Okay, I’ll admit it.
The premiere had me a little worried. It was good but it was as good
as it needed to be to live up to the hype. This episode alleviated
most of my fears and I now completely on board with Season 3. This
was a fantastic episode that had me on the edge of my seat screaming
at the screen for forty minutes.
Stiles went to a party to
get laid; it didn’t end well. Scott tried to get Allison and Derek
to work together; it didn’t end well. Derek and Isaac are tried to
find Boyd and Erica; it didn’t end well. Lydia and Danny are trying
to get laid… it’s going well. Uncle Peter is still sassy with
dubious intentions. Stiles has research fever and enjoys a good
fisting (that might be an exaggeration). Also Derek had a blast from
the past that could be a game changer.
There is so much to love
about this episode but what stood out for me are the interactions
between Derek Hale (Tyler Hoechlin) and Allison Argent (Crystal
Reed). Those two have a complicated past and I hoped that when they
finally got to talking that it would be fantastic and it was even
better than I could have imagined. All I wish is for more of this
dynamic in future episodes.
The other thing this
episode showcased was the incredible cinematography. Last week I
suggested that this was Teen Wolf all grown up and the look of
this episode proved that sentiment. There was a scene between fan
favourites Peter Hale (Ian Bohen) and Stiles Stilinski (Dylan
O’Brien) that was truly beautiful with an innovative use of light
and shadow. For a moment it made me forget I was watching an MTV show
about teenage werewolves.
The performances were
solid as usual, especially the wonderful Dylan O’Brien, who as
usual added remarkable depth to comic sidekick Stiles. I was also
surprisingly impressed with Tyler Hoechlin, who let’s face it is
known more for his abs than his acting talent, but somehow managed to
break my heart with just one word: “Cora”.
Some might be annoyed by
the amount of what could be called fan service but the episode flowed
really well and every scene appeared as though it had a place. While
there were some fun fan winks nothing felt superfluous. There was not
a moment to waste, there was a lot of information packed into just
forty minutes, and for me at least nothing felt wasteful.
Part of me feels like I’m
being far too unashamedly positive but then I watch this episode
again and I’m reminded of just how entertaining it really is. This
is the Teen Wolf I want see in Season 3 and I hope that it’s
onwards and upwards from here. If the next ten episodes are half as
good as “Chaos Rising” this will be the best season yet.
Review by Yvonne
Popplewell
More of Yvonne’s work
can be found at her
blog.
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