Quick Reaction: Teen Wolf Season 3b

[hells_half_acre]

Okay, now that Teen Wolf season 3b is over, I figured I'd do a wrap up post about my thoughts.

For people who want to read my thoughts episode by episode. You can check out my tumblr under the tag "quick reaction".

First off, I like liking things, so I really liked this season!

I feel like I should put a disclaimer here. I'm suffering from a bit of fandom-fatigue. Especially when it comes to Teen Wolf. I kind of feel like a lot of what I want to say about Teen Wolf is actually just a response to other fan responses and not to the show itself. So, I'm going to try to avoid doing that and ONLY respond to the show, not other people's opinions of the show. But, in terms of how I'm feeling about fandom, here's a quick analogy:

I feel like I've gone to the zoo to see the penguins. And I walk into the penguin enclosure and there are all these other people there, holding toy penguins and talking about how much they love penguins and how they've come to the zoo to see the penguins. And I get really excited, right? Because penguins! And people who love penguins! And then we turn to look at the penguins and the penguins are penguining. But then this weird thing happens, because suddenly everyone around me starts wanting the penguins to fly. "Penguins don't fly," I say. "They are penguins." But no, the other penguin lovers insist, "it would be awesome if the penguins would fly! Flying penguins! Wouldn't that be neat." "Well, yes," I say, "that'd really be something, but penguins aren't going to start flying just because you want them to. They're just going to keep being penguins." But no, everyone around me just keeps wanting the penguins to fly... and they won't shut-up about it. "Why don't you go look at the birds that can fly?" I ask. "We want the penguins to fly." They repeat... and it never ever ends.


 And I get it, there's something to be said for demanding a high standard from your entertainment - but if you really want entertainment that meets that high standard, maybe you should support programs that already do, and leave the low standard programming to people like me, who just wants to enjoy it for what it is. It's just... the penguins aren't ever going to fly, and some of us just want to stand there and watch them be penguins without having fifty people complaining about the lack of flight the whole time.

 I think I just need to take a break.. and now that the season is over, that will be much easier to do.

ANYWAY... the actual show!

- I really liked the season. I feel like mostly every plot-line was wrapped up. Things tied together that I never thought would tie together. Things that I thought were continuity mistakes actually were done purposefully and were plot points (Stiles' bat)... it was really nicely summed up.

- I loved how they portrayed Stiles' inability to read at the beginning of the season. I learned to read very late in childhood, so I actually remember exactly what it's like to NOT be able to read - and they really captured that, I felt. In all the settings that it comes up - including the inability to read important instructions, which happened to me once when I was around 8 years old... thankfully, it wasn't the instructions on a bear trap. I thought it was really well done. It was also really refreshing to see a character who couldn't read and NOT have it be a comment on their intelligence (or have it be set in a historical context). I loved the fact that Lydia pointed out that Stiles didn't need to know how to read to disable the trap. He was intelligent enough to do it without the instructions. It's actually pretty hilarious, because so often not being able to read is used as a "they must be stupid" point, yet so many people try to do things without reading instructions and when they're successful they flaunt it like it's a sign of intelligent. I mean, I'm biased, but I figure that if you can get by in this world without being able to read, you're pretty damn smart.

- Of course, this whole season was basically a showcase of Dylan O'Brien's acting talent. And I have absolutely no complaints about that. They discovered that they had a gifted actor amongst them and wrote to it - and yeah, he was amazing. That kid is going places.

- Speaking of going places... Teen Wolf has the worst actor retention. Thankfully, Dylan isn't leaving, but Chrystal Reed decided to. Allison's death was heartbreaking. I knew it had to be because of the actress deciding to leave, because if I were a writer, the last thing I would want to do is kill off my female lead. I'm glad they found a way to write her off without making Chris Argent leave too. I've grown to quite like him, and I want him to stick around. I think it'd really neat that the werewolves have a hunter on their side... and despite Allison's deah, I hope Chris continues to carry out her work of protecting those that cannot protect themselves.

- I want Chris and Derek to be BFFs now and I want Chris to adopt Isaac.... mind you, the news was just released today that Isaac is leaving the show, perhaps only temporarily, but in anycase, he won't be around for S4... which sucks, again, worst actor retention of any show that I watch. I actually wondered, because the last scene we see of Isaac is him shouldering a bag and walking out with the nogitsune box.... and I thought "how far is he going?" Apparently the answer is - far away.

-  Speaking of departures. I was really surprised they killed Aiden off. I loved the fact that they didn't just FORGET what the twins did in 3a, and that there were consequences to their actions and they WEREN'T suddenly forgiven and accepted. I liked that the whole season they were basically trying to prove themselves, and sometimes succeeding and sometimes failing. It kind of drives me a bit nuts that Peter is still walking around scheming when HE KILLED LAURA. If my uncle killed my sister, I would not be able to be in the same room as him ever again - just saying.

- Back to the twins though... I realized last night that Ethan, at the end, was telling Danny that he couldn't stay in town. So, does this mean that BOTH twins are now gone? Aiden dead and Ethan off to wander around as an Omega because being in Beacon Hills is now definitely too painful for him... and proven to be too dangerous?

- Danny... Danny knowing already. Danny knowing for an INDETERMINATE length of time. Has he always known? Did Jackson tell him? Did he watch the recovered footage after all and figure it out? Did he hack Stiles' computer? Is he already tied to the Supernatural himself and has known since before the Hale fire? S4 better have an episode about Danny - because he is suddenly the most interesting person on the show to me.

- McCall family... so, the big secret was that Agent McCall, while drunk, accidentally hurt Scott... and Melissa kicked him out of the house, and he felt so bad about it that he kicked HIMSELF out of Scott's entire life, thus making the problem ten times worse. Agent McCall is not a smart man. Actually, I'm going to go ahead and blame everything stupid that Scott ever does on the fact that he's got Agent McCall as a gene donor. Seriously...

- The Stilinkski family. It's actually pretty heartbreaking to learn that Stiles' mom died of dementia. It lends a whole new twist on the "mom would have believed me" line of 3a, because that's not necessarily selling his argument... that's just twisting the knife that Stiles grew up with a mother who at some point couldn't tell dreams from reality. When it looked like Stiles' might have the same thing... oh man, my heart. I'm glad it was a trick by the nogitsune, because that was a terrifying prospect.

- Same with the threat that they might have to make Stiles a werewolf. I like Stiles being human, and I was sure that the showrunners and actors were all on the same page as me, but this being Teen Wolf, I started to wonder if they would really do it.

- I have to say that Tyler Posey has really grown as an actor since the show started. He had some amazing scenes in this episode. My favourite, I think, might be all his scenes with Stiles (whether on the phone or in person) during the episode Riddled.

- Derek. I think Derek really shines as a beta. I think it's obvious that, although Alpha Derek was awesome, Derek is actually happier with someone else in charge. I feel like Derek of S1-3a was trying really hard to be something he wasn't - he was trying to be someone who wasn't horribly traumatized and was capable of leading and being intimidating and scary... but it was really just all an act to cover up the fact that he was basically terrified the whole time. I think Derek's been terrified since Laura died, or possibly even since his mother died - and I think there's a comfort in having someone else in charge, someone who Derek knows will do everything in his power to protect him. Derek was a very supportive role this season... and I liked the contrast between him and the twins, because the twins vowed their support to Scott in order to get protection, but Derek just supported Scott because he already knew that Scott would protect him whether he was in Scott's pack or not - if that makes any sense.

- Oh! Which reminds me - I loved all the little pack moments... the howling! I loved that Scott could hear Isaac's pained howl when he stepped in the trap. I loved that Scott recognized Derek's howl when he woke up after the oni attack. I loved that Scott used his howl to get through to Stiles in Stiles' mind, even though Stiles is human. I loved Lydia's proud smile every time Scott howled. I loved Derek telling Aiden that Lydia wasn't staying in town for Stiles, but for Scott, who is Lydia's alpha, just as though Lydia were a wolf.

- I did love the growing Stiles/Lydia friendship. I love that their relationship is growing on an actual foundation of friendship and understanding, rather than awarding a fantasy. I like it because you can clearly see that Stiles and Lydia DRIVE EACH OTHER CRAZY. Like, there is no one that gets more annoyed at Stiles than Lydia does, and there is no one that gets more annoyed at Lydia than Stiles... and they make the best "I am so done with you" faces at each other, but then they CLING to each other when shit goes down, and they are always looking out for each other... and yeah, it's just, kind of awesome. I WANT Stiles to have a relationship with Malia, because I think he needs that in order to get to a place where he might be ready to date Lydia, who has had far more experience and is more sexually confident than he is. And I think Stiles needs to have that fumbly-first relationship with someone equally fumbly and inexperienced, before he can have a romantic relationship with Lydia. Not that they need to have a romantic relationship, of course... I'd be happy if they just stayed friends, because they are awesome as friends... but I just happen to think that Stiles/Lydia is end game for the series.

- Speaking of, I love the fact that they left Stiles' sexuality open... or rather, they left the possibility that he is bisexual open. I know Dylan O'Brien just did an interview where he says that Stiles' is straight and not gay and that was just a funny moment... BUT, newsflash, actors don't own their characters... also, I think Dylan actually still confirmed that Stiles' COULD be bisexual, because he said that Stiles isn't "gay", but he also said that it's about the person, not their gender. So, there... personally, I really love bisexual characters - and I don't really care what the actors think, or if we ever see them with a member of the same sex. Stiles could only date women for the rest of the series, and I will still think he is bisexual. I still think Dean Winchester is bisexual. The bisexual headcanon is strong with this one.

- Let's switch gears and talk about the ending.... I'm not sure how I feel about Kate coming back, to be honest. Why do none of the bad guys stay dead on this show? It also doesn't sit right, because to me, not only is Kate a mass murderer... she's also a rapist. Granted, I'm highly sensitive as to what constitutes sexual abuse - given that I have to deal with it a lot at work. But to me, what Kate did qualifies, because she seduced an underage Derek.. (I don't care how much Davis retcons the timeline - the line "this one grew up in all the right places" pretty much spells out the fact that the last time Kate saw Derek, he was not 'grown up' and not only that, but Kate seduced him in order to kill his family - even if he had been 18 at the time, that's going to mess a person up so badly.)

- All that aside? Did she crawl her way out of the grave three days after she died? How did that work? Why do people in South America/Mexico/Wherever know about her?

- I'm interested to see where Malia's character goes. I can't really get a read on her on whether she's an agent of good or an agent of evil... not to mention, that I'm sure she'll soon have Peter trying to manipulate her into surviving his own ends. Again, I am NOT going to talk about fandoms reaction to her, because I want to just talk about how I reacted to the show and not how other people did. I'm interested in Malia, and I like what I've seen so far of her, and I'm eager to get a better grip on her personality. I definitely think she'll probably have only benefited from growing up away from all the sexist bullshit that would have been thrown at her between the ages of 8 and 16.

- I like the fact that Stiles' chest board WAS showing Derek the end game. I liked the incorporation of the game Go. I sent the screen shot to my brother, and he says that at the time of the screen shot, Stiles' was winning - but that Go is very unpredictable, and Stiles could have easily still lost if he made any mistakes.

- I loved the fact that they introduced non-"Western" monsters. I would have been even more thrilled if they were Japanese monsters in a non-Japanese family, but I guess you can't have everything. But I like the idea that it's not just European shapeshifters in the world. Also, completely separate from what I just said - I'm ALWAYS happy when I see Asian people on my TV, especially non-stereotyped Asian-Americans. I really like Kira, and I think she's gorgeous and adorable, and I want her to stay and I want to know more about what her powers are. I also want to know if there is any consequence to her mother losing all her "tails."

- Melissa McCall is also awesome. I just thought I should mention that again since I was talking about mothers. I loved her "be your own anchor" speech.

- Deputy Parrish! What is he? He "felt drawn" to Beacon Hills... Beacon Hills draws the supernatural... I half expected him to wolf-out or reveal himself as something during the Oni attack at the station... but nope. Is he a banshee like Lydia? What is he?! (Besides cute.)

- Okay, I've been writing for like two hours.... but I also thought I should mention that Tyler Hoechlin was awesome in the scene where Derek is possessed and goes after Chris. I LOVED seeing that side of Derek. I loved how completely different it was to the regular repressed Derek we see. I loved the fact that he did the whole scene while wearing an extremely adorable sweater with THUMB HOLES. Did I mention I want him and Chris to be BFFs?

Things I didn't like:
1) Scott throwing Isaac into walls. Listen, I don't claim to know anything about victims of child abuse, but my common sense tells me that it's probably not a good idea to REINFORCE the idea that they deserve physical punishment for their misdeeds. I think if Scott were really a "true Alpha", then he should be able to recognize how to be a GOOD alpha - and if a pack is like a family, then Scott's now the father... and yeah. I think it annoys me because Scott started off so well with Isaac back in S2, when he was really the first person to tell Isaac that he didn't want Isaac to be hurt - implying that Isaac didn't DESERVE to be hurt. I mean, poor Isaac, he gets turned, ostensibly so that he can stand-up to or survive his abusive father - and in return he gets his arm broken by Derek TO TEACH HIM, then Derek uses his former abuse in order to drive him away from the loft (seemingly for his own protection, but MAN, totally wrong way to go about it), and then when he switches alliances to the one dude whose always been nice to him, he gets thrown into walls for developing a crush.

2)The depiction of the mental institution. Yes, I know it's a beloved horror trope. And I know I'm looking at penguins... but... really? Do we have to go there in such an completely cliched way? It was just a little hard to bear. There's really enough stigma for mental illness already in the world.

Things never answered:
1) Why was Allison's phone turned off when Stiles went missing?

Things I wish we had seen more of:
1)The conversation between Derek and his mother.

Okay, i guess that's it in terms of my "quick reaction". Again, if you want it episode by episode, head on over to my tumblr.

As usual, let me know your thoughts in comments... but please keep in mind that I like liking things and I currently have complainy-fandom-fatigue.

(I mean, feel free to tell me what you didn't like, but try to balance it out with also telling me stuff that you did like - if you're going to complain, you also have to give me the reason you are still watching the show. It's the new rule while I'm suffering from fandom-fatigue.)

I'll see you guys later for some SPN Quick Reaction! Yay!

Comments

[liliaeth]

Honestly, this season just showed me once again why Scott is my favorite character and why Tyler Posey is such an awesome actor and the main reason to watch the show for me.

I just wish they hadn't killed Allison.

I also loved Kira and Scott and her are adorable together. And Kira is just so cute.

Agree with you on the Scott throwing Isaac against the wall, it like the scene where Stiles mocks Isaac past as an abuse victim, shows just how little Jeff Davies gets about child abuse.

I just wish we'd had more Scott and less Stiles.

[hells-half-acre.livejournal.com]

Yeah, it's hard to have less Stiles when he's both the main victim and the big bad of the season!

Scott though, was really awesome - and like I said, it's been really cool to see how much Tyler Posey has grown as an actor since S1. He was amazing to watch this season and I can't wait to see what he brings to S4.

I actually didn't mind Stiles' comment to Isaac, because it kind of...normalized it? I don't know. But I do agree that coupled with Isaac getting thrown into walls by the guy who is supposed to be the goodest guy who ever gooded - it just shows a lack of consideration for abuse victims. A lack of consideration that I'm worried will be carried over to Derek in S4 in terms of sexual abuse... though, again, maybe I'm being overly sensitive about that topic. Who knows.

Scott and Kira though - SO ADORABLE. I want to smish them. I figure that Scott will be pretty messed up over Allison in S4, and that might put the breaks on the Kira relationship for a bit... but I do hope that they continue to be a thing.

[borgmama1of5.livejournal.com]

I have never watched Teen Wolf.

But your penguin analogy? Is awesome :)

[hells-half-acre.livejournal.com]

Haha, thank you. ;)

[metallidean-grl.livejournal.com]

I haven't watched the finale yet. Will be a couple of days yet before I have time to get to it. I look forward to reading this once I watch it.

[hells-half-acre.livejournal.com]

Cool. I hope you enjoy it! :)

[kuhekabir.livejournal.com]

You are so right, they can't keep hold of the good actors. Well, at least my two favs are still there!

Still, at the end I was so rooting for Chris to sort of adopt Isaac and now the idiot is leaving! ARGH! But he might come back...but still!

Anyway, can you explain the end to me? When did that sequence with Derek and Kate happen? When he was talking to Stiles, did he dream that?

Did that Kate sequence happen before Derek and Peter were kidnapped or at the end? I don't follow...I really don't.

[hells-half-acre.livejournal.com]

My favs are still there too! Yay!

Yeah, it sucks that Isaac is leaving. Not that I wish the actor poorly in his career, but I do hope that he comes back!

Anyway, can you explain the end to me? When did that sequence with Derek and Kate happen? When he was talking to Stiles, did he dream that? Did that Kate sequence happen before Derek and Peter were kidnapped or at the end? I don't follow...I really don't.

Sure. The end happened AT THE END. So, after the nogitsune had been defeated... THEN the hunters who had previously captured Derek and Peter, the guys from the first episode showed up in Beacon Hills, presumably because they tracked Derek and Peter back there... and they started asking about the "she-wolf" again, and we find out that this whole time, Derek thought they were trying to find Cora, but they weren't! Instead they were trying to find Kate - who then showed up and took out the hunters, and then shot Derek.

The sequence with Stiles happened between Kate showing up and Derek falling to his knees after being shot. Basically, his mind went into shock and built him a dream world where what was happening was just a dream - again, this whole dream-sequence with stiles happened within that split-second dream-world. Dream!Stiles tells a suspicious/frightened Derek how to tell something is a dream. Once the Derek realizes that it's a dream, the dream ends, and we get Derek saying "This is real" or "You're real" or whatever he says... and then he falls to his knees and Kate turns into whatever the hell were-creature she is.

[kuhekabir.livejournal.com]

Ah! Thank you. I think here they went a bit too smart for me. I find it lovely though that Derek's mind chose Stiles. Snicker.

[claudiapriscus.livejournal.com]

This is so a placeholder comment because I haven't had time to watch the last two episodes, but man, I have thoughts to share and I really, really think what you've said here is fantastic. So this is really just a "to be continued" kind of comment.

Also, since I stay far, far away from TW fandom, what is the penguin flying referring to? Like, what do they want out of it? (I mean, that the show isn't already doing? I think season 3 a and b is a wild improvement)

[hells-half-acre.livejournal.com]

Cool. I look forward to your return.

I don't know what the hell the TW fandom want, besides for Teen Wolf to be a different show. But in general, I've seen fans that want it to be a character-driven show instead of a plot-driven show. Then of course there's the fans that want it to be an epic gay love story, though not with the character that is actually canonically gay. Then there's the fans who want the actors to stop leaving and somehow think that their departure is some creative decision rather than a case of the writers having to work around the actors career decisions. They want the show to make more logical sense (how does a werewolf have a werecoyote kid? ... um, a werewolf also made a murdering lizard monster - please realize that the rules in the Teen Wolf universe are rules of the TEEN WOLF universe and shut-up about what YOU think makes sense for MYTHICAL creatures!) Also, there's the fact that they're super mad that the female characters keep dying, but then are super unwelcoming of new female characters being added (this is also a disease of the SPN fandom, of course, or at least used to be back in the day... but it drives me nuts.)

Basically, all I've seen from the TW fandom is super complainy complainers, and I should probably just stay off tumblr, but I really like the pretty pictures of good-looking men. :P

Anyway, like I said, I'm suffering from fandom fatigue - so really, the complainy complainers have turned ME into a complainer about the complainers. (and now the word "complain" has lost all meaning to me, because I just used it too much.... wow.)

[chewysun.livejournal.com]

HIIIIIIIII I know I've tagged you in pretty much all my fb teen wolf posts since I realized you watched, but I've jumped back into lj and thought I'd share my "all-love all the time teen wolf everything" with you. I think that's part of why I've stayed away from fandom for a bit - everybody was getting too into the not-fun-wank. Bah. Oh well.

On your points! Pretty much agree with every single one, I loved that they brought focus onto Stiles but felt kind of awkward at the same time because maybe it was just me, but I lost Scott for a little bit there. Super happy with him by the end though, McCall pack ftw!

KIRA. KIRA IS THE BEST like seriously so cute and hilarious and every time she was onscreen I was like THAT'S ME, most visibly because she's Asian American, yes, but also because she is a GIANT dork.

Ack! Your Stiles/Lydia insight is excellent, and the "I'm so done with you" faces are the actual greatest. Parrish could be some kind of elf for all we know - the huge luminous eyes are a clue lol.

[hells-half-acre.livejournal.com]

HIIIIIIIIiiii!

I'm always happy to share "all-love all the time teen wolf everything" with you! :)

As you can tell by this entry, I too have gotten kind of typed of the not-fun-wank that fandom sometimes sinks into.

And yes, this season was awesome! I loved all the Stiles - but I agree that next season I'm hoping they delve into a little bit more of Scott and how he's coping with being the Alpha and whatnot, because that stuff is really fascinating and cool. This season Scott's storyline was very much "OH MY GOD I DON'T HAVE TIME TO DEAL WITH THIS SH*T MY BESTFRIEND IS POSSESSED AND/OR DYING!" Which, in fairness, would be my reaction too if my best friend were possessed and/or dying, so it's completely understandable.

I love Kira!! I love that her and Scott are basically awkward dorks together, they are ADORABLE.

Hmm, Elf!Parrish... yup, I could totally see that. Whatever he is, he's something that stays very very calm in a crisis.

So my wordiness is not just limited to SPN comments

[metallidean-grl.livejournal.com]

So, I've seen the finale now, and totally enjoyed it. Loved the whole season, and this last half of the season was very intriguing.

I thought Stiles storyline was well done and all the twists and turns kept me guessing up to the last episode. Dylan O'Brien did a most excellent job in the role. Kudos to him. I also like him with Lydia. They are very cute together, but in the end, I hope that these two just remain friends. While it would be nice if eventually their friendship turns romantic, I would love it if the two would have other romantic partners and these two just remain very close friends. So often times when shows have a male and female lead grow close together, it is expected to have that friendship turn romantic. For once, I would enjoy seeing this kind of close friendship and have it NOT turn romantic. It would be a breath of fresh air.

I was also very saddened to see Allison get killed off. Her character has grown so much since Season 1, and she really did become a great hunter in her own right at the end. It is just too bad that her skills cannot be further explored and honed throughout another season. I do wish the actress luck in future roles. As to her father, I really do like him and hope that he sticks around and that we get to see more of him next season. I agree with you in that I love daddy Argent and Derek together. They do make a great team, albeit a little bit of a reluctant team, but these two actors have great chemistry together and to watch them play off each other in scenes is magic. A hunter and a werewolf working together to rid the city of evil. I do like that idea. Kinda reminds me of Dean and Benny, if only they had played that scenario out more. Oh well. But Derek and Argent - these two do need to team up more often.

I agree with you about Peter. Why is he still around and alive? He was an awful man in Season 1 (or 2) and now he is just readily accepted into the fold? Have people already forgot how evil the man was. I didn't trust him this season and I still don't trust him. I think he still has his own agenda somewhere, somehow. It will be interesting to see if anything like that comes to fruition.

I also loved Kira and Scott together. Scott and Allison were each others' first love, and there is always something special and sweet about a first love, which those two had in spades. But, most of the time everyone moves on from their first love to others, and Scott and Kira are very cute together and I can't wait to find out more about what Kira can do and how her newfound skills and powers will aide Scott and the rest of his pack.

I was sorry to see one of the twins was killed off. I really do hope, like you, that this doesn't mean the other twin is leaving as well. I really liked them this season trying to make amends and gain some redemption in fighting for Scott, and trying the damnedest to become part of Scott's pack. I really liked the twins, and their camaraderie with Derek, and Derek teaching them how to be a part of the pack was most excellent. Sorry to see some of that ending.

Then there is Derek. I absolutely love Derek. I also like him as an Omega supporting Scott's Alpha. He does seem better fit and more comfortable in that role. Although I would have liked to see more of him throughout the season. I instantly fell in love with this character and want to see as much of him as possible. I felt he was a little under utilized this last season, and hope that we do get to see more of him next year.

Mama McCall and Papa Stiles - what is not to love with these two. Strong supportive parents of their child's quirks (shall we say) - these two were most excellent. Now, these are two people that I would LOVE to see hook up at some point. That would truly make Scott and Stiles brothers - as they already are. Papa McCall, well, I think he is weak and I don't care too much for him. If he sticks around I hope they show some growth to this character and make him stronger and more supportive of his son.

I also wondered what was up with that new deputy. I was also thinking he might be some supernatural being that was drawn to the weirdness or that he was a hunter or something like that. It will be interesting to see this character fleshed out a little bit more next season.

Re: So my wordiness is not just limited to SPN comments

[metallidean-grl.livejournal.com]

One of the things I most loved about this season was the brotherhood, love and friendship that was portrayed between Stiles and Scott. The bond these two have, the I will die for you, and do anything to protect and save you moments were some of the most touching moments in the season. It all kinda reminded me of another set of brothers that I love and long for, but seems to have all but disappeared on us in its current season (and one brotherhood that I am longing to have back again). So, in the absence of this other brotherhood that I love so much, it was beautiful and heartwarming to see these two friends, act and be brothers in the best sense and stay strong for each other no matter what they were up against. In the earlier seasons Scott and Stiles were close friends that helped each other along the way, but this season they really took that friendship, that brotherhood, to new and stronger depths and I really really loved that.

All in all a good season. I am very much looking forward to next year and what that will bring. Although, I am not exactly sure I like the idea of Kate coming back from the dead. I agree with you, why do people have to always come back from the dead. Like Dean has said, "what's dead, should stay dead."

Sorry to hear though, that you have experienced TW fandom fatigue. SPN is the only fandom I will ever dwell in. I can only stand one brand of crazy fandom, I don't think I could tolerate any others. However, it is nice to hear that the craziness that exists in SPN fandom exists in other fandoms as well. At least we are not alone with the crazies.

Re: So my wordiness is not just limited to SPN comments

[hells-half-acre.livejournal.com]

I agree completely about Stiles and Scott. It was really touching to see their bond of brotherhood highlighted this season - and in S3a too. I think it's one of the main reasons why Motel California is a fandom favorite episode. And whenever I see those two in a scene together, I always think of the showrunner saying that he thought the greatest love story on the show was actually between Scott and Stiles (if you were going for just love, and not romantic love.)

I do think that one benefit of Kate coming back is that it'll keep Chris Argent in the fold. I'm hoping that's the case anyway. I really want to see more Chris+Derek team-ups.

However, it is nice to hear that the craziness that exists in SPN fandom exists in other fandoms as well. At least we are not alone with the crazies.

No, each fandom likes to think that they are special, but most things are universal. One thing the TW fandom that reminds me so much of the SPN fandom is the fact that they complain about all the ladies being killed off, but as soon as new ladies are introduced (especially if they might be romantically linked to one of the dudes) they HATE them. It's ridiculous.

Re: So my wordiness is not just limited to SPN comments

[metallidean-grl.livejournal.com]

Scott and Stiles do have the greatest love story on this show. I just really love it when shows depict men (and women) expressing a great love for each other in a non-sexual, platonic way, which is why I shudder so much with destiel and wincest. Sometimes I just wish people would allow men (and women) to have a platonic love without turning it sexual.

I hope you are right in the fact of Kate coming back would mean we will see more of Chris Argent. I certainly hope so. I really do like him.

I don't understand why fandoms have to be so much against new ladies coming into a series for the lead characters. I rather like it when they bring someone in. I have loved Kira and feel that she really brings something significant into the show. As for SPN, I have enjoyed all the ladies they brought in for the boys, all except Amelia. I didn't like the actress, at all, and I thought she was written poorly. If they bring another girl in for Sam I hope they choose someone better, and I hope she will be drawn out a little better.

Re: So my wordiness is not just limited to SPN comments

[hells-half-acre.livejournal.com]

Sometimes I just wish people would allow men (and women) to have a platonic love without turning it sexual.

Me too.

In the Teen Wolf fandom, it seems people have the biggest problem with Malia, because she hooked up with Stiles. There seems to be two problems with this, 1)people who want Stiles to end up with Derek are mad that he had hetero-sex. 2)There's a pervasive fanon that people who are in animal form don't age mentally. So, people don't seem to understand that Malia could have aged mentally as a human, even when she looked like a coyote and didn't attend school. This fanon kind of offends me on many levels - mainly, the idea that unless you get a formal education, you're somehow mentally/emotionally developmentally-delayed. Yes, Malia probably sucks at math, but that wouldn't affect her emotional development at all. Also, we have no idea what she was doing in those years as a coyote, she could very well have been reading discarded newspapers and listening in on the conversations of hikers. It's not like she was completely socially isolated, given that she was living right next to Beacon hills in preserve that seems to be a very popular recreation spot.

But anyway... I think people just use that coyote thing as an excuse to justify the fact that they're just pissed that Stiles is doing heterosexual things... or their pissed that Malia might prevent Stiles from getting with Lydia (if they ship that instead of Sterek). Personally, I see Stiles/Malia as a relationship that could only benefit the Stiles/Lydia relationship - because I think Stiles still has to grow as a person before he can enter a healthy relationship with Lydia, and that INCLUDES dating people who are not Lydia.

/rant.

I also agree with you about liking all the ladies in SPN, except Amelia, who was not written well.

Re: So my wordiness is not just limited to SPN comments

[metallidean-grl.livejournal.com]

My heck! All these stupid ships. Sometimes I think the fans who rally for these ships almost expect the shows to cater to their whims and desires and write their ships into the actual episodes. Sometimes it gets to the point where they almost demand it and then wank out everyone and everything when the Shows don't cater to their wishes. I know nothing about TW ships and the fans, and don't really want to read anything about it. But I have seen a little bit about the Destiel ship and my gosh, those people are fanatical. Tweeting hateful and hurtful things to the CW producers and the Show writers just goes a little too far. These fans just need to relax and enjoy the show instead of trying to force their will upon everyone.

Re: So my wordiness is not just limited to SPN comments

[hells-half-acre.livejournal.com]

My thoughts exactly.

I see a bit more of it, because of tumblr... I really have to unfollow some people, because I think that's part of the reason for my fandom fatigue. I know it's just a small minority of ship-fans giving everyone a bad name, but...ugh.

I think part of the problem is that creators want to let the fans know how important they are (and they ARE important), so they keep saying stuff like - "we brought this character back because you liked him so much" and "We knew the fans really enjoyed X, so we put more of it in this season-" And the fans suddenly think they have ALL the power, that if they like something, if they want to see something become canon, then the creators HAVE to do it, because otherwise they'll LOSE ALL THE FANS.

And of course, there's also the weird thing humans do where they assume that everyone is just like them... so a group of fans who happen to share a love for Destiel or Sterek and want it to become canon find each other on the internet, and suddenly it's "well, clearly if the 20 of us want it to become canon, that must mean that we represent the majority of fans! So the creators will do what they say if they want good ratings!!"

Meanwhile, I think most viewers just want to watch a good story, and if a relationship fits that story, then fine, but if it doesn't, then fine. It's all good. But because of the whole repetition that the creators are actually listening to the fans these days, you get ship fans thinking they can steer the show, and fans who HATE ships getting nervous that the ship fans might be able to stir the show, so they start trying to stir it in the opposite director... and I mean, if the writers were actually just a steering wheel for the fans to us, the show would just crash into the nearest iceberg because it's being pulled in too many directors at once.

So, you just have to hope that the creators have a firm hold of the helm.

It's a weird age we're living in, where the wall between creators and fans has sort of crumbled thanks to social media - and the result is a huge soup of a mess, with people not actually knowing where the lines are anymore.

Re: So my wordiness is not just limited to SPN comments

[metallidean-grl.livejournal.com]

I totally agree with you. The writers communicating with the fans via social media and saying things like we brought this character back for you has become a huge detriment in many ways. I often see some tweets from some of the writers trying to downplay the fans power, but yet, they still stir it up amongst many of them because they constantly encourage feedback. I see petitions all the time asking people to sign them to bring back a character like these people really think a petition is going to help bring someone back. I think there may be a few things here and there that the writers may integrate for the fans from their requests, but as far as major plot points, etc., I don't think anything we ask or say has any kind of an impact on them. At least I hope not, because if it did, like you say, who is really steering the ship, and yes, the show will eventually become a huge soup of mess.

Re: So my wordiness is not just limited to SPN comments

[hells-half-acre.livejournal.com]

I agree with you about Stiles and Lydia. I too, would find it really refreshing if they just remained friends - sadly, I'm not sure that's going to happen. But, even if they do end up as a romance, I'm really happy about the fact that they'll be moving into romance through friendship and a better understanding of who each other are... mainly, I'll be happy that Stiles got rid of Lydia's pedestal and learned how to love her without it.

I figure that if Kate is back, Peter will be taking a more central roll in the story... but yeah, I'm sure this whole time he's just been scheming in the background and nothing good will come of it.

Also, with Kate back, I'm sure there will be more Derek in the upcoming season - which will be nice. Probably, since Stiles was so heavy this season, he'll take more of a backseat to other characters - though, of course, even in the backseat, I highly doubt we'll forget he's in the car.

I'd love if Mama McCall and Papa Stiles got together. I'm not sure how that will work out with Papa McCall back in the mix - but I do hope that we get to explore the parents' relationships more. They're such great characters. I'm not sure how much longer Scott can keep the truth from his father, for one... and I do love a good "reveal" fic. ;)

And I also agree that I'm interested to see what the new Deputy is. So much fun stuff to look forward to in June! :)

Re: So my wordiness is not just limited to SPN comments

[metallidean-grl.livejournal.com]

If Stiles and Lydia do go down the romance road, it will be nice that they have gone the route after developing a deep friendship. None of the puppy love that existed in the first season. It is nice that Lydia has come off of the pedestal, it would make the love and friendship more real.

I don't think Papa McCall would have an affect on whether or not Mama McCall or Papa Stiles got together. I think the McCalls marriage was over long ago and that that bell won't be rewrung at all. I do agree that it is time for Scott to reveal what he is to his father. That will definitely be an interesting episode. Looking forward to that one.

I hope we get to see more of Derek, and if Kate coming back is the precursor to that, then I'll have to be okay with it. Just as long as we see more of Derek. And Peter, it will be interesting to see what comes out about him with Kate back. Looking forward to the new season.

Re: So my wordiness is not just limited to SPN comments

[hells-half-acre.livejournal.com]

I think you're right about the McCall's marriage being over - but I think it's over from Mama McCall's point of view, and not necessarily Papa McCall's, if that makes sense. So, although I don't think he'd be much of a barrier to her and Sheriff hooking up, I think he would be at least a little bit of a speed bump.

I think Kate being back will draw in Chris, Derek, and Peter tighter to the main plot. I've also heard that S4 will explore Lydia's character a lot more too though, so I'm not sure how that will pay in. But basically, I think Stiles and Kira might be taking a possible backseat (Scott, of course, will remain in the main plot, since he's the main character and Alpha.)

Re: So my wordiness is not just limited to SPN comments

[metallidean-grl.livejournal.com]

Yea, Papa McCall might want to reignite his marriage. Gosh, I hope not. That boat has sailed. I do hope he realizes that.

I'm all for Chris, Derek and Peter to be drawn more into the story lines. I would also love to see Derek and Scott interact more. Derek can be such a good mentor for Scott, and I think it would be great to see more of that next season.

Re: So my wordiness is not just limited to SPN comments

[hells-half-acre.livejournal.com]

I really want Derek and Scott to become brothers - just like Derek told Scott they were in the pilot. I really love Derek, and I have my own headcanons for him... and one of those is that despite his stand-offish behaviour in the beginning, he was actually wanting to have Scott be a brother - because he had just lost his entire family, after all. So, yeah, I want him to get that. I know he'll never be as close to Scott as Stiles is, of course, but yeah, I want Scott and him to form some sort of strong friendship bond.

Re: So my wordiness is not just limited to SPN comments

[metallidean-grl.livejournal.com]

That would be most awesome if Derek and Scott formed a strong type of brotherly bond. I do think it is there, but will the writers put it in? That is the question. I guess we will just have to wait and see.