Teen Wolf Season 5 Episode 4 Review: Condition Terminal
Jennifer Knutson
at
.
Updated at
.
The pieces are finally coming together in Teen Wolf Season 5 Episode 4. Unfortunately, answers simply beget more questions.
How can the pack piece together the puzzle when they don't know how it's suppose to look in the end?
Deaton is terrified. Supernatural laws are the picture on the puzzle box. Deaton can always see the way ahead because supernatural laws are like a map. Without them, he's as clueless as the rest of us.
I've lived in the world of the supernatural a long time, but I'm still a doctor. I'm still a man of science. Something like this happens, it rattles the foundation of everything you believe. Something like this shakes you to the core.
Deaton
Of all the characters, Deaton is the most reassuring. He calms the other characters. He calms the audience. So, when Deaton is freaked it's extremely unnerving.
Not all the characters are terrified. In fact, some are tired of being scared. Some are ready to fight back.
Lydia helps many characters harness their powers. It makes sense she wants to harness her own. She is fed up after nearly bleeding out from being stabbed by Tracy's reptilian tail. (Only in Teen Wolf does that sentence make sense).
Lydia is ready to harness her own power. She's ready to fight. Just her luck there's a handsome deputy willing to train her. Bring on the Kung Fu!
Essentially, Lydia is Beacon Hill's supernatural therapist. Last week, she helped Tracy. Unsuccessfully, but it was the thought that counts. This week she's helping Parrish control his powers.
Lydia's banshee powers, and her innate compassion, allow her to feel the emotion behind supernatural powers. She feels a person's supernatural rhythm and flow. It allows her to understand the why so much sooner than other pack members.
Her trick with the lighter works. Parrish learns to control his powers more. Lydia also helps him tap into a memory.
It seems Parrish was drawn to the Nemeton, like all supernatural creatures of Beacon Hills. In the memory, Parrish is carrying a body to the Nemeton. Parrish is using his supernatural abilities and the power of the Nemeton to heal several burned bodies.
The question is, who is Parrish saving and why? In Teen Wolf's world the answers to these questions are seldom pleasant.
Lydia and Parrish step up the witty banter during their training session. Lydia's lighter isn't the only sparks flying. I absolutely believed Parrish was going to say, "You" when Lydia asked him what he was thinking about. Her eyes are hypnotic.
While Lydia and Parrish got their flirt on, I'd be remiss not to mention Stiles' reaction to Lydia's gapping wound. Frozen in absolute horror springs to mind.
Know what else springs to mind? Remember when Stiles told Lydia if anything ever happened to her he'd go out of his mind? We just witnessed it.
Stiles, who always figures it out, couldn't think. He couldn't react. All he could do was stare as Lydia bled out-- completely frozen in fear. That's what happens when your worst nightmare is realized.
Luckily, Theo uses his belt as a tourniquet. (Side note: this is an actual first aid technique. File it away. It could save your life or someone else's someday.)
Any gratitude towards Theo for saving Lydia's life is completely obliterated by mind numbing rage because he's SUPER EVIL!
Teen Wolf Law #3 --Stiles always figures it out. Of course, Stiles was right. Of course, Theo is evil. Of course, Theo is working with the Dread Doctors. I'm calling it now -- Theo gave Tracy the creepy Dread Doctors book.
Not only is he working with them, Theo targets the unhinged psychopath of the week, Donovan, on Stiles. No forgiveness in the world for such an action. For Theo it kills two birds with one stone. Donovan gets his revenge against Stalinski and Theo eliminates an obstacle.
The adults grapple with the senselessness of the supernatural world in Condition Terminal. Sheriff Stalinski wants to make Tracy's death a crime scene. He's a good cop trying to control the madness around him.
Deaton questions the insanity of his plan by offering basic rationalization. Once you cross certain lines, it's difficult to go back. The simple fact is Stalinski is in over his head. Supernatural wars need supernatural warriors.
Mrs. Martin isn't interested in tails, claws or the supernatural world. She only saw a crazed girl trying to kill them all. Explanations took a back seat to her baby girl lying on a gurney. When your child is hurt it's all you can see, hear and think.
Mrs. McCall continues to win Mom of the Year award. She accepts who Scott is and recognizes his powerful abilities. When Scott doubts himself, it's his mom who snaps him back into focus.
So...Scott loves Kira. He's a man overwhelmed by his girlfriend's awesomeness. Can you blame him? Any woman who uses a blade to shut off an alarm clearly deserves an "I love you."
The problem is, Scott's matter of fact declaration of love felt like a bomb to Kira. A warm and fuzzy bomb, but a bomb nonetheless. Scott's been handling his "firsts" with Kira in a perfunctory manner. Kira certainly reciprocates his feelings, but she wants these moments given the time and attention they deserve.
Poor Mason. The pack is remiss in not informing Mason he's either the weekly bait or the dude in distress. Rough gig buddy.
It did lead to an epic pack fight. There is nothing cooler on Teen Wolf when the entire pack fights together. Pack fights promote solidarity and generally ramp up the kick ass meter a solid ten points. Watching the pack protect Mason, who's so adorably innocent he's basically a puppy, was one of Teen Wolf's best fight scenes to date.
Not in small part to Kira. Wow! Those kitsune powers are kicking into overdrive. Kira and Parrish should have coffee with The Human Torch from the Fantastic Four sometime. Maybe form a "flame on" support group.
Lucas was down for the count, thanks to Liam, but he almost took Kira out. It seems to ignite a rage in her she couldn't control. If Scott hadn't stopped her, Lucas would've lost his head. Allison and Kira are Scott's triggers for control. It seems Scott is Kira's trigger for control as well.
Scott: Why did you do that?
Dread Doctors: His condition is terminal.
Scott: What does that mean?
Dread Doctors: Failure.
Unfortunately, Lucas' fate remained the same thanks to the Dread Doctors. I had to stifle a little laugh when Scott demanded, "Why did you do that?" Because they're evil, Scott. Obviously.
However, their morose response was equally chilling as it was mystifying. Lucas was unconscious, not dead. As a weapon, he was the most successful to date. So what do the Dread Doctors qualify as a success?
It seems answers only lead to more mysteries on Teen Wolf. You can watch Teen Wolf online to catch up on previous seasons' mysteries.
