needed to be held accountable for his part in everything that has been happening, including dragging three innocent teenagers, two of whom are dead, into the supernatural world as protection against the Alphas and the Argents.)

Peter's comes downstairs, feigning sympathy, all, "Aw, no worries, nephew, he doesn't mean it, he's just looking for an excuse to jump ship to Scott's pack." Derek reminds him that Scott isn't an Alpha yet, but even Peter knows that it's pretty obvious that he will be soon enough.

Stiles, Allison and Chris return to the Argent Abode, as Chris is trying to argue that he can't possibly be a target, because he can hardly be considered a "guardian," considering his parenting skills of late. Allison doesn't think that part matters, because it can't be a coincidence that Jennifer took Stiles' dad AND Scott's mom as guardian sacrifices. Stiles agrees, and brings up that the "Argent" tagging on the elevator kind of seems like a warning, as well. Allison thinks it might have been Ms. Morrell who wrote it, because she always knows more than she lets on, and Allison even thinks that she may actually be trying to help them. Stiles is like, "Yeah, well, she needs to try harder, because we are getting our asses royally kicked, if you hadn't noticed, plus, the lunar eclipse is only two fucking days away." You know, but paraphrased. (Gods, can you imagine if Teen Wolf was on HBO and they could really cuss? I would love that so fucking much.

Stiles falls into a chair and buries his head in his hands. Argent, who acts like a pretty awesome father figure to all of the kiddos this week, in addition to his own daughter (and especially to Stiles and Isaac), urges him not to give up hope. Aw, that sounds familiar! Damn you two, and your Argent optimism! Stiles reminds them that his dad could already be dead, but Argent isn't convinced-- he thinks it seems like Jennifer is still working out all the steps in her plan, and hasn't finished moving around the proverbial chess pieces yet. Allison's like, "Yeah, duh, because she still needs you," so Argent decides they shouldn't wait around to find out what she's doing next, and pulls out his map of the telluric currents. He swears that wherever Jennifer is (and, by extension, Stilinski and Melissa) should be on one of the currents.

Stiles still looks weary, so Argent emphasizes that if they're going to find his dad and Scott's mom, they need Stiles' help to do it. I'm glad the adults are starting to see Stiles' awesomeness when it comes to detective work. He's just as good at being an investigator as his dad and his dad's deputies. Stiles is concerned about how powerful Jennifer is, though, since he saw it with his own eyes, and wonders aloud what happens if she ends up just taking Argent, too. "No offense, but what's the difference between you and them?" Stiles asks with obvious frustration and skepticism. Argent dramatically loads a cartridge into his gun and deadpans, "I'm carrying a .45. Maybe she can heal from a shot to the leg and a few slashes to the face, but I personally would like to see how she holds up with half her skull blown off." DAMN, Argent! That's dark, especially for you, Mr. I-Live-By-The-Code. I guess she's hardly innocent, though, so it's cool in his book.

"We've got one priority right now, and that's to find Melissa and your dad. We've got a map and every clue we need to figure this out, the only thing we don't have is time, which is why I need both of you," Argent orders, so Stiles finally relents and asks him where they should start. Argent recaps what we already know: the locations where they bodies were found were always different from where they were sacrificed, which Argent thinks probably has to do with the strength of the various telluric currents running through the town. That said, this leaves them with the school, the animal clinic, and the bank as the possible spots where Stilinski and Melissa could be sacrificed. 

Stiles wonders if she would use a location more than once, which gets Argent thinking. After a moment, Argent speculates that, if she did, it would be at a site where her plans failed the first time, which narrows their possible locations to the Beacon Hills National Bank's vault, where she failed to sacrifice Deaton back in "Currents." Stiles reminds them that that's just one possibility, so they need to find a way to check the others, just in case. The problem is, how can they possibly do that without putting all of themselves in danger?

Allison brings up Lydia as a possibility to lend a hand in narrowing things down, but Argent, who is just now being read into their side of the supernatural drama that is unfolding, has yet to be clued in on the "LYDIA IS A FUCKING BANSHEE!!!!!!" revelation, so he doesn't think she'd have anything to offer their team. Think again, Papa Argent! "Uh, Lydia's got sort-of a talent-- she somehow ended up finding a couple of the bodies...without actually looking for them," Stiles explains awkwardly. 

I totally forgot that neither Allison nor Stiles have probably had a chance to actually talk to Lydia for a significant enough period of time for Lydia to share what she learned about her supernatural status from Jennifer in "The Girl Who Knew Too Much"  and thus are still in the dark about it as well. Argent asks if she's psychic, and of course Stiles is like, "She's... something!" BANSHEE, STILES. SHE'S A BANSHEE. THE WAILING WOMAN! (Can you tell I'm still super happy and excited about this? I need to know EVERYTHING)

Across town, Cora is still gasping and wheezing on Derek's bed, mostly unconscious, so Derek grabs her forearm and absorbs as much pain as he can stand in hopes of taking the edge off of the pain enough to give her a chance at being able to heal faster/better. Peter hovers and watches with a mix of curiosity and worry as Derek groans in pain, and after a moment, Cora manages to relax a bit. Peter warns him to be careful, but of course Derek's just like, "Whatever, I know absorbing too much pain could kill me, so what???" Peter sighs, not at all surprised by Derek's sudden passive suicidal ideation, and clarifies that that wasn't what he meant.

At the Argent Abode, the two hunters are loading and inspecting various assault rifles and ring daggers and arrowheads and other sundry, as Stiles just watches unnervingly. He's like, "Aren't you guys supposed to be retired or something?" but Argent literally replies, "Retired, not defenseless!"

(via delenaeatons)
He instructs Stiles to keep his phone on and to let them know immediately if Scott tries to contact him, but Stiles sadly assumes that the chances of that happening are pretty slim. Stiles. :( Scott :( Allison and Stiles share a sad look, but Papa Argent reminds them that Scott is just doing what he thinks is right. They hear a noise and turn to the doorway, where an angelic-looking Isaac is standing.  ISAAC YOU ARE MY MOST FAVORITE WEREBABY EVER. Also, the song in the background of this scene is called "Genius" by DJ Brownie vs Paul Grogan, and it is awesome and perfect. It's my new work-out jam)

(via littleshitlahey)
Peter is telling another dramatic story about real wolf packs to Derek, and monologues about how wolves care for their injured members by feeding them regurgitated food and grooming them and stuff, which ends up healing them. Derek's like, "Dude, stop with the theatrics; if there's something I can do, fucking say it already." Peter claims he's only heard that there's a ritual that only Alphas can do to give the extra "spark" of power that they possess to their injured/sick wolf in order to heal it from injuries and illnesses that their usually accelerated healing factors are unable to fight off easily or quickly. 

Derek's totally ready to sign up, no questions asked, but Peter's like, "Yeah, but you could die too, so there's that." I want to trust him but I just can't. I know that Peter's a total shit-stirrer who gets off on drama and angst, but why even tell Derek about the ritual if he didn't think Derek should do it?! Derek doesn't care about that though, and wants to know what he has to do to save Cora. Peter's face is so creepy here, like, I just really want to know what his motives are. I get that Derek's desperate, but Peter's advice/ideas never go well! The last time he did it, he ended up having to kill his girlfriend, you know? Trusting him is a baaaad idea. Peter reveals that Derek will not only have to take away Cora's pain, but he'll also have to pay up another way.

Meanwhile, Lydia is getting make-up tips from her mom, who is Carol Lockwood from The Vampire Diaries, if you've forgotten her brief appearances in the first two seasons. She claims that got a lot of hickeys in high school, which means that she can totally cover up Lydia's bruises from being strangled. Lydia, in a brilliant moment of character development, interrupts her and points out that someone literally tried to kill her, and she still survived, so why should she try to cover that up? GO LYDIA! 

Remember when make-up was her war paint and she pretended to be stupid and bad at everything as to not make Jackson feel inferior? And now look at her! This is so awesome! Also, if I had almost been strangled/head-beaten to death by a serial killing dark Druid, I probably would have used that as an excuse to skip school the next day, if not several days, but I'm not a genius with a 5.0 GPA, either, so she probably knows better than me.

(via smolderhaldereyes)
Isaac and the Argents show up to the bank vault, which is completely empty. Argent orders them to stay aware anyway, just to be safe, and flashes his cattle-prod taser. Isaac starts to get some Vietnam-style flashbacks to the Season 2 finale when the Argents wounded, like, all of the pack in their fight against Gerard and the kanima. He stops walking and is like, "Uh, wait, isn't that your weapon of choice against werewolves?" It just so happens that it is, which Argent (un)helpfully demonstrates by jabbing poor Isaac in the gut with it. Isaac falls to the ground in a twitching heap, and Allison is appalled at his violence toward her current friendly ally and, let's be real, future BF. He takes advantage of the fact that she's distracted by rage and confusion, and quickly handcuffs her to one of the bars of the vault. The kids are both like, "WHAT THE FUCK, DAD," but Argent tells them they need to just trust him.

"I knew for a long time she wasn't just operating on the telluric currents. She was in sync with them," he explains, gun in hand, as he walks to the middle of the vault. He focuses on what he's hearing, and when he's sure that she's approaching, he drops his gun to the floor. Jennifer Blake swaggers in, in head-to-toe black and leather, the standard uniform for TW baddies, and practically squeals with glee. "Now this is a sacrifice!" All Allison and Isaac can do is just watch in horror as she (presumably) takes her real face and descends on Papa Argent with a screech. Noooooo!

Lydia and Stiles are in her bedroom, where they are recapping the events of the last twelve hours or so. She maintains that there is no way that Scott is actually going to join the Alpha Pack, which is accurate, because we all know that would involve killing all of his packmates, which isn't happening in any universe. Stiles says he isn't so sure, because he saw the look on his face when he found out his mom was taken, and knows he'd do anything to keep her (and, by extension, Stilinski) safe. 

Seeing how down her friend is, Lydia wants to know what she can do. "I mean, I get that I'm some kind of human Geiger-counter for death, but I don't know how to turn it on and off yet." All Lydia knows is that Jennifer tried to kill her. Bringing up this thought seems to help her brainstorm a bit, because she suddenly remembers that Jen was actually surprised when she called Lydia a banshee, which means that isn't the reason why she tried to kill her. When Stiles is like, "Why else would she want to kill you, if you weren't a sacrifice?" Lydia decides that they need to figure that out, and with a quickness.

Isaac and Allison are alone in the vault, and she braces against him as he tries to break her handcuffs off of the vault bars without hurting her in the process. Once she's free, she stumbles a bit, and he steadies her and tries to get her to look him in the eyes. After a few moments, he gently reminds her that they have to go, because they need to get help so that they can find their parents. Allison immediately starts to crumble, and I don't blame her a bit, honestly. Her mom and Kate are both gone, and if Argent dies, then she's left with only Gerard, whose presence is worse than being orphaned imo. 

Allison grips Isaac's forearms tightly, and her voice breaks when she asks, "They're all going to die, aren't they?" She starts to sob, and Isaac can't help but wrap her into a bear hug, because he totally gets it-- his dad might not have been much, but he knows what it's like to lose all your family. He also does this cute thing where he turns his head away from Allison and lets out a deep breath, like he's trying not to be a mouth-breather on her, and it's honestly super adorable. Isaac is the best.

Cora's still dying, in case you were curious, so Derek wants to waste no more time healing her, but is stopped by his uncle. "I can understand not seeing a downside to this, because you haven't exactly been Alpha of the Year, but think about what else you'll be losing." Derek spits that he doesn't give a fuck about power anymore, but Peter is more concerned about the power needed to fight back against the Alphas, since they're probably not just going to let him skip away even if he's demoted to a Beta. Plus, he got his ass handed to him when he fought against Kali as an Alpha, so doing it as a Beta is basically a death sentence. Derek's still on his martyr tear, especially after being dressed down by Isaac earlier, so he continues to not give a shit about his life whatsoever.

Peter turns the subject to Jennifer. "What if this was exactly what Jennifer was hoping for? She would know that the only way for you to save Cora would be giving up your power. Maybe that was what she was going to have you do at the hospital?" Derek doesn't get why she would want that, but Peter isn't finished. "So that you wouldn't be able to face the Alphas without her. She wants you to come to her-- it's all part of her little seduction, and she is STILL seducing you! She needs you on her side!" Derek is totally overwhelmed with information, especially since Peter has just spent the entire episode so far passionately arguing both sides of the debate, which is incredibly confusing. WHAT IS YOUR DEAL PETER? I need to know!

In the hallway at school, Lydia meets up with Stiles to reveal she can't get in touch with Aiden. Stiles stops in his tracks and sighs in frustration, but Lydia, seeing the cracks in his facade, assures him that they can still come up with alternative plans. Her pep talk is interrupted when Stiles gets a text that rattles him right to his core, and Lydia can immediately sense it's terrible news. Stiles can barely get words out of his mouth: the text was from Isaac, to tell them that Jennifer took Argent, which means that she now has everything she needs for her guardian sacrifices. 

His hands start to shake severely as he tries to put his phone back into his pocket. I would also like to point out that Stiles is wearing a dark gray, almost black t-shirt with a varsity-jacket-style cardigan in the same color. Stiles has never once worn black in his time on the series, except maybe in the first episode or two when he was really into wearing blazers, but even those were more charcoal gray, and he usually had brightly colored tshirts underneath them. Otherwise, he's usually in red, or blue, but never black! His pants are a sort of burnt-orange-y red, though, but still, it's worrisome for sure. The colors the characters wear are very indicative of their state of mind, and this just cements the fact that Stiles is breaking into itty bitty pieces.

Stiles starts gasping for breath, hunched over and frantically looking around the halls, as if he doesn't understand what is happening. Lydia tries to reassure him that they still have time, but she doesn't sound convinced. His vision starts to blur, and Lydia's voice starts to warp as everything slows down around him. I know everyone's been giving Jeff Davis shit for all the slo-mo this season, but this was an absolutely perfect use of it-- it highlights the almost dissociative aspect of panic attacks that make you feel like you're not even really in your body. 

Seeing Stiles start to break down, Lydia asks him what's wrong, and he chokes out that he's having a panic attack. To be honest, I'm shocked that it took him this long to have one, since we know that he used to get them a lot after his mom died, and its not like his life is a stress-free environment.

(via 1scmc-alphapack)
Down in the root cellar of the Nemeton, Argent, who is tied to one of the wooden support beams, just like Stilinski and Melissa, awakens with a gasp. While he struggles to remember what the fuck happened, he looks around the room anxiously, and Papa Stilinski and Mama McCall watch him with a sort of pained curiosity and ask if he's okay. Argent sees the roots of the Nemeton, and when he realizes where he is, he half-laughs, half-moans in anger at himself for not realizing sooner. Stilinski utilizes his impeccable detective skills and correctly deduces that Argent has been here before, which the hunter confirms.

He fidgets around to try to reach for his boots, but Stilinski breaks the news to him that they watched her take his ankle knife. When he reaches around for more hidden weapons, Melissa and Stilinski add, "And the knife in your sleeve... and the switchblade in your other sleeve." It looks as if he might have one last weapon stashed away somewhere, but his search is interrupted when the cellar door opens and Jen walks in through the blinding sunlight. "And the taser in your jacket pocket," she adds cheerfully. Christopher Argent, whyyyy did you think you'd be able to escape if you were caught? And that Jennifer would somehow be careless enough to let you keep her weapons after all of her intricate planning all season??? Dumb move, dude. This is just like that time you thought a loaded gun would be enough to take down a kanima.

Jennifer loves her little speeches, like Peter, so we're regaled with yet another one. "Argent, the French word for silver," she begins, as she takes a washcloth and blots the blood from Argent's forehead. "Interesting how truth becomes altered by legend... when it's not actually the metal silver that kills werewolves, but the family." That is actually a really cool mythology thing, tbh. I dig it-- it's a nice change from the traditional werewolf mythos. "What's the Argent Code again? 'We hunt those who hunt us?' I hope you don't mind if I borrow it for a little while, since I've been hunted myself." 

Argent reminds her that he doesn't kill innocent people, to which she responds, "That's why they call it a sacrifice! I wish it worked another way, but think about what you'll be doing!" She insists that he'll be making this world safer for Allison and the rest of their children, though she takes great care to point out to Mama McCall that not all of their children will be safe. I thought her beef was just with the Alpha Pack, but now I'm wondering if it's not just werewolves in general. Gross!

Stiles is still in the throes of his anxiety attack, so Lydia throws an arm around his shoulders and helps him to the empty locker room, where he staggers against a row of lockers and falls to the floor. Lydia kneels down beside him and encourages him to think about happy things, like his friends and his family. Stiles may be getting hypoxic, but he still manages to side-eye her for reminding him of the fact his dad is about to be ritually sacrificed. He gasps that he can't breathe, and she urges him to look at her face. When that doesn't work, she crashes her lips against his and kisses him.

(via 1scmc-alphapack)
His eyes open with confusion mid-kiss, like when Heather kissed him, as though he doesn't understand why the fuck someone would be kissing him, but eventually, he closes his eyes and kisses back. After a long moment, Lydia slowly backs away, and Stiles takes a deep breath before he exhales it slowly and shakily. He starts to relax a tiny bit, though his respirations are still pretty fast, and he's like, "Whoa, how'd you do that," thinking that it's a banshee super-power. She cutely and shyly whispers that she read somewhere that holding your breath can stop a panic attack. So, when she kissed him, he held his breath, BECAUSE SHE TOOK HIS BREATH AWAY OMGGGGGG. And from the looks of Lydia's face, she might have lost her breath for a moment too. Stiles manages to smile a bit and thanks her, and tells her that it was really smart.

I love Stiles and Lydia's dynamics, you guys, and I wouldn't be mad if they ever got together because of instances like this. Lydia used to be the kind of girl who obsessed over her looks and pretended to be a ditz to not rock the boat with Jackson. Stiles, on the other hand, definitely knows and believes that she's beautiful, but he's most complimentary about her intelligence, which is way more important for her to hear, tbh. Holland Roden wasn't lying when she said that Lydia and Stiles are two sides of the same coin, which just makes the pairing more perfect, whether romantic or just besties. 

THAT BEING SAID, PLEEEEEEEASE do not think this is a good way to break someone out of a panic attack, because trust me, you're more than likely just going to be making it work. However, since this is a fantasy show about teenagers who can turn into animals and young girls who are drawn to death and teachers who can control energy currents, I'm gonna give the show a pass on this one.

Anyway, Lydia just plays it all off, and jokes that she should be suggesting some sessions with the guidance counselor as she punches his leg playfully. This, of course, gives Stiles his next revelation: Ms. Morrell, who Allison already said could possibly be trying to help them, might be able to fill in the blanks as to what we're all missing, here.

They run straight into her office, where Heather's sassy friend Danielle is sitting at her desk. Stiles and Lydia ask her where Ms. Morrell is, to which Danielle replies that if she knew, she wouldn't have wasted twenty minutes waiting for her. "So how about you two walk back out that door and wait your turn?" Stiles recognizes her as Heather's best friend, but Danielle repeats the statement in past tense, since she's dead, and reveals that she's been seeing Ms. Morrell to deal with it. Lydia suddenly realizes that Danielle just said Ms. Morrell was late, and recalls that when she was getting counseling from her the year before, she was never late to their sessions. They wonder if she could have been taken by Jennifer, or even by the Alphas, if they thought she knew something. Stiles decides that they need to know what she knows and starts rifling through her desk.

Danielle is appalled, and is like, "Um, haven't you guys ever heard of HIPAA? Doctor-patient confidentiality?" Lydia agrees with her, but quickly changes her tune when Stiles hands her her own file. She starts rifling through it, and Stiles looks up from the drawer to notice one of her tree sketches in her file. (Why would Morrell have that? Is that part of Lydia's therapy, or did Marin steal it from her as part of her curiosity about Lydia's supernatural abilities?) Lydia's like, "So what? It's a tree! I like drawing trees!" Danielle compliments her art skills, but Stiles reminds her that it's the same tree that he always sees her drawing in class.

He grabs one of her notebooks out of her bag and flips through it, and each page has the same tree in various inks and sizes. They're still all the exact same tree though, and Lydia looks horrified, as if she doesn't remember drawing all of them. Danielle is freaked out by this development, too, and hilariously states that Lydia and Stiles obviously need her session more than she does as she scampers away. Stiles, after seeing about a dozen pages of the same tree in that notebook, turns the drawing upside down, which leads to the dawning realization that THE PARENTS ARE AT THE NEMETON! Thank god for your brain, Stiles.

They leave the office, and Stiles fills Lydia in on the Nemeton. Their chat is interrupted by Agent Douchenozzle, who is back for round two with Stiles. Stiles sends Lydia off to Derek and Peter to find out where the Nemeton is, since they've been there, with instructions to tell them they're in the "root cellar." Luckily, she leaves before Agent Douchenozzle approaches Stiles. The agent smugs, "Did you know your dad's car is in the school parking lot and has been since last night?" Stiles lies that he didn't, and asks what that means. What that means is that Stilinski is missing, which literally everyone else on this show has already known for the last two episodes. A+ work, shithead.

The two sit in what looks like Mr. Westover's room, or maybe Coach Finstock's (basically, it's the sole classroom set that they have, which they just rearrange to look like different classrooms), where Agent Douchenozzle correctly guesses that Stiles is knows something that could help find his dad. This conversation is pretty hilarious, and actually a little informative, especially now in hindsight. Stiles points out that he wants to find his dad more than anyone, so if he knew anything, he would tell him. For whatever reason, Agent Douchenozzle decides to literally repeat what Stiles just said back to him in response. Stiles' quips in the rest of the conversation remind me a bit of Mike Ross from Suits, TBH.

STILES: "So you're asking me to tell you what I wouldn't not tell you?" 

ADN: "First, I have no idea what you just said. Second, how about you just help me help you?" 

STILES: "Well, I don't know how to help you help me tell you something that would help you if I don't know it." 

ADN: "Are you doing this on purpose?" 

STILES: "I don't know anything, okay? Can I just go?" 

ADN: "Where are your other friends?" 

STILES: "You mean Scott?" 

ADN: "I mean Scott, [He opens small notepad] I mean Isaac Lahey, Allison Argent, these twins Ethan and Aiden...[He closes notepad and pockets it] I've been told your whole little clique didn't show up to school today."

Stiles mutters that he doesn't have a clique, ("BUT IF I DID, AIN'T NOBODY BE FUCKING WITH IT," yells the entirety of the Teen Wolf fandom) but the dude states the facts. "Stiles, come on. There's been a disturbing amount of violent activity in this county in the last few months, several murders tied to this school. I don't know what's going on here, but it's serious. [beat] And hey--your dad is missing." Stiles doesn't say anything, and just glares at him, like, "Oh, really? I had no idea, thanks for the reminder, asshole," so Agent Douchenozzle gives up. He does add that he doesn't want Stiles staying home alone tonight, so he asks if Stiles has someone to stay with that evening. "He's with me," proclaims Dr. Deaton, who has suddenly appeared in the doorway. BLESS YOUR SOUL, DEATON.

Lydia has just arrived to Derek's loft and knocks on the door, and of course who else would answer but Peter? Doesn't he have his own apartment? Or does he just like hanging around to bug Derek at all times? Lydia is understandable nervous and angry to be in such proximity to Peter's foulness, and simply utters, "You." Peter, who, to his credit, does look pretty embarrassed/ashamed/guilty, just replies, "Me," before awkwardly calling for Derek and allowing her entry into the apartment. Again, I love how Lydia stood up for herself, looked him in the eye, and made him feel ashamed for what he did. Get it, girl! You are the best.

Out in the woods, Marin Morrell is running as fast as she can, and eventually stops to look and listen for anyone following her. When she hears wolf howls nearby, she instinctively starts running again to avoid getting caught. We see two dark figures running behind her, as well, and they jump up on tree branches and do some sweet gymnastics before we see that it's Aiden and Ethan, who seem to be tracking her. (I still can't tell them apart without their respective love interests nearby. I know one is a little taller and lankier than the other, but I have no idea which is which. If they end up sticking around for 3B, I should probably eventually figure that out, huh?)

Scott and Deucalion are also in the woods, presumably also looking for Ms. Morrell. Deuc's wolf-vision goes bright when he spots a firefly in the woods, which Scott helpfully identifies for him. Deucalion brings up the same thing that Argent did in "Fireflies," regarding fireflies that glow being unusual for California. Scott recounts all the animal weirdness the past few months (the deer that killed itself by running into Lydia's car, the mass bird suicide at school, and the kitten suicides at the animal clinic) and wonders aloud if Jennifer is behind it. Deuc doesn't confirm or deny it, and simply reasons that animals can sometimes sense natural disasters, so maybe they can sense the supernatural kind as well.

"Does she scare you?" Scott inquires bravely (and probably stupidly). Deucalion, being the manipulative little shit that he is, spins it deftly. "She concerns me, if she's willing to kill that many innocent people for her cause, like your mother and Stiles' father." Scott looks a little pissed when he says that, because as much as the fandom likes to think so, Scott's not actually an idiot and generally knows when he's being manipulated, but he maintains his cover and asks if Deucalion's willing to kill innocent people. Of course, we all know that he is, and he tells Scott as much. "I'll kill any living thing that gets in my way." Scott, bb, I love you, and you'll always be my number 1, but you should really rethink your little alliance with this dude right now.

Anyway, back at Derek's loft...

"You don't know where it is?" Lydia shrieks exasperatedly at Peter, who is sitting near a solemn Derek in that main room, though Derek isn't really involved in the conversation whatsoever. "But Stiles said you'd been there!" Peter confirms that they have, but explains that after the traumatic events that occurred at the Nemeton in the flashbacks in "Visionary," which Peter told Stiles all about in that same episode, Talia removed their memories of its location so they couldn't go back. She knew it was dangerous, and wanted to protect them by keeping them from returning and ultimately getting into more trouble.

This scene was interesting, because 1) it explains why we haven't really seen Derek react to/talk about Paige and her death, because the memories of it's location are likely tied to the memories of killing Paige, right? And 2) we learn that Talia is Peter's older sister, which kind of sheds some light on Peter's weird power-hungry Machiavellian scheming-- he probably has a lot of inferiority/jealousy issues that stem from being in the shadow of his sister all the time, who was the highly revered and respected Alpha of the well-known Hale Pack, who also had the unique ability turn into an actual wolf and who everyone was always trying to get in her good graces. Anyway, back to the story: Lydia asks how the fuck they're supposed to find the Nemeton if they don't know, and Peter just sort of shrugs, like, "Not my fight, girl." Way to help, man.

Marin is still running through the woods, knowing that the Alphas are closing in on her. She sprints into a clearing and throws up a handful of mountain ash in such a badass way that it literally falls around her in a perfectly symmetrical circle. The twins lunge at her, but ultimately bounce off the barrier into a heap a couple yards away. Kali joins them, and they all approach the circle cautiously. After the break, Deucalion and Scott join them, as the former asks how she knew they were coming for her.

(via wolfprincelahey)
"Because Jennifer and I are the same," she explains calmly. "And I know you've always been suspicious of us, of what we can do." Kali reminds her that they were right to think so, because they know she sent the mystery girl (aka "The Girl") to help Isaac when they caught him looking for Boyd and Erica. Deucalion needs a reminder yet again to the savior's name, which goes to show that he really doesn't give a fuck about Emissaries. Marin answers that her name was Braeden, so now we finally have confirmation as to what it is now. "And I sent her to do what I've always done-- maintain balance." I was a tiny bit disappointed that that is the only explanation we get about Braeden, but there's so much other stuff going on, we don't really have time to dwell on it.

Kali demands information about Jennifer, but Marin says that they know everything she knows, and turns to Scott next. "This isn't you, Scott. Go back to your friends." Deuc does the typical, controlling, "Scott can make his own decisions," move, but Marin's got the truth as a weapon. "Not without all the information! Have you've told him everything you've done? How you've piled up bodies in a narcissistic, psychotic effort to form your perfect pack? Bodies that include Ennis, by the way." 

This catches Kali and the twins' attention, and they turn to stare at Deucalion as Marin continues. "My brother saved him! He was alive when Deucalion went in to see him. He wants you to go after Derek, Kali, to force his decision. If Derek joins the pack, it paves the way for Scott."

Scott gulps anxiously at this revelation, but Deucalion's had enough, and promptly declares her speech to be full of lies. When she urges them to ask Deaton about it themselves, Deuc throws his uncapped cane/shiv at her like a javelin, which lodges into her shoulder and causes her to fall outside the mountain ash circle. The Alphas descend upon her, but Scott gets there first, and literally yells at them to back off as he shields her with his body. Shockingly, they do back off, which makes me more confident that at least one of them will end up defecting to Team Good next week. Scott assures her that he won't let them kill her (and I really hope she doesn't die, because she's become so fucking badass this season) but urges her to tell him where Jennifer is. She relents, and tells him to find the Nemeton, and he'll find her, and by extension, his mom and his friends' dads.

In the root cellar of the Nemeton, Argent is still futilely trying to get himself untied, and Melissa's like, "Not to rain on your parade or anything, but we've been down here for hours and still haven't managed to escape yet, sooo..." Stilinski, once again using his stellar deduction skills (not sarcasm-- he's truly a very smart dude!) to guess that Argent has probably been tied up a bunch of times, and figures it's an occupational hazard of being a werewolf hunter. This catches Argent off-guard, and he futilely tries to deny it for a second, as though Stilinski hadn't just heard his entire conversation with Jen earlier about him being a werewolf hunter, but he drops the act quickly. Melissa informs him that she's tried to fill Stilinski in on everything she knows, since he's pretty much earned it at this point. The Sheriff agrees. "You know, I was starting to feel a little left out."

Argent thinks differently, however-- he remembers being questioned by Stilinski, before he was Sheriff, about a body in a murder case. He could tell that Papa Stilinski thought that something supernatural was afoot then, but he wasn't ready to believe it yet. Stilinski doesn't deny it, and admits there was one occasion when he knew something was up, but couldn't explain it. It happened eight years ago, the same night that his wife died. Melissa closes her eyes and exhales, like she still remembers exactly what happened herself, as the Sheriff tells them his story. As it turns out, he got a call at the end of his shift about a multiple-car pile up, where a girl was pinned under an overturned car. When he got there and found her, they both knew she wouldn't be able to make it long enough for the paramedics to arrive, but he stuck around to comfort her by holding her hand, anyway.

She suddenly gripped his hand so tight that he thought she was going to break his bones, and she told him, "If you want to be with her, then you have to leave now." Stilinski knew deep down he was talking about his wife, whose name was Claudia, but the rational part of him just couldn't wrap his mind around it, since a perfect stranger couldn't possibly know she was sick and dying. So, he stayed with the girl instead until she was declared dead a while later.

By the time he got to the hospital after leaving the scene, Stiles was sitting alone in the hallway with his head in his hands, and Stilinski found out that his wife had died while Stiles was there with her, all by himself. His eight-year-old son was there all alone, and Stilinski wasn't there, BECAUSE HE DIDN'T BELIEVE. MY HEART = CRUSHED. And Stiles' line in "The Girl Who Knew Too Much" about how his mom would believe him is now like, 5,000,000% more heartbreaking.

Speaking of Stiles, he's at the Animal Clinic with Deaton, Allison, Isaac and Lydia, and is expositing that the Nemeton has to be on a telluric current, or possibly on the axis of two or all of the currents; he just knows for sure that it's where Derek took Paige to die, like, eight years ago. Allison reveals that she knows Gerard and her father have been there before, but Gerard either can't or won't remember where it is, and obviously Argent is actually there so he can't help them, either. Isaac asks how they're going to be able to find them, but Deaton thinks that he has an idea-- the only problem is, that they need Scott to do it.

They meet up with Scott in the woods. Stiles and Scott ask each other how they figured out about the Nemeton, and respond "Lydia" and "Morrell," respectively. Scott tells them he Alphas claim they don't know where it is either, which worries Stiles, leading him to ask if this means that he's going to tell them what they've learned if their plan works. Scott doesn't seem to think he has a choice, if they want to stop Jennifer, but Deaton urges them to concentrate on finding their parents for right now. They discuss the plan: basically, the kids are going to be "surrogate sacrifices" for their parents, so their parents won't have to die.

Scott is a little unnerved at the thought of actually dying, but Stiles assures him that Deaton can bring them back, though, when they look to him for reassurance, Deaton's like, "Uh, remember when I called this ritual 'dangerous?' That is only one of several reasons why." There are other downsides to this plan, the first of which is that it give the Nemeton power, which it hasn't had in years-- basically, it's going to literally turn Beacon Hills into a "Beacon for the Bizarre and Supernatural," as Lydia alluded in "Tattoo," and will draw them to town like a magnet. Stiles doesn't really see how that could be any different than any other day in Beacon Hills, but Deaton reveals that there are way worse beasties and creatures out there than what the kids have seen so far, apparently enough to fill an Argent bestiary or two.

Deaton also adds a third caveat: it will change Stiles, Scott and Allison, because the ritual will cause them to develop a darkness around their hearts that they will feel for the rest of their lives, like a scar. "Like a tattoo," Scott murmurs. I dunno, I feel like Stiles and Allison already seem to have a pretty good-sized darkness in their hearts already, but I get the concern. I don't want them going all dark!Willow on us or anything, although I have a nagging suspicion that that may be where Stiles is heading in the near-ish future. Allison already had her major taste in Season 2, but it's definitely possible that we'll revisit it in 3B too.

Down in the root cellar, Papa Argent wiggles and wiggles in his restraints and manages to fish a tiny ultra-sonic emitter out of his back pocket. He explains to them that hunters usually use them to push werewolves into a trap, but wants to try to try to see if they can't summon their teenage werewolf pals to find them with it, since Scott, Isaac, and Derek have heard them before. He pushes the button, and the three of them sigh and wait. I have so many OT3s on this show! First, and most importantly, Scott/Allison/Isaac, but also Stiles/Cora/Lydia and now Melissa/Argent/Stilinski. DO IT DAVIS, DO ITTTTT. I will settle for Stilinski and Melissa getting married, at the very least.

Cora is twitching and groaning and looks like she's dying. Derek insists that it has to do it, now, and emphasizes that he doesn't have a choice. Peter tells him he always has a choice, and that what is important is whether he can live with the implications of his choices-- namely, fighting Kali as a Beta. Derek reminds him that it's not just the full moon coming, but the lunar eclipse as well, which will just leave them all powerless, anyway, so they're basically fucked however you look at it.

Deaton, Lydia and Isaac are preparing ice baths for Scott, Stiles, and Allison at the animal clinic, and it appears that they added mistletoe and some other herbs and things to the water as well. Deaton asks them what they brought with them, because apparently they need some kind of a kind of totem to connect them to their parents. Stiles brought his dad's Sheriff's badge, although it's still dented and beat up from Jennifer squishing it in her fist, but Deaton assures him that as long as it has meaning, it doesn't matter how pretty it is.

Isaac can't help but chuckle when he sees that Allison's totem is a real silver bullet, which she reveals her dad made, as a sort of family rite of passage. "When one of us finishes learning all the skills to be a hunter, we forge a silver bullet as a testament to the Code," she explains softly, as she closes her hand around it.

Finally, Scott holds up the watch that his dad got his mom when she first got hired at the hospital, which she claimed was the only thing in her marriage that ever worked. For what it's worth, it doesn't work now-- the clock is stuck at 4:30 and 48 seconds, although I'm not sure if that's important or not. I figured I'd document it for future reference. (Edited to add: apparently, in Celtic tradition, if a clock/watch stopped ticking, it was because a banshee was nearby. Considering that Lydia was in the room with them, I am going to believe that this is why it didn't work until it's proven otherwise.)

The good doctor then explains more details about this ritual our heroes are about to undertake: the three of them will get in the tubs, and Isaac, Lydia and himself will hold them down until they're basically dead. Apparently, the person who holds them down also needs to have an emotional connection with them, because they need to be able to help bring them back to life. Lydia immediately heads for Allison, but Deaton is the ultimate TW shipper, so he instructs Lydia to go with Stiles, for reasons we've already discussed. Allison is confused, because she needs someone to hold her under too, but then it dawns on her, Isaac, and Scott at the same time that Deaton thinks Isaac should be the one to bring her back. Scott handles it as gracefully as I expected, though, which is extremely gracefully, plus Deaton is as good an emotional tether for him as anyone, given that he's basically his surrogate dad at this point.

They each stand in front of their metal bathtub, with their respective anchors standing behind them. Allison dips a toe into her tub and immediately hisses and groans at the freezing temperature. Of course, we're not given any shirtless Stiles, or even shirtless Scott! Instead they all remain in their clothes, although Allison does strip down to just her little slip-dress. Stiles looks back to Lydia for support, and she gives him a tiny smile and nods at him in encouragement. Each of them has their totem in one hand as they lower themselves into their tubs and immediately begin to shiver.

They each sit in their own tubs with only their heads and shoulders out of water as they try to compose themselves before they drown, but Stiles still has one last bomb to drop before they go: "By the way," Stiles begins nervously, shaking from cold. "If I don't make it back and you do, you should probably know something... your dad is in town."

(via sharmadness)
Scott gasps in shock and looks away from his best friend, just as we pan over to the McCall house, where a man is sitting on Scott's bed. His hand reaches for a copy of Tale of Two Cities, which is laying dog-eared on the floor, and when the camera slowly moves up, we see that the man is actually Agent Douchenozzle, FBI badge still around his neck, sitting in his son's empty bedroom with tears in his eyes. OH MY GOD PAPA MCCALL IS A FED! I honestly did not see that coming, and it completely explains why Stiles was such a dick to him, although he deserved it anyway. It had nothing to do with his position of authority or having some kind of weird rivalry with the Sheriff, and everything to do with him being terrible to his BFF.

Cora is still dying and gasping in Derek's bed as he tenderly brushes her hair off her face. He then takes a deep breath before taking her arm in both of her hands, while Peter watches with a morbid curiosity. I seriously cannot for the life of me figure out what the fuck his motives are, but he seems just as worried as he does excited (and also kind of aroused, if I'm being honest.) The veins in Derek's arms turn black, and he roars in pain as his fangs emerge and his eyes flash red. Cora's eyes open with a gasp, and she watches her brother in shock and confusion as he screams louder, and his face becomes more pained. His face tilts up towards the ceiling as his irises change from red to BLUE...

(via analpha)

...meanwhile, Scott, Stiles, and Allison are practically convulsing from hypothermia, and they look over at each other in their final moments. Scott takes a deep breath and nods, and Deaton, Lydia and Isaac place their hands on their friends' shoulders. The trio gulps at the air, and the orchestral music reaches its climax as they're slowly pushed under the water simultaneously.

(via stallisons)

Once they're fully submerged, Lydia and Isaac both turn their heads toward Deaton, like, "Um, what the fuck do we do now?" Under the water, we get flashes of each of their faces, which look quite peaceful, honestly. The last face we see is Scott's, and just as we expect to see him die, his eyes fly open, his irises are golden, with blood red around the edges. We see little swirls of what looks like black ink creeping toward his face as the screen fades to black, and we see the dreaded, "TO BE CONTINUED" tag just before the credits. GOD DAMN YOU, JEFF DAVIS. GOD DAMN YOU. IS IT FUCKING MONDAY YET?

Next week, according to the promo: we really don't get many details, only that it's the final showdown between the Alphas and the Darach. We do know that Deucalion sucks at math about as much as Jeff Davis, because he says Jennifer killed nine innocent people, but I'm pretty sure it was actually twelve, not counting Scott, Stiles and Allison, because they're obviously coming back. Otherwise, literally anything could happen. I CANNOT WAIT.

So, what did you guys think? Can you believe that there's only ONE EPISODE LEFT UNTIL JANUARY? I want it to be here, but I don't, at the same time, because what will we do over the next five months? (Answer: watch the Vampire Diaries, that's what, but it won't be the same.) Tell me your theories about the end of 3A in the comments!

[screenshots were from this Screencapped album]

Click HERE to read my recap of the next episode of Teen Wolf!

NOTES/QUESTIONS/SPECULATION:
-Here's my $0.02 on why I like the Allisaac ship: A lot of people have said that they think it was forced or unrealistic due to their history, which are legitimate views and if that's how you feel, I get it. I do respectfully disagree, though. First of all, everyone has hurt basically everyone on this show. Scott has beat up Isaac on more than one occasion, and same with Derek. Is that healthy? Nope! Is it okay? Not really, no. But, we're watching a show about werewolves who heal from an injury in a fraction of the time of humans, so I have a hard time holding the characters of this universe to the same rules as in real life.

I also think that Allison and Isaac have a lot in common: both felt weak and powerless, at least in part due to their parent(s) (not to say that the Argents were anything like Isaac's dad, but they were definitely controlling at the very least, especially Mama Argent) and they both sought out ways to feel powerful (getting the bite, learning to be a hunter, etc.) When they got that power, they went a little crazy with it, and even though they're better now, they are both still learning how to deal with their darker impulses. They both are also connected through Scott, whose influence has changed them both for the better, and that's what initially made them care about each other, I think.

In "Unleashed," Isaac said Allison's happiness wasn't a priority to him, but he still kept her secret and accepted her help in getting back at the twins. Not to mention the fact that she witnessed his panic attack in the janitor's closet and was completely understanding about it, just so he wouldn't blame himself for it. And, in "The Girl Who Knew Too Much," he helped her find clues, opened up about his father to her, listened to her, protected her, and stood up to her dad to get him to stop blaming her for his plan failing. 

In this episode, "Alpha Pact," she seeks comfort from him when she feels like she's lost her last family member, and he does comfort her, because he understood her pain. That, to me, seems like a pretty solid connection based on mutual trust, don't you think?. It doesn't have to be an epic love story (I am well aware that Scallison will most likely be endgame) but I think they will be good friends for each other, and even if they do end up having a romantic/sexual relationship that ultimately doesn't work out, I think they'll still care pretty deeply about each other, just like Scott and Allison do right now, during this "off" period of their "on-and-off" relationship. That's what this pack does! And that's all I've got for now, on this particular ship, anyway.

-I LOVE DEATON. Remember last season, when Marin was sassing him about leaving such important tasks in the hands of a bunch of kids? And he defended them, and basically told her they were way tougher than anyone could expect? And remember how awed he was when he realized Scott was a True Alpha? I honestly think that he is extremely impressed by these kids, and what they're willing to do/risk/sacrifice for their loved ones, and the town's safety in general. These kids have gone through so much, both individually and as a group, especially for such a young age, and I really think that Deaton feels for them. 

Did you notice the almost-pain in his voice when he was explaining to Scott and Stiles about the darkness around their hearts? He's either a really good actor, or he has really made a solid connection to these kids and wishes they didn't have to deal with all of the stress and the pain that they've dealt with the past year. I know many people don't trust him, and maybe they're right not to, but I've really enjoyed his presence, and especially his relationship with Scott. I have a hard time believing that he doesn't genuinely care for Scott, regardless of what kind of shady stuff could be in his agenda.

-Do you guys think Isaac's eyes will turn blue because he technically will be "killing" Allison, or do you think them sacrificing themselves is more like a suicide? Or will the fact that they'll be brought back to life factor into the magic of werewolf eye colors? I am only curious because hunters could possibly get the wrong idea if they see a blue-eyed wolf, and could assume that they're a killer without knowing the details. That's assuming the hunters know about the blue-eye mythology, though, and that really hasn't been confirmed yet.

-Also, do you think that this event will bring The Golden Trio (Scott, Stiles, and Allison) closer together? I hope so! And I hope that the darkness in their hearts or whatever won't turn them into like, Peter or something. Also also, I wonder if this self-sacrifice will end up being the catalyst that makes Scott rise to his full True Alpha potential? I REALLY hope so!

-It seems like in the war between the Alphas and Jennifer is going to split up the Beacon Hills gang. I am going to guess that Derek will side with Jennifer, knowing that unless they're taken down or run out of town, the Alphas will kill him. However, Scott (and by extension, Stiles, Isaac, Lydia and Allison) seems to be leaning toward teaming up with the Alphas, since the kids are still understandably pissed at Jennifer for putting their parents in danger. 

That leaves Peter as the wild card who could be working either side. Or both sides. OR neither side--I could totally see him just watching the conflict on the sidelines and then swooping in to take advantage of the instability. At first, I thought that they should all side with Jennifer, considering the Alpha Pack is a pretty serious threat, too, and they kind of have the same goals, but now that I get the feeling she hates all werewolves, and now that she has all of their parents, I'm wondering if it isn't better that they stick with the Alphas for now and then deal with the implications of their presence after Jennifer is taken care of. I really just don't know what to think at this point! I also haven't quite let go of my suspicion that Jen and Deuc are secretly working together or something. DAMN YOU TEENAGE WEREWOLVES, I have put way more time and thought into this show than is probably healthy.

-I have a feeling that Derek will manage to rise above and steal his Alpha powers back by either killing Deucalion or Kali. It would also be pretty cool if Isaac became an Alpha, and then they could all form their own benevolent Alpha Pack to help protect Beacon Hills!

-Speaking of Alphas, what do you guys think will happen to Derek's Alpha "spark?" Does Cora get it, since she needs it to heal, or will Peter get it because he's next in line in the werewolf hierarchy? Is that why he was so excited about it? Should we be wary of his motives? I'm thinking he's totally up to something. Could it just go *poof*  into the air, so no one ends up getting it? If that's the case, that seems like a waste of a spark, especially considering that like, 99.99% of Alphas get their powers from stealing/inheriting it from another Alpha, which means there has to be a mostly finite number of Alphas/Alpha sparks out there. If they lose that spark, that's just one less Alpha who can bite people to keep their species alive!

-Chris Argent wins the MVP (most valuable parent) award this week, because despite tasing Isaac and handcuffing his daughter to a door, he was so caring and protective of the gang this week, especially Isaac and Stiles. I mean, he was trained to hunt and kill werewolves and other creatures, and he's still a million times nicer to his daughter's werewolf boy space friend than Isaac's dad ever was to his own son, even as a human. Considering Stiles' last real experience with Argent (when he got all up in his face/Jackson's face regarding Scott and whatnot in Season 1), this has been a vast improvement for them. This is the kind of Argent I can love, and I sincerely hope this version sticks around. I much prefer he and Allison fighting alongside the Beacon Hills pack than against it, especially considering the werewolves try their best to keep this town safe too. I mean really, Scott's code is basically exactly the same as the Argents, so why did they hate him so much, again? Okay, ramble over.

-Does Papa McCall (whose name is supposedly Rafael, according to the awesome Tumblr sleuths in the Teen Wolf meta tag) know about werewolves/the supernatural? I can't decide, either option seems pretty plausible. Ugh, I need to know the answers to all of these questions now!