What They Say:
Motel California – Scott and the others suffer strange experiences while stranded at a motel.
The Review:
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers)
Teen Wolf had a really good episode previously, though its method of getting to the point left me a bit underwhelmed since the tension was drained out from the start. But what it provided in character material and some of the twists for it worked nicely and it had one of the better designed fight scenes with the abandoned building where they all fought at under the watchful gaze of Deucalion. What this season is doing is trying to change up the formula a little bit and I can certainly appreciate that, since it’s trying to go bigger and more expansive and working with a bigger budget. Hence the show having an intriguing start this time around with a man named Alexander Argent killing himself in a motel back in 1977, a motel that the trip the kids are on have to stay at due to the meet being pushed back. A place that even Lydia is truly uncertain about due to her own powers.
The hotel certainly has strange things going on, with Scott seeming a bit off after having a flash of power through his eyes that ends up having him trying to get closer to Alison in a rather creepy way. Others are just seeming possessed lightly or zoned out in different ways and even Lydia discovers a disturbing truth about the motel in that it tops the list of motels when it comes to the number of guest suicides. Lydias’ going to have it the hardest when it comes to this motel simply because of her abilities as she starts to “hear” some of the past suicides and it only serves to drive her even crazier in a way since it’s so realistic. The further expansion on what she is and what she can do is slow and steady, which works well for her, but it’s also begging more clarity.
The variety of events going on here is pretty well done and we see all manner of people being impacted by it, and the tease that the number of suicides is going to go up in this visit. This puts Lydia and Alison to grab Stiles and to try and figure out what’s going on rather than just running. Lydia’s panic is fun to watch, but it’s the trio that puts together what’s really going on as they figure out that the werewolves that are here may be the ones drawn to this place in order to kill themselves. It’s nice little twist to things and seeing how they have to try and stop it from happening, even to one they consider an enemy like Ethan, makes for some engaging twists along the way.
Events back at Beacon Hills are certainly going in interesting ways as well, as we see how Argent himself is spending his time understanding the fight that happened and getting an idea of the kinds of people involved. It helps to reinforce his own skill set and what he’s capable of and makes his hunter background resurface in a way that it hasn’t for awhile. We also get some decent time with Derek and the teacher as she tries to help him after he stumbled onto her car after the fight. Giving the two of them some alone time is definitely good since he is an older character and pairing him in an adult potential relationship here gives him some new shades of depth to work with. Romance hasn’t ben a big part of the season so far overall, so allowing Derek to take on that focus really works well and avoids the teenage aspect of ti as well.
In Summary:
While the show does end in a predictable manner where everyone is saved, at least from the problems they’re facing, we also get an expansion on the cast as we see the things they’ve had to cope with in their lives, what’s driving them and causing them a lot of struggle and strife. Removing them from familiar settings again works well and it’s also welcome to see the way the group is slowly coming back together more. Scott’s story isn’t the main focus, but it’s one of the driving things that’s going on with the way he feels that he is the root cause of all the deaths lately, all the problems. He goes back kind of far with it, but it shows a mindset that definitely makes sense. There’s a lot to like with the show here as it puts them in a more traditional horror story work and ties it well to the series as a whole. Add in the small moments, especially with Derek and Argent, and everything continues to grow and expand in great ways.
Grade: B+
