Teen Wolf 2.09 "Party Guessed" REVIEW
Episode 2.09
Writer: Jeff Davis
Director: Tim Andrew
THE ONE WHERE Victoria Argent must face her fate, Lydia’s party gains an unexpected guest and we find out who’s been controlling the Kanima.
VERDICT With only three episodes to go until the end of the season, it seems that Teen Wolf is definitely saving the best ’til last. Creator Jeff Davis is pulling out all the stops in this episode, solidifying it as the best episode of the season so far.
After that kiss at the rave last week, Allison drops Matt off at his home. He leaves his beloved camera in the car, so Allison decides to take a look at the photos. It’s here that she discovers what a creepy, stalker type Matt actually is as she scrolls through endless shots of herself. Stephen Lunsford does a great job at the creepy guy thing and this opening scene sets a perfect pace for the rest of the episode.
It’s Spring break and Lydia’s birthday, so of course she’s throwing one of her legendary parties. Unfortunately because of her naked cavorting in the woods and a series of very public breakdowns, she’s not as popular as she used to be. Stiles comes to the rescue with a few drag queens from that local gay club and soon the party gets going. Trouble is, it’s the last full moon of winter and Peter Hale has got a plan for Lydia. So, like a good girl she spikes the punch with wolf’s bane resulting in everyone hallucinating his or her worst fears.
It sounds like a silly concept but Davis has actually been very clever here. The fears we see in each character allows us to see a side to them that we may have missed. Allison envisions her badass self, killing her pathetic, flowery-dress self, which automatically makes Crystal Reed a lot more bearable than in previous episodes. And if the preview for the upcoming episodes is anything to go by, we’ll be seeing a lot more of this badass Allison. Score!
Stiles hallucinates a heated tirade from his father, once again played brilliantly by Linden Ashby. Stiles’ rising guilt and hurt as his father spits endless insults is a heart-breaking watch and solidifies Dylan O’Brien as one of the better actors on the show. It’s also nice to see their relationship developing throughout these past few episodes, as both actors continue to prove themselves as a perfect casting match.
Meanwhile, Matt is pushed into Lydia’s pool but it soon becomes apparent that he can’t swim. Remember what Dr Deacon said last week? It all seems to become clear as Matt gives an intimidating look at Scott and Stiles as the realisation kicks in. As the party guests descend after some distant police sirens, Scott witnesses Matt standing next to the Kanima revealing who the master is – or is it just another one of those wolf bane hallucinations?
As Lydia saunters off from her party unnoticed, Allison is blissfully unaware of her mother’s final minutes. Last week, we witnessed Derek giving Victoria a nasty nip and Gerard makes sure that she, along with Chris take care of things, ie, kill her before she turns into the thing they hate most.
We’ve only ever witnessed a terrifying Victoria Argent before and this episode gives Eaddy Mays the chance to shine and play a different level. Her performance as a frightened, fragile, loving mother is as surprising as the emotional reaction the Argents provoke with this story line. As Victoria’s eyes turn to that wolfie yellow, she and Chris plunge a knife deep into her heart and we see that colour drain from her eyes. It could’ve been incredibly cheesy but instead, all three pull in their best performances yet.
As Lydia continues to have a serious breakdown, she follows Peter’s plan and kidnaps Derek in order to bring Peter back to life. So Hale is back, which should make for an interesting end to season two; however, all things considered, it looked like it was going to be great without him, so we shall see what kind of dynamic Jeff Davis is planning.
Even with wolf-on-wolf-on-wolf fight scenes, it’s the delicate touches that make “Party Guessed” special. Give the actors much more of this please!
BEST BIT Derek screws some nail headgear into Erica’s head to stop her from hurting anyone during the full moon. It’s very Hostel of them and shows us that Teen Wolf is growing up.
WORST BIT Scott’s hallucination is Allison and Jackson making out. Yawn.
BEST LINE:
Chris Argent: “But she’s my wife… Allison’s mother.”
Gerard: “And I’m the cold-hearted patriarch holding his family to its commitments. We all have our roles, just don’t expect me to play poison King to your Hamlet of a son.”
Sammy Maine
Teen Wolf airs in the UK on Sky Living, Thursdays
