Teen Wolf - 5.03 - Dreamcatchers - Recap / Review / Episode Awards

Previously - Stiles was suspicious of Theo because Scott trusts everyone, Theo turned into a wolf and wanted in Scott's pack, Tracy had night terrors and was injected by the steampunk scientists before wolfing out, and Deaton finally realized that Teen Wolf canon is incredibly fluid. Thanks writers!

In an interesting dichotomy, a nervous Sheriff gets ready for a date while Psycho Kid, the one who randomly threatened Sheriff in the pilot, gets ready for prison. Sheriff has the better deal, except for his hair anxiety. Sheriff: "Oh I should have gotten a haircut." Stiles: "Well you know someone your age should be happy you still have hair to cut." Ouch! Stiles telling it like it is. Sheriff should Gibbs' smack him for lack of respect. Thankfully he has Scott. "I think you look great." Sheriff: "Well thank you, son I should have had." Ha! Scott looks proud but it definitely put Stiles in his place. Love his pouting reaction. Sheriff though is not loving the tie. Don't blame him there but Stiles reassures him that he deserves to go out on a date. Of course he jinxes it by saying that Beacon Hills will be fine for the night. Nice one, Stiles. Now all hell is bound to break loose. It is fun to see Stiles and Scott as the reassuring ones here though. I'm also glad that Stiles does not object to his dad starting to date. In a smart move, Sheriff refuses to tell them who he's going out with but that just makes Stiles more determined and he puts on his detective face. Scott just laughs. I however am very excited for Sheriff. While I do want to know more about his life before his wife died, I think it is encouraging that he's moving on because that could get him more screen time and lead to even better Stilinski family scenes. As long as he doesn't end up dating someone evil (no need to become Derek 2.0) and it doesn't become some ABC Family emoangsty drama, I heartily approve.

Meanwhile Psycho Kid comes through the station with his lawyer….Tracy's dad? Now I'm suspicious. Is he connected to the steampunk scientists? He babbles about Psycho being lucky to serve only 2 years but that sets Psycho way off, who starts screaming at Sheriff to his lawyer's dismay. Psycho: "I'm not angry like I'm gonna throw a brick through your window. I'm angry like I'm gonna find you, I'm gonna get a knife and I'm gonna stab you with it until you're dead and when you look at me and you ask me why, remember right now because this is why." Wow, that's some IED anger there, buddy. Time halts and everyone stares in shocked disbelief for about 10 seconds before true Stiles shines through. Stiles: "Wow, that was awesome. That was awesome. That was great. Can we do one more? Give us another one. Maybe like Christopher Walken this time, you know. Okay you know what, it's fine. You'll have plenty of time to work on it when you're in your tiny little cell. You know, just stuck there. Forever." Bwaaahhh!!!! I love Stiles. Psycho Kid, not so much. He goes to attack Stiles but Parrish and Red Shirt Deputy #1 stop him. At the same time, Stiles calls Scott's name and Scott steps in front of Stiles ready to defend both the Stilinksis (awwww) so Psycho Kid has zero chance here. The deputies take Psycho Kid away while Scott asks about anger expression inventories. Stiles exposits that it's a psych test given to cop wannabes. Scott: "That guy wanted to be a cop?" Stiles: "At least now he's getting the full law enforcement experience." What? Wait a second. Psycho Kid is actually Psycho Adult? No way! I guess I'm just used to 30 year olds playing teens on this show because I was sure he was going to end up on a lacrosse team with all the other crazy new kids.

In the police transport van, Psycho's lawyer chews him out for being an idiot. "Well done. Threatening the Sheriff in front of his entire department and his son. I'll be lucky to get you 3-5 decades. You realize that." Hey, that works for me. What doesn't is the obvious prison break that's coming. Tracy's Dad: "You mind slowing down. I don't think this kid's in any rush to get to prison." No dice! The driver's body is paralyzed and after way, way too long, Tracy's dad finally gets his foot on the brake to stop the van. Goo drips from claw marks in the roof and they hear snarling. It's Werewolf Tracy. She mauls the driver so the guards in back shoot at her but that only makes her mad. She mauls them too and then kills her dad, while Psycho runs away. He doesn't get far before steampunk scientists stick a four pronged drill in his head, making his eyes go all wonky. I bet prison looks pretty good right now. Back at the station, the Jeep still won't start. Egads! Get a new alternator or a better grip of your fears, Stiles, whichever is causing the problem. Scott looks over questioningly but Stiles heads him off at the pass. "It's anxiety." Scott: "What is?" Stiles: "Chemosignals. I'm well aware of how you all monitor my emotional state, yeah." Hmm, that sounds pretty invasive. That's a big no to werewolf friends for me then. Stiles pounds on the steering wheel, while Scott asks if he's okay. (Bingo square) This time it's the Desert Wolf getting to him. Braeden (miss you) sent Stiles pictures of a Desert Wolf massacre and Scott suggests that he stop looking into her but Stiles says that's up to Malia instead given that it is her mother. Having shared his anxiety, the Jeep starts up right away lending credence to Lilith's theory that somehow Stiles' emotional state is controlling the Jeep's electrical system.

Perhaps he should do the same thing with Malia's brand new product placement car. Kill that engine; save lives. What was Tate thinking? Malia is a menace to the road so he buys her a new car? That's about as crazy as Lydia and Kira getting in it with Malia behind the wheel. Lydia gets hung up on steering wheel hand position when she should get out of that car as fast as humanly possible. She has no rapid healing like Malia and Kira. Malia grips the wheel tightly and flashes back to her mother's accident before promptly driving off the road and almost into a tree. Kira backseat drives for the good of them all. Kira: "We are now off the road. Okay, this is not the road." Ha! Get out while you still can. Malia ignores her because she's distracted. Malia: "What is beeping?" Lydia: "The car is telling you not to run into the tree. Turn the wheel. Malia!" Kira: "And try to stay on the actual road." Oh my. This was the worst plan anyone on Teen Wolf has ever had. Remember the teen armored car heist hijinks? This is much worse than that and that was the worst plan ever executed on TV. Malia does involuntary donuts in the middle of the road and has trouble…well with everything before Lydia suggests finding an empty parking lot. Sadly Kira realizes they are heading in the opposite direction from the school as Lydia in full banshee mode leads them to the police transport massacre. I still have no idea how Malia who can't drive on an empty road managed to drive downtown but there are mauled bodies to save and a psycho on the loose so moving on. Sheriff sends Scott after Psycho's scent while Theo watches from above. After some werewolf gymnastics, Scott easily tracks a scared out of his mind Psycho, who blames Tracy to Stiles' dismay. He was really hoping it was Theo.

Lydia fills Sheriff in on Tracy's identity while she tells the pack about her disorder the next day. Lydia: "Tracy wasn't just having trouble sleeping. It was a real disorder. It was night terrors." Stiles: "Well now she's the night terror." Good point. They searched all night for her but no such luck. Everyone's tired except for Mason, who's downright gleeful about being around so many supernatural creatures. Mason: "This is all just mind-blowing. You're a kitsune. I don't even know what that is." Kira: "I'm still learning." Stiles: "Liam, we said you could tell him, not invite him to the inner circle." Mason: "I'm in the inner circle." Liam and Stiles: "No." Ha! The inner circle is already too big and doesn't get enough screen time as it is, but they have bigger debates. Scott: "Guys look, back to Tracy. She's just one lone wolf. We can find her." Malia: "One lone serial killing wolf." Stiles: "No, no, no, she only killed one person. You know the other two are mauled." Since Sheriff pronounced them mortally wounded, I'm good with calling her a mass murderer already. Malia wants to kill her. Mason: "Intense!" Okay Mason, no more coffee for you. Scott of course is not down with murder so they agree to focus on catching her, which would be easier if Psycho cooperated. Instead of giving Sheriff any pertinent details, he demands a lawyer while wincing in pain. Parrish does come through with info. Tracy killed her psychiatrist. Sheriff: "Let Scott know but tell him I don't them getting into it yet." Parrish: "Should we be putting him on the payroll?" Sheriff: "I'm starting to wonder." I have no doubt. He works for the Sheriff's Department more than Deaton. He ought to be a paid consultant by now. Speaking of jobs, Stiles shows Malia a picture of the guys her mother mauled and says they were terrible people. Malia: "So they deserved it." Stiles: "Yeah, I'm not sure anyone deserves that per se." Looking at the picture, I'd have to agree. Malia: "Well I guess we know one thing now. She's good at her job." Ha and slightly unnerving.

It's also a bit unnerving to see Scott, Kira, and Lydia in science class with a killer on the loose. They really are buckling down for senior year. I'm not sure Scott's 86% is worth all that praise, but maybe it was a super hard test. The teacher wants Scott to lead class discussion on a chapter he obviously did not read last night. You know, because he was busy hunting down a killer for the police department. He's saved by Liam, who explains that Tracy showed up for history class. That can't be good, especially when she's barefoot, wolfing out, and breaking her desk. Random Liam Chick notices, which is more than I can say of HistoryDad since Tracy isn't even in that class. Luckily Liam pulls the fire alarm to clear the school. It might be the first smart plan they've ever had in that high school. Random Liam Chick is too considerate for her own good and stops again to talk to Tracy. She gets a mauled arm for her troubles. Tracy is mid-day terror and sees Scott, HistoryDad, and Liam as steampunk scientists until Scott can soft voice her down. Tracy: "They're coming. They're coming for all of us." She dead faints and a river of silver rushes from her mouth so it's off to Deaton she goes. Stiles and Malia join them, leaving Liam to explain why a teacher and 3 kids are kidnapping another student. Good luck with that. Random Liam Chick heads to the bathroom, where she's just fine. So either she's already supernatural or she's about to become one since there isn't enough wacky fun in Beacon Hills already. Meanwhile Liam catches up with Lydia and Kira. Kira: "They're taking her to the animal clinic?" Liam: "Yeah to see if Deaton can figure out what's wrong with her." Lydia: "What's wrong with her is that she killed 2 people." Good point. They want to talk to Tracy's alpha, except they don't know who that is. Time to bring back Satomi…or Tall Prep Blond. Bad choice, Teen Wolf. I know TPB is hotter, but Satomi is more likely to have answers. Mason drools over TPB's naked torso in slow-mo as my eyes roll as hard as they can. Ugh! I just can't. Moving on to the actual story.

Deaton, Mr. No Answers himself, checks out an unresponsive Tracy and proclaims the silver goo mercury. Malia: "Can't you just give her a shot of something?" Deaton: "She doesn't look to be in any pain." Malia: "I meant a shot to kill her." Yikes, Malia! Simmer down. You're particularly bloodthirsty tonight. It's not like your formerly possessed boyfriend didn't kill anyone. At least figure out if Tracy is Tracy. Deaton: "I generally prescribe to a code of ethics that frowns on such measures." Pretty sure Hippocrates wasn't thinking werewolves when he wrote the code, but Scott and I are with you. Stiles is mostly concerned that Tracy doesn't kill them all so Deaton brings out mountain ash for protection. Yeah, mountain ash. The one thing more wonky in canon than werewolf powers. I'm not relieved if this is their only solution. Neither is Stiles. Deaton: "Don't worry, Stiles. Tracy won't be able to cross a line of mountain ash. She's not going anywhere." Stiles: "Yeah, that's kind of what I'm afraid of." Deaton: "Well you and I will be able to get out of here, no problem. You two not so much." Not helping. Malia checks out the mountain ash boundary and proclaims the mystical energy as weird, while Stiles looks nervously at her. Alright something odd is going on with Stiles. He's always been jumpy and overly anxious but he's never been this much on edge. Is he finally feeling the aftereffects of being a nogitsune or is something more mystical at play? I'm betting on the latter. Now the question becomes is this anxiety caused by steampunk scientists and they've gotten to Stiles without him knowing it or is it coming from Lydia as a banshee warning signal that all hell is about to break loose. I keep going back to that toss away moment Mrs. Martin gave Tracy about how dreams help people face fears in their head so they can face them in real life. That cannot be random. I'm saying it ties in with all the weirdness in the pack, including Kira's energy control problems and Malia's visions.

While I ponder the mysteries of Beacon Hills, Lydia and Kira break into Tracy's house like your average teens. Kira: "Hold on. Isn't this like a crime scene or something?" Lydia says no but the crisscross of crime scene tape begs to differ. Not that it has ever stopped them before. Lydia is so used to it she pretty much shrugs it off. A nervous Kira follows. "Okay, so what are we looking for?" Lydia: "I'm not sure. I'm mostly just following a feeling." Kira: "Your feelings usually lead to dead bodies." Good point. Lydia: "Well let me know if you find one." Um…say…bwaaahh!! Look at Lydia embracing the inherent suckitude of her powers. I like this calm, almost blasé Lydia. She cracks me up. Mason's continued wide-eye enthusiasm for the supernatural does not. TPB, still sans shirt, says Satomi's not looking to make more betas…thankfully. No more new kids please. Surprisingly, he also says his sister and he joined Satomi after their family died in a fire. Hmm, did Kate set more than one, is it a coincidence, or are we not as Hale-less this season as I thought? Liam doesn't care because he recognizes Tracy's necklace from when he fell into that very super special hole last week. Time for the trio to explore the woods together. No wonder the necklace is missing from her room. Kira does find a dreamcatcher (hence the title) with a note from her dad which, given the circumstances, depresses everyone. Lydia realizes that Tracy thinks she's in her dream world and doesn't know she's really killing people. Lydia exposits the vocab of the night - homicidal somnambulism. Basically killing people in your sleep. I worry about what kind of junk Lydia's using for bedtime reading.

Back at the clinic, Deaton attempts to cut into Tracy's skin but the scalpel breaks. Stiles: "I think you're gonna need a bigger blade." No one but me appreciates Stiles' sarcasm here. Deaton, while you might not want to euthanize Tracy, this might be a good time for heavy tranquilizers especially as something beneath her skin begins to move. Blech! I'm getting Alien wiggins already. They turn Tracy onto her stomach as Scott relays Melissa's text to Stiles. The driver was poisoned and that's why he was paralyzed. No surprise but it does lead Stiles to guess what Tracy is. Deaton: "You care to enlighten the rest of us because this doesn't look too good." Something below Tracy's skin moves again and I know what she is too. Before Stiles can tell them to run, her whole back bursts open and out pops a tail. Yep, we've got another kanima and she takes them all down in about 10 seconds before jumping the mountain ash barrier Deaton swore by. Color me not surprised. Malia: "We should have killed her." Stiles: "Meanwhile she's probably on her way to killing someone else." Not helping. Malia starts freaking out about not being able to move so Stiles and Scott tell her it will be okay but she's 3 seconds away from a panic attack. Deaton suggests they stop chatting and start concentrating on being able to move. Since that didn't exactly work for Derek in season 2, I'm not hopeful. Since the writers don't remember season 2, it works. While Stiles mistakenly thinks he's moving his legs, Malia really does move her fingers. Before long, she's the only one who can move. Stiles wants her to wait for the rest of the pack, but she rightly says that Tracy's too dangerous. Not stopping to help anyone into a more comfortable position, she heads off to track Tracy after Scott reminds her that it is a save not to kill mission.

After awhile, Theo does stop by the clinic to get them all to a standing position and ingratiate himself to Scott. Theo: "Let me help. It doesn't have to mean I'm part of the pack, like you've accepted me or anything like that. It just means I can help catch this girl. Scott, I can help you." Manipulative and smart, he's more of a force to be reckoned with than Stiles gave him credit for. Not that Stiles is buying the act one bit. Scott and Deaton seem to though. Suckers! Over in the woods, TPB is convinced Liam is wasting his time (feel you there) when Mason falls into a hole because he and Liam are made for each other that way. There's no necklace so Liam hops in after they realize that the steampunk scientists are burying kids in the holes. Say what? No one noticed Tracy was missing before? Hmm. They also decide there are more holes than just one. Looks like new supernatural creatures are popping out of that field like daisies. Oh joy. Not to be outdone in the out of nowhere assumptions Teen Wolf calls facts, Kyra realizes that Tracy is going after those who've tried to help her. Kira: "Well maybe that's why she was at school." Lydia: "She was looking for someone else who was trying to help?" Kira: "Yeah. I know, maybe it was you…or not since that would mean she wants to kill you." Foot in mouth disease catches faster than lycanthropy tonight. Lydia though realizes that Tracy is after her mother, not her. Time to save her…on her date with Sheriff. Woo hoo! I love that they are putting Mrs. Martin and Sheriff together in a bit of meta since the actors are married in real life. Nice twist, writers. His awe at how awesome she looks is even sweeter…right until he realizes his deputies are paralyzed. Then it's all terror as the date goes south before it even starts. Even Psycho's spooked in his jail cell. Considering his eyes keep going mercury silver, he has cause to worry.

Luckily Lydia and Kira burst in as Tracy growls on the ceiling above them. Welcome to the supernatural, Mrs. Martin. It's scary in here. Tracy takes down Sheriff while Kira breaks out her sword belt again and an epic battle begins. This is Kira at the finest she's ever been. Lydia warns her mom to run, which distracts Tracy from the fight and causes her to stab Lydia in the side. She's down for the count but Kira breaks into full Fox Spirit, all orange glow and attitude, turning her into the kick butt warrior we all knew she could be. Kudos! The scene turns slow motion and for the first time this season, it deserves to be as Kira cuts off Tracy's tail still in full kitsune form. When she finally comes out of it, she heads to stem Lydia's wound but no one calls 911. Seriously? Malia walks in to see an almost unconscious Lydia, who tells her that it looks worse than it is. Kira vigorously shakes her head in disagreement. Uh oh. Thankfully we realize Lydia makes it because of the premiere so we can get back to saving Tracy. Lydia tells Malia that Tracy thinks she's dreaming so she has to convince her it's all real. Sheriff points Malia to the basement where she's taken Lydia's mom. They creature out and another epic battle begins. Tracy's cut tail is absorbed back into her body as they kick and slice at each other. Finally Malia gets Tracy pinned down, choking the life out of her. At the last second, Malia relents and goes back to human form. She tells Tracy that it is not a dream. Tracy: "What is happening to me?" Before Malia can explain, steampunk scientists appear out of nowhere and shove her into a wall. Putting a syringe into Tracy, one says, "Her condition is terminal." Yikes! That's cold. Malia watches as more silver gunk pours from Tracy's lips and she falls dead to the floor. Then they release Malia and disappear from the corridor as Malia looks on in shock and horror.

That was a kick butt, awesome, Girl Power episode of Teen Wolf and everything I wanted from this season. I love how the females are spotlighted so much this episode and how they work together to bring down the threat. Putting Lydia and Kira together for most of the episode was a brilliant move, but having Kira embrace her full kitsune was even better. It has been my wish from the start that Kira would evolve into something besides Scott's girlfriend and it looks like that wish is coming true in the same way they are finally embracing Lydia's inner banshee strength. I also love how Malia has a come to Jesus moment of her own. Not only did she get to kick butt too but she also had to choose her own path at a time when neither Scott nor Stiles were there to make the decision for her. By NOT killing Tracy, she embraced the pack ways and turned her back on her legacy as Peter and the Desert Wolf's daughter. That should make for an interesting growth period for Malia as well. If season 5 is going to be the season of the females, I stand up and applaud because they have been shafted for far too long. The only thing that keeps this episode from being an A for me is that the pacing was a little off. Product placing the car was supposed to be funny but ended up feeling like an ad and a distraction more than anything. I also didn't need all the exposition from hole falling to vocab lessons to Deaton's non-expert posturing and Mason's awe got old fast. His scenes were far too long for me. I would have rather had some action in the middle of the episode instead of all the talking. Still all the action at the end well made up for that and the Girl Power alone makes this episode the best of the season so far. Well done!

Grade: A-

Episode Awards:

Best Reason to Watch - all the awesome Girl Power action
Best Scene - Kira battles Tracy, goes full kitsune, and cuts off Tracy's tail but not before Tracy stabs Lydia
Best Point - I'm with Parrish. They might as well put the pack on the payroll as consultants. All the police shows are doing it.
Best Reaction - Stiles to Malia asking why Deaton doesn't just kill Tracy / Stiles to Psycho's threat
Best Aww Moment - Sheriff dumbfounded by how awesome Lydia's mom looks
Most Heart-Stopping - Lydia stabbed by Tracy
Worst Teen Wolf Plan Ever - Getting in the car with Malia driving and this is a show where they once had a teen armored car heist. Yeah, this is much worse.
Most Wonky Canon - mountain ash, it's always the mountain ash
Most Boneheaded Move - Why the heck does no one call 911 to get Lydia emergency help?
Best Transformation - Kira into the kitsune
The "Dude, It's Beacon Hills" Award - Kira's worried about tampering with a crime scene, but Lydia's all, "What's new?" about it
Worst Advice - telling Malia to go faster
Dumbest Slow Motion - Tall Prep Blonde putting a lacrosse stick across his shoulders

Best Quotes -
1. Kira: "Okay, so what are we looking for?" Lydia: "I'm not sure. I mostly just follow a feeling." Kira: "Your feelings usually lead to dead bodies." Lydia: "Well let me know if you find one."
2. Sheriff: "Oh I should have gotten a haircut." Stiles: "Well you know someone your age should be happy you still have hair to cut." Scott: "I think you look great." Sheriff: "Well thank you, son I should have had."
3. Malia: "What is beeping?" Lydia: "The car is telling you not to run into the tree. Turn the wheel. Malia!" Kira: "And try to stay on the actual road."
4. Stiles: "Wow, that was awesome. That was awesome. That was great. Can we do one more, give us another one? Maybe like Christopher Walken this time, you know. Okay, you know what, it's fine. You'll have plenty of time to work on it when you're in your tiny little cell. You know, just stuck there. Forever."
5. SS: "Her condition is terminal."
6. Lydia: "Tracy wasn't just having trouble sleeping. It was a real disorder. It was night terrors." Stiles: "Well now she's the night terror."
7. Tracy's Dad: "You mind slowing down. I don't think this kid's in any rush to get to prison."


Screencaps by Teen Wolf Stiles, BuddyTV, Piclist, Teen Wolf Tumblr, Dylan O'Brien Net, Pinterest, Teen Wolf Pinterest, The Geekiary, Geeky News, Teen Wolf Source, and Hypable,

About the Author - Dahne

One part teacher librarian - one part avid TV fan, Dahne is a contributing writer for SpoilerTV, where she recaps, reviews, and/or creates polls for Teen Wolf, The 100, Grimm, How to Get Away with Murder, The Librarians, and others. She also runs the annual Character Cup. She's addicted to Twitter, live tweets a multitude of shows each week, and co-hosts The 100 "Red-Shirted", Sleepy Hollow "Headless" and Teen Wolf "Welcome to Beacon Hills" podcasts for Southgate Media Group. Currently she writes a Last Week in TV column for her blog and SpoilerTV. ~ "I speak TV."

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