by Hayley Charlesworth
With the Benefactor storyline being almost completely resolved in last week’s episode, Monstrous, the danger was that for the final two episodes of season four, the show would lose momentum as attention returned to the underdeveloped storylines of Kate and Peter’s plan, and just what was happening to Derek. Unfortunately, this is exactly what happened. The singular focus of The Benefactor had been season four’s strength, while these storylines have been neglected to the point of being an afterthought. As a result, A Promise to the Dead is perhaps amongst the dullest episodes in Teen Wolf’s history.
With the Benefactor storyline being almost completely resolved in last week’s episode, Monstrous, the danger was that for the final two episodes of season four, the show would lose momentum as attention returned to the underdeveloped storylines of Kate and Peter’s plan, and just what was happening to Derek. Unfortunately, this is exactly what happened. The singular focus of The Benefactor had been season four’s strength, while these storylines have been neglected to the point of being an afterthought. As a result, A Promise to the Dead is perhaps amongst the dullest episodes in Teen Wolf’s history.
There are a few storylines happening here, all so weak that this feels like the second episode in a season rather than the lead-up to what is supposed to be an epic finale. Regardless of the quality of previous seasons, penultimate episodes for this show have always been at least somewhat exciting and gripping. In A Promise to the Dead, the affecting scenes can be counted on two fingers. But we’ll get to those. First, what actually happened?
Deaton approached a previously unseen character in Eichen House to find answers over what was happening to Derek. Scott and Kira used Derek’s loft for a date, only to be kidnapped by Kate. Peter confessed his sinister plan to Chris before attacking him. Parrish rescued Chris. Lydia screamed in Derek’s face. Liam was having PTSD hallucinations following his fight with a Berserker. Peter has apparently found Malia’s mother. Kate ends the episode by turning Scott into a Berserker himself. That may not be an in depth analysis, but that is really all you need to know. You don’t even need to watch the episode.
Deaton approached a previously unseen character in Eichen House to find answers over what was happening to Derek. Scott and Kira used Derek’s loft for a date, only to be kidnapped by Kate. Peter confessed his sinister plan to Chris before attacking him. Parrish rescued Chris. Lydia screamed in Derek’s face. Liam was having PTSD hallucinations following his fight with a Berserker. Peter has apparently found Malia’s mother. Kate ends the episode by turning Scott into a Berserker himself. That may not be an in depth analysis, but that is really all you need to know. You don’t even need to watch the episode.
What is truly disappointing is that Teen Wolf seemed to finally be getting its mojo back, but these non-Benefactor storylines have been so poorly handled. With the Benefactor having very little relation to the storylines involving Peter, Kate and Derek, it would have been far better to focus entirely on the Benefactor for season four and expand this particular story for an explosive season five. Perhaps those behind the scenes at Teen Wolf weren’t confident about a new season renewal (which is now confirmed) and tried to rush all their ideas into one, but it has not paid off. All that has happened is that there is absolutely no anticipation leading to the finale.
Only two scenes in this episode warrant discussing in any positive light. The first involves Melissa discovering the millions under Scott’s bed. When Scott tries to justify just taking a little of the money to pay for their house repairs, Stiles’ MRI and the Eichen House bill, Melissa hands him another pile of bills, these ones bloodstained, and asks him to justify that. It’s a nice moment of human tension and morality, and showcases that for a show with “Teen” in the title, the adult characters are one of the most valuable assets.
Only two scenes in this episode warrant discussing in any positive light. The first involves Melissa discovering the millions under Scott’s bed. When Scott tries to justify just taking a little of the money to pay for their house repairs, Stiles’ MRI and the Eichen House bill, Melissa hands him another pile of bills, these ones bloodstained, and asks him to justify that. It’s a nice moment of human tension and morality, and showcases that for a show with “Teen” in the title, the adult characters are one of the most valuable assets.
The other scene of note also involves adult characters, this time Chris and Parrish. As Chris lies trapped and dying in the sewer, Parrish tries to build up his adrenaline to help bend the metal bar that is trapping him. Chris needs anger, and a reason to fight, and brings up Allison as a motivation. What makes this such a good scene is the utter defeat we see Chris experience. With his wife and daughter dead, and his father and sister both psychotic and no longer fully human, Chris sees himself with nothing else to fight for. As potentially the show’s biggest badass, it’s a shock to see him so cynical. Akin to Allison confessing she was scared to the Sheriff in season three-B, it shows that humanity should be front and centre in a supernatural show.
So now it’s finale time, and in all honesty, who cares? Sure, there are questions to be answered. Is Derek stuck as a human forever? How will the Pack save Scott from being a Berserker? Just what is Parrish? Despite all this up in the air, on the strength of this episode, it’d be better to just get this finale out of the way and move on to a fresh start in season five.
So now it’s finale time, and in all honesty, who cares? Sure, there are questions to be answered. Is Derek stuck as a human forever? How will the Pack save Scott from being a Berserker? Just what is Parrish? Despite all this up in the air, on the strength of this episode, it’d be better to just get this finale out of the way and move on to a fresh start in season five.
RSS Feed
