The summer premiere of Teen Wolf season 6 wasn’t exactly jam-packed. “Said the Spider to the Fly” was more of a prologue to this half-season, with far too much of Liam and his crew to be truly exciting. This episode, titled “Raw Talent,” doesn’t fix all the problems presented in the summer premiere. Teen Wolf still seems to think Liam being a moody brat is somehow an interesting story, but the rest of the plot starts to move in the right direction. This is important since there are only a handful of episodes left until the series finale … until MTV decides to foolishly reboot the show in whatever new form it is planning.
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Hunting the Hunter
The mood for “Raw Talent” is set with a very creepy opening montage of what Theo has been up to since we last saw him. The answer is that Theo’s been living in his car, like some incredibly buff hobo. It’s a surprisingly emotional sequence — and not just because Theo has been “the worst” for the last season and a half. Theo is truly depicted as pathetic. He’s not likable, but he’s not quite as awful as before, showing some real humanity.
The montage ends with Theo being tracked down by a group of hunters, who seemingly open fire on him and kill him. If this is Theo’s last scene on Teen Wolf, which is unlikely, it is an incredible one for shock value and how pathetic Theo is at the end. The show rarely writes a character off the show without showing their death, but the implication of Theo’s murder is still an effective way to open the episode.
Theo’s “death” gives the rest of the episode a sense of urgency as Scott and Malia try to track down Argent for answers on the Hellhound’s murder. While the two bond over the fact that they have been hunted before, they learn that Argent is back in “the game.” Argent is weapon-dealing again. Those people Argent is selling to don’t have the best of intentions. Unfortunately, Argent’s customers aren’t exactly saints. This leads to an awesome scene in which Scott and Malia must help Argent out in a gunfight with some perspective buyers. The ratio of amount of bullets shot to bodies dropped is farcical, but any chance for Teen Wolf to have Chris Argent shooting weapons in slow-motion is worth it.
When the gunfire dies down, Argent tells Scott that there are hunters out there who have been drastically stepping up their game. Blood is in the air, and Argent doesn’t understand what is happening. Argent hasn’t crafted any bullets since Allison’s death, though, and he certainly didn’t kill a Hellhound or know anyone who could have done it. Argent’s hands are clean. This conclusion should have been self-evident to any Teen Wolf fan, but it’s nice that the show doesn’t drag out the mystery of Argent’s loyalties for more than an episode. Yet, just because Argent isn’t hunting him doesn’t mean Scott isn’t in trouble. Hunters — and a lot of them — are coming after werewolves and creatures of every kind.
Banshee’s Revenge
Scott and Malia’s Argent hunt is the biggest part of the episode, but it is arguably out-shined by a tangentially related and small subplot with Lydia and Parrish. Lydia figures out that her vision from the previous episode was warning her of Eichen House. Lydia tells Parrish that Eichen House is probably where the Hellhound came from in the first place. Parrish goes off to investigate by himself because he is being an idiot who wants to “protect” Lydia. (So even though Stiles and Lydia are together, Teen Wolf is evidently not dropping Parrish’s weird affection for her.)
Parrish’s heroism ends up costing him, however. When he arrives at Eichen House, Parrish learns that the man in charge, Conrad, has gone full-on crazy. Conrad has been infected with the same sweep of madness that is stirring up all these hunters. Conrad wants to kill all the supernatural creatures in his care at Eichen House, and he is starting with Parrish. Teen Wolf hasn’t introduced a member of the Eichen House staff who doesn’t want to kill their patients, but Conrad’s madness still comes off as terrifying.
It’s up to Lydia to sweep in and save Parrish. This rescue mission allows Lydia to confront her past at Eichen House, and the sequence is just the right balance of horrific and tasteful. It respects what Lydia has been through as a character but also serves as a reminder of her hardships at the mental institution. Lydia is no longer a wilting flower in need of protection and, by rescuing Parrish, she should be able to prove that to him. It’s a long shot that Parrish will grow up, but it’s there.
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An Alliance Forged in Hell
Speaking of human long shots, Liam continues to be a whiny crybaby. At least Liam is aware of his mood problem, though, so he calls on his friend, Brett, to help him practice with lacrosse. Liam hopes Brett can assist him with his werewolf issues as well as get him a spot on the varsity lacrosse team. With the former, no solution is really reached; Liam is still a complete emotional wreck. With the latter, Teen Wolf has long since passed the threshold where lacrosse was a point of drama on the show. It’s just as boring as Liam’s many haircuts in the past three seasons.
Practicing with Brett does catch the eye of the creepy new guidance counselor, Ms. Monroe, however. Seeing Brett on the field, Monroe is convinced that Brett is a werewolf and sets out to kill him. (Why she hasn’t figured this out with Liam yet is anyone’s guess.) Although she handled a Hellhound with complete ease, Monroe is trounced by Brett. This is rather pathetic because as a character, Brett has never been much more than a very poor man’s Jackson Whittemore. He certainly hasn’t been that great of a fighter, but he nearly kills the deadly guidance counselor.
Ms. Monroe is saved from being murdered by her prey with the timely arrival of another hunter. The hunter shoots off an arrow that sends Brett running and then introduces himself in the gravelly and melodramatic way that only he can pull off. It’s Grandpappy Argent. Gerard Argent is back and, for whatever reason, he is impressed by Monroe’s “raw talent.”
What did you think of the return of Gerard? Are you looking forward to more of him as this half-season progresses? Is Theo dead? Do you think it’s a satisfying end to his character? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.
Teen Wolf season 6B airs Sundays at 8/7c on MTV. Want more news? Like our Facebook page.
(Image 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.
