Teen Wolf - Recap: So Many Japanese Demons!
Teen Wolf shed some light on the shadow demon situation tonight by revealing a cursed member among Scott’s pack. Which teenager is harboring a Japanese demonic entity? Oh the sentences I'm sometimes forced to write...
To kick off the recap of Episode 17, Mr. Argent took us back to his early days of learning the family trade. Of course, Gerard, that old bastard, neglected to inform his son that his first mission involved an arms tradeoff with the Yakuza, a Japanese crime syndicate. Basically, the entire exchange ended in a bloody mess when our good buddies, the shadow ninjas, showed up to decimate the men protecting their crime leader. A Young Chris Argent watched on in horror as they eventually killed the man, seeming to draw forth some hideous supernatural being from within him. Silverfinger, another member of their team with an actual silver covering over his pinky, stood apparently ready to fight to the death, but Argent stepped in first and blew the mask to smithereens with a shot from a snatched nearby gun. This is the mask he still keeps the shards of today.
MTV "Teen Wolf"
This Silverfinger fellow, a man with a substantial collection of weapons of the world, had recently conveniently moved to the Beacon Hills area, and Argent, a collector of ancient weaponry himself, decided to negotiate a phony deal over a pistol from the 1600s to lure him into a private conversation regarding their current predicament. An opportunity for Allison and Isaac to team up again is, of course, an opportunity for more fireworks to fly. I’d like to chalk the fact that Isaac left his shirt un-tucked from his suit pants, a mistake that cleverly prompted Allison to step in and do the deed for him, to his charm, but I think Scarf Guy was just kind of a clueless wreck this week. Isaac would be playing the role of the messenger sent to exchange Argent’s pistol for over $100,000 in cash. Silverfinger, now a paranoid recluse, was not interested in personally showing up to the event. While Isaac ended up in hot water with the man’s personal werewolf protector after failing to deliver an accurate story surrounding the pistol’s worth and history, Allison and her father easily meandered their way to Silverfinger’s office within his home. I think my favorite moment during Episode 17 was when Allison Argent just hauled off and slugged a full-grown security guard across the face, rendering him unconscious. Afterwards, the confusion was cleared up, Isaac was released from the wolf bodyguard’s death grip, and Silverfinger delved into the truth behind the Oni. More on this later!
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Stiles’ bouts with insanity have left him a troubled wreck. There was no telling, to being with, whether all of his realizations from last week were simply more hallucinations or an actual indication that it was him aiding Barrow in his attempts to kill Kira. Still, does it even matter if this stuff is real or fake at this point? It’s kind of clear that everything matters regardless. Also, if Stiles’ chemistry room key simply disappeared, why didn’t he just dial up that girl Caitlin and ask if she recalled it? While Scott could do little to help his mentally agonized friend, his mother did a fine job. At the hospital, Melissa ran through several basic mental health related questions, and Stiles was as honest as possible. While the situation initially seemed startling, Scott’s mom calmly chalked it up to an utter lack of sleep, and offered Stiles a sedative. Needless to say, Stiles words as he drifted off to sleep, “#ThanksMom,” offered up the best hashtag yet. I could hear the droves of teenage girls crying in front of their television screens from my couch. They couldn’t hear me, though. I’m sure of it! In any case, Melissa’s first assumption was later trumped by her subsequent thought process, which led her to Stiles’ mother’s medical records… records that indicated that Stiles is suffering from the same symptoms his mother was burdened by just before she passed away. Wow, in a situation where you're either suffering from general mental illness or praying for some other supernatural explanation from an ancient evil druid trunk, who would ever think we’d kind of be hoping for the latter? At least, for Stiles sake. Maybe that opinion would come to change later...
Scott did his best to ditch Aiden (Max Carver) and Ethan (Charlie Carver) during Episode 17, as they continued their adamant efforts to “protect” their future pack leader. Meaning, nobody in this town is subscribing to that belief. These twins are kind of desperate, at the moment, and only time will tell where their true loyalties are. As Derek (Tyler Hoechlin) put later on, they’d easily kill for Scott, but would they die for him? By the way, did they give one Carver twins a dye-job to help us differentiate? Thanks, Teen Wolf!
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I thoroughly enjoyed the scene were Kira fondly remembered touching Scott’s wolfy face for the first time, looking into his bright red alpha eyes in broad daylight. Mostly, I liked it because I have fond memories of a very similar scene from Buffy the Vampire Slayer between Buffy and Angel on an ice skating rink. I like this match, Teen Wolf. It’s odd that I feel like the audience in general is comfortable with Allison and Isaac together and Scott and Kira moving along just fine. It’s pretty much been smooth sailing, huh? Kira eventually deduced that if Scott was keeping his friends away for safety, she must be in more danger than she’d realized as the one left at his side. Were the Oni after Scott or Kira? At the McCall residence, the two privately discussed Kira’s research on the Kitsune, the mythological fox of Japanese folklore that is said to possess mystical magical abilities like lightning or fire.
MTV "Teen Wolf"
At this point, it’s time to cover Silverfinger’s revelations. First, Argent not only saved his life, he saved his honor. Silverfinger was not looking to fight. He was looking to bolt. Argent’s shot covered that up and saved him from a beheading. These Oni, however, are indeed demonic beings, but they’re not out to attack Scott’s friends or kill innocents. Instead, they’re looking for a particular type of demon possessing one of the Beacon Hills gang.. a Void Kitsune. There are thirteen types in general, but this kind is not good, everybody. Silverfinger’s leader only rose to power way back when because this demon inside of him called the shots. Could this be the kitsune inside of Kira? I mean, Silverfinger suggested that Chris Argent simply allow the Oni to do their job, even if it meant sacrificing Allison in the process.
MTV "Teen Wolf"
Meanwhile, Scott’s father opened up his work laptop to find that a security app had snapped a photo of Scott and Kira snooping. This led him to promptly pay the McCall house a visit of his own, demanding answers. Unfortunately, this timing was awful, and before we knew it, the Oni were on the hunt. Agent McCall didn’t know any better and ended up on the receiving end of one of their blades, sending Melissa into a state of panic while Scott and Kira attempted to thwart the oncoming threat. Luckily, Derek, Ethan, and Aiden arrived uninvited as well, slightly leveling the playing field. Perhaps even more convenient, Melissa had recently, with some help form Deaton, organized a mountain ash barrier surrounding the house. The activation of which kept the Oni outside for a temporary amount of time. In other news, we need more Derek during Season 3b, Teen Wolf.
I loved how calm Allison was on the phone when she went over the entire breakdown of the Oni history to Scott. Scott, realizing that Kira is indeed a good being and not evil whatsoever, invited the Oni to join the party and test their souls as they had each of his friends. The symbol behind the ears of those tested signified “self,” or that the person remained untainted by another demonic spirit. Kira, trusting Scott, allowed herself to be tested as well, and the two passed with flying colors. After that, it was as though the Oni had fought to crash the most boring house party they’d ever been to. They were so over the lameness. Not a single demonic entity to slaughter!
Good thing for Agent McCall, the Oni chose to bail before sunrise this time, giving his ex enough of a window to rush him to the hospital. There, Stiles awoke and began to wander off on his own. Episode 17 of Teen Wolf ended with one final encounter with the Oni. Stiles, still unaware as to what their presence meant, stood helpless for a moment before ripping the very essence from one of the beings. Thought to be undefeatable, the demon was reduced to nothing but a mere firefly in Stilinski’s hand. Only, this no longer seemed like Stiles. He destroyed the remaining Oni from this encounter, leaving them as shriveled bugs on the ground and easily fooling Scott into thinking everything was a-okay.
What did you think of Teen Wolf Season 3 Episode 17, “Silverfinger”? Is Stiles still unaware of the demon inside of him? Will Kira be the key to saving Scott’s bestie? Are the Oni really all that bad? (Because they seem kind of great to me now.)
Thanks for reading my Recap and Review of Teen Wolf Season 3 Episode 17, “Silverfinger”!