"Frenemy," another perfect blend of teen and fantasy, was equal parts scary and hilarious. A lot about this show is over the top and unbelievably far-fetched, but it never shrugs off the big stuff; like the implications of helping someone who has been thrust into a situation that’s not entirely their fault, even if they’re a murdering snake outside of daylight hours. It’s things like this that only serve to make Teen Wolf a more hard-hitting drama than it’s perceived to be.
Now that we know Jackson is the one behind the green slime, it instantly raises a number of questions, questions we already kinda asked when Lydia was suspect #1. Is he really to blame for all of this? It’s not Jackson’s fault that he became this creature, even if he chased Derek down to make him wolf. And when Scott underwent his transformation, he only survived and got through it thanks to Stiles, and an unwitting Allison. Jackson doesn’t have any of that; he’s totally alone in all of this. All of that was made even more complicated when we learned that the Kanima doesn’t seek a friend, it seeks a master. Guess that gives us a new suspect list to start.
The usual season 2 plots continue to simmer in the background with Allison’s family increasing their foothold in her life. Not only did Gerard’s paranoia coax him in installing a whole system of cameras in the school, but Allison’s psycho mother is now her substitute teacher; sucks to be you, Allison. But when you’ve got a guy who’s willing to risk everything for you, including giving up being a super-human werewolf, which just so happens to be his one protection, you’ve got to make a few sacrifices, and if that involves being under your family’s constant gaze, so be it.
Elsewhere, the show continues to explore its secondary characters, giving Lydia even more of a chance to shine. She may not be a huge part of the season’s central plot right now, but her scenes are equally as compelling, and probably the reason why she’s become a favourite of mine all of a sudden. I’m not sure what her random new stalker has to do with any of this, though. I seriously doubt that a friend is all he’s after. I’m gonna keep my eye on him.
With hard-hitting emotional revelations, strong action sequences and some pretty decent twists, "Frenemy" continued the show’s home run, ensuring that the season’s first half has been one of the strongest episodic stretches I’ve ever seen in a show like this.
Plus
I loved everything about that sequence in the gay bar. If was funny, modern and exploitive in the least offensive way possible. It’s nice to see a show not make a big deal of the whole sexuality thing. I loved that Stiles got jealous of Scott’s gay attention, as well.
I love that Scott is failing all his classes. I know if I was dealing with all the crap he was, studying would be the last thing on my mind.
He Said, She Said
Stiles: “I’m 140 pounds of pale skin and fragile bone, okay; sarcasm is my only defence.”
Sheriff Stilinski: “You’re not gay.”
Stiles: “Well, I could be!”
Sheriff Stilinski: “Not dressed like that.”
Allison: “We’re just a bunch of teenagers, we can’t handle this.”
4 out of 5 really bad fake Ids
Previously posted at PandaTV.
These episodes are starting to fade into the background of my memory... so it's nice to get a little refresher with your reviews! ;o)
ReplyDeleteYeah, I too liked the fact that Scott was failing all his classes, adds a touch of realism to the guy! I mean, who could deal with everything he has to deal with and still pull it off in school? I mean, not even Buffy could do it! (and she had Willow's help!) :p
Can I say how glad I am my mom's not like Allison's? *shudder*
I loved the gay bar scene, too -- and particularly Scott's smug grin of a reaction when the guy bought his drink.
ReplyDeleteThe mystery is of course one of the series' strong points, but I keep wishing everyone would tell everybody *everything*. Especially Lydia, who really needs to know what's going on.
Just noticed all your great comments, Billie. I'm really glad you're getting into this. I'm kinda hoping it blows up next season, but in terms of popularity and the quality of the show as well, even though this season was near perfect for me!
ReplyDeleteYou seem to have a serious soft spot for Jackson. I guess I like him in some respects, but I find a lot of other characters more engaging, like Lydia and Stiles.
First of all: love the reviews!!
ReplyDeleteI know I am late to the party, but I need to comment on/geek out over the delightful prop! (did MTV (!) really send me on this fun goose chase?)
It is the chapter on the hyena from (I think) the Ashmole Bestiary http://bestiary.ca/beasts/beast153.htm
which as far as I can tell does not offer transcription or a picture of the full page, but you can see the picture that Teen Wolf then photoshopped for their purposes!
The Aberdeen Bestiary does feature an (I think) identical text, with transcription and translation. http://www.abdn.ac.uk/bestiary/translat/11v.hti
Very fitting! The hyena is sometimes female, sometimes male, eats corpses, imitates the human voice, is like a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways. Noted!:D