Lydia Martin: Banshee Genius

[Carrie Ann]

I hope Lydia has more to do in Season 4 than have wide-eyed teary face.

[jhlipton]

I, for one, don't want her to end up with Stiles.  How would that work?  She'd have to have fairly large personality reboot, and it would be hard for her to be anything than a "reward" for Stiles being a friend (give that man a cookie!).  And we all know that JD doesn't put all that much work into this show.  

 

Ain't nothing wrong in a man and a woman who like, respect and occasionally ogle each other just being friends.  And it would send a good message that nice guys enjoy what they have whereas Nice Guys get squat.

[ElleryAnne]

Ain't nothing wrong in a man and a woman who like, respect and occasionally ogle each other just being friends.  And it would send a good message that nice guys enjoy what they have whereas Nice Guys get squat.

 

 

I totally agree.  I wouldn't hate it if Stiles and Lydia ended up together, but I like them much better as friends.  TV doesn't do a good job remembering that men and women can just be really good friends sometimes, but I hope they get it right with Stiles and Lydia.  That friendship has developed so nicely from where they were in S1 up to now.

[Yitzhak]

I've been wanting to share my thoughts on Stiles/Lydia and why I don't see this as a "the nice guy gets the girl in the end as a reward for being nice" type of ship. I think this opinion on the ship has been parroted around the internet so much, but IMO it's an over-simplified way of viewing the relationship. 

 

Before talking about Lydia's feelings for Stiles, I'll talk a bit about Stiles's initial feelings for Lydia. Since Stiles said he was in love with Lydia from the third grade I've always felt this crush was linked with his mother who died around the same time. In this context I don't believe Stiles's crush on Lydia was necessarily based on sexual attraction (he was too young for that) more that Stiles built up an idea of Lydia as his idealized woman after the loss of his mom. I think Lydia was Stiles's safe unattainable crush that kids often have. Safe because Stiles could project his feelings on Lydia but not have to fear losing Lydia because she wasn't his to begin with. I think Stiles was more in love with the idea of Lydia than Lydia as a person. Emotionally Stiles kept Lydia at a distance. In fact, Stiles used to think Lydia was a cold conceited person even while saying he was in love with her. Stiles didn't really know Lydia in the first two seasons any more than Lydia knew Stiles. I think Stiles's original crush on Lydia ended in the S2 finale when Stiles essentially got angry at Lydia for risking her life because if she died it'd mean Stiles having to experience that grief of losing the most important woman in his life again after he made Lydia a band aid for his grief over his mother.

 

From S3 onwards I do think Stiles gave up on his Lydia crush and was open to experimenting with other girls - Heather, Caitlin, Malia, etc. And from this point on a mutual friendship began to develop between Stiles and Lydia, a platonic relationship that wasn't forced or seeking something more. As for Lydia's feelings for Stiles - well, what are Lydia's feelings about boys in general? Lydia seems to have a type - "roided up jocks" as Alison put it. Lydia definitely enjoys sex with hunky jock boys and in S1 having a hunky jock boyfriend seemed to be an important social status symbol for Lydia. But did Lydia have deep feelings for these jock boys? I do think Lydia fell in love with Jackson, but I don't think she was in love with him from the start. I think Lydia developed a stronger emotional attachment to Jackson than she intended after initially just considering Jackson to be a good social match for her. If Lydia can develop deeper feelings for Jackson, why not Stiles? After S3 I don't think it can be denied that Lydia has come to care about Stiles a lot. Her kissing him to stop his panic attack wasn't a romantic move but it was a loving gesture.

 

I'm 50/50 over the possibility of Stiles/Lydia being endgame (though it seems more likely now there is no chance of Scott/Alison being endgame). I wouldn't mind their relationship remaining platonic. However if it did eventually become romantic, I don't think it would have anything to do with Stiles's initial crush and Lydia's initial rejection. That's something that happened before either of them really knew each other and they are both different people now. Therefore I feel a romance would have a very different premise. 

Edited June 29, 2014 by Yitzhak

[bettername2come]

That friendship has developed so nicely from where they were in S1 up to now.

 

I like the idea of Stiles and Lydia as a couple. but their friendship alone is still beautiful. They save each other's lives, respect each others intelligence and help each other through mental breakdowns. There's a scene in season three that I love, where Lydia is researching with Stiles and she's just casually laying across his bed with her shoes off like it's no big deal. They're just comfortable together now.

 

Lydia has proven herself to be such a good person as she's grown closer to Stiles and Scott. Compare the shallow girl who was afraid to show her intelligence and talent in season 1 with the girl who jumps through fire to save her friends. She's become every bit as heroic as Scott is.

 

I think before Allison came along, Lydia must have been pretty lonely. Despite her alleged popularity, she hasn't been shown to have any friends outside of Scott's pack.

[blueray]

I would be open to them being together but right now I really enjoy their friendship. Both characters have grown a lot since season 1. I just wish they would write Lydia more consistently (particularly her powers).

[greenbean]

I'm 50/50 over the possibility of Stiles/Lydia being endgame (though it seems more likely now there is no chance of Scott/Alison being endgame).

 

I think this depends on what Holland and Dylan want. They've made comments showing they're hesitant about the fan reception Stiles/Lydia may receive. Imo it was dialed back in S3 for this reason. So I assume Jeff is sympathetic towards them, and he loves Dylan anyway.

[jhlipton]

I think this depends on what Holland and Dylan want. They've made comments showing they're hesitant about the fan reception Stiles/Lydia may receive. Imo it was dialed back in S3 for this reason. So I assume Jeff is sympathetic towards them, and he loves Dylan anyway.

 

It also depends on both sticking with the show until the "endgame" is achieved (and the show itself sticking around, but I don't know if that's a problem).  If Dylan or Holland decide they want out, it all becomes moot...

[Bruinsfan]

I'd actually like to see more of Lydia working together with Scott rather than Stiles. There were some nice moments with the two last season, and pairing them when the action starts would cover weaknesses in both characters (Scott not knowing what to do half the time and Lydia being helplessly abducted or menaced by villains at least that much).

[Grumpymonkey]

I need more movement with Lydia. She's still finding dead bodies without knowing how, less frightened when doing so, so I guess that is some movement. Still writing/drawing things she doesn't know she is doing. Same thing from 3a and 3B. I need them to explain more. I hope they finally explore her abilities. It's what I'm most interested in.

I also hope we get a scene with her reflecting on Allison, more then just a passing mention. I really liked their friendship.

[Grumpymonkey]

I really liked Lydia's scene with Meredith about not all monsters do monstrous things. But I was confused as to why Meredith hearing Lydia scream about Allison made her start the whole dead pool.  Though not much on this show makes a lot of sense to me this season. Still got nothing on her banshee powers which is disappointing but not shocking. I have enjoyed what little we have gotten of Lydia. Just still have more questions than answers when it comes to her.

[Yitzhak]

Yeah that made no sense to me either. It seemed like they were scrambling to explain why Meredith waited so long to initiate the Dead Pool after the Hale house fire. And while I want to like Lydia bonding with another Banshee it doesn't feel right that Lydia is so compassionate for Meredith when the girl almost got her and all her friends killed. But then between her mental illness and Peter's manipulation I guess we aren't supposed to hold Meredith too responsible for her actions?  

[enness2000]

I figured it was kind of a "last straw" thing. I mean, between her time in the ward with Peter and Stiles appearing in Eichen House, she had basically been locked up with minimal contact with the supernatural. When Stiles first appeared the voices tried to get her to help him; when she did break out to help the gang in "Insatiable", it lead (however incidentally and inadvertently) to Allison's death. The supernatural taking the life of another human, with her involvement, could definitely have been enough to push her over the edge, especially since she seemed to have some level of link with Lydia even then (given that she could tell Lydia didn't want to be found) and would have felt, to at least some extent, Lydia's anguish.

 

I mean, I think the fact that Meredith included herself on the list is telling; the guilt of being a banshee, and the fear that you're not just predicting the deaths but somehow helping them on their way, must be pretty smothering. You're basically talking about every emotional issue Lydia's dealt with in the past season-and-a-half, all the frustration and anger and guilt, but in someone who has no support network and far less capacity to rationally deal with those feelings*. Not that I think the show did a very good job of explaining any of that, but I can see it holding together if you reeeeeeally want it to.

 

*ETA, which might be why Lydia's so sympathetic towards her. Lydia knows from crazy, and given how many banshees seem to have been killed in Eichen House, is presumably well aware that her power may land her there someday.

Edited August 28, 2014 by enness2000

[ahisma]

Actually, I don't think the Eichen House murders were all banshees, just random patients Brunski decided needed "release," including Lorraine once she was on to him. Still, Lydia has felt plenty crazy with all the uncontrolled hallucinations, traveling to murder sites, and screaming. Fortunately she has people around her who know the supernatural is real and that banshees are a thing.

[Grumpymonkey]

So as far as Lydia goes that was a disappointing finale. I thought her staying behind so she couldn't predict Scott's death was a weak cop out to keep her out of the action. I was reading an interview with JD http://insidetv.ew.com/2014/09/08/teen-wolf-post-mortem-season-4-finale-jeff-davis/ and he says he wanted this season to focus on Derek, Scott and Lydia. I think he missed the mark completely. Most of the season Lydia was isolated off by herself and we didn't really learn much about her powers. Just that her grandma was a banshee and murdered. Last week when she showed up at Derek's they never really explained the how. I guess that's just something she's going to do from here on out and she "woke up" Deaton with no explanation either. Its frustrating when she and her story is what I'm most interested in.

Edited September 9, 2014 by Grumpymonkey

[Snarkette]

Exactly how strong is Lydia? She doesn't seem to have super-healing or anything but dang she dragged Derrick to the brokedown werewolf palace without breaking a sweat in Party Guessed

Edited November 7, 2014 by Snarkette

[lion10]

Exactly how strong is Lydia? She doesn't seem to have super-healing or anything but dang she dragged Derrick to the brokedown werewolf palace without breaking a sweat in Party Guessed

 

Lydia's a banshee, so no enhanced physical abilities.  She was under Peter's influence during that time so probably at times when she would've rested, she just kept going ignoring any strain in her body.

[Bruinsfan]

She does seem to be somewhat hardier than normal, as she was running around the woods naked for a couple of days after being mauled and suffered no longterm physical problems.

[Yitzhak]

I think it's been established that Lydia has no heightened physical strength or healing powers. Hence why Lydia stays on the sidelines of fights with Stiles. I often wonder why nobody has bothered to give Lydia and Stiles some basic self defense lessons. Braeden taught Derek to fight without superhuman abilities, so why are the pack just letting Lydia and Stiles resort to waving baseball bats at huge scary monsters?  

 

I reckon Lydia could use her scream as a weapon at least. 

[lion10]

Two things that annoy me about this character:  Lydia's voice is very squeaky and I can't tell if Holland is a good actress and is just so subtle that it escapes me or if she's terrible.

[Cigale]

Two things that annoy me about this character:  Lydia's voice is very squeaky and I can't tell if Holland is a good actress and is just so subtle that it escapes me or if she's terrible.

That!

Also annoying me to no end are her lips, or lipstick, or the color of her lipstick. It's wrong and it bugs.

I just began season 3b, does it change in later episodes?

[Grumpymonkey]

So far I've been pretty pleased with Lydia this season. She started out like normal, not very involved MIA but she has had more scenes with Kira and Malia and Scott and Stiles. She isn't so isolated and has more of a role with the pack. That's nice to see and I hope it continues. I do like that they had her want to learn how to fight. This season was the second time she ended up in the hospital so it makes sense she'd want to learn. Though I'm not sure how she got to what aired in the first episode, that's a little advanced. Also thought her flashback in the last episode was interesting. I'm wondering how she winds up in Eichen house. So far I'm enjoying this season much more than last year.

Edited August 2, 2015 by Grumpymonkey

[wayne67]

I think Lydia suffers from sideline syndrome. She often seems to be on the sidelines of main story lines and half the time her motivations seem fairly flimsy from moment to moment.

 

For instance, it's been 3 years (maybe?) since learning that the supernatural was a thing and it's taken her until this season to learn some self defence techniques. If I lived in Beacon Hills I'd have taken up martial arts after the first mysterious death and as soon as I learned there were evil werewolves, rape whistle and mace on me all the time.

 

Does she feel sad that a guy she used to date/shag for a season is dead ? I honestly can't tell. Is she angry/sad/indifferent that Jackson is in another country after being semi responsible for the deaths of 20 or so people?

 

Maybe it's just me. I like Lydia but half the time I'm not sure if she has much purpose other than finding dead bodies which considering that werewolves have heightened senses of smell seems kind of redundant (though if Scott can smell fear, that boys locker room must be hell). You'd think that Lydia Banshee Genius might be a bit more curious as to what Banshees can do...

[Grumpymonkey]

I thought she was doing better this season but you are right wayne67, she basically exists this season to support Parrish's b story and that is super disappointing to me. They psyched me out in the beginning of the season and I thought she would have more relevance, but just more of the same. She use to be the one who found the dead bodies and now she can't even do that apparently, oh well. I don't know why I keep hoping for more for her. For anybody on this show.

[Smoaking Reporter]

Ok someone help me out here. Why are we promised a big arc for Lydia every season but once the season starts rolling there's not very much of Lydia at all. We still know almost nothing about her Banshee abilities. And others are getting special episodes while they still haven't delivered on her Banshee arc. Still don't see why she is needed for the Parrish arc. It's starting to become a pattern for her to be taken/trapped somewhere away from the main group in every finale. Her scenes in the finale were wasted on Parrish.

[wayne67]

It would be nice if they explored Lydia's power to resurrect dead Alphas by being scratched. It might come in handy for Scott to have that back up option considering how pathetic he often is in a fight.

 

I'm confused as to why Lydia needs to visit a school library to find out about Parrish when she could consult the internet via her smart phone.

 

Or find out why Lydia has to find the dead bodies when theoretically the werewolves and werecoyotes could find them using their super smell...

 

Or have a reason as to why Lydia super genius doesn't explore the Banshee myth or consult Deaton or any of the other Druids that presumably exist or Peter or Derek or Braeden or Chris Argent or Gerard Argent or anyone. She might not get the right answer but at least she'd be asking the right questions for a change.

 

Lydia often serves as a narrative short cut, instead of the teens searching for dead bodies or stumbling over them, Lydia just randomly shows up at crime scenes.

 

You know what would be a good storyline for Lydia, becoming a detective, she's got the brains and she's got the instinct for when bad things are going to happen. She might have more luck dealing with things if she had a gun and some more hand to hand combat training.

 

Do we even know what life goals Lydia has ?

[jelaine]

 

Lydia, becoming a detective

In my heart, she and Stiles open a detective agency name S & M Investigations at Lydia's insistence. 

 

The reason she doesn't do any of those things is because that would mean the writers would have to treat them like real characters instead of pieces on a chess board they can move into the "this is sooooooo coooooool" positions.

[beee]

Lydia suffers from Teen Wolf’s obvious inability to write female characters. They create wonderful characters and then don’t know what to do with them other than making them love interests. Lydia has suffered from this the most because most of her story lines have been terrible, muddled and not in line with her supposed intelligence. This goes for all the female characters. No woman can be badass on her own, she must be attached to a guy. Even Allison, who was the most rounded female character had to hook up with Isaac after she and Scott broke up. Kira started off well and then fizzles out when she got together with Scott. Braeden was a shadow of her former self after she hooked up with Derek. Cora and Erica were meant for Stiles so they would have ended up the same way had they ever had the chance to develop into something resembling a personality. Malia is the only one who so far who has retained some semblance of her own storyline independent of her boyfriend. Oh yeah, and Melissa of course. So the choices for women on Teen Wolf are mother or girlfriend, either way supporting the male character. I know that sexism rules in TV land but Teen Wolf is so obvious it’s not even funny anymore.