The final season of Teen Wolf is here.  Rather than doing recaps of episodes this season, we will be pointing out some key moments and predictions. So join us as we try to “remember” with episode 8 titled  “Blitzkrieg.” 

What’s In a Name? 

The highlighting moments in this episode revolved around the Stilinski family. Huge kudos to Linden Ashby (portrays Noah Stilinski) and his steal worthy scenes where he journeyed to remember his son, Stiles Stilinski. It starts with the appearance of the red string that was a popular staple to Stiles’s detective boards in season 3. Thumb tac by thumb tac and rows of red string pinned across the open space, Stiles’s room begins to reanimate before him. Noah’s eyes are drawn to an old photo of Claudia in the hospital with a young Stiles sitting at her bedside.

Noah is convinced that he has a son, and eagerly brings Claudia to see the room. However, when she steps into the room she sees nothing. Claudia tries to convince him that none of what he is seeing is real. Noah shows her the photo that he found about the time Stiles didn’t want to leave her side and recalled her death, and Claudia begins to blur until she fades away forever. This leaves Noah in the empty room in tears having to relive losing his dear wife again. Just as his head lowers he sees a light appear in the room, and that light is a rift. This rift will help the pack bring Stiles back and will play a vital role in the next episode.

Noah comes to a defeated pack after a run in with Mr. Douglas and Parrish destroys the believed “last rift.” He tells them that he remembers Stiles, but just Stiles. Noah remembers his real name,“I have a son. His name is Mieczysław Stilinski, but we call him Stiles.”

I liked the reveal and thought the backstory behind the name was perfect. Never have I seen such a reveal told  with a heartbreaking story behind something so simple as a name. I appreciate the meaning of mischief behind Mieczyslaw, knowing this characteristic to be a true personality trait of Stiles. If Stiles was not mischievous, he would not have taken his best friend (Scott McCall)  into the woods to look for a dead body. Therefore there would be no Teen Wolf and the rippling effects of the supernatural in Beacon Hills.

Peter Hale Your Humanity Is Showing 

Another highlighting moment in this episode was Peter Hale. Despite bowing out when the pack needed him to help find the rift, Peter Hale showed his fatherly love for Malia after she and Scott are attacked by Ghost Riders. He made quite an entrance as he fends off not one but two Ghost Riders at once to allow his daughter to escape, and then is taken again by The Wild Hunt.

Question is now will he relay another message to Stiles after being out for a few days? There was a sense of fear for Peter as the Ghost Riders seemed to be looking to kill Malia and Scott rather than taking them. I had a feeling that Peter was about to meet his end and sadly Malia would watch her father die for her. I hope these two get more closure now that Malia knows her father cares about her.

Dislikes and Personal Thoughts From The Episode 

• Over the Nazi Werewolf: Once again the newest villain Garret Douglas tops the list for this episode’s dislikes. His backstory for me was lack luster: a Nazi werewolf that wants to take over the Wild Hunt to win the war. All of this is seen in a flashback to 1943 in Germany during a round table discussion of tactics. However, the idea of a “fairytale” hunt  caused some raised eyebrows and one General laughs at the thought. Mr. Douglas wolfs out and kills his colleague, having the last laugh so to speak.
• The problem with this whole flashback to what was supposed to be Mr. Douglas’s backstory left more holes than plot filling. How did he become a werewolf and let alone become an Alpha? It’s clear that his army knew of his supernatural abilities, but yet no one tried to hunt don’t the killer werewolf? Was this a sworn pact by his men? I found myself waiting for the core cast to appear again and get the added screen time they deserve in the this “final” season.
• I also didn’t like the fact that the writers have to tie in Mr. Douglas’s storyline into the last season to make him seem like a “terrifying” evil. From being captured by Dread Doctors and imprisoned in the tube, his Ghost Rider inflicted whip wound tainted the water that was used to make all the kamiras. Lastly, it was revealed to the viewers that Mr. Douglas is part werewolf and part Ghost Rider allowing him to have an edge to control the Wild Hunt. If you ask me this is just sloppy writing and poor character development of a villain and why even make him a “Nazi” werewolf?

• Lydia Martin’s standoff with the Ghost Rider in the tunnels: When I first saw this scene I immediately thought about how cautious and careful the Ghost Rider was with Lydia. He could have easily taken Liam by pushing the Banshee aside. Sure her sonic scream is something to be afraid of, but not enough to stop a Ghost Rider from taking a victim. We have seen how merciless they have been this season. So why would they show “reverence” now? There is one thought: maybe it’s my fangirl mind running away with me, but what if the Ghost Rider was Stiles? We know that eventually those that are captured become apart of The Wild Hunt. The Ghost Rider was trying to communicate with her.  However, her own fear could have turned her away from truly listening to his voice. Could Stiles have been calling out to her and got lost in Ghost Rider translation? This could be a far fetched theory as next episode’s promo shows what looks to be Stiles’s silhouette in the rift. So my second thought is that Lydia has the ability to do damage or sway The Ghost Riders.
• Scott Willing To Bite Stiles: Scott is willing to give Stiles the bite to make him a werewolf so he can survive after being pulled from the rift. This thought gives me feels and fear. Will Stiles be able to take the bite? I would hate to watch Stiles die after being bitten and having a gut wrenching farewell. Also this adds an extra weight on Scott’s shoulders because in trying to save his friend, he may still lose him. So much fear in the fandom has been swirling since information was released that Dylan O’Brien (Stiles Stilinski) had wrapped all his scenes for the final season! Safe to say that majority of us are hoping for a somewhat happy ending with our favorite characters intact.