If there were any doubts about Stiles and the Nogitsune, Teen Wolf Season 3 Episode 18 blew them out of the water. 

Stiles kidnapped himself, pretend trapped himself and scared the crap out of himself while he realized that the one thing that everyone has but they can't get rid of is their shadow. In Stiles' case, it's not just any shadow, but a Nogitsune the darkest of spirits - a void. 

Even Derek was shocked to think that it would choose skinny, defenseless Stiles as his body of choice, but I found what Kira said interesting:

Kira: You're going to tell Scott that Barrow might have used foxfire created by me to jump start the Nogitsune's power inside Stiles. Basically that I helped the dark spirit take control his best friend.
Derek: You should probably wait here.

• Permalink: You should probably wait here.

All the shadow talk, together with what we learned about Stiles' (oh, dear God, no) seemingly terminal condition similar to his mother's - frontotemporal dementia - makes me wonder whether it was something that he's had all along or if it crawled in when he left the door ajar after saving the parents. I'm still not sure about that.

Let's take a moment, though, to think about what I just mentioned above. Unless the Nogitsune business has temporarily shrunken Stiles brain, he's not in good shape no matter what happens from here on out. Are there witches? Healers? Can we hold out hope for Stiles?

That said, who or what is Kira's mother? A Nogitsune hunter? She's obviously a kitsune of some sort and has probably been on the lookout for Kira to show her first hint of powers. They both have the same effect on light bulbs, so maybe the type of Nogitsune you are carries down the line... which again brings me back to Stiles and his mother. Are we certain she didn't have some Japanese in her family line?

Considering the messages that Allison had on her phone, and Mr. Yakimura's thoughts that Oak Creek wasn't really a camp in California, I'm wondering if there wasn't a camp that might have remained hidden. Perhaps one that held Stiles' family line and that family line is somehow reaching out to him through Allison and Lydia and her Banshee powers.

Something is going on with the whispers and the messages. I don't believe they're all misdirects. Lydia's powers go far beyond what we understand, and certainly what she has grasped at this point, but that doesn't mean they're wrong. What she's hearing is telling her something that she needs to put together in a line and I have to believe Allison's messages are a part of it.

They're so damned interesting, aren't they? If Beacon Hills has been a beacon for the supernatural for as long as they've said, then Oak Creek might have been an internment camp for the Japanese supernatural. They would definitely not be lumped in with the regular citizens they were trying to keep out of society, it would be too dangerous.

Other cool things:

• Agent McCall finally seems to have gotten his head out of his ass, and he was the one to find Stiles. How long do you think it will last?
• Melissa looked hot during the entire episode. Her hair was all done up and she was on it. Too bad Sheriff Stilinski was worried about his boy.
• I enjoyed Derek and Kira getting some face time, and Derek giving some love to Scott and sharing tips and tricks to keep Beacon Hills safe. Very cool.
• That opening scene with Lydia and Aiden seems a lifetime ago, doesn't it?

It's time to check in! Hey -- don't forget to catch all of the episodes when you watch Teen Wolf online right here on the site!

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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.