Let’s start with the main background menace that is underpinning this season - the essence of fear. Everyone is becoming more spooked, more freaked out. We see this first with Mason who has been hit hard hard; he keeps seeing that skinned body over and over again, like it’s literally there in front of him (some woo-woo also had Liam expressing an interest in Mason’s life - definite woo-woo).
That skinned body is now in the morgue and as Melissa tries to take samples she is overcome by terror. And things moving. And flickering lights and hellll no she’s out.
She calls Argent to do the body poking for her. I could make a comment about the problem of a woman calling a man to go in danger but hell no, I’m totally team Melissa here. In fact I wouldn’t be outside the door I’d be three towns over skyping him to guide him what fleshy bits to cut.
But even the manly man Chris Argent is overwhelmed by terror and flees the room. Together they recognise this terror is pretty supernatural and they manage to go in together with a gun and science talk to grab a sample - though it turns out that sample is nothing. No cells, no DNA - nothing… also the fear may have reduced but it’s still there
This can be cured by flirting and Melissa encouraging Chris to stay and Chris being a bit faster on the uptake
There’s also Brett on the run. He’s desperately trying to escape Tamorah and Gerard - with Gerard giving Tamorah a sadly very very very very good masterclass on becoming a monster hunter.
Brett’s sister, Lori (and am i the only one who thinks all these random extra werewolves should have been more present before now) discovers Brett’s blood stained lacrosse stick and recruits the gang to help her find her injured brother
They try Lydia to see if she can get a vision and manages to get a cryptic message of “68” not helpful psychic banshee powers - but Mason and Corey are so very irritating that she decides to wander off alone to have a vision. In the school. At night. But not alone because like half the school decides to wander around the library at night. Beacon Hills high school. Do none of these people have survival instincts?!
Mason and Corey hit the library because EVERYONE MUST HANG AROUND THE DEATH SCHOOL AT NIGHT! And there shady totally-released-by-the-hunt-guy whispers in Nolan, a student’s ear, about Corey - and how he can totally vanish and reappear. Nolan decides to weirdly join them to talk about people changing and if it’s possible. This is supposed to be some veiled reference at shapeshifting which makes Corey super nervous as it continues and Mason super bemused
I join Mason in the bemused- because Corey isn’t a shapeshifter. Except Malia and Derek, very very very few of the characters on this show actually count as shapeshifting - heavy brows, need of a shave and mega manicure are as shapeshifty as people get. And Corey doesn’t even do that much: when everyone else was getting the cool killing powers he got the “run and hide!” specialty as we noted before.
Since cryptic weirdness is getting him nowhere, Nolan stabs Corey in the hand. And it’s a gusher. The fountain of blood certainly attracts attention from the many students having around the DEATH CAMPUS AT NIGHT - but when Nolan grabs Corey’s hand it’s already healed. Mason tries to play it off as a scratch.
They run into Lydia who also noticed Nolan (who declared her “one of them”) who saw his shirt- with 68 on it. Looking around they see many students looking at them fearfully and realise that their interpretation of her vision was wrong. The people won’t turn on each other- they’ll turn on them, the supernatural
I say again, anyone in Beacon Hills’s high school after dark isn’t going to be freaked out by a little invisibility
Liam, Malia, Scott and Lori start searching for Brett and it’s clear they’re facing a dangerous enemy with Gerard guiding Tamora - and not helped by Lori’s eagerness to find her brother and Liam’s general ineptness. Malia is very good at slapping Liam down - including his arrogant belief that they can pretty much take a hunter. Malia is good at slapping many people down
They follow his trail while Gerard and Tamora play cat and mouse with him continuing to teach, guide and manipulate her because he’s got a bigger plan than killing the odd werewolf. He wants an army - so he stops the many chances when she could kill Lori or Liam.
He also engineers a trap - Scott, being the selfless man he is, pulls Liam out of the way (whhhhyyyyyy) and takes a spear to the gut himself, putting him out of action (with Malia refusing to leave his side) so not able to stop Liam doing silly thing.
Malia stays with him, she talks about how they should have called Stiles and, tellingly, how she doesn’t want Scott to leave her too. She also struggles to take Scott’s pain until more emotion and a touch to the face. Oooookay… are we heading towards Scott and Malia? Scott and Malia a couple? That could be interesting. This is the last season we have no time to develop this.
Liam and Lori find Brett and are herded towards the surface - at exactly the point Gerard wants them to emerge, just as he manages to split Liam from Brett and Lori
The severely injured Brett makes it to the surface with Lori - in the middle of the road. And they’re hit by a car. Liam quickly follows to find Brett dead and Lori crying. With his control issues, Liam loses it. He shifts, grows claws, glowing yellow eyes- and he roars. Repeatedly. In front of a growing, fearful, crowd
Gerard’s plan - the best way to build an army is through fear
Again, a definite interesting plot line but part of me remembers how many supernaturals the Nemeton brings to Beacon Hills… are local resources actually that much of a threat to the supernatural? And if not… is this about to get bigger?
