S04.E03: Muted

[Guest]

A new Freshman player jeopardizes Scott's position on the Lacrosse team. Meanwhile, Stilinski investigates a murder.

 

[benteen]

After being disappointed with the first two episodes, I have to say I enjoyed that episode a lot.  Just about everything worked for me.

 

Liked the Liam character and Scott having to bite him should make for a great storyline.

 

Kind of funny how Joseph Gatt goes from playing a cannibal on Game of Thrones (he was briefly in the Watchers on the Wall cameo) to playing a guy with no mouth who hunts cannibals.  He's another good addition.

 

It was fun to return to the lacrosse team.

 

Has Danny left the show?

 

Nice to see Mrs. McCall back.

Edited July 8, 2014 by benteen

[bettername2come]

That was good. I like the reason Scott had to bite someone, not only would he have fallen otherwise, but the bite meant he'd live even if he had fallen. I remember hearing he would be getting a beta this season, but I'd completely forgotten that until the kid was injured and about to get eaten. I was expecting the orphaned kid to be an ally instead of a villain, so nice surprise there. Overall the episode had a nice season 1 vibe. A lot of humor, Coach Finstock, Malia knowing how to bet, Scott and Kira's "chaste kiss." Plus actual playing of lacrosse!

 

I am convinced they will try to pair Lydia with Deputy Parrish. I don't know how I'll feel about that. I also think Derek and Braeden is going to happen. 

[Atony]

Has Danny left the show?

 

That was my assumption since he wasn't in the whole welcome back to school/lacrosse episode when he is really the only recurring teen character the show has in that setting.

 

So hottie Shawn and his family were wendigos and the mouthless hunter dude was sent to kill them?  I've been fine with the show expanding its mythology but I wish there were more references to all the supernatural stuff that was out there earlier on.  Something like Buffy established strongly early on there was a huge world of supernatural creatures.  This is the type of role Deaton should play preparing them for but unlike Giles on Buffy the show has always struggled to really conceptualize that character and bring him into the fold.

 

Overall this episode was fun.  Scott turning someone is a plotline the show had to tackle so will be interesting to see it play out.

 

 

 

I also think Derek and Braeden is going to happen.

 

Yeah that was heavily telegraphed.  I'm okay with, at least the character is interesting.

 

 

ETA:  Also I have to assume all the frozen dinner people in the basement were not from Beacon Hills?  Even for that town that would be a tonof missing persons that couldn't not cause suspicions.

Edited July 8, 2014 by Atony

[redsox7819]

Kind of funny how Joseph Gatt goes from playing a cannibal on Game of Thrones (he was briefly in the Watchers on the Wall cameo) to playing a guy with no mouth who hunts cannibals.  He's another good addition.

 

Yes. Thank you. I thought I was crazy since I my first thought was hey he looks like the guy from Games of Thrones. But I totally forgot to look it up.

 

And after some googling he also hunts children on The 100.

Edited July 8, 2014 by redsox7819

[Gwen-Stacys]

 

ETA:  Also I have to assume all the frozen dinner people in the basement were not from Beacon Hills?  Even for that town that would be a tonof missing persons that couldn't not cause suspicions.

Maybe they have an online takeout service for Windigos and they ship them in?

 

I really liked this episode. I think this season is going to be a "rebuilding season", one where they establish new characters since so many of the old ones left. 

[AudienceofOne]

I hated the first 15 minutes or so - I thought the mouthless guy was dumb and why, if he was sent to kill them him did he "give him a chance" like a psycho - but after the interminable lacrosse section, the show hit its pace again. Unfortunately, this episode made me realise just how much it's lost with the characters leaving. Danny, Isaac, Argent. Big gaping holes that frankly aren't filled. Malia was a lot better this episode so that's a plus.

[HunterHunted]

First, it was great to have an episode that I didn't immediately delete from my TiVo. Second, what a great reversal of Teen Wolf tropes. We have a shirtless teen hunk who turns out to be a monster, a mutilated monster who turns out to be a hero, and a teen with amazing skills who turns out to be human. But where is Danny?

[galax-arena]

I liked this episode in general, but I really wish Jeff Davis would get rid of his boner for Kira striking pretty poses with whatever she's holding at the time. 

 

Beacon Hills must be really hard up for lacrosse players of any kind if Stiles is on the team, lol. 

[waving feather]

I really liked this episode. It was slower pace but everything made sense more. It's nice to see the kids back in school and doing normal-ish things.Stiles and Scott spending more time with each other is always great as well.

[mac123x]

"you told him his sister is alive in a text?"

"I couldn't afford a phone call to Paris"

 

I liked the twist with the mouthless man, but his makeup looked a little silly.  OTOH, the feeding tube was disturbing.  He was watching a computer screen while "eating" -- was it the same / similar to Lydia's notebook-full-of-crazy?

 

I think Stiles was correct to suspect that Liam wasn't human; the actor played young Clark Kent after all.  Heh.  I like the potential of this story line, both the "I hate you, werewolf dad" angle for Liam and the guilt for Scott.  I hope the writers can successfully navigate between 1) wallowing in Scott's misery too much and 2) integrating Liam too quickly.  I'm guessing they'll do the emotional stuff, Liam adjusting to his new condition, etc., for a couple of episodes then it'll get swept out of the way when the Calvaras' start gunning for Scott.  Their leader did mention that they'd come after him if he gave someone the bite, and they don't strike me as the reasonable types who'd listen to the mitigating circumstances.

 

Has Danny left the show?

 

That was unclear.  Coach specifically mentioned that Jackson and Lahey had left; you'd think he would mention if Danny had also gone. 

 

I am convinced they will try to pair Lydia with Deputy Parrish. I don't know how I'll feel about that.

 

Hopefully they won't go there romantically.  This show does tend to have people interact that you wouldn't normally expect (like Derek and Papa Argent last season). 

 

One subtle bit of realism jumped out at me:  Deputy Hottie let Lydia open the secret door even though she was struggling with it, because he had a gun so he needed to be ready to use it.  On the unrealistic side:  you see someone roaming around a crime scene, you call for backup before going in!  And you really call for backup before investigating a creepy secret passage in a murder-house.

[greenbean]

Another good episode! This is such a change from S3, which was a real slog to get through at times. But then there's much more focus on being teenagers, which is the show's strength. As is the Stiles and Scott friendship. Love their moments together. Like the running joke about Scott using text messages to deliver important news. I also like that TW brings money limitations into the equation. On shows like Vampire Diaries, you have teens running around with no money worries, yet no job.

 

I don't know how I feel about Scott having a beta. I think he's not mature enough for that. I like him as the inexperienced alpha, I hope that doesn't change altogether, but then equally, he's going to have to step up a bit more. He's supposed to be an alpha, but he's always overpowered by other supernatural creatures. The Windigo pushed him off quite easily, Scott was surprised. Maybe now that he has a beta, he'll become stronger. That's werewolf law on the show right? That's what Derek said? Alpha's get strength from their betas.

 

So happy to see Melissa! I know many people want Sheriff/Melissa, but I want the McCalls to get back together. Kira's moments with her parents were also fun. I love all all the teen/parent interaction tbh.

 

The show is clearly being inspired by Predator! First the berserkers, and now this axe guy with the wrist computer. They've done this with a few films, the obvious being Lost Boys. I'm so glad the S1 vibe is back.

 

I'm not normally a romance fan, but the couplings on Teen Wolf work well and I'm glad romance isn't the focus of the show. Malia/Stiles were cute, as was Scott/Kira. Though the latter is a bit meh for me. I wouldn't mind Lydia/Parish, and you could tell that Hoechlin enjoyed his scenes with Megan.

[Gwen-Stacys]

Is Deputy Parish gonna turn out to be the male version of a banshee? I don't know...I mean, why else would he be okay with a teenage girl roaming around a house currently involved in an open murder case?

[mac123x]

Malia/Stiles were cute

 

I thought that was nice too.  I liked the call-back where her marker colors corresponded to Stile's string colors from his conspiracy wall.  I just wish the director hadn't felt the need to hit us over the head with an unmotivated camera move to show the conspiracy wall.

[Bruinsfan]

ETA:  Also I have to assume all the frozen dinner people in the basement were not from Beacon Hills?  Even for that town that would be a tonof missing persons that couldn't not cause suspicions.

Yeah, we'd have heard about missing people from Sheriff Stilinski before now if that many people had disappeared with no explanation. I'm guessing Shawn's family followed that "don't crap where you live" adage and hunted for their food in places far enough from Beacon Hills to cast suspicion elsewhere.

 

Scott must be the only werewolf in the world who became worse at fighting with the power-up from beta to alpha - it's ridiculous how ineffectual he has become. To my way of thinking he should at least be demonstrably stronger than all the assorted supernatural freaks running around, even if they win against him by virtue of greater numbers/more skill/being mystically invulnerable. Derek was flipping overturned excavators and punching through overpass support columns when he was an alpha, Scott should at least be able to haul up an elfin high school freshman with one arm!

[Atony]

Scott must be the only werewolf in the world who became worse at fighting with the power-up from beta to alpha - it's ridiculous how ineffectual he has become. To my way of thinking he should at least be demonstrably stronger than all the assorted supernatural freaks running around, even if they win against him by virtue of greater numbers/more skill/being mystically invulnerable. Derek was flipping overturned excavators and punching through overpass support columns when he was an alpha

 

Word.  We have been presented that an alpha werewolf is a very powerful creature.  Which when you look at S1 Peter, the Alpha pack, etc it seemed to be the case.  Scott gets over powered by everything, including beta werewolves last season.  And like you said the show doesn't even present him as strong, at least Derek was strong even when he didn't win.  It is silly to me how ineffectual they have decided Scott is against everything.  It strikes me as lazy and nonsensical.

Edited July 8, 2014 by Atony

[justcris]

I love Malia so much, all her scenes tonight were golden to me! And as it turns out, Lydia's note *were* indeed incomprehensible hah!

 

I thought this episode was much better than the previous 2, if just felt more like the Teen Wolf that I know and love.

 

Also puzzled about the lack of Danny.

 

The beta storyline has so much potential, I can't wait to see how it unfolds.

[bluebonnet]

Ok, they are finally finding their groove with Malia.  She's becoming more consistent and thus her character more believable.  I'm glad their missteps with episode one seem to be worked out.  I'm liking her!

 

I'm also really surprised to find that I'm liking the show getting back to their roots.  The teens are teens and doing teen stuff and behaving like teens.  I hope it continues.

 

The best parts of the episode for me, surprisingly, were the issues about money.  It's so refreshing that they all just don't have money coming in from unknown places.  I like that there's a logical reason for why Peter and Derek have never worked and yet have nice things.  I also like that the teens have to be mindful about their own finances and well as having to worry about their parents' finances.  

[Bruinsfan]

The Eichen House thing is a bit overblown, though. It can't have been more than three months since Stiles' stay there, so unless California's insurance companies process claims a lot faster than anywhere else there's a good chance his dad is still within the grace period of the first bill. And you can basically drag out payment for medical bills forever as long as you set up an installment plan or at least are making regular good faith payments. (To say nothing of the fact that between law enforcement family health coverage and a sheriff's salary, a few days' stay in a mental hospital should be a case of "I guess we'll brown bag it for a while and put off buying new tires until the spring" rather than "Oh noes, we're going to lose the house!")

 

I'm kind of hoping that Sheriff Stilinski isn't having money troubles, and is just witholding payment prior to litigation because of the crap job the institution staff did of supervising their patients.

Edited July 8, 2014 by Bruinsfan

[benteen]

Word.  We have been presented that an alpha werewolf is a very powerful creature.  Which when you look at S1 Peter, the Alpha pack, etc it seemed to be the case.  Scott gets over powered by everything, including beta werewolves last season.  And like you said the show doesn't even present him as strong, at least Derek was strong even when he didn't win.  It is silly to me how ineffectual they have decided Scott is against everything.  It strikes me as lazy and nonsensical.

 

Agreed with both of you.  This has been a problem of mine since last scene.  It's one thing for Scott to be losing these fights, it's another thing that he's not able to so much as HURT whomever he's fighting.  He's an Alpha, that means he's a lot stronger than the normal werewolf.  Yet in fights he can't hurt any of the people he fights while Betas are able to.  I understand that you don't want your main hero to be indestructible...that would be pretty boring.  But he's an Alpha.  If you didn't want him to be a powerful fighter, Jeff Davis, then you shouldn't have made him an Alpha.  As an Alpha, Scott's game is expected to rise and anyone he faces should at least be able to FEEL a lot of pain when he fights them.

[AudienceofOne]

This episode really brought home to me that they made a mistake making him an Alpha. If they didn't want him to have a pack and a position of authority, they should have kept him a beta (or preferably an omega). He should be struggling with how to be a good person when he's been handed so much power (and I like the kid getting injured in this because that's what being an alpha should be a struggle with) not with being against things he's somehow even less capable of fighting.

 

Buffy did this extremely well: yes, she was fighting forces bigger and more powerful than her while trying to balance a normal life but she was also trying to find and define the lines of her own power in non-supernatural situations. Since they've framed Scott as being caring, kind, gentle and non-violent - an inherently good person who wants to do the right thing - it makes sense that should be his struggle. Also, they've shown that he draws people to him,essentially forming a pack even before he was an alpha. So he should also be struggling with having responsiblity over these other people's lives. And Alison's death should have enhanced that.

 

 Instead they've made him impotent and essentially packless. It's frustrating and it contradicts not only the show's own mythology but also what we've seen of the character.

Edited July 8, 2014 by AudienceofOne

[bluebonnet]

The Eichen House thing is a bit overblown, though. It can't have been more than three months since Stiles' stay there, so unless California's insurance companies process claims a lot faster than anywhere else there's a good chance his dad is still within the grace period of the first bill. And you can basically drag out payment for medical bills forever as long as you set up an installment plan or at least are making regular good faith payments. (To say nothing of the fact that between law enforcement family health coverage and a sheriff's salary, a few days' stay in a mental hospital should be a case of "I guess we'll brown bag it for a while and put off buying new tires until the spring" rather than "Oh noes, we're going to lose the house!")

 

I'm kind of hoping that Sheriff Stilinski isn't having money troubles, and is just witholding payment prior to litigation because of the crap job the institution staff did of supervising their patients.

Well, yeah.  It's exaggerated because it's a show on TV.  The average viewer is perfectly aware that an MRI and a few days stay in a mental hospital isn't going to completely break a family, definitely not to the point of receiving pink notices within three months.  But this is a fantasy show on tv where it's more like hyper reality, or reality adjacent.  Things are going to be amped up to the extreme in order for the drama to entertain us.  

[faceupandsing]

I really enjoyed this episode, certainly more than the last two. High School really is this show's strong point and this episode hit on all the major points. I had been missing the lacrosse scenes, but agree that Danny's absence was puzzling. His only real use is as a stable high school support character, and the try out scenes made his absence obvious. Hope he'll be back at some point though. Other than that the try outs/studying elements really gelled, it's nice to see teenagers acting like teenagers for once and worrying about understanding algebra. 

 

I really wish we were learning more about Lydia's banshee powers. The Calaveras woman hinted at it in the season opener but we really don't know much of anything after 15+ episodes. Surely there's more than stumbling across murder scenes and screaming.The writers keep adding on new creatures with the addition of the (now deceased) wendigo family, and mouthless assassin but never explaining enough about them to feel like they form a solid mythology cannon.  I'm hoping we'll learn more about them as the season unfolds but I'm not sure if it will. 

[snakenax]

I really wish we were learning more about Lydia's banshee powers

The vibe i'm getting is that the mouthless guy is actually a banshee as well.

[resonance]

I'm not feeling the love for Malia. I found the actress' acting flat and her dialogue pretty bad this episode. (Ex. 'What do you want the relationship to be?' to Kira.) 

[blueray]

I enjoyed this episode. At first I was like why am I watching Pycho but then it made more sense. I totally didn't see the orphan kid being a villain, good job show. I loved the locross stuff it was good to have light hearted stuff back. And of course scott turning someone (which I was sadly spoiled about). I hope they do deal with that kid adjusting and scott as well being the one who turned him. I also loved the scene with scott saves his mother. And the scene with Melissa and the sheriff. as for danny, I just assumed he was in the net... though it never said.

Edited July 9, 2014 by blueray

[HunterHunted]

The Eichen House thing is a bit overblown, though. It can't have been more than three months since Stiles' stay there, so unless California's insurance companies process claims a lot faster than anywhere else there's a good chance his dad is still within the grace period of the first bill. And you can basically drag out payment for medical bills forever as long as you set up an installment plan or at least are making regular good faith payments. (To say nothing of the fact that between law enforcement family health coverage and a sheriff's salary, a few days' stay in a mental hospital should be a case of "I guess we'll brown bag it for a while and put off buying new tires until the spring" rather than "Oh noes, we're going to lose the house!")

I'm kind of hoping that Sheriff Stilinski isn't having money troubles, and is just witholding payment prior to litigation because of the crap job the institution staff did of supervising their patients.

It's a little bit overblown, but probably not by much. Mental health inpatient benefits tend to get exhausted pretty quickly and even when they aren't, insurance companies tend to fight because the lengths of stay tend to be protracted. Additionally, most public mental hospitals have terrible utilization management because they've subsisted on government funding for a long long time. So they often don't know what documentation to submit to obtain insurance authorization. Furthermore, Stiles' dad voluntarily signed Stiles in which could signal to the insurance company that the stay wasn't necessary especially if the physician's note was garbage. While public mental hospitals, which is what Eichen House looked like*, have terrible tools to deal with insurance companies, they often have fantastic tools to get money for regular non-indigent patients. They sometimes have the legal ability get liens against property and force their way to top of creditors. The last time I looked at California's bed day rate it was between $600-1200 a day. I don't think Stiles stayed more 5 days, but I can see that being an additional hit after whatever their share of the costs from his earlier stay at Beacon Hills Memorial and the MRI.

*The reason I think Eichen House was public is that private mental hospitals tend to push discharge within 3 or 4 days after admission.

Edited July 9, 2014 by HunterHunted

[Yitzhak]

I still don't understand why Stilinski isn't suing Eichen House for its abusive treatment of Stiles and other patients like Meredith. Surely the Brunski orderly could be subjected to charges for using a stun gun and forcibly sedating non-violent teenage patients. But this is the trouble with suddenly portraying Eichen House as a realistic facility billing for expenses when in the episode it was more like a creepy horror show insane asylum from the 1920s.      

Edited July 9, 2014 by Yitzhak

[HunterHunted]

I still don't understand why Stilinski isn't suing Eichen House for its abusive treatment of Stiles and other patients like Meredith. Surely the Brunski orderly could be subjected to charges for using a stun gun and forcibly sedating non-violent teenage patients. But this is the trouble with suddenly portraying Eichen House as a realistic facility billing for expenses when in the episode it was more like a creepy horror show insane asylum from the 1920s.

Unfortunately, this is once again where I have far too much inside info. If it is a public mental hospital, it likely has sovereign immunity protections from civil suits. The stun gun is unlikely evade scrutiny; however I'm always shocked by every gross indignity that I hear about from starvation of a patient to restraint of patients for weeks. These have all happened in American public mental hospitals during the past 5 years. The thing is that these hospitals are a long way away from hospitals in the 20s, when they used to chain people to walls for nonsense including PMS.

And as long as they can document the behaviors that led to an emergency medication in a way that justifies the PRN med, they can get away with it nearly forever. I will say that hospitals (private and public) are very good at doing this so much though that it looks like ostensible chemical restraint is always ok'd.

Edited July 9, 2014 by HunterHunted

[patchwork]

On a different show I'd wonder if Scott's weakness is being established because there's going to be a story there. He's an alpha without any betas, Derek's more of a sixth ranger type there but not really part of the core group so Scott's pack is made up of this hodgepodge of supernatural creatures (and Stiles) which is great for skill variety but they're not wolves.  

 

I hope mouthless guy is a banshee and that's going to lead some where for Lydia because I'm still wondering about what happened to the one Stiles met in Eichen House.

[resonance]

I hated the first 15 minutes or so - I thought the mouthless guy was dumb and why, if he was sent to kill them him did he "give him a chance" like a psycho

Maybe he is a psycho. Maybe he turns people into Wendigos first and then hunts them down.

 

 

 

I hope Sean isn't dead *dead*. It's not like Jeff Davis ever turns down a hot guy and he is some much needed eye candy since Jackson and Isaac and the Twins all left. Dylan Sprayberry just doesn't quite hit the spot.

Edited July 9, 2014 by resonance

[Grumpymonkey]

I still don't understand why Stilinski isn't suing Eichen House for its abusive treatment of Stiles and other patients like Meredith. Surely the Brunski orderly could be subjected to charges for using a stun gun and forcibly sedating non-violent teenage patients. But this is the trouble with suddenly portraying Eichen House as a realistic facility billing for expenses when in the episode it was more like a creepy horror show insane asylum from the 1920s.

Yep. The hospital sent out the orderly to track down Meredith? No the police are called when patients elope, staff members don't look passed the surrounding grounds. Orderlies can't carry needles and inject patients. Hell most children units don't even use PRN's. No one carries a stun gun, so much of that episode made no sense. Then don't sheriffs/police have good benefits why wouldn't the stay and MRI be covered. They are usually the patients with the better health insurance. Could be wrong but that's what I thought.

This show also has malia and lydia in the same math class. I don't know why I keep trying to make sense of anything.

[enness2000]

Dylan Sprayberry just doesn't quite hit the spot.

 

 

Not least because he's 16. As in, just turned 16 this week. Refreshing though it is in many ways to have a high school freshman played by someone who could actually be a high school freshman, I really don't want to end up on any watchlists.

 

I miss Danny. Not that he could act or had a personality or anything, but he's pretty and age-appropriate, and that's really all I ask. The fact that they didn't mention him this week (when it would have been as simple as adding "Danny" to the list of players who've left the school) gives me hope that his absence was just budget/availability related and that he'll pop up later in the season.

[Bruinsfan]

Danny was the goalie for the lacrosse team sophomore year, so having the unknown kid in goal for tryouts does imply that he was absent and not just standing around off-camera.

[Minneapple]

This show also has malia and lydia in the same math class. I don't know why I keep trying to make sense of anything.

LOL, yep. The remedial student who should be working on learning basic algebra and the girl who's working on calculus in the same class. Makes sense!

 

Also, I don't know why the hell Kira's parents would BUY a house when they knew their Beacon Hills living situation was temporary. Wouldn't it have been easier to rent?

 

I don't know why I worry about these things on this show. Malia and Stiles were cute and Kira and Scott were even cuter. Kira is pretty much the cutest thing I've ever seen on TV. There.

[AudienceofOne]

This show also has malia and lydia in the same math class

 

 

She's had no education since she was nine. She wouldn't even been in the same school, let alone the same grade.

[Yitzhak]

 

And as long as they can document the behaviors that led to an emergency medication in a way that justifies the PRN med, they can get away with it nearly forever.

 

Scary. I guess since Stiles was supposedly suffering from extreme anxiety and sleep deprivation, they could make a case for sedating him. I get the feeling they'll be going back to Eichen house sometime in S4 and we'll see exactly how they justify the treatment.

 

There's always talk of Buffy parallels and I get the feeling that Liam will be the TW equivalent to Dawn, Buffy's instant little sister. And while not all Buffy fans liked Dawn I think bringing in a younger kid is a good way of acknowledging that our original kids have grown up a lot while still giving them a close link to a still bratty teenager. Funny that Sprayberry is really 15/16 because (despite his short statue) he actually looks a bit older. Unlike Tyler and Dylan who passed for 16 in S1 when they were really more like 18/19.       

 

ETA. Regarding Malia's school circumstances, we don't know exactly what story they are telling the school (or what they've told Malia's dad). They certainly won't be telling the school that Malia lived as a coyote for the last eight years. So I imagine that whatever cover story they've invented for Malia may also cover up the massive gap in her education which may be why she's getting so little sympathy from the teachers. Still, you'd think that Kira's dad would be privy to the true nature of Malia.   

Edited July 11, 2014 by Yitzhak

[FurryFury]

And while not all Buffy fans liked Dawn I think bringing in a younger kid is a good way of acknowledging that our original kids have grown up a lot while still giving them a close link to a still bratty teenager.

 

Buffy and her friends were all 20+ when Dawn appeared. Scott and co are still only juniors (hmm, how much time has passed since season 1, I wonder? I guess the show uses PLL-style ambiguous timeline progression). 

 

This was definitely a breather episode, focused on character development rather than plot, and it was OK, although it's kinda hard for me to give a damn about lacrosse (a sport I know nothing about). I too have noticed the trope subversions, although they were kinda predictable - but still nice. The guy with no mouth reminded me of Gentlemen from Buffy ("Hush"). I like the speculation about him being a banshee, it's time for Lydia to explore her powers (and hopefully her supernatural heritage). 

 

Speaking about supernatural heritage - it kinda baffles me Kira doesn't talk to her mom about her kitsune powers and her past and everything! I mean, if my parent suddenly told me they are, like, a 1000 years old, my relationship with them would surely change drastically and forever. Also, it's weird her reason to want to stay in Beacon Hills is basically Scott, and she didn't even think to tell her mother "Hey, I have friends who actually know who I really am and understand it, do you think I'll be able to find people like this anywhere?" You'd think that would be a compelling argument. Anyway, I still love Kira, and her and Scott are a much better match than Scott/Allison, because their personalities are much more similar. I could never understand what Allison saw in Scott. I've always found her a much darker character, at least, potentially. Sniff. I miss Allison.

 

I also miss Allison/Lydia, which, while far from the best female friendship on TV, was still a vital part from the show. Watching Kira/Malia/Lydia interaction makes it very much obvious, there is just nothing there so far. But I don't see how any of them could be really good friends like Lydia and Allison, they all seem way too different.

[Gwen-Stacys]

LOL, yep. The remedial student who should be working on learning basic algebra and the girl who's working on calculus in the same class. Makes sense!

It looked like they were both doing derivatives, so Calculus or Pre-Calc, right?

 

I don't know, I can fan-wave it and say that Lydia is in class with Stiles and Malia because they live in a small town/go to a small school. Maybe they don't have a class to put her in? Plus, no one knows the real story behind where Malia has been for 8 years, maybe the Scooby gang smudged her transcript a little so that she would always be in a class with at least one of them. That way they could watch her.  ( I think the best part of this show is seeing how far outside of the box you have be to fix plot holes. Although the fudging her transcript isn't that unbelievable.)

[ahisma]

(hmm, how much time has passed since season 1, I wonder?)

The first episode of Teen Wolf was the first day of lacrosse practice (actual team, after try outs) their sophomore year, and now they're at lacrosse try outs their junior year. So it's just shy of a year, January 2012. For all that Jeff screws up the backstory timeline all the time, the show timeline has been pretty straightforward: s1 in January 2011 with the winter formal, s2 nearer the end of the spring semester with the lacrosse semi-finals, the break skipping over summer, s3A at the start of the school year through Halloween, and s3B taking place later in the fall 2011 semester, with Stiles in danger of freezing if they didn't find him.

[ElleryAnne]

Eh.  I think the episode wasn't too bad, but not as good as the first couple of seasons.  Add me to those glad for the return of lacrosse, though.

 

Scott giving the bite to someone has so much potential.  I wish I had more confidence that the show could do justice to the idea but I don't.  I do agree with those upthread that Scott's not the most pulled-together alpha right now.  

 

Malia in the same math class as Lydia is just crappy writing.  Plain and simple.  But all of the writing regarding Malia has been crappy, so I'm no longer surprised.  I did think it was cute when she looked at the chalkboard and turned to leave, though.  

 

It irritated me that Stiles said the reason the rest of them are good at math is that they used Lydia's notes.  First of all, Stiles is supposedly really smart on his own.  Not Lydia-genius smart, but not an idiot who needs someone else's notes.  Secondly, after what he went through last season, when Stiles looked at Lydia's notes and saw they didn't look normal, they could've included an instant of Stiles flinching or something, in recognition of the fact that he's not (or shouldn't be) entirely over it.  It would only have taken a second but lent to the continuity.

 

Stiles and Malia have zero chemistry, IMO. Blech.

 

Who was the hot doctor that Melissa was talking to?  I'd like more of him, please.

 

I loved the scene between Scott and Stiles in the hospital, when Stiles was telling Scott that it was okay to want things for himself.  That was a lovely moment in the show's main relationship, and it's the kind of thing that makes me stick with the show in spite of its many faults.

[jhlipton]

Malia and Lydia were in the TV-Show math class:  Let's throw some math-y looking things up on the board -- beats having to look in a textbook for even a second.  Derivatives and limits and just all sorts of junk.  (Yes, I paused to check; why do you ask??  LOL)  And then "if Y is negative what happens to z?"  And, dear "genius" Lydia, the answer to a quadratic is rarely a single number, but in fact is almost always a positive and negative number.

 

So,yeah, bothered me more than it should, but jeez!

 

Otherwise, pretty good ep.

[ahisma]

Who was the hot doctor that Melissa was talking to? I'd like more of him, please.

That's Liam's stepdad, so I'm hoping for a lot more of him! (And I hope he's not like Malia's invisible dad who should be providing all sorts of drama with his weirdly feral daughter back home, but has been dropped completely. Last season they took Malia back to the house and then forgot about her and her dad completely for most of the season. Now she's all pack, all the time and no family life. Argh!)

[ElleryAnne]

That's Liam's stepdad, so I'm hoping for a lot more of him!

 

 

Ooh, lovely!  I didn't catch that in the show.  Yeah, I'm hoping we see much of him!

[justcris]

I found it really interesting hear this episode's writer talk about the writers room dissent on AfterbuzzTV.

She said she likes Stiles and Lydia as friends but that is an unpopular opinion in the writers room. Also, Melissa and Stilinski are not being brought together for fear that it would become too soapy. Danny's absence was explained with an "Ask Jeff". 

She also talks about the math scene and how they needed them to be in the same class and that maybe Lydia would be acting as a tutor of some kind.

[jhlipton]

She also talks about the math scene and how they needed them to be in the same class and that maybe Lydia would be acting as a tutor of some kind.

Guh.  Tutors do NOT attend the classes they're tutoring.!  They really didn't think about it at all.

[blueray]

Guh.  Tutors do NOT attend the classes they're tutoring.!  They really didn't think about it at all.

At least not in high school. In college the person doing say the note taking would attend the class or there could also be a TA.

[ElleryAnne]

She also talks about the math scene and how they needed them to be in the same class and that maybe Lydia would be acting as a tutor of some kind.

 

 

They needed them to be in the same class.  So even though it makes no sense at all, they just put them there.  For what, a funny line?  A plot point?   Lazy writing. Bad writers, bad. A smack on the nose with a rolled-up newspaper to you, writers.  Malia hasn't been in school since she was eight or nine years old.  She doesn't need to be in a math class with Lydia and Stiles.  Or even with Scott.  

 

 

Danny's absence was explained with an "Ask Jeff".

 

*$%&@

Edited July 17, 2014 by ElleryAnne

[benteen]

They needed them to be in the same class.  So even though it makes no sense at all, they just put them there.  For what, a funny line?  A plot point?   Lazy writing. Bad writers, bad. A smack on the nose with a rolled-up newspaper to you, writers.  Malia hasn't been in school since she was eight or nine years old.  She doesn't need to be in a math class with Lydia and Stiles.  Or even with Scott.  

 

 

*$%&@

 

I take it Danny is gone from the show?

[bettername2come]

Also, Melissa and Stilinski are not being brought together for fear that it would become too soapy.

 

Damn it! But wait. Isn't this show a supernatural soap opera? Didn't it do like three star-crossed lovers stories with werewolves dating hunters? Aren't characters constantly hooking up with murderers? Or having sex in a mental institution? How is two normal, rational, single adults who engage in a slightly flirtatious friendship deciding to date too soapy for Teen Wolf?