S04.E13: Smoke and Mirrors

[Gwen-Stacys]

The pack travels to Mexico in order to save Scott and Kira.

[HunterHunted]

Eeeeech. My word was this terrible. Derek was evolving?!? On what show? Where? When? Not on Teen Wolf.

Scott had no character beats about trying not to kill as a berserker. The gang recognized him nearly straight away and tried to save him. This show is inept to the point of distraction.

I'm going to miss Chris Argent.

Edited September 10, 2014 by HunterHunted

[FurryFury]

This wasn't as bad as I had expected, actually. Still, a lot of WTF moments (the evolving thing was a giant ass pull), quite a few key plot moments were left unexplained (how much did Peter know about Meredith's plan? what was his exact deal with Kate? what was the origin and mechanics of Bersekers and why did they serve Kate specifically?) and a few disappointing survivors (I kinda felt Chris should have finished Kate off after Derek's attack and then die of the gun wound... which was mysteriously healed by the morning, with Kate escaping). Don't even get me started about the gang leaving Peter alive - after all he's done! Of course, killing him proved to be a temporary solution as well, but seriously, does anybody believe he won't escape Eichen House? Anyway, maybe the Desert Wolf will finish him off in the next season. 

 

I liked the small bits Kira and Stiles got throughout the episode, and I liked everything with Derek with the exception of the stupid evolve thing. I was shocked and appalled Lydia got such a shaft, however. It wasn't enough she was separated from the gang for the majority of the season, she doesn't even do anything in the finale? What a disappointment.

 

I hoped it would take all of Scott's pack, not just Liam, to get to him in the Berseker state. Actually, it was pretty contrived that they took him despite the full moon coming. Whatever, Liam's Jeff Davis' new favorite toy, I get it.

[justcris]

Well I guess there is no question what Season 5 is going to be about:

Desert Wolf + Eichen House/Arkham Asylum's three eyed man.

 

No one died! That was the best twist of all.

Don't like that Chris Argent is leaving with the hunters, but I can see how his character no longer fits in with the story. I just like Argent so much!

 

The Scott-is-a-beserker plot got resolved way too quickly, but at least he fought like an alpha against Peter, finally.

 

Derek is never dead! They will never kill him! Although, weird time to take a nap buddy!

Seriously, I did not understand anything about Derek's so called evolution. Sure, he's evolved as a character, but why does that mean he would lose his powers and kinda die only to come back as a wolf? Anyone? 

It was pretty cool seeing him as a full on wolf though.

 

Kira earning her tail, good for her! The one time she was allowed to do anything at all this season.

 

Not going to lie, when papa Stilinski and Stiles got Malia in on their hug, I got misty eyed. Aww!

 

Lydia served no purpose, kind of like when Stiles hit his jeep back on the season 3a finale.

 

For me, this season overall was weak. But I loved 3b, which I know a lot of people didn't like.

[patchwork]

Kate and Peter turning Scott into a berserker and all his friends trying to kill him could have been good tv but it was resolved way too easily. I could buy that Liam as Scott's beta has unique connection to him and it's something the evil duo hadn't considered but that too was badly done.

 

On the upside finally a titbit regarding Kira's powers and a Allison mention!

 

This season was a big misstep imo, it should have focused on Kate and Peter as the big bads working both together and separately. Kate gives the show an organic way to deal with Allison's death without calling a halt to the action and it brings in a hunter group who are much less understanding than the Argents. Peter should have been manipulating Malia from the off and gaining power by killing off supernatural creatures in the county with Lydia getting in his way. Both situations enable the pack to understand their powers better and oh follow up on the Nogitsune thing. The deadpool plotline just wasn't needed.       

Edited September 9, 2014 by patchwork

[Lady Calypso]

I won't say that I'm thrilled about the finale. I mean, it wasn't the worst they could do, but it was weak.

 

The whole Scott being a Berserker could have lasted longer. I get why they had to wrap it up quickly, but I felt like there was more they could have done. I like how Scott actually fought against Peter and beat him, though. Finally, someone in the gang actually wins a fight. 

 

I like Kira a lot and her parallel with seeing her mom vs Allison seeing her mom last season was well done.

 

This season should have really picked its plots better. Either do the Deadpool storyline or the Kate/Peter storyline. Because of the first plot taking up most of this season, we were left with many unresolved issues with the second plot.

 

Lydia has been poorly used this season. But hey, Mason is probably going to be brought into all this! Which...poor guy. But I did laugh at Lydia having a baseball bat to fight the berserker. I guess she listened to Stiles' advice. And yay Papa Stilinski for coming to save the day!!

 

I do like Liam and his connection with Scott this episode was extremely well done.

 

Derek becoming a wolf? Ok then, show. I'll roll with it. Part of me wanted Jordan to accidentally heal him, but whatever, this works too. Not really, but whatever. 

 

Peter possibly driven crazy by Crazy Third Eye? I could work with it. Hey, maybe Desert Wolf is locked up in Eichen House too! That would be funny. I would also laugh if Desert Wolf isn't female and Peter has his facts wrong about Malia being his daughter. I'd laugh for days. 

 

Oh well, disappointing finale but it wasn't horrible, per say. I liked Scott's overall plot and although the dialogue was more forced than most other episodes (sorry Jeff Davis, your writing wasn't that great this time!), I didn't mind the action. 

[Gwen-Stacys]

This season was a big misstep imo, it should have focused on Kate and Peter as the big bads working both together and separately. Kate gives the show an organic way to deal with Allison's death without calling a halt to the action and it brings in a hunter group who are much less understanding than the Argents. Peter should have been manipulating Malia from the off and gaining power by killing off supernatural creatures in the county with Lydia getting in his way. Both situations enable the pack to understand their powers better and oh follow up on the Nogitsune thing. The deadpool plotline just wasn't needed.       

I strongly agree with all of this. I think I said it in last episode's thread, but they tried to do too much. I'm willing to shrug it off knowing that the writing staff had a very small amount of time to plan this season out (there was only like a 2 month break between season 4 and season 3b). I think everything that happened in the finale would've had a better emotional impact if it had all been about Kate/Peter. And Scott should've been a Bezerker for longer than 2 seconds...that was just lame.

 

All I could think about when Derek changed from full wolf to human was ".....tee hee hee....he's naked" and Kate's face was right in his crotch (bad visual). I love him and Braeden together, and I think they compliment each other very well. She's human, but very capable and not a damsel. She's also, from what we've seen, very honest. I liked the throwout about her being a US Marshall. It makes sense that she would be good at finding people who don't want to be found, because she was trained to.

 

Loved the Stilinski+Malia family hug. And I actually lol-ed at the Sherrif locked Stiles to the desk and took Malia out to dinner without him. (And her awkward over the shoulder lookbacks were too cute.)

 

I also loled at Mason and Lydia thinking they could take on the Berzerker and subsequently getting their asses handed to them.

 

Peter screams like a bitch.

 

#inbeforepeoplestartcomplainingaboutsterekbaiting

 

On a random note: Natasha Henstridge for Malia's mom. I remember watching them on The Secret Circle and thinking that Natasha looked more like she should've been playing Shelley's mother rather than Phoebe Tonkin's.

Edited September 9, 2014 by Gwen-Stacys

[blueray]

Hm... I guess that was okay. Parts were good like the scenes in the car with Derek, Stiles and Liam. And the scene with the coach lol. I liked the stuff with Lydia and Mason as well, though you'd think they'd have to let him in the know now.

 

Anyhow, so how did Kate turn him into one of those things? It didn't really explain it just sort of danced around it. And was Kira not suppose to realize it was Scott? because in the scene it seemed Kate wanted her to know, but since Scott didn't kill her, she was going to just warn her friends. Therefore the stuff with Lydia in the school was pointless.

 

Also the fight scene between Peter and Scott was anticlamtic. Since it was shown in the previews, I was expecting a big show down. But instead it gets cut up by the stuff happening outside, which I didn't really care about. Then of course Peter lives at the end, I get that Scott wasn't going to kill him (would that stop him from being a wolf?). But could someone else have?

 

Lastly, Derek at the end was lame. Seriously he turns into an actual wolf after being dead. I would have rathered him stay human go off with whatever her name is. And the scene were he was "dead" I had no emotion since he wasn't going to be dead.

 

Overall, I'd 7 out of 10 since it had some good parts. Overall this was the weakest season. Everything that happened was meanless,  everything is back to how it was at the begining of the season (minus Liam). Peter is still alive, Kate is still alive, Derek is a wolf and Chris went off some place.

[ElleryAnne]

Okay, long post ahead.

 

Actually, I thought it was the best episode of the season, and I'll give it a solid B-.  It wasn't as good as the best episodes of earlier seasons, but it was better than the rest of S4.  The pacing was good and it managed a few moments of the kind of character interaction that this season’s been lacking in. 

 

 

The Good:

So I’ll start with the obvious, since somebody seems to be expecting it. ;)   Derek and Stiles had scenes together.   I admit that elevated the episode for me.  Their early/middle scenes in the ep were humorous.  The middle scenes - when they were dealing with Liam in the back of the vehicle - were good, and I really liked Stiles helping to explain the Alpha/Beta/Omega mantra along with Derek.  Also that Stiles obviously knew the pendant/triskelion wasn't everything Derek said it was, but still went along with it.  The looks these two give each other to communicate whole conversations absolutely delight me.

 

I loved when Stiles turned to look back at injured Derek before going off to find Scott.  (Okay, token Sterek moment of the season.  It may have come too late given the ratings lately.)  And finding Scott would be his first priority - of course it should be - but I liked that he didn't just callously ignore the fact that he might have been seeing a friend/ally alive for the last time. 

 

But see, show?  Derek and Stiles were in some scenes together and the apocalypse didn't start.  I don't know why you worked so hard all season to keep them apart.

 

 

Also Good:

I don’t mind Derek as a full wolf at all.  I think the explanation about the evolution was wonky, and I don’t get how becoming human and then dying led to it.  But the idea that Derek can become a full wolf is fine with me.  And it nods back to Satomi's comment a few episodes ago that Derek reminded her of his mother.  

 

The call from the Sheriff to Stiles, complete with Stiles' surprise that he could get cell service in the ruins. Yeah, it was something of a lampshade hanging, but I'll give them a pass on it.  (Totally arbitrary, I know. But it was the kind of lame joke I like in this show and by itself doesn’t bother me compared to some of the other illogical stuff.)

 

The Sheriff blowing up the Berserker.  He clearly took Stiles' advice about making sure he used stronger firepower.  Over the top, but a  cool moment. 

 

Nice framing of that scene for Lydia and Mason, as well.  And we could see that the Sheriff waited a moment to trigger the explosive, so he gave them time to scurry out of harm's way.

 

Lydia.  Baseball bat.  Awesome.

 

Mason – I feel like this episode was a pretty good way to start working him into the group.  His presence wasn’t forced, and it didn’t take away from anyone else, and yet he had a role in the narrative.  (See, show?  You don’t have to force your newbies to the fore all the time.  Let them simmer a bit first. I like Mason now more because of this episode than I do either Liam or Malia after a whole season.)

 

Chris letting Kate go.  If you'd told me at the beginning of the season that I'd be okay with them not killing Kate, I'd have laughed.  But I didn't want Chris to have to kill his sister, and I didn't want Derek to do it, and Peter was otherwise occupied, so I'm glad it ended up with Chris letting her get away - even if it was only because he was injured.  I was also glad to hear these two finally, really, talk about Allison.  That’s something that should have happened much earlier in the season.

 

 

The Neutral:

Berserker Scott – These guys are getting good at recognizing when their friends are possessed by evil and need to be snapped out of it.  This time it only took a couple of minutes.  And ripping off stunt costuming seems like it was probably easier than coughing up Nogitsune mummy-wrapping or re-doing kanima make-up.

 

Kate's explanation of how she ended up with the Berserkers.  So she found herself drawn to Tezcatlipoca, the Berserkers were already there, and they helped her survive because she could create more of them?  Eh. It doesn't explain what made her so special that she was drawn there in the first place, but it's something, I guess.  At least they attempted an explanation, which is more than they did for some of the other problematic plot points this season.

 

Chris going off with the Calaveras.  I'm glad he's not alone, but I wish he was going to stay in Beacon Hills.  Still.  I suppose the "going-off-to-help-catch-Kate" excuse is more convenient as a resolution than anything else for now.  (I'm guessing they wrote it that way until they figure out whether they're going to bring back the character.)

 

Speaking of convenient - using Coach as a way of pat-patting Liam into place with Scott and Stiles.  We didn't need it; we know Liam will be around, so there was no reason for Coach to be an expository device.  But the scene itself, with them all trying to explain Mexico as Scott/Kira's first date, was funny. I always love Coach, and I'm glad he survived another season.

 

Parrish/Lydia - If they take it slowly, I'm on board with that relationship.  But I do hope they take it slowly.  I don't want S5 to be another season of crappy insta-romance.  But I adore both Parrish and Lydia, and they do have good chemistry together.

 

Peter in the fuckin' Eichen House secret floor.  That place just won't go away.  So do we know if that secret floor is also the special jail Chris talked about earlier this season?

 

 

The Questionable:

Kira - why did she have to smash her hands against the wall to trigger pain so she could heal?  Wasn't she in enough pain already from the stab wound?

 

Braedon - why did they have Kate even ask how much money Braedon was being paid?  It's not like Braedon earned any of it.  Half of Beacon Hills has been able to locate Kate all season.  Braedon has become the worst mercenary ever, since they decided to use her as nothing but a love interest. (Mind you, I understand that if you have a choice between staying in bed with Derek or stalking the sewers looking for Kate, any sane person will choose the former.)  The Desert Wolf reference (and Braedon was a Marshall?  Huh?) probably means Braedon will be back at some point next season.  Frankly, I don’t care whether she is or not, since she’s lost most of her BAMF personality that I loved.

 

Chris - a day or two ago in the show's time, Chris had a pipe shoved into him.  Even if we assume that Parrish took him to the ER and they managed to stuff his insides into place and stitch him up like a Pooh bear, how did he heal so well so fast?  Especially after letting Kate go.  He healed like a kitsune with a smashed hand.

 

 

The Bad:

Liam and Malia annoyed me at various points, but nothing too outstanding.  Mostly it was just the usual awkwardness in the writing for their characters.  One-dimensional characters shoe-horned into too much prominence in the storyline too quickly all season.   Every time they show up, I can hear the wheels of the writers turning, trying to give them enough to do.  And in an episode like this, that shouldn’t happen. 

 

It bugged me that Liam calling back to the "not a monster" speech was the thing that brought Scott around to himself.  I would've liked it to be Stiles who got through to Scott instead.  They haven't had a lot of interaction lately, and that's not a trend I like.  But I guess if the show is determined to make Malia and Liam central to the plot, some of it is going to happen at the expense of Scott and Stiles’ scenes together. 

 

In Liam’s defense, the “carbonite” scene was a good moment for him.  On the other hand, I wonder why the sun/moon/truth mantra worked for him.  Derek’s betas used to need to find an anchor.  Derek’s own anchor was anger.  And here’s Liam, for whom anger is practically his only defining trait.  So I guess it couldn’t serve as an anchor.  But couldn’t something else?  Or is a mantra as good as an anchor now?  Grrr.  Why do I waste my time trying to make sense of the mythology in this show?

 

Peter – I realize this is probably one of those fanficky things for me, but I wish Peter had more human reactions sometimes.  We saw a bit of concern with him towards Derek, but I would’ve liked him to look more hesitant about leaving him to die.  And I would’ve liked him to worry a bit more about sending Malia to fight, and about flinging her out of the way like an old rag.   I like Peter better as an antagonist than as an outright villain.

 

Misc:

This season was supposedly focused on Lydia.  So why, even in the finale, is she isolated from the rest of the Scoobies? 

 

This episode made me miss Allison something awful.  Not sure why - maybe because this was the first major fight scene without her (not counting the pointless mess a couple of weeks ago).  Anyway,  I really missed her in this ep.  And it left me feeling that Kira's a poor substitute right now.  I adored Kira last season, and I still like her (though I think she and Scott are boring together), but Kira's presence seems blah compared to Allison. Or even compared to herself last season.  She's another one who has lost part of her personality or something.   And she's not emotionally anchored to the others the way Allison was. I think she would have done better with Lydia and Mason at the school, because Lydia and Kira's scenes together are usually very good. 

 

I wondered for a second if Scott was actually going to have killed Peter.  That certainly would have been a great set up for some major character development/introspection next season.  Hah! No, it wouldn't.  This is Teen Wolf.  Nothing that's happened will be remembered when the show returns next summer.  Berserkers, what Berserkers?

 

No Danny all season.  No real mention of him.  No real mention of Isaac.  The way this show forgets people is annoying.

 

Derek becoming a wolf? Ok then, show. I'll roll with it. Part of me wanted Jordan to accidentally heal him, but whatever, this works too. Not really, but whatever.

 

 

Ooh, that would've been an interesting little twist!  I would've liked that.  

 

 

Overall, the weakest season so far.  By far.  Too many plot points that went nowhere, too much time on peripheral characters that didn't matter, too little meaningful character development, too much hand-waving.  Here's hoping S5 is better.

Edited September 9, 2014 by ElleryAnne

[BuddhaBelly]

Apt title bc this whole season was a bunch of smoke and mirror.

 

There are some good ideas and if they would actually take the time to let the arc develop and stop rushing things this show wouldn't be such drivel.

 

I knew Scott becoming a Berserker wasn't going to amount to anything so I couldn't get invested in it. It was weird that they had Liam get through to Scott and not Kira or Stiles. Or hell a concentrated effort. That effect broke to fast and I still don't know how Berserkers are made and why they don't die under a hail of bullets or why they turn to dust when their skulls are gone. Are they already dead? Are Berserker zombies?

 

Did Kate not know that Kira could heal? Is that the only reason she left her alive?

 

I know Scott couldn't do it but Peter has to die. The actor is lifting too much and looks swollen and he can't act and at this point it's just stupid. He's just going to come back with a crazy half-formed plan for power. Suddenly, Scott stole his family's birthright and he wants it back. Hence stealing Derek's power (WTF? Is that going to be explained beyond some bullshit I was evolving? Into what? Why? Are all the wolves going to eventually evolve? Is that what's happening with Scott?), teaming with Kate and doing a bunch of other really dumb shit. 

 

Yay, Kira got a tail. 8 more to go which means, I hope, she's going to actively start working on her powers.

 

I want to know what Parrish is already.

 

 

[Yitzhak]

 

I knew Scott becoming a Berserker wasn't going to amount to anything so I couldn't get invested in it. It was weird that they had Liam get through to Scott and not Kira or Stiles. Or hell a concentrated effort.

 

I think the Liam thing could have worked if the writers had worked a little harder on emphasizing Scott's guilt over turning the kid into a werewolf and hating himself for endangering Liam's life. They could have also held back on Liam accepting Scott as his Alpha, maybe had Liam remain angry at Scott for most of the season so that Liam's "you're not a monster" moment could have played as forgiveness for Scott giving him the bite and freeing Scott from guilt and self-reproach. The way it was, the scene fell flat for me. It felt entirely forced and unearned. I was more touched by Stiles asking Malia to smell Scott's boxers.    

 

I thought the finale was pretty bad end to a very weak season. The conclusion just emphasized that it's been a season full of false jeopardy with no consequences whatsoever after all of those loooooong heavy hints that SCOTT MIGHT HAVE TO KILL SOMEONE!! (but of course he doesn't) DEREK MIGHT BE KILLED OFF!! (but of course he won't be) ALL THE SUPERNATURALS COULD BE ASSASSINATED!! (but only redshirts actually die) MALIA MIGHT BE BRAINWASHED BY EVIL PETER!! (nope, not even slightly) THE PACK PARENTS MIGHT LOSE THEIR HOUSES BECAUSE THEY ARE ALL SUDDENLY BROKE!! (no, they're fine now, forget about it, let's go out for dinner again).

 

Speaking of parents, where the hell was Melissa? Why was she out of the loop when her son has been dragged off to Mexico by berserkers? The only scenes I really enjoyed in the finale were the Stilinski family moments, because I always like the way Sheriff shows his love by threatening and yelling at his son. It's much more moving than the likes of Braeden turning from hardened mercenary into a total drip when Derek is fake dying.

 

And yeah, so...it looks like the long saga of Derek nonsense in S4 (de-aging followed by turning human followed by death prophecy followed by evolving into a super wolf) is going to remain nonsensical. What did Kate do to Derek? From the looks of it, Kate herself doesn't know.

 

 

I want to know what Parrish is already.

            

Question: Am I the only one who thinks Parrish is a seriously bland character and I don't even care about what he is and I've zero interest in seeing him and Lydia hook up? Just me?  

Edited September 9, 2014 by Yitzhak

[AudienceofOne]

As an episode, this could have been acceptable if it was the culmination of the season - which is what a season finale is supposed to be. Instead, all the beats felt off because the season that built up to it was so poor. This was supposed, I think, to be the victory of Scott's True Alpha over his self-doubt but it just came off as trite and laughably melodramatic.

 

Ignoring for a moment that none of this season makes any sense, the Derek situation is particularly dire. How did what Kate did to him lead to him becoming human and then dying and then evolving into a wolf? Was that Kate's plan? Did Peter have something to do with it? I thought the idea was that Kate and Peter had conspired to steal Derek's power and give it to Peter but... apparently not.

 

Basically, I spent the episode alternating between yelling WTF!!?! and laughing my head off at how bad it was.

 

Edited to add:  The Berserkers. Where did they come from? Why were Northern European myths hanging around an Aztek temple? Why did they follow Kate and follow her orders?

Edited September 9, 2014 by AudienceofOne

[benteen]

I didn't think it was too bad.  I liked what happened to Peter at the end but Kate's return was pretty much useless.  I agree the show should either do something with Derek or just right him off.

[blugirlami21]

I thought it was ok.  I think there were some serious missteps this season in terms of what the arc is.  We spent way too much time on the deadpool when it didn't amount to much of anything in the end.  I do believe Peter was innocent in that case for once but what was the purpose? 

 

I feel like they tried to make Peter and Kate the villains too late in the season so it had little to no impact when it was revealed to Scott.  Same thing with Scott is a beserker.  He snapped out of so fast and it was because of Liam?  He was willing to stab Kira and leave her for dead as well as kill his bff Stiles but Liam just has to say one thing and its enough?  I don't think they spent enough time showing their connection this season.  If I had seen evidence of that all season long it would have been more believable.

 

Now for the head scratcher.  Kate and Peter wanted to kill Scott because he became an alpha on his own?  Peter said that Scott stole the Hale bloodline but that doesn't make any sense.  They were werewolves long before Peter himself bit Scott.  I could understand if Scott actually was an alpha because he took it from Peter but that's not the case.  Same thing with Kate saying that Scott destroyed her family.  She and her father did that almost single handedly with their scheming.  Allison died doing what she believed in so I can't put that on Scott either.

 

I'm sad about Chris leaving the pack.  I know he doesn't have much to do but I would still like him to be a part of the show.  What happened to Scott's father?  He went to DC and never came back?  I wish we had gotten to see Melissa at least be informed that Scott had been kidnapped,

 

I love the Stilinski Malia stuff.  She always looks so surprised and touched to be included in their family.

[Bruinsfan]

So she found herself drawn to Tezcatlipoca, the Berserkers were already there, and they helped her survive because she could create more of them?  Eh. It doesn't explain what made her so special that she was drawn there in the first place, but it's something, I guess.  At least they attempted an explanation, which is more than they did for some of the other problematic plot points this season.

Tezcatlipoca's animal form is that of a jaguar and were-jaguars are a part of Mesoamerican folklore, so it actually makes sense for Kate to have some affinity for him and his temple once she'd changed into one. Maybe the berserkers are his jaguar skull-wearing undead minions and they just picked up the nickname from modern supernaturals more familiar with European culture?

[AudienceofOne]

Maybe the berserkers are his jaguar skull-wearing undead minions and they just picked up the nickname from modern supernaturals more familiar with European culture?

 

 

Supernatural Anglicisation? Colonialism's a bitch, isn't it?

[ahisma]

I liked enough things about this episode to like it as one of the better eps in a meh season. My main disappointments are that Kate didn't die and that Scott didn't kill. (Oh, and that Kate-and-Peter never did make sense.)

With Kate, I was really happy that Derek got the opportunity to maul her and that Chris got to shoot her. (The Kate and Chris interactions were excellent.) However, her slipping off into the night was too reminiscent of Gerard sneaking off to become a hanging plot thread. It would have been much more satisfying, narratively, to have Derek or Chris finish her off. I don't care how much Jeff and the crew like Jill Wagner, Kate escaping to live on is an affront to storytelling.

I could say the same about Peter, although I find him more entertaining to have around, and he has had the redeeming qualities of being a Hale and occasionally helpful. (His sad look that Derek was dying was his last "good" moment.) However I do find him being imprisoned in the asylum to be justice, and I laughed out loud at his scream at the end.

Narratively, though, I would have preferred if the plot had led Scott to have to kill Peter. The way the fight worked out, it's true to Scott's character that when Peter was defeated he was taken into custody. However I would like to see a situation with Scott like the one his dad described when he killed the Chemist to save Stiles. Sometimes you have to kill a bad guy to save a life. Not kill someone you've already subdued, like the assassin in the warehouse, but in the heat of the moment when lethal force is what it takes. It's a subtle lesson that even killing doesn't equal monster, but it's a lesson Scott has avoided so far. I had thought that his conversation with his dad was foreshadowing it but, once again, it's True Alpha = no killing. Does he think his dad, or the Sheriff, or Chris are monsters? Argh. (Also disappointed that Stiles could talk him down from self immolation in Motel California, but couldn't reach him here.)

I have not figured out what either Peter's or Kate's actual plans were, what they thought each other's plans were, or why they were mucking about with spells and trips to Mexico and berserker feints. Their big picture schemes make as much sense to me as Decalion's in s3a, which is to say, none at all.

That said, I loved:

- Malia and Stiles with Scott's underwear

- Stiles and another wolf who hasn't seen Star Wars (from her similar expression of disbelief, I'm guessing he has indoctrinated Malia—Human Lessons 101: watch Star Wars :-)

- Stiles and his dad standing off over going to Mexico. Understandable on both sides. I did miss Melissa McCall this ep, and would have loved to have seen her influence on the Sheriff's feelings on the matter. I don't think he could have held as firm against Stiles going if he saw her desperate to get Scott back.

- Stiles and Derek finally getting scenes together again. They were funny and awesome by turns in the van with Liam, and Stiles looking back at Derek dying was heart-wrenching. More so than Braeden's tears, as much as I like her.

- Kira (several episodes too late) getting guidance on her powers.

- Derek turning into a wolf. Yeah, it was an ass-pull that his de-wolfing was actually some sort of hibernation while his wolf evolved. And what kind of magic was it that Kate worked on him, exactly? More gaping holes, but I am on board with wolf!Derek. And naked!Derek.

- Mason teaming up with Lydia versus the berserker. I hope we see him officially enter the pack next season.

- I hope we see more Parrish with the pack next season, too. He was horribly underused this ep, but I liked that he did go to Mexico and I liked his scene with Lydia.

- Coach. Just Coach. Why do I get the feeling he visited Mexico back in his drinking days? :D

[ElleryAnne]

Coach. Just Coach. Why do I get the feeling he visited Mexico back in his drinking days? :D

 

 

Oh yeah, definitely.  :)

[AudienceofOne]

but it's a lesson Scott has avoided so far

 

 

 

Because they've written themselves into a corner with the confused 'True Alpha' mythology. To say he couldn't become a True Alpha if he killed and then to extend that and say he can only STAY a True Alpha if he never kills, the writers have backed themselves into a narrative corner on the issue. There's no way to discuss the issue intelligently because Scott gets punished even if he's forced to kill to defend others, which is generally considered justifiable morally, ethically and legally. They should have either said that the 'no kill' rule only applied to him becoming an Alpha or they need to find a narrative way out. Considering they just pulled "Derek was actually evolving"!! I'm sure they came up with something.

[bluebonnet]

Smoke and mirrors, indeed.  Nothing at all happened this season.  The only character who had any significant journey was Liam, because he became a werewolf and had to learn to control.  Malia had a bit of growth in there somewhere, I suppose.  Derek's still a wolf, just wolfier, and apparently any danger he was in throughout the season was just a facade as he just needed to die in order to 'evolve; (wtf? seriously, what. the. fuck. ).  Scott's still a true Alpha, just apparently able to finally fight like a supernatural.  Kate's still alive and still on the run.  The desert wolf is still unknown.  Braeden still has scratches on her neck that apparently didn't have negative consequences for her.  Lydia is still a mysterious banshee who serves no purpose to the plot save for magical keys and bait and switch (her record is pretty shoddy now that two people she said would die didn't die).  Kira still can't use any supernatural powers in a fight (oh, and Jeff told EW that he got asked this question on twitter and admitted that none of the writers even thought about her being able to use electricity while fighting for her life).  Isaac and Danny are still MIA with no one caring about them at all.  Meredith is still crazy.  Parrish's supernaturalness is still a mystery.  Papa McCall is still an absent father.  The season literally ended right back where it started.  The only difference being that there was a short set up to next season with three eye dude, but likely they'll forget they even filmed that scene.  

 

I think things that actually happened this season is the Stilinski money problem was resolved and Stiles' Jeep was somehow returned to full working order.  

 

Omg, Derek evolved?!?  How dreadfully stupid.  Did they really expect us to believe that this was a big deal when it's a Hale family trait?  Mama Hale could transform into a full wolf.  Laura (I think?) could also.  Peter was doing a half wolfie thing in season 1.  Oh but wow magical evolution that seems to be useless considering he couldn't even take care of Kate properly.  

 

It's too bad that the best episode of the season happened to be the one that must be downgraded to the lowest grade because, as a finale, it was truly shit.  I'm going to go eat chocolate ice cream now and whine to myself about my favorite guilty pleasure show becoming unwatchable.  

[ElleryAnne]

It looks like the ratings for the ep are in at 1.543 (per tvbythenumbers), which is up from last week but is still the lowest-rated TW finale, and to the surprise of no one, the fourth season finishes as the lowest-rated of TW's seasons.

[FurryFury]

Narratively, though, I would have preferred if the plot had led Scott to have to kill Peter. The way the fight worked out, it's true to Scott's character that when Peter was defeated he was taken into custody. However I would like to see a situation with Scott like the one his dad described when he killed the Chemist to save Stiles. Sometimes you have to kill a bad guy to save a life. Not kill someone you've already subdued, like the assassin in the warehouse, but in the heat of the moment when lethal force is what it takes. It's a subtle lesson that even killing doesn't equal monster, but it's a lesson Scott has avoided so far.

 

I absolutely agree with you about deaths! However, personally, I never believed Scott will kill anybody. Teen Wolf is not that kind of show - they'll never handle complex morality. What I did expect was that somebody more pragmatical will finish Peter off after Scott defeats him. Like Malia (I thought it was foreshadowed earlier in the ep when Peter asked if she would kill to protect Stiles and her friends). Remember Buffy season 5 finale and Giles killing Ben? This is exactly what I expected, and I didn't even get that. Although it may be the writers want to have Peter for the arc about his babymama.

 

Also, is it 2nd season that is ended by Peter's absolutely over-the-top hammy shouting, after 3A? It'll never not be funny.

[ahisma]

I was thinking recently that the great thing about the Harry Potter books was that the books mature as the children do. In the earlier books, Harry sees the people around him as good or evil. In the later books, he sees things like Dumbledore's shady ethics, and Snape's hidden heroism under his horrid personality. As we get older, we go from a black and white morality to seeing shades of gray. Rarely are people, actions, situations, or morals all or nothing.

If those around Scott are able to understand that killing is sometimes the lesser of two evils and can be the right answer, and Scott never gets there, that infantilizes Scott as a character and a leader. I've had a hard time with Scott's judgmental attitude in the past when killing comes up, since he doesn't come up with alternatives, only, "No," without accepting the consequences. Maybe his conversation with his father will back him off from the judgmental attitude. But I still would like to see him have to make the decision for himself and work through the fallout. If the ultimate message of the series is that Scott is the ideal role model for never growing out of his black/white morality, it's a serious failing in the show.

[FurryFury]

If those around Scott are able to understand that killing is sometimes the lesser of two evils and can be the right answer, and Scott never gets there, that infantilizes Scott as a character and a leader. 

 

The problem isn't Scott, the problem is that "Killing is inexcusable" is still a common stance when it comes to many things than can be shown on TV, at least when it comes to main characters, particularly stuff aimed at children and teenagers (but then, there are teen shows with really warped morality, like The Vampire Diaries, so who knows what's better in the end?). I mean, Buffy never killed anyone, even if Buffy is the same as Harry Potters in growing up with its audience. Aang the Avatar wasn't allowed to kill the big bad at the end of Avatar the Last Airbender (okay, its target demo were kids, but people still died on that show, and the question of killing bad guys was still debated). So I never really expected TW to suddenly grow the balls to do things that better shows couldn't.

[mac123x]

I admit, I cheered a little bit when the Calvaras Cavalry arrived.  That was a nice little surprise.  How the hell Chris Argent isn't in the hospital considering he had a 2" rebar jammed though his guts just the day before is harder to understand, but I'll go with it because of the Big Damn Heroes moment.

 

The Sheriff blowing up the Berserker.  He clearly took Stiles' advice about making sure he used stronger firepower.  Over the top, but a  cool moment.

 

I loved that too, but my immediate though was "why aren't the Calvaras' using explosives?"  As much firepower as they were packing, you'd think they could get access to C4 or a grenade launcher.

[sproutix]

Could Parrish have healing abilities, for others as well as himself? He survived being set on fire, and then he helped Argent pull the bar out, and then his eyes flashed...

[wayne67]

 

I mean, Buffy never killed anyone, even if Buffy is the same as Harry Potters in growing up with its audience. Aang the Avatar wasn't allowed to kill the big bad at the end of Avatar the Last Airbender (okay, its target demo were kids, but people still died on that show, and the question of killing bad guys was still debated).

 

To be accurate Buffy never killed any humans but she killed all the time, demons and vampires and random occult nonsense. She defeated her Big Bads and mini bads with lethal force more often than not. Notable exceptions being Rogue Slayer, prison, Dark Willow, magical detox, and Ben which was a stupid loose end that Giles took care of. Scott doesn't kill anyone or anything or even resolve any of the arcs himself. Derek killed Peter; Deucalion, Kate and Gerard and resurrected Peter got to continue on after mass murdering people in town without significant personal consequence. 

 

Aang found an alternative to killing the Fire Lord that stripped him of his figurative power (the fire nation via Zuko) and his literal power by light bending. 

 

It may have been a little of a narrative cop out around murder but he found a long term solution to the problem caused by Ozai without resorting to murder. 

 

I'd be fine with Scott not killing people if he bothered to find a useful way of disabling people instead of speechifying at them after their murders and letting them wander off without consequences. 

 

Scott makes for a boring protagonist because plot happens to him and plot is often resolved by other people for him. 

Edited September 11, 2014 by wayne67

[FurryFury]

To be accurate Buffy never killed any humans but she killed all the time, demons and vampires and random occult nonsense.

 

In the show's mythology, they weren't treated as persons (most of the time), because they didn't have souls.

 

Aang found an alternative to killing the Fire Lord that stripped him of his figurative power (the fire nation via Zuko) and his literal power by light bending.

 

Which was an obvious ass pull to help him get out of that bend. Because the writers couldn't explicitly show the main character killing, even a bad guy, in a show aimed at pre-teens. I didn't really expect them to, but this was a good show, so a part of me still wanted it to surprise me.

 

Scott makes for a boring protagonist because plot happens to him and plot is often resolved by other people for him.

 

Yeah, I agree - Davis took the "villains act, heroes react" mantra (which I'm frankly tired of, but it's not going anywhere) to the extreme with Scott.

[wayne67]

 

 

To be accurate Buffy never killed any humans but she killed all the time, demons and vampires and random occult nonsense.

 

In the show's mythology, they weren't treated as persons (most of the time), because they didn't have souls.

 

Does that mean Adam only had a third of a soul since he was a human demon robot experiment ?

 

They were still all sentient self aware creatures for the most part... Well except maybe those special spiders the Mayor ate.

 

At least when Aang was a pacifist he still managed to win fights. Scott can't even manage to hit people efficiently 70% of a season. He's only allowed to sort of win fights in season finales and then he lets villains wander off . 

Edited September 11, 2014 by wayne67

[FurryFury]

Yeah, Scott really is exempted from any wins that require agency.

 

Does that mean Adam only had a third of a soul since he was a human demon robot experiment

 

I really don't remember much about Adam because I never rewatch season 4 :) But I doubt that. Killing humans was treated as a big deal in Buffy (less so in Angel), because the Slayers were supposed to protect them from monsters, yadda yadda. Monsters were basically "always chaotic evil" up to a certain point, and then it all became muddled.

[Bruinsfan]

I guess I can see Scott opting for a nonlethal solution for Peter since he was the one Peter was trying to kill, not random innocent people. (And I agree that Peter can't be held accountable for something Meredith did based on his comotose internal monologue; he never acted on the dead pool idea when he was the alpha or after his resurrection, despite months of opportunity.)

 

Did Scott have the chance to do anything about Kate even if he wanted? Chris gets points for shooting her with a bullet that apparently had the extra-deadly yellow wolfsbane in it, though I'm sure she'll find someone to cure her before returning next season.

 

I do think Scott and Derek were idiots for not killing Deucalion while he was powerless, but I suppose they were prioritizing Jennifer Blake's killing spree of regular folks over his attacks against fellow supernaturals. Once the eclipse ended I think them "letting" him go was just bravado to save face; he'd have had no difficulty curbstomping both of them simultaneously.

[CooperTV]

Did Scott have the chance to do anything about Kate even if he wanted?

 

Kate was 500% Derek's righteous "kill", actually. But I guess he, due to his character development, didn't want to sink to her level and show that she still had a power over him. It would be weird for Scott to deal with Kate in any way because it wasn't him who was destroyed by her actions (to put it mildly).

[Yitzhak]

I do think Scott and Derek were idiots for not killing Deucalion while he was powerless.

 

One of the writers said on Afterbuzz that they didn't want Scott to kill Deucalion because it would have been like an execution. I guess that the same applies to Scott not killing Peter after he had overpowered him in their fight. But the frustrating thing about the writers insistence that Scott should never kill is that they avoid putting Scott in a situation that would really test him. Like Scott's dad shooting the Chemist to stop him from murdering Stiles. Would Scott not have done the same thing in that circumstance? Was it some sort of moral failing on Agent McCall's part that he didn't "find another way" to stop the evil man who was one second away from shooting a teenager in the head? It always felt weird that the show was all - "How do you live with yourself, Agent McCall?" He saved an innocent person's life and yet it was treated as though he had done something shameful.

 

In S1 Derek, Allison, Jackson and Stiles all worked together to kill Peter with claws and Molotov cocktails. Scott was the only one who didn't deal any killing blows when they defeated Peter the first time. Maybe the show wants us to feel that Scott is more pure and moral than all other characters, but it feels more like the writers get other characters to do the dirty work and make the tough decisions.  

Edited September 11, 2014 by Yitzhak

[Bruinsfan]

Kate was 500% Derek's righteous "kill", actually. But I guess he, due to his character development, didn't want to sink to her level and show that she still had a power over him. It would be weird for Scott to deal with Kate in any way because it wasn't him who was destroyed by her actions (to put it mildly).

Oh, I agree that Derek has a bigger litany of grievances against Kate than anybody. But as Kate was the one who shanghied Scott off to Mexico, turned him into a berserker, and sicced him on his girlfriend and other friends, I wouldn't blame him for having strong opinions on what to do about her.

[lion10]

I can see Scott not killing Deucalion because it would've felt like an execution given the circumstances and as someone already said he was too strong. Kali was dead and the twins had lost their Alpha spark so that whole fight scene was just Deucalion. That's pretty impressive. That said, I think Scott should've killed Peter. Peter has tried to kill Scott twice now and he clearly doesn't care who he hurts in his quest for power. Peter had a chance to live quietly after he rose from the dead. The Argents were almost dead and if Peter was feeling particularly vindictive, then he could take comfort in knowing that since Allison was dead, the family wouldn't be continuing. Instead he schemed against Scott.

[Terrafamilia]

I was glad that Peter was, at least momentarily, concerned for Derek's well-being. So he's a monster but not a complete monster. My sentimental fanwank was that the deal with Kate to de-age and de-wolf Derek was not just so Peter could get stronger (I'm assuming that's how that happened) but also to hopefully get Derek out of the inevitable cross-fire and off into a mundane life. Derek just didn't get the hint. Yeah, it's kinda far-fetched.

 

If Dr. 3-Eyes (hi Steven Brand!) can send normal people loopy maybe he can conversely knock a little more sanity into Peter.

Edited September 12, 2014 by Terrafamilia

[ahisma]

But the frustrating thing about the writers insistence that Scott should never kill is that they avoid putting Scott in a situation that would really test him. Like Scott's dad shooting the Chemist to stop him from murdering Stiles. Would Scott not have done the same thing in that circumstance? Was it some sort of moral failing on Agent McCall's part that he didn't "find another way" to stop the evil man who was one second away from shooting a teenager in the head?

YES. This. I just said over on the TV.com post: as werewolves in Beacon Hills, they have been put into the situation where they are essentially carrying loaded guns in the middle of a Mafia territory dispute. For Scott to insist that nobody kill, he might as well tell his dad and the Sheriff not to carry their guns at work. Would that be a "good" thing for him to do?

Realistically at some point someone is going to be in the situation of kill or be killed. It's a matter of the writers writing around the issue that Scott hasn't faced it yet.

[CooperTV]

My sentimental fanwank was that the deal with Kate to de-age and de-wolf Derek was not just so Peter could get stronger (I'm assuming that's how that happened) but also to hopefully get Derek out of the inevitable cross-fire and off into a mundane life. Derek just didn't get the hint. Yeah, it's kinda far-fetched.

 

If that's true, Peter had weird way about it (by destroying half of his nephew's identity and robbing him of his heritage and all that).

[jhlipton]

I liked the small bits Kira ... got throughout the episod

But once again, Kira can pose with a sword but can't fight.

 

 And was Kira not suppose to realize it was Scott? because in the scene it seemed Kate wanted her to know...

I don't think Kira was supposed to know it was Scott. She saw the stupid tattoo and Kate said "I'm going to hasve to get better plating" or some such. And I think she expected Scott to kkillKira -- I doubt she knew that Kira could heal (especially since Kira didn't.)

Mom: Use your pain

Kira: I have this gaping hole in the middle of my chest -- do you think it tickles? But I've got to make the "smoking mirror connection to obsidian so fine...

Jeff told EW that he got asked this question on twitter and admitted that none of the writers even thought about her being able to use electricity while fighting for her life).

What. The. F**K??????? That was the first thing EVERYONE here thought of. Geez -- they pay these crack-heads way too much.

[mac123x]

Chris gets points for shooting her with a bullet that apparently had the extra-deadly yellow wolfsbane in it, though I'm sure she'll find someone to cure her before returning next season.

 

/Smacking my forehead.  It was the plant he found a couple of episodes then stuck in a safe, right?  That makes much more sense than what I came up with.  I saw the yellow bullet head and thought "what is that supposed to be, Polonium 210 or something?"

[Snarkette]

 

Could Parrish have healing abilities, for others as well as himself? He survived being set on fire, and then he helped Argent pull the bar out, and then his eyes flashed...

Seemed like Chris spent a lot of time this ep trying to remember that he was injured, so he could grab his side. Problem with healers is that they're a bit too convenient story-wise in terms of plot hammers, and don't make good drama on their own. ("Hi! I'm a walking potion-of-extra-healing!") Also brings in the problem that in the real world, they'd be about at the top of the list for kidnapping for people desperate to heal themselves and loved ones.

 

Was surprised at how much I loved the Liam resolution, and the growing bond between him and his mentally-challenged wolf daddy Scott.

[xander874]

I don't have much to add to the cries of inconsistency that this show is now infamous for. I will add that I think this season really could've benefited from a Kate-centric episode. I'm not even a fan of the character, but  so much could have been answered if they spent time on her. A series of flashbacks showing us how we got to the point would've gone a long way to making the finale have some impact. As it was, we have no real explanation for anything and I don't feel that it was some intentional planning on TPTB to make us long for more. I think it was just lazy writing.

 

I actually really liked the Deadpool story, but if they felt the need to cram that and the Kate/Peter story into one season, they should've cut back on the Deadpool by one episode (and that would have been so very easy to do) and spent a bit more time developing Kate and the Beserkers (sounds like a bad 70s cartoon).