ahisma

I agree that by now this seems to be TW's intention. But on first, second, third, fourth, etc., viewing, when Stiles is complaining to Scott he clearly looks and sounds uncomfortable/frustrated/in pain to me. And he's pretty self knowledgeable and accepting about not being the macho stud type—I wouldn't buy him having issues with Malia taking the lead. He rolls (with Heather, Caitlin, Malia) with not being the initiator pretty easily. Any upset Stiles had I took to be upset grounded in the facts. I'm just going to handwave that Scott took Malia aside sometime between last ep and this and said, "Claws in bed are no bueno. Humans don't heal like us, so ease up." But then I really don't trust EPs ever since Stargate Atlantis. They wrote a character who had a drug that made people compliant and worship him, and he used it to create a harem of "wives" for himself. Viewers freaked about the date rape story line, and TPTB didn't get it. Even as late as the DVD commentary, one of the EPs said, "Our guest actor played this part with a slightly dark edge and I'm not sure why. It's such a funny, light episode." Otherwise with Malia, I am enjoying her verbal interactions with everyone. The writing is a little wonky to push the comedy (feral girl disco dances, makes bets, and teachers call on her in regular class when she's a special needs student), but that's par for the course. I think Shelley's playing what they give her well.

Hrm. The only highly anticipated hookup for me is Scott/Kira, when he's ready to move on. But I don't think that was in the trailer. I'm okay with Derek/Braeden, though I'd like it to develop, not just jump in. Stiles/Malia I have no desire to watch after his pained description of it to Scott. Watching Stiles with a strong woman who flummoxes him? Cute. Watching Stiles with a strong woman who runs roughshod (literally) over any and all boundaries? Ew.

Stiles has certainly thrown himself into the thick of it with the werewolves. He nearly got slashed when Malia learned to pop her claws, but he is still helping her. He's also an athlete in a fairly rough sport. I think he expects a few knocks in those situations, though he's also good at bringing chains, dodging, scooting out of range, or otherwise protecting himself as needed. Intimacy/sex/sleeping together is a different context, though, emotionally than training, and physically a more difficult environment to dodge away in. (Hence the injuries.) The bitter sarcasm in his voice when he says, "yeah, right on, right?" Is telling. He really doesn't like the stalking and the roughness. I was throwing out multiple ideas as to why he might not be flat out stopping Malia. It may not be out and out fear, but he does tend to be somewhat cautious around the werewolves. Or it could be that he just doesn't want to hurt her feelings by saying, "You don't do sex right." The upshot is, he's in a situation he's not happy about.

It's true Heather's advance was very sudden and, er, utilitarian. You could kind of see Stiles jump to hold back his first instinct, like, Date? Be a gentleman? Um? But he did get on board pretty quickly. And I was okay with the idea that that would punch his V card, because she was an old friend he'd known since toddlerhood. She was trusted and safe. She was human. They didn't have much of a power differential—he had some strength advantage as a taller, human male athlete, and she had some emotional advantage as the one who had set it up and was calling the shots. RIP Heather, dammit. I agree he is trying to be supportive, and I think he may be enamored of the idea of being in a relationship more than how the the actual relationship is manifesting. You know how people often go into a relationship saying, "Oh, I can change him/her?" He is overtly working to change her! He may also be somewhat physically intimidated by her aggression and her capacity to do him real harm if she loses control.

Greenbean, rewatch the scene and listen to Stiles' voice and watch his face. I transcribed for another site, and from his voice and his expressions Stiles is clearly upset about the whole thing—not at all happy with the situation. Even if it's true there is no sex (though it's strongly implied), this is still invasive, intimidating, and abusive. Stiles: It's 2:00 in the morning. I wake up and she's just lying right next to me. She just sneaks in. This is like five times a week. And then what happens—this. [grimaces and shows scratches/bruises] Scott: Holy … [clearly shocked] Stiles: Yeah, right on, right? [sarcastically] [Here the camera cuts away and fades back in on them a few minutes later coming around the corner where we rejoin the conversation. We don't know what was said in between.] …and after that, we spent the rest of the night spooning. Scott: Well that sounds okay. Stiles: Yeah, but I'm always the little spoon. Always. [disturbed] Scott: Well this means you guys are together, right? You're dating? [Here the script takes a sudden turn into "we have to advance the plot" land.] Stiles: Sometimes the way she looks at me I think she knows I'm not telling her something. Scott: You mean Peter? Stiles: We gotta tell her, Scott, Scott: Yeah, I just … I don't know how.

They showed bb!Derek flashing his eyes at Deaton, though, and they were blue. That and the fact that he knew Kate showed that he was post-Paige. So this sudden change back to gold is weird. (I liked the old, contacts+effects gold better than this all-CGI yellow.)

It is unknown whether Stiles is verbally protesting to Malia or whether he is just not saying No. But from his visible unhappiness with the situation, he is clearly not enthusiastically consenting to everything going on. Watch the scene again. Maybe Stiles thinks Malia's pretty and maybe he likes finally getting to have sex like all his friends. But. His ideal girlfriend would probably call or text ahead, come in through the front door, say hi to his dad once in a while, go on the occasional date. She'd have sex with him without leaving him sore for days. She might stay over and cuddle but not make him feel trapped. Even if someone says Yes to sex, they have the right to change that answer to No. (Say, if they're getting scratched and bruised up.) Many people don't, though, because they feel like they already said Yes, because they don't want to hurt the other person's feelings, because they feel physically intimidated, or because they feel like, "Oh, well, I wanted sex. I asked for it." Young/sexually inexperienced people are especially vulnerable to this, which is why statutory rape is illegal. They're also capable of unknowingly doing it to each other, which is why enthusiastic consent is the best standard all parties should abide by. Unfortunately Malia doesn't have the social training to stop in the middle and say, "Hey, are you okay with this?" "Well, if you could just pull your claws in ..."

I was disturbed the first time I watched the scene where Stiles tells Scott about Malia sneaking in. I just rewatched it and it's even worse than I remembered. Listen to Stiles and watch his face. He is complaining that Malia is sneaking into his house at night, he is in pain from whatever marks she left on his back (even Scott winces at the sight), and he is upset that he is essentially being pinned down the whole night by someone he isn't physically capable of throwing off. If a girl was complaining about a guy pressuring her like that and showing her friends the scratches/bruises, they'd be telling her to get the hell out of that situation, not saying, "Oh, so you're dating now?" And then for plot purposes the script has to segue into "we haven't told her about Peter"—as if that's really the issue here. BTW, I agree that it is strongly implied that the injuries are sustained during rough sex. Even if they weren't, the rest of the situation is still creepy and abusive.

Naw, he was sleeping on the couch. It sounds like he's trying to get back into Scott's good graces by doing some maintenance work on the house for them. There was a billing envelope from the asylum stamped with Second Notice, meaning that the bill for Stiles' stay is past due. Hee! Truth! Bearer bonds =/= US Treasury Bonds. Bearer bonds can be issued by any company, corporation, or government entity, and are payable at face value when presented, which makes them easily storable and cashable. Keeping the entire Hale family fortune in one place? Not so smart!

I think sound editing neglected to put in a bone crack noise when Scott got tossed over the stair railing. We saw Malia's leg get slashed and we saw Kira get concussed, but for Scott to be lying around on the ground during a fight, they needed to make clear he was injured. Otherwise, it's way too out of character. (I did really like Scott's hero worship look when Kira jumped in front of him to face down the berserkers. "My (once and future) girlfriend is AWESOME!" And then his upset when she was injured. <3) Loved Stiles and "Miguel" versus Agent McCall, loved Papa Stilinski freaked out by magical shenanigans, loved seeing Mr. Yukimura again, loved Kira and Lydia developing a friendship, loved Deputy Parrish being nice to young Derek, loved Malia versus Peter and Peter versus Kate, loved that Kate thought she was so smart with her convoluted plan and she was just wrong in her entire premise. Hated Mr. Yukimura embarrassing Malia in class, hated Malia's dubious consent nighttime visits to Stiles, HATED Kate macking on bb!Derek! I had to close my eyes during that.

Eeeeeeeeeewwww!!! Oh, I need eye bleach. Screw the end of the season—I want Kate dead by the end of tonight. Grrr! I do have to say, Ian Nelson did a good job of walking like Tyler Hoechlin's Derek.

Best thread name ever! WW was definitely way more focused on music than the show this time. I FFed through the performers, too. Last season they'd maybe have one DJ/musician or they'd maybe have an actor from a different MTV show, but mostly guests, quizzes, discussion, interview videos, fan shoutouts, etc., focused on the show. This ep felt like 75% not Teen Wolf related. If that's the way they're starting with the premiere, not a good sign. Also, Jill Wagner is an enthusiastic host, but does it drive anyone else crazy that she can't pronounce "wolf"? She says "Woof Watch" about ten times an episode. Argh!

Yes! Lana Lang is the model for "she's so wonderful!" PTB bullshit. Ugh. Stargate Atlantis writers pulled it with Jennifer Keller, too, hooking her up with the audience-popular nerdy guy, just because. I would much, much rather have consistent character and story than romance.

From HollywoodLife: ‘Teen Wolf’ Actress Shelley Hennig: Malia ‘Finds Her Mate’ In Stiles G.D. it, Jeff Davis! So there's no explanation for obvious questions the audience is asking, people in the pack are being left out of the loop on information, still, even though they've all become closer, and now we have some Twilight-level imprinting bullshit. Like, really, there's nothing problematic about having a guy suddenly being glommed onto by a feral girl? ("Oh, it's okay because he likes her." Lazy storytelling, and creepy as hell.) And like it's not problematic that the way a female character gets integrated into the pack is because she comes attached to Her Man? Fail in every direction. I knew this was coming, and why I don't believe, "Oh, you'll love her!"

Kate totally needs to be dead at the end of the season! Jeff blew it with Malia already with sending an uncontrolled were girl back to her unsuspecting dad/stepdad with no help from the pack, Malia's violence/sexytimes towards Stiles in the asylum, and then showing her in high school as if she had had any kind of education or socialization since she was a traumatized little girl. She. Makes. No. Sense. But it sounds like from this interview that the DTR spoiler previously is about Malia/Stiles. *sigh* I'm with you, ElleryAnne—the more the show runners are in love with a character the less I tend to like them. It always turns into "tell" not "show."

Oh, yum! I've never been OT3 about them, but my brain just went there.

I'm really glad they replaced the Scott levitation clip, and I think Stiles' new clip really suits him. It's maybe a little strange they didn't replace Derek and Lydia's, but it gives continuity and, tbh, Tyler H is hot like burning in that shot and I will happily drool over it for as many seasons as they want to run it! I also really like that there are as many women in the credits as men, finally. Although I would have put Kira before Malia; I hope this doesn't mean Kira will be marginalized.

They HAVE to mean that Kate is there as his kidnapper. HAVE to. I'm worried enough about this thing about Derek being changed. *nailbite*

I know, right? Peter, look in the mirror! :D I did like: "We also wanted to get back into the fun of our show. We inject a great deal more humor into this season. So much of Season 3 was like a horror movie." There was humor in 3B, especially Kira and her dad, but it will be interesting to see if 4 keeps the humor going throughout, not just in the first eps then horror the rest of the way.

Not a fan of the way of the way they've handled the Malia story or Malia/Stiles, but I have to admit I felt bad for her when she asked, "What's happening to us?" She would be safer as a coyote in the woods! (Once they cleared her stepdad's traps.) Chris! Sheriff! Melissa! Melissa siccing Scott on bad guys! Also, in all three seconds we saw, I liked the new lacrosse boy who enjoyed the shirtless view. Join the club, honey! Can't wait for more Coach.

It would be good to see Jackson back for a visit, rather than relegated to London and never to be heard from again. He IS Pack, even if he is a jerk. It would lend some hope that Isaac and Cora won't be entirely forgotten, too.

Wow. I don't know what it means, but it's gorgeous. Looks like volcano ash.

Thanks for the heads up! I found a little bit more on Fahey in this piece. So he's not going to be another Braeden. So far for 4 there's the Malia and Peter plot line, Kate, the Spanish-speaking hunters, Braeden, hints about Parrish, something about Berserkers, and now a hired gun and The Benefactor, plus Gerard and Deucalion always available in the wings. So it sounds like another season of "we'll throw twenty balls in the air and attempt to catch half of them."

Braeden wouldn't be terrible—at least she's in the know about the supernatural and has some clue as to what he's been through even if she doesn't know his whole story. My main concerns are 1) his love interests have been either vulnerable or evil, neither a great choice, and 2) the guy has been an emotional yo-yo since he was 15, with a huge number of nasty things happening to him and around him in the past year. Healing mentally and emotionally and figuring out his place in life, his pack, and his community would set him up a lot better for a relationship than falling for someone while fresh off a new round of torture. Unfortunately that's not good TV drama so I'm not holding out hope.

I like the sound of everything about the spoilers, except the romance for Derek. Otherwise the season sounds great!