Teen Wolf - 3.23 - Insatiable - Recap / Review
24 Mar 2014
DH Reviews Teen WolfPreviously - Allison and Isaac were together, Meredith was weird even for Eichen House, Kira's mom back storied the nogitsune, Dark Stiles released flies to infect the werewolves, Allison and Kira fought werewolves, Stiles unwrapped himself from Mummy Mouth, and Dark Stiles took Lydia.
In the locker room, Deaton de-flies the werewolves by shoving his fist down their throats and yanking out the fly inside. It looks as painful as it sounds. Being a werewolf sucks sometimes. Allison: "Are they okay now?" Deaton: "I hope so. The part that's worrisome is that this was most likely just a distraction for what was happening to Stiles." Kira comments on double Stiles; I however am a great fan. The more Stiles the better. Aiden douche snarks about how they let DarkStiles kidnap Lydia , but for once Deaton has a point. Mummy Mouth ascending from the floor was quite the distraction. Kira asks the billion dollar question: "How are you so sure which Stiles is which?" Sorry Melissa, but your nursing skills won't cut it this time. She tests Stiles' pupil response, but is hesitant to take his arm for a pulse check. Stiles lifts his arm up for her and sad smiles as my heart breaks for the first time this episode. Only 52 more times to go. Melissa confirms that he is medically a real person but Stiles (read all of Beacon Hills) needs more assurance. Stiles: "Okay so I'm real but am I really me?" Enter Noshiko and her Oni. Smart plan but man will it suck if they are wrong. Scott and Melissa exchange silent doubts over Stiles' plan but Kira full out objects. Too late. The Oni arrive, grab Stiles, and mark him. Yippee! RealStiles is back. Sadly, the Oni can't pursue DarkStiles because dawn is breaking soon. (Or so the show says, since there's an awful lot of light coming through Scott's window.) Noshiko says he took Lydia for her banshee powers. Being a banshee sucks sometimes too. Lydia is in the underbelly of Eichen House, surrounded by screaming with DarkStiles mocking her. He is very effective at creepy. As Lydia frantically searches for a way out, he slowly pursues her, saying that Stiles is dying. Lydia questions why he kidnapped her and vows she won't tell him anything, but all the nogitsune needs is her scream. It's a very intense scene, riveting and packed with creepy chemistry between the characters, showcasing both Dylan and Holland's talents. I hope we get more scenes with them together because they are nailing it.
Elsewhere things are less intense as the pack basically waits until sunset to make their move. It's waiting game, no one is enjoying. Noshiko suggests Kira learn to play Go, since it's the nogitsune's game and may help them strategize. Kira: "This is life and death, mom. It isn't a game." Noshiko: "It is to him, and he's winning. You want to save your friends, you want them to survive, learn to play." Might as well since the alternative is worrying, which is exactly what Sheriff does. Parrish tells him to go home, but no dice since no one has called him to say Stiles is okay. Urgh! What use are your product placed phones if you aren't communicating crucial data? Sheriff questions why Parrish chose Beacon Hills, and quite frankly, it is either insane or suspicious. Parrish: "I don't really know. I guess I kind of felt drawn here." OK, suspicious it is. Drawn by the nemeton is never good. What creature exactly are you Parrish that makes an appalling police fatality rate of no concern to you? Parrish convinces Sheriff to go home but he can't find his keys. Enter Stiles, who reminds him that he often drops them in his coffee cup. What? Don't they get sticky that way? But it doesn't matter because we get an epic Stilinski hug as father and son are reunited. Awwww! Well after Scott gives the nod that it is indeed Stiles. Sheriff optimistically hopes this means it's all over, but no. There is time for reconciliation though, as Derek asks why Argent didn't kill him. Argent: "Because you're not my enemy anymore, Derek, and I'm not yours." Awww again. Eight minutes in and Teen Wolf already gets me right in the heart. Derek wants to track DarkStiles together but Argent says there's no need. The nogitsune is so powerful now, he'll pursue them. Back at the station, Sheriff puts an APB out on Lydia's car as they try to figure out what DarkStiles wants with her. Something Sheriff says reminds Stiles of Meredith and they find out she's in the closed unit for continuous screaming. Brunski, the douche orderly of Eichen House, jokes about drugging Meredith but tables turned, she escaped after drugging another orderly. Go Meredith!
For reasons that make no sense, the scene abruptly changes to the alpha twins sprinting in the forest. Cross country practice? Nope, soon it's wolfsbane-filled bullets flying and the twins go down. Thankfully Derek stops by to drag them to the coyote den. They ask who's shooting but Derek doesn't know. "I was a little busy. Who else have the 2 of you p** off?" Aidan: "We p** off everyone. It was only a matter of time before someone caught up to us." Ha! I have no idea what's going on here either. Who's shooting? Why? Does it even matter? Apparently not because it's Allison and Isaac's turn for the awkward post-sex, "were you really you if you were fly-infected" discussion while inspecting Lydia's now found product placed Toyota. Isaac smells Lydia's anger while Allison launches in. "Just out of curiosity, do you remember the other night?" Isaac: "You mean the night before last night?" Oh Isaac, master of the face palm statement. He should be a Winchester. The whole conversation is awkward and boils down to yes, Isaac remembers and yes, it was essentially him. It's all filler except they find a message Lydia wrote on the window, telling them not to find her. Yeah Lydia, not gonna happen. Meanwhile, Beacon Hills High keeps its trophy for worst security in America when Meredith interrupts Coach's teachable moment on health care corruption, brought on by his $10,000 bill for arrow removal. First off, I'm so glad you made it, Coach. Second, what kind of third-rate health insurance does Beacon Hills have? Teachers usually have great insurance. Time to transfer! But not until you question Meredith. Coach: "Sweetheart, you want to tell me which insane asylum you escaped from?" Danny: "Coach, insane asylum isn't the proper terminology anymore." Coach: "Okay sweetheart, what nut house did you escape from?" BWAAHHH! Meredith says she's from Eichen House as the students jump back. She says people are screaming because someone's about to die. Coach: "Are they screaming right now? How many of them?" Meredith: "All of them." Yep, time to transfer!
Back at Scott's, Stiles is mid-nightmare. Seriously, how much more can he take? He wakes in a panic, dizzy and unsure of how much time passed. Scott steadies him and asks if he's okay. He promised Sheriff he wouldn't leave Stiles alone. Awww! This bromance is the best part of Teen Wolf. Stiles: "I just sort of feel like we're waiting for a ransom call." Scott: "We'll find her." Scott recaps the search for Lydia to put Stiles at ease, but no dice, he's nervous…and freezing. When Stiles puts on his jacket, Scott touches his hand and black goo runs up his arm. Stiles is in pain. He admits to feeling a dull ache all over and his hands are icy. Scott kneels by him. "Tell me the truth. How much does it really hurt?" Shivering, Stiles just looks at him. Thud. There goes my heart again. They're rudely interrupted by Kira's call to say Meredith is at school. So is Brunski, so Kira pleads with Coach. "It's hard to explain, but if you let her go back then really, really bad things are going to happen to Lydia, to Scott, and Stiles, and maybe everyone, including you. So please, please don't let them take her." Coach: "Who are you?" Ha! I love Coach. Sadly he does know Brunski, who proves his douchiness by making fun of Coach's job. Um Brunski, you're an orderly. What the heck kind of bragging rights do you have in this game? Shut up! He demands to see Meredith, but she's escaped again…to the music room, where she plinks the sad piano of former teacher death. Brunski threatens to tase her but she needs a few more seconds to hear what the voices are saying. No dice. Brunski advances, only to be taken out by Coach. Woo hoo!!! Coach: "This school has a very strict no bullying policy." Bwah! You go Coach! He tells Scott, Stiles, and Kira to get Meredith out, while Brunski starts to curse. Zap! Coach tases him again. "We also frown on cursing." Bwaaahh! I adore you, Coach. Sadly Meredith doesn't know who Lydia is though, so it's back to square one.
Avoiding school shenanigans, Allison chooses a quieter way to pass time before battle. She cleans her weapons. Argent joins her, but her hands shake too badly to take the gun apart. He stops her and suggests a different plan. Presented with the family silver, he tells Allison she's ready for her last initiation rite into the family business, creating a silver bullet with their crest. They bond over Argent's last bullet and discuss the merits of lead over silver. The Winchesters never said it's inaccurate. Hmm. Argent heads out but Allison stops him, saying she'd rather make an arrow head. He smiles and kisses her forehead. Aww. But Allison's not done. Over Argent's protestations, she insists on speaking her mind in case one of them dies in the coming battle. Allison: "Well I didn't get to say anything to mom." Argent: "You didn't need to say anything and I'm going to be around a long time. I promise." Allison: "Well then take it as a reminder. Maybe you don't need to hear it, but I…I need to know that I said it. I love you. I'm proud of you. I'm proud of us." Oh baby, this is heartbreaking. Argent kisses her forehead once more and leaves as the anvil of foreboding drops smack on my head. This will hurt. I don't want either to die, but it's the best father-daughter scene in Teen Wolf history. Sadly, there's no rest for Lydia either, who freaks even more when she's trapped at the bottom of the same stairwell where Noshiko's friends were slaughtered in flashbacks. DarkStiles sits atop the stairs and muses about what the others are doing. Apparently he sent whomever shot at the alpha twins to keep them busy. DarkStiles: "Are they really spending every minute looking for you or are they waiting for nightfall? Focused on some hopeless gesture to pass the time." Can't pull a fast one over a nogitsune. Lydia asks what he wants and his simple answer is, "More." More pain, more chaos, more strife. That's what a nogitsune feeds off and Lydia feels it all. She's his conduit to everyone's pain. DarkStiles: "I eat what you feel and I'm insatiable." He presses up against Lydia, reveling in her terror. It's petrifying.
Time for a humor break. Scott and Stiles race Meredith to Scott's house only to find Isaac and DoucheDad already there. Reaffirming that ClassicStiles is indeed back, he tries to explain only to make things even more suspicious. Stiles: "Free period. We're doing group study." DD: "Who's she?" Stiles: "She's my girlfriend." Meredith: "Oh, you're not my type." Stiles: "Well obviously we have a lot to talk about. We should maybe take this upstairs." Meredith: "He's my type." Stiles: "Okay, Isaac can come too." Ha! I needed that laugh. Scott tries to head up with them but DoucheDad insists on talking. He shows Scott a dent in the floor at the bottom of the steps. He moved out because while Melissa and he were fighting, Scott came out and when Douche Dad tried to grab his wrist, Scott fell down the steps and knocked himself out for 20 seconds. Melissa told him to get out and he sobered up from that night on. It's a great scene marred by the fact that it's the penultimate episode and just like Scott, we don't have time for this. Take your apologies and wait until season 4. Plus, what in this story is supposed to make Scott hate Melissa like DarkStiles suggested? Is there more to this story? Oh who cares. Scott gives DoucheDad the grand tour of all the places he's hurt himself in that house and then lowers the boom. Scott: "This house is full of accidents. The stairs, maybe it was an accident, maybe it was worse, but I healed and I don't need your apology. So see you at graduation or whenever you decide to show up again." Ouch! But he deserved it.
Meanwhile things upstairs aren't going well either. Meredith finally remembers Lydia and agrees to help but only if Lydia tells her where she is. Isaac: "If she tells you. Can you ask her?" Meredith: "I already did." Stiles: "Perfect, perfect. What did she say?" Meredith: "She said she doesn't want to be found." Stiles: "That's good too." Isaac: "Okay." Oh guys, your facial expressions are cracking me up. Talking to the crazy isn't always easy so they fight over how to approach her next. Isaac wants to try intimidation but Stiles nixes that idea. Stiles: "We're not going to torture her." Isaac: "I mean scare her." Stiles: "We're not going to psychologically torture her either." Sorry Isaac, but I'm on Stiles side here. Meredith has been through enough. Isaac suggests Meredith is a banshee because his job is to state the obvious and catch up the slower members of the pack. They tell Meredith to "focus on the silence," which is pretty hard since neither of the two will stop yapping. Stiles: "Okay, will you just let me handle this Isaac. Please. I just I have more experience with banshees." Isaac: "Yeah and mental patients." Ha! Isaac's on fire tonight! Meredith breaks up the spat by asking if they are going to answer Stiles' phone, which is not ringing. Playing along, Stiles hands the phone to Meredith. The voices say coup de foudre, French for a flash of lightning or love at first sight according to Noshiko in the flashbacks. While Stiles and Isaac are lost, Scott enters and recognizes it,. He knows Lydia is at the old Oak Creek Internment site, aka Eichen House. At the same time, Kira gets clued in when her dad talks Go some more, only to realize that Kira wasn't playing the nogitsune but her own mother. It's all very dramatic and makes no sense. Is Noshiko another nogitsune? No idea because we switch to Allison holding up her newly minted arrow head to compare it to her father's silver bullet. Allison: "What am I missing?" No clue honey but when you figure it out, please share. We're confused too.
Sadly, there's no time for answers as they all descend on Eichen House. Well all except Derek and Argent who carry the twins to Derek's loft. Apparently Mama Fratelli didn't shoot them. Go figure. Instead the clue lies in the bullet, which Argent recognizes. Argent: "That's not possible." In true Teen Wolf fashion, he doesn't share his knowledge with us. Instead he warns Allison not to go to Eichen House without him, but she says it's urgent and another anvil of doom splats on my head. Noshiko arrives with her 5 Oni army as Stiles drives Scott and Isaac. The silence is unnerving and Stiles breaks it to ask if Scott's okay. Scott: "Yeah, yeah, you don't have to worry about me." Just as the elephant in the Jeep gets too big to ignore, Isaac addresses the real problem. "Alright I'm going to say it. You look like you're dying. You're pale and you're thin and you look like you're getting worse. We're all sitting here thinking it. When we find the other you is he going to look like he's getting better?" Scott: "What happens if he gets hurt?" Stiles: "What, do you mean like if he dies, then do I die? I don't care. So long as no one else dies because of me. I remember everything I did, Scott. I remember pushing that sword into you. I remember twisting it." Oh poor baby. This episode hurts my heart. Scott: "It wasn't you." Stiles: "Yeah, but I remember it. You guys got to promise me, you can't let anyone else get hurt because of me." Isaac and Scott exchange glances as Scott gives a quick, sharp nod, but swallows hard. No way he keeps that promise. They are heading right into DarkStiles' plan. Lydia notices how nervous DarkStiles is and gloats: "You know they're coming. You know they're going to kill you." DarkStiles: "That's exactly why I'm keeping you so close." Egads, he makes ME nervous. Creepiest villain in Teen Wolf history - Crazy Ghost Kate and him. I swear every time he leans into Lydia I think he's either going to kiss her or smack her. It's unsettling.
The Jeep Crew arrive just as Kira and Allison do. Did they carpool too? Everyone deep breathes as Scott launches into the halftime pep talk. They saved Malia together. Now it's Lydia and they will save her too. Leader Scott is on a roll. Allison: "I'm here to save my best friend." Scott: "I came to save mine." Aww. Isaac: "I just didn't feel like doing any homework." BWAAAHHH!!!! This is the most fun I've had with Isaac in a long time. He leads the way in but Noshiko tries to stop them. Not happening. Kira accuses her mom of not seeing another way because it would mean she could have saved Rhys instead of killing him. It's a tough night of harsh reality for Teen Wolf parents. At the same time, Scott and Stiles run the corridors to find Lydia using Scott's now working werewolf senses. DarkStiles herds her into a small room as the Oni descend. Lydia: "They're here and I don't have to scream to know they're going to kill you." DarkStiles: "Good. That's exactly why I brought you. I needed to know when they'd be close enough, when my own death was closing in." Just when it looks like he's going to die at Oni hands, he breaks Noshiko's last tail and suddenly commands the Oni. Smart play. A firefly dies in Noshiko's hand and the battle begins. Isaac: "How do we stop them?" Noshiko: "You can't." Swords clash, Kira's eyes turn orange, and DarkStiles sits back with some popcorn to watch the show. Or smirks, whichever. Of the 3 fighting, Isaac gets the worst of it while Noshiko watches from a corner in horror. I guess that's the end of her ninja skills. As the fight crescendos, Scott and Stiles find Lydia. Success! Or not. She really did NOT want to be found. Lydia: "No, no, no, no, no, no. Why are you here?" Stiles: "Lydia, we're here for you." Lydia: "You weren't supposed to be here. You didn't get my message." Scott asks what's going on for us and Lydia freaks over who came with them. She knows who's going to die. They race off to join the fight.
Outside Isaac is sliced up so Allison comes to his rescue. She slams an Oni with her bow while Kira kicks another out of the way. Still the fight is one-sided and the Oni are winning. Not just upstairs. In the hall, Stiles' strength fades fast as DarkStiles gets stronger. He can no longer run, calling out to Lydia for help. Scott races ahead but it's too late. Isaac takes a sword in the gut by 2 Oni to DarkStiles' delight. Attempting to save him again, Allison knocks her arrow and shoots one. To everyone's surprise, even DarkStiles, it penetrates his heart and yellow light explodes outward, causing the ground to shake and the Oni to vanish, but only for a second. One emerges by Allison and stabs her. As she falls, DarkStiles smiles and takes the Oni away with him. Scott appears just in time to catch her and she lies dying in his arms. She asks about Lydia and Scott assures her that Lydia's fine. He tries to take away her pain, but it doesn't work. Scott: "I…I can't. I can't take your pain." Allison: "That's because it doesn't hurt." Allison assures him that it's fine, but no one else agrees. Allison: "It's okay. It's perfect. I'm in the arms of my first love, the first person I've ever loved, the person I'll always love. I love…I love you, Scott, Scott McCall." Scott: "Allison, please don't. Allison, don't please." Allison: "You have to tell my dad. You have to tell my dad. Tell him…" She exhales her last breath as the fandom bursts into tears. Scott: "No!" It's sappy and tragic, but Allison deserves to go out however she wants. As Scott cries over the body of his lost love, Lydia cries over an unconscious Stiles, fully aware her best friend has died. Too make everything more tragic, Argent arrives on the scene as well. His face crumbles and his gun drops as the camera slowly pans out from Allison cradled in Scott's arms. Ouch doesn't even begin to describe it. This one aches.
And thus goes Allison, the main heroine of the series. A kick butt warrior who fought for her friends and sometimes her enemies gallantly. A best friend who saw Lydia through all the crazy and remained by her side, supporting and encouraging her. A first love whose memory won’t be easily forgotten, especially since Scott firmly believed that someday they would be back together, happy and more in love than ever. A daughter who was just now learning to understand a complicated father, who loved her more than life. A leader who never got to reach her full potential as matriarch of a powerful family. A guardian who kept Beacon Hills safe even if they never knew it. Allison - hero, role model, friend. May you rest in peace. May others live up to your legacy. May you never be forgotten.
Grade: B+
Best Scene - Argent invites Allison to make her graduation silver bullet, and Allison tells her dad how much she loves him
Best Quote - Coach: "This school has a very strict no bullying policy."
Saddest Scene - Allison dies in Scott's arms
Best Action - The pack fights DarkStiles' Oni
Most Important Player - Allison
Best Acting - Dylan O'Brien…again. This really is his season.
Least Surprising - Meredith ends up being important
The Yippee Award - Coach didn't die, and he's still snarky, and he's the hero.
Best Character Interactions - tie - the parents and their teens / DarkStiles and Lydia
Best Reason to Watch - there are a lot this episode so I chose something I haven't awarded yet, the Scott and Stiles brother bond. When Scott realizes that Stiles is hurting and starts worrying about him, I physically ache inside. May nothing ever come between this bromance. Nothing and no one.
Character That Actually Needed to Die - Brunski aka DoucheOrderly
The "What the Heck?" Award - someone just starts shooting at the Alpha Twins, no setup, no real transition, just boom. What kind of weird editing is that?
Biggest Awww Scene / Best Hug in the History of Teen Wolf Hugs - Sheriff hugs Stiles so tight when Scott confirms that is indeed Stiles. Awww.
Most Cringe Worthy - Deaton shoves his fist down the werewolves' throats to de-fly them
The "Just Hit Me in the Gut, Part 1" Award - Melissa hesitates to touch Stiles since she doesn't know if it is DarkStiles tricking her again.
Most Headache Inducing - All the screaming at Eichen House. If that's Lydia's world, I'd be ice picking my own forehead to get it to stop.
Best Possible Future Continuity - Season 3 started with Scott getting a tattoo. Perhaps season 4 can start with them all getting the backwards 5's removed from behind their ears, since Stiles now sports one too.
The "You Know It's Time to Transfer When…" Award - …when the school you teach at has a higher murder rate than Detroit AND you don't even have good health insurance. Teachers usually have the best insurance.
Best Reason to Fast Forward - Awkward teen relationship moments
Best Call Back to a Previous Season - Allison finds Lydia's note by blowing on the car window
Worst Timing - tie - Kira's text interrupted my great Scott and Stiles moment / Douche Dad wants to talk about the past during a current emergency
Funniest Duo - Stiles and Isaac
The "Say What?" Award - Why in the world would Scott hate Melissa for this secret? Was DarkStiles being judgmental or is there more to this secret?
Biggest "Ouch" - Scott says accidents happen but he condemns DoucheDad for not being there
Creepiest Moment - DarkStiles smirks as the Oni start to kill Isaac
The "Just Hit Me in the Gut, Part 22" Award - Argent runs up just in time to see his daughter die
Screencaps by Screencapped.net and MoviePilot.
This episode was hard to watch, every single time. But it was so good.
ReplyDeleteI feel pretty dumb for not noticing Allison blowing on the car window to find Lydia's note and how she used to do that with Scott.
ReplyDeleteI am so sad I couldn't even rewatch this episode, I normally rewatch it to notice anything that I might've missed but I can't. I was 100% sure Isaac was going to die. I don't even feel better knowing the actress wanted out, I'm actually sadder since she probably left because the writing for her character was awful this season. I don't know, I'm not enjoying this anymore so I might probably stop watching it, depending on how the season finale makes me feel tonight.
ReplyDeleteDahne: I was hanging the end of last week for this review!.. Now its just a memory from last week. A Really nasty encompassing memory but just that a memory. I find it very hard now to talk about the episode without it being fresh in my mind.
ReplyDeleteCrystal Reed who plays Allison said in an interview that she wanted something different with her character and wanted to make a difference. She also said they she wants to move on from playing this character because she is 29 playing a 17 and she wanted different roles, but I know how you feel it really was heart wrenching. :( Crystal is coming to supanova is melbourne ( it's kinda like American comic con smaller actors) and I'm hoping to get an interview with her and get more insight why she left. :)
ReplyDeleteA great and heartbreaking episode, definetely in my top ten Teen Wolf episodes :) Amazing recap!
ReplyDeleteSorry. I wish I could review full time and post things much faster, but this is my volunteer job. My paying job has to come first and this is my busiest time of the year. Things should be at least a little faster in the summer when season 4 premieres.
ReplyDeleteCut yourself a lot of slack. Teen Wolf packs so much in one episode that it feels like we have had 10 seasons full of info already. Ity's actually one of the things I like best about it. No slow moving plots here.
ReplyDeleteI have actually seen it 5 times now due to the best scene poll, podcast, recap, and Last Week in TV column. Surprisingly, it has actually gotten harder to watch Allison die in the rewatches. I'm not even sure why. Maybe because I keep anticipating it instead fo getting lost in all the other action. I am actually fine with Allison dying because it was what Crystal wanted. I would be livid if it wasn't. I think part of the reason why Allison was somewhat sidelined in the writing this season si because she had already told them that she wanted out. Therefore, it wouldn't make sense continuing with whatever story line they had for her. I was quite looking forward to wathcing her become matriarch of the Argent clan, so I miss that potential story the most.
ReplyDeleteThanks. Season 3 has been incredibly powerful overall. It is going to be hard to determine my favorites when I can finally sit down and rewatch the entire thing. It will be hard to top Allison's death for saddest scene, that's for sure.
ReplyDeleteThats okay.. still enjoy your reviews a lot, but i just find it hard to get involved so long after the fact. But real job must come first!
ReplyDelete