Courtesy of MTV
The Benefactor steps up their game by making the deadpool public as the crew races to discover how Lydia’s (Holland Roden) grandmother is connected.
Let’s bitch it out…Lydia takes center stage this week as she unlocks the secret behind her grandmother’s death and let me tell you…this is a great thing. One element that I have been struggling with this season has been the loss of a certain sense of gravitas in the acting department. No offense to Tyler Posey or some of the other “teen” actors on the show (Dylan O’Brien is obviously excluded from this), but at times the show suffers from a lack of compelling (read: adult) talent. In a season that seems to have effectively sidelined the majority of its adult actors, Roden regularly ends up picking up the slack as the strongest performer on the show, which is great when she’s actually given something to do (Side Note: it also doesn’t hurt that this is one of the more streamlined episodes we’ve seen in a while, so there are fewer distracting B-plots and characters to drag the narrative down).
‘Perishable’ gives Lydia a nice, juicy storyline and Roden completely runs with it. Family drama, especially drama involving buried secrets and looming threats, makes for a memorable viewing experience and the possibility that Lydia’s grandmother, Lorraine, is the Benefactor is compelling. It’s a little bit disappointing that this turns out not to be the case (in fact Lorraine is more of a victim than a perpetrator, although her role in injuring Maya Eshet’s Meredith complicates this a bit). I was, however, relieved to find out that dumb brute Brunski (Aaron Hendry), the nurse at the psychiatric ward acting as an Angel of Death, is not the real villain as that would have been extremely disappointing (he’s far too one-dimensional). I’ll admit that the reveal that Meredith is the Big bad took me by surprise, not only because we assumed she was dead, but also because we had no idea she harboured so much ill-will for all of Beacon Hills’ supernatural population. I’m looking forward to finding out what out what other secrets she harbours, as well as what her ultimate game-plan is.
Other Observations:
- Kudos to Teen Wolf for delivering an intriguing cold-open that’s immediately compelling. Parrish’s (Ryan Kelley) apparent execution in his car is exciting because there’s a genuine possibility that he may actually die. Although the death doesn’t stick, it only serves to reinforce how intriguing the character is because he’s such a mystery. Even Derek (Tyler Hoechlin) can’t suss out what kind of fire-retardant creature Parrish may be.
- Side Note: Between the fiery start and the attempt on Scott’s life during the bonfire party, it’s apparently “kill it with fire” week on Teen Wolf.
- File this under “fun facts”: Teen wolves can’t get drunk, which Scott believes may be “because of our healing”. None of this stops Malia (Shelley Hennig) or Liam (Dylan Sprayberry) from trying, however. Malia is responding to what she perceives as Stiles’ betrayal (get over it), while Liam is freaking out over his recent increase in net value – jumping from $3 million to $14 million thanks to Derek’s drop off the deadpool list.
- Also: werewolves apparently also don’t like rave music. Brings a whole new meaning to the term “killer music”.
- I’ll admit that I actually entertained the possibility that Sheriff Stilinski (Linden Ashby) was the Benefactor after yet another reference to his financial hardships. In hindsight this makes no sense (wouldn’t he simply keep the money for himself?) but at the time, I couldn’t help but wonder how much he resented all of the supernatural phenomenons that keep adding to his debt woes. Also: good work from both Ashby and O’Brien during their argument about who takes care of who. These moments of tender father/son bonding really cut throw some of the more “out there” supernatural content that the show throws at viewers.
- Finally, it seems like a small thing, but one legitimate reason I am happy that Lorraine isn’t the villain is because then we would trafficking in “angry, vengeful lesbian” territory, which is an outdated trope that occasionally pops up in Hollywood. Thanks to Jeff Davis and his writing crew for avoiding that.
Best Lines:
- Parrish (to Scott and Derek, proving he’s way out of his league): “Are all of you like Lydia? Are you all psychic?”
- Lydia (when Parrish asks how many professional assassins are after them): “We’re starting to lose count.”
- Stiles (after Lydia says she and her grandmother read The Little Mermaid): “You read that book?”
Your turn: what exactly is Parrish? Are you disappointed that Lorraine isn’t the villain (and is, in fact, actually dead)? Did you even have Meredith on your radar as a possible Benefactor? And what happens next? Sound off below
Teen Wolf is airing 4×10 ‘Monstrous’ twice this week: Sunday night at 7pm before the MTV Movie Awards and again at its regular timeslot on Monday at 10pm EST on MTV. We will be covering the regular timeslot, so look for our review on Monday night at 11pm.