Ah, the lock-in episode. The lock-in is a tried and true trope, one that shows like Dawson’s Creek, Doctor Who, and Grey’s Anatomy have all attempted with varying situations and degrees of success. The Teen Wolf lock-in begins when a deadly virus circulates the school—the same virus that wiped out Satomi’s entire pack last episode.
To be honest, not very much happens this week on Teen Wolf. Or maybe it just feels that way because the show’s episodes are so often stuffed full of plot. Either way, the basic story is the same as it has been all season: someone wants Scott dead—Scott, and every other werewolf in Beacon Hills. So, must be a day that ends in “y” then.
Most of the episode takes place in the school where the pack, minus Lydia, is taking the PSAT (because the characters are somehow still in tenth grade?). Everyone is super serious about the test despite the fact that the PSAT pretty much doesn’t matter at all unless you need to qualify for a merit scholarship. Although considering Stiles and Scott were debating stealing the Hale hit list money, maybe they should be a little more worried.
The school is on lockdown because Coach was found with strange markings on his skin, as was a random student. Meaning, it’s time for the big guns to be called. In a truly cinematic, slow motion scene, there’s a shot of a group walking down the school’s hallway in giant yellow suits. Yes, it’s serious. Yes, it’s the CDC coming in to quarantine the school. But it’s just so damn funny.
Lydia is back at her aunt’s house, unpacking the deceased Meredith’s belongings, which she somehow obtained. She tries to communicate with Meredith via the creepy record player, in the creepy white room, whose walls have a tendency to come alive. The scene seems sort of irrelevant and out of place. This might be because at this point, we are not down for anything that takes us away from the lock-in drama unless it directly affects those inside.
Side note, who else is a bit upset that we got more of Lydia mourning Meredith than we did with Allison? To be fair, the scene is touching, as is Lydia’s struggle with her unstable banshee ability. Lydia thought she needed Meredith to teach her to control her power but if anyone can be their own mentor, it’s Lydia. That girl is whip-smart; a force to be reckoned with. And in heels, no less.
Back in the quarantined school, both Scott and Malia are showing signs of the virus: aside from the general flu symptoms, they’re starting to lose control of their transformations. Scott’s eyes flicker from red and back to his baby browns, while Malia can’t retract her claws. The pack decide that they can’t endanger their fellow students, so they quarantine themselves from the quarantine—take a second to appreciate that. Their secluded spot of choice? The conveniently located Hale vault.
This episode is like a pressure cooker—it’s all the near death experiences and the uncertainty and drama of a normal Teen Wolf episode, except now no one can leave. Quarantine instantly makes everything even more pressing, so being quarantined within a quarantined zone only ups the intensity. We may be having even more fun with the double quarantine situation than the writers.
There’s no cell phone service, no Wi-Fi, and no connection to the outside world. Everyone is tense and sick, and we love every second of it.
Lydia finally arrives on the scene, only to tell the Sheriff that someone is going to die. While Scott, Malia, and Kira continue to suffer through the virus, the first real brush with death is Stiles. Stiles, who is too smart for his owns good, figures out that it was the PSAT proctor who administered the virus. When the guy confronts him with a gun to his head, Stiles chooses death over telling the killer where his friends are. Lydia was right, someone does die inside, but this time Stiles can say “not today” to the God of Death. Instead, Papa McCall saves the day with a bullet to the assassin’s head.
The next brush with death is for our werewolf, werecoyote and resident Kitsune. It’s heartbreaking when they each lose their sight and call out to each other, on the brink of death. But Papa McCall has delivered the message from Deaton that the antidote, a special kind of tea, is inside the vault. While everyone else is blinded and down, Scott uses his true alpha night vision to find the jar and save the day.
Our pack survived the lock-in, but they’ve still got bounties on all their heads and about a 117 million other problems to deal with. Sorry, we couldn’t resist. And don’t think we’ve forgotten that possibly the worst alliance ever was formed last episode. Seriously, what are Kate and Peter up to? Tune in next week to find out!
image courtesy of INFphoto.com