By Hayley Charlesworth
Thanks to a deliciously creepy turn from the legendary Doug Jones, and a perfect balance of comedy and horror, Galvanize sees Teen Wolf continue to gain momentum in season 3B. The only problem being, none of these plot developments have anything to do with the previous two episodes.
Thanks to a deliciously creepy turn from the legendary Doug Jones, and a perfect balance of comedy and horror, Galvanize sees Teen Wolf continue to gain momentum in season 3B. The only problem being, none of these plot developments have anything to do with the previous two episodes.
Our A-plot this week concerns a serial killer, played by everyone’s favourite character actor Doug Jones, although, with his famous roles being Billy the Zombie in Hocus Pocus, and Pan and the Pale Man in Pan’s Labyrinth, viewers may not recognise him looking like himself. Jones plays Barrow, a convicted murderer, responsible for the deaths of numerous teenagers, as they had “glowing eyes”. This guy is utterly horrifying, from the scene in which he intimidates Melissa McCall in the hospital, to the utterly gross moment when thousands of live flies burst from his chest. Barrow escapes to the school, and Lydia senses danger. Assuming he is after the werewolves, the gang try to take him down, but thanks to some exceptional sleuthing on Stiles and Lydia’s part, they discover his real target is Kira. He kidnaps her, and tries to kill her via electrocution, but in the biggest shock of the season so far, Kira basically explodes with energy, eyes glowing, killing Barrow and absorbing all the electrical energy in the whole of Beacon Hills.
Just what Kira is, we don’t know, but she’s clearly powerful, and clearly dangerous, and judging from Barrow’s previous murders, she’s not the only one. It is a shame that we lose Doug Jones so early, but he was the catalyst for a number of storyline threads. Not only has he exposed Kira’s secret, but from the shadows of the blackout, Ringwraith-esque figures ensnare Isaac, trapping him in his worst fear, with Allison and Chris Argent frantically fighting to set him free. It seems at this point, Isaac’s purpose is to either be sassy, or suffer the worst torture imaginable. Isaac is still spinning around the personality roulette, but hopefully with his increased focus this season, we’ll see his characterisation settle.
Despite these horrors, there’s a whole lot of humour going on, utilising the show’s best comedy assets, Stiles Stilinski and Coach Finstock. The traditional prank war is inconsequential to the plot, but is great for reminding us that these are still ordinary teenagers, and any episode with added Coach is always a delight. Also bringing the comedy is Scott’s awkward dinner with Kira’s family. Her father, continues to be hilarious, while the seeds are sewn for whatever Kira’s power is being tied into either Japanese or Korean mythology, following a fairly lengthy discussion on Kira’s ancestry. Scott and Kira have great chemistry together, which is good because there are further developments with Allison and Isaac. Refusing to kiss each other, they still give into the tension between them and begin to undress, only for Chris Argent to walk in and utter the line of the episode, yelling “ANOTHER WEREWOLF?!” incredulously at his daughter.
Meanwhile, Sheriff Stilinski continues to struggle reconciling all the supernatural nonsense his son is involved in with his job of actually protecting the citizens of Beacon Hills. This week, he learns of Lydia being a banshee, and it’s all proving a bit too much. But it’s down to Lydia that Kira is found, and it looks like she finally has enough of a grip on her abilities to solve murders before they actually happen.
Just what Kira is, we don’t know, but she’s clearly powerful, and clearly dangerous, and judging from Barrow’s previous murders, she’s not the only one. It is a shame that we lose Doug Jones so early, but he was the catalyst for a number of storyline threads. Not only has he exposed Kira’s secret, but from the shadows of the blackout, Ringwraith-esque figures ensnare Isaac, trapping him in his worst fear, with Allison and Chris Argent frantically fighting to set him free. It seems at this point, Isaac’s purpose is to either be sassy, or suffer the worst torture imaginable. Isaac is still spinning around the personality roulette, but hopefully with his increased focus this season, we’ll see his characterisation settle.
Despite these horrors, there’s a whole lot of humour going on, utilising the show’s best comedy assets, Stiles Stilinski and Coach Finstock. The traditional prank war is inconsequential to the plot, but is great for reminding us that these are still ordinary teenagers, and any episode with added Coach is always a delight. Also bringing the comedy is Scott’s awkward dinner with Kira’s family. Her father, continues to be hilarious, while the seeds are sewn for whatever Kira’s power is being tied into either Japanese or Korean mythology, following a fairly lengthy discussion on Kira’s ancestry. Scott and Kira have great chemistry together, which is good because there are further developments with Allison and Isaac. Refusing to kiss each other, they still give into the tension between them and begin to undress, only for Chris Argent to walk in and utter the line of the episode, yelling “ANOTHER WEREWOLF?!” incredulously at his daughter.
Meanwhile, Sheriff Stilinski continues to struggle reconciling all the supernatural nonsense his son is involved in with his job of actually protecting the citizens of Beacon Hills. This week, he learns of Lydia being a banshee, and it’s all proving a bit too much. But it’s down to Lydia that Kira is found, and it looks like she finally has enough of a grip on her abilities to solve murders before they actually happen.
Finally, over to the neglected Hales, who get about two minutes of screen-time. The box they discovered in the previous episode actually contains the claws of Derek’s dead mother, and he uses them and Peter’s very loosely explained fingernail-mind-palace abilities to speak to Talia Hale’s spirit, waiting for him on the Nemeton. We don’t hear what is said but whatever it is, Derek comes out of the trance practically spitting venom from his eyes in his uncle’s direction. Could this be the end, once again, of Crazy Uncle Peter?
In isolation, this episode is fantastic, but as part of the season, it makes little sense. The struggles of Scott, Allison and Stiles seem to be completely forgotten, with not a single hallucination, inability to read or freaky Kate Argent appearance in sight. Future episodes should tie all these developments together, but the episode did seem like it belonged more in a previous season, before our leads became so psychologically damaged. Despite this, Galvanize is an enjoyable 45 minutes. It utilises Teen Wolf’s excellent adult characters to full effect, while maintaining focus on its teen leads, even featuring a return for Danny! The episode asks as many new questions as it answers, it is only sad that in order effectively build the mystery of Kira, the Hales have to be almost forgotten.
In isolation, this episode is fantastic, but as part of the season, it makes little sense. The struggles of Scott, Allison and Stiles seem to be completely forgotten, with not a single hallucination, inability to read or freaky Kate Argent appearance in sight. Future episodes should tie all these developments together, but the episode did seem like it belonged more in a previous season, before our leads became so psychologically damaged. Despite this, Galvanize is an enjoyable 45 minutes. It utilises Teen Wolf’s excellent adult characters to full effect, while maintaining focus on its teen leads, even featuring a return for Danny! The episode asks as many new questions as it answers, it is only sad that in order effectively build the mystery of Kira, the Hales have to be almost forgotten.
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