Teen Wolf review – 2×08: ‘Raving’

Courtesy of MTV

Teen Wolf flashes back to the year 2000 as we hit a rave, complete with glow sticks, warehouse dancing and, of course, giant reptile werewolves killing people. Well…two out of three ain’t bad.

Let’s bitch it out…After several very successful episodes, the series crashes down to earth with a generally subpar episode. In the last few weeks we’ve gotten a lot of information about the Kanima, its Master and several exciting adventures involving pools, gay bars and house attacks. This week that sense of narrative momentum comes to a screeching halt as we…go to a rave. The idea could be interesting, but much of ‘Raving’ simply doesn’t work. The dance scenes look too similar to the gay club and the battle between Derek (Tyler Hoechlin) and Argent (JR Bourne) is staged and shot so lazily that it’s zapped of all its energy. It looks so amateurish it’s embarrassing.

In fact that sole element that really works for me are the scenes between Scott (Tyler Posey) and Mama Argent (Eaddy Mays), who goes into full-on psycho mode after she spots the young pup lip-sucking her daughter, Allison’s (Crystal Reed) face. The visual makes Mama go cray-cray (remember last week’s sharpened pencils and discussion of condoms, kids?), prompting her to wolfsbane-vaporize Scott. It’s in underestimating Scott and Derek’s bond, however, that results in the biggest moment: while rescuing his charge, Derek and Mama tussle and she gets scratched. As the episode ends, she collapses into Argent’s arms, the marks visibly inflamed on her shoulder.

Well…this should make it easier for Scott and Allison to get together now that her parents can appreciate the doomed love affair between werewolf and hunter!

Other Considerations:

• No Lydia (Holland Roden) this week. Did anyone miss her or young Peter Hale? For me, she’s still the most interesting plotline
• One thing that made absolutely no sense: why did Scott assign the task of disabling Jackson (Colton Haynes) to Erica (Gage Golightly) and Isaac (Daniel Sharman)? In hindsight, this feels false, like the writers needed a way to have Scott captured by Mama Argent and ensure no one would notice until after Jackson escapes. It just doesn’t make sense to me considering Scott is more powerful than either Erica or Isaac, and he doesn’t particularly trust them (just two episodes ago they were trying to kill Lydia!)
• How strange is it that the only two black characters on the show – Dr. Deaton (Seth Gilliam), the vet, and Ms. Morell (Bianca Lawson), the guidance counselor – appear to have a relationship? Are we meant to assume that they’re related (*cough racist cough*)? I like the idea that there’s a larger mythology in play, though I do find it frustrating when one character (Deaton) has all the information and refuses to share it (in this case because Scott et al. are just kids and he doesn’t want to put that on them)
• We get slightly more insight into the Kanima/Master’s attack plan as all of the victims are associated with Mr. Harris’ (Adam Fristoe) 2006 chemistry class. What’s the connection between him and these events? Who knows…
• Finally, Grandpa Argent (Michael Hogan) acts even more strangely than usual. We’re obviously meant to infer some nefarious intent behind his actions/language at the end of the episode with Allison. And he has some reservations about crossing the ash line Stiles laid around the warehouse. Does this mean that he’s the Master? I’m unsure, since Jackson inferred in his trance that the Master is someone who has been killed by the chem students of 2006. Again…that doesn’t really make sense, but w’ve still got four episodes left to figure it out.

What were your feelings about ‘Raving’ Teen Wolf fans – were you as disapointed as me, or did you think the rave worked? Are you more convinced that the Master is Mr. Harris or are you leaning towards Grandpa Argent? And what else is coming down the pike that Deaton and Morell aren’t telling? Speculate below!

Teen Wolf airs Mondays at 10pm EST on MTV