Teen Wolf Season 3 Summar Finale “Lunar Ellipse” Review – The Big Bad Wolf is Back! Writing this review of the Teen Wolf season 3 summer finale is bittersweet, as I will truly miss the show until it returns in January. It takes a very special show to make you actually look forward to a Monday! The mid-season finale did not disappoint. Viewers got a fair amount of closure, one of the most memorable fights of the series and what appears to be the start of a redemption arc (and less man pain) for Derek. With the exception of a few minor issues, the Teen Wolf finale was satisfying and the best finale of the series to date. Let’s review . . . Previously on Teen Wolf . . . Allison, Scott and Stiles decided to give Dr. Deaton’s ice bath ritual a try in an effort to locate and save their parents. I was quite mistaken as to how the ritual would work. I thought that the trio would serve as replacement sacrifices for their parents and have some adverse effect on Darachifer’s mission to corral as much sacrificial-based power to take down the Alpha pack. Instead, the ritual landed Allison, Scott and Stiles in a mysterious white room where the Nemeton awaited them. We traveled back to the Teen Wolf pilot in which Scott was bitten by Peter. I thought this was a nice touch to the opening of the episode, as we learned that Allison, Scott and Stiles were connected to each other from the very start of the series. It was also heartwarming to watch the characters in the present day reflect on their younger, more naive selves. The transformation of Allison, Scott and Stiles is a testament to how all three actors have truly evolved over the course of the series. Kudos to the Teen Wolf writers for developing a pretty seamless way to incorporate Tyler Posey’s tattoo – which came as a surprise to everyone on the show – into this season. There were a lot of great call backs to the start of the season, including the tattoo and the quote that Darachifer sent the students on the first day of class. If only they could have worked in Scott reflecting upon something “ephemeral.” Although the ritual worked, the trio returned to “real time” to discover that they’d been out for a whopping 16 hours and that there were only 4 hours until the full moon. To make matters more complicated, Scott’s dad ate away at some of the limited time the trio had to save their parents with his untimely interrogation at the Argent’s. Quick thinking by Allison got them out of the jam and some quick thinking by Scott during that scene proved crucial later on. Now That’s How You Make An Entrance! From the time she revealed her selfish, evil motivations and wrought havoc on my favorite Teen Wolf, I’ve been counting down the days until Darachifer was finally dead and gone forever. Likewise, from the moment Kali and her rotten, poorly manicured feet appeared on the show I’ve hated her. The end to the first half of this season would only be satisfying if both women were dead when the credits rolled last night. Thank you Jeff Davis for not letting us down. To be fair, Darachifer proved to be a pretty entertaining villain in her final episode. Her entrance into Derek’s loft after Peter urged my favorite angst-ridden sour wolf and his sister to get the hell out of dodge was in a word, EPIC. Now that’s how you make an entrance, girl! And thank you Lydia for not letting your fear prevent you from taking a nice little jab at Kali’s horrendous feet. The final showdown between Kali and Darachifer was easily my favorite fight of the series. I only wish it could have lasted a little longer and we could have seen Kali endure a little more pain. Well, a lot more pain. Ding, dong the witch is dead! Haley Webb did an amazing job in the confrontation with Kali. I loved the little nod to Coach Finstock’s season two reflection about Boyd – “The bigger they are, the . . . bigger . . . they . . . are!” I love a witty villain. Well done, Darachifer. The twins gave it a shot, but proved to be no match for Darchifer. Interestingly, it looks like they don’t actually have to fist each other in order to form Kale. With a quick snap of the neck, the twins were down and Darachifer urged Lydia to unleash a bloodcurdling scream, which cut Derek’s departure short. It was nice to see Cora do more than scowl in this episode. I was kind of surprised to see her comforting Lydia and I’m glad that there was no hesitation in the decision to get the twins to Dr. Deaton once it appeared that they were still alive. Well, it was nice to see one of the twins saved. More on that later. To The Nemeton! While Scott paired up with Duke, Allison and Isaac went in search of the Nemeton. Thanks to Chris Argent’s silent wolf alarm and the revelations in the ice bath ritual, the duo quickly found the parents. Full disclosure, I knew that Stiles would be okay but that didn’t make seeing him unconscious after slamming into a tree any easier to watch. That jeep is more resilient than the Hyundai Tucson used by the characters on The Walking Dead. Derek’s been through like three vehicles in three seasons, so he clearly has money and good credit. Perhaps he will buy Stiles a new car in 3B and drive the Sterek shippers crazy. Thanks to Isaac’s wolf strength and a perfectly timed entry into the Nemeton by Stiles and an aluminum bat, the group was able to hold off Darachifer’s attempt to channel her inner Storm from X-Men and crush them under the ground. Unfinished Business After making easy work of Kali and the Wonder Twins, Jennifer set out with Derek to take care of her last bit of unfinished business – a showdown with the Demon Wolf. We’ve waited all season to see what Duke would look like in demon form and this is what we got: Ummmm. I don’t know what to say. The demon wolf is both frightening and comical. The sound effects used on his voice made him come off as more of a bad parody than a scary demon monster. Although Duke paired up with Scott to take down Darachifer, he did not lose sight of his goal to thwart Scott’s ability to fully transform into a True Alpha. Those few seconds in which he urged Scott to kill Darachifer proved costly in the fight. You just know that somewhere Gerard was screaming MOUNTAIN ASSSSHHHHHHHHHHHHHH at the very idea that the information he shared with Scott helped him get the upper hand on Duke. That little tidbit about Duke being able to see in wolf form was probably the ONLY true thing Gerard shared in that entire story. I Will Always Love You Okay, Teen Wolf fans, I know that the image of Scott breaking through the mountain ash barrier was awesome. It ranks up there with the moment Bruce Leroy got the glow in the film The Last Dragon. It was pretty freaking awesome and I’m not even going to declare shenanigans on the fact that it goes against literally everything we’ve learned about mountain ash. Despite how amazing it was to see Scott emerge as the True Alpha, I think Derek deserves a lot of credit for his actions in this episode. Let’s look at the highlight reel – - He gave up his own Alpha status and risked his life to save Cora. - He came back to help Lydia when he heard her banshee cry. - He willingly went with Darachifer when she offered to spare the lives of the parents if he would stand in as her guardian sacrifice. - He first spared Duke’s life by wisely appealing to Jennifer’s need to have people see the pain she’s endured. Thanks to that smart move, Duke’s eyesight was repaired. - He spared Duke’s life again by declining to kill him at Darachifer’s insistence. I loved the quote from his mom about being a predator, not a killer. - He remembered his mom’s observations about Duke being a man of vision and allowed him to walk away with his life. There are few things I love more than Derek and Scott working together. As I’ve said before, the two have much more in common than they realize. I’m sure that Derek’s departure will be temporary. Personally, I thought his actions in the mid-season finale were very True Alpha-like. I actually think it’s a bit unfair for his eyes to be blue when he technically killed someone out of mercy. And I’m still convinced it was Peter that arranged for Paige to get the bite, not Derek. I’ll always love my favorite sour wolf and I can’t wait until he returns. Really, Duke? After chastising Kali for not ensuring that Julia/Jennifer was dead, was anyone just a little surprised that Duke didn’t make absolute sure that Darachifer was deader than dead after he attacked her? Luckily for Duke, there was someone lurking about and ready to finish the job as Darachifer struggled to return to the Nemeton and start this vicious cycle all over again. Yes, ladies and gentleman, the man who I’ve been calling out for his absence during major conflict this season stepped up to the plate after everyone else did the heavy lifting. The Big Bad Wolf Is Back! Before Darachifer could make her plea to the Nemeton, in steps Peter who killed her and reminded us all that HE is the Alpha and that he has ALWAYS been the Alpha! Duly noted, Peter. Duly noted. To date, Peter has been my favorite Teen Wolf villain and I look forward to seeing what type of trouble he stirs up in 3B. I know he’s bad, but I hope he can be bad and stay alive. It’s pretty convenient that our main protagonist doesn’t like to kill the bad guys. What would the show be without that Peter Hale sass? Was Peter’s urging of Derek to heal Cora and to get out of town an act of mercy? With Derek out of the way and no longer an Alpha, he wouldn’t have to hurt his nephew in order to resume his status as an Alpha and the biggest, baddest wolf in Beacon Hills. I’m a little worried for Scott, especially if Peter saw that awesome display of strength as he broke through the MOUNTAIN ASSSSHHHHHHHHHHH barrier. New Allison, New Code As I’ve previously observed, Allison’s redemption arc this season has been great to watch. I love that she is embracing her family tradition and leading them in a new direction. Wonder what Gerard will have to say about this new “we protect those who can’t help protect themselves” code. Based on the sneak peak from next season, we might want to ask how dead Aunt Kate feels about this new direction. Other Observations . . . - When Darachifer snapped Kale’s neck, did she render the Wonder Twins forever broken and unable to form like Voltron? - As much as I loved his timely use of the aluminum bat, I hate that Stiles was benched for most of the finale. - Does anyone else still have a problem with Aiden? As far as I’m concerned, Dr. Deaton could have saved Ethan only. We’ve at least seen him demonstrate remorse and conflict about his obligation as a member of Duke’s pack. Aiden, on the other hand, seemed to enjoy what he was doing and lest we not forget, he recently threatened to rip Danny’s skin off. I’m sorry, but that little growl at Kali as she threatened Lydia is not nearly enough to redeem him in my eyes. The writers are going to have to do a much better job with him next season if I’m ever going to change my mind. - I’m also equally frustrated that once again, Lydia ends up with the douche bag who likes her goodies but doesn’t appreciate her for who she really is. I wasn’t expecting Lydia and Stiles to be the next great Teen Wolf romance after their kiss, but it would have been better to just continue to let her be single. - We still have NO idea where the hell Cora has been for the last six years. We still don’t know why she was sick. My assumption is that it was because of Darachifer, but it would have been nice to get a little confirmation. All things considered, it could have been Peter! - I hate that there was no real exploration of how Kali felt about Duke being responsible for the death of Ennis. I was genuinely looking forward to seeing that. - Teen Wolf and product placement – aargh! Product placement has always been part of the show. Macy’s, in particular, had a pretty huge presence in the first two seasons. I found the placement in last night’s episode to be both amusing and annoying. I couldn’t help but laugh at Issac literally breaking the ice with his witty comeback about both of his parents being dead while conveniently placing an Ice Breaker mint in his mouth. Later, we saw the power of advertising as Scott used his phone to send a video message to Jennifer to indicate his location. Further, I barely get good phone reception in my apartment and somehow Scott and Stiles can hear each other perfectly clear in a Nemeton. Someone in the aluminum bat industry really missed a prime opportunity in the episode to demonstrate how their bats are good in a crisis situation. And with that, the first half of season 3 is a wrap. I can’t wait to see what’s up next. Thanks so much for watching with me this season and sharing your thoughts in the comments. I’d love to hear what you thought of the finale and your predictions for 3B! Until January!!!! **Gifs created by and posted on the official Teen Wolf Tumblr, Never Love a Wild Thing** By Jocelyn W | August 20, 2013
Posted on: Tue, 20 Aug 2013 21:43:17 +0000
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