Color me shocked but EVERYBODY survived the finale. I was very pleasantly surprised, and again, Jeff Davis is a consummate showrunner because he shuts down one arc and then opens the door for another without those pesky cliffhangers.
That’s not say there wasn’t drama aplenty, because there was. Here’s how it all shook out:
Kira is Beserker Scott’s first test, and he grievously harms her. She’s in a bad way when she has a vision of her mother, who tells her how to activate her healing — with pain — so she smacks her hand along the wall of the cave and it works.
Back in Beacon Hills, Stiles, Liam, Derek, Braeden, and Malia hook up with Peter and road trip down to Mexico to get Scott.
Lydia, Sheriff Stilinski, and Liam’s BFF, Mason, find themselves face to face with a Berserker distraction meant to keep Lydia out of Mexico until the Sheriff saves the day with a grenade.
The Scoobies makes it south of the border with the help of a fakeout talisman that holds Liam’s wolf at bay during the full moon.
They’re soon in the fray with the Berserkers and Kate and Derek takes a hit, and again, it looks bad. He seems to die but Braeden presses on.
Berserker Scott attacks Liam, and Liam appeals to him as a wolf and not a monster (which I sort of called) and Scott snaps out it. He accuses Peter of helping Kate and Peter mwa ha has about working with Kate to avenge his family and Alpha usurping and whatnot and Scott finally wolfs out and takes him on. They throw down, and Peter flings Malia across the room. Scott tells a ready Kira to stand down. When Peter makes a move on Liam, Scott finds his Alpha power and Jedi mind tricks Peter, dodging his blows and then knocking him out, telling he was never an Alpha.
Outside, Kate has to square off with the Mexican hunters, her brother, and Parrish, who swoop in like the cavalry. Then the fray subsides for a minute as a howl pierces the air before a black wolf stalks in from the darkness. He stands above Kate and his eyes turn blue, and then he starts to attack her. When she changes back to human, he stops, and transforms into Derek. Braeden smiles and Kate loses her shit because she thought she killed him, and he tells her he was evolving. Then he shatters a Berserker.
Papa Argent shoots Kate and she scurries away. He chases her down and they face off when he’s finally out of bullets. He tells her doesn’t want to kill her or save her — that he doesn’t know whether she’s worth saving. She tries to hit a nerve by recalling Allison and blaming Scott and his Pack for her death, and Argent angrily tells her she died saving her friends. He asks her who she would die for. Then she runs away.
In the aftermath, day breaks and everybody stands outside the church. Stiles and Scott share a look but no hug (boooo!). Argent tells them he will stay with the Calaveras to hunt Kate, keeping them all safe. Braden tells Derek she was a US Marshall and her target had been the Desert Wolf.
Before they leave, Derek and Scott share some sort of Bro-nod. I don’t know if that means they’re both Alphas.
Once back home, Stiles and his dad hug it out with Malia, and his dad leaves him cuffed to a desk in retaliation for sneaking off while he takes Malia out for a meal.
Kira gets her first tail from the obsidian she shattered in the cave.
Liam, Stiles, and Scott hilariously try to explain their absence to Coach, who tells Stiles and Scott they’re in charge of Liam because he’s a phenom.
Parrish returns to work and Lydia gives him a bound copy of the bestiary (and my first thought was to check Amazon for a book tie in) and offers to help him figure out what he is. I can totally get down with them pairing off next season.
Peter gets locked up in a mountain ash cell at Eichen House with the third eye fella and we fade out as he begins screaming.
All in all a solid season, even if the Benefactor resolution was a bit muddled. I liked the way they worked in Malia and Kira, and that the Berserker takeover of Scott didn’t go past one episode. I like that Scott remains “not a killer.” I hope Lydia has a less stressful season next year (again, totally down with her and Parrish coupling up). I look forward to seeing where the Desert Wolf arc goes, and whether Malia’s mama is as unhinged as her dad — the fact that US Marshals wanted her doesn’t bode well for a happy reunion. Thankfully she has Stiles to equalize her — and why did we never see her adopted dad this summer?
Next season, we’re back to a super-sized 20 episodes. No word on whether that will be a summer or winter return. I’d love it to come back in winter again.
Photo courtesy of MTV.