Teen Wolf Watch: Season 2 - Shape Shifted

With this being called part two of the second season premiere of Teen Wolf, it’s likely that most viewers were expecting more answers thanks to all of those questions rattling around in our brains. Silly us. Luckily a few larger answers are given, but this does leave less time for the partially fleshed out storylines that come about surrounding our new werewolf, which will most likely spill into episode three next week.

The Mighty Will Fall
Last night the glee I had in singing “You Can’t Always Get What You Want” as Jackson leaked blackened blood from his facial orifices was in full force, but I was really starting to be afraid that I was singing too soon. What if I jinxed it and now we’re going to have to deal with an even more smug and egocentric Jackson!? Then I remembered that the next line is “you get what you need,” and what Jackson needs is a reality check, and/or the beating that Stile’s dad suggests. Don’t get me wrong, the fawning over himself in the mirror as he awaited his transformation was hilarious, but he really needs to be taken down a peg. Especially since he even manages to make Lydia look as sympathetic as she does. Chances are he is just going to be angrier in the episodes to come, but I am hoping for another emotional break that gives us time away from the jerk and adds depth to his character (possibly exploring the whole “adopted kid with something to prove” angle, while shying away from more drunken screaming into the woods about wanting to be a werewolf).

Then again, the more likely change is for Lydia to go the route Caroline did in The Vampire Diaries because she has already shown that she has more interesting layers below the surface. Whether or not it is to end up with Stiles is far from being answered, but if he is going to continue to obsess over her at least make her a decent person so we don’t have to judge him for his horrible taste (he already has his run working against him. Seriously, go rewind to the lacrosse practice where he runs away from Scott. It’s adorably laughable).

Not only that, but Lydia has a lot to deal with, starting with the memory lapses that continue to pile up as she adds her naked jaunt through the forest to the list of things she can’t remember. Story wise I am guessing this is to keep her as a red herring because as more and more mysterious creature sightings happen the “I don't remember” card can always be used in a pinch (like the “I was knocked unconscious” card in Smallville). However, the hope is that this is actually a choice for character development. Like I said, she has a lot of potential as a character and the first episode showed that she is hallucinating rather traumatic things, so fingers crossed that this psychological repression is further explored in the episodes to come.

Familial History of Violence
We know that Kate was messed up in the head with her affinity for licking torture victims and mass murder, but the more and more we see Mama Argent the amount of relief I have for her not being my mother escalates exponentially. What is up with the women in this family!? Tonight Mama Argent goes a little taser happy with the Principal in what originally seemed to be a rather random scene. In actuality it was with the purpose of moving Grandpa into this position to better watch the youth of the town, and I can’t wait to see how this comes into play down the road. If we’re lucky it will go the Buffy the Vampire Slayer route and he will be eaten before we know it.

However, the more interesting female Argent to watch has got to be Allison. Last season she said that she didn’t want to be scared and weak, and she is clearly still dealing with this in a way that might be just reckless enough to become problematic in the future. I sure know I wouldn’t have screamed at a creature to come get me, but the moment that was actually most interesting involved the cop (was he actually a cop?). Flattening his tires seemed like enough to me, but did she really have to shoot him in the leg!? Then again, the knowledge that he is working with her dad might have been enough for her to start acting out as she continues to be closed out of family time. Going back to when Allison’s dad closed the door on her during his conversation with her grandpa, I can’t help but think that the arrow to the leg was a message to her father that she will not continue to be left out as she continues to attempt to become stronger and prove herself.

Animal Abuse
If I learned anything from Chronicle, it is that abusive fathers get their comeuppance. Death might be a little much, but a torture chamber does warrant some sort of ramification or revenge. The thing is, even though we learned through Isaac’s reabsorbent wound that he was actually changed by Derek in episode one (I know I know, I was wrong), he was not the one to seek revenge on his father. Instead we get our first glimpse at what I am assuming is going to be dubbed “The Abomination” through Isaac’s father’s rain speckled glasses. Why Isaac’s bike was left in the alley in the first place isn’t explained, but he was there to get a glimpse of what killed his father based on his next interaction with Derek.

The Abomination makes an appearance again, interestingly enough in Isaac’s home. Why did it choose that house of all places to go? Was it drawn to Isaac for some reason and that’s why they happened to be in the same alley at the same time earlier? Or was it following the sent home of the man it just murdered for some strange reason? But enough about motives; did it look scaly to anyone else? The shadows up on the ceiling were a little dense, but it looked far less fuzzy than the werewolves. That and it was rocking a tail! Peter Hale didn’t even have a tail that I can remember; what a loser.

Chained Up
Now back to the Basement of Sadistic Parenting. Because it was the night of the full moon Scott wanted to be chained up to be safe, but is the box really the best choice? Then again, that is one way to destroy evidence, because there is no way they are going to believe that Isaac was able to break out of that container, so might as well make it look like an animal did it just to be on the safe side. Derek would have been the better option to get that impression made, but that would have removed the opportunities for a sweet moment between Allison and Scott, as well as gotten rid of those fun jeep conversations between Stiles and Derek, so into the box you go Scott.

Speaking of these two, while Scott is dealing with the box, did Derek and Stiles really flesh out the plan past saving Isaac’s life? How is Stiles going to explain his presence in the station next to the unconscious cop (this will be affected differently based on whether he was actually a cop or not)? Do they not put security cameras in Police Stations? Is Isaac going to have to go into hiding until his name is cleared like Derek did in season one? Breaking out of prison, even if innocent, is still frowned upon as far as I know.

Final Thoughts
With all of these questions surrounding Isaac going unanswered, here’s hoping that we will only have to wait a week before this whole plan gets fleshed out. So what did you guys think of the episode? Are you intrigued by the amount of meds grandpa Argent is taking? Are you impressed with Derek’s “down boy” command and wondering what else he can do now that he’s Alpha? Any guesses on who the new creature is? Hoping for more moments with Danny? Let me know!