Stiles checks himself into a mental hospital called Eichen House to keep everyone safe from the nogitsune controlling him. Meanwhile Scott and the pack search for an ancient Japanese scroll that could explain how to destroy the nogitsune and save Stiles.
**********CAUTION********** SPOILERS DEAD AHEAD **********CAUTION**********
Another great episode, folks! The show is on fire right now. The cast, writers – especially show creator and writer of this episode, Jeff Davis – everybody is knocking ‘em out of the park every week. Once again, high praise goes to Dylan O’Brien, who can go from funny to scared to downright terrifying at the drop of a hat. And Tyler Posey is excellent as a guy who may be losing his best friend and who now must become the leader he is meant to be in order to protect everyone he loves. And special kudos to Linden Ashby as a dad dealing with the possibility of losing his only son to the same disease that took his wife. He was only in the first part of the episode, but that last shot of him down the long hospital corridor watching the nurse take Stiles away – heartbreaking. And a thank you to episode director Tim Andrew, DP David Daniel and production designer, Rusty Smith for the moody look and feel of shots like the one just mentioned and of the entire Eichen House story. And one more special shout out to guest star, Matt Shively, who was perfect as Stiles’ off-the-wall (and totally crazy) roomie, Oliver, at ‘Echo’ House (beware the guy who knows the personality traits of a sociopath).
I’m Not Sick, But I’m Not Well
It is with heavy heart that Stiles admits himself to Eichen House mental hospital. His goodbye to Scott is quite moving, but subtly played by both guys. The goodbye between father and son had a nice element of role reversal as the Sheriff is like a lost little boy and Stiles is the parent reassuring him everything will be okay.
Then, from the moment the nurse takes Stiles away, leaving his father behind, it is one shock after another. We have Stiles’ dry wit to keep us going as he meets one odd character after another – and we do include on that list the nurse who checked him in (played by the wonderful Vernee Watson). When he meets his roommate, Oliver — who happens to be in restraints — we know he’s going to be a keeper. And he is. His rundown of the fellow patients and staff is quite entertaining – though probably not in the way that Oliver intends it to be. And the running gag (no pun intended) about him swallowing a bug and coughing throughout the episode is beautifully paid off when the Shrouded Man / Nogitsune refers to him as his “Renfield” and when he finally coughs up the bug, it is none other than — a firefly.
Another surprise is Ms. Morrell who seems to be a jack of all trades and always in the right place at the right time (or the wrong time, depending on which end of her job you may be on). She is sympathetic to Stiles’ plight and is there to help ease his way through it. And if she has to kill him to maintain the balance, she will do it in the most painless way possible. See, sympathetic, right? Just stay awake.
One interesting new character, who was only briefly shown, was that of Meredith, the woman on the phone (who is ‘a lot weird’ versus Oliver’s ‘little weird’). Her talk about telling ‘them’ the whole story was cryptic, but I’m wondering if it will come back in a later episode and become clear. We’ll see.
How Malia Got Her Groove Back
The most pleasant surprise of all is the appearance of the teenage Werecoyote, Malia, who Scott and Stiles found and helped return to her human form and then to her home. Their meeting again in this tense setting is rocky, to say the least (she’s got a nice right hook when she’s angry), but as they open up to each other more and more there is a definite connection. I normally hate when a show stops the action of a suspenseful storyline to include some romance, but this bonding was so nicely woven into the fabric of the overall arc of the episode that it made sense. For two people that have experienced what they both have experienced and are facing what they each have ahead of them, their relationship escalating so quickly was believable. And by the looks of her glowing blue eyes at the end of the episode, her night with Stiles may have given her a lot more than some significant ‘firsts.’
Oceans 11 meet Beacon Hills 6 aka The Heist
Meanwhile Scott and the wolf pack are working round the clock to find a way to destroy the nogitsune before it destroys Stiles. And if that means pulling off an armored car heist to steal an ancient Japanese scroll, then saddle up. Scott must step up and be a real leader now. Derek is not there to help him and neither is Argent or Sheriff Stilinski. Not only is the life of his best friend at stake, but also any innocent people the nogitsune may harm while possessing Stiles (Stiles is already carrying the guilt of lives lost by its actions). We see the beginnings of the type of Alpha Scott is becoming when he decides to spare Kincaid’s life after the pack has defeated him. It is a key moment in his development as a pack leader when he tells them, “We are here to save a life – not end one.”
LET ME IN
Even in its weakened state, the nogitsune is relentless. Since it can’t possess Stiles without his acquiescence at this time, it must wear him down and get Stiles to ‘let it in.’ But Stiles is clearly not the only one affected by the nogitsune and when he and Malia find its mummified corpse sealed behind one of walls in the basement (the one marked with the symbol for ‘self’), we begin to wonder if everyone at Echo House hasn’t been touched by its madness for years. The hypnotic drone of the nogitsune’s voice also has a very familiar ring to it – a lot like one Gerard Argent heard. I could be wrong, but Gerard was at the beginning of this whole thing when he sent his teenage son into a gun deal with a yakuza boss possessed by a nogitsune. I’m thinking that may not have just been a coincidence. When Malia shows Stiles the picture found on the corpse and asks if he recognizes anyone, I wonder who the one person is he recognizes. Could it be Gerard?
When the nogitsune finds the way to get to Stiles – through Malia – it’s clear that he has no choice but to… let it in.
Riddles and Questions
The Riddles
“I’m the part of the bird that’s not in the sky.”
“I can swim in the ocean yet still remain dry.”
I’m thinking the answer to these riddles is the same as the answer to the final riddle for Stiles – everyone has it, but no one can lose it – a shadow.
But there are so many questions brought up in this episode. Who is the corpse in the basement? And who put him there?
Who is the mystery woman who comes to see Chris Argent in jail? This is the same woman who kidnapped and tortured Derek and Peter not that long ago, looking for ‘the she-wolf.’ What would she know about Allison that Chris is worried about? What does that woman really want? Why is she so powerful?
And now that Scott thinks that making Stiles a werewolf is the way to expel the nogitsune from his body and destroy it, what will he do? Will Stiles end up a werewolf? I’m thinking not if Malia has anything to say about it – it will be werecoyote or nothing.
Teen Wolf airs on MTV on Mondays at 10/9c. Full episodes are also available at the MTV Teen Wolf website and On Demand (check your cable listings) as well as on iTunes, Amazon, Hulu and Google Play.
Wolf Wisdom
I always like to include some of my favorite quotes and exchanges from the episode and this episode was just bursting with them (perhaps because show runner, Jeff Davis, wrote this one himself). If you have some quotes or moments you liked, please share in the comments section.
#1 Scott to Stiles and his father, at Eichen House Hospital: “This is the same place where Barrow came from. The guy who had a tumor inside him filled with flies. You don’t know everything yet.” Sheriff: “I know enough. Nogitsunes, kitsunes, onis or whatever they’re called.” Stiles: [impressed] “Wow, that’s actually all surprisingly correct.” #2 Scott to Stiles regarding checking into Eichen (Echo) House hospital: “Stiles, I can’t help you if you’re in here.” Stiles: “And I can’t hurt you.” Scott: “Deaton’s got some ideas, Argent’s calling people… We’re going to find something. And if we can’t…” Stiles: “If you can’t… If you can’t, then you have to do something for me, okay? Make sure I never get out.” #3 Stiles to Creepy Nurse after witness suicide: “Okay, I know there’s the whole 72-hour thing, but I really need to use the phone.” Nurse: “The accident that occurred is being taken care of.” Stiles: “You’re seriously referring to that as an accident? Nurse: “Incident.” Stiles: “Slightly better. Still need to use the phone. I—Just five minutes. [nurse tries to close room door, Stiles stops her] Three minutes, please. A three-minute phone call–” Nurse: “Would you like to go to sleep, Stiles, or would you like to be introduced to our five –point restraint system?” Oliver, already in room and restrained in bed: “I-I would go with sleep.” #4 Oliver to Stiles, regarding Eichen House: “It’s this place. Something about the way it was built. Everything echoes… eventually. That’s why they call it ‘Echo House.’” #5 Oliver to Stiles, next morning: “Most of the people here are okay. The violent ones are in the closed unit. That’s Hillary. She has O.C.D. That’s Gary. He thinks he’s Jesus Christ. Dan. Also Jesus. That’s Mary…” Stiles: “Mary Magdalene?” Oliver: “No, she also thinks she’s Jesus. You would be surprised how many Jesuses we get.” Stiles: “Not really.” Oliver: “Hey, how come you want to use the phone already?” Stiles: “’Cause after one night, I’ve changed my mind about this place being safe for me. Or anyone. Ever.” #5 Woman on pay phone, Meredith, speaking very deliberately: “No. No, I think you’re wrong. I really think I should tell them. They’re going to want to know the story. The whole story. I really think they should know. [lowering voice] Yes, I do. One of them is standing right behind me. [she hangs up and walks past Stiles and Oliver, eyes downcast.]” Stiles: “Who was that?” Oliver: “That’s Meredith. She’s a little weird.” Stiles: “You’re a little weird. She’s a lot weird.” #6 Derek to Chris Argent in jail: “You know, if all of this is true, people are dead because of Stiles.” Chris: “But is it really Stiles? Remember, we’ve had this problem before. Derek: “But we got lucky with Jackson. What happens when you don’t get lucky.” Chris: “I guess that depends on how much or how little of Stiles is left.” #7 Morrell: “If you friends haven’t figured out something by the time those marks are gone, I’ll come find you.” Stiles: “To tell me what to do?” Morrell: “No, to give you an injection – pancuronium bromide. It causes respiratory paralysis.” Stiles: “That sounds a lot like death.” Morrell: “It’s used for lethal injection, yes.” Stiles: “So when the nogitsune takes over, you’re going to kill me?” Morrell: “I’m going to do what I’ve always done. Maintain the balance.” Stiles: “OK then, I missed our talks. Thanks for the illicit drugs.” Morrell: “Stiles. Stay awake.” #8 Malia to Stiles, while in the shower: “Ever since I turned back to human, I just can’t seem to get warm.” Stiles: “Maybe you just have a low core temp. You know, or you just might be sick or –“ Malia: “I used to have a fur coat.” Stiles: “Or, it could be… Hey, it might be that. It’s probably that.” #9 Aiden to Allison, Lydia, with Ethan and Scott: “We’re going to rob an armored car?” Lydia: “Well… we’re gonna try.” #10 Stiles to Malia: “We did kind of save your life.” Malia: “You’re right, Stiles. Thank you. Thanks for invading my home; for putting me on the run; for turning me back to human so that I could look at my father every day and try to figure out how to explain to him that the reason my sister and mother are dead is because I almost ate them on a full moon. Thank you so very much.” #11 Brunski: “I always love the sarcastic ones.” #12 Stiles: “Let me out. Just let me out. Let me out. Let me out!!” Shrouded Man / Nogitsune: “LET ME IINNN!!” #13 Mystery Woman (who held Derek and Peter captive) to Chris Argent: “Your family is very complicated, though. Isn’t it?” Chris: [thinking] What do you really want to know? Is this about Allison? What are you fishing for?” Woman: “I don’t fish, mijo. [beat] I hunt.” #14 Scott to Kincaid: “Give me the finger. [beat] You know what I mean.” #15 Malia to Stiles regarding symbol on the basement wall: “What does it mean?” Stiles: “Self.” Malia: “Maybe you should tell me more.” Stiles: “You might not like me if you know any more.” Malia: “Try to remember that I’m a werecoyote who murdered her own family. I won’t judge. Promise.” #16 Scott to the pack, regarding Kincaid: “We’re here to save a life – not end one.” #17 Stiles to Malia, regarding mummified corpse: “This is him.” Malia: “The nogitsune?” [He nods slightly. She reaches over and pulls something from the corpse’s pocket – a photo – and hands it to Stiles.] “Recognize them?” Stiles: [surprised but solemn] “One of them. I gotta get this to Scott.” #18 Stiles to Nogitsune / Shrouded Man, regarding Oliver: “You did this. You got into his head.” Nogitsune / SM: “Every Dracula needs a Renfield.”And the favorite exchange of the night comes toward the end with Scott and Deaton. It is a pivotal moment when a decision about Stiles future is made.
Deaton to Scott, regarding the scroll: “My Japanese is not great but it appears to say that one method of expelling a nogitsune is to change the body of the host.” Scott: “Change the body?” Deaton: “Which begs the question, how do we change Stiles’s body?” Scott: “By turning him into a werewolf.”
