by Hayley Charlesworth
Perishable is revealed in the first of this double bill of Teen Wolf episodes, with the fallout taking place in the second before an even greater threat is revealed. But with a solid A-story running throughout season four coming to its climax so soon, Teen Wolf’s long standing shortcomings in terms of pacing come to a head yet again. Yes, it’s unfortunate to say that one of Teen Wolf’s best plots so far has fallen down by being so rushed.
Perishable is revealed in the first of this double bill of Teen Wolf episodes, with the fallout taking place in the second before an even greater threat is revealed. But with a solid A-story running throughout season four coming to its climax so soon, Teen Wolf’s long standing shortcomings in terms of pacing come to a head yet again. Yes, it’s unfortunate to say that one of Teen Wolf’s best plots so far has fallen down by being so rushed.
Perishable finally places its focus on the history of the Martin family, as Lydia discovers her grandmother Lorraine’s connection to Eichen House and Meredith. Having predicted the death of her lover Maddie, Lorraine was sent to Eichen House where, along with others, she was murdered by the sadistic Brunski. Before her death, Lorraine left a coded message for Lydia, a list of already dead victims with Lorraine’s name on it. Investigating, Lydia and Stiles fall victim to Brunski. Meanwhile, it’s assassination attempts galore as Scott, Malia and Liam are almost killed by dance music (it does not make sense in context either, don’t worry) only to be rescued by Derek and Braeden, and Parrish is set on fire. Parrish is the more interesting of the two, as he survives the fire completely unscathed. This would suggest he is not a werewolf, given that the Hales famously died in a fire, but just what is he? We don’t know.
In Monstrous, the majority of the Pack, along with Chris Argent, are on a mission to protect all of the Beacon Hills supernaturals from an onslaught of an attack, with Derek declaring that anyone who attacks them gets put on their own deadpool. Lydia, along with the Sheriff and Parrish, are tasked with getting Meredith to talk, but she will only talk to one person. As Stiles and Malia discover the secrets of Lydia’s lakehouse, where a hidden computer is transmitting the messages from the Benefactor, it is revealed that Meredith’s head was filled with madness and the idea for the deadpool from being in the hospital bed next to a comatose Peter Hale following the Hale fire, driven mad by his deranged thoughts. With Stiles and Malia destroying the transmission, and Meredith finally receiving some help, it seems the threat of the Benefactor is over... Or is it?
In Monstrous, the majority of the Pack, along with Chris Argent, are on a mission to protect all of the Beacon Hills supernaturals from an onslaught of an attack, with Derek declaring that anyone who attacks them gets put on their own deadpool. Lydia, along with the Sheriff and Parrish, are tasked with getting Meredith to talk, but she will only talk to one person. As Stiles and Malia discover the secrets of Lydia’s lakehouse, where a hidden computer is transmitting the messages from the Benefactor, it is revealed that Meredith’s head was filled with madness and the idea for the deadpool from being in the hospital bed next to a comatose Peter Hale following the Hale fire, driven mad by his deranged thoughts. With Stiles and Malia destroying the transmission, and Meredith finally receiving some help, it seems the threat of the Benefactor is over... Or is it?
Teen Wolf is in the best shape it’s been in since season two. Picking itself up from the mess that was season three-A, it wisely focused three-B on the show’s strongest actor, Dylan O’Brien (although Stiles’ fantastic possession storyline was lost amongst episodes of varying quality). Now, we’ve had a mostly wonderful season four. The Benefactor has been a new and unique (for this show) threat, the new cast members Malia and Liam have slotted in seamlessly, to the point where Allison is not always missed, and for the most part, the each character is given a decent amount of focus. Crucially, Lydia has been given the opportunity to explore her powers and her history, and Holland Roden has been fantastic in the role. Her scene in Monstrous, in which she discusses with Meredith how creatures like them can still be morally good, has been one of the season’s highlights. But as always with this show, there’s too much up in the air.
The Benefactor storyline has remained the main focus throughout, and the shortened season four has allowed for this to happen. The problem with this is that other storylines are either: underexplored, for example the money troubles that the McCalls, Stilinskis and Martins are all facing; picked up and dropped on a whim, such as Derek’s relationship with Braeden and turning human, Peter and Kate’s alliance, the search for Malia’s mother, and Liam’s coming to terms with being a werewolf; or just forgotten completely, like the Yukimuras’ plans to leave Beacon Hills or the threat of the Calaveras. The latter is a particular disappointment given that, despite the Benefactor storyline being so gripping, Araya Calavera remains Teen Wolf’s most interesting villain.
The Benefactor storyline has remained the main focus throughout, and the shortened season four has allowed for this to happen. The problem with this is that other storylines are either: underexplored, for example the money troubles that the McCalls, Stilinskis and Martins are all facing; picked up and dropped on a whim, such as Derek’s relationship with Braeden and turning human, Peter and Kate’s alliance, the search for Malia’s mother, and Liam’s coming to terms with being a werewolf; or just forgotten completely, like the Yukimuras’ plans to leave Beacon Hills or the threat of the Calaveras. The latter is a particular disappointment given that, despite the Benefactor storyline being so gripping, Araya Calavera remains Teen Wolf’s most interesting villain.
And in its’ crucial resolution, the Benefactor storyline falls victim to bad pacing. No sooner is the Benefactor revealed than the fascinating subject of good versus evil in the face of mental illness is dropped for a return to Peter Hale. Peter, who should be the show’s ultimate villain but has spent the two seasons since his return from the dead snarking in the shadows of Derek’s loft, is now suddenly responsible for filling Meredith’s head with the plan for the Deadpool during his recovery from the Hale fire, and is now hellbent on killing Scott with Kate’s help. Once again, Peter gradually regaining the trust of the Pack only to turn on them again could have been amazing to watch, but the whole thing has been forgotten until now. It’s unfortunate, as the show could have used the rest of this season to fully explore Meredith’s mind, and the effect this reveal would have on Lydia as a fellow Banshee, ready for a full season focused on Peter’s villainy for season five.
It’s not at all a bad place for Teen Wolf to be in, and on the whole, we enter the final two episodes of the season on a strong note, but the pacing is just too poor to be ignored. That said, there are still some fascinating questions to be answered: just what is Parrish? When will the Calaveras strike, and when they do, who will they side with? Why the hell is Derek human now? With any luck, these are questions that will carry over to season five, where the longer episode run will give them the space to be fully realised.
It’s not at all a bad place for Teen Wolf to be in, and on the whole, we enter the final two episodes of the season on a strong note, but the pacing is just too poor to be ignored. That said, there are still some fascinating questions to be answered: just what is Parrish? When will the Calaveras strike, and when they do, who will they side with? Why the hell is Derek human now? With any luck, these are questions that will carry over to season five, where the longer episode run will give them the space to be fully realised.
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