S04.E12: A Promise to the Dead

[promethean]

Scott and his Pack begin a dangerous battle against an old enemy.

Edited September 2, 2014 by promethean

[benteen]

Well, they did something I said they should be doing and something that makes sense.  Eichenhouse won't keep asking for money from Stiles Dad because their employee tried to murder his son.

 

No surprise Scott getting his ass handed to him again.  I can buy it more with Kate since she does have years of experience as a fighter and is about 1000 times more vicious than her.  Turning him into one of those monsters was interesting.

[AudienceofOne]

No surprise Scott getting his ass handed to him again

 

 

Still waiting for some explanation of why he's a worse fighter now than when he was a beta, though. I'd even accept a psychological explanation about him not drawing on his wolfy powers because he's scared of hurting somebody.

 

This episode seemed a bit incoherent to me. But it was nice to get a mention of Alison.

[mac123x]

This episode seemed a bit incoherent to me.

 

Amen.  I can't follow Kate's or Peter's motivations and I don't understand their goals.  It doesn't help that I can't stand either of the actors.

 

There were some good character moments, like Scott and Melissa discussing the money.  I really liked Liam's story line, because it's pretty realistic that he'd be so traumatized by what he's experienced.  I could have done without the scene where Big Pecs Lacrosse Player shilled how wonderful Scott was:  "He's a true alpha; he wasn't born with it, he didn't steal it or kill someone to get it; he earned it."  /eyeroll

 

I felt like there were several scenes with Deaton and Lydia that wound up on the cutting room floor.  Who or what was Hannibal Lecter, what did Deaton see when trapped in his mind, how did Lydia reach him and bring him back, etc.  Maybe that'll be addressed next week.

[ElleryAnne]

I missed a couple of episodes while we were on vacation, and it makes me sad to realize that I wasn't even looking forward to getting caught up on this show.  Oh show, what have you become?  But I finally caught up last night.  

 

Keeping it to this episode:

 

The good:

 

I liked the early scene between Scott and Liam, and Scott assuring Liam that he didn't have to be a part of the group if he didn't want to.  I wish we'd gotten more scenes like that this season, in which Scott shows some maturity and awareness concerning what he's done to Liam.  It's the kind of thing that would be important in the development of the title character, but it's been largely ignored.

 

Scott's, "There's another vault?" response to Derek.  Yes, I want character growth, but I do like the occasional moments of dumb, sweet Scott.  And I like his scenes with Derek.  I just wish at least one of them was more concerned with Derek's loss of powers.  Scott, if he knows, doesn't seem to care, and Derek is entirely too zen about the whole thing.

 

Kira noticing that Lydia was distracted by the net worth figures on the chalkboard.  Nothing big, but a nice little moment.  The kind of moment that would have been more common in earlier seasons and contributes to relationship-building.

 

The neutral:

 

We finally get some explanation for Derek's money.  He owns the building, and has some bank accounts.  I'm glad for an explanation, though that one was kind of a letdown.

 

Also concerning the money, I though it was interesting that Melissa immediately said the money was Derek's.  Nobody seems to like admitting that the money is Peter's (except Derek, of course).

 

The bad:

 

-We're still starting episodes with characters we don't know.  Why - we don't have enough characters fighting for air time, we need a scene between some girl named Kalissa and some crazy named Patrick?  While I like Deaton being a BAMF, the scene really was just a waste of time. 

 

-Liam - Still comes across as one-dimensional to me, even with his Berserker visions.  Can we get some scenes of him talking with his stepdad or something?  It'd be good for showing a different side to him.  (And okay, stepdad is hot.)  I'd like to say the scenes with him and Mason count, but they don't.  They're a poor imitation of Scott and Stiles' video-game scenes, and they don't highlight anything fresh about Liam or Mason or their friendship.  Frankly, at this point I have no idea why those two are friends.  There's no chemistry between them as friends, and Liam is kind of an a-hole to Mason.  

 

-Lydia shows up at Derek's loft, screams, and then the next follow-up we get is when Scott and Derek mention it in passing.  Why?

 

-Fuckin' Eichen House again.  At least this time it was an excuse for a scene with Deaton, whom I love. I feel like they've dumbed him down lately, though.  And they always seem to be retconning his connection to the Hales, and it's beginning to annoy me.

 

-Malia.  What happened to her not-Peter father?  Is he dead or alive?  Does she live with him, or with Stiles?  Does she remember him?  Do the writers?  She was talking to Peter as if they'd had more conversations than the ones we've seen, but there's no real hint of whether she talks to her other dad - you know, the one who actually raised her until she went coyote-wild? 

 

-Also on Malia.  Now the show just admits that Malia is fine at learning some stuff, but less so when they want comic relief.   So no point in thinking there's any character development in sight for her. She's pointless.  Sorry to those who love her, but Malia becomes more annoying with each passing week.  

 

-Braeden.  Aw, I use to love badass Braeden.  Why does it seem like she's losing her edge?  Showing her running around in her underwear with a weapon in her hand isn't badass, it's just cliché, like a Bond babe.  And I know it's eye-candy in a show in which eye-candy has become the only redeeming quality, but I liked her being a badass and I feel like they've written most of her personality away.

 

-Scott and Kira - these two are so boring together.  I like them both separately, but together they're the dullest couple on tv.

 

-Chris Argent - I like the guy, but they're really struggling to do something with him.  I feel like every time I see him anymore, he's skulking around with a weapon, and ending up in conversations with random other characters but with nothing moving forward.  I'm glad he didn't end up dead, though.  That pipe scene wasn't pretty.  

 

-And while I love Parrish, his scene trying to rescue Chris fell flat.  The whole thing was way overblown, with the music and the "find your anger" stuff.  Just bad writing all around.  Also, Parrish has been following Peter "every day since Meredith Walker", which would be how long?  A couple of days?

 

-Lydia's banshee powers are becoming an excuse for lazy exposition.  She just randomly shows up in places now and can give answers.  And now she and Deaton are able to tell the gang where Scott is, practically as soon as he's there.

 

-Even the lacrosse game was boring this time.

 

Now I'm waiting for the season finale next week, but only to close out the season.  Hopefully S5 will be better, because this has been the worst season for this show.

 

This episode seemed a bit incoherent to me. But it was nice to get a mention of Alison.

 

 

This whole season's felt incoherent to me.  But I agree, it was nice they gave a nod to Allison in a couple of scenes. 

Edited September 2, 2014 by ElleryAnne

[bluebonnet]

Yeah, this episode was definitely incoherent.  

 

Who is under the other berserker mask?  I'd like for it to be Isaac just so there's a semi-legitimate reason for no one mentioning him this season.  It does seem clear now that berserker!Scott will be the one facing off against Liam.  Finally that dream sequence Scott had makes sense, as well as all of those PTSD attacks Liam keeps having.  At least we know Liam won't die since he's signed on as a regular next year.  I do wonder if Liam will "earn" true Alpha status during the finale fighting stuff.  

 

How is Kate's family deaths Scott's fault?  She got herself killed/turned, Victoria committed suicide after she got bit while trying to kill Scott, and Gerard caused his own health problems.  Allison died in the line of duty and was actually Noshiko's fault for unleashing the Oni.  

 

Parrish looked lovely with orange eyes.  

[Gwen-Stacys]

How is Kate's family deaths Scott's fault?  She got herself killed/turned, Victoria committed suicide after she got bit while trying to kill Scott, and Gerard caused his own health problems.  Allison died in the line of duty and was actually Noshiko's fault for unleashing the Oni.   

 

I thought it was more of a "My family was fine until Allison met you" kind of thing. Which makes sense, I guess. It's always easier to blame someone else than take responsibility for you and your loved ones crap.

 

Who is under the other berserker mask?  I'd like for it to be Isaac just so there's a semi-legitimate reason for no one mentioning him this season.

 

I've seen theories that one of the berzerkers could be Danny. It'd make sense as to why Jeff kept promising that we hadn't seen the last of Danny.

I doubt it's Isaac. Daniel Sharman has gone off to the land of more money over at the CW.

 

This episode felt like a set up for the finale episode to me. Like they maybe should've spent this episode expanding on the berzerkers and their connection to Kate/Peter's plan and how he's been covertly moving pieces into place and have the last episode be 2 hours. It's not like MTV is showing anything else at 9pm on a Monday anyway.  

 

I liked all of the family/friends/relationshippy momments:

 

1).Scott and Momma McCall- her calling him out on not giving Derek his money back sooner. You can see why Scott is the way that he is, and it's all because of his mommy.

 

2). The Stillinksi's +Malia -Papa Stilinski taking them out for dinner/Malia and him sitting together at the game. They feel, oddly enough, like a family unit. I remember relationships being like that in high school (and college) where you're practically an extension of another family.

 

3). Scott and Derek- Derek better not die. I love the psuedo-big brother/little brother relationship they have with each other.

 

4). Scott and Liam- I just love those two together. And I love Liam's very realistic reaction to being pulled into the supernatural world.

 

It didn't surprise me about the money being soley Peters. He's been calling it his money since the beginning and Derek didn't seem too worried about it whenever Peter brought it up. It also makes sense that Derek would have multiple bank accounts, most wealthy people do...and don't just go around carrying bearer bonds in their back pocket. That seems more like a Peter "I refuse to pay tax on MY money" thing to do.

Edited September 2, 2014 by Gwen-Stacys

[FurryFury]

I hated the episode.

- Liam, way too much Liam. I don't get what's so special about him that he gets his own (horribly boring) storyline? Why can't, say, Kira get one? I really don't care about her being solely a girlfriend of Scott's - I find them beyond tedious. Although that's definitely Scott's fault, he was the same with Allison. I guess now Kira has to wait a few years until they break up so she can finally become interesting, like Allison did.
- Bad storytelling. Introducing new, important and quite interesting information in a very haphazard way with the Doctor V(forgot his last name) and the Eichen House reveal, which could have been an awesome addition to the Beacon Hills mythology, yet was mention in a weirdly off-handed way. Also, Deaton finally got some bits of characterization (he was in love with Talia? I'm not surprised, but at least it's something), but no one was there to learn it.
- I guess the action prologue with guest characters is Jeff Davis' new toy after being called out on slow-mo way too many times. It could be fun if done well... once per season, not every episode. The show has already way too many characters with their own stories.
- And it leads me to the worst issue, probably: very disjointed narrative with the mains not getting to interact often enough. I mean, Lydia's basically isolated for most of the season, without any reason for it. Stiles is with either his father (which makes sense, okay) or Malia, less often Scott. Scott's with Kira, his mother, Liam and less often, Stiles. There is the useless money subplot going on - screentime that could be used for more important things. Kate's purpose and motivation are still unclear and I'm starting to doubt they will ever make sense. We get, again, the boring Liam drama. The season actually started very promisingly, with the gang finally feeling like a real tight-knit group and the characters interacting with each other, not just their relatives and love interests. But after 3 or 4 episodes, it all fell apart.

[blueray]

I guess I'm in the minority that liked Liam's story. It was nice realistic that he is suffering from a bit of ptsd after what he saw. Plus at the moment he is mostly the only character who is doing "normal" teen stuff. I feel like he probably is going to tell Mason either next episode or next season. Obviously next episode he is going to get pulled into the stuff.

 

This episode was definitely a set up for the finale. I'm confused on how Kate is going to turn Scott into something else though. Or what her motivation really is, Scott (as someone said) had nothing to do with any of the deaths in her family.

 

I wish we got to see how Lydia woke Deaton up. Did she scream at him?

 

I liked Parrish eyes turning orange. I wish we knew exactly what he was. As much as I love Chris, he doesn't have a purpose on the show (then again either does the Deaton).

Edited September 2, 2014 by blueray

[bettername2come]

Things I liked:

 

1. Scott. I thought we got to see a lot of my favorite aspects to the character. He had a nice scene with his mom - those are always good. He actually went to work, possibly for the first time this season. Does Deaton pay him for doing alpha werewolf stuff as long as he does it at the animal clinic? I'm starting to think he should. For the second episode in a row, Scott told Liam he doesn't have to fight alongside him. We had a great dumb Scott moment with "There's another vault?" Protective Scott showed up to tell Kate to leave Kyra out of this. And finally, we have Freaked-Out-About-Turning-Into-A-Monster Scott. I admit it, I was scared for him in that final scene. I've seen Tyler Posey in stuff ever since he was a kid, so I feel this innate protectiveness every time Scott is put in danger.

 

2. Derek being totally cool about Scott stealing the money because it isn't really his. And, Derek being smart enough to keep his money in property and actual bank accounts. 

 

3. John Posey as the doctor at Eichen House's secret level. He was the doctor who pulled wolfsbane out of Jackson's neck and was also in a webseries in the first season. Not 100% sure it's the same character though. 

 

4. Mason and Liam. I know it's just Stiles and Scott lite, but I like their friendship, and I think Jeff Davis writes bromances pretty well.

 

5. Badass Deaton is always welcome.

 

6. As is Badass Parrish. They should team up.

 

7. I continue to like the unusual matchups of characters; it's like they want every character to have had a scene with the rest of the main cast and it works. 

 

8. "What's your favorite food?" "Deer." "Pizza. She likes pizza."

 

Meh.

 

1. So just like that the money storyline's over? What? Okay, then.

 

2. Liam hallucinating berserkers. Unless it's foreshadowing something between him and Scott in the next episode. 

 

3. Eichen House has a secret comic book level for supervillains? Okay. Actually that does help explain Ms. Morrell working there last season, but they really need to be sending more people there. Is this the same "werewolf jail" Derek and Chris discussed earlier this season.

 

4. Lydia showing up to scream at Derek. Nicely shot, but really weird.

 

Last question: Where is Agent McCall? He seemed like he was starting to figure stuff out, but we haven't seen him since Scott "died." I'm guessing he'll get a nice heroic moment in the finale. I thought it was kind of funny that Tyler Posey's dad was there but not Scott's.

Edited September 2, 2014 by bettername2come

[benteen]

Here's something from the AV Club review that I thought was dead on...

 

 

What is it that Teen Wolf wants to be anymore, and is it even achieving it? What story is it trying to tell? What does it expect of its characters? Of its audience? Teen Wolf is a teen genre show on MTV—based on an ‘80s movie with some questionable decisions with regards to its portrayal of werewolves—but the show has been so much more than that for a very long time. Now, it just feels aimless, with nothing about it having any true rhyme or reason. The entire cast of Teen Wolf, at this point, could do all of this in their sleep, and with this season, that appears to be what they’re doing. Everything about Teen Wolf right now is on auto pilot right now, only no one is paying attention to the road at the same time.

 

They also talked about how the show has teased Scott going over the dark side but have basically taken it out of his hands by having it forced on him.

 

I had to laugh at Kate's "Scott destroyed the Argent family" crap.  Kate, her father, and her sister-in-law pretty are/were psychopaths who destroyed themselves because of their blind hatred of werewolves.  Allison behaved like a sadistic idiot when she was briefly in charge and ended up dead in an unrelated matter.  Chris is easily the best of the group but he was very weak-willed when dealing with the rest of his family, letting them run amok (like Gerard Argent cutting a werewolf in half because some unrelated werewolf killed his daughter) and not doing anything about it until it was far too late.

[Bruinsfan]

I thought it was more of a "My family was fine until Allison met you" kind of thing. Which makes sense, I guess. It's always easier to blame someone else than take responsibility for you and your loved ones crap.

Yeah, I can easily see why Kate might lay the blame for what happened to Victoria, Gerard, and Allison at Scott's feet, though the former two really were asking for it via their actions and Allison chose to die fighting supernatural evil. It's just as likely Kate's introduction to the family tradition would have led Allison to an early death even if she'd never known Scott - I get the feeling not many members of their family go out by natural causes.

 

I wish we got to see how Lydia woke Deaton up. Did she scream at him?

My vote is for an ice bath.

[bettername2come]

I just realized this thread title is wrong. This was episode 4x11, right?

[patchwork]

I think this is the first time Lydia has done the traditional banshee thing, she basically went to Derek's place to tell him he's going to die by screaming at him. It's weird and I love it. The show is full of supernatural creatures but they rarely use their powers in an everyday sort of way.

 

While I'm happy that they're showing a character with ptsd I wish it was with Stiles instead of the new kid.

 

So this laid back, happy go lucky guy is the real Derek Hale without werewolf violence to keep in check. I like him and the zen mentor relationship he has with Scott. I hope he and Braeden ride off into the sunset together.   

 

It's hard to care about the plot stuff because so little of it makes sense and the stuff that does is predicable. Poor Liam so obviously setup to be Berserker!Scott's first victim but fear not because Phoenix!Parish will save the day!

[FurryFury]

I just realized this thread title is wrong. This was episode 4x11, right?

 

Yep.

[enness2000]

This episode just left me seriously grumpy; short of a really excellent finale, this is going to be an incredibly weak season when considered as a whole. A few unconnected thoughts:

 

* I know the show has never been explicit about what makes a Berserker, but is it really as simple as "shove a bear skull on someone and call it a day"? Assuming that they're going to have to compress "Scott turns crazy and attacks his friends" and "Scott is saved by the power of love/being Werewolf Jesus" into 42 minutes next week, it seems like it's going to be pretty flimsy no matter what. I quite liked the early bits of the Benefactor plotline, and didn't hate the resolution, but if it means that the main conflict of the finale is going to be this rushed, that's a real problem of storytelling. Compared to the slow burn of the nogitsune taking over Stiles last season, this is wildly abrupt.

 

* So Kira's power is basically "Can be flashy-yet-wildly-ineffective with literally any weapon, and also lightbulbs"? I get that she's still not used to what she can do, but she has a 900-year-old kitsune living in her home that she can learn from, seems pretty on board with the whole "Let's save lives and be heroes!" schtick, and yet has actually backslid in terms of her usefulness in a fight this season, going from electrocuting an assailant and taking on multiple Oni at once in 3B to getting knocked out every week so the male characters can come to her aid. Relatedly:

 

* This show needs a show bible with some idea of power tiers in the worst possible way, or at least to be more consistent in how strong everyone is/how their victories come about. Kate beating Scott because she's spent longer fighting and/or is smarter and/or is more vicious I can buy. Kate straight-up out-punching an Alpha just doesn't work.

 

* The "Deer!" "Pizza. She likes pizza." bit really annoyed me. Like, I'm on board with the Malia/Stiles 'ship, and I like the bits of her character that are informed by spending years as a coyote, but stuff like having Stiles talk over/for her that much really grates. It's not like people don't also eat deer - just buy the girl some damn venison!

 

* It feels like some bits of the Deaton/Lydia plotline got seriously chopped up. I wonder if any of those scenes mentioned that Deaton has a sister who works in Eichen House? (Also, with the almost-definitely-cut scenes it makes the whole thing seem bizarre - Lydia is the only one who knows where Deaton is, and by the end of the episode she's holding his hand to comfort him? Combine that with her being the one who jumps to volunteer to look after teen-Derek overnight at the clinic and you've got something that pushes Lydia/Parrish into second place in the "Creepiest crack ship between a high school junior and a grown adult" rankings)

[lion10]

Why didn't Kira run electricity through the chain when she fought the berserker? When I talk about the lack of wonder on this show, this is the kind of thing I'm talking about. Why isn't Kira more curious about her ability to control lighting? Wouldn't that be a big deal for the average person?

I'm really disappointed with Kira's progression as a character. She has so much potential but she's been stuck in a damsel in distress role for most of the fights; it's really irritating, especially since she was powerful in 3B.

I guess Kate is stronger than Scott because jaguars are a lot stronger and faster than wolves, so I'm not that mad about it.

I thought the pizza scene was too paternalistic between Stiles and Malia. Everyone in the room knows she's spent most of her life as a coyote so there's no need to cover up what she said.

[FurryFury]

and you've got something that pushes Lydia/Parrish into second place in the "Creepiest crack ship between a high school junior and a grown adult" rankings)

 

What's so creepy about Lydia/Parrish? And I'm pretty sure Lydia's creepiest ship is with Peter, anyway (apparently there have been sightings of it in fandom).

 

Why didn't Kira run electricity through the chain when she fought the berserker? When I talk about the lack of wonder on this show, this is the kind of thing I'm talking about. Why isn't Kira more curious about her ability to control lighting? Wouldn't that be a big deal for the average person?

 

Yeah, they don't even care about Kira's powers anymore. The lightning thing with the chain seemed so obvious, but nope.

Edited September 3, 2014 by FurryFury

[ahisma]

To my recollection, Kira can control large amounts of electricity (power plant, downed line, lightning storm), but not generate it. Has she ever created more than a small shock (CDC needle, jump starting Scott's heart)? That would barely tickle a berserker. Her picking up the chain was probably more a "fight with what you can find in a barren loft" moment, but unfortunately the first thing most viewers think is "it's conductive!"

[justcris]

I think the main problem I have with this season is the pacing. The benefactor plot completely took over the show in the middle of the season, leaving the Kate/Peter plot hanging until basically now. They are usually better at integrating plots throughout the season.

 

I wish Kira was getting the same character development as Malia and Liam are getting, but it seems she's stuck with just being Scott's girlfriend. I understand they have a whole lot of characters and not much time for anything other than plot plot plot, but seriously, maybe next time don't introduce more characters than you can handle.

[lion10]

To my recollection, Kira can control large amounts of electricity (power plant, downed line, lightning storm), but not generate it. Has she ever created more than a small shock (CDC needle, jump starting Scott's heart)? That would barely tickle a berserker. Her picking up the chain was probably more a "fight with what you can find in a barren loft" moment, but unfortunately the first thing most viewers think is "it's conductive!"

But it's like using electricity offensively hasn't even occurred to Kira which is really dumb on her part. Someone as nerdy/quirky as Kira who has seen Star Wars hasn't tried force lightning?

[blueray]

Glad to see that I'm not the only one who assumed that she was going to electric-fly that chain and was disappointed when she didn't. It's strange because most of these type of shows go overboard with their powers and what they can do, but in teen wolf most of the character's don't use their powers when they need too. Like seriously, Scott didn't transform when Kate started attacking (they should have at least had him attempt to put up a fight, then he could lose). But if seemed like he didn't even try and neither did Kira.

[Bruinsfan]

Has she ever created more than a small shock (CDC needle, jump starting Scott's heart)? That would barely tickle a berserker.

Well, it seemed pretty handy for knocking an alpha werewolf into a near-death coma, so in her shoes I'd at least try to make contact with a berserker's chest and see if it works on them as well. Anything would be more effective than repeatedly stopping their punches with her face.

[enness2000]

What's so creepy about Lydia/Parrish?

 

 

He's a war veteran and she's a high school junior, and their first conversation was in a tunnel to a secret wendigo corpse fridge, and most of their conversations since then have also been about murder, so I'm going to go with "everything".

 

Well, it seemed pretty handy for knocking an alpha werewolf into a near-death coma, so in her shoes I'd at least try to make contact with a berserker's chest and see if it works on them as well. Anything would be more effective than repeatedly stopping their punches with her face.

 

Totally agree with both this and the comments about Kira's lack of curiosity about her own power. Even for a normal human, the charge needed to stop/restart a heart isn't insignificant. Mostly it's that she isn't even trying - in 3B she was smart, curious and motivated. Now that she's officially the Main Character's Love Interest, she seems to have lost that. The closest she's come to a plot point of her own in 11 episodes is joining the lacrosse team, which seemed to be trying to show something about her ability to fit into a team/control her abilities, but then just disappeared.

[BuddhaBelly]

* So Kira's power is basically "Can be flashy-yet-wildly-ineffective with literally any weapon, and also lightbulbs"? I get that she's still not used to what she can do, but she has a 900-year-old kitsune living in her home that she can learn from, seems pretty on board with the whole "Let's save lives and be heroes!" schtick, and yet has actually backslid in terms of her usefulness in a fight this season, going from electrocuting an assailant and taking on multiple Oni at once in 3B to getting knocked out every week so the male characters can come to her aid.

 

 

As much as I have zero expectation for this show, this pisses me off so much. Kira was a wonderful addition last season and now she's just a damsel. Are you telling me she can light 100 light bulbs with the press of a finger BUT her damn instincts don't come through when someone is beating her ass? I've been thinking they've been waiting to do a nice show piece of her coming fully into her own but now I have no such expectation.

 

Plus her getting knocked around every episode is obvious a ploy to tweak viewer hearts for Scott. Speaking of Scott, an episode (or two ago..I really can't bother to remember) he damn near lost control in that bit battle. Why did he allow Kate to kick his ass? What's the point of the extra fangs and the physical transformation? Shouldn't that animalistic part be closer to the surface?

 

I'm probably one of the few that like Kira and Scott together but let them break up so she can do something fun again.

 

This show is a mess and especially so this season.

Edited September 4, 2014 by BuddhaBelly

[ElleryAnne]

I'm probably one of the few that like Kira and Scott together but let them break up so she can do something fun again.

 

 

I really liked them together last season, but this season not so much.  They're boring together and everything awesome about Kira fades away when she's around Scott.

 

Mostly it's that she isn't even trying - in 3B she was smart, curious and motivated. Now that she's officially the Main Character's Love Interest, she seems to have lost that.

 

 

Sadly,  this is true of nearly all the love interests in this show.  Guys and girls alike.

 

 

maybe next time don't introduce more characters than you can handle.

 

 

This.  There have been so many new characters lately that there's no time to develop any of them or start to build relationships that organically tie them to the more established characters.  So they're anchored to main players via awkward connections that are then ignored or played for laughs.  The Benefactor/dead pool plot exacerbated it, because we kept getting episodes filled with characters that weren't going to matter in five minutes.  We're almost at the end of the season, and I barely know more about Liam or Malia than I did when Garrett and Violet were around.  It's no wonder the ratings this season have been tanking so badly.  We're just not being given much reason to care about the characters who are getting a lot of the screen time.

[lion10]

On a positive note, I'm really impressed with Arden Cho's prowess with that prop chain.  That was really impressive and though the attacks against the berserker didn't do much, it was a really cool shot of Kira twirling the chain with the berserker running in the foreground against the windows.  Does anyone know if Arden has had any prior experience with martial art weapons?  

[FurryFury]

and most of their conversations since then have also been about murder,

 

Well, to be fair, most of the conversations in this season have been about murder, or close to it.

 

He's a war veteran and she's a high school junior,

 

Lydia's almost 18, and TBH, I don't really get this age thing... There are different laws in different states, and from what I gather, in most, it's 16 or higher. Personally, I have dated (casually) a guy in his mid 20s when I was 17, and nobody thought it was creepy. It's not like he's her teacher or something (hi, PLL!)

Not to mention it's quite clear that mentally, Lydia's old enough to handle dating older men.

 

and their first conversation was in a tunnel to a secret wendigo corpse fridge,

 

Huh, I don't even remember this. Again, for this show, that's pretty par for the course.

 

It's not that I ship Lydia and Parrish or anything, I genuinely don't see anything creepy about them. I got the people who were creeped out by Isaac/Allison, although I wasn't, but this time, I can't.

[enness2000]

Lydia's almost 18, and TBH, I don't really get this age thing... There are different laws in different states, and from what I gather, in most, it's 16 or higher.

 

 

For me it's less age and more life experience. Yes, Lydia's highly mature, and yes, she's been through far more than most juniors, but she's in high school and he's far enough out of high school to have served in a war. I think I'd find it less weird if she were as old as the rest of the cast, but had skipped a few grades and was out of school, and he was the same age but had just hung around town since graduation - the gulf would seem less gulfy. But it's totally a mileage thing.

 

Plus her getting knocked around every episode is obvious a ploy to tweak viewer hearts for Scott.

 

 

You know, I'd almost like if this was it, and they were doing it that intentionally. Having Scott be uber-protective of Kira to the point of making her less effective as a fighter, and having her be his weakness (so this week, for example, if he had had the upper hand on Kate but stopped fighting/let his guard down because Kira was getting her ass handed to her by the Berserker) would be both entirely understandable (given that his first girlfriend died in battle, like, 5 weeks ago in show-time) and could be some source of conflict or drama between them - the "baggage everyone brings from their old relationships" trope but with a monster-y layer. It'd still feature her as a device for his character, so still not ideal, but compared to having her get smacked around repeatedly for no obvious reason, and there'd be at least some potential for her to exercise some agency or express some wishes of her own, instead of being a blank cutout marked "Girlfriend (We think she's good with swords, or something?)".

[Gwen-Stacys]

Well, it seemed pretty handy for knocking an alpha werewolf into a near-death coma, so in her shoes I'd at least try to make contact with a berserker's chest and see if it works on them as well. Anything would be more effective than repeatedly stopping their punches with her face.

 

Yea, I'll admit that I give this show a lot of passes becuase I know it's a campy show on MTV that takes itself more seriously than it should (You do NOT have more heart than BTVS, Teen Wolf.), but Kira's arc this season has really disapointed me. In season 3b, I don't think I would've likened her or compared her to Allison at all. Even when the two girls fought side-by-side there was a clear difference between them and their approaches to hostile situations. Kira just jumps right in, Allison stands back and makes a calculated approach (See season 2 where she waited until wolfed-out-Isaac was distracted before came up behind him and shanked him....like a bad ass.)  But now....it feels like they're trying to do a re-tread of Scallison with Skira and it just doesn't work. Arden and Tyler don't have anywhere near as much chemistry together as Tyler and Crystal did.

 

Kira could've been great, but they fell so short with her.

 

Plus her getting knocked around every episode is obvious a ploy to tweak viewer hearts for Scott. Speaking of Scott, an episode (or two ago..I really can't bother to remember) he damn near lost control in that bit battle. Why did he allow Kate to kick his ass? What's the point of the extra fangs and the physical transformation? Shouldn't that animalistic part be closer to the surface?

 

I agree. Jeff and Co need to go back to writing school and re-review Chekov's gun theory....because they introduce multiple loaded guns to their storylines but never quite get around to having them go off.

 

One of the writters made a comment about them not having as much time developing season 4 as they've had with the previous seasons. And while this show has always been kind of shoddy and not a masterpiece in the slightest, all of their weaknesses in telling a compelling story have been made glaringly obvious.

 

They tried to do too much with the Dead pool and Kate/Peter. This season would've been better off as a slow season centered around these characters bumbling about with Peter and Kate being the one and only big bads simmering in the background. You still could've had Scott struggling to control his inner wolf, turning Liam out of necesitiy and not choice, Peter and his budding relationship with his daugter, Stiles and Malia's relationship, Malia's relationship with her adoptive father, Derek spending time with his cousin and falling in like with a Kick-ass Bounty hunter (she's always said she was a bounty hunter, not a killer, and it makes sense for what we've seen of her so far. She gets paid to find people and bring them back...if the person she brings them to happens to kill them....oh well.), Lydia struggling to control her Banshee powers/dealing with her guilt over Allison's death, Deputy Parrish, the new Lacross guy from the other team, Satomi's pack. The dead pool should've been saved for season 5, it would've felt more high stakes (especially w/ Satomi and her pack as we'd actually....gotten to know them for an entire season) and less like a throw away plot point.

 

On a positive note, I'm really impressed with Arden Cho's prowess with that prop chain.  That was really impressive and though the attacks against the berserker didn't do much, it was a really cool shot of Kira twirling the chain with the berserker running in the foreground against the windows.  Does anyone know if Arden has had any prior experience with martial art weapons?  

I think she said that she's studied Tae Kwon Do or something for most of her life.

Edited September 4, 2014 by Gwen-Stacys

[jhlipton]

They have made so dang many plot-holes, filling them all in in one episode (especially when it seems that half of it is Peter talking to Malia about her feelings) is going to be really rushed.

 

To my recollection, Kira can control large amounts of electricity (power plant, downed line, lightning storm), but not generate it. Has she ever created more than a small shock (CDC needle, jump starting Scott's heart)? That would barely tickle a berserker. Her picking up the chain was probably more a "fight with what you can find in a barren loft" moment, but unfortunately the first thing most viewers think is "it's conductive!"

 

I was hoping she's stick a finger in a light socket.  BAMF! No need to generate to generate electricity when there's plenty available for the taking.  The misuse of her kitsume powers has been a major disappointment.  (Also, anyone who's studied chain weaponry knows that you never let a stronger opponent get hold of the chain.)