Let me quickly emphasize that there was a lot to love about this week’s emotionally draining episode of Teen Wolf. There were a number of stellar character moments, truly haunting imagery and even a bit of missing resolution.
As thrilling as these were as singular moments, they didn’t ever quite fit to create a cohesive episodic storyline.
The problem I’m facing-as ridiculous as it may seem-is that I’m having trouble caring about the shortcomings due to the overwhelming strengths. However, to aid in my credentials I need to put down the fan sensibility and don a critic’s cap.
There were some undeniable problems-and they began pretty quickly.
The premise of the episode centers on figuring out what’s happening to Stiles. To begin with he calls Scott saying that he’s lost somewhere. He believes he sleep walked to an abandoned basement and can’t move because he’s managed to injure his leg in an animal trap. He tells Scott that there’s someone in the basement with him.
It turns out, in an unsettling sequence that Stiles had been sleeping the entire time. He had found his way into the coyote den from a few episodes ago and had battled with himself in his head.
Next they have to figure out if Stiles is afflicted with the same disease that resulted in his mother’s death.
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Jeez Teen Wolf you’re not really a sack of happy feelings and fun this week are you?
During his medical examination Scott and Derek discover that Stiles is in fact being possessed but has been grappling with himself and trying to continuously ward off the evil to not do any damage to his loved ones.
They may have figured this out all too late however when we watch Stiles have a confrontation with his shadow, his riddle, the possessor who has taken over Stiles body to go and wreak some havoc.
Our last discovery of the episode is finding out that Kira’s mother is working with the Oni and threatening the dark spirit that she will take it down no matter who its chosen host is.
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This is a lot of information to process so let’s take a step back and focus on the negatives for a moment.
The directing style was over the top in a distracting manner. Take the first scene of the episode as a panicked Stiles calls Scott to ask for his help. We didn’t need the rapid, revolving aerial shots to enhance the dramatics, the acting and the situation was already stressful.
Allison was hardly in it. I would typically be okay with a characters absence depending on the episode and what the storyline called for but Allison not showing up for half of the episode when everyone else was taking part in the Stiles rescue party was suspect. Allison has only really been allowed scenes with Isaac and her father this season and Crystal Reed has been given hardly anything to really bite into. It’s curious and a little infuriating to see just how noticeably she’s being shuffled to sidelines, nearly seeming like a glorified extra. Which is a shame considering she’s one of the more capable actresses on the show.
Which lends itself to my next point…
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Kira is Allison 2.0. There is no denying at this point. I still enjoy Kira and Scott’s relationship because there’s a sweet innocence to them. What I don’t like is how it seems like an excuse for Allison’s lack of storyline. Kira’s mother is from a long line of hunters of evil forces? Does that seem at all familiar to anyone else?
It all seemed jumbled together. The episode obviously had a lot of ideas but rather than string them together effortlessly Jeff Davis and co. instead seemed to throw out anything and everything and see what stuck.
Luckily the episode had a fine performer doing the heavy lifting of the episode and some moments of character poignancy that left many audience members moved, even a little unsettled.
Dylan O’Brien has turned into a very strong actor-especially with the experience, or lack thereof, that he has under his belt. He had to be angry, in pain, apathetic, scared and then take a 180 and be possessed and removed all in one episode and he portrayed all of these emotions in a carefully constructed manner, allowing the viewers to know exactly what the character was feeling. This episode is a vehicle to allow him to stretch his acting muscles and really show us what it is that he can do.
It’s interesting to note the actor’s apparent comfort in comedy when it seems he’s the most natural in drama. In his more attention getting comedic moments we’re able to tell when he’s acting. Every beat he hit in this week’s episode felt authentic.
The next moment of significance is a brief one, barely two minutes, between Scott and Stiles where Scott implies that he’d give his best friend the bite if it meant saving him and offer him a moment of solace when he’s at his most vulnerable. It’s rare to see male friendship tackled in such a tender and intimate way and knowing the characters backstory allows their scene to reach an emotional peak of the episode.
Scott has another strong scene with Derek where Derek confides in Scott that he thinks the town needs someone like Scott to protect it. It’s the most low key we’ve seen the character and allows for Tyler Hoechlin and Tyler Posey to reach a subtlety in their performances.
Soon after all hell breaks look as the dark spirit takes over Stiles and we’re set up for the next episode.
The episode never quite gained its footing but the strength of the character work was enough to satisfy fans of the show.
7/10
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