Teen Wolf season 3A
Aug. 24th, 2013 09:07 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
schneefinkSeason 3A of Teen Wolf is over, and I have mixed feelings. I enjoyed most of it, but there was also a lot of unnecessary stupidity and some things I'm choosing to ignore.
There are many things about this season's plot that don't make sense or are never explained, some that are just stupid and some that I can fill with a lot of headcanon if I want. Fortunately I didn't start watching the show for its elaborate plots or anything.
Over all I enjoyed the first six episodes a lot, "Motel California" is one of my favorites. And then it gets confusing and the plot sort of spirals out of hand and gets lost along the way, with extra stupid like the extremely unnecessary bonus manpain episode "Visionary."
There were way too many characters. Scott, Stiles, Derek, Allison, and Lydia were all supposed to be main characters, but even that was difficult to fit in sometimes with Allison and Lydia sometimes disappearing in the latter episodes. Then there are Isaac, Deaton, Ms. Morrell, Jennifer, and four Alphas with personality who all get to have new pieces of personality/plot etc. And then the parents, Danny, Boyd, Cora and Peter as true supporting characters. That's just too many and it was very noticeable sometimes. There often was not enough time for quieter moments between characters and then the pay-off of the peril and danger etc. was not as strong. Some things were also obviously missing, like any sort of relationship between Cora and Derek and an explanation of how she survived and what she was doing during the last six years (no, lampshading it doesn't make it any better.)
And the resolution to the too-many-characters problem is not at all what I would have liked. I want the twins to die and Erica, Boyd, and Jackson to come back :(
The ending made little sense. Does Danny even know already that his boyfriend is a werewolf? Are Ethan and Aiden forgiven for torturing and killing Boyd, just because they were following orders and were afraid of Deucalion/Jennifer? (Are they going to join Scott's pack? Do not want :( ) What reasons did Peter give for staying behind, and who knows? What happened with Ms. Morrell, did the Alphas just let her escape just because Scott said so? And many other plot holes.
But as a reminder, there were also great things this season. Stiles, of course: being smart and figuring stuff out, but also a panic attack, and I'm sorry the scene where he tells Scott that he's not okay was cut. And finally the Sheriff finds out! With chess pieces, awww.
I liked Isaac, he is cute with Allison and Scott. I also think he's good for Allison: he clearly respects her abilities, so she doesn't feel the need to prove herself to him all the time like she does with Scott. I think that makes her feel more relaxed around him than around Scott. (Threesome ftw!)
Allison was great this season, even though she wasn't the main focus, but she was quietly badass in the background, culminating in coming up with a new family motto.
I still like Scott. I'm not annoyed with the "chosen one" trope as much of the fandom seems to be, maybe also because I don't really see it: so it's a rare thing, but it's because of who he is, it wasn't destiny or anything like that. (Also I don't trust Deaton as a source of information.) Scott is a good kid: he tries to do the best he can, he cares about people, he takes on responsibility, he might not be the smartest but he inspires loyalty, he's a leader.
The parents are interesting this season: First of all, I loved the brief glimpse we get of Lydia's mother, that was a great scene, awww.
The Sheriff, Mrs. McCall and Chris Argent are all badass and great, but at the same time they're their kids' weaknesses. And the other way around, but still. Scott is willing to go with Deucalion to save his mom (though that was a bit of a weird thing... whatever,) Allison, Stiles and Scott are willing to kill themselves to save their parents.
As for Derek, meh. As soon as it became clear that his theme this season was "more shit happens, endure" instead of "finally start healing" I wasn't really interested anymore. Seriously, that guy deserves a break, and I'm happy for him that he left (even though it'll only be temporary.) Jennifer, okay, I'm neutral about her.
I wonder what the fandom will come up with until January. Personally I'd love to read more about Allison and Lydia, and I also want some "Jackson keeping in touch with Danny and trying to figure out what is happening in Beacon Hills without telling him about werewolves" fic. I'd be happy to find more different stuff than Sterek everywhere. I enjoy some stories but I also want some variety from time to time. Oh well.
There are many things about this season's plot that don't make sense or are never explained, some that are just stupid and some that I can fill with a lot of headcanon if I want. Fortunately I didn't start watching the show for its elaborate plots or anything.
Over all I enjoyed the first six episodes a lot, "Motel California" is one of my favorites. And then it gets confusing and the plot sort of spirals out of hand and gets lost along the way, with extra stupid like the extremely unnecessary bonus manpain episode "Visionary."
There were way too many characters. Scott, Stiles, Derek, Allison, and Lydia were all supposed to be main characters, but even that was difficult to fit in sometimes with Allison and Lydia sometimes disappearing in the latter episodes. Then there are Isaac, Deaton, Ms. Morrell, Jennifer, and four Alphas with personality who all get to have new pieces of personality/plot etc. And then the parents, Danny, Boyd, Cora and Peter as true supporting characters. That's just too many and it was very noticeable sometimes. There often was not enough time for quieter moments between characters and then the pay-off of the peril and danger etc. was not as strong. Some things were also obviously missing, like any sort of relationship between Cora and Derek and an explanation of how she survived and what she was doing during the last six years (no, lampshading it doesn't make it any better.)
And the resolution to the too-many-characters problem is not at all what I would have liked. I want the twins to die and Erica, Boyd, and Jackson to come back :(
The ending made little sense. Does Danny even know already that his boyfriend is a werewolf? Are Ethan and Aiden forgiven for torturing and killing Boyd, just because they were following orders and were afraid of Deucalion/Jennifer? (Are they going to join Scott's pack? Do not want :( ) What reasons did Peter give for staying behind, and who knows? What happened with Ms. Morrell, did the Alphas just let her escape just because Scott said so? And many other plot holes.
But as a reminder, there were also great things this season. Stiles, of course: being smart and figuring stuff out, but also a panic attack, and I'm sorry the scene where he tells Scott that he's not okay was cut. And finally the Sheriff finds out! With chess pieces, awww.
I liked Isaac, he is cute with Allison and Scott. I also think he's good for Allison: he clearly respects her abilities, so she doesn't feel the need to prove herself to him all the time like she does with Scott. I think that makes her feel more relaxed around him than around Scott. (Threesome ftw!)
Allison was great this season, even though she wasn't the main focus, but she was quietly badass in the background, culminating in coming up with a new family motto.
I still like Scott. I'm not annoyed with the "chosen one" trope as much of the fandom seems to be, maybe also because I don't really see it: so it's a rare thing, but it's because of who he is, it wasn't destiny or anything like that. (Also I don't trust Deaton as a source of information.) Scott is a good kid: he tries to do the best he can, he cares about people, he takes on responsibility, he might not be the smartest but he inspires loyalty, he's a leader.
The parents are interesting this season: First of all, I loved the brief glimpse we get of Lydia's mother, that was a great scene, awww.
The Sheriff, Mrs. McCall and Chris Argent are all badass and great, but at the same time they're their kids' weaknesses. And the other way around, but still. Scott is willing to go with Deucalion to save his mom (though that was a bit of a weird thing... whatever,) Allison, Stiles and Scott are willing to kill themselves to save their parents.
As for Derek, meh. As soon as it became clear that his theme this season was "more shit happens, endure" instead of "finally start healing" I wasn't really interested anymore. Seriously, that guy deserves a break, and I'm happy for him that he left (even though it'll only be temporary.) Jennifer, okay, I'm neutral about her.
I wonder what the fandom will come up with until January. Personally I'd love to read more about Allison and Lydia, and I also want some "Jackson keeping in touch with Danny and trying to figure out what is happening in Beacon Hills without telling him about werewolves" fic. I'd be happy to find more different stuff than Sterek everywhere. I enjoy some stories but I also want some variety from time to time. Oh well.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2013-08-25 12:00 pm (UTC)The plot was very convoluted this season, and possible more plot-holy than normal (even I noticed some). Not sure why they spapped some actors out (Eva and Boyd for the twins), I'm wondering wether it had something to do with the actors availabily. It's true, there are a lot of characters. On the whole, I like that, because it makes the show richer, and provides for interesting dynamics. I also appreciate that the teens ACTUALLY HAVE PARENTS - it's always been a pet peeve to me how BtVS and other shows just totally cut out any parental presence (except when needed for plot points), whereas everybody knows that the parents are the biggest stumbling to teens 'doing there thing'. [/rant] But the downside of having such a big cast is that inidividual characters or relationships don't get as much time as they might deserve, and some developments are a bit rushed.
Stiles was great as always. I've never really liked Isaac very much (his backstory is intriguing, but he just looks to much like a Greek statue to me) but that whole story line with Scott first 'de-wolfing' him when he freaked out in the closet, and then moving in together, and watching Melissa sleep. Aww - it made might heart melt. If there ever is another canonical gay couple on the show, those two are much more likely than Sterek. Just saying.
Following on from aboves point, I also enjoy that, on a whole, the kids have a positve relationship with their parents. Minus Scott and his Dad. I also enjoyed the quiet badassness of the Agents, even more so because they were getting to the point of being badass togehter. Yay for lethal father-daughter teams! And Allision making a compelling argument to change her dad's mind. I agree, there was not as much Allision as I would have liked, but in some ways I think that was intentional, because it accentuated the moments when she went all out warrior and saved the boys ass.
Poor Derek keeps getting whumped - poor guy. I did enjoy his totally OTT love scenes with the Darach, it was like out of a soft porn - you knew right from the start that this would not work out, but it also seemed very self-ironic fan-teasing.
As for fandom, I think we are in for a whole lot more of sterek and scott-bashing, there is a lot of unhappiness that Derek is no longer the alpha, and Scott now apparently is. Personally, I don't care one bit, all Derek, Peter and Scott have been alpha's at some point, but nothing is static on the show, and they need tensions and conflicts to, you know, have plot. This is as good as anything. I've read people construing that the show is implying that Scott is more deserving or more special than Derek, which I think fuelled a lot of the, eeeh, discontent. I never read it that way, the writers just needed to come up with a way to make him alpha (without having to kill Derek) - so they gave Derek a reason to deplete his strenght, and Scott a reason to draw an all his resources to discover his 'inner alpha'. And there is still Peter Hale, so I'm sure this is not over yet.
no subject
Date: 2013-08-25 12:01 pm (UTC)I think the end-scene was just symbolic, to show what is important to Scott and is driving his actions - his friendship with Stiles, and seeing his friends safe and happy. We know it's not gonna last, it was more of a mission statement for the (half) season final, I think, and a visual book-end. Though I liked that Danny and Twinn are now offically a couple - wihtout any big coming out stuff. It's one of the charming things about the show, how they do not use the sexual orientation of the gay characters for plot or dramatic purposes, it just is what it is. I don't think there was even one comment on the fact that one of the twins was straight and one was gay.
THE END
no subject
Date: 2013-08-25 12:57 pm (UTC)I heard that the disappearances of Erica, Boyd, and Jackson had something to do with the availability of the actors, but at least for the first two it is completely unsurprising that the actors wanted something new because the show never really gave their characters a chance.
Yes, I love the relationships between the kids and their parents very much <3
I get that the ending was just a nice scene with the couples and stuff, but after an episode where I was annoyed that the female villains die and the male ones get to live I wasn't even appeased by Danny/Ethan.
And yes, it'll be complicated by Peter, but even that is weird: if Peter wants to be an Alpha, why didn't he kill Derek when he was more or less helpless and at least unsuspecting? Maybe a rest of family loyalty. But then, next season, it would imo be better/easier for him to go after one of the twins: he's smart enough to isolate them, smart enough to trap&kill one of them, probably the second one right after, and then they'd no longer be a threat. While Scott is already suspicious of him and has more allies who'd do more to protect/avenge him. Oh well, we'll see.
Yay for long comments :D
no subject
Date: 2013-08-25 01:39 pm (UTC)In the world of logic this is undoubtably that way it would go, lol. What a pitty that they're not allowed to kill of the leads. Though I have to say I approve of keeping Derek around - he provides a nice, darker and morally ambivalent touch to all the teen wolfs. ;)
no subject
Date: 2013-08-25 01:43 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-08-25 01:50 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-08-25 05:06 pm (UTC)Also is Derek still the worst Alpha ever or did he get demoted or something? I am genuinely curious! :D
no subject
Date: 2013-08-25 06:20 pm (UTC)As for shipping them, they had some nice gen scenes together and Melissa told the Sheriff that he has a "handsome face", so there's as much of a basis for it as for most non-canon ships.
Derek got demoted! On Crazy Uncle Peter's advice and as a last resort to save his mysteriously ill sister, he drained his Alpha powers to cure her. Which worked, yay!
(And in season 3, the title of "worst Alpha ever" would probably go to Deucalion.)
Meanwhile, Scott upgraded to an Alpha without killing anyone, which is apparently extremely rare.
no subject
Date: 2013-08-25 06:10 pm (UTC)Honestly, it was a fun ride of action and teen angst and I kinda liked it for that. I'm looking forward to part 2 of season three and don't mind Jackson being gone (as he's in Arrow now) but do agree, I wanted Boyd and Erica to stay. Don't mind the twins so much though.
the summer finale was a tad anticlimatic though IMO.
I wanted more action ;)
no subject
Date: 2013-08-25 06:22 pm (UTC)Haha, yeah, sometimes I forget the plot and enjoy watching the hot actors shirtless and/or wet for a while xD
no subject
Date: 2013-08-25 06:27 pm (UTC)I loved all the fight sequences this season. I've been trying to find a nice fanvid focusing on the action rather than all the romance.
Also still struggling to find a teenwolf fic that interests me enough to read it...
no subject
Date: 2013-08-25 06:37 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-08-25 06:50 pm (UTC)