by Kevin Ranson:
Teen Wolf Recap: “Motel California”
Original Air Date (MTV): Monday July 8, 2013
Season 3 Episode 6
Lydia already has a bad feeling about this.
March 5, 1977, the Glen Capri motel: someone who appears to be a werewolf takes their own life in room 217. The name on the driver’s license reads “Alexander Argent.” Guess which motel the track team picks to stay at in present day?
Stiles has four suspects: Harris, who’s missing; Derek’s sister Cora; Scott’s boss at the vet’s office; and Lydia – who may not even know it. In another room while Lydia goes for towels, Scott walks in on Allison… in the shower. While he’s being a creep, she suspects something is off about him before he ducks out again. Lydia discovers a bit of motel history: there’s been 198 suicides there. And Daddy Argent is scouting the scene of the wolf battle; it doesn’t take him long to discover his daughter’s involvement. Over the phone, Allison tells her dad where they’re staying; he seems to recognize the name, but Allison refuses her father’s offer to pick her up.
Jennifer has her hands full tending to a wounded Derek, but that doesn’t keep her admiring everything that isn’t bleeding black blood. Back at the motel, Lydia is experiencing all kinds of ghostly murder phenomenon, but she isn’t alone; Boyd finds someone named Alicia inside the ice machine! Not to be outdone, Isaac starts having a childhood freezer flashback – no, really. When Lydia takes Allison to see the lady in the office, the old woman is out till dawn, but the tally sheet inside has gone up by three.
Scott gets a call from his mom… from outside the window?! He sees Deucalion rip her throat out just before Stiles walks in; none of it was real. Paired up with Danny, Ethan finds himself hallucination as well, but he’s more determined to do something about. Stiles, Lydia, and Allison realize that only the werewolves are being affected – wait, aren’t their FOUR of them?! The Scooby gang manages to break into an adjacent room just in time to stop Ethan from sawing himself open; Stiles reminds Lydia about her birthday party when she poisoned everyone with wolfsbane.
Boyd starts re-enacting Stephen King’s 1408 with a clock radio in his room; obviously, the only cure is the office safe and a bathtub full of water. Tipped off by her psychic danger sense, Lydia suggests using flares since they burn underwater – thanks for the science tip, Teen Wolf! After waking Boyd and rousing Issac out from under his bed, Scott has decided to douse himself with fuel and use a flare as well to light himself aflame. The Scooby gang tries to talk Scott out of his depression since he blames himself for Derek.
Derek tried to warn Jennifer out of his life, so of course they start getting hot and heavy. Turns out that wolf sex has healing properties; you knew that, right? Or does it? Back in the motel parking lot, Stiles steps up with the classic “you’re my brother” speech. After tossing the flare aside, a gust of wind blows it back into the gasoline; after pushing everyone out of the line of fire, Lydia sees something in the flames: is it the Darach? Looks kinda witchy… hey! What if the Darach is actually Jennifer? Run, Derek!
Finally, Daddy Argent consults with an old relative: Gerard is still alive, and he reveals that the alpha that bit Alexander Argent was none other than Deucalion.
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Kevin A. Ranson is the author of The Spooky Chronicles and the upcoming vampire thriller The Matriarch. He also the creator/critic for MovieCrypt.com and the “ghost writer” for its horror host Grim D. Reaper (often seen skulking around horror conventions). Find him on Facebook, on Twitter @KevinARanson, and his author blog at ThinkingSkull.com.
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