Despite its cute children’s book title, this was not a family-friendly outing of Teen Wolf as we found out that Kira’s mom, Noshiko, summoned the Nogitsune while a prisoner at the internment camp that Kira’s dad previously told Isaac and Allison never existed.
Over the course of the episode, we learn that Noshiko is 900 years old, and she was sent to an internment camp with other Japanese-Americans during World War II, where she fell in love with a young soldier, Rhys. After they learned that the doctor for the camp was selling off drugs, and the camp prisoners began to die from the lack of medication, the prisoners revolted and a massacre occurred, claiming Rhys’s life.
In a fit of rage after being gravely injured herself, she called the Nogitsune forth but it jumped into Rhys instead of her, and with the help of an elderly prisoner revealed to be a werewolf, she was forced to kill him–it was his corpse that Stiles and Malia found in the wall at Eiche House. Noshiko recounts the story to Scott and Kira to steel them for what they may have to do to defeat Stiles but Scott is determined there will be another way. Kira’s dad is well aware of the story–it’s how he met Noshiko–and reinforces the idea that Kira and Scott (the Fox and the Wolf) can be great allies.
The rest of the crew, including a now-freed Argent (who’s hilariously reunited with his lightsaber-strength wolf zapper) and Derek, regroup to try to take down Stiles in a non-lethal manner, but first they have to find him. Before long, he puts himself right in front of them, at home, in his room, staring down the security cameras his dad had installed to protect him.
In the middle of all that, Allison and the sheriff have a sweet heart to heart in an elevator when he commends her and the group for their bravery and she crumples into tears and admits she’s terrified about everything–that Isaac (who we do not see) might die, that they won’t save Stiles, that she messed up with Scott. (Unfortunately, in the live Wolf Watch afterward, Jill Wagner did not ask Linden Ashby about that scene. Boo!).
And that sets us up for the Stiles showdown. The group heads to Stiles’ room and finds telltale clues about everybody’s place (or fate) outlined on a chess board. The episode closes with him standing in wait in Derek’s loft. Again, I don’t think we’ll lose O’Brien this season, but the PR team at MTV is working overtime to make sure we know we’re losing somebody (maybe three somebodies).
It was a fairly straightforward exposition fairy outing, but kudos to Arden Cho for playing the young Noshiko in the flashbacks and current-day Kira. She worked her ass off in period costume and heels and raging with a sword.
One thing we don’t learn, that I am curious to find out, is at what point Noshiko aged up to match her husband (who happily tells his daughter he’s only 43 but he’s been told he looks younger).
Here’s a sneak peek of tonight’s new episode, “De-void.”
Photo courtesy of MTV.