Teen Wolf 3×20 Review: Echo House

I’m going to be honest. I did not enjoy this episode. I just did not. It kind of felt like a filler to me and there should’ve been trigger warnings all over the place. For anyone who has had uncomfortable experiences with mental institutions, suicide, or claustrophobia please proceed at your own risk.

The scene Sheriff Stilinski shared with Stiles, his hesitation to leave his son behind, really hit me in the feels. It was wonderfully acted. Even if Sheriff Stilinski knows about the paranormal he can’t forget what happened to his wife and he isn’t taking any chances even if the whole thing is a big trick.

It was also revealed that Deaton had been working with Chris Argent in order to get the Letharia Vulpina. What I couldn’t understand was why hadn’t Derek gone to Deaton for help? Was he not searching for Stiles for two whole days? Why didn’t he go to his mother’s Emissary for some guidance? Derek is obviously concerned about Stiles. Was it just me or was Derek close to tearing up when he asked Chris if he would feel any remorse killing Stiles. I am really enjoying Derek being more open with how he feels instead of being angry all the time. I was surprised to see Ms. Morrell in the Eichen House. She warned Stiles about keeping balance. I’m not sure if she’s still with Deucalion or is working with Deaton. Emissaries are tricky to figure out.

The whole ‘Stealing a scroll from an armored car’ thing would’ve felt cool in the end if the scroll didn’t say what the fandom deduced weeks ago. In order to expel the Nogitsune the body of the host had to be changed. We saw Scott making up his mind to help Stiles no matter what back in Riddled. In Echo House it seems he accepted the fact that giving Stiles the bite was the only option. Anybody excited about the possibility of were-Stiles?

The leader of hunters who captured Derek and Peter in Anchors came to speak with Chris. Seeing that females rule the Argent family I’m excited to see Allison interacting with her and what it means for the future of the family.

I guess it’s obvious that I enjoyed the secondary plotlines rather than the main one. I love Stiles as a character but this episode didn’t do him much good. Having watched Teen Wolf for three years, I knew something was wrong with Oliver the moment he came on screen. We also saw Malia again (Tate or Hale?) who seemed to be suffering from guilt and anger issues because she couldn’t turn back into a were-coyote. She was also revealed to be the character Stiles feels a ‘mutual attraction’ to, an attraction that progresses into Stiles making out with a girl who’s mentally eight years old. Now, here’s the fun part for you all…A do it yourself ‘make your own scene’. You can either decide that those two only made out passionately, or dry-humped, or had unprotected sex, or anything you are comfortable with. To me the scene was very similar to the one Derek and Jennifer shared back in 3A. I am sure questions about consent have already arisen in the fandom.

I was looking forward to this episode. I really was. I knew more information about the Nogitsune would be revealed but I was greatly disappointed. The only useful thing Stiles found was an old photograph of the person buried behind the wall having the ‘self’ sign. It was the same ‘mummified’ person the Nogitsune keeps appearing as in Stiles’s mind.

Though the episode itself wasn’t enjoyable it did give rise to a lot of questions. I guess it will keep the fandom busy with meta. Chris mentioned Berserkers to Derek; people who tapped into the animal side and forgot about their humanity. I think it was mentioned because of Malia. She was trapped as an animal for years. I think her feral instincts take priority with her and the blue eyes in the end, and her wicked smile was a red flag. I think everything that happened in the Eichen House was planned in order for the Nogitsune to take full control of Stiles.

What did you think of the episode? Don’t hesitate to share below!

Author: Farid-ul-Haq

Farid has a Double Masters in Psychology and Biotechnology as well as an M.Phil in Molecular Genetics. He is the author of numerous books including Missing in Somerville, and The Game Master of Somerville. He gives us insight into comics, books, TV shows, anime/manga, video games, and movies.

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