Teen Wolf 4.06: Orphaned

One of the many parts of Teen Wolf that’s grown since it began is how well shot the series actually is. So many scenes showcase how atmospheric it can be, if given the right direction and photography. That’s one of the things that stood out a lot about ‘Orphaned’.

Whether it was the grotesque violence, with Kate’s massacre in the cold open and the short lived ‘Orphans’ meeting their maker (though we only caught a glimpse of the aftermath of one of those murders) or Kate, Scott and Chris’ dramatic confrontation towards the end of the episode, there was a lot of visual style to this episode. That style has been growing leaps and bounds in the past year, even though I never really talk much about it. In my defence, I think that might be because I’m so distracted by how crazy the story is.

It doesn’t seem to be slowing down any time soon, either. I wasn’t sure how Kate was going to become a part of the dead pool arc, one theory I had was that she might become a reluctant ally, and I guess I wasn’t far off now that she’s been approached by the rage prone Hale. Though I wouldn’t say Peter is on any side of the battle that has anyone else’s interests in mind but his own.

While the adults have been caught up in the search for Kate, Lydia and the rest of the pack have been focused on figuring out who is behind the dead pool. Lydia taking charge of her abilities has been my favourite part of this season so far, and it seems like they’re ready to take it to some very dark places, with Meredith’s abilities driving her over the edge. Will Lydia face a similar future in Eichen house if she goes too far to unmask the Benefactor?

Scott seems more removed from the dead pool than most of the pack, since a lot of his time has been focused on helping Liam with his new abilities, but this week brought him closer to the action, while still focusing on how important the bond between him and Liam is. I’m still not sold on Liam just yet, but he’s growing on me more every week.

‘Orphaned’, despite overlooking some opportunities to flesh out the history of the tituar short lived characters, took the show in a darker more mature direction, while still maintaining Teen Wolf’s signature identity. I’m not sure how this season is faring with the rest of the Teen Wolf fandom, but I for one am very happy with how things have turned out so far.

8/10

Plus

No Kira this week.

What supernatural is Deputy Parrish?

Is Derek’s death finally going to happen, now that his name was revealed as the final key?

He Said, She Said

Malia: “Maybe we should all be running from Beacon Hills, running for our lives...as fast as we can.”

Also posted at Doux Reviews.