And that’s how you do an episode right. I hope everyone watching was taking notes because this is the level of quality we should expect for the rest of the season. We got the return of fan favorites, movement on the Anuk-ite mystery, and a whole lot less of Liam. While Lydia was again sidelined, this was definitely my favorite episode of season 6B so far. I felt like everything that happened had a purpose, and the school scenes weren’t so much as filler as revealing. I’m sure having some returning cast members back on set helped everyone step up their game, but this caliber needs to continue for the three remaining episodes. Let’s go out with bang as opposed to limping over the finish line.
This episode Scott and Malia spend this episode look for allies, but their pickings are pretty slim. Between Deucalion, Peter, and the newly introduced Primal werewolves who forsook their humanity, they’re really scratching the bottom of the barrel. Despite not knowing Jackson and Ethan were on their way back to Beacon Hills, I feel like Scott and Malia should have cast a wider net. I get that characters like Kira, Isaac, and Hayden won’t be returning, but wouldn’t it have made more sense for Scott to reach out to his friends first over Deucalion and Peter. Also, wouldn’t this have been the time to loop in Stiles and Derek? I know this probably has more to do with scheduling, but a mention that Stiles or Derek were on the way would have been nice. But, I guess if you’re going up against an army of bloodthirsty Hunters, you can’t really be picky.
It was an interesting point that was raised about Scott having to kill to win this war. From the beginning of the series, Scott has been averse to killing and tries to save everyone, but will he be able to keep from spilling blood to defeat the Hunters? I’m intrigued to see how this plays out because Scott’s morals have been a guiding theme throughout the series. What I did love about the Scalia scenes was Malia just being there for Scott, especially in the hospital while he was waiting to find out about his parents. It was a quieter moment that showed this thing between them isn’t just chemical or physical attraction. They really do care for one another, and it seems like they may be falling in love, at least Malia may be. Now this I have a problem with, but only because it seems way too fast. I was cautiously optimistic about the Scalia romance and praised the show for its slower burn, but love already? They only just kissed for the first time last episode after spending several episodes dancing around their feelings. Dropping the L-bomb now is way too soon.
Then we have the much anticipated return of Deucalion and Peter. Both characters have been the Big Bad at some point, but this episode showed just how much their paths have diverged. Ever since regaining his sight, Deucalion has become a changed man. He is no longer interested in killing because he can; in fact, he actually refuses to join Scott’s fight against the Hunters because he doesn’t want to risk his soul by taking out the Hunters. This is a very different werewolf from the one we met in season three. Peter, moreover, is still very much similar to the werewolf we’ve seen in the past few seasons. For the most part, he puts his self-interests above everyone and everything else but getting to know his daughter has changed him in ways he probably never expected. While he continues to be reluctant to fight on the good guys’ side, he does so because of Malia. In the first half of season six, he stayed to help our heroes fight the Ghost Riders because Malia refused to leave without Stiles. He now agrees to fight the Hunters with the gang because he saw how much Malia cares for Scott. While Peter is still looking out for himself, his relationship with Malia continues to humanize him. Peter’s also been a character we love to hate, but I kind of want to see him get a somewhat happy ending. He doesn’t deserve to ride off into the sunset, but a functional relationship with his daughter would be a great end for him. Granted, he could die protecting Malia, but let’s think about the positives.
Oh Lydia, why do you continue to suffer? As if being shot isn’t bad enough, she ends up in the woods in a hospital gown looking for a body. Apparently, Halwyn sent her on this not-so wild goose chase from beyond the grave because even death is no match for a Hellhound. So while finding the Primal werewolf body was an important step for moving the plot forward, I continue to be frustrated by Lydia’s lack of meaningful screen time. Like, she didn’t even speak for half of her time on screen; all she did was have visions of a snowy hospital that led to the morgue. She used to be a force to be reckoned with, with her wit and intelligence. We’ve seen her grow leaps and bounds by finally learning the truth about her supernatural abilities and her eventual control of them. I just hate seeing the character pigeonholed during the final ten episodes. We know next episode features the return of Halwyn, so let’s pray his return gives Lydia something more to do than traipse through the woods. She deserves so much better, and I hope the return of Stiles will finally give her more to do than serve as the harbinger of death detector.
Next we have the continued budding bromance of Liam and Theo. Theo is somehow the only person who seems to be able to keep Liam’s anger in check and laughably pointed out how problematic killing Gabe would be. Like they would have to kill Gabe and any witnesses and then get shovels to bury the bodies. I still don’t trust Theo and probably wouldn’t feel sorry if something terrible happened to him, but he has become a source of comic relief and a welcome presence over Liam. What the guys did find out from Gabe is about the stash of dead bodies. So despite the Hunters actually pulling the trigger, the people in the cooler were supernatural creatures “infected” by the Anuk-ite. The Anuk-ite, also known as the freshman lacrosse player Aaron, has been searching for other supernatural creatures in its quest to find its other half. I’m still not quite clear on the specifics, but it seems like the Anuk-ite, or “Double-Face” is currently two distinct entities, and the “Aaron” body is trying to find the “Primal werewolf” body, so the two halves can reunite. The Anuk-ite basically took the form of the now dead individuals, but how it will become whole remains to be seen. But like Theo said, nothing good will happen if or when the two halves combine.
And then we have the return of Jackson and Ethan, who have been quite busy across the pond. Jackson was last seen in the season two finale with Lydia explaining his disappearance in the season three premiere as being shipped off to London after Derek gave him a crash course in Werewolfing 101. Ethan, on the other hand, was last seen in the season three finale with Danny breaking up with him after his twin brother Aidan died. So now we flash forward a few years, and Jackson and Ethan have settled into domestic bliss, attempting to celebrate their anniversary. Unfortunately, a couple of Hunters ruin their romantic evening, spurring Jackson and Ethan to return to Beacon Hills only to once again be captured, this time by Monroe. Despite several sneak peeks that featured Jackson and Ethan’s return, their scenes together were sweet. Jackson is still the cocky jock, but we got to see a softer side to his character with Ethan. The whole Jackson talking and Ethan listening thing is adorable as they really seem to temper the other’s harsher qualities. I never would have guessed these two would become a couple, but I’m sure if you scour the depths of the internet, you could find some fanfiction shipping the two characters before it was canon. Regardless of how strange it sounded at first, I am wholeheartedly on the Jethan? bandwagon. I can’t wait to see Lydia’s reaction when she finds out Jackson and Ethan are a couple, and vice versa when Jackson learns Lydia and Stiles are involved.
So what else did we learn this episode? Well, apparently Gabe was the one who shot up the McCall residence, injuring Melissa, Raphael, Mason, and Lydia instead of it being one person’s blood. Based on this alone, Gabe needs to die. He needs to go crawl off into some hole or cave and be repeatedly tortured before dying a slow and painful death. A tad hyperbolic, maybe, but he put some of my favorite characters in jeopardy. The one thing I didn’t expect was for Gabe to give Nolan the credit. Gabe told Monroe Nolan was the one who fired upon the McCall residence to keep Nolan alive. Regardless of this gesture of friendship, Gabe needs to be killed and soon. Elsewhere, Monroe took control of the sheriff’s department, which was bound to happen sooner or later. Ever since the standoff between Stilinski and Monroe over the two werewolves, it was clear Stilinski’s grip on the department was slipping. So completely disregarding the plausibility of a guidance counselor taking control of the sheriff’s department, it felt like the next step in the natural progression of all of Beacon Falls turning against the supernatural creatures. I did love Stilinski’s final remarks about how he never said he would beat the Hunters, but Scott would. What I’ve always loved about this show is that the adults never try to baby our heroes. They’ve grudgingly accepted that Scott and company are able to protect the town and fight the supernatural creatures in a way the adults never could. It’s been refreshing to see the teens and adults working together to battle evil, and that’s only one of the many things I will miss about the show.
So hit the comments below to let me know your thoughts. Is it too soon for Scalia to profess their love? Why doesn’t Lydia get meaningful screen time while we have to watch Liam whine? Which characters’ return was your favorite? And, what will you miss most about the show?
