Monday, June 17, 2013

'Teen Wolf' 3.03 "Fireflies" Review

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One of my favorite things about this show is that not only does Jeff Davis make you pay attention so you can often come to the correct answer before one of his own characters does, but he is perfectly comfortable with allowing a central mystery within one character drive more than one plot while staying a mystery. Take the saga of Lydia Martin for example; we’ve only been given glimpses of why she’s such a unique player in all of this. She’s immune to the bite, she seems to be drawn to some sort of mystical force, and she has a habit of hanging out with corpses accidentally or not. This week’s opening felt strongly reminiscent of a plight suffered by another television character, Hannibal’s Will Graham, in that Lydia too wound up in a place without a sense of why she was there or how long it was since she left home. Somebody get her a piece of paper to see what her drawing of the nearest clock looks like.




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Lydia’s trauma brought us to the formation of what might seem to some viewers as the B story of this year. I’d argue it’s going to sneak up and become the lead plotline unless it’s in some way connected to the alpha pack—nothing like a little murder mystery to keep things interesting when there isn’t a rabid werewolf on the loose. What this story has provided for the show so far is a very neat way to keep everyone involved in something. Sure, who doesn’t like it when Stiles is hanging out with his wolf buddies but if he were hunting Cora and Boyd there isn’t an awful lot he could have done without being in danger himself. So he gets to put on his detective cap and be in the thick of the grisly crime scenes that cropped up in this episode. Ah, Heather we barely and I mean barely knew ye but your death has Stiles’s heart into this pursuit and so your function as a plot device has been served. Plus it keeps him involved with Lydia and whether you ship them as friends or something more, there’s no denying that Holland and Dylan have some of the better chemistry together on this show.

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This storyline also gave us something that is always pleasing to see on television: lesbian representation whose sole purpose wasn’t just to titillate. Emily and Caitlin felt like a couple you’d love to see more of. There was a pure sweetness with the couple’s interactions that made Emily’s fate all the more tragic but necessary. Before anyone can even start in with ‘Jeff Davis hates lesbians’ you’re only allowed to say that if every last person he has be a victim on his show is of that orientation and they’re not. Equal representation means that anyone of any orientation can wind up a victim, an aggressor, or a hero.

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Sadly, Emily becomes the former just like Heather and nameless guy at the pool in a twisted instance of what might be a human sacrificial ritual. Last week in my review I talked about Davis using the old trope of virgins in horror movies. But it seems that he’s looking to subvert that expectation as the first three victims of this unknown terror are actually virgins—the very people who are meant to be safe in such instances. If it was some sort of devious serial killer then the rules may still have applied but virgins are prime territory for a successful sacrifice. 

Of course, now the question is what the hell is killing virgins and/or what are they planning to bring about with doing so? I don’t think we’re done with Gerard Argent ever since he slunk away in the style of literally every villain ever that should be dead but somehow disappears when the heroes look away. The guy had some dark knowledge and it’s possible he’s using what he knows to restore himself. Though I personally hope it’s something we’re not even expecting in the slightest, some new threat and not the return of psycho grandpa. Whoever or whatever is behind this they’re certainly playing dirty. I like the idea that a villainous force that can mess with your mind is far more mismatched adversary for our heroes when they tend to easily face most threats with their ripped bodies and enhanced senses.

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Speaking of, our wolves spent the episode chasing after a ravenous and rampaging Cora and Boyd. That in itself wasn’t too thrilling unless you enjoy awkward shots of Sinqua Walls covered in fur tufts snarling and sprinting in front of a green screen. We did get an interesting look at the moral struggle of our characters though when faced with the situation at hand. Scott was the prototypical hero type that wanted to solve the problem without adding a body count to it, Derek turned it into a way to punish himself for Boyd and for not being able to save the mysteriously alive Cora Hale, and Isaac amusingly was the first to frequently say they should just kill them and be done with it. Hey, the guy survived a lot so far and I certainly can’t blame him for not wanting to die trying to save a couple of wolves out of their minds on the moon’s influence.

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There’s a scene where Peter Hale appears like a devil dancing on Derek’s buff shoulder to whisper in his ear about how he can always make more. Trash these two and try again, he says all the while going on about how he and his nephew operate in shades of moral grayness. Just as I appreciate that our ‘heroes’ have varying levels of moral standing toward this situation, I appreciate that the other characters are allowed to help or just be annoying bastards on the sidelines. If it was it that kind of show, I’d question whether or not Peter was even really there or if Derek was just struggling with his own thoughts about what to do with Boyd and Cora without admitting that he too might want to just kill them so a few less of his own mistakes could be in the world.

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Though not every adult character just wanted to smirk on the sidelines, Chris Argent and Melissa McCall both contributed in their ways to the story. Melissa was with Stiles at the hospital morgue where he started to formulate his own theories on why bodies were popping up again. While Chris Argent ended up working with the wolf trio since Scott put it best by saying they needed the help of someone who knew what they were doing when it came to hunting werewolves. I hope that Argent assists them more in the future as their plan together worked out better than any single one of their attempts without him. He had not only the knowledge but the tools to help them get the job done.

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Chris wasn’t the only Argent at this particular after-school shindig, Allison tried to stay in the shadows while assisting in keeping the wolf duo at the school. I commend her for being there to help and not wanting to do so in a flashy ‘give me credit’ way. Though I do think now that she’s quick to get into the fray a little teamwork could go a long way with her efforts. Also it was just funny that Allison shoots at Boyd and another wolf last season and it was utter cruelty but now doing the exact same thing she was quite a hero. Ah, context is everything on genre shows where anyone can go wild and start killing their friends. But I look forward to seeing where things go for her now that she’s been told about her mother trying to kill Scott. It’s going to be a long road for her redemption but I believe that the show is setting it up smartly enough that it can work. It’s important that she’s able to see outside of terms of black and white more than just about any other character right now.

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I would also like to commend the show for having the school remain such an important factor of the series. Even when it’s an episode set at night and the characters aren’t in class, the building is an important part of tonight’s plan to contain the rabid wolves. It has a significance that goes beyond being a place for the characters to spend some time as normal teenagers. It’s often their battleground and it’s a great continuing metaphor for the challenges of growing up and becoming an adult. Facing your mistakes and your challenges with everything you’ve got even when they seem bigger than what you can possibly face.

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The boiler room plan would have been a relatively bloodless solution if not for damsel in distress Ms Blake causing Derek to walk into where the wolves were safely contained and face the both of them head-on at once. Suck it Peter with your moral grayness because Derek Hale is a hero tonight. He also got to satiate his need for achieving penance by letting Boyd and Cora slash the holy hell out of him until the sun came up. I wonder if the Hales are Catholic…someone needs to ask Jeff Davis that in his Tumblr Q&A’s.

What do you think the human sacrifices are for? Do you think the alpha pack works better in the shadows or should we be seeing more of them to feel the threat? Let us know in the comments below.

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