Teen Wolf - Magic Bullet

Already by the fourth episode, Teen Wolf is placing that inevitable blockade within the seemingly blossoming teen romance of newly-turned werewolf, Scott, and werewolf hunter’s daughter, Allison. This is as much a teen soap as it is a thriller show about werewolvery. The puppy love continues in Magic Bullet, but Scott’s lycanthropy is a real chore for him at times, especially when Allison is all into him sexually. She’s the aggressor, just crazy about Scott. She’s the one that initiates a make-out in her room when the two are supposed to “study”. She’s indeed a knockout, as her newly arrived aunt, Kate (Jill Wagner, a real piece of work!), is quite right that Allison is the kind of gal the teen boys typically go crazy over. But Allison is nuts about Scott, telling Lydia there’s just something about him. So there’s that.

Kate appears at the beginning as a possible pretty lady victim passing through certain to be the next female victim found in pieces after a werewolf attack. Then she pulls a shot gun, parks her vehicle, flips out, letting off shots. Hitting her trunk, Kate pulls a rifle and is a crack shot…picking off Derek when he attempts to follow the full-bodied werewolf that went after Kate while she was driving down a street. It appears the werewolf eyeing Kate might be the Alpha that took a bite out of Scott and made him part of his “pack”. Derek is in the wrong place at the wrong time. The bullet that hits Derek has a particular kind of ingredient in it that has infected/poisoned him. Kate, when Scott peeps her stuff, finds a special box of bullets that seem to be specifically designed to gradually infect and kill werewolves. Her personality is quite Alpha, too. While Allison’s dad, Chris, is cautious and follows some kind of “hunter’s code”, Kate seems to be game to go after the beasts without fear. Kate speaks her mind, is quite edgy and absent any filter, seemingly independently minded and brave. She sure isn’t afraid to confront you and Chris clearly knows how much of a handful she can be. But if you are going into a fight, heading into danger, Kate is probably someone Chris feels quite comfortable with. His weapons cache (Allison tells Scott he sells them to law enforcement) has a lot of machine guns and ammo. It does look like he’s a doomsday prepper.

The episode’s primary focus is Derek’s gradual deterioration. He needs Scott’s help to find a bullet much like the one that is currently lodged in his arm causing infection to slowly travel up his arm…if it goes to Derek’s heart, he dies. So Derek is dying in Stiles’ jeep (much to Stiles’ dismay) while Scott determines what bullet in Kate’s ammo stash is needed to help stop the infection. Scott at dinner with Chris, Kate, Allison, and Allison’s mom, Victoria (Eaddy Mays) gets quite awkward and uncomfortable. Chris goes on and on about a rabid dog, with the conversation working as this barely veiled analogy on a werewolf. It obviously works as a scene pointed towards Scott, although Chris doesn’t target him…and seeing Scott secretly nervous and understanding how he could very well be that innocent dog bitten and, through no fault of his own, transforming into something rabid and dangerous. Derek is the topic of conversation between Chris and Kate, believing he might be a werewolf, but operating from a code they need to be sure (Kate is a bit more relaxed at testing the code while Chris seems quite loyal to it) before acting. Speaking on them, Derek introduces Scott to his uncle, the lone survivor of the set fire on the Hale home which killed humans who weren’t a vampire. Derek warns Scott that the Argents were willing to attack his family and wouldn’t think twice about killing him if they realized he was a werewolf.

Stiles stuck with Derek and having to face the prospects of cutting off his arm gives him something to do in the episode while Scott tries to leave the Argent house as Kate seems to be influential in his continued stay. Key revelation while visiting Allison is he learns her best skill is as a crossbow marksman! That certainly gives him pause! Also Jackson questions Derek about what he is giving Scott and the tension mounts until the former pushes the latter to react to him violently…up against his locker, a werewolf nail breaking the flesh of Jackson’s neck. Jackson continues to be this intense, angry young man with an ax to grind. Scott just seems to bring out the worst in him. Scott beating Allison to her house while riding his back (and her driving her car) certainly has her questioning what kind of shortcut he could possibly take to beat her to the same location!

Going to Scott’s place of employ (the veterinarian’s office), Stiles nearly is forced by Derek to cut off the infected arm. Thankfully Scott arrives in the nick of time, with a cool bit of icky gore (CGI mostly) involving burning powder and a healing flesh wound. Derek tells Scott that they need each other as the Alpha will more than likely expect him to either hunt with him or be killed for resisting. It is only a matter of time until Scott is up against severe challenges. Not to mention, Scott now has to live down Kate confronting him about taking something from her stuff and Allison copping to her snatching a condom!