scira – The Chamber of Spoilers

Teen Wolf: “Orphaned”

Posted on July 31, 2014 by rachelfinston

Well, that title isn’t ominous. And the return of Krazy Kate! How we missed you. Though she apparently is unaware of who the benefactor is either, so that makes things more interesting. Personally, I think the benefactor has to be Gerard. It has to be someone we know, or else there would be no point in keeping his identity a big secret. I initially thought it might have been Kira’s mother, Noshiko, but then her name appeared on the list, so nah. But it would explain them wanting to get out of town. Still, if it’s Gerard, then you’d think he would have reached out to his daughter.

But back to discussing Kira! While I really want to like her, she’s really underdeveloped. Especially coming after a character like Allison, who was so vibrant and interesting. She and Scott had amazing chemistry, whenever they were together, no matter the context of the situation. With Scott and Kira, that energy just isn’t there. Unless the writers really want us to like her, writing scenes just to make us root for them, like the one down by the lake, there’s no energy between Scott and Kira.

Krazy Kate is scary, for sure, but not nearly as interesting a villain as Peter. He’s got precise evil on his side, she’s just sloppy and murderous. Together? I’m not going to lie, I have no idea where they’re taking this.

What is with the old NPR programing on the Hale family? Who could possibly have recorded that? These tapes are just another weird plot thing, like that insane thing with Lydia and the record player. The whole time I’m just like.

Okay, so they’re orphans. How does Agent McCall know about that? How in the know is he?

Okay, new beta boy gets saved. And Peter is doing something weird. Never trust Peter, Derek. He might be one of your only family members still living, but he’s not even in the same county as trustworthy or the came country as reliable. The only constants in Peter are a lust for power, and a disregard for the lives of almost everyone else.

Scott finds a ton of money, and lies to Baby Scott about it. I thought he was turning over a new, more truthful leaf? And why would anyone keep that in a gym locker?

Malia delightfully being herself, and someone is whispering her name. Okay, Derek. That’s a little creepy. Man, he is really losing his touch. I’m actually a bit worried for Derek. I’m almost never bothered about anything physical happening to Scott, he’s pretty much invulnerable, at least in theory, as an alpha, though he’s pretty emotionally vulnerable. Derek is losing his power, and he’s pretty damn messed up, considering the amount of emotional torture that has been inflicted on him over the years.

teen wolf animated GIF

And Liam’s captured. Great. Just what this episode needed.

Exactly how much does Deputy Parish know? I’m always suspicious of newcomers to Beacon Hills, but he’s kind of unnerving. Handsome, but unnerving.

Oh, good. I hated that Garret kid. So cocky, and just generally irritating. Plus, I bet he’s killed a bunch of people, which, while typical in the Teen Wolf universe, isn’t very nice, especially for a young kid.

Liam climbing out of the well on his own? Initiative. Finally. Is that character development? Who knows, I’m pretty sure I’ve forgotten what it looks like!

Oh, shit, Violet’s dead too. Too bad. I figured we were supposed to learn about these mysterious “orphans” through them. Oh well, they were both pretty annoying. Why did Scott and Chris not bring more ammo to this party? Also, why can’t Scott just sniff him out with his potent alpha powers? Liam’s fear has to be pretty smelly, plus he and Scott are bonded now. With like brotherhood wolf-type stuff. Great moment after Scott rescues Liam, I almost thought they would kiss. Lol. Love the trust building between them.

Okay, evil Peter makes a comeback. Creepy. Wondering if any of this is going to effect his relationship with his daughter? Maybe he should, IDK make a plan.

Teen Wolf animated GIF

Teen Wolf: “i.e.d.”

Posted on July 22, 2014 by rachelfinston

Firstly, where do all of these supernaturals just come from for them to kill? I get the whole “Beacon” Hills thing, but is it like a magic glowing neon arrow pointing to Beacon Hills? Doesn’t anyone else know what’s going on?

Ooh, pretty blonde is a werewolf. How many ladies did Peter dabble with in this town? Eh, probably she’s related to that beer delivery dude. Aw, and she’s dead. I kind of liked her. What’s with the cryptic whispers though?

Ooh, I like bossy Scott. “I’ve got a beta” So close to the reality, that Scott is a mom now. Good for him. Baby Scott kind of feels like an Isaac replacement. I’d kind of like him and Scott to get buddy buddy, considering Liam so far is defined by being a punk ass bitch and having anger issues.

Coach is adorable. We’re disturbed too, man. For real, we know Stiles’ free time is limited, but bringing crime scene photos to school seems like a bad idea all around. Seriously, get this boy some more therapy.

What do I love more than Papa Argent and Derek working together? Very little. But I don’t buy Papa Argent turning to the dark side. While he has lost a lot, his Father, Wife, Sister and Daughter, in quick succession, he seems pretty sane. He and Scott have had a few good scenes together since his return last episode, and I don’t think he would turn so quickly on him in favor of a murderous Latina woman from a different family of hunters, who is so clearly using him. We’ve already seen the Calaveras do some pretty terrible things, they seem to be more in the Original Kate state of mind, kind of bloodthirsty and more than a little ruthless. Before she was turned, and before he was diagnosed as terminal, Grandpapy Argent and Kate were both on the same page as Victoria, basically that werewolves were the devil’s handmaidens. Only difference between Gerard and Kate, and Victoria, is that when Victoria was bitten, she held on to her beliefs, sacrificing her life to protect her loved ones. While I really hated Victoria, since she was pretty damn immoral, Gerard and Kate are worse than she was. They change their beliefs based on self preservation, and show no regard for the safety of others who they claim to care about. Thinking on it, I would believe Chris turning on our heroes if there had been a scene with Peter earlier, but Chris seems weirdly okay. Not that character development has ever been consistent in this show. So we’ll see.

More on character development! These last few episodes have been crazy plot heavy, which has made them a bit clunky. While I like the way things have been moving, the plot has been escalating at the expense of character development, which has already been weak as of late. With the exception of Malia, these first few episodes of season four have been relatively disappointing. Scott has been doing pretty well, with his new control of his power and his attempt at controlling his life (remenicent of the beginning of season 3), but I’m less and less happy about his relationship with Kira. With what happened to Allison, Scott’s first love, one would think his feelings for another girl would fall by the wayside as he tries to deal with his shit. Scott has a lot of baggage, and he has no business trying to get with Kira right now. While I was initially on board with Scira, this episode made up my mind for me. While there was a scene specifically meant to endear Scira to viewers in the last episode, down at the lake, this episode just has them acting as teammates. It’s undeniable that the chemistry just isn’t there for Kira and Scott. Whenever Stiles and Malia are in the same room together, they have chemistry. Whenever Lydia and Stiles are in the same building, they have chemistry together. Without all of these dynamic and interesting relationships around them, Scira could be normal, even likable, but as it is they’re dull. Kira has yet to develop more personality traits, and Scott’s interest in her continues to be extolled. Lydia claims in an early episode that Scott is “totally into” Kira, and he may well like her, but she is clearly far more interested in him than he is in her.

While I still logistically find Malia and Stiles problematic, I can’t help but root for them, at least for now. They have such great chemistry, and Malia’s been developing so well. While she’s supposed to be technically eight years old mentally, she seems more practical than the others in some ways. Even in an episode like this one, with more plot than structure, she still shines. Shelley Hennig is amazing. One of the struggles of a show that runs more than three seasons is keeping original characters, and while Teen Wolf has a lot of character turnover, with deaths, it can be hard to integrate new characters successfully. Malia has had no such difficulty. While she may have some trouble fitting in with the others, she obviously belongs.

Random Thoughts

– Derek! No. You’re very attractive, but human would not be your best color. this could be interesting. I’m wondering what Krazy Kate did to him. The big mystery of the season is this benefactor, and I’m starting to think it has to be someone Kate really trusts.

– So if anger = strength, Peter must have it in spades. It also totally explains why Scott is less powerful, he’s too chill. Smoke less pot, Scotty!

– Gotta love the dance music in every lacrosse game sequence.

– And again where is my boy Danny? Are they just gonna replace him with the other gay guy? That’s not how it works, Jeff. Give us Danny or give us death! On second thought, he might actually take that seriously. Never mind that, but we miss Danny. Come on.

– Ooh, Deputy Parish is one of them! Actually seemed pretty likely from the beginning.

– Yeah bad ass Scott and bad ass Scott music. Finally using some of that Alpha power.

Teen Wolf: The Benefactor

Posted on July 17, 2014April 21, 2015 by rachelfinston

Another week, more Teen Wolf! It’s actually sad how much I genuinely look forward to this show. But onwards!

This episode starts pretty lighthearted, and that goes south pretty quickly. Gotta love them season 1 throwbacks. Scott disappearing is so Derek-esque. It actually reflects pretty well the changes that have happened over the course of three seasons, Scott has come to terms with what he is, understands it to a certain degree, and can control it. Derek is pretty much in the same place he was before, still looking for answers, no longer an alpha. Now we have a new Scott! Hurrah! In fact, I’m calling Liam Baby Scott until he stops annoying me.

Oh, Lydia. What could possibly go wrong with this plan? Kira is a vixen? She has no self-confidence, but I still don’t buy her falling down those stairs. She’s a freaking Kitsune! We must return to Stiles as the standard for physical comedy.

Speaking of Stiles, Papa Stilinski now thinks his son is into bondage, sweet. Papa Stilinski is probably just marveling at the fact that his son has managed to interest a hot young woman who is apparently willing. Wait, does the Sheriff know about Malia? Probably, he did do that whole investigation thing.

Peter Hale with a blowtorch – I ship it. Derek and Peter have great scenes together, I really can’t wait to see what’s going on in Peter’s mind.

Oh great, Baby Scott has issues. Maybe daddy issues like most of the characters? Seriously, aside from Stiles and Kira, pretty much all of the characters have been abandoned by their fathers. Lydia’s parents divorced, and her dad left, Scott’s dad left them, Alison and her dad didn’t see eye to eye for a long time, and Malia’s dad isn’t really her dad, Peter is. Maybe another part of the Beacon Hills magic is that it makes people leave?

Derek has had issues, maybe he can help with Baby Scott, they’re kind of related. If you think of lycanthropy as a family tree, Peter becomes Scott’s dad, Liam becomes Scott’s son, and Derek becomes Scott’s cousin. Admittedly, much older and hotter, with infinitely better arms. Derek talked about how he managed to control his transformation by controlling his anger, and that seems to be Baby Scott’s problem too.

Oh, a party might actually disguise all of the noise. But seriously, getting a bunch of drunk innocents in the area right as a wolf is coming out for the first time, not good judgement. Shame, Stiles, we expect better of you.

Okay, Scott is an alpha, he should easily overpower Liam on his own. This episode is a logistical nightmare. Seriously. I mean, Scott isn’t a huge guy, but with all of that Alpha power, he could at least use some of it to protect Liam from himself.

Why does keg delivery guy have to be a werewolf? This is so freaking weird. Oh, the freshmen are in on the whole assassin thing. They grow ’em young these days, huh? This town really does draw the weird ones.

Seriously, does anyone have attentive parents in this town? Also, does Lydia not have any more popular friends? Surely there are other popular seniors at BHHS?

Why don’t they just rent a freaking underground bunker once a month? Honestly, if there are than many supernaturals in Beacon Hills, they should really have it as a public service.

Scott is supposed to be total control guy, but they haven’t said anything about him being low on power because of it. Since as an alpha he has more power in his little finger than a beta in their whole body, WTF? Forreal, what’s up with basic bitch Liam?

AND PAPA ARGENT IS BACK! HALLIFRIKCING LUJAH!

Happy Dance Yoda animated GIF

I GOT YOUR TEXT, this man could not be more perfect.

How much do I love Derek and Sheriff pairing up? So much. Is he actually about to arrest the Mouthless Wonder? Oh, never mind. He dead. He got Peter’d.

Okay, nice Scott. Go with the fatherly advice and help the lost kid. Seriously, Argent is on point. It actually goes to show how much Argent has developed as a character, because he knows Scott well enough to understand that he would rely on the wisdom of others when he should really be looking inside of himself. But listening to Scott try to be Derek for the last half an hour has been awesome. But there really is only one Derek Hale.

Okay, that stain has totally set in the carpet. Her mother is going to kill her. But not before the end of the episode. For real, how does this very red record player just happen to have the answer to this code that Lydia just magically writes? Do we ever get any answers in this show? Nope.

Only 6 for Kira? She’s a bad ass, you’d figure she’d fetch a better price. In fact, the whole wolf pack is pretty low compared to 250 thou each for the Wendigo family. Also, why are Kira’s mom, Peter Hale, and Malia not on the list? All of them have proven to be extremely deadly at different times. They stole from Peter, so they clearly know about him. I can’t wait to see the repercussions of him killing the Mouthless Wonder. It’s actually really logical that someone would pay a bunch of assassins to eliminate the supernatural population of beacon hills. I mean, they’re really starting to draw attention.

Teen Wolf: “Muted”

Posted on July 8, 2014 by rachelfinston

Before watching this episode, I watched the preview on MTV’s website. Can I just say, when did MTV stop doing music and start making three of those horrible Teen Mom shows?

Greys Anatomy Guess What Im About To Do animated GIF — Not cool. Seriously, MTV. I’m liking the look of Finding Carter. But seriously.

But anyway, just watching the preview, it seems like the show is bringing back a bit of season one’s lightheartedness. The entire sixty second preview is about lacrosse. Lacrosse! Remember when there were whole episodes about lacrosse? Because they’re introducing a whole new class of Teen Wolf players, I guess they have to go back to basics, at least a little bit. Maybe everyone will actually go to school for a change! Sometimes I wonder if any of them are actually going to graduate. I mean, obviously Lydia will be just fine. Lydia’s probably fricking valedictorian, no matter how many dead bodies she stumbles over.

Okay, just for starters, being in a huge, empty scary house calling out to an unseen relative can’t be a good sign. Guessing this is the fourth season’s answer to Jackson? Side note: Is Stiles the only character on this show who sleeps fully clothed? Not complaining, just an observation. Side note two: Smart kid jumping out the window. Maybe this episode won’t be as lighthearted as I thought it might be, considering the first thing we see is the mass murder of almost an entire family.

Also, it did take them four seasons to get the title sequence right, but it does look really good.

A little small-talk at the hospital, with cute Doctor guy. Mmmm, maybe Mama McCall needs to hit that. I mean, I’m always and forever a Mellinsky shipper, but with McCall Sr. hanging around, that seems to be dampened. Why is Papa McCall still hanging around in the area? I get that Beacon Hills is probably the murder capital of California since Sunnydale cratered, but it’s still weird. Where’s the show taking him?

Ooh, but scene with cute doctor guy is immediately followed by Papa Stilinsky being adorable and protective. I love the partnership between these two single parents who have so much riding on them. They really are amazing parents. No one should have to deal with the pressures that they do, but they go above and beyond. They manage to keep honest, open dialogues (mostly) with their sons, while trying to keep the town safe from the natural and the supernatural. I kind of wish that they would start a committee of the adults with Peter and Derek, just to see the ensuing hilarity.

In math class: This school has the sassiest teachers! Hope this one doesn’t get murdered or turn out to be evil. But why is Malia in class with everyone else? She should really be taking remedial classes and doing makeups like crazy! She was out of commission learning wise for half her life! Should she even be in high school? Hello, placement tests? Do any of the adults in this town have brains?

Stiles is stumped by the lack of interest in a grisly murder. Also, Lydia didn’t find the bodies. How specific is her gift, anyhow? That would be a nice conversation to have NOT about boys. Oh, it’s this fresh-faced deputy. And there’s Lydia. I don’t know how I feel about these two hanging out and solving crimes together. That’s kind of Stydia’s thing. Also, she’s a minor and a civilian! He should totally kick her out of the MURDER SCENE, not stare at her ass. This guy is definitely shifty.

Back to lacrosse! Also, Scott wasn’t bothered about the whole cheating thing in the first season. Scott has like EVERY RESPONSIBILITY in the whole fricking town, let him use his wolf powers in a school sport. Maybe it would be different in the Olympics. But this is basic. So fuck cheating, it would be different if he were listening with super hearing to Lydia muttering answers under her breath, but he’s not cheating off someone else, he’s using the power that’s inside of him.

I like how they spent a bit of this episode on Kira, because I want to like her, but we don’t really know her that well yet. She and Lydia seem to be getting along well, but other than the fact that she’s pretty, and, like every pretty girl, wants to make out with Scott, plus is a kitsune, we have very little information about her. This episode fails the bechdel test completely. The only conversation between two female characters is about Scott. Added to that, while this conversation about Kira’s insecurities in her relationship was with Malia, we heard nearly the same conversation in the last episode with Kira and Lydia. While it is interesting to hear the way the two characters respond to the same topic, it highlights one of the issues with Kira’s character development. Maybe being the first girl on the lacrosse team will help? And maybe spending time building deeper relationships with her female friends.

Malia does not care for authority figures. But damn does she have sass. I can’t explain it, but the writers really hit the nail on the head with Malia. She’s sassy and fun, and while she’s clueless in the human world, she can still connect with every character. She’s a totally scene stealing presence, and I’m even warming to Stalia. The cute scene with the highlighters was a good touch. I’m obviously still on the Stydia train, it’s one of my favorites, but they’re end game, and this show could easily go another two seasons. The tension Stiles feels about not telling her that he has had this thing for Lydia since he was nine, plus not telling her that Peter is her father, is definitely going to test them, but I feel that this relationship could last the rest of the season, possibly into the next.

Random Thoughts

– I’ve missed Coach so much, he is literally the best teacher character. “Those boys are like sons to me.” Yes.

– Wow, trying to get Derek Hale to trust a beautiful woman? Not gonna happen lady.

– How many spare deputies can they have in this town? Probably spread about as thin as the nurse staff.

– Oh, cute doctor is the step dad.

– WTF SEAN DOING WITH THE DEPUTY?

– Okay, that was creepy. But nice save Scott, even if they guy kinda seems like a dick. Too bad about Sean, since I actually remembered his name.

Season Projections

I was just thinking about what we can expect over the next nine episodes, just from this episode and the last two, and I have some solid expectations for em.

– More lacrosse. Obvs. I can’t wait to see Kira on the team, because the writers gave her really low self esteem, and I really want to get to know her better. She can’t be just a replacement for a bright female character, she has to be her own dynamic character.

– Seeing them more in school, just because the New Kids on the Block are probably not getting an open invitation into the pack right away, and we’ve got to see them interacting with the Pack.

– More Stalia. No matter how weird and messed up I think it is, and no matter how much chemistry Stydia has EVEN WHEN THEY’RE NOT IN THE SAME ROOM, the writers want us to like Malia. Of course, Stiles still seems to be deciding how he feels about her, but she’s obviously very devoted to him. I really love Malia, and Stiles is one of my favorite characters, so hopefully, this ship will sink before serious damage can be done to either party.