Teen Wolf Review: Marked for Death?

at .  Updated at .

Just when you think things can't get any crazier, Teen Wolf Season 3 Episode 16 comes along and proves you wrong!

Allison and her dad managed to get to Isaac just after the smoky masked men left him cold on the floor. Interestingly, Mr. Argent thought they were looking for him and asked the two shocked teens to give him 24 hours before telling anyone -- including Scott -- what they saw.

It took me a while to try to piece things together, and frankly, I'm still stumped. But now I think Mr. A. is one of them. Is that why he had a mask of his own and was injured at the end or the show? Or did he manage to kill one in the past and get one of their masks? But who, or what, are they?

Aiden and Ethan are still trying to get back into Scott's good graces; Ethan more than Aiden, of course. They decide to use Derek's loft to help Danny throw a Halloween black light party. Or, as Lydia called it, a 90s rave. Where was Derek? It doesn't matter, because the smoky men still found him, just after he scared the crap out of three little kids who had the audacity to Trick or Treat him at his car. They deserved the fangs the little ingrates. Who holds up a candy bag at a car?

Kira was busily freaking out about her phone being lost because her photos have been showing up with a flame-like aura around them for the past couple of months. Scott thinks it's cool, and looks like a fox that's protecting her. That's better than the demon she's imagining and fits in with the Kitsune myth being about a fox.

The black light party lead to all kinds of interesting things. Scott could see Kira's aura without the camera or flash when he used his wolf eyes and there were a lot of shirtless boys. The smoky men also showed up and marked three people with inverted numeral 5s behind their ears, having already marked Isaac and Derek. Lydia, Ethan and Aiden are now marked, as well.

The rumor has been that someone in the main credits wouldn't make it to the end of the season alive. Did these 5s just mark one of the dead? Did the smoky people pull a Dead Like Me move and remove their souls so they can die and become the next smoky people? Why do their eyes glow like the fireflies that came out of the Nemeton and how are they connected to the Nemeton?

Given the vision Derek had last week of Talia Hale on top of the Nemeton, she must be connected in some way. That still doesn't explain Mr. Argent and the mask he has hidden in a box. If the box is made of ash, that's an even better connection. 

The smoky men can rise and disappear from and to anywhere and are unable to be harmed. One second their necks were snapped and the next... all fixed up. Given their traveling ways, they probably don't have corporeal bodies as we know them.

They were also able to stop Lydia's banshee scream and do something very freaky with her face. Teen Wolf is adept at taking our minds and twisting them all up until nothing makes sense, and these creatures fit right in.

The other big reveal was about the key that appeared on Stiles key ring indicating that perhaps he is not 100% himself after the beginning of the season after all. He doesn't remember writing the formula to kill on the chalk board that sent Barrow to kill Kira, but it matched his handwriting. What else doesn't he remember?

What if one of the marked five will be responsible for killing Stiles because he has become a dark soul that needs banished? The thought of that is almost too much to bear, but talk about raising the stakes to new levels. To kill off Stiles would be one of the riskiest moves Teen Wolf could make.

A few other things worth noting:

  • Kira had to pick one of the few phones that doesn't work off of a charge when the battery is dead. Thankfully it wasn't fully gone, as it can take up to 20 minutes to start functioning!
  • How sweet was it when Scott saw his photos on his dad's computer? I'd like to see a little more effort put into uncovering things about them.
  • Allison teasing Isaac was very sexy. They have something chemical that she and Scott didn't have. They were first loves. Isaac is different.
  • Didn't Kira see Scott's wolf teeth and eyes or did she just not have time to respond? She must be blown away after seeing those smoky men and is probably feeling "normal" right about now.

Don't forget -- if you miss any episodes, you can always watch Teen Wolf online here at TV Fanatic!

Would Teen Wolf dare kill of Stiles?

Illuminated Review

Editor Rating: 4.6 / 5.0
  • 4.6 / 5.0
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
User Rating:

Rating: 4.8 / 5.0 (37 Votes)

Carissa Pavlica is the managing editor and a staff writer and critic for TV Fanatic. She's a member of the Critic's Choice Association, enjoys mentoring writers, conversing with cats, and passionately discussing the nuances of television and film with anyone who will listen. Follow her on X and email her here at TV Fanatic.

Show Comments
Tags: ,

Teen Wolf Season 3 Episode 16 Quotes

Agent McCall: That's one hell of a deduction there, Stiles.
Stiles: Well, I take after my pops. He's in law enforcement.

Scott: You didn't steal these, did you?
Stiles: No. Cloned 'em. With an RFID emulator.
Scott: Isn't that worse than stealing?
Stiles. Smarter.