When the twins decide it’s time to mess with Scott and Isaac, neither side holds back.
What They Say:
Unleashed – Scott tries to keep Isaac from confronting the twins in school. Stiles tries to prove his theory about the killings.
The Review:
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers)
Teen Wolf has had a pretty engaging season in its first three episodes and did a lot in the previous episode to bring together some very different people to achieve a goal. The potential to bring Argent into the show in a new way definitely worked for me with the way it was handled since he didn’t just leap into it and had some reservations. But he also knew that he had to step up to do the right thing which is definitely in character for him and good to see after all that happened. The show also brings in another adult in a different way as the teacher in the storeroom, Jennifer, is now getting visited by Derek as he’s making sure she’s not going to talk about what she saw. It heightens her role a bit, whi.ch could be a lot of fun.
While some things have settled down, there’s still a lot of tensions to be had within Beacon Hills as the killings are going on with the same ritual method. A new body is discovered early on here while a lot of the kids are out doing cross country training with the coach, which also involves several of the werewolves as Isaac goes off and challenges the twins. That gets Scott trying to ease things down, but there’s only so much that can be done as Isaac continues to be easily set off. Amusingly, it’s Stiles that is the voice of reason as he talks about how the twins likely aren’t connected, even if it is strange that it all came up at the same time as their arrival. Isaac has plenty of reason to go after them behond just this though with what happened to Boyd and Erica and that’s driving a lot of his anger and frustration.
With some things established so far, the show is intent on shaking things up a bit more with a few nudges along the way that are pretty fun, such as the twins orchestrating things so that Isaac gets into trouble and even hitting on Lydia, which sets off Scott a bit as well. It’s Derek that takes some real heat though when Deucalion comes to talk to him and he has his minions doing a number on both him and Cora, which comes on top of the other problems Cora already has when it comes to viewing how her brother has operated since he apparently went out of her life. His resurfacing had her hopeful for the clan to revive in a big way, but she’s seeing that he’s not who she thought he was.
When it comes to Deucalion, he’s making his plans kind of clear with what he wants out of Derek and the kind of Alpha Pack he’s building. There’s something about Deucalion as he gets into his shtick which is almost too much over the top in the way, but he’s managed to pull it off well enough because of what he wants to be in the “alpha of alphas” and all. With the series having not really gone to this kind of approach before, it almost feels a bit out of place but Deucalion is able to back it up with a good deal of power and intensity. As Derek says at one point, it’s like he’s a fanatic and that does make it clear what kind of personality is really driving Deucalion.
What is enjoyable with this episode is the way that Stiles continues to be the brains of the operation, even if there is a kind of comedic effect to him in a way that’s under the surface. His approach of trying to understand what’s going on rather than just reacting and being animalistic like everyone else seems to be helps to give him a role that defines himself well and gives you a kind of arc towards what his father does. His investigative side has been there since Scott turned into a werewolf and now he’s really grabbing onto the role because there is an incredible amount of lore and history out there that will help them deal with some of these situations, things that those like Scott and Derek won’t exactly find out about themselves when it’s easier to just tear it apart.
In Summary:
Teen Wolf hits something of a transitional episode here as Deucalion’s dealings start to become clearer and we’re seeing the paths open up a bit more with what’s going on and who is on what side. The time with the twins, Aiden and Ethan, is certainly fun and almost has a bit of simple high school comedy about it, but what it leads to is what’s worth watching as Deucalion has only those under his command that he truly needs. Still, there’s something intriguing about the way the twins bond and you have to enjoy the way they taunt Scott and Isaac throughout this. Derek’s story is definitely solid here and is a larger look at what’s to come, but it’s once again Stiles’ show as he does what’s best at and is trying to figure out what’s really happening and trying to get everyone else to realize that he’s on the right path. Good stuff all around, but definitely a quieter transitional episode overall.
Grade: B