The 5B premiere of Teen Wolf was full of unanswered questions. “The Last Chimera” was exciting but it was also confusing and bizarre. “Damnatio Memoriae” was just plain thrilling. There was still some weirdness but it was more the standard Teen Wolf craziness. There was the nightmare Lydia visions, the mysterious beasts and the lingering question of when do any of these kids actually ever go to class. As a whole though “Damnatio Memoriae” was an exciting episode of Teen Wolf as the plot progressed and the rest of the season came into clearer focus. Here are the 11 most exciting moments from the episode.
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The First Glimpse of The Beast
There have admittedly been better looking and more threatening (in appearance) monsters than the Beast of Gevaudan on Teen Wolf. The few glimpses of this shadowy creatures shown in the episode were still intriguing. It’s also been awhile since we’ve had a good old fashioned chase scene on the show. Liam and Hayden running for their lives from the Beast was nice change of pace from the usual head-on fight scenes.
The Return of the Clue Board
Scott’s cork board that he uses to figure out mysteries is a MTV Teen Wolf staple. It’s also been missing for far too many episodes. The board had its triumphant return in “Damnatio Memoriae.” Triumphant should probably come in quotes though because Scott didn’t have much success putting images up. Instead, he somehow stapled his own coat to the string he uses to connect clues. The scene was a nice way of showing Scott’s resolve to go back to the way things were and exhibiting how much farther he has to go.
Stiles Finally Coming Clean about Donovan
An ongoing frustration of season 5A was Stiles lying and keeping secrets. A lot of the drama from Stiles and Donovan situation would have been avoided if Stiles just told the truth and acted the way he normally did. Mercifully an early scene in “Damnatio Memoriae” had Stiles open up to his father about killing Donovan in self-defense. The scene was so good that it was almost enough to forgive Teen Wolf for taking so long to get there.
Theo’s Leadership Sessions
Theo was all over “Damnatio Memoriae”. In fact Theo was at so many places in short sucession it left me wondering, yet again, the size of Beacon Hills. Despite Theo’s speedy travel of the town, the scenes were plenty fascinating. Theo mentored the new members of his pack in very dark ways. While all the scenes were good, there was something particularly electrifying (pun intended) in his talk with Josh. Theo giving Josh his much needed buzz by electrocuting him was unnerving moment showing the depravity of both characters.
Malia and Braeden Torture Buddies
Another problem with season 5A was that Malia was criminally underused. This is no longer the case as she searches for her murderous mother the Desert Wolf. Malia casually turned Scott away from her door. Then she went to torture a member of Russian Special Forces with Braeden. It was not only a nice (darkly) comic moment but it was a good way of showing Malia’s current head space.
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Stiles and Scott Reunited
It was an inevitability that Scott and Stiles would repair their relationship. It still makes it nice to see as Stiles buried the hatchet and went to Scott for help with the latest monster in Beacon Hills. Scott and Stiles are much better together than they are at odds. Teen Wolf as a whole benefits from the relationship as much as the characters.
Meredith’s Return
As a major Lydia fan there was cause for concern when she was shown in a catatonic state at Eichen House. Holland Roden is a talented actress but there’s only so much she can do with blank stares. So it was nice to see that Teen Wolf has a plan for Lydia other than her being semi-unconscious. Lydia will be training (in her mind) with Meredith, learning how to become a better banshee. Not only is good to see the enigmatic Meredith again but it is a promise that Lydia will be doing something more interesting than lying in a bed all season.
Theo’s Monologue to Scott and Stiles
Theo giving long speeches is nothing new for Teen Wolf. For some reason though, it’s so much more compelling. Theo threatening/explaining things to Scott and Stiles was riveting. Theo told the two that his pack and Scott’s pack are really on the same side against the Beast. While I highly doubt that sentiment is genuine, Cody Christian did a wonderful job of being creepy and charismatic as possible during the exchange.
The Return of Gerard Argent
I have a guilty and almost irrational love for Gerard Argent. The actor delivers all his lines in snarling sneer. He’s incredibly one note and evil but I love every second that he is on screen. So it was incredibly gratifying when Chris showed up, healed his father of his goo-spewing state and returned to us the old Gerard Argent. It also looks like Gerard will play a significant part in the season as he revealed the Beast is related to the Argent family.
Scott and Stiles Getting the Gang Back Together
While Scott and Stiles bringing back their friendship was a nice (and needed) moment, it was really just setting the stage for this one. Now that the heart of the wolf pack is reunited the rest of them need to be brought into the fold. Stiles was perfectly doubtful about the whole thing, outlining how fractured the pack has become after the events 5A. Scott provided the hope to Stiles and the audience that the two wouldn’t stop till they got their friends back together.
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Kira’s Desert Showdown
Teen Wolf made the smart decision of jumping ahead in Kira’s story. Kira battling with the fox spirit within her was always kind of indecipherable. The less time spent explaining the better. It’s nice thing that Teen Wolf is just diving headfirst into the next part of the story. There’s no real explanation needed for why Kira and her mom are in the desert, readying themselves to fight shape shifters. It looked really cool and it was fantastic way to end the episode.
Teen Wolf season 5 airs Tuesdays at 9pm on MTV.
(images courtesy of MTV)
Contributing Writer, BuddyTV
Derek is a Philadelphia based writer and unabashed TV and comic book junkie. The time he doesn’t spend over analyzing all things nerdy he is working on his resume to be the liaison to the Justice League.
