I don't even think this one's a pun; I think it's just a spelling error

[the_deep_magic]

Thoughts.  I have a lot of 'em.  They're not particularly well-organized, but I'll try not to repeat too much from my last rant.  And I swear, I'll lay off Scott.

• Items of "Continuity": if the flashbacks are to be taken literally, Scott, Stiles, and Allison were all at or near the Nemeton the night Scott was bitten (everybody now: how fucking convenient!).  That's it.  We literally learn nothing else about the characters, except that Scott's dad is apparently going to be staying in town for a while.  Maybe he's assigned to the X Files or something.


• I know everyone's said this, but: UNF, wet barefoot Stiles.  Seriously, how is that so deliciously naughty in a show were everyone is (or used to be) shirtless all the damn time?  Also Allison's dress was awesome.


• I still say the first scene was the best (if you don't assume they were all literally at the Nemeton that night -- otherwise it's, like 10 feet from the main highway and nobody noticed the fucking doors).  I like the idea of flashing back to the very beginning of the series, seeing themselves as they were before any of this started, and was disappointed that they didn't do more with that.  But there was so much more to be disappointed about that it kind of fell by the wayside.


• I loved Stiles' little protective moment, poking his head around the doorframe when Aiden came for Lydia.  So all is forgiven with Aiden?  I'll be honest; at one point I thought he was allying himself with Peter.  But that would have been interesting, so nope.


• I don't think Derek's loft alarm was supposed to be a running gag, but this time it waited until Kali was in front of it to even go off.  Did like Jennifer totally copying Kali's signature Alpha Landing.


• So the twins don't have to fist -- they just like it.  And Jennifer batting them apart was kinda fun.


• Okay, so BHHS is out Harris, Jennifer, and probably Morrell.  Do they have any teachers left?  Will Finstock now just teach everything?


• Poor Jeep.  As I saw on Tumblr, if they replace it with a Toyota, my rage will be boundless.  Also, pointlessly sidelining Stiles for almost the entire episode -- why?  And you couldn't even find a more interesting way to do it, Jeff?  You do realize that Stiles is the reason, like, 95% of the people watch this show, right?


• Why bother having Derek leave if he's just going to turn right back around at Lydia's scream?  What the hell did he think was going to happen after he left, Kali and/or Jennifer would just give up and go home?  And why would hearing Lydia scream bring him back?  I mean, it was nice of him, but he hasn't shown any regard for her welfare so far.


• "Beacon Hills Preserve: No entry after dark" AHAHAHAHAHA.


• Scott's phone number is programmed into Jennifer's phone?  Love the Eclipse Countdown app, too.  HFC.


• What is this "plan" that Scott has for fighting Jennifer alongside Deucalion?  As far as I can tell, the only thing he planned (hell, the only thing he did) was drop some flashbombs to temporarily blind Deucalion.  If Derek hadn't gotten Jennifer to drain her batteries, what would Scott have done?  The eclipse hits and the only thing he can say is "Oh no."


• Did anyone else notice that Deaton carried Forehead Twin #1 over his shoulder really, really easily?


• JFC, the Demon Wolf.  I worked Halloween Horror Nights at Universal one year.  I work a cheap latex skull mask with eye black and a set of fake hillbilly teeth, and I looked less ridiculous in the clear daylight than that fucking Demon Wolf makeup did in semi-darkness.  It was worse than the Darach.  (That pissed me off because it was so overdone it looked like melted wax.  Obviously they don't have the budget for Harvey Dent-type CGI, but the closer something is to a real mangled human face, the more disturbing it is, IMO.  Jennifer/Julia wasn't burned, she was slashed nearly to pieces.  That shit is fucking scary.)


• It would serve Scott right, after what he did to Derek last season, if Deucalion used his (Scott's) hand to kill Jennifer.  But no, Scott is pure as the driven snow.


• Ugh, Jennifer healing Deucalion.  This was the absolute worst.  It did show that Derek had been listening to Jennifer's infodump in the elevator, but Jennifer already knew her powers weren't as strong against Deucalion as she thought.  I also like the idea of exploring appearance as a powerful part of identity -- but it was explored so shallowly that it seemed like we were supposed to sympathize with her because she was ugly, rather than the fact that she'd been mutilated and nearly killed so someone else could gain power.  And then.  AND THEN (I know I'm skipping forward a bit, but this is all one continuous clusterfuck) Deucalion's "vision" is literally restored by his sight, and he's given a second chance with all but a pat on the back and a "gee, try not to go power mad and start mass murdering and/or convince others to commit mass murder."  That was sickening.  For fuck's sake, Derek, this is one werewolf that NEEDS a good killing, even more than Peter did.  You are not Superman; you are not even Batman.  You are allowed to straight-up murderate the supervillain who refers to himself as the DEMON WOOOOOOOLF.  Yet somehow Jennifer "deserved" to die and Deucalion didn't?  I'm sure much more has been said on this topic much more eloquently, but even if the rest of the episode had been brilliant, this would have pissed me off to no end.  I would seriously write a letter if I thought Jeff Davis would a) read it; and b) do anything more than laugh at it.


• Not a hint of resolution for Derek and Jennifer -- no time for it, with all the repeated shots of gravel falling on everybody's head.  You could kind of see that there was one moment of "was any of it real?" between the two, but it didn't last for longer than a second.  Haley Webb said she thought that at least some of what Jennifer felt for Derek was genuine, and I think Jennifer even said so at one point, but there was not even an attempt to explore that.  Instead, Jennifer just pounded his head against the wall.  I mean, I suppose that's sort of an answer in its own right, but god.  Derek got more closure with Kate than he did with Jennifer.


• Okay, Allison's change in the code is pretty cool.  Still, though, not everything sounds better in French, particularly reflexive pronouns.


• The problem I have with Lydia's banshee "power": it's almost completely passive.  She doesn't know when she's doing it or what the symbols she produces mean.  As of right now, she doesn't know who will die, and her only active ability is to scream... for help.  Will she be able to refine/control this power in the future?


• Derek and Cora leaving Beacon Hills -- at least for a while, because I can't imagine that Hoechlin won't be back -- does make sense, but it comes off as an excuse for Adelaide Kane to leave the show.  I just hope it's not an excuse to kill her offscreen like they did with Erica.  I can't believe they even got Gage back for a few episodes and barely used her at all.  Anyway, I fucking loved Cora, especially toward the end as she began to start to trust people, and I think she and Stiles could take over the world.


• So the twins are high school students now?  Am I allowed to ask how old they are without Jeff Davis jumping down my throat.


• The first time I watched the episode, I thought the last scene was hilarious.  Now I think it's just stupid.  Peter's sass is funny and all, but he disappears so often for no reason that it seems like an oversight rather than an overarching scheme, never mind that the always-the-alpha thing doesn't make any fucking sense.  (However, interesting thing looking back at my notes: Peter says the claw-to-the-neck memory thing is an alpha ability -- yet he's able to do it to Isaac.  So we got maybe one hint, though I don't even think it was intentional.)

Season 3 questions that, as far as I can tell, were never answered:
Who was Brayden/The Girl, and what did Morrell send her to tell Scott that she couldn't just tell him her own fucking self?
What was the deal with Allison's visions of her mother?
Did Jennifer plan her seduction of Derek?  If so, how did she know to be in the boiler room the night with Boyd and Cora?
How did Harris help Jennifer?  What did she ask of him that he did for her?
How did Cora escape the fire?  What was she doing for the past six(?) years?  How did the alphas find her and know who she was?
How did Jennifer poison people with mistletoe, and was she the one who did it do Danny?  If so, why?  The twins were the ones who were supposed to be "testing" him.
What's the timeline with Paige, Derek, and Kate?  Since the it-was-really-Peter theory doesn't seem to have panned out (and let's see if Paige is ever even mentioned again), why would Derek spill whatever he did to a strange woman so soon after killing his first girlfriend?  And I'm sure we'll never find out, but what was it that Derek told Kate that allowed her to kill his whole family?
What the fuck was Deucalion really after, anyway?  Don't give me that "True Alpha" bullshit, because I swear if I hear that phrase one more time, I'mma scream.
ETA: more here

Season 3 deaths of characters with speaking roles:
Brayden/The Girl (female, POC)
Heather (female)
Half of camping lesbian couple (female)
Erica (female)
Harris
Ennis
Boyd (POC)
Deputy at the school (female, POC)
Piano teacher (female)
History teacher
Kali (female, POC)
Jennifer (female)
ETA: How the fuck did I forget Paige? (female)

Sigh... I'll probably keep watching this show as long as both Derek and Stiles are on it.  I really don't care if they become a canon couple -- in fact, I'd pretty much rather they didn't, which is good because while Jeff Davis talks a big game, we got maybe 5 minutes total of Danny/Ethan and no character development other than "he's cute, guess I'll fuck him."  I can survive on UST.  Hell, I thrive on it.  They'd just better put Stiles and Derek in the same fucking room together for more than 30 seconds in 3b.  All I ask for is snark.  Fisting references are awesome, but I can live on snark, even if this show as a whole is bad for my mental health.

Comments

[merkuria.livejournal.com]

So you're saying season 3 is not for those of weak fandom constitution? I was kinda meh by the end of s2, so should I even bother?

[bostongirl2003.livejournal.com]

I was a die-hard fan all last season, but I gave up halfway through this one once they killed Boyd.

[merkuria.livejournal.com]

haha, dude, you kinda spoiled the hell out of me...

[bostongirl2003.livejournal.com]

uh bb, it's in the chart at the end of the post-the one that reads "death of season 3 characters." It's even underlined...

[merkuria.livejournal.com]

Oh, ok. I never read that, on purpose, but it's cool. You probably tipped me over into not watching anyway.

[bostongirl2003.livejournal.com]

tbh, there was so much annoying crap this season (ESPECIALLY the abuse of slo-mo) that I wouldn't recommend it to anyone. I'd say check the fan vids on Youtube for the good stuff and spare yourself the rest.

[the-deep-magic.livejournal.com]

It's narratively very, very frustrating -- loose ends and unclear motivation and almost no attempt at character development. Not even much Stiles/Derek interaction after the first few episodes. However, if you are a fan of slo-mo claw fights and bad monster makeup, go for it. But probably not.

[zjofierose.livejournal.com]

Honestly, for all its many flaws, I liked Season 3 better than Season 2...

[the-deep-magic.livejournal.com]

Well, there's still the second half of season 3 to look forward to... (?)

[merkuria.livejournal.com]

Er, no. Actually not a fan of slo-mo and bad makeup. Oh well, less aggravation and more free time for me then...

[rhodynne.livejournal.com]

So, I've got my brother watching, as I've said, and usually I get a "cool" and something he liked/didn't about the episode. After this he just paused and
"Huh"
Then went out to smoke. Assimilation COMPLETE. :-)

I can't do any better than you and everyone else in my ire over everything fucked up through the season/show, so I'll just give you what I noticed.

~Somewhere on tumblr there's references to TW and Dylan turning us Victorian, thrilled for a glimpse of ankle.
I resemble that remark. :-D

~I liked the flashbacks too, and they should have really done something besides give Scott and Allison a moment, but the tattoo being the rings of the tree? NO
16 hours in the water? Also NO.

~In the car Victoria refers to Papa Argent the exact same way Allison does later. And can I just say, TOTALLY hot for Allison listing off weapon names.

~"How do you know I'm going to lose?" ahahahhahaha Derek stop, I'm going to wet my pants!

~WHY is everything about Jennifer about how she looks? Surely the betrayal of Kali and the need for revenge and the years of planning and the sacrifices was all for more than the fact she can't hook a Derek without glamour???
*heavy sigh* At least Derek used it against her.

~I hated the jeep crash. Why did he need to be removed? So he could bring the bat, I suppose. Is that supposed to be for us? Because I don't approve. Two things...

1. If they use that to get rid of the jeep, you won't be able to find any tables to flip, I will have ruined the world with my newly discovered Sith powers.

2. Bat + Physics= ? Should that have worked?


~Tumblr called him the Demon Smurf. As far as I'm concerned, that makeup deserves it.

~I had a total I Heart You moment when Scott referred to "My Pack".
I'll take what I can get.

~I did not understand several things that happened in the abandoned distillery. Why does the True Darach Face come with an entirely different outfit? Darach Barbie? WHY did we get jump cuts to the fight in the boiler room? Were we supposed to believe that in there somewhere Jennifer was regretful about using/losing Derek? You say it, but I missed it completely. Duec bled A LOT, shouldn't he have been less coherent since he just got a major concussion like a human? WHYWHYWHY did they let him GO??? If he's a good guy now...I can't even contemplate it.

~They have great cell reception in BH. I liked Derek's shrug, "who the fuck knows if I'm alright?"

~I liked the code change too. I hope Jeff really gives Crystal and JR some stuff to do with that.
Sounds dumb in French, though.

~This makes me more crazy the more I think of it. A Banshee is pure spirit. There are some offshoots to her once being a real girl, but not many. She's a SPIRIT who heralds death. Passive, useless, and NOT A Corporeal Entity! Dammit.
I know, dumb thing to fuss about, considering, but there you go.

~Hoech's coming back. Please don't kill Cora.

~Aiden was very adamant (that spells adam ant, I never write it without a tune starting up. "tie me up and hit me with a stick/beat me beat me" :-D) about how they were not High School students. so WTF? I totally buy Ethan staying with Danny, but Aiden and Lydia I'm having a tougher time with. Do they have a legal guardian now that Deuc's leaving town?
How much do you wanna bet Ethan has The Conversation with Danny during the hiatus?

~Last Scene. So Stupid. Crazy Uncle rePeter is fucking CRAZY. I guess he didn't get Derek's alpha powers? Where did they go? Split up between him and Cora? Cancelled out? I get that in Peter's mind, Peter is always an Alpha, but are they setting him up for something, or is he just an egomaniac?
Shouldn't Jenny have been the Darach, since the injury was severe enough in the distillery to knock her back to the default setting?


I'm not going to stop watching. Partly because I'm paranoid the minute I stop everyone will exclaim how good it suddenly became, and I don't want to be late to the same party for a second time.

that made sense in my head.
:-)

thanks for letting me play in your yard for a while. you can totally come over for juice box anytime you want. :-)

[the-deep-magic.livejournal.com]

~Somewhere on tumblr there's references to TW and Dylan turning us Victorian, thrilled for a glimpse of ankle.
I resemble that remark. :-D

I know, right? We've seen everyone else on the show pretty much naked, but Dylan gets sopping wet and we're all freaking out. "HIS CLOTHES ARE SO CLINGY! I CAN SEE HIS BARE FEET!" I love what the tv.com recapper said:

"This white-room sequence was a stunner because it was silent (no music or dialogue) and very beautifully filmed, but also everybody was wet, including Stiles who finally came out of the closet as sorrrrrta buff. You know? Like we all kinda suspected he was, but now it was undeniable. Sorry Stiles, we're onto you!"

WHY is everything about Jennifer about how she looks?

I THINK (though this may be giving the writers way too much credit) that this was a theme about identity that went so underdeveloped that it ended up being, well, really fucking stupid. And I think she went crawling to the stump as Jennifer and not the Darach because of purely practical filming reasons. It was easier not to put makeup on her, and I don't think she could talk very well while wearing it. However, it came off as though she was using the last of her magical ability to stay pretty.

1. If they use that to get rid of the jeep, you won't be able to find any tables to flip, I will have ruined the world with my newly discovered Sith powers.

I think our collective rage will flatten whole cities.

2. Bat + Physics= ? Should that have worked?

Nope. Not unless the entirety of the structure could be held up at a single lode-bearing point. But, y'know, werewolves. And it gave us a Stilinski tackle-hug, so I'm prepared to allow it. Just pisses me off that they benched Stiles for basically the WHOLE FUCKING EPISODE and did it in a really stupid way.

~Tumblr called him the Demon Smurf. As far as I'm concerned, that makeup deserves it.

YES YES YES. I was trying to think what it was he looked like, but you're absolutely right: paint that shit blue and you've got the Demon Smurf.

Why does the True Darach Face come with an entirely different outfit? Darach Barbie?

Ha ha, I don't know, but she's worn it ever since she was revealed as Jennifer. Just gotta show that cleavage... which apparently went completely undamaged in the NEAR-FATAL WEREWOLF ATTACK.

WHY did we get jump cuts to the fight in the boiler room?

That confused me, too, but both, I think, were forms of penance for Derek -- getting filleted by Boyd and Cora was for Erica's death, Derek's failures as an alpha, etc. and getting smashed up against the wall by Jennifer was for allowing himself to be tricked by her.

Were we supposed to believe that in there somewhere Jennifer was regretful about using/losing Derek? You say it, but I missed it completely.

I was referring two one or two lines she said in the elevator in the hospital episode. And Haley Webb said in an interview that she thought some of Jennifer's feelings for Derek were genuine. But you're right, it wasn't really ever SHOWN.

They have great cell reception in BH.

Reminds me of that episode of The X Files where Mulder gets perfect cell service in a buried box car in the middle of the desert. And THAT was 1995.

I guess he didn't get Derek's alpha powers? Where did they go? Split up between him and Cora? Cancelled out?

From what Peter said to Derek, it sounded like the "spark" was used up in the healing process, but I wouldn't be surprised if it transferred to Peter. The healing idea makes more sense to me, since it's like energy being sacrificed (pardon the use of the word), but if it disappears and there's no alpha, Cora and Derek are technically omegas. I wouldn't be surprised if we don't get an explanation, but I like the idea that Peter was an alpha in his own mind all along.

thanks for letting me play in your yard for a while. you can totally come over for juice box anytime you want. :-)

Thanks for coming over to play! I like to discuss these things with someone other than the voices in my head.