Teen Wolf – Pressure Test

By starrymag | September 1, 2017

By: Kim Olson

 

 

Theo (Cody Christian) is alive. For now. Schrader (Clayton Froning) is electrocuting him and two other werewolves, Tierney (Ellery Sprayberry) and Jiang (Brandon Soo Hoo), with a probe simply because he hates supernaturals. They’re chained to a fence and unable to move as Schrader shocks them a little bit, but not enough to do any real damage. Each time Tierney talks back to Schrader he electrocutes them all over again! Tierney won’t keep her trap shut and let Theo do all the talking! She may not be afraid to die, but he sure is! If they get out of this alive, he is going to kill her himself!  Suddenly, Theo realizes that each time Schrader electrocutes him his restraints gets weaker and weaker. Now, it’s his turn to antagonize Schrader. He pushes Schrader’s buttons constantly, making him electrocute him time and time again. He calls Schrader, “weird little sadist from Eichen House” and “another psycho who should’ve been locked up with the other freaks.” He accuses Schrader of “sticking helpless patients with something other than needles.” Schrader electrocutes Theo over and over. Eventually, Theo rips free of his chains! He then tears Schrader a new one! That’s what he gets for messing with a werewolf! Theo ties Schrader up and electrocutes him to death! Schrader looks scared beyond belief! Maybe he shouldn’t screw with a werewolf if he doesn’t want to die?!

 

Once free, Theo ends up behind another set of bars! Stilinski (Linden Ashby) arrests him, Tierney, and Jiang for the murder of two people or hunters! Poor Theo! Nothing ever goes his way and he is always in jail! He is fed up! He didn’t even kill anyone…this time! Tierney and Jiang admit Theo wasn’t with them when they killed the hunters. They say, if he were, he’d know they didn’t have a choice. Upon hearing this, Stilinski has no choice but to let Theo out of his cell.

 

Scott (Tyler Posey), Lydia (Holland Roden), Malia (Shelley Hennig) and Liam (Dylan Sprayberry) are also at the station. They’re reporting to Sherriff Stilinski that one of his deputies is a hunter working for Gerard (Michael Hogan) and Monroe (Sibongile Mlambo). They know this because the traitor shot a werewolf, Quinn (Lucy Loken), before she ran to tell Scott. After Quinn took down a gang of hunters, who had shot out her tires with arrows, she saw flashing flights, a police car, a badge and a gun. Before she knew it, a deputy shot her in the head. Scott doesn’t need Stilinski to believe Quinn’s story, but he needs him to be wary because if there is someone on the inside Stilinski can’t protect Tierney and Jiang.

 

Monroe and her mob of hunters, including students she recruited, surround the police station, trapping everyone inside. It’s a hostage situation! She has all the windows and doors covered! Scott and company are going to die in there! They have to get out! Malia especially wants to get out right now. She is spinning out; quickly! She’s so scared! She’s literally shaking! But if they want out, they’re going to have to fight their way out! Monroe isn’t looking for a bloodbath. In fact, she’s trying to stop one by releasing the pressure with some quick casualties rather than starting a devastating, all-out war that levels Beacon Hills. All she simply wants is Tierney and Jiang dead or alive because they killed two hunters who killed their family or pack. Monroe figures an eye for an eye and all that, while Lydia figures she can take them. “There’s only a dozen of them out there. We can take them,” says Lydia. She can get through them! Theo is game for killing pretty much anyone, anytime! Lydia is ready to kick some ass and Theo has his claws set, but Stilinski won’t let them fight. He stops them at the last second and says, “Nobody’s going anywhere…We’re not gonna fire the first shot.” Perhaps, a part of him is subconsciously trying to save his future daughter-in-law from herself for his son, who remains in the dark about her still being in Beacon Hills and will go out of his freaking mind if anything happens to her.

 

Instead of fighting their way out, they barricade themselves in and block all the doors. Still there’s a traitor on the inside. Whoever it is jams the radio and cuts he lights. That can’t be good. All of a sudden Nolan (Froy Gutierrez) rolls into the station holding pliers. “He’s a liar and he’s sick in the head,” exclaims Liam. Not taking any shit from anyone, Stilinski says, “And now he’s under arrest.” He throws Nolan in a cell and locks him up!

 

Nolan used to know Jiang. “It’s been five years. A lot can change,” says Nolan. He didn’t know Jiang is a werewolf.  As if being a werewolf is similar to being different in any other way (LGBT, disabled, etc.), this brand new information causes close-minded Nolan to look at Jiang in a different light. “Last time I saw you, you were human,” says Nolan. “I’m still human,” replies Jiang. Jiang knows Nolan is with the hunters and came here to kill him. “Looks like I’m not the only one who’s changed,” says Jiang. Nolan didn’t know he’d be killing an old friend today, but he’s still going to do what he has to do. “You have a choice!” yells Jiang. Not in Nolan’s eyes. He throws a grenade into the station, distracting everyone from his real plan: killing Jiang and Tierney with Wolfsbane. The pack is startled! Everyone’s ears are ringing! Lydia covers Malia. Lydia, who is literally being blown up! Meanwhile, her boyfriend Stiles (Dylan O’Brien) thinks she’s safe in school! If this isn’t brought up when he comes home…

 

Liam stops Nolan from killing Jiang and Tierney and reports Nolan to Scott. Scott is at wits end! He is now officially asking his friends to risk their lives to protect these suspected murderous werewolves he barely knows. He needs Jiang and Tierney to let him in and tell him what truly happened. Showing his red eyes, he roars at them to show him the color of their eyes! If they’re blue that means they’ve murdered someone. Lo and behold, their eyes are as blue as ice! “We never said we were innocent,” says Jiang. They might not be, but the hunters they murdered sure were. They hadn’t killed anyone. Jiang and Tierney killed innocent people. Scott looks like he’s going to throw up! He’s wasted his energy trying to protect people who aren’t worth it. Papa Stilinski tells Scott this doesn’t change anything because if this does turn into a war, Scott is going to need as many numbers on his side as he can get, no matter who they are. Like it or not, in war, there is no such thing as guilty or innocent. There’s only the other side and to survive Scott too might have to kill people.

 

The sound of screams abruptly interrupts Scott and Stilinski’s conversation! A deputy has hung himself after looking at Nolan and seeing the bloody body of fear! The body is in the station! As Deaton (Seth Gilliam) tells Mason (Khylin Rhambo) and Corey (Michael Johnston) the creature that came out of the Wild Hunt, when it reopened, and is causing fear in Beacon Hills is actually an ancient shapeshifter called the Anuk-ite. The Anuk-ite, also known as “Two-Faces,” has just that – two faces: one beautiful and the other hideous. Because of this “Double Face” represents disharmony and discord. It turns neighbor against neighbor, sowing seeds of conflict and hatred. The Anuk-ite doesn’t need fangs. It doesn’t need claws. It uses something far more sinister: Fear. When paranoia turns to anger and anger turns to violence, entire communities tear themselves apart. The Anuk-ite feeds off the fear and with it grows more powerful. Also, having two faces means the Anuk-ite is two separate creatures that when they come together, are unstoppable. This begs the question: Who is the Anuk-ite? Who are the two faces? Who came out of the Wild Hunt?! Is Nolan one of the faces because when the now dead deputy looked at him he saw one of(?) the Anuk-ite’s face(s)? Is Aaron the other one because he seems to have some weird symbiotic relationship with the creature? Or is Gabe (Andrew Matarazzo) the other one because when he and Nolan come together they seem to be unstoppable? Could it be Monroe who seems to seek a mutual partnership with Nolan, didn’t seem scared with the Anuk-ite in the tunnels with her and told everyone to stop shooting, showed up on the scene around the same time as the Anuk-ite, is leading a pack full of fearful hunters, seems to live off chaos and could have been lying when she narrated her own backstory? Who is causing fear to spread through Beacon Hills, freaking everyone out?

 

Back in the police station, the scene is quickly getting graphically violent. With the Anuk-ite in their presence, people are getting so scared they’re actually killing themselves! Trigger warning: The female cop who found her co-worker hanging from the ceiling says to herself, “They’re coming to kill us in 15 minutes. They’re coming to kill us and no one’s gonna help us. We’re all dead. We’ll all be dead,” before putting her pistol in her mouth and pulling the trigger. Everyone just saw this woman kill herself! They’re now looking at her face, covered in blood! There is too much blood and death! Lydia is scared, sensing all this death around her! She really wants to go, like actually leave, right now and be with her boyfriend! She wants to feel safe and protected in their cocoon on the opposite side of the country!

 

The only upside of two people being dead is that Scott now has two bodies to present to Monroe under the guise that they’re the werewolves she wants. For Monroe to hear Stilinski fires two shots into the air, pretending to shoot Tierney and Jiang. Scott then puts the deputies in body bags and, with Theo’s help, brings them out to Monroe. Scott opens up the body bags for her to see. She doesn’t recognize them and she knows they’re not the werewolves she’s looking for because they don’t have their pack symbol tattoos.

 

Fortunately, before Monroe retaliates, Scott’s dad (Matthew Del Negro) arrives to help his son negotiate! “Good thing you’re not the only ones who can negotiate,” he says. Stilinski had called him, but he didn’t think anyone was going to actually show up. The deal Mr. McCall makes with Monroe is that Scott and his pack will leave Beacon Hills, forever. They don’t have a choice. Scott is not the only one who gets to protect his family and his dad would rather watch his son leave the state than watch him die. Scott and his pack take their orders and march out of the police station. They storm right past Monroe and her gang, like the bigger people they are.

 

Scott is FINALLY going to college! At home, he packs a bag and prepares to leave. Malia shows up to see him off. She grasps his hand and he smiles at her! She then takes his bag from him and carries it to his car.

 

As Scott and Malia leave together, Corey and Mason say their goodbyes. Because Mason is human and Corey is not, Mason can’t follow where Corey is going. Corey won’t let him. Thanks for the bad news Corey. As normal and pure as they are, they’re like Romeo and Juliet. They LOVE each other, but come from two separate divided feuding worlds! In a war between supernaturals and humans, Corey is pretty sure he knows which side is going to win and for once, he wants to be the one to protect Mason. Corey loves Mason so much; he walks away and leaves Mason, forever, in order to protect him!

 

Psych! During math class, Corey’s invisible ass sneaks up and writes “Animal Clinic” on the board! No one but Mason sees it. Corey erases it and writes “Now.” Mason drops his book and runs out of class! Comedian Corey erases the “now” and draws a smiley face on the board, messing with the class, before chasing after Mason. At the animal clinic, Mason is hurt and upset with Corey! Out of so much love, he yells, “You told me you were leaving! …You lied!” and he shoves him! Corey had to. Scott and his entire pack had to. They’re all at the clinic now, too. (Well, literally everyone except Stiles, who would be SO PISSED they’re doing this without him! Boy is always ready for a fight!) Scott and his pack didn’t run and they’re not going to.  Everyone, all the humans, in Beacon Hills just simply need to believe they left. In reality, they’re ready to fight back with Mason as their human on the inside.

 

As for Jiang and Tierney…Well, they didn’t die, but they’re still going to prison. A deputy puts them in a van and drives away. When the doors to the van open again, Monroe’s deputy on the inside shoots Jiang and Tierney dead. The wolves didn’t get away. Monroe took care of them. She still seeks justice and what she wants she seems to usually get.

 

Best Lines:

• Lydia: Would Stiles think that?
• Stilinski: There’s a couple holes in her story. Lydia: Maybe because there’s a hole in her head?
• Theo: I’m not losing sleep over random roadkill.
• Deaton: I know the sign on the door says we’re closed, but you could’ve at least tried knocking.
• Tierney: It’s not hard to use public records to find where someone lives.