Teen Wolf review – 3×10: ‘The Overlooked’

Everyone congregates on the Beacon Hills hospital as Teen Wolf prepares its mid-season end game. Unfortunately what we gain in exposition, we lose in pacing.

Let’s bitch it out…Several times throughout this third season it has felt like the show has been s t r e t c h i n g things out. What would have once only taken a part of an episode in a previous season now takes a whole one. Such is the case with ‘The Overlooked,’ which stages an attack on the hospital that likely could have been addressed in two acts, and is instead spread out with unnecessary fights.

Thankfully we’ve now got a better picture of why the trio murders have been occurring. After last week‘s episode outed Ms. Blake (Haley Webb) as the Darach, we spend the majority of this week listening to her try to rationalize her actions to Derek (Tyler Hoechlin). Turns out that she is actually Kali’s (Felisha Terrell) emissary, the only one who survived the attacks that brought together Deucalion’s (Gideon Emery) Alpha Pack. Naturally she’s got a connection to Derek, too: it was the blood of poor, young Paige during the events of 1×08 ‘Visionary’ that saved her. Now Blake is out for vengeance, using the powers of her murder victims to take down Deucalion and his crew during the forthcoming lunar eclipse.

This is all helpful exposition because it solidifies the goals of the major players in this drama, which is something that Teen Wolf hasn’t done a great job of this season. The problem, however, is not only that it’s taken ten episodes to learn this information, but that even as we’re learning it, it’s straightforward exposition sandwiched between a series of rote battles. How many more times do we have to sit through Scott (Tyler Posey) fighting the wunder twins (Max and Charlie Carver) in a confined space? There are no stakes in these battles and it’s far too redundant to simply revisit the same moves week after week, particularly Alison (Crystal Reed) whose firework arrows have been used multiple times to the same effect now.

At this point there’s only two episodes left in the first half of the season so it’s too late for changes before the break. Let’s cross our fingers and say a little prayer than when Teen Wolf returns early next year, it has twelve episodes worth of content to explore, not six padded out with slow-motion action.

Other Observations:

• Good to see Ian Bohen’s Peter again, although like the majority of the supporting cast, he’s not very well used here. Between him, Isaac (Daniel Sharman), the twins, Allison and her father (JR Bourne) there are a lot of people mostly just standing around
• Adelaide Kane must have enjoyed filming this episode since she basically just has to lie there and get paid. Oh, and throw up black blood. At this point is there any chance in hell she survives her mysterious illness?
• I liked how Stiles (Dylan O’Brien) manages to revive Cora simply by blowing into her mouth. Guess someone didn’t pass their CPR classes
• I like Deucalion, but he could stand to tone down the fake nice guy act a wee bit. He’s more interesting when he’s being intimidating (such as when he forcefully puts Kali in her place). The phoney role he adopts around Scott is much less compelling
• Oh Melissa (Melissa Ponzio)! As soon as Deucalion told you to watch out for yourself, we knew you were gonna get mom-napped. Why didn’t Scott’s mom just leave the hospital as soon as she was free? It’s not like Scott can’t take care of himself and it’s not like the storm that evacuated the hospital in the first place is still going on (seriously, don’t you like how it is more or less dropped as soon as everyone is inside the hospital)?
• Admittedly it is pretty cool when the lights go out and both Kali and Deucalion’s eyes glow red in the dark. That’s a cool understated moment

Best Lines:

• Derek (when Stiles holds up resuscitation pads): “Do you know how to use those?” Stiles: “Um, no” Derek: “Then put them down”
• Deucalion (to Kali, when she claims she did everything to join his pack): “…point that accusing toenail elsewhere”
• Isaac (describing Blake to Argent): “She’s the one with the brown hair. She’s kinda hot”

Your turn: Is Cora still a goner? Are Melissa and Sheriff Stilinski (a barely seen Linden Ashby) doomed? Why didn’t the Alphas go after Blake before now? Sound off below

Teen Wolf airs Mondays at 10pm EST on MTV