MTV’s Teen Wolf is back and it’s back with a vengeance! How many ways can you lose your mind? Well, let’s explore that, why don’t we…

 

 

 

 

It’s been three weeks since Scott, Stiles and Allison sacrificed themselves (temporarily) in a ritual to save the lives of their parents. All seems fine on the surface, but each of them begins to experience some strange repercussions that they can’t explain. Scott is having trouble controlling his inner wolf, Stiles can’t seem to tell dreams (or rather, nightmares) from reality and Allison is seeing her dead (and violent) Aunt Kate everywhere – in dreams and reality. So what’s going on? Did they leave a part of themselves on the other side or did they bring something back with them from the netherworld.

 

 

 

Lose Your Mind

From Scott and his Scooby Wolf Pack to Sheriff Stilinski and Momma McCall, everyone involved with the encounter with the Nemeton of the first half of the season seems to be ‘losing their mind’ in one way or another. The revelations and sacrifices endured are weighing heavily on the minds of all. Scott is losing control of his inner wolf– which is pretty scary for a powerful alpha. His shadow suddenly appearing as a wolf and chasing him as well as his eyes changing whenever he is under duress, seem to signal a darker side of him trying to get out. Will it take him over? Is there something inside of him driving the inner beast to the surface?

Allison is suffering similar turmoil with the darker side of her hunter within. She wants to fight the good fight, but with role models like her mother, her Aunt Kate, and grandfather, will she be able to control the violent tendencies that being a hunter can bring about? The image of her Aunt Kate keeps appearing to Allison in nightmares and hallucinations- perhaps tapping into her fear of becoming just as ruthless and bloodthirsty as her mentor. Or could her aunt’s dark soul have attached itself to Allison during her recent trip to the other side?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The most disturbing and scariest struggle though, appears to be in store for Stiles. Yes, he is often the comic relief, but Stiles has always been the grounded one of the group. He is goofy yet smart, anxiety-ridden yet resourceful and always, always, there for his friends. He is the everyman and the one that everyone relates to most. Just as Xander was the heart of the Scooby gang on Buffy, Stiles is the heart and mind of the Scooby Wolf Pack– the only human in a sea of supernatural beings and the hunters that fight them. For him to lose his grip on reality is for all of us to lose our grip and that’s what makes his trauma the most frightening. And while Scott and Allison seem to be fighting a battle with their inner, darker beings, Stiles seems to be struggling with losing control of his mind to an outside force (or forces) and this makes it all the more terrifying. Stiles is, in many ways, the key to the pack and taking control of him is a direct access to the inner circle of the group and especially, to Scott.

And even Sheriff Stilinski is losing himself a bit in the shock of his recent revelations about the supernatural side of Beacon Hills. It causes him to re-think all of the previously unsolved (and a few solved) cases during his tenure as sheriff. It’s a daunting task– one which he brings home with him in boxes of evidence– but he continues to try to solve the puzzle of cases that have him going back years. And his situation isn’t helped by the return of Scott’s father, Agent Kyle McCall, who is leading the charge to have him impeached as Sheriff. All this, plus his only son is suffering night terrors because he recently died and came back to life in a supernatural ritual.

On a lighter note, Melissa “Mom” McCall is losing her mind trying to raise two Supernatural teenage boys under the same roof- not to mention having her nosy, G-man ex-husband underfoot. Meanwhile, Supernatural teenage boy #2, Isaac, is just about to lose his mind over Allison who he wishes he could have under him… umm, err… underfoot. Luckily for him, the feelings from Allison seem to be mutual–  she just has to keep her inner hunter from murdering him first.

 

 

 

 

There’s a New Kid in Town

There’s a new girl at school and her name is Kira. She is immediately drawn to Scott and the pack, much to Scott’s delight (you may even say she brings a certain glow to his eyes). Luckily she is not thrown by the odd goings-on with our gang and even brings some otherworldly wisdom to the table. Her information about Bardo (the state between life and death) is enlightening, even if the ‘progressive states of Bardo leading to death’ part is a bit gloomy.

There may also be another new kid in town– well, new-ish since she was presumed dead for about eight years… and because she may not be human anymore, but a werewolf. Could the wolf with the glowing blue eyes be the missing young girl from Sheriff Stilinski’s first case, Malia?

Wolf Wisdom

I always like to include some of my favorite quotes and exchanges from the episode.  If you have some quotes or moments you liked, please share in the comments section.

#1

Lydia:  “Well, well, look who’s no longer the crazy one.”
Allison:  “We’re not crazy.”
Lydia:  “Hallucinating?  Sleep paralysis?  Yeah, you guys are fine.”
Scott:  “Well, we did die and come back to life.  That’s gotta have some side effects, right?”
Stiles:  “Keep an eye on each other, okay?  And, Lydia, stop enjoying this so much.”

 

#2

Scott:  “Pain makes you human.”

 

#3

Melissa McCall (to a brawling Scott and Isaac):  “Aw, you guys, come on.  This house does not have a supernatural ability to heal!  So, stop it!”

 

#4

Stiles, reading file:  “Strange sighting of bipedal lizard man sprinting across freeway.”
Sheriff Stilinski, pats papers on floor:  “Kanima pile.”

 

#5

Scott:  “Okay, so what happens to a person who has a near-death experience and comes out of it seeing things?”
Stiles:  “And is unable to tell what’s real or not?”
Allison:  “And is being haunted by demonic visions of dead relatives?
Isaac:  “They’re all locked up because they’re insane.”

 

#6

Stiles:  “Ha.  Can you at least try to be helpful, please.”
Isaac:  “For half my childhood, I was locked in a freezer.  So, being helpful is kind of a new thing for me.”
Stiles:  “Hey, dude, are you still milking that?”

 

#7

Stiles:  “When is a door not a door?”
Scott:  “When its ajar.”
Stiles:  “You’re kidding me.  A riddle?  My subconscious wants to tell me a riddle?”

 

#8

Stiles:  “Oh, no, wait a sec.  I know that look.  That’s the ‘we know exactly what’s wrong with you, but we have no idea how to fix it’ look.”

 

#9

Stiles:  “[to very large dog] Hi puppy… [to Scott]  Get rid of it!”
Scott:  “Me?”
Stiles:  “Yes, you.  Glow your eyes at it, something, be the Alpha.”

 

#10

Kate, holding Isaac:  “Let’s do him, Allison.  Let’s do him together.”  [Disclaimer:  This quote would have been a lot more fun if there wasn’t a garrote and dagger involved with the statement.  I prefer to imagine the quote out of this context and more in keeping with the action leading up to the hallucination.]

 

Parting Shot

And my final favorite exchange of the night (favored primarily because is answers the question– where the heck is Derek during all of this??):

Peter to Derek, as they hang side by side in a dark room, chained to a fence:  “Why are you looking at me like this is my fault?”
Derek, darkly:  “Because it is your fault.”
Cue sinister mystery person who flips a switch, electrifying the fence.
Peter, through gritted teeth, still chattering from the shock:  “Yeah, you’re probably right.”

 

Be sure to check out the next episode of Teen Wolf, Monday at 10/9c.