Teen Wolf 3x12

[soc_puppet]

Disclaimer: I haven't actually gotten around to reading anyone else's posts on the episode, because I wanted to record my thoughts "uninfluenced", as it were. There is a good chance that other people, including some of my brilliant friends, have already written some of what I'm about to transcribe, and probably better. I'm not claiming I got to any of it first, only independently. I'll be reading other peoples' posts about the episode once I'm done here.

[Content Note: Racism, Sexism, Disableism, Implied past sexual assault, Discussion of unrealistic beauty standards]


Let's start with what I'd like to call the Kyriarchy Count:

Main characters that were introduced:
JB (white woman)
Ethan (white dude, gay, probable rape victim/survivor)
Aiden (white dude, straight, probable rape victim/survivor)
Deucalion (white dude, mostly blind (situational(?) magical blindness workaround))
Ennis (white dude)
Kali (woman - I can't tell her ethnicity, sorry!)
Cora (young white woman)

Main characters that died:
Boyd (young black man)
Erica (young woman, possibly Hispanic)
Ennis (white dude)
Kali (woman)
JB (white woman) (LOLsob)

New main characters that lived:
Cora (young white woman)
Ethan (young white man, gay, probable rape survivor)
Aiden (young white man, straight, probable rape survivor)
Deucalion (white man, sight magically restored)

In the death toll of main characters, we've got three women, one of them possibly Hispanic, and a black man. The characters who survived were all white, three were men, one shares a marginalized identity with the show's producer, and the one who was disabled was magically cured(?) of his disability. Kyriarchy, I am not impressed.

Speaking of the kyriarchy, was anyone else pissed about how much the show seemed to push the idea that a lot of JB's evil motivations were because she isn't pretty anymore? Because that seriously pissed me off. She's an intelligent and magically powerful woman who survived something horrible, and a significant part of her motivation for vengeance was because Kali messed up her face? Because that seriously pisses me off. There's plenty of other, better reasons for her to be angry than because she's no longer conventionally beautiful. Like, say, being betrayed, savaged, and left to die by a woman she loved (in what way, it's not specified). How is that not a "good enough" motivation for revenge?

I will say that I loved how badass Allison was in this episode. I also love how she's stepping up and seems like she's actually becoming the leader that Argent women are "supposed" to be. A+ new motto.

Something I would seriously love to see for 3B: In using his special "alpha spark" to cure Cora, Derek transferred it to her. What with one thing or another, she starts to manifest as an alpha. Similar in style to how Scott became an alpha, but a different source of power/symptoms/etc. Because that would be fucking awesome.

Comments

[monanotlisa]

Speaking of the kyriarchy, was anyone else pissed about how much the show seemed to push the idea that a lot of JB's evil motivations were because she isn't pretty anymore?

Urgh, I hear you -- that one was completely bizarre, only not if you think that OF COURSE WOMEN IDENTIFY BY THEIR LOOKS ONLY.

[mecurtin]

Yeah, what you said.

What turns out to be burning me up irretrievably is that Boyd's murderers are now part of the pack, apparently. Because love is more important than the death of a young black man.

For someone with the name "Jeff Davis" to do this in America, right now, is more than my stomach can bear.

[soc_puppet]

I totally wanted to address the whole "Ethan and Aiden are now pack" thing, but wasn't entirely sure how to word it. It would include things like:

* You're really forgiving them for everything, just like that? Really? They effectively used Lydia and Danny, even if they developed "feelings" along the way, and are responsible for the death of at least one of your friends. That is not okay!
* Marginalized identities are not interchangeable! It is not okay to have killed off a black main character just because now you have a gay guy to take his place! Or even that he and his twin may be male victims/survivors of rape!
* The fact that the white dudes are the ones who killed the black guy simply compounds the horribleness.

And probably more, provided I could think of it. BUT YES, giant pile of Not Okay.

I'm not sure what you're getting at by being so specific with his name? I mean, I definitely agree that Davis has made some absolutely terrible writing choices here, I just don't understand the application of emphasis.

[soc_puppet]

Urgh, so true. "Looks are the most important thing about/to a woman, and if she loses those, she is essentially worthless!" The show spent how much time building Lydia up as being brilliant and beautiful, and attempting to convey that Stiles was head-over-heels for her because of the brilliant part, it feels like a major step back to pull this shit with JB.

[mecurtin]

The better-known Jeff Davis.

Since he's a Northerner, his name was *probably* not a homage to the Confederacy. But I'm married to a Georgia boy, and I notice these things ...

Not just your (perfectly valid) points, but as someone else pointed out: the twins *aren't even legit HS students*, they're adults lying about their age. People who feels twitchy about the Derek/Stiles age diff should be *apocalyptic*, because at least Derek isn't *lying*.

But none of that matters.

[soc_puppet]

Ah. I Wiki'd the name, but wasn't quite sure which one you meant, or if there was one who wasn't in there. Yeah, that's a horrific parallel.

the twins *aren't even legit HS students*, they're adults lying about their age.

Urk. Yeah, that's one that probably would have slipped my mind. Being one of the folks who does get a bit twitchy about the age thing, though that may be as much to do with the widely accepted fanon that Derek was 16 when Kate raped him as the legality/maturity thing, that's definitely a squicking point for me.

Nope! It's all good because The Power Of Love/they decided to be "good guys" in the end (translation: they're white dudes).