What They Say:
Orphaned – Scott is forced into helping a dangerous enemy; Derek and Malia track an old ally.
The Review:
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers)
Teen Wolf covered a lot of ground in the previous episode with what was going on, playing to what Argent is dealing with when it comes to the Mexican side of the business, Lydia’s closing in on getting some help in understanding herself and Derek’s amusing appreciation of how much Scott has grown. The cast, as we’ve talked about, is certainly smaller this season, but it also has a bigger feeling when it comes to the world at large. I also liked that we got the admittance by the team that was hunting within the school that Scott is not one to be taken lightly. Bringing back the information about how Scott really was the only alpha left standing after the events of the Alpha Pack that came to town feels like an age ago, but it’s an important aspect of just what kind of player he is in the game.
This episode gives an intriguing part through a flashback in the prologue where we see what Kate is going through in her hunt for the Benefactor as she’s taking down a whole lot of baddies to try and find out who gave her the “mix tape” about the werewolves. We even get to see her henchmen in grisly form and a chance to see her go through her own transformation. What we do get is the introduction of a new group here though, in name only, as one of the thugs claims that he knows that a group of teenagers known as the Orphans got a tape as well. Someone is definitely manipulating things out there and it’s interesting to see it sprawling out in some neat ways and adding to the larger mythology.
What that segues into is something even more interesting as the two teens that were attempting to kill in the last episode is revealed to be members of the Orphans. That revelation comes from the most unexpected of places though as Scott’s father, upon seeing the weapon that was used, knows exactly who they are and that the girl – or the group – is responsible for about a dozen murders that he was involved in investigating before. Brett, for his part, is barely surviving what the Orphan’s put him through due to the high dose of wolfsbane that he was given, and it’s not made any easier by having not only Derek there to help but Peter as well. Peter continues to play to his own agenda and the idea that the kid could lead him to a clue about the money definitely has him sticking his fingers in a whole lot of pies.
While Scott is starting to deal with a few personal issues, largely that his mother is broke and hitting some rough times and he just found a huge stash of money, we get some interesting other angles played with. Derek is drawing in Malia to help him find Brett’s pack in order to deal with some of what’s going on. The two haven’t spent a lot of time together but seeing them working together is welcome to see. In addition to that, we get Lydia and Stiles – skipping school of course – filling Parrish in on his inclusion in the dead pool and trying to use that to get back to the girl from Eichen House again in order to see what useful information they can get out of her. There’s a lot of smaller arcs working their way here, though the main motivator tends to involve Scott trying to find Liam now that Garrett is making his play to get the money back and his partner as well. The Orphans may not be the slickest group out there, but they’re upfront about what they want.
Derek and Malia have some good stuff going on as they go and look for Satomi, who has quite a history as a bitten werewolf that had a hard time controlling her abilities. Their focus in finding her is one that’s done minimally throughout much of the episode, though it does bring the two of them to Lookout Point as Derek tries to understand some of Satomi’s buddhist nature in how she’d hide. What they find there is pretty disturbing with a lot of dead bodies, but that’s kind of the norm in Beacon Hills these last few years. That it’s actually Brett’s pack is what makes it more disturbing, but it also turns out that someone unexpected is there as well, which adds a little confusion to the mix for everyone.
Scott’s working with Garrett is pretty amusing to watch as he wants Scott to essentially take down a federal transport car that’s taking Violet to a facility for processing. Scott’s pretty much convinced that the whole thing here is going to end in disaster, but Garrett is convinced that an alpha can do what’s necessary in a situation like this and he needs Violet. The two don’t make for a good team, but it doesn’t even get to that point as when they catch up to the car, it’s already been hit and everyone is in rough shape from the accident. Violet’s already been taken at that point, but Stilinski hits s a good note as he makes it clear that the bad stuff is still there. That it’s Kate’s henchmen makes for a pretty good twist, but one that is done for obvious reasons as she thinks they’ll have the answers about the Benefactor and that’s all she’s after at this point. No matter the cost. What I like is that while Scott gets taken down hard here, the events puts him back with Deaton and Argent. Argent continues to be a favorite here and seeing him still working to ensure Scott’s safety and the approach to finding a new way, largely for Allison, fits in good with his growth and changes.
When you have Scott and Argent tracking down Kate to try and get Violet back, it’s a family reunion that’s pretty difficult to deal with, especially as she’s been hiding out in an old weapons building that the family use to own. She doesn’t want to get involved with her brother just yet, especially in her transformed mode, but seeing Argent treating it all very seriously and it turning into a brawl with a few different types of creatures going at it is very well choreographed for the brief burst it runs and the way it pushes a lot of tensions together. While it’s anti-climactic overall as the real fight with Kate is still to come, there’s some good stuff that does come from it as we see Scott find Liam and that provides a kind of alpha level reassurance for Liam that will bond him closer to Scott going forward in a pretty good way.
In Summary:
Progress is made on a few fronts here with the third cipher discovered, Lydia coming into a lot of guilt and another werewolf that’s slated to die. I really liked what Derek and Malia’s arc could offer up, but it’s pretty minimal overall and more promise than anything else. I’m also glad that we’re seeing some real world struggles for Scott’s mother that puts Scott in a really problematic position in trying to help her because the answer to all their problems are right in front of him, but there’s a moral issue as well. That also leads to a neat little reveal towards the end. I really missed having Kira around this time, but it works well as we had some good time with Kate and a great final moment as Peter comes in and begins to engage her in a little bit of dialogue with a great kind of banter about it. It’s a decent episode but one without any huge moments that changes the course of things but rather several smaller nudges in various directions.
Grade: B+
