Courtesy of MTV

With only three episodes left and time running out, can Stiles (Dylan O’Brien) be saved? Or is he doomed to die?

Let’s bitch it out…

The kitsune’s trickery continues as the latest game involves pitting players against each other. After using our crew as pawns to ward off the Oni, Stiles (Dylan O’Brien) escapes from Derek’s (Tyler Hoechlin) loft and seeks out Kira’s (Arden Cho) mother at the asylum. Initially it seems as though Stiles will kill her, but instead he guts himself with her remaining Oni dagger (Side Note: I then assumed that he was going to frame her for the attack – this show makes me think crazy things).

The flies that escape from the wound deliberately seek out and infect all of the werewolves (save Tyler Posey’s Scott, who remains untarnished as usual ). The scenes of various pack members being penetrated by flies is gross and just a little squirm inducing. It’s clear that they’ll be compromised as a result, but it’s unexpected when they turn on each other. The flies appear to manifest the wolves’ unspoken fears and desires (which explains why both Daniel Sharman’s Isaac and Charlie Carver’s Ethan both sex up their respective partners). Admittedly these signs are more distractions than legitimate conflicts; it’s pretty unlikely that Derek will burn Argent (JR Bourne) alive or that Isaac and the twins will take out Kira and Alison (Crystal Reed). These aren’t bad B-plots, but the prime real estate is the A-plot as Scott and Lydia (Holland Roden) venture into Stiles’ mind to help him find his way out.

Any time there’s a journey into a character’s mind, it’s an exciting chance to see what’s going on beneath the hood. Early in the season we saw the products of Scott, Alison and Stiles’ nightmares and the mind imagery in ‘De-Void’ is nearly as compelling. Interestingly the kitsune preys on Lydia and Scott’s minds in the same fashion as the flies do with the wolves – drawing on Lydia’s memories of being attacked and stalked by both Peter (Ian Bohen) and Jackson and Scott’s inability to move on from his relationship with Alison. It says a lot about what’s lurking in their own minds, much more so than what’s going on in Stiles’ (he’s just hanging around playing Go with the kitsune).

The pair manage to extricate Stiles from the kitsune in a memorable scene that harkens back to Ringu/The Ring: someone barfing up copious amounts of grotty material. In this case it’s the kitsune’s bandages, which is pretty nasty. The result is a confusing twist as Stiles emerges from the bandages – the real Stiles – while the other has stolen away with Lydia (it’s also possible – albeit less likely – that the other one has merely disappeared and it is Peter who has kidnapped Lydia). In any case, what initially seemed like the climax of this second half of the season has been extended as the kitsune remains on the loose, although we apparently have Stiles back to help battle.

Courtesy of MTV

Other Observations:

• Several characters hint at the events that prompted Scott’s father (Matthew Del Negro) to leave, which obviously means that this will come out in the two remaining episodes. I could guess, but I’m not entirely certain I care.
• In exchange for helping them mindmap Stiles, Peter demands the name of his daughter from Lydia. After their return, he makes her uphold her end of the bargain. The real question is what does he want from Malia? Peter has never been a trustworthy character, but he’s also potentially overdue for a redemptive arc. Is it possible he just wants to play dad or does he have other nefarious plans for Malia?

Best Lines:

• Stiles (sarcastically sending Max Carver’s Aiden to battle Ethan): “Oh, I hope he gets there in time. I like the twins.”
• Isaac (knocking Ethan and Aiden out): “I guess this is the part when I saw something witty. I’m not witty.”
• Scott’s dad (explaining why he saved Sheriff Stilinski’s job): “This place is literally the Bermuda triangle of murders, disappearances and etc”

Your turn: What are your thoughts on ‘De-Void’? Did you like the scenes inside Stiles’ mind? Which fly-instigated insight into the wolves captured your attention? Any thoughts on why Scott’s dad left? And what more can the kitsune do now that Stiles is back? Sound off below

Teen Wolf airs Mondays at 10pm EST on MTV