Wednesday, February 26, 2014

Teen Wolf - 3.20 - Echo House - Favorite Tweets

My weekly list of favorite #TeenWolf tweets for the podcast.


Official People:






















Fans:




















































































Monday, February 24, 2014

Perception - 2.11 - Curveball- Preview


Perception is back with brainier than average cases to be solved. The midseason opener, Curveball, has Kate and Daniel investigating the death by train of a security guard. The lead suspect is an autistic teenager with a train obsession. As always plenty of twists round out the episode and the cast chemistry is good, especially Daniel and Donnie who had my favorite exchange. While the episode works best in the main case, there is also a pedantic substory about a neuroscience prodigy choosing which college to go to. The kid is your typical brat with a forceful mother, causing Paul and Max to jump through hoops to please them.

Overall this is a typical Perception episode so it's kind of surprising that they are opening with it because while it is good, it is not a sensationalized case or even one that moves the characters forward much. Kate and Donnie try to baby step back into their relationship but keep hitting stumbling blocks. There is a major twist that many crime procedural watchers will get before the characters, but that doesn't make it any less compelling. Probably the best thing about the episode is the guest actors and the heartfelt case of the week. Andre, the autistic kid, is easy to feel compassion for while the NTSB lead has some good lines. If they had dropped the weak substory, the episode would have been greatly improved. Basically this is about as typical an episode of Perception as you can get. While there isn't much attract new viewers, fans will be excited to see such likeable characters back on screen working together to solve interesting cases.


Grade: B-

Best Scene - Daniel and Donnie, speaking metaphorically and hypothetically

Best Reason to Watch - In a world of police procedurals, this is one of the smartest

Best Reason to Fast Forward - The subplot with the annoying potential college prospect

Ultimate Truth - "Forced idle chitchat at a dinner party you can't leave because it's in your own home is the very definition of hell."

Biggest Aww Moment - Dan with Andre

Best Manipulator - Paul

Biggest Surprise - I actually like Donnie. He was an adulterous douche when he first came on and I never thought I'd care one iota for him. Surprisingly he is very slowly growing on me. Well done, Perception writers.

Best Twist - ***** - Did you really think I was going to spoil it?

The "Walk of Shame" Award -


Quotes -

"Great, so he's Train Man. "
"Nope, it was the rabbit's foot."
"Watch it. He's retired but he could still kick your a**."
"You know, you're still my favorite hallucination but I think we have to have the boundaries discussion."
"You should be ashamed of yourself." "Thank you. Unfortunately I've done plenty to be ashamed of so you're going to have to be a lot more specific."



About the Author - Dahne
One part teacher librarian - one part avid TV fan, Dahne is a contributing writer for SpoilerTV, where she recaps, reviews, and creates polls for Sleepy Hollow, Arrow, White Collar, Grimm, Teen Wolf, and others. She's addicted to Twitter, live tweets a multitude of shows each week, co-hosts the Sleepy Hollow "Headless" and Teen Wolf "Welcome to Beacon Hills" podcasts for Southgate Media Group, and guests on ArrowCast for DVMPE. Right now she is creating a Last Week in TV column for her blog and SpoilerTV. ~ "I speak TV."

Last Week in TV - Week of Feb. 16 - Reviews and Episode Awards



It was another slow TV week, thanks to the Olympics. Good thing there were some great shows. This week's nominated show was Castle, a series I had watched live previously but had since dropped. I was surprised by how enjoyable that particular episode was, mostly due to the Castle and Alexis interactions. As always, if you have a show to nominate please fill out the short nomination form at the end of the column. Also, don't forget to give out your own TV awards for what you watched last week. Until next week when my TV schedule goes from famine to feast, happy viewing!


Overall Awards:


Biggest Awww Scene - Almost Human - Disrupt
- Aaron's picture is made up of smaller pictures of people saying they didn't forget Aaron.

Maybe it's because I have been teaching about internet safety and netiquette all week, but this scene really struck home. To give a mom tangible proof of how her loner son really did touch so many lives made a lump rise in my throat like no other. It was a powerful testament to all the good the internet can do in a time when we usually hear about the bad. It also spoke of how the internet helps introverts make powerful connections, sometimes even saving lives. While cyberbullying is on the rise, the internet can also be a place for connection for a disconnected kid and that's a beautiful thing.


Best Quote - Star-Crossed - Pilot - Roman: "Cheer up. You get to keep liberty and justice all to yourself."

While I usually avoid politics in my teen soaps at all costs, this quote really spoke to me. Let's face it. Humans do not come off well in Star-Crossed. (In fact, they are way too over-the-top evil so it might be nice to see some "good" humans in the future.) The context of the quote is that the head bully is not happy Atrians do not say the Pledge of Allegiance. When Roman, the head alien teen, quips that they aren't citizens, things get heated quickly. It's a great parallel to the Central High integration of African-Americans into a former whites-only school and I hope they keep working this angle. It makes the show stand out from other teen soap fare and has the chance to explore sociopolitical dynamics. That's a whole lot more interesting than yet another pair of "star-crossed"lovers.



Best Action - Teen Wolf - Letharia Vulpina - Scott and Kira fight the Oni in the rain

Teen Wolf has had some spectacular stunt work this season and the action has been ramped up. Still this scene may be my favorite so far. It starts with Scott wolfing out while Stiles tries to get into the vet office. Kira begins chucking animal cages at the Oni, which may be the first time I've seen physical comedy in an actual fight scene. However as the stakes get higher, Kira gradually comes into her own, trusting in her ability to do some damage herself. By the time that Scott gets stabbed in the abdomen with a katana, Kira is taking out the Oni too. With one powerful kick, she scatters the remaining Oni and saves Scott. Not bad for someone who didn't feel she had much to offer just a few episodes ago.


The "Say What?" Award - Helix - Ultra - Why are all these people going out in the Arctic Circle without gloves?

Okay, I love Helix even when the medical staff is unprofessional and the sci fi is way out there. I can take the bizarre visuals and circle of heads. What I cannot get past is how many of these people go out into the snow and wind without gloves on? Seriously, did global warming end the threat of frostbite in the Helix compound? Three characters go out without gloves tonight and many more did before them. One even takes down his hood for reasons I still don't get. No one should have fingers or cheeks left in this series. Forget the virus. These people are going to be taken out by their own stupidity.




Nominated and New Shows:

Nominated Show - Castle - 5.03 - 
Secret's Safe with Me

I found Castle in the hiatus between season 2 and 3 and quickly marathoned to catch up. I liked a lot of police procedurals then and the humor set Castle apart for me. However I am a staunch anti-shipper and in season 4 it became the Caskett show. As season 5 began, I had had enough and dropped it. To be honest, when Castle came up as the nominated show this week, I groaned. Since no one suggested which episode to watch, I decided to start where I left off. I am so glad I did. I doubt many episodes in the season would have been as enjoyable for me and that is due to Alexis. I always liked the secondary characters in Castle the best and frankly I disliked Castle himself because he seemed like such a buffoon…and then I got to see him as a dad. Castle is very similar to Gibbs for me. They are both characters that I didn't really like until I saw them through the eyes of a character that really cared about them. Alexis and Abby made me see beyond the surface of those characters and I liked what I saw. Therefore the episode where Alexis moves in the dorm room was perfect for me. That father and daughter scene was so touching and reminded me of saying goodbye to my parents on that first college night decades ago.

I also thought this case was interesting. There's something about a treasure hunt that makes things exciting, even more so since the twist was actually a twist. The bracelet side story was a nice red herring to the hit and run motive. Plus, the butler actually did it. How many times does that happen? I also loved Beckett telling her stick man story. I never expected it but it made a lump come to my throat. Overall all this was simply a beautiful episode about fathers and daughters and family relationships as a whole. Now that's a concept I can get behind. Mostly though the reason why this episode got a B was the first thing that attracted me about it…the humor. I laughed throughout the episode while at the same time it had lot of heart. The only problems were the dearth of Esposito and Ryan, who were always my favorite characters, and of course the shipping moments.

Grade: B
Ranking: 1 because it is not available on streaming anywhere / 2 if it ever is stream-able again

Best Scene - tie - Castle and Alexis talk in her dorm room / Beckett tells her stick man story

Best Quote - Esposito: "Who knew Gates had a softer side? It's, uh…" Ryan: "Creepy. Very, very creepy."

Best Awww Moment - Castle looks under Alexis' dorm room bed for monsters

Funniest Scene - Sir goes gaga over a creepy doll, even cooing over it and talking to it

Best Reason to Watch - the humor

Best Reaction - Ryan, Esposito, and Beckett all draw a blank when Castle starts talking about the Wonder Twins

Most Bizarre - Sir reading Castle's book and generally being nice to him

The Stupid Criminal Award - Angelica leaves the supposedly stolen bracelet in her wall safe. She had no other place to put a stolen bangle than the place it was stolen from?

Classiest Dorm Room Furniture - Alexis. Seriously my dorm furniture looked like it came out of a Wal-Mart box and was held together by 6 screws and a handful of nails.

Biggest Twist - the butler actually did it


New Show - Star-Crossed - 1.01 - Pilot

Star-Crossed has a lot of potential, and that's part of the problem. This could be an excellent show if they concentrated on the Atrian integration issues. If they showed some humans, besides Emery, as being less than complete evil, they could really explore the gray sociopolitical aspects. However it could also be your typical CW teen soap, complete with love triangles, overly emoangsting yet not earned drama, and wait for it…star-crossed lovers destined to be torn apart by the world's hatred. The pilot doesn't make it clear which the show will lean towards, but Star-Crossed won't make it to season 2 if it's the latter, silly fandom boycotts or not. I'd like to think it would go beyond surface drama. The bones are there. Roman, the show's Romeo, is a snarky, complex character with lots of potential. Having his father die should open up real possibilities, as long as it doesn't end up primarily being yet another hurdle for the lovers since Emery's dad shot him. All the typical teen pressures are there in Roman but magnified by his situation and family standing. To reduce him to one part of a love triangle would be a huge mistake. Emery, the Juliet, was far more bland in the pilot, mostly because the plot didn't give her a whole lot to do. She's new to the situation, so she is our stand-in and most of the episode was built upon creating the show's context. I hope she has a lot of backbone and they show her strength of spirit in future episodes because if she vacillates between Grayson and Roman like an alien TVD, I will have no use for her. Basically, Star-Crossed is in a wait and see holding pattern for me. It will get the typical 3 episodes for every new CW show. Let's hope by that time it will know which show it wants to be.

Grade: B-
Rating: 5 (for the next 2 episodes, then we'll see)

Best Scene - Roman saves Julia while Emery's dad shoots and kills his dad

MVP - Roman, mostly for his snark but also for the heroism

Best Reason to Watch - This show has a powerful opportunity to explore the sociopolitical struggles of outsiders. If it continues in that vein, it could be an exciting, fresh TV show.

Best Reason Not to Watch - tired love triangle and overall Romeo and Juliet vibe

Biggest Evil - Humans. Seriously we come off as the biggest douches in the entire universe. We suck in 2014 and 2024.

Cutest Little Alien Ever - Move over ET. Mini-Roman with the huge eyes is adorable.

Healthiest Looking Dying Teen Ever - Jules

Worst Security - the sector - two girls just walk in with a stolen badge into some random door

The "Some Things Never Change" Award - the new girl always gets the social clique 411 speech

"The Future Sure is Different" Award - Not one kid took a picture of the fight with a cell phone.

The "What the Heck?" Award - even the lunch program discriminates against Atrians. Are you kidding me?



Weekly Shows:

Almost Human - 1.11 - Disrupt

This was the best of the out-of-order episodes. Maybe it was because the relationship between Kennex and Dorian was less off. Maybe it was the cyber hacking crime of the week with its Anonymous-like uberhackers. Maybe it was the guest stars. Either way, it was a big improvement from last week.

Grade: B

Best scene - Hacker vs. hacker
Not sure how they did it, but this virtual hacking battle was riveting. Kudos to the young hacker actors. They did a great job.

Best Action - Dorian vs. Sambot

Best Quote - Stahl: "Do we look like cops?" Hacker: "Yeah actually, with makeup."

Funniest scenes - Kennex keeps making up wild stories for why Detective Paul is away

Worst Idea - enclosable swimming pools, even when your android manservant is not on the fritz

The "Say What?" Award - Dorian is now getting flashbacks like Kennex did. Are they catching?

Best Moment - Rudy has a hard time letting go of his uber laptop

Best Accessory - Nico's computer chip protruding from his forehead

The "You Crazy" Award - Security lady goes right by the android instead of giving it wide berth

Character Who Most Needs to Recur - Nico

Sweetest - Officer Halverson who raised money for Paul's donut pillow


Teen Wolf - 3.19 - Letharia Vulpina

Teen Wolf was largely an exercise in confusion this week. Very little made sense but the character interaction made up for it. I was particularly fond of letting Argent and Derek bond more. Of course, the Scott and Stiles scenes were still the most intense and the best reason for watching the show as a whole. Probably the most shocking thing about the episode was just how much I loved Scott in it. Generally Scott is fine but nothing spectacular for me, but this episode really let his character shine. I love how protective he was of Stiles and how much he was willing to give of himself to others.

Grade: B- (A- for characters, C- for plot)

MVP - Scott
My Theory - Allison is also part of the nogitsune, hence the trickster thing. Her phone mystery, she was there when Scott took away Isaac's pain, Stiles keeps saying "we", and the fact that she hasn't been in the presence of the Oni is very suspicious to me.
Best Quote - Parrish: "Jared, it would be very helpful if you could resist throwing up on the potential explosive device."
The "They've Come a Long Way" Award - Derek and Argent
Most Sadistic Moment - DarkStiles goes all piano fingers on the katana protruding from Scott's abdomen
Funniest - Coach (in both scenes)
Worst Surprise - Peter the father
Best Surprise - those beginning filler scenes weren't actually filler after all
Worst Secret Identity - Kira, sucking electricity from the wire in front of everyone
Best New Addition - Kira, although Parrish is rising up fast.


Intelligence - 1.07 - Size Matters

The problem with police procedurals is that we've seen the same story over and over again with different details. It's gotten so most of us can guess the real killer out of the red herrings 95% of the time in the first 10 minutes. Intelligence may have a sci fi element to it, but it has the same predictability. That makes it a great show for marathoning but not necessarily for reviewing. Given how many shows are back next week and throughout March, this show is probably going to summer marathon instead of weekly review next week.

Grade: C

Best Quote - Nelson: "Just think I could have gone my whole life without seeing something this disturbing. Thank you for this, dad."

Best Scene / Biggest Aww Scene - Dr. Cassidy's death speech to Nelson

Best Teamwork - Nelson and Gabriel

Biggest Non-Surprise - Grayson is the victim; Bryce is the perpetrator

The "Say What?" Award - What kind of personal assistant puts on headphones at work and can't hear the phone right next to her ring? The fired kind I suspect. Nope, the dead kind.


Helix - 1.08 - Ultra

Helix continues to be a fun romp that alternately surprises me and grosses me out. It's a perfect Friday night show because if you think too hard on it, the whole thing unravels. If you take it for intriguing sci fi camp, the show gets better and better. I am shocked they killed off Constance in her second episode. Not sure why they chose this because she brought new life to the show. Similarly, I don't like Anana leaving the base so soon. There was a lot to explore with both characters and now my dream of them facing off is literally dead. Answers are coming more frequently at this stage but so are the piles of questions. I am hoping that it does not stumble under the weight of its own mythology but that is my typical genre show woe.

Grade: B

Best Scene - Anana and Sergio fighting over the sled

Best Quote - Alan: "What you're saying is impossible." Sarah: "Right because nothing else around here strains credulity."

Best Action - Hatake kills Constance

Most Improved - Alan

Best Surprise - Hatake is actually becoming sympathetic

Most Evil - Julia for pretending like she was choking and scaring Alan, Sarah, and me to death

Biggest Aww Moment - Anana hugs Daniel goodbye

The "Promises, Promises" Award - Hatake: "Please Julia, I promise to answer all of your questions but now is far from the time." Me: "Yeah right."

Biggest Mystery - Why did the vectors steal Peter?

Best Gadget - Hatake's watch complete with garrote

Best Visual - Hatake adds Constance's head to the Dead Head Circle







Screencaps by Entertainment Outlook, Todoseries, Variety, josepvinaixa, and Wormhole Riders


About the Author - Dahne
One part teacher librarian - one part avid TV fan, Dahne is a contributing writer for SpoilerTV, where she recaps, reviews, and creates polls for Sleepy Hollow, Arrow, White Collar, Grimm, Teen Wolf, and others. She's addicted to Twitter, live tweets a multitude of shows each week, co-hosts the Sleepy Hollow "Headless" and Teen Wolf "Welcome to Beacon Hills" podcasts for Southgate Media Group, and guests on ArrowCast for DVMPE. Right now she is creating a Last Week in TV column for her blog and SpoilerTV. ~ "I speak TV."

Sunday, February 23, 2014

Quote of the Week - Week of Feb. 16, 2014

A weekly feature highlighting the best quotes on TV this past week.


Just like last week, most TV was on hiatus due to the Olympics so I added quotes from the other shows I watch too. Next week, we are back into the full TV swing so there should be lots to talk about. Don't forget to add your favorite TV quotes from last week in the comments. Note - People nominating the quotes are in parentheses.


Almost Human

1. Stahl: "Do we look like cops?" Hacker: "Yeah actually, with makeup." (Dahne)

2. Dorian: "What else did we do?" Rudy: "Oh just the usual - yodeling, holo-chess, the whole mail order bride debacle. That cost a pretty penny." (Dahne)



Banshee 

1. “I can only turn the other cheek so many times, it gave me a chance to be a good Christian and kick some butt” (DarkUFO)

2. “We don’t always know the people we fuck, do we?” (DarkUFO)






Beauty and the Beast

1. Vincent: "You know what I think about that? I think screw Gabe." (Virginia Fontana)

2. J.T.: "I can't believe you're gonna let her walk away." Vincent: "Well I'm not about to tell her at her boyfriend's funeral." J.T.: "But he's not really dead!" (Virginia Fontana)





Intelligence

1. Nelson: "Just think I could have gone my whole life without seeing something this disturbing. Thank you for this, dad." (Dahne)

2. Gabriel: "Standards? I just watched a guy implode because microscopic robots ate his flesh. That's not standard. That's a freak show." (Dahne)






 Star-Crossed

1. Drake: "We didn't have to worry about temblar guns pointed at our heads." Teri: "Or worse, Glee Club." (Dahne)

2. Roman: "Good point. Our…uh, skeletal system is made up of 10,000 centipedes holding hands, but that's Atrian secret #145. How do you know that?" (Dahne)



Teen Wolf

1. Stiles: "You really have to learn not to trust a fox. No 'cause their tricksters. They'll fool you. They'll fool everyone." (Justyna Kubica)

2. Parrish: "Jared, it would be very helpful if you could resist throwing up on the potential explosive device." (Dahne)

3. Coach: "There's a card on my desk for Isaac Lahey, and every one of you losers is not only going to sign it, you're going to write a personal message so profound and deep it's going bring a tear to Coach's eye. (Dahne)



The Walking Dead

1. Tara Chambler: Hope you enjoyed the show, assholes." (DarkUFO)

2. Beth Greene: Wouldn't kill you to have a little faith." Daryl Dixon: Yeah, faith. Faith ain't done shit for us. Sure as hell didn't do nothing for your father." (DarkUFO)









About the Author - Dahne
One part teacher librarian - one part avid TV fan, Dahne is a contributing writer for SpoilerTV, where she recaps, reviews, and creates polls for Sleepy Hollow, Arrow, White Collar, Grimm, Teen Wolf, and others. She's addicted to Twitter, live tweets a multitude of shows each week, co-hosts the Sleepy Hollow "Headless" and Teen Wolf "Welcome to Beacon Hills" podcasts for Southgate Media Group, and guests on ArrowCast for DVMPE. Right now she is creating a Last Week in TV column for her blog and SpoilerTV. ~ "I speak TV."

Teen Wolf - 3.19 - Letharia Vulpina - Recap



Note - In order to make the recap flow better, I combined several scenes into single paragraphs. They flipped from Lydia to Argent to Scott back and forth all night so the order of events will be different in the recap.

Previously - Scott took the pain of a random woman, Derek used Talia's claws to commune with his dead mom, Allison pep talked Isaac, and DarkStiles arose taking out the hospital electricity.

For reasons I don't get, Teen Wolf cold opens on a psychotic Japanese mob boss who takes pleasure in drunk threatening his underlings over a pet wolf. It is the most overacted scene of the night and Coach appears in this episode twice. He blathers until Deaton arrives. Ah, that's the point. Deaton, good to see you. I hope you enjoyed your Tahitian vacation. Psycho: "Have you worked with wolves before?" Deaton: "Here and there." Ha! He suspects the wolf ingested a poisonous lichen and demands to see it. Oddly, the moss creeps out the big bad gangsters so the boss himself takes Deaton to the source. What? Deaton's in Japan? The cool fountain from Argent's flashbacks is back. Actually so are the flashbacks themselves, which is even weirder. Was Deaton there? If so, why didn't Argent mention it? If not, how does he know about the gun deal? Deaton gives Psycho a bottle and starts cutting off the lichen. Psycho: "Do you really think Yuki got in here and ate this stuff?" Deaton: "Actually I think Yuki probably doesn’t come anywhere near here. I doubt if you could even drag him in." Deaton knows about Psycho's father and the nogitsune, which doesn't go over well with Psycho. However, crafty Deaton put a paralytic on the bottle and Psycho drops to the ground hard, but not before we get a lesson in the title. Letharia Vulpina is wolf lichen, toxic to both wolves and foxes. Deaton gave the wolf a paralytic earlier too. Huh? How the heck did he get close enough to the pet wolf of a mobster to paralyze it. They obviously did not know him when he walked in. This opening makes no sense. Deaton monologues about why he needs this particular lichen. Deaton: "Born out of the blood of a nogitsune, this lichen is quite special, more powerful than you know." Psycho: "What? What are you going to use it for?" Deaton: "There's a fox hiding inside a teenage boy and I'm going to poison it." And apparently use mad ninja skills to get past the other mobsters.

Seven minutes in and I'm already confused. Good thing we head back to the hospital live wire that Stiles planned to attack Kira because he knew she would be right there….oh forget it. That made no sense either. It does make a good action sequence though. The wire targets Kira in snake-like movements but ends up distracting an ambulance driver who runs into a hydrant. Live wires and water are a bad combo. Instead of staying in the ambulance like a competent EMT, the driver steps right into the electrified water. Death #1 tonight. It won't be the last. Kira yells for everyone to stay away, which of course means Allison and Isaac head right for the water. Isaac pushes Allison to safety, but gets bug zapped himself. Beacon Hills is filled with complete idiots who keep getting out of their cars in the water. Again, take a freaking Red Cross class people. Even your EMT's are clueless. I'm momentarily distracted from the stupidity by Kira's Cirque du Soleil flips over a car. Apparently acrobatics is inherent in all kinds of were-creatures. She lands next to the live wire right as Derek and Scott get there. Thankfully Sensei Derek keeps Scott from heading into the water too. Kira grabs the live wire and intakes all the power, causing her eyes to glow orange. In front of every freaking person in the parking lot and coming out of the hospital. So much for a secret identity. Tell me no one got that on their camera. Instant YouTube fame. Derek is more worried about Isaac, and since he's not breathing, that's probably good. Suddenly we pan on to a sleeping Scott. Huh? Oh this whole section was a flash back. Snippets of a burned Isaac heading into the hospital and Kira's mom scolding her for putting on a show flash through Scott's head. Agent Parrish, snarky detective from last week, tells Sheriff that Stiles left the hospital and DoucheDad figures out the wire was cut. Whew, a lot going on in Scott's dreams.

Two days later, Scott greets the morning with Derek's voice in his head. Derek: "You have to tell Stilinski. You have to tell him what's really wrong with Stiles." Seriously, we're back to secrets. That never works. As Scott gets ready for school, he breaks Melissa's reverie for an update. I love how much she cares about Scott's friends. Melissa: "They're still looking for him. It's past the 48 hour mark but I guess if anyone's going to be missing for 2 days and turn up just fine, then it's Stiles." Scott: "What about Isaac?" Melissa: "Maybe we should go by the hospital before school." Sheriff is also deep in thought, staring at a text from Stiles. "Am ok. Please don't look for me. Be back soon." They need to microchip the kids in Beacon Hills. Parrish interrupts his anxiety so Sheriff can sign for office supplies and DoucheDad talks about the rising Yakuza problem. Say what? Deaton was in Beacon Hills? Argent's meeting wasn't in Japan? Again I'm so confused. I guess that proves the Oni aren't new to Beacon Hills though. The McCalls head to the hospital where Allison crashed all night. She explains she wasn't allowed to see Isaac since she's not family. Allison: " I told them he doesn't have any." Melissa: "Well he's got us and I've got a keycard. Be quick." Mama McCall to the rescue. Sadly the hospital is also out of rooms because they've shoved Isaac in the medical supply room where they faced Blake and the alphas in The Overlooked. Allison grabs Scott's hand as they stand over a non-healing Isaac. She asks about Isaac's pain and Scott takes it on himself until he can't any longer. Oh baby, all around. Allison: "Stiles really do this?" Scott: "Whatever's controlling him did it. Whatever's inside him." Allison: "Well then how do we get whatever's inside of him the hell out of him?" Scott: "I'm working on it." I love how Scott will not give up on Stiles no matter what.

At the high school, Kira exposits her nogitsune homework. Seriously, it's causing all this damage because someone hurt its feelings. Grow up, dark trickster and let Stiles go. While Kira talks about offending the nogitsune, the camera pans in on Coach. Bwah! Happy to see you, Coach. He yells about finding Stiles and bought a card for Isaac. Aww, I knew he was a softie. Deep, deep down. Coach: "There's a card on my desk for Isaac Lahey, and every one of you losers is not only going to sign it, you're going to write a personal message so profound and deep it's going bring a tear to Coach's eye. Who's first, huh? Danny, that's how you do it buddy. Keep it PG." Ha! I love Coach. He's often the only comic relief around. On the other side of the locker room, Scott and the twins worry. Aiden: "No Stiles, no demonic ninjas." Ethan: "Things are getting too quiet." Scott: "Yeah I know. Yeah it's making me nervous too." Anyone thinking calm before yet another catastrophe? Scott hears Argent's emitter stake and they follow it to the basement. Really guys? You're already living a horror movie. But it brings the first Stiles glimpse of the night, so yippee. 14 minutes without Stiles might be a Teen Wolf record. Stiles: "Okay, I know what you guys are thinking, but it's me. I swear to God, it's me." Yeah but for how long? The alpha twins agree. Attack time. They pin him to a locker but Scott pulls rank and out roars them. Stiles: "It's me, Scott. I swear it's me. I don't know where I've been the last 2 days or what I've been doing, but this is me I promise." Aw, good. Nice to have you back, buddy. Stiles pulls out the plans to blow out the hospital electricity and says he knows he did it. Sadly, it appears he planned even more. Aiden: "What the hell have you been up to?" Stiles: "I think something worse. A lot worse."

They uncover a map that intersects with Malia's car sanctuary and where GriefCrazyFather put all the traps. It's also where the cross-country team is practicing. Strangely lacrosse seems to have flipped from a fall to spring sport. Not much tension over traps on a lacrosse field I guess. There is some crazy outright sprinting going on for a cross-country practice though. Kira inherited speed with that fox glow. She easily outpaces Danny and Stiles' Jeep. Coach is shocked to see him but the runners already left. As Stiles tries to explain, Ethan and Scott book it. Ethan catches up to Danny, knocking him down. Danny: "What the hell are you doing?" Ethan: "Uh…I missed you." To cover his lame lie, they smooch passionately. Way to knock a guy off his feet, Ethan? Scott goes for a twirling grasp with Kira instead. She's excited about her new speed; Stiles is worried someone will walk into a trap. Surprisingly when Stiles tells people to stop in the middle of a beautifully lit forest with no sign of trouble, they actually do. Kira might want lessons given the electrified water fiasco. Stiles lifts up a chain, but it's a decoy. Coach trips the real thing and an arrow flies into his stomach. Coach: "Oh cr**." Sorry, but that totally made me laugh. Coach proceeds to have the most hysterical freak out in the history of freak outs. He screams about pulling the arrow out (again the need for emergency training) and how he's going to die. Aiden: "It will hurt less if you stop moving, Coach." Ah, the voice of reason again. Scott and Stiles have a silent conversation while Aiden demands everyone step back. I'd check the area first before any other arrows come flying. Just saying. Scott does his magic hands act, taking away enough of Coach's pain for him to pass out. No idea how that works, but I worry Scott's taking in too much pain today. Will it make him easier to overpower later? With a quiet Coach, it's time for Stiles to freak. Stiles: "I could have killed him. Alright what if it was his head or his throat or…" Scott: "But it wasn't and he's going to be alright." Aww Scott, you have all the right words tonight.

Lydia, not so much, especially after seeing her mom flirt with Peter. That can never end well. She goes to confront him, but Peter disappears in the crowd. He told her mom he was from the Health Board, there to schedule hearing tests. Lydia: "Hearing tests? He was talking about hearing?" Mom: "Yes, hearing. I'm guessing we should sign you up. He gave me his card." Lydia: "Mom, this is a piece of paper with a phone number written on it." Mom: "I know. Still got it." I see where Lydia gets it now. Lydia's mom actually cracks me up so I hope we see more of her. (She's also playing mom to an alien on Star-Crossed in case you missed it.) Lydia decides to get help with her banshee skills from Peter. Allison objects to this plan. "While it's smart to bring me with you, I still think the rest of this is totally insane." Going to Derek's place to meet Peter? Yeah that qualifies as insane. Lydia is more focused on answers however, as she still feels the sting of Stiles not being in the mental institution. Lydia: "Look I just…need to figure this out and he is the only one offering help." Allison: "Peter doesn't offer help. He offers a chance for you to be manipulated into giving him what he wants." So very true. They go in anyway. Hello Peter snark, I've missed you. Peter: "The hunter and the banshee, ladies come in." I'd follow that spin-off. Lydia and Peter argue over Allison's presence, but Lydia prevails. Lydia: "The last time I was alone with you, I almost bled out on the lacrosse field. She stays." Good point. Peter tries to spin the situation as actually doing Lydia a favor, which, since it is 5 miles deep into Crazy Town, doesn't work. Allison votes to leave but Peter proves he can help Lydia focus the noise in her head. They stay but Peter wants help in recovering a memory Talia stole from him. I knew those claws were trouble. Lydia: "Why would your sister want to steal a memory from you?" Peter: "Well if I remembered the memory, I might be able to tell you." Ha!

Peter's banshee advice boils down to concentrate, so he's pretty much useless to Lydia. He is however a fount of knowledge for us. He claims Lydia's scream drowns out background noise; the scream itself is not important. Lydia powers without killing my ears? I'm good with that. Peter: "Your hearing is attuned to a level of the universe no one else can hear, but only if you're listening." Probably hard to concentrate with you yammering at her like this, Peter. Allison agrees and bring out a cattle prod. Peter brings out his claws. Peter: "Your aunt had one of those. Auntie Kate?" Lydia: "Stop it, both of you." Peter: "Didn't do her much good as I ripped her throat out…" Allison: "She didn't shove it up your…" Lydia breaks the tension by hurling the claws like darts into the wall. Woo hoo, I love when Lydia stands up for herself. I guess yelling works as well as screaming because she now hears a whisper. Lydia: "You're not just an uncle." Huh? What the heck does that mean? Peter looks stunned as well. Maury Povich: "You are the father." Oh come on, you know you were thinking it too. Peter wants details, but Lydia is fuzzy on them. Lydia: "I said I don't know. I don't know its name, if it’s a boy or a girl or if it's some mutated wolf baby." Bwah! I can't wait for the spotlight on Lydia in season 4. Peter is less impressed and goes ballistic, so Allison tasers him. Allison: "Now we're leaving." Bwah! 10 points to Allison. Back in the car, Lydia knows more than she said. Malia is Peter's daughter. Huh? A wolf and a coyote? What? Oh whatever. Peter as a father is a terrible idea.

Meanwhile back to a story that makes sense, Argent returns to find his apartment door ajar. (See what I did there.) For a kick butt arms dealer, Argent sure has problems with security. He finds an emitter stuck in his beautiful desk and an angry Derek on the attack. Argent: "Why are you breaking into my apartment?' Derek: "Why are you leaving emitters in my loft?" It's a stalemate with Argent's gun at Derek's temple and Derek's claws around Argent's throat. The tension is awesome. They call truce since they've both had no luck searching for Stiles. Apparently no one thought to call to say Stiles is okay. They need a phone tree or social media. Derek: "Okay, we're both trying to find Stiles. Mind if I ask what you plan on doing if you find him." Argent: "Well that depends on which Stiles I find." Yikes! DarkStiles better watch his back. Argent finds the briefcase of cash they didn't take in the gun deal and before they say trap, DoucheDad walks in with Katashi's silver finger. Huh? Katashi's dead and guess who just became prime suspects? Handcuffed to a bench in the police station, Derek and Argent are as confused as me. Argent: "So I don't suppose you have any idea why Stiles would frame us for murder." Derek: "I didn't think Stiles was smart enough to frame us for murder." Bwaahhh!!! Argent is skeptical about being framed; I'm skeptical of having any real clue of what's happening this episode. Argent wants his attorney to represent both of them. Now Derek is skeptical. Basically Argent wants time to figure things out before they are questioned. Sounds like a good plan to me. Derek: "I could easily get out of these, you know?" Argent: "So could I, but I'm not interested in being a fugitive from the law." Derek: "Well I'm not interested in being a victim to a 17-year-old possessed by a psychotic fox." Ha! Derek can turn a phrase. Argent: "Just give me a few more minutes. Derek!" Derek: "Fine. If something happens don't expect me to risk my life trying to save yours." These two are fantastic together! We need more time on this partnership.

Back in the woods, an ambulance whisks away Coach while Stiles and Sheriff hug in the background. Aww, my heart hurts for these two. Sadly, the moment passes when Aiden finds wrapping paper in Stiles' Jeep. That can only mean one thing - bomb! Scott and Aiden figure the bomb is on a bus, which sends Kira's dad into a panic. They clear everyone out except…poor Jared, the vomiter on the cross-country bus trip. He has no luck on buses. Sadly, he picked up the present-wrapped bomb. Even worse, the police evacuate the kids only about 100 yards. Say what? Those kids would be halfway to another town in any normal school. Exploding bus shrapnel is not covered by insurance. Parrish, our new favorite deputy, tells Sheriff he has mad Army bomb diffusion skills so he heads over despite Sheriff's misgivings. Nooo! I just bothered to learn your name. Parrish: "Jared, it would be very helpful if you could resist throwing up on the potential explosive device." Bwaahh! Best quote of the night. No dying for you. Jared is nervous about Parrish's age so he cuts him off midsentence. Jared: "You…you look really…" Parrish: "Handsome. Thank you. For a second there I thought you were going to say I look really young and I was going to have to launch into my explanation about how I'm actually 24 and anyone can look young if the eat right and exercise. Although it's probably just good genes anyway, right?" No, Agent Parrish has NOT just lost his mind. He rambles to take Jared's mind off the bomb while he cuts the ribbon. Nothing happens. Surprise, no bomb! Instead it has Sheriff's nameplate in it. Uh oh. Sheriff flashes back to the office supply delivery. I guess it really wasn't filler. Sheriff: "Oh God, there is a bomb but not here."

While Parrish defuses the non-bomb, Kira spies her parents having a secret shady meeting in his classroom. FoxMom: "You hid them in a book? Couldn't you find something more secure." HistoryDad: "How many high school students do you know who'd willingly open a book?" I cry for the future. I'm also confused, again. The hollowed out book reveals what looks like blades, but HistoryDad calls tails. When FoxMama breaks one, a green light is emitted as HistoryDad cringes. FoxMama breaks another and promises the new Oni will be stronger. It certainly lets out a swarm of fireflies. If breaking tails creates the Oni, she may want to conserve some until they're all on the same page. Secrets kill in Beacon Hills. Speaking of kill, things get frantic in the police station. Sadly no one tells Argent or Derek what's up although a helpful officer uncuffs them. Derek's superstellar werewolf hearing actually works tonight. He hears a bomb and screams, "Get down!" He shoves the police officer out of the way and shields Argent with his own body as an explosion rocks the sheriff's office. Shrapnel flies everywhere. Sheriff, Scott, and Stiles arrive to blood and chaos. Stiles calls Scott to help with a dying deputy. Nice to see they aren't worried about Derek and Argent. Argent: "Derek, Derek!" Derek: "I'm okay." Um, your definition and mine vary, Derek. Dazed and having glass protrude from your back doesn't seem "okay" to me. Argent: "You saved my life." Aw, again I want more of these two. Back to our other fearless duo, Scott tries to help the deputy but it is too late. He dies while Scott is connected to him and the anguish on Scott's face is palpable. Oh baby. That sucks out loud. Sheriff sees Scott and Stiles and demands they leave. Thank goodness. No kid should witness this. As Scott pulls Stiles away, Kira rushes in to tell them the Oni are coming. Scott: "Stiles, we've got to get you out of here." Aww, I love how protective Scott is of Stiles tonight even after all the stuff he's gone through.

They all head to Deaton's because it's covered in mountain ash. No idea how Scott can be there in the first place but hey, trivial details. As they arrive, so do the Oni. Scott throws Stiles the key and tells him to get inside. Stiles tries to get Kira inside but she's busy throwing animal cages at demonic shadow ninjas. Bwah! Scott punches out two Oni with stellar gymnastic moves, when Kira grabs a pipe to play Whack-a-0ni until Scott gets stabbed. Ain't nobody gonna mess with Kira's boyfriend. She power kicks the Oni to another zip code and helps Stiles get Scott inside. Woo hoo, I love this kick butt new character. Best fight scene of 3B so far. As Kira goes to remove the katana from Scott's abdomen, Stiles slams her head into a table. What? No! Kira is unconscious and DarkStiles has taken control. This hurts already. Scott: "Please don't. Stop." Stiles: "It's okay." People need to stop using "okay". It doesn't mean what they think it means. Scott and I are horrified as DarkStiles pushes the katana farther into Scott's stomach, almost to the hilt. DarkStiles: "You really should have done your reading, Scott. A nogitsune feeds off chaos, strife, pain. This morning you took it from Isaac, then you took it from Coach, then from a dying deputy. All that pain, you took it all. Now give it to me." The pain travels from Scott to Stiles, as he flashes back to how he's manipulated Scott into taking pain all day. Stiles: "Ah, you really have to learn, Scott. You really have to learn not to trust a fox. Mnnhm Mnhm, no 'cause their tricksters. They'll fool you. They'll fool everyone." Deaton: "Not everyone." Whoa, where'd you come from? Deaton has some powerful ninja skills himself. He injects Stiles with the Letharia Vulpina, which quickly knocks him out, and then takes the katana out of Scott. I may have whimpered in sympathy. Scott's had a hard day. Still the first thing he asks is if the injection was a cure for Stiles. Aww, baby. You are straight up rocking tonight. Sadly Deaton goes cryptic. "The fox is poisoned but it's not dead, not yet." You better not kill Stiles in the meantime, VetBoss. You hear me?

This episode of Teen Wolf was better in the first airing than in the rewatch. When I first saw it, it moved so quickly and I was distracted by having an actual bomb. In the rewatches, my logical side took over and I was left with a big…huh? Again there were too many coincidences and plot devices. Still I love DarkStiles and Scott was the best character of the night for me. This doesn't happen often, but I love how caring and brotherly he was towards Stiles, keeping faith in his best friend even after being tortured by him. Theirs is a strong bond and it is great seeing Scott so determined to protect it. I also love that Scott and Kira fight alongside each other. I look forward to many more action scenes. Lydia and Allison working together was also a high point. I hate the soap opera move with Malia, but I like how Allison had Lydia's back and how Lydia was strong enough to stand up to both Peter and her best friend. It shows tremendous character growth on Lydia's part and I hope they continue to develop her leadership skills. The best interaction though was far and away Derek and Argent. I love how they started off as mortal enemies with Argent breaking out Derek's car windows. Now Derek saves Argent's life. It cements my theory that Derek is going to die though, which is not a good thing. There's no other reason to change Derek's character so quickly and with no explanation. Other than that, there is no downside to Derek and Argent working together. In fact, I wish they had done this in 3A. They would have gotten much more accomplished sooner if everyone had shared. Plus I am dying for Argent to train someone and since they've forgotten that promise with Allison, Derek will do instead. Frankly I'm now hoping for a Derek, Lydia, and Argent spin-off.

Grade: B-

Best Scene/Best Action - Scott and Kira fight the Oni in the rain
MVP - Scott
Funniest - Coach (in both scenes)
My Theory - Allison is also part of the nogitsune, hence the trickster thing. Her phone mystery, she was there when Scott took away Isaac's pain, Stiles keeps saying "we", and the fact that she hasn't been in the presence of the Oni is very suspicious to me.
Best Quote - Parrish: "Jared, it would be very helpful if you could resist throwing up on the potential explosive device."
The "They've Come a Long Way" Award / Best Interaction - Derek and Argent
Best Eyes - Kira's kitsune orange eyesMost Sadistic Moment - DarkStiles goes all piano fingers on the katana protruding from Scott's abdomen
Worst Surprise - Peter the father
Best Surprise - those beginning filler scenes weren't actually filler after all
Worst Secret Identity - Kira, sucking electricity from the wire in front of everyone
Best New Addition - Kira, although Parrish is rising up fast

Screencaps by Screencapped.net


About the Author - Dahne
One part teacher librarian - one part avid TV fan, Dahne is a contributing writer for SpoilerTV, where she recaps, reviews, and creates polls for Sleepy Hollow, Arrow, White Collar, Grimm, Teen Wolf, and others. She's addicted to Twitter, live tweets a multitude of shows each week, co-hosts the Sleepy Hollow "Headless" and Teen Wolf "Welcome to Beacon Hills" podcasts for Southgate Media Group, and guests on ArrowCast for DVMPE. Right now she is creating a Last Week in TV column for her blog and SpoilerTV. ~ "I speak TV."