Teen Wolf, Season 4, Episode 16: Illuminated

Outside, kids breaking jack-o-lanterns are interrupted in their petty vandalism by a rather huge number of the creepy black-clad masked figures walking down the street.

Alison and Chris Argent manage to break down the door to where Isaac is screaming; he’s shaking on the floor, skin like ice. He can’t hear them and keeps shaking – so Chris tells him to turn – and starts hitting him to provoke the change, until his eyes turned. Back to himself he tearfully describes his attackers including their firefly eyes and appearing out of the shadows. Chris seems to recognise the description and thinks they were after him (hence the not killing Isaac). And for some reason, as he fiddles with some barely seen object in the dark, he wants to keep it secret

Moving on to the police station where Agent McCall (who isn’t dead, alas) questions Stiles, Scott, Kira and Lydia (is Sheriff Stilinski actually laughing at the plight of some poor fool trying to question Stiles? Yes, he is revelling in the pain of agent arsehole having his mind messed with by Stiles). Special bonus points for “do you believe this?” “I haven’t believed a word Stiles has said since he learned how to speak.” Since Kira backs them (after all three of them stare at her), Agent should-be-eaten-by-a-kanima has little way of pursuing the question. Agent Kanimafood tries to give Scott a warning about something dark and dangerous controlling the now dead barrows but, really, it’s kind of old news to the supernaturally-aware.

Kira goes home and takes a photo of herself in candlelight – the picture shows her wreathed in fire.

At school Stiles finds an odd key on his keyring and Scott tries to talk to Kira when Stiles stops him – he votes to avoiding Kira until they’re sure she’s not a dangerous monster.

In the locker room, Danny is having trouble finding power for the blacklight party he’s planning given the huge blackout – Ethan hopes to help him. Aidan mocks Ethan for caring but Ethan points out how much Aidan doesn’t understand Scott – Scott doesn’t care about power, he cares about people. Ethan helping people – helping Danny – is going to be noticed and get them in the pack far more than any power plays. Ethan finds Danny a venue – Derek’s Wolf Loft

To class and Lydia’s mum is teaching (and asks her daughter not to embarrass her followed by shoe snark that tells me Lydia and her mother together are always awesome). She’s also not ready to be besties with seat-mate Aidan since he helped kill Boyd and after helping save Kira’s life she’s had something of a personal revelation about bad boys and how she wants nothing to do with them

Elsewhere Derek menaces some trick-or-treaters before he becomes the next person attacked by the shadowy-masked guys with fire-fly eyes

Scott goes to see Kira over lunch – and she asks him to take a picture of her and see the corona in the picture. She doesn’t know what it is, it’s only recently happened – and Barrow knew about it She’s worried that the police now have her phone with the pictures Barrow took (also preventing her indulging in more product placement this show loves so much).

Which means a mission, aided by Stiles, to find the phone and get it back (and no, Scott didn’t tell Stiles about the pictures – just that she had pictures he didn’t want anyone to see – naked pictures. Kira thinks this was a great idea, because Kira is also kind of awesome). Stiles gives them loads of help and very-illegal cloned card keys but warns them that since his dad is being investigated by Agent Kanimafood (Scott’s dad) he can’t help or be caught – and will run and “leave you both for dead” if they get caught. Wise Stiles.

They sneak into the building and find her phone – but it isn’t charged, they can’t delete the pictures, which means finding a charger in the desk with the convenient apple lap top left on it (seriously, Teen Wolf’s product placement is almost comic) that can be used to charge phones. To actually make some story reason for the product placement, the lap top has a picture of Scott as a child as its wallpaper. Oh Scott, don’t go all sad and melty – that might stop your dad being fed to a Kanima.

While they wait for it to charge, Agent Kanimafood arrives outside. Stiles sends a warning – and then runs in to distract him (what, you thought Stiles was serious when he said he’d leave them for dead? Naaaah). Stiles unleashes his babble while Kira and Scott delete the images with lots of closeups of her phone – but Stiles’s babble also contains a slightly menacing hint that Stiles and his dad know something that Agent Kanimafood doesn’t want them to – and that’s why he hates Sheriff Stilinski

The three meet outside with Kira all excited because this is the first time she’s ever done anything like that (Stiles and Scott are positively bored by such tame hijinks by now). And Scott invites Kira to Danny’s party

To the party – blacklights and body paint! Allison and Isaac arrive and realise they are far far far too uncool and straightlaced for this scene with additional worries about Derek finding out what’s happening in his wolf loft. Ethan rips off Danny’s t-shirt to get him painted up – but in the background and the shadows, more of the masked-fire-fly-goons are gathering. In the storeroom, Ethan is jumped by them.

Stiles is still worried about the mystery key, but is distracted by Caitlin kissing him. He follows her

leaving Scott and Kira to be cute together. Across the room Allison notices them holding hands and there’s a moment when Kira is definitely uncomfortable. She pulls her hand away while Scott and Allison give each other small smiles and Scott turns to look for Kira, using his Alpha vision. He sees Kira – wreathed in glowing light, and the light around her head looks like a canine head. Stiles catches up to Caitlin has a confused moment because he thought she was a lesbian when she’s actually bisexual (and totally over her dead girlfriend). She notices that Stiles’s new key has glowy stuff on it – but then kisses him so he can no longer think. He confirms that she likes girls and boys and when she asks whether he likes girls (yes) and boys (no answer, confused look) she laughs and they kiss again – but Stiles can’t rest with a good mystery and asks more about the glowyness and when hearing it’s chemicals Stiles has an epiphany and leaves. Oh Stiles.

Allison and Isaac have lots of word dancing awkwardness (including Isaac doing that cute thing where he makes really bold come ons and then is super embarrassed by them) and then topless bodypainting

Lydia’s comment to this is awesome – “finally!” Because she’s Lydia and she’s awesome (and she’s already cut Aidan dead again) – before she begins to sense the Masked Figures. Seeing them get closer she runs out of the party. They follow her outside, pulling themselves out of the shadows (Since when has leaving the crowded space been safer, Lydia?). Lydia unleashes her scream but one of them catches it on his hand (no, really – and it looks really well done)

Kira and Scott go to the roof for quiet time and among the cuteness Kira questions why Scott isn’t weirded out by her demonic glow – and he says it doesn’t look demonic, it’s looks protective and like a fox (so we’re finally pinning down the kitsune then?)

In the party, Isaac and Kira are getting up close when she sees something behind his ear – the number 5. They go to the storeroom to examine it – and find Ethan, unconscious with his eyes wide open. At the same time that Aidan and Danny, looking for Ethan, find Lydia unconscious outside; she’s freezing so they quickly get her inside. While they try to warm her up, Isaac breaks Ethan’s arm to get his healing mojo working.

Both Lydia and Aidan have 5s tattooed behind their ears.

Outside, Derek wakes up also with a 5 behind his ear. He roars – heard by Scott on the roof. Derek then enters the party, tosses aside the DJ’s bodyguard and destroys the DJ’s turntables. Daddy’s home – who didn’t get permission for the party? He yells at everyone to get out with his werewolf lungs, clearing out everyone but the supernatural people (and Allison) – and leaving the Masked Men very obvious. Who all turn and look at Aidan

They all march towards Aidan and Scott and Derek attack them – except they’re fast, strong, skilled and treat a broken neck as a minor inconvenience – and can draw a sword out of their chests to intimidate Isaac against getting involved. They grab Aidan, bewitch him with their glowing eyes and burn the 5 behind his ear – and he passes out. Then they turn to Scott. Scott goes alpha – red eyed and growling which is seen by Kira. The Masked Men move closer – and then the sun rises and they all disappear.

Scott wants to know what they are – and Isaac tells Allison that Chris’s 24 hour silence period is over (perhaps if they had been warned a little earlier they could have taken more steps)

Speaking of, Chris (and his tragic hair) stagger back home, his hand blood stained. He collapses to the floor, unable to answer the phone call from Allison.

Stiles uses the key he has to enter the chemistry class (where the coded message to kill Kira was). He goes to the blackboard where the message still is and writes the same numbers – his handwriting is identical. Stiles wrote the message.

  

There is a terrible new monster in Beacon Hills – Chris Argents barber. Damn man, what did you do and whyyy? Or is this a result of a tragically receding hairline?

I’m glad to see that Boyd’s death is not forgotten – but it would have been nice if he hadn’t been forgotten when he was actually alive

Scott and Allison’s little moment on the dance floor was really well done – not a word spoken but a really strong story told with facial expressions alone – yes they were together, yes it was big, yes it’s kind of sad that it’s over but it is over and they’re both ok with that.

Do not even try to sell me the “oh look Stiles is bisexual!” on the strength of his comically confused look when asked if he likes boys. It looks far more like a “yikes I never expected that question!” than any kind of actual possibility that Stiles is bisexual – and it comes on 3 seasons of constant teasing and slashbait by this damn show. This is just another in a long line of little pokes to make the slash fans celebrate while not going anywhere

In terms of the actual regular (hah) GBLT characters on the show – Danny had like 4 lines, this is a new record; I really hope that finally, finally after 3 seasons we’re actually going to see this oft-hailed bit character be more involved in the story rather than make a brief appearance once every 5 episodes or more. Actual story for Danny! Let us see Danny and Ethan actually develop! Gay characters having an actual storyline rather than being background diversity for cookies! C’mon, don’t make me build up my hopes to have it all crash down.

I’d quite like next episode for Isaac not to be hit or beaten by someone.

But plot – oh I am intrigued, yes yes I am.