So what really happens in this episode? Most of the gang spends “After Images” trying to save Brett, only for the episode to end with him and Lori dead. We get some continued headway on the inevitable Scott/Malia romance as well as a glorious reunion between Melissa and Argent. We see that Liam is definitely not ready to be Alpha and despite Lydia’s banshee, Cory still ends up getting somewhat exposed as a supernatural creature. And lastly, Monroe gets her first lesson into the foray of Hunting. So without further ado, let’s breakdown the episode
We don’t really see a lot of Scott this episode, and that probably has something to do with Tyler Posey being behind the camera. For his directorial debut, I thought Posey is a really good job. There was a lot of humor in an otherwise mostly filler episode for me. Personally, I thought some of the one liners were the saving grace of the episode. Malia, in particular, was on point this episode with her snarky quips, but she also made some really good points where it concerned Liam. I’ll get to Liam in a second, but for now let’s focus on Scott and Malia. After Scott is impaled by a Hunter-step trap, Liam and Lori go off to save Brett while Malia stays behind. We get two more conversations this episode between Scott and Malia. The first one leads the duo to realize that Gerard is back and Hunting again. I’m really glad it didn’t take our heroes several episodes to figure it out because that would have been a major waste of time during the final episodes. Meanwhile, the second conversation is my favorite of the night as it focuses on whether Scott and Malia should have called Stiles and them dancing around their feelings. I loved how Malia said she needed Scott to wake up because she didn’t think he was supposed to pass out and she was confused by what they were talking about. We get to see a softer side of Malia with how protective of Scott she has become, and it was a cute moment when she could finally take away his pain. So I know I was initially skeptical about the Scott/Malia romance, but I am really coming around. It’s being done in a way that feels organic, and thankfully, they mentioned how Stiles would feel. I am so glad they did that because I don’t think I could have gotten onboard if it felt like they were sneaking around behind Stiles’ back without considering his feelings.
If it hasn’t already been said, it needs to be mentioned that Liam is not ready take over as the Alpha of Beacon Hills. I get that someone needs to step up when Scott and the gang eventually leave for college, but thankfully, they haven’t left as Liam proves his inability to lead and his inexperience this episode. I know this might be a somewhat weird take, but as far as entry into the supernatural world, Liam has had a very sheltered existence. He never had to deal with the same growing pains Scott, Stiles, Lydia, and everyone else did as he had supernatural friends to guide him through the transition. Scott and Lydia, in particular, had to figure out what it meant to be a supernatural being with very limited guidance. You can’t exactly buy a supernatural guidebook at the local bookstore, now can you? From Liam’s decision to have the group split up to howling so the Hunters could basically pinpoint their location and underestimating the skill of even an amateur Hunter, he proved he still as a lot to learn before he’s ready to protect Beacon Hills fulltime. Even his decision to hold off the Hunters backfired as Brett and Lori died instead of escaping. I’m not blaming him for their deaths, but I do think Scott needs to have a serious chat with Liam about his leadership capabilities. Scott got thrust into the role of pack leader and had to learn on the way. Liam was sort of thrown into the deep end with the gang graduated, but he still has a lot of learning to do before he’s ready to swim. Like how about not going full on werewolf in front of the the town; that would be a good start. He’s had control issues in the past, but this one takes the cake as Liam basically outs himself and the rest of the supernatural beings in Beacon Hills. I’m not sure what the werewolf equivalent of a timeout, but Liam needs to seriously be reprimanded for his actions and behavior this episode.
So while everyone else is out searching for Brett, Lydia, accompanied by Mason and Cory, tries to initiate a premonition. I was with Lydia on this one; she would probably have more success on initiating a premonition if Mason and Cory could just be quiet for like a few seconds. Their whole exchange cracked me up from Lydia telling the guys to stop talking to Mason saying that his phone speaks Chinese. I never knew I would say this, but I need more interactions between these three. So eventually the premonition leads to 68 and while Lydia tries to figure out what 68 refers to, Mason and Cory end up in the library, studying for another non-existent exam. Enter Nolan, the guy who seemed on edge in the midseason premiere, but now seems completely unhinged. I swear it looked like he was one second away from killing everyone in that library. After being coxed on by Aaron, who I still think is possessed or something to that effect by the way, Nolan decides to “test” whether Cory is a supernatural being by stabbing Cory in hand with a pen. So while a DNA test may have been just as effective as Mason suggests, Nolan’s “test” nevertheless gets the job done as the entire library seems Nolan stab Cory and a geyser of blood. Naturally, most have questions when Cory miraculously heals, and as Lydia stops Nolan in the hallway, we get the reveal that 68 refers to Nolan’s lacrosse number because it always comes back to lacrosse. This, of course, only adds fuel on the growing fire of unease in Beacon Hills. If the residents, and by default students, didn’t know something supernatural was afoot, they sure do now. It’s getting harder and harder to explain away the random supernatural disasters that keep happening.
We all know Gerard is a total douche, but he is smart douche. A good way to build an army is through fear. He spends this entire episode giving the evil guidance counselor Monroe her first Hunter lesson. She was pretty impatient during the whole instruction, constantly questioning Gerard’s motives. Monroe kept wondering why Gerard would let a werewolf get away or stop her from taking a shot. What she fails to realize is that Gerard has been playing this game of chess for years and thinks ten or twenty moves ahead. So while she wanted to just kill one werewolf, Gerard has much bigger plans. He doesn’t just want to kill one werewolf; he wants to hunt them all. His plan was pretty ingenious, as much as I hate to admit it. I also really liked how he put Monroe in her place when she was getting all high and mighty about killing a Hellhound. Like I’ve said before, as much as we all hate Gerard, he really does amp up the stakes for our heroes. Not only do they have to contend with a new Big Bad that is preying on everyone in Beacon Hills’ fear, they have to deal with Gerard exploiting that. I don’t think Gerard and the new Big Bad are connected, but I do think he’s going to take advantage of the situation just like he did with the Kanima. He could very well know what our heroes are up against or he’s just seizing an opportunity. Whatever it is, Gerard makes everything more interesting, and I’m hoping he does before dying a gruesome death.
And then we had the much awaited reunion between Melissa and Argent. When Melissa needed help getting a tissue sample from the skinless corpse, she turned to Argent for support. Cue the awes. Or rather, it we would have been celebrating if the task at hand hadn’t caused such terror. I’ve mentioned that the skinless corpse freaked me out, but it seemed to really do a number on these guys. Whether it was creating fear or just amplifying, it took both Melissa and Argent and a loaded gun to finally get a tissue sample. What the duo found out is essentially nothing, as the skinless guy didn’t have any DNA or cells. How that’s possible is still a mystery, but I think we can all agree it has something to do with this season’s Big Bad. So what causes fear and leaves nothing behind? I’m assuming answers will be revealed in time, but we may have to wait a few episodes. Let’s just hope it’s not three months. Why three months you ask? Well, that’s how long it’s been since Melissa and Argent have spoken. Apparently neither of them had bothered to pick up the phone since they kissed. It was actually quite entertaining watching our favorite parents behaving like middle schoolers. Hopefully, they’ll get their act together and address their feelings because we only have seven episodes left of the series.
So this episode didn't really do much to move the episode further. We got two more instances of Beacon Hills residents coming face to face with the supernatural beings in their towns and are most likely going to give into their fear. Whether that means joining Gerard’s army or killing supernatural beings on their own like Dr. Fenris at Eichen House remains to be seen. If they had any sense they would leave on the next bus out of Beacon Hills, but it wouldn’t be very dramatic if all the townsfolk left before a big showdown. After this episode, things are not looking good for our supernatural heroes who now have to contend with the Hunters, the Big Bad and scared residents.
So hit the comments below to let me know what you thought of the episode? Was it as much of a filler episode for you as it was for me? Has the Scott/Malia romance grown on you? Is Liam ready to be Alpha? Who had the best one liner? Any thoughts on what the Big Bad might be?
