S06.E14: Face-to-Faceless / S06.E15: Pressure Test

[HunterHunted]

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Scott, Lydia and Malia take drastic measures to quell the rising violence in Beacon Hills; Liam has a gauntlet to endure at the high school.

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When Scott and the others struggle to protect two new werewolves, an unlikely ally joins in the fight.

[ahisma]

Damn it! Satomi's pack, down to the last kids. :-(

I would have thought the FBI would come in and disarm the angry mob that stormed the police station and arrest them. It looks like Scott's dad officially knows about Scott and the pack.

Was the deputy who shot herself the same one who tried to kill the werewolf girl? It's hard for me to tell since they all pull their hair back into buns.

This season is a lot better written and better paced than most—it's mid season and the action is flowing along with a point, not slow setup stories or obvious ploys to manufacture suspense with concealed information. 

[jewel21]

While I'm definitely enjoying this season and the pacing and non-stop action, I miss Stiles. I'm kind of annoyed Dylan O'brien couldn't have finished up the finale season. That being said, the show continues to be good without him and I loved seeing Sheriff Stalinski on my screen.

Also, the bad deputy was an older woman with dark hair. The one who killed herself was younger.

[Jillibean]

I think the concept for this season is really interesting, but "the mob" already has way too much power. Armed civilians don't get to just hold a sheriff station hostage and demand two arrested teenagers to do whatever they want with. The fact that it was broken up with seemingly no consequences to the people threatening law enforcement with guns was way past the point of believability. Also, when/how did Scott's dad find out that Scott is supernatural? That seems like a development that we really should have seen.

Since they're hinting so heavily at Nolan, I'm going to say Quinn is the other face of fear, working from the other side to shake trust among the team. 

Tyler Posey has a gorgeously charismatic grin.

[strippedhalo]

But if the idea is to make everyone think the supernaturals have all gone, then whyyyyyyy the showy blackboard message that sends Mason running conspicuously out of school in front of the whole math class?

[HunterHunted]

8 hours ago, Jillibean said:

I think the concept for this season is really interesting, but "the mob" already has way too much power. Armed civilians don't get to just hold a sheriff station hostage and demand two arrested teenagers to do whatever they want with. The fact that it was broken up with seemingly no consequences to the people threatening law enforcement with guns was way past the point of believability. Also, when/how did Scott's dad find out that Scott is supernatural? That seems like a development that we really should have seen.

I have so many problems with the mob storyline.

First, we have a woman of color leading an armed lynch mob. While Beacon Hills might be a place with no racism, but watching it out here in the real world, I was put off.

Second, Monroe's argument was less supernatural creatures are unsafe or dangerous and more "you didn't rescue me when they attacked and I was left among the dead." That's a weak sauce toddler argument. We do know that supernatural creatures are dangerous. We do know that to a certain extent that Scott's pack attracts supernatural danger to the town. We also known that Scott's general ineptitude puts non-supernatural lives at risk. However, Monroe's point of contention isn't ever something that Scott's pack has indicated that they do.

Third, Teen Wolf has always been a White dude sausage fest. Now that they seem to be killing off characters left and right, I'm a bit pissed that female characters seem to stay dead and useless White dudes like Theo keep turning up like a bad penny. Satomi, a woman of color, is dead. Then we have the last two members of Satomi's pack (a woman and a person of color) being murdered. I know they killed innocent people, but by the end of the episode even Lydia was out for blood. So maybe Satomi's pack members were being influenced by the fear entity.

Fourth, an armed lynch mob can't lay siege to a sheriff's station and the National Guard wouldn't be called in.

Fifth, when did Scott's dad find out he was a werewolf?

Edited August 22, 2017 by HunterHunted

[AudienceofOne]

I kind of wish we were talking about the two episodes separately because the first one was far stronger than the second for all the reasons that have already been cited. 

I found the first really gripping, especially with Liam being hounded through school with everybody - even teachers - letting it happen. There's no greater symbol of a society being torn apart than a teenager being assaulted in a supposedly safe place while the people who are supposed to protect him look on or even help. Him taking refuge in the Guidance office only to realise that she was the main instigator was the perfect exemplar of that. And for the first time, we got a taste of what it means for Liam and Corey that the pack has graduated. There was no one in those halls to help. 

That was also contrasted with Scott trying to negotiate peace with people who want genocide and realising that there is no negotiating with somebody who has no logical reason for their behaviour. Monroe's argument made no sense but that's because racial hatred makes no sense. She just hates them because she hates them and she's come up with a sort of argument to justify that to herself. That argument clearly makes little sense but that's the point.

As usual with this show, once they try to take the metaphor to a higher level - the police station as the symbol of refuge and safety - it breaks down. This happened with the Dread Doctors plot line where nobody in federal law enforcement seemed to care about what looked like a serial killer of high school kids. I won't comment on a black woman leading a lynch mob because this show has enough gender and racial issues as it is without me commenting on what is already obvious (Satomi's apparently dead, y'all - offscreen) but I will comment on the fact the FBI was called in and didn't arrest everybody. I guess we were supposed to think that the Sheriff only called in Scott's Dad and that he kept it on the DL to stop the existence of the supernatural becoming common knowledge, but then how did a Hunter infiltrate his totally on the DL operation? 

3 hours ago, HunterHunted said:

Fifth, when did Scott's dad find out he was a werewolf?

I mentioned this a couple of episodes ago. His Dad left and said "we're going to talk about this when I come back" and then never did. I guess we're supposed to believe that also happened in Offscreenville. That's disappointing because I'd have liked to see that conversation when so much was made of their relationship. On that note, Scott dragging Liam out of bed and to school this episode just highlighted to me again that his non-existent parents are a huge problem. Their reaction to all of this was absolutely necessary to make the first episode work but they were completely MIA. Do they even know he's a werewolf? Do they know what happened to him at school? If they didn't want to keep his Stepdad in the show, they should have killed him off or something. Liam being orphaned would have worked for this plot line especially with his Daddy Wolf leaving town.

5 hours ago, strippedhalo said:

But if the idea is to make everyone think the supernaturals have all gone, then whyyyyyyy the showy blackboard message that sends Mason running conspicuously out of school in front of the whole math class?

A text message would have been more surreptitious, no? 

5 hours ago, Jillibean said:

Since they're hinting so heavily at Nolan, I'm going to say Quinn is the other face of fear, working from the other side to shake trust among the team. 

I don't even know who Quinn is, guys. Who's Quinn? I can't keep track of all these random characters. I only just learned Nolan's name.

Two other comments on these episodes before I finish what is apparently an essay.

1. The conceptual underpinnings of this season are so good I can write an essay on them so I agree this is a superior season despite its general Teen Wolf flaws.

2. The actress playing Monroe has been given direction to smirk her way through the part and it's super annoying. She was particularly bad in the lynch mob scene.

3. In today's episode we learn that our fear monster from the Wild Hunt is a fear monster that was trapped in the Wild Hunt and I think I was supposed to be more impressed at Deaton's "realisation" than I was. I don't feel I know more about it than before. Giving it a mythological name doesn't really make me feel any more enlightened.

4. Parrish for the win. There are few things I love more than his Hellhound ex machina routine (except Lydia's random screaming) so him showing up in the tunnels was great. 

5. Did we finally get an alpha roar from Scott only for it to be directed at a couple of scared teenagers?

6. Scott and Malia? No. Just, no. Nothing romantic about a 'last single female character left standing' romance. I didn't need Scott to hook up with somebody to feel the show was over, I don't see any romantic chemistry between the two actors and most of all I loved the brother/sister vibe I got from them. I feel a romance actually undermines how dependent Malia is on Scott as her Alpha. So, no, show. No. 

[RachelKM]

Okay... So Monroe's story was utterly ridiculous.  If I understood correctly, she was part of the attack last season in the bus.... Which she knows was perpetrated by something other than Scott or any of his pack.... And she knows Scott, his pack, and Parrish were all fighting whatever attacked her.... Aaaaannnnd, she blames Scott because he didn't save her enough?   No doubt she experienced something traumatic and I would get if the attack were enough to make her hate supernatural things.  But she seemed particularly angsty over the fact that he didn't dig through bodies for her... 

Also, she just just seems like a smug asshole; not so much as galvanized warrior.  

Why am I enjoying Theo?  I don't like him.  And I do not enjoy him when he's on for extended periods.  But, in small doses, he's sort of fun.

I've realized that the main problem I have with Malia and Scott is more the problem of the sound editing.  I've long since given up hope of this show ever really attempting to properly write its romantic pairings.  And really, Malia is probably the most suited to Scott of any of the pairings we've seen.  He's dumb and she's stunted.  Together, they're sort of hilarious and awkward.  And I almost liked their "I'm no longer sure what we're talking about" exchanges.  They were funny and a little charming and I was starting to see it.... until the ROMANTIC! score started.  It was such a mismatch to the tone of them as a pairing and so jarringly placed.  It might have worked if the editing had allowed the humor and awkwardness of their interactions breath before shoving the musical emoting cues down our throats. 

Edited August 22, 2017 by RachelKM

[HunterHunted]

2 hours ago, AudienceofOne said:

I kind of wish we were talking about the two episodes separately because the first one was far stronger than the second for all the reasons that have already been cited. 

Sorry, that's my fault. I thought because they aired back-to-back that it made sense to combine the two.

2 hours ago, AudienceofOne said:

I found the first really gripping, especially with Liam being hounded through school with everybody - even teachers - letting it happen. There's no greater symbol of a society being torn apart than a teenager being assaulted in a supposedly safe place while the people who are supposed to protect him look on or even help. Him taking refuge in the Guidance office only to realise that she was the main instigator was the perfect exemplar of that. And for the first time, we got a taste of what it means for Liam and Corey that the pack has graduated. There was no one in those halls to help.

Watching the chemistry teacher fail to intervene when the crowd was beating the shit out of Liam was chilling. I actually wish the sheriff's deputies' suicides had been pushed to the end of episode 15 just to underscore that killing or exiling all of the supernaturals will not solve the fear entity problem.

2 hours ago, AudienceofOne said:

That was also contrasted with Scott trying to negotiate peace with people who want genocide and realising that there is no negotiating with somebody who has no logical reason for their behaviour. Monroe's argument made no sense but that's because racial hatred makes no sense. She just hates them because she hates them and she's come up with a sort of argument to justify that to herself. That argument clearly makes little sense but that's the point.

1 hour ago, RachelKM said:

Okay... So Monroe's story was utterly ridiculous.  If I understood correctly, she was part of the attack last season in the bus.... Which she knows was perpetrated by something other than Scott or any of his pack.... And she knows Scott, his pack, and Parrish were all fighting whatever attacked her.... Aaaaannnnd, she blames Scott because he didn't save her enough?   No doubt she experienced something traumatic and I would get if the attack were enough to make her hate supernatural things.  But she seemed particularly angsty over the fact that he didn't dig through bodies for her... 

Also, she just just seems like a smug asshole; not so much as galvanized warrior.  

 

Yeah, her actual motivation is made up of a whole heap of stupid. You didn't rescue me enough. I almost wish someone would ask her which was more important: stopping the attack or digging Monroe out of a pile of bodies? 

[SnoGirl]

Do you think its going to come out that Coach is a Supernatural? I loved that he stopped the fight and seemed angrier more than his normal level. It would be interesting if he was some passive Supernatural and brought it up in passing, kinda like Danny did many moons ago.

The scenes with Liam were awful. I hate when teachers choose to do nothing (I had the same problem with 13 Reasons Why). Im surprised they had the Chemistry Teacher be passive, but then again, they didnt have a lot of known teachers to choose from.

These episodes feel like Teen Wolf Lite. Stiles missing is definitely creating a void on the show. Last season I didnt mind it because it drove the season forward. Stiles in DC, and the parents being pretty light as well just seem to highlight what made this show special and how glaringly different this last season is.

[Whimsy]

13 hours ago, SnoGirl said:

Do you think its going to come out that Coach is a Supernatural? I loved that he stopped the fight and seemed angrier more than his normal level. It would be interesting if he was some passive Supernatural and brought it up in passing, kinda like Danny did many moons ago.

I was thinking that Coach knows about supernaturals, not that he is one.  For some reason I really thought he was going to say something that let us know that he knew.

[SnoGirl]

25 minutes ago, Whimsy said:

I was thinking that Coach knows about supernaturals, not that he is one.  For some reason I really thought he was going to say something that let us know that he knew.

I did too.

They laid some groundwork with Coach being Superntural when he got really sick from that disease back when there was a bounty on everyone's heads. I like that he tends to be oblivious to some things (not knowing the players/students' names) and crass about others. Which is why I totally thought they were going to drop the proverbial supernatural truth bomb on us during that scene.

[emcmac87]

4 hours ago, SnoGirl said:

I did too.

They laid some groundwork with Coach being Superntural when he got really sick from that disease back when there was a bounty on everyone's heads. I like that he tends to be oblivious to some things (not knowing the players/students' names) and crass about others. Which is why I totally thought they were going to drop the proverbial supernatural truth bomb on us during that scene.

I think that actually proves that he isn't a supernatural, or wasn't as of then. All the people who touched the ink got sick, the humans got better, including Coach, and the supernatural almost died until the magic tea. I did think he was going to reveals he know, or something like that. 

[AudienceofOne]

46 minutes ago, emcmac87 said:

I think that actually proves that he isn't a supernatural, or wasn't as of then. All the people who touched the ink got sick, the humans got better, including Coach, and the supernatural almost died until the magic tea. I did think he was going to reveals he know, or something like that. 

He has to know especially after last year's lacrosse match with The Beast of French Mumble. 

[ramble]

My youngest introduced me to this show a couple of years ago & we binged the seasons. I have lots of love for this show. However, the lack of Stiles is becoming more & more of an issue to me. I understand the why, but I don't like the way it shakes out. He's the glue for me. 

Monroe does not work for me as a villain. Whoever said she's a smirker nailed it. I feel like she's playing at being bad more than actually bad. Liam still makes me twitchy. I don't dislike him as much as he just annoys me. I don't like Theo on principle but I can't help enjoying him. And then there's Coach, a sprinkling of Coach always makes the dish tastier! 

[Gwen-Stacys]

On 8/21/2017 at 9:50 PM, HunterHunted said:

Watching the chemistry teacher fail to intervene when the crowd was beating the shit out of Liam was chilling. I actually wish the sheriff's deputies' suicides had been pushed to the end of episode 15 just to underscore that killing or exiling all of the supernaturals will not solve the fear entity problem.

 

On 8/21/2017 at 10:54 PM, SnoGirl said:

The scenes with Liam were awful. I hate when teachers choose to do nothing (I had the same problem with 13 Reasons Why). Im surprised they had the Chemistry Teacher be passive, but then again, they didnt have a lot of known teachers to choose from.

To be fair to the science teacher (and most teachers), apparently teachers are not allowed to intervene when students fight anymore. It's a liability issue. Either the cop assigned to the school or a special appointed person have to break them up. I learned that from all my teacher friends. In that light, it made sense that coach would be the one to break them up.  But then again, I could be giving them too much credit.

I'm with the other poster that said that Monroe's reasoning being stupid and nonsensical worked for me. Bigots tend to have dumb reasons for the way they think ("they stole all our jobs!" "they're all criminals and unsafe", etc).

[Richness]

If this wasn't the last season, I probably would bail on this show. I hate these episode and this season that much. I'm going to try and stick it out, but watching is turning into more of a chore than a guilty pleasure.

 

I admit the sausage fest was one of the main reasons I enjoyed this show so much in the beginning, but the outright horrible treatment of women and people of color is getting really hard to tolerate.  I dropped The Mist in mid-episode because of the horrible killer gay tropes, and this show is doing similar for other groups. Add on the unbelievable police station siege, and I'm just about at my limit. They better bring Dylan and Derek back soon.

[SnoGirl]

On 8/23/2017 at 9:36 PM, Gwen-Stacys said:

 

To be fair to the science teacher (and most teachers), apparently teachers are not allowed to intervene when students fight anymore. It's a liability issue. Either the cop assigned to the school or a special appointed person have to break them up. I learned that from all my teacher friends. In that light, it made sense that coach would be the one to break them up.  But then again, I could be giving them too much credit.

I'm with the other poster that said that Monroe's reasoning being stupid and nonsensical worked for me. Bigots tend to have dumb reasons for the way they think ("they stole all our jobs!" "they're all criminals and unsafe", etc).

Coach is a teacher, we've seen him in the classroom teaching, I think economics, last year. 

You are right, as a teacher, you choose if you want to get into the fray of a fight bc if you get hurt it may or may not be covered. As a teacher though, I don't know a lot of us who wouldnt have stepped in to break up a fight, or attempt to slow it down so more help can come. Really, if the Chemistry Teacher didnt want to fight, she should have been calling for help from the office. And another dose of realism that we'll never see on Teen Wolf, the school probably would have gone into lockdown mode (just no one in the hallways) so they could get everyone involved in the fight to the offices and away from everyone else.

I guess you could account her not intervening on the same fear that has affected everyone. I've always wondered why no one has ever questioned the crazy comings and goings and murders in their town. I'm not surprised this storyline is happening but I am not a fan how they're going about it. Especially all the dying.

But this is Teen Wolf so I'll stop caring so much.

[jhlipton]

Sorry, Liam, Brett and Lori committed suicide.  Two werewolves who can't dodge or jump over cars but let themselves be run over deserve to die.

On 8/21/2017 at 8:27 AM, ahisma said:

I would have thought the FBI would come in and disarm the angry mob that stormed the police station and arrest them.

This season is a lot better written and better paced than most—it's mid season and the action is flowing along with a point, not slow setup stories or obvious ploys to manufacture suspense with concealed information. 

Ditto. 

My major complaint is that they introduce new characters then kill them off in the same episode.

On 8/21/2017 at 4:13 PM, AudienceofOne said:

I don't even know who Quinn is, guys. Who's Quinn? I can't keep track of all these random characters. I only just learned Nolan's name..

The actress playing Monroe has been given direction to smirk her way through the part and it's super annoying. She was particularly bad in the lynch mob scene.

Quinn is the werewolf who was shot in the head, but left alive (for PLOT!!!!!). 

I'm usually the first one to ask WDBWA (Whare Da Black Women At)? but TW scraped the bottom of the barrel with Sibongile Mlambo.

On 8/23/2017 at 7:36 PM, Gwen-Stacys said:

To be fair to the science teacher (and most teachers), apparently teachers are not allowed to intervene when students fight anymore. It's a liability issue. Either the cop assigned to the school or a special appointed person have to break them up. I learned that from all my teacher friends. In that light, it made sense that coach would be the one to break them up.  But then again, I could be giving them too much credit.

That wasn't a "fight" -- that was two students pounding a third and was criminal assault and battery.  Not intervening makes all of them accomplices, if Liam decided to sue.