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Teen Wolf: Smoke and Mirrors

“You were always a monster.”

Part of me went away from this finale feeling disappointed; initially I thought that a lot of this season felt like it was of very little consequence in the end. After a bit of thought I’m a lot happier with it, and I can see that it definitely finished this season with a few changes.

Maybe I was being harsh by likening it to last season which changed the show so dramatically. With Allison’s death and the departure of a few others there was a massive shift in the dynamics and tone of the series between this season and last, but there’s a definitely a lot of baggage that’s going to feed into next year.

I was starting to feel a bit disappointed that Kate ended up being a pawn in Peter’s game, and I was even more let down when I thought she was about to be offed after just one season of her being set loose in all her panther glory. I’m glad she’s still out there, and that Chris let her go. Maybe there’s a slight, teeny chance she could turn it all around. I’d like to see that. I’d also be happy with her continuing to play the super bitch, too. Either way I’m just happy she’ll be back.

As for Derek, I’m not sure. The fact that he’s evolved is nice, but I felt like his place in the series had been seriously undermined. Maybe this transformation could be good for him. He’s shown a different side to himself this season, and I think it’s something that desperately needed to be done for him to stay relevant. His old grumpy brooding shtick was wearing thin with me.

I’m a little upset that Peter will be done with the series for a while. I don’t think his relationship with Malia was explored half as well as it could have been, and his chemistry with the cast will be missed a lot; even more than his v-necks, but he got great send-off.

What did get decent exploration are Lydia’s abilities, with them becoming incredibly important in this season's major arc. It’s just a shame that Lydia herself isn’t getting as much attention as she should. I like to think of her as Teen Wolf’s major heroine now that Allison’s gone, and when she’s on screen she certainly commands attention. It’s telling that she can just float in and out and still have that kind of presence in the show, but I really would like to see more of her next season, whether it’s watching her lead another mystery, or shouldering the investigation into another with Jordan.

As for Scott, I think he still becomes more and more of a leader every week, and this episode culminated his transformation into daddy wolf perfectly. I’m not looking forward to Liam continuing on into season five all that much, but I am looking forward to watching Scott continue to develop in that same direction.

There was plenty of action in this one, enough to satisfy me until next season arrives (whenever that is), and after a little reflection I think it did end the season well. I just hope that we see what really works for the show being recognised, and what doesn’t being taken out of the picture because there’s a lot of untapped potential still and it would be a shame if it was drowned out by characters overstaying their welcome, and others fading into obscurity.

7/10

Plus

Kira is started to develop her powers a lot more by tapping into her healing abilities.

We still don’t know what Deputy Parrish is, but I think that he might be a big part of season five.

He Said, She Said

Scott: “You were never an Alpha, Peter, but you were always a monster.”

Originally posted at PandaTV.

2 comments:

  1. The action in this episode was certainly a lot of fun. The Peter vs. Scott showdown was not only a long time coming, it was one of the best fights the show has had. But I gotta say, this season wound up being a bit of a mess, story-wise.

    First, Peter. So as best as I can piece together, Peter did actually know what was going on with the dead pool the whole time? And he knew about Kate before everyone else, taught her about the Berserkers, so she could steal Derek's power, or regress him, or whatever? Even though Meredith the crazy Banshee got the idea from Peter's wild rantings at the asylum? Did Peter actually know WHEN Meredith was going to be starting the dead pool, or were his plans with Kate separate, and the two things just happened to coincide?

    And apparently the whole plan with Kate was so she should find a way to steal Scott's power, since as a True Alpha his status couldn't be stolen by another werewolf like a regular Alpha's could. Despite what Jennifer said to him at the end of last season, about how he would now kill Scott and take his power. If a True Alpha's power can't be stolen, where did a regular Alpha's "spark" originate? If it's always stolen from the previous Alpha, that spark had to start with someone, right? How did they get it?

    And lastly, Derek's miraculous recovery, to which I say "huh?" It's not that I'm opposed to him surviving the season. I like him, and still think there's room for him to be used better on the show. And I wouldn't have minded the way he came back to life. But that "explanation" was pathetic. He "evolved"? Seriously, WTF does that even mean? And none of this "it's a mystery to be explored" nonsense, because the way Derek sad it, he clearly seemed to have some understanding already about what happened to him. It just felt extremely contrived, like the writers were planning the whole season to kill him off at the end, and then changed their minds at the last minute.

    Probably the strongest element of this episode and this season overall was Scott really growing into his role as an Alpha. I like that the showdown with Peter wasn't just a battle of physical strength, but it was about stregth of character. Scott had a very Zen/Neo/Jedi-like moment at the end there, deflecting all of Peter's blows and refusing to succumb to blind rage. I get that their budget is limited and can't go all-out with the FX and the stunts every week, but I hope we see more of Scott really owning his abilities in the future.

    One thing I'll be curious to see if they address next season is something Scott's dad said. He basically told Scott that he knows Scott & his friends are knee-deep in the weirdness that's been going on, and he wants to know why. I wonder if Scott wolf out for his dad soon. Not sure I want him in the loop, I think a part of me hopes Melissa & the sheriff hook up. If for no other reason than the comedic delight of watching the reactions of Scott & Stiles when they find out :)

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  2. I watched this show in a week and I am so in love with it. I was disappointed by season 4, though. The way season 3 ended, I had expected so much more. I wanted character development for Kira, an exploration of Peter's more human side (in his relationship with Malia), closure for the Stiles/Lydia ship; I also wanted to see the gang grieve for Allison ... But none of that happened. Instead Kira is reduced to a love interest, Peter is back to being a cartoon villain, Stiles' love for Lydia is forgotten by his sudden and underdeveloped relationship with Malia, and Allison ... Allison who?

    There were some good things about this season, don't get me wrong, but overall I can't help but feel let down. I really hope the writers find their footing in season 5 so that the show reaches season 3 quality again. Keeping my fingers crossed!

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