
It’s a double-whammy of Teen Wolf goodness this week, as we look at both the episodes “Muted” and “The Benefactor”. Muted harkens back to the halcyon days of season one, where Scott McCall’s greatest worry wasn’t his friends constantly being murdered, but the incredibly important sport of lacrosse. But while Muted may have been a nostalgia trip at times, both it and the following episode The Benefactor also takes the Teen Wolf universe in new and interesting directions: with new monsters, a new Beta, and a mysterious, mouthless assassin on the loose.


As Liam, Dylan Sprayberry brings a certain arrogance to the dynamic that has been lacking since the loss of Jackson, but the bite at the episode’s close will certainly bring a change to that personality faster than occurred with Jackson. As for the Wendigos, very little is revealed other than the fact that they exist, but it works well to build the supernatural world of the show that will be explored in more detail in the next episode. And what of Araya’s warning in the season opener? Now Scott has bitten an innocent, the season now has three major foes in Kate Argent (who in a short sub-plot, Derek has despatched Braeden to find), The Benefactor, and the Calavera family.

The Benefactor is full of story development and intrigue, but has nice moments of characterisation too. The most significant of these is perhaps Stiles’ revelation that he remembers everything he did as the Nogitsune, and remembers liking it, in an effort to calm Malia down. It’s a small moment, but it’s refreshing to see these events aren’t forgotten, and may reappear down the line. Likewise, it’s fun to hear Derek’s advice to Scott repeated by Scott to Liam, and to have them shown as hollow until Scott finds his own way of relating to his Beta. From this comes plenty of comedy moments also, but nothing brings a bigger laugh than Kira’s slow-motion tumble down the stairs while trying to look sexy. No matter how fantastical the show may get, occasionally it does need to remind us that these are teenagers.

And what does The Benefactor want? Well, that is revealed in the episode’s closing moments by Lydia and Kira unlocking a coded message, it reveals a list of Beacon Hills supernaturals, and they all have a price on their heads. It’s a dead pool, and the unlock key? The word “ALLISON”. This is perhaps the episode’s biggest shock, especially given this episode also sees the return of Allison’s father Chris Argent. Is it too obvious to presume that Chris is The Benefactor? Perhaps, but whoever it is has a connection to the fallen archer and a reason for wanting supernatural creatures dead.
After a previous season of uneven storytelling, where great episodes would be immediately followed by something lacklustre, it seems the Teen Wolf bosses have finally built a story that grows with each episode, and develops characters and relationships along with it. As a result, this could become Teen Wolf’s most successful season yet. Long may the trend continue.