In the season 5 finale of Teen Wolf, “Apotheosis,” the battle lines are drawn as Scott works with unlikely allies to rid Beacon Hills of The Beast. Malia and Braeden battle the Desert Wolf, but Stiles’ arrival causes complications. And Theo continues his quest for power.
There’s a whole mess of stuff going on in the wake of Sebastien Valet making Damnatio Memoriae a thing of the past. The Beast is all grown up now and no longer needs the Dread Doctors, and Mason should be gone forever.
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The Hunt for Sebastien Begins
Parrish, aka the Hellhound, is still chasing down The Beast/Sebastien. It’s interesting to note that in spite of being a fiery creature, his pants remain intact just enough to cover his juicy bits.
Gerard has the pike that was forged into the shape of his cane, a detail he failed to disclose to Chris until now. They are tracking Parrish and Sebastien in the hopes of finishing off La Bete once and for all.
And Then There Were None
Theo is hurt, having had a brief run-in with The Beast, but that doesn’t stop him from making out with Tracy once they’ve fled to safety. This romantic interlude is completely out of the blue, ill-timed and just a ruse. Theo just wanted to get Tracy’s guard down so he could steal her power. Theo has completely embraced Deucalion’s advice, which I’m sure serves his agenda more than Theo’s.
A Prisoner of War
Melissa has discovered that Mason was a genetic chimera. He had twins but absorbed/ate it in the womb. Stiles brings this information to Deaton, but the vet hasn’t got much experience with “vanishing twin syndrome.” Deaton’s medical expertise is really going to be put to the test because Liam and Scott arrive at the clinic with one of the Dread Doctors who survived The Beast’s attack.
Mason, Can You Hear Me?
Sebastien is doing his best to adapt to life in the 21rst century, but operating motorized transportation is a bit out of his wheelhouse. Apparently, Mason may not be completely gone because Sebastien channels his former host’s memories or mind or whatever in order to figure out how to start a car and drive. Really?! It’s been a huge sticking point that when The Beast remembered who he was, the teenage host would be toast. If you want credibility, you’ve got to show consistency. Sure, there’s a ton of wiggle room on a show based on the supernatural, but don’t push it.
Mother/Daughter Issues
Malia and Braeden are still trapped at Scott’s with the Desert Wolf. Malia starts to call someone, but her mother hears the phone. The Desert Wolf urges Malia to invite all of her friends to this little party, particularly Stiles, because she’ll kill them all. Talk about strict parenting. Malia thinks twice and hangs up the phone, effectively cutting her and Braeden off from any back-up.
The Laws of Nature
As Liam, Scott, Stiles and Deaton debate what to do with the injured Dread Doctor, Sebastien calls to him/it, the Dread Doctor pops up and a high-pitched frequency noise erupts. Liam tries to play hero, but the Dread Doctor emits a pulse of blue light that knocks the Beta on his ass.
The Doctor leaves the building, sealing the doors shut with some kind of electrified barrier. Outside, Sebastien removes the Doctor’s mask and it ain’t pretty — it’s kind of Creepshow meets someone who has cooked in a tanning bed for the better part of a century. Big finale shocker: the good Doctor is Sebastien’s old pal Marcel. Sebastien wants to know the location of the pike, and Marcel tells him the Argents have it.
Deaton figures out that Mason’s twin wasn’t entirely gone after all. He still had some of his sibling’s DNA, making him a genetic chimera. Wait for it … now here comes the Hail Mary, last-minute BS that is going to possibly explain why Mason could still be alive.
Deaton explains that, metaphorically speaking, Mason’s DNA could still be in Sebastien. Life is energy, which doesn’t just disappear. Somewhere in Sebastien, Mason has to exist in some form, be it a spark of energy or a flicker of energy.
The brain trust also finally puts together that Sebastien remembered his name. Deaton asks Scott what happens when you call a werewolf by its given name, and Scott replies that it turns back to human. Liam wants to know if this means they can just walk up to The Beast, say Mason’s name and his buddy will appear. Yes, but not just anyone; it’ll be Lydia. This is a bit fuzzy because isn’t the werewolf’s given name Sebastien?
Sebastien Takes Hayden Hostage
Sebastien heads to the police station, inquiring where he can find the Argents. The Sheriff gets a text from Stiles updating him enough that the guy figures out who or what is sitting in front of him. Picking up on the Sheriff’s rapid heartbeat, Sebastien drops the pretense and tells the Sheriff that if he knows who he is, then the Sheriff certainly knows what he’s capable of.
Even thought the Sheriff carries a much bigger and better weapon than what Sebastien faced in his day, he’s still confident it won’t kill him. Sebastien gives the Sheriff a choice: he can let him walk out with his hand clean or drenched in blood.
As Sebastien walks out, Deputy Clark, who has been watching the interaction with some interest, orders Sebastien to stop and pulls her gun, in spite of the Sheriff’s pleas for her to just let him go.
Sebastien starts to attack, and both Clark and the Sheriff open fire. The bullets barely slow Sebastien down.
Hayden arrives in the midst of the chaos. Lydia makes an appearance as well, and Sebastien digs his claws into her throat. She still manages to get out a scream that throws him against a wall, but she doesn’t look good, clutching her throat as blood gushes out.
Hayden stands around in a state of shock, and Sebastien addresses her by name. He knows who she is, and he’s got plans for her.
Hayden takes Sebastien into the tunnels where he’s angered to not find what he’s looking for, and she’s upset to see Tracy’s dead body. Hayden also spots a syringe full of Kanima venom and grabs it.
Sebastien has spotted the mural, and while he recognizes his own image, the other is a mystery to him. He asks Hayden what the other demon is, and she tells him it’s a Hellhound. Sebastien puts it together that Parrish is the Hellhound and he’s working with the Argents.
Hayden tries to stab Sebastien with the syringe, but she’s no match for the 250-year-old werewolf and he plunges her claws deep into her abdomen.
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Release the Hound
Chris and Gerard have wired the tunnel with a ton of high-tech doodads to help lure Sebastien to them. A lot of fuss for nothing, since both sides know the showdown is inevitable. He follows the clues like breadcrumbs.
Waiting for The Beast are Chris and Parrish, but Parrish’s head is not in the game. He knows Lydia is hurt, and he’s worried she could die. Chris tells Parrish he needs to keep his eye on the prize or they’ll all die. Yeah, man up, dude.
Chris reminds Parrish that whoever painted the fresco saw the Hellhound facing down The Beast, not a man holding a gun. This is Parrish’s deal, so he goes into Firestarter mode.
Banshee Down But Not Out
Scott, Stiles and Liam have gathered at the hospital. Lydia is alive, but with her throat ripped to shreds, it’s unlikely she’s going to help the guys execute their plan.
Scott gets the message from Kira telling him she’s heading out of town, but she’ll be back because if anyone is going to save Mason it will be him; it will be all of them. This gives Scott a brilliant idea.
Melissa gives Lydia a shot that will bring the inflammation in her throat down. Stiles is off to grab Malia and Scott hands him something in a brown wrapper. When Stiles questions what it is, all Scott will say is it’s something he’s been working on for a while. He tells Stiles to make sure Malia gets it.
Could Lydia’s Premonition Come True?
Malia, her mother and Braeden have been playing cat and mouse for a while, and Braeden gets shot in the process. Why are all the girls getting injured in this episode?
Stiles bursts in and finds himself face-to-face with the Desert Wolf and her gun. Malia pushes him out of the way and begins wrestling with mommy dearest.
Double Crosses and Unexpected Alliances
Scott, Liam and Lydia head to the tunnels where they find out Theo has set a trap. He’s got all these extra powers now after killing his pack, so he’s able to manipulate electricity to zap Scott and Liam as he tries to throw Lydia down a hole/grate. Let’s just say it’s dark and deep, and Lydia would not likely survive the fall.
Scott grabs her hand, but Theo digs his claws into Scott, injecting him with Kanima venom. Scott has no choice but to let Lydia go. Parrish hears her scream and becomes distracted, allowing The Beast to get in a good hit. Parrish goes back to human form, and when he looks up, Sebastien is disappearing around a corner.
Hearing The Beast’s roar, Theo’s eyes light up, literally. This is the moment he’s been waiting for, coming face-to-face with The Beast. Sebastien taunts Theo, calling him arrogant. Theo makes his big play, sticking his talons into The Beast, assuming he’d just suck the thing dry. No such luck. Sebastien phases into The Beast and swats Theo like a fly. Why he doesn’t kill him, I don’t know, but I’ll chalk it up to the fact that Sebastien is singularly-focused right now.
Enter Deucalion and Scott. They’ve been working together and playing Theo this whole time. Deucalion isn’t even blind. Theo’s plan wasn’t completely without merit. Had he used Belasko’s talons, he could have absorbed the monster’s powers. Way to rub salt in the wound, Deucalion. Then he snaps Theo’s neck. It doesn’t kill him, just keeps him out of the way for a while.
Deucalion says there’s an access grate that leads to a sub-level, and they should be able to get to Lydia, who did survive the fall. But leave it to Gerard to muck things up. Gerard didn’t learn anything during his lengthy time out, and after being revived he’s been as duplicitous and nasty as ever. Gerard shoots Deucalion and questions how long he and Deucalion have had this plan in the works. Chris answers that it’s been as long as he and Scott have been working together.
Chris knew that when he brought Gerard back, the old man would be less interested in saving lives than immortalizing his own. The two Argents have their guns pointed at each other in point blank range. Chris orders Scott to leave and we hear a gunshot, but which Argent survives?
A Secret Weapon
Back at Scott’s house, Stiles is injured. He’s got a huge piece of glass stuck in his chest. Malia gets shot by her mother not once, not twice, but three times. It may not be the full moon, but the Desert Wolf says it’s close enough. How many times has someone told this woman she can’t get her powers back until a Full Moon? C’mon.
Stiles throws Scott’s mystery package to Malia, and it turns out to be Belasko’s talons. Mom loses what’s left of her power and gets knocked out by Braeden.
Good Triumphs Over Evil
The biggest showdown commences. Scott and Liam, armed with Gerard’s cane, go up against The Beast. The odds should be in their favor, but they’re getting their asses handed to them anyway, so much so that Sebastien turns back into human form, stating that Liam and Scott lack killer instinct. Sebastien has Scott by the neck, and Liam grabs the cane. Scott tells his Beta they can still save Mason, but Liam is looking out for his Alpha.
Liam makes a big show out of running towards Sebastien, so he easily disarms him and gets back to cleaning Scott’s clock. Sebastien digs his claws into Scott’s neck and sees Scott’s memories of Allison. This throws him off, thinking it’s his sister, and Sebastien lets go.
Lydia arrives, rescued by Kira, and says Mason’s name. When it doesn’t work, Kira encourages Lydia to speak up, and she goes full-on Banshee. Mason is freed and falls into Corey’s arms who was there all along, just invisible.
The Beast flees and runs smack into Parrish. Scott throws him the cane/sword/pike, and Parrish kills The Beast.
As an afterthought, Theo decides to turn up. He tries to use electricity to take everybody out, but Kira sucks it up with her sword. She tells Theo that the Skinwalkers have a message for him; his sister wants to see him. She drives her sword into the ground, opening up a hole from which the girl from The Ring or The Grudge or one of those movies crawls out just enough to drag her brother into the depths of God knows where.
A Happy Ending?
Both Argents are fine. Gerard sustained a minor flesh wound. Hayden recovers, having received treatment from Deaton. Lydia and Malia are good to go as well.
Kira won’t be attending classes at Beacon Hills for some time. She made a deal with the Skinwalkers, she’s got to hang with them in return for helping her out.
Oh, and that Soldier guy? Yeah, he’s out, so that happened.
(Image courtesy of MTV)
Contributing Writer, BuddyTV
Jennifer has worked as a freelance writer in the entertainment field since 2012. In addition to currently writing feature articles for Screen Rant, Jennifer has contributed content ranging from recaps to listicles to reviews for BuddyTV, PopMatters, TVRage, TVOvermind, and Tell-Tale TV. Links to some of Jennifer’s reviews can be found on Rotten Tomatoes.
