3b is upon us
Like the glutton for punishment that I am, I'm back for more Teen Wolf. Season 3b/4/whatever had a pretty strong opening... which I know is just going to make it worse when it all goes pear-shaped.
- Items of "Continuity": a few weeks have passed since the end of 3a; Stiles and his dad don't bring flowers to Claudia's grave very often, which may mean they don't visit very often; Finstock may very well be an alcoholic; Scott's dad is in town not because he's TW's answer to Mulder (which was my first thought) but to gather evidence to impeach Sheriff Stilinski (because there is no internal affairs division?); Scott is his own anchor now; Stiles hates coyotes
- Differences in the credits: a blood-stained mask (of Chinese origin?) and red lightning replacing the Nemeton at the end
- The effects of the Nemeton have gone from a darkness around the heart to an open door in the mind. (Had Jeff Davis even given thought to the story arc for 3b when writing the end of 3a?) Presumably the door must be closed or something evil will get in -- once again, Deaton, you are super-helpful.
- Why do I have the feeling that if I looked up "sleep paralysis" or "muscle atonia" on Wikipedia, I'd find the source of Stiles' dialogue? Same with "bardo," which is actually a thing because hey, let's throw in some Eastern mythology and then fuck that all to hell this time. So multicultural!
- OK, so the first time I watched the ep on shitty livestream, I admit that I laughed at Isaac's pathetic attempt at starting Fight Club, but the second time I watched it, I was horrified that Scott threw him into a wall twice. For Derek to do it and not get called on it was bad enough, but Scott is supposed to be the moral compass of the fucking show. He can do no wrong. His shit smells of bakery-fresh cinnamon rolls. Later, in front of everyone, Isaac casually refers to the fact that he is still dealing with the aftereffects of being abused. Yes, it's played as a joke, but it's all the more disturbing for it. I mean, plot holes are one thing, but this is actually kind of sickening.
- Kate climbing out of the morgue drawer is genuinely scary, but any real attempt at horror is negated by the talking baby doll at the end. Not only is it a really stupid horror cliche, but the girl was nine.
- Harris is on the Sheriff's bulletin board -- does that mean he was not, in fact, killed by the Darach? We never found out what he meant by "I did everything you asked." But I doubt anything from previous seasons (including Cora) is going to get any more of a mention than the kanima did in this episode.
- "We're going out to find a body. A dead body." Thank you for specifying, Scott.
- I get what they were going for with the "be your own anchor" thing and it's nice to see Scott dealing with the break-up as a reality (for as long as THAT lasts), but a key difference between Scott and Derek was that Scott's anchor was another person. Scott's strength lies in the fact that he trusts people. I thought the whole Scott-as-alpha thing was meant to bring in the idea of a real pack, one that can rely on each other, but I guess I've been reading too much fic. If one were to imbue Jeff Davis with more credit than he likely deserves, one might suspect a plotline of Scott taking on Derek-like qualities. But in all likelihood, it's nothing more than a "believe in yourself" PSA.
I'm trying to enjoy the little sapling of hope before it gets thoroughly crushed by episode... let's be generous and say four. Sigh... If you ask me, it was a mistake to abandon the campiness and embrace the horror, because it forces a show about werewolf teenagers and friends to take itself super-seriously. Taking away the light-heartedness drained much of the (non-ironic) fun. Anyway, I'm keeping up my list of tv.com's recaps here; they are funnier than mine and have pictures.