S06.E10: Riders on the Storm

[Cigale]

Scott and his pack face off against Douglas in a final showdown, and the fate of Beacon Hills hangs in the balance.

[Lady Calypso]

Stiles! He always makes things better! I love that they at least ended on Stiles/Scott. Even if they did have some hiccups with their prominence on Lydia/Stiles reunion compared to Scott/Stiles, they ended this first half on the right couple. It really did feel like a series finale; if I didn't know that there were 10 more episodes, I'd think that it was a good ending to the show. I do wonder if they did it in case they couldn't get Dylan back for the last half. 

Of course Lydia's going to start MIT as a junior. Even if it makes less than zero sense.

Somehow, Theo escaped the train station and looked mostly fine? 

Eh, the romances this episode were...well, I don't expect anything less now. The Chris/Melissa kiss was surprisingly....well done. 

That is all I got at the moment about the episode. It was just an ok finale. 

[omgsowicked]

Holy shit. I'm relieved Stiles wasn't killed off or turned into a Rider but I wasn't expecting to say goodbye to the Senior Pack already. This definitely felt like a series finale but there are still ten episodes left, so what? We're getting that Next Gen reboot, only for 10 episodes? Or will some of the Senior Pack will still be in town? I'm not completely against the Junior Pack like others seem to be but I didn't think we'd see them running things, so I don't know how I feel about that. Well, since Dylan O'Brien's schedule dictated things, at least we got a concrete ending for him, even if it was abrupt and unexpected. I have a feeling many viewers will call it quits here, and I don't blame them because I don't think they can match, let alone exceed, this block/finale. Although I have heard that they want to get some old characters to return, so maybe that'll be a draw. *shrugs*

I've really resented how much attention Stydia has gotten over Sciles this block so I was relieved that the series ended with just them (driving off in the Jeep, exactly like I hoped!). Really nice callback to the pilot, a dead body in the woods. (And another callback was Stiles closing his eyes when the Rider put his gun to his head, like when that teacher did it a few seasons ago.) I'm a little frustrated that whatever Stiles wanted to say to Scott in the first episode never got addressed but I suppose it's OK because we got an "I need you/I'll miss you". Sad that they're not going to college together... Stiles seemed OK with it, considering how upset he was about it in S5. I wish they had gone to the same school and just said that Stiles went out first to find apartments. But if they kept Scott local so he could make appearances, I guess they wanted a solid reason for Stiles not to be around.

At this point, it would actually be weird if Liam and Hayden didn't kiss with dreamy music blasting in the background but ugh, lol. And after losing his mind when Mason was erased, you'd think he'd want to hug him... but nah, he's cool. At least the hugged Stiles, I was hoping but not expecting that. They're really pushing a Liam/Theo friendship, huh? I don't really get it, especially since Theo trapped Scott in the library so Liam would kill him. Liam can choose accept that he's ~reformed~ I guess, but they don't have to be bros or anything. As for 6B, if Scott doesn't hang around, I'm curious to see if they'll acknowledge that Liam and Hayden are Omegas in need of an Alpha or if they'll pretend like that's not a major issue. And in the same vein, I wonder if Liam will become a True Alpha like Scott, since he didn't kill the Nazi Wolf like many thought he may do to become an Alpha without killing Scott.

Really fucked up that Stiles and his dad had to fight/kill Claudia, who... was a Ghost Rider? OK. I warmed up to Argent/Melissa but I thought that standoff and subsequent kiss was really goofy. I think it was meant to be. Seeing Corey hooked up to the intercom thing was really disturbing. There wasn't anyone in the intercom room when Stiles and Peter went in it but maybe there was another room. Shudders to make me think that Corey may have replaced someone who died announcing the times. I thought Peter might be killed off after being somewhat redeemed through his relationship with Malia but he's still around.

There's more to talk about but my mind is jelly after this episode, lol.

[Richness]

I...

That was...

Why... 

Crap. I just can't wrap my head around how stupid that episode was. I don't even know where to begin with everything that I hated. I've read better fan fiction than what I just watched. I'm actually angry at this episode and the show now.

I was thinking this was the series finale with the way they wrapped everything up. But apparently, there's another 10 episodes to endure this summer. Why?!?!? Did the powers that be change their mind after writing and filming this episode? It just doesn't make any stupid sense at all. I'll watch this summer just because my OCD won't allow me to give up now, but I fear it's going to make me hate a show that I once loved.

[HunterHunted]

14 hours ago, Lady Calypso said:

Stiles! He always makes things better! I love that they at least ended on Stiles/Scott. Even if they did have some hiccups with their prominence on Lydia/Stiles reunion compared to Scott/Stiles, they ended this first half on the right couple. It really did feel like a series finale; if I didn't know that there were 10 more episodes, I'd think that it was a good ending to the show. I do wonder if they did it in case they couldn't get Dylan back for the last half. 

Of course Lydia's going to start MIT as a junior. Even if it makes less than zero sense.

Somehow, Theo escaped the train station and looked mostly fine? 

Eh, the romances this episode were...well, I don't expect anything less now. The Chris/Melissa kiss was surprisingly....well done. 

That is all I got at the moment about the episode. It was just an ok finale. 

Stiles makes everything better. I was not happy with the amount of Stydia nonsense when Sciles and Stiles and his dad have been his most enduring relationships. I'm also irritated that after all of that shit and we didn't even get a scene with Scott and his mother. I'm hoping that in 6B that Scott doesn't spend the entire time mentoring the junior pack.

If Lydia had been going to a reasonably good, but not exceptional university then her starting as more than a freshman would be believable. Not a junior mind you, but more than a freshman is doable. I started as a sophomore largely because of AP courses.

I'm meh about the romances, but it's clear that we'll be getting a Malia Theo romance in 6B. It's the only reason that you'd leave Theo still on deck.

I love the parents on this show.

Edited February 1, 2017 by HunterHunted
Because Theo and Liam are different people

[Rascotes]

I agree with everyone saying that this felt like a series finale to me and left me with questions about the final 10 episodes.  Are they maybe going to try and focus the last episodes around the younger pack?  That doesn't really seem like something I'd be interested in watching.  This show needs Scott, Stiles and Lydia featured prominently to work.  I don't hate the younger crew but I don't like any of them enough to come back for.

As for the episode itself, I liked it in a "It's Teen Wolf so don't think too much about the plot" kind of way.  I liked that everyone made an appearance but found the Big Bad to be ultimately pretty underwhelming.  Stiles being in the episode and interacting with the others was a highlight, it's really a shame that the last season was so impacted by his injury.  

 

The line of the night for me was Malia, who usually gets the better one liners.

Theo:  He's not alone, he has a pack.

Malia:  And Theo isn't in it!

[waving feather]

I haven't watched Teen Wolf regularly since 3B, so had no idea what was going on or who are the new kids but tuned in because I read that Stiles is back. He was as lovable and funny as I remembered. Is this Dylan/Stiles's last episode with Teen Wolf? If so, I am grateful for Dylan and the writers for introducing me to one of my favorite TV characters. And let's be real, he was a big part in making TW popular with the masses.

I liked it when he was imparting his wisdom to the younger guys at the end and has a key for every place in Beacon Hills. FBI, huh? I would have though CIA for Stiles. I would watch a spin-off series with Stiles and Scott's FBI dad. They had good chemistry, if I'd recalled correctly.

[Lady Calypso]

4 hours ago, HunterHunted said:

Stiles makes everything better. I was not happy with the amount of Stydia nonsense when Sciles and Stiles and his dad have been his most enduring relationships. I'm also irritated that after all of that shit and we didn't even get a scene with Scott and his mother. I'm hoping that in 6B that Scott doesn't spend the entire time mentoring the junior pack.

I'm also irritated that they glossed over Stiles and his dead mother. Even if his mother wasn't real, they barely touched on his relationship with her. It was immediately an "oops, she's evil and choking Stiles" thing. Also, I feel bad for Malia, who didn't even GET a reunion scene with Stiles. I know I never liked their relationship, but come on, show! It's like they deliberately avoided Scalia for Stydia. Jeez, show. You ignored Stydia for the most part and then shoved it down our throats for the last season. It doesn't work that way. 

[SimoneS]

This episode was not good, but it was good to have Stiles back. I didn't like that Liam barely acknowledged Mason and then Mason and Corey never had a touching reunion moment. However, I did laugh when Peter said that he wasn't part of Scott's pack, but nobody likes a Nazi. Ha, so true.

[MV007]

I think the episode suffered from the same thing the series suffers from.  Its too heavy on mythology, creepy camera shots and wolf roars.  And too light on character development.  I agree with most of what has been said regarding wanting more time spent on certain storylines.  I also think they were limited given Dylan's availability.  I do wonder though if there was some way to push the series back so that they could have him for more time.  They could have built the Stydia relationship throughout the season with flashbacks.  They could've gone in a completely different direction then having him disappear.  

Regardless, the show is light years better when he's around.  Even if they had to push the final season back to starting now or in a month or two, I think they should've really thought about it if it meant more Dylan.  I really don't want to believe that Dylan just didn't want to do the show anymore and that this wasn't just a result of his accident.

Finally, the ending was mind-numbingly dumb.  Like a lot of the show, the idea was solid but the execution was poor.  And for all the buildup for a Stydia reunion, they kissed upon seeing each other and then we never saw them interact again.

Edited February 1, 2017 by MV007

[Lady Calypso]

6 minutes ago, MV007 said:

 I really don't want to believe that Dylan just didn't want to do the show anymore and that this wasn't just a result of his accident.

I do believe that Dylan loves the show and this was mostly as a result of his accident. Well, that and his several movie roles that he's taken over the past year. I think Dylan does cherish the show, just judging from what he says in interviews and on social media. I can't imagine that he'd just give up on the show in its final season. I know that they planned for Stiles to disappear before Dylan's accident; his lack of appearance for 6A was to accommodate for his two or three movie roles that he took on. I remember this because they started filming 6A last February and his accident wasn't until March or April (I can't remember which month). Maybe they planned for Dylan to make more brief appearances but his accident refrained him from doing so. 

The only issue I now have is what role Stiles will play in 6B. They've basically gave him a good reason to not return for 6B except for maybe the finale, but seeing as how that turned out for 6A, I'd have to hope that they've altered those plans if they exist. I don't think they can focus on Junior Pack because people don't seem to like them at all. Theo apparently is now part of Junior Pack, so that's another deducted point, and Hayden/Liam is not an epic couple like they're trying to make them out to be. Even Stiles passing down the baseball bat to Mason doesn't work as well. 

I'm keeping an eye out on 6B spoilers, as I know they started filming back in late November.

[ahisma]

Well, so much for the idea that all three friends brought Stiles back, since Scott and Malia didn't see or sense him. The forced Stydia was a really unfortunate aspect of this season. Having her truly appreciate him as a best friend would have been a good 180 turn from the beginning of the show. 

But, SO good to have Stiles back! "I can't believe I'm gone a couple days, the whole place falls apart!" "If they don't let me graduate, I swear to God..." :D

 I get that he got back through magic Lydia, but after that, no more of people going through the dimensional portal being burned to a crisp? 

Ugh, whatever. It's nicely tied up, and the ending was a great series ending. Not sure what, if anything I'd want from the back 10 episodes. 

Edited February 1, 2017 by ahisma

[AudienceofOne]

It wouldn't be a Teen Wolf finale if it made sense. 

I know people were annoyed by the whole Stydia thing. It didn't bother me. What did bother me is that they decided to go for a Next Gen reunion in the Hunt  instead of having everyone there to back up Scott for his showdown with [insert ridiculous Nazi reference involving an underwear model here]. So when Scott did his "I'm not alone" thing, only Malia showed up. As they said, Theo and Peter aren't pack. So instead of it being this great 'the whole pack comes together at the end' and 'Scott has a pack' moment, it instead was a 'Scott really is the Alpha of nothing' moment. 

I guess if the back ten are in 'summer' then maybe everyone will be home for the holidays before starting college? Or something?

Also, Lydia already had the credits to graduate from high school so I can believe she's been taking college classes the last year. But Junior? At MIT? Um, no. 

[bettername2come]

Okay, I'm torn between "that was kind of an anti-climactic episode" and "fuck yeah, Stiles is back and hugging everyone." It seems odd that there's going to be ten more episodes, although if I were to get Vet!Scott and FBI!Stiles solving crime together with the help of Lydia "Youngest Fields Medal Winner" Martin, I'd be fine with it. And I am glad they finally acknowledged that leaving Liam in charge doesn't make him the alpha. I love that Scott's dad put in a good word for Stiles. He had to hate doing that. Like, "the kid's a little shit, but he's solved a lot of murders and saved lives, so just let him in the program so you don't have to pull him off of crime scenes." Yeah, they should have just gone with Lydia the sophomore. I did like the combined Lydia/Sheriff save at the end, but dammit, could they not just let Scott save Stiles or help save Stiles? Putting the pack together would have been nice, and I don't think we've got a good "whole pack works together" rescue/confrontation since they saved Scott in Mexico at the end of season 4 and that used to be one of the staples of the season finales.

And this has nothing to do with anything, but if the 9 Herbs have plot relevance in the final ten episodes, I will be referring to them as the 11 Herbs and Spices.

[jhlipton]

Just now, HunterHunted said:

{I}t's clear that we'll be getting a Malia Theo romance in 6B.

Ugh.  Yuck.  Blechhhh.

I always thought that Malia had more chemistry with Stiles than Lydia did, but whatevs.

[beee]

As usual the episode made no sense but it was good on an emotional level. A nice wrap-up, funny and poignant in equal measures and a throwback to the beginning. It was great to have Stiles back and who would have thought that the much fan-maligned Malia would turn out to be such a great character.

They played to their strengths for a change, highlighting the two best relationships on the show: Stiles & Scott and Stiles & his dad. The obligatory kissing scenes were completely superfluous and thankfully brief. The less said about Stydia, chemistry and proper build-up or lack of either the better.  

The whole episode felt so much like the ending that it made me wonder how they’re going to continue it. And why they would even want to. I certainly won’t be watching without Dylan.

[SimoneS]

I am still annoyed that Mason and Corey didn't get to kiss and have their own tender reunion. Mason has become one of my favorites. He and Corey actually have chemistry unlike the chem-free couples the show has been pushing. I hope that Mason gets more to do in the final 10 episodes.

[AudienceofOne]

I like Mason and I don't mind Corey (although he also can't act) but I'm afraid I don't see any chemistry there either.  I thought Mason's 'I know him' speech was actually really clunky. Mason always comes across as more cerebral than that. Besides, hadn't we had enough random kisses by then? 

[SimoneS]

2 hours ago, AudienceofOne said:

Besides, hadn't we had enough random kisses by then? 

I have no idea why you and others are claiming that the kissing was random. These characters were in tense situations and finally gave into their feelings. It was very human. I do have a problem with Mason and Corey not kissing when they were in the same situation as the other characters.

[AudienceofOne]

1 hour ago, SimoneS said:

I have no idea why you and others are claiming that the kissing was random. These characters were in tense situations and finally gave into their feelings. It was very human. I do have a problem with Mason and Corey not kissing when they were in the same situation as the other characters.

You're right and yet I found it random. Especially the Melissa/Argent kiss. I actually said "Is this the random kissing episode" at that point. I actually quite liked how they built up to Stydia but still found the kissing weird. There's no way he can know she's had her 'revelation'. And so running in and saying "I never said it back" should have elicited the response, "What?".

As always, the writers had too many balls in the air and so they never give the finales time to breathe. So they end up writing 'scene, scene, scene, oh they're kissing ok then, scene' instead of giving those moments the time they need. 

And it's not just kissing. I mean, we already had the 'Sheriff rejects his dead wife' scene. We actually didn't need it again. I would rather have had Lydia and Stiles with Scott at that point at least.

Of course, Liam and Hayden kissing is visual prozac so it's possible I fell asleep at that point. 

[bettername2come]

19 minutes ago, AudienceofOne said:

I actually quite liked how they built up to Stydia but still found the kissing weird. There's no way he can know she's had her 'revelation'. And so running in and saying "I never said it back" should have elicited the response, "What?".

I thought Stiles understanding Lydia's response made sense. He does know the last thing he said to her and from his perspective, only a few days had passed. Plus she was yelling about their first kiss when the rift opened.

[waving feather]

1 hour ago, AudienceofOne said:

As always, the writers had too many balls in the air and so they never give the finales time to breathe. So they end up writing 'scene, scene, scene, oh they're kissing ok then, scene' instead of giving those moments the time they need.

That's Teen Wolf in a nutshell. Fans were disappointed in season 2 finale, then annoyed for season 3 and after that everyone kind of expects this of Teen Wolf. Their finales are usually the worst episodes of the season. 

I like the idea of Stydia because I think both characters earned it but the execution is poor. They can't just build up Lydia's feelings for Stiles when he is not around and expect it all to come together in the end. Also kind of awkward if you think about it - Stiles has dated two girls that are currently in their friend group. How does Malia feel about that situation?

Edited February 3, 2017 by waving feather

[Grumpymonkey]

That was a clunky hot mess but it could have been so much worse that I'm ok with it. I'd actually have no problem ending the series with this episode because it can only get worse and I was quite satisfied with Scott, Stiles, Lydia and Malia's end. I don't care about Liam, etc.  

I wanted Stiles' reunions with his friends and family to have a little more focus but Teen Wolf rarely seems to care about that. Unpopular but I enjoy Stiles and Lydia and I have enjoyed the progression this season, tonight was kinda rushed.......but I'll still take it. I wish they fit in a scene with Malia and Stiles and more focus on him and his dad instead of the million fight scenes with the ghost riders. Enjoyed all of Scott and Stiles.  

I like Melissa and I like Argent but I don't care too much for them together. 

I wish they had more Scott, Stiles, Lydia and Malia together, fighting the lame baddie instead of them all separated and actual scene of substance with them at the end. All in all it had enough moments that I enjoyed to be a satisfying end. 

Edited February 3, 2017 by Grumpymonkey

[jhlipton]

15 hours ago, Grumpymonkey said:

I like Melissa and I like Argent but I don't care too much for them together. 

Melissa belongs with Sheriff Stilinsky and vice versa.