Teen Wolf Review: It's Only Human
Carissa Pavlica
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Hello Sean, and goodbye. We hardly knew you.
Our first wendigo came and went on Teen Wolf Season 4 Episode 3 in a rather remarkable fashion.
First he seemed to be the character of a horror movie, then a lonely child left after a "family-murdering ax murderer" killed his family and then, finally, an eater of flesh as he chewed upon a deputy guarding his hospital room. He declared himself a hungry wendigo who was then killed by -- the benefactor?
If you've read spoilers, you know there is a benefactor coming to Beacon Hills and given the pointed references to money woes and the $117 million stolen from the Hales, he's coming soon. Is the fellow without a mouth him?
The muted one apparently killed Sean's family because he was a wendigo. He saved Scott from a terrible fate. But his introduction wasn't as important to the wendigo storyline as what happened with another new kid in town.
Until Liam was in the hospital room and his cocky demeanor had been erased by a junior and captain of the lacrosse team (Scott) by way of a broken ankle, it was hard to like the kid. It turns out he was only trying to fit in and doing a pretty horrible job of it, if he was hoping to impress the cool kids anyway.
Deciding the regular crew didn't need to be informed of the nature of the family murder, Melissa and Sheriff Stilinski let the kids have a day to be kids. That included tryouts for the lacrosse team. With so many gone this year, Coach opened up all positions on the team to anyone who wanted to try out. He didn't even guarantee Scott his position as captain.
It was nice to see Stiles and Scott being teenagers again, even if it was for a relatively short time. It grounded us in the reality of their friendship and reminded us why they are so great together. Dylan O'Brien was doing his best comic relief, just short of classic pratfalls, during tryouts. Did you see the looks he was making with is adorable face?
Scott worried about being the captain and became so competitive that he went above and beyond, slamming Liam to the ground and breaking his ankle.
Stiles: Scott, if you had used any wolf power, that kid wouldn't be limping. He'd be crawling back to the other half of his body.
Scott: If I hadn't been so worried about being captain, he wouldn't be hurt either.
Stiles: It's OK to want something for yourself once in a while -- team captain, alpha werewolf. It's only human.
Scott's concern about the team and having human needs also forced him to address his situation with Kira. In the hallway he was so comfortable with her that he gave her a kiss before heading to class, throwing everything out of whack. They haven't talked about being girlfriend and boyfriend and Scott said he kissed her like he kissed his grandmother -- it was hardly first kiss material.
Can you believe that was their first kiss?
After Kira was marked for the lacrosse team and Scott apologized for the awkward moment, he came back and made it official with a real kiss. Finally!
While Stiles and Scott were being trounced by Liam on the field, Malia was worried about her studies. There was a lot going on in this installment to prepare her for a relationship with Stiles. Her personality was better formed and when she revealed her usage of highlighters and how her own line of thinking so closely matches Stiles, it felt right.
Malia's trying to get caught up and using Lydia's notes, as everyone does. But Stiles realized why Lydia's notes weren't helping her -- they weren't math, but looked similar to what the benefactor was viewing on his computer. WTF?
Meanwhile, Lydia was investigating the murder house with Deputy Parrish. They stumbled upon the room of bodies Parrish thought was venison. Lydia is reading things from the benefactor. Once again, he doesn't seem harmful at this point, but considering the dead pool, I'm guessing he's waiting for that to happen later.
Peter and Derek hired Braeden to find Kate so they can find their money. Braeden knows what Derek really seeks is related to the color of his eyes and that's what he wants to find that Kate stole from him. Memories? I honestly don't know. I do know Derek and Braeden might make a cool match. What do you think?
It all lead up to Sean the wendigo rising up out of his hospital bed and chomping on the deputy, going after new kid Liam and Scott's inability save him. To ensure he didn't die should he slip from Scott's hands, Scott turned Liam by biting him on the arm. Scott hasn't killed, but he made his first prodigy, as the vamps would say.
Money woes, romance, mystery, a new wolf and a new big, kinda bad are all on tap going forward. Since Kira is going to be on the team, we probably have a lot of lacrosse coming out way, too.
I don't have any big theories on what happened, but it is a lot more interesting than I expected. If you'd rather revisit the nogitsune, you can watch Teen Wolf online via TV Fanatic. Otherwise, drop your thoughts in the comments.
What was your favorite part of Teen Wolf "Muted"?
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.
