The “dead pool” saga came to a head this week on Teen Wolf, with the discovery of the full hit list. It wasn’t all triumph for our heroes, as people were grievously injured, death was predicted, and one supernatural being’s life was cut tragically short.

“Orphaned” begins with a flashback to the slaughter of a group of assassins at the hands of Kate and her Berserkers. It seems the Benefactor tipped Kate off to the whole Hale talisman thing, and she wants his identity.

Cut back to the present, where Violet’s whirlwind murder-for-cash spree has finally caught up with her. Garrett is nowhere to be found but, as Coach angrily informs the lacrosse players, he’s officially off the team.

At Deaton’s office, the good vet tries to have Derek hold the convulsing Brett down so that he can remove the wolfsbane from his perfectly sculpted chest. When Derek’s wolf strength fails him, Peter arrives to save the day with a sucker punch right to Brett’s mean, hot face. Derek looks crumpled at the idea of losing his wolf powers, but I feel like it’s probably the most fixable problem Derek has ever faced. I mean, just have Scott or someone bite him.

When Scott and Liam investigate Garrett’s gym locker, Scott finds a bag of cash, which he takes with the intention of giving to his financially struggling mother. I’m not sure why everyone in Beacon Hills is poor all of a sudden, but I feel like it might have something to do with their astronomical hospital fees. But as the only qualified medical professional at Beacon Hills Hospital, shouldn’t Melissa be getting paid pretty well? She should at least receive a nice bonus for staying on at a place with like a 90% violent death rate.

The next day, Liam goes on a run, when he suddenly gets kidnapped by Garrett and dumped in a well. Garrett uses the scrappy little cub as leverage to force Scott to retrieve Violet as she gets transported to prison. It’s the dumbest plan in the world, and I don’t get why Scott wouldn’t just turn Garrett in, smell Liam’s gym clothes, and use his super senses to track him. It baffles me how these two teens barely out of middle school have managed to take control of an entire town of supernatural creatures. But Garrett and Violet’s good luck runs out pretty quickly, as the former faces and loses against a Berserker, and the latter is kidnapped and killed by Kate. Sheriff Stilinski and Scott’s dad are both pretty badly injured in the process, but they manage to survive. So long, teen assassins. You were completely unbelievable.

Meanwhile, Lydia and Stiles inform Deputy Parrish of the hit put out on him. Parrish once again melts my heart with his hilarious indignation at being worth only $5, followed by bewilderment when he’s told he’s actually worth $5,000,000. Curiously, neither Lydia nor Stiles question Parrish on his supernatural heritage, but there’s an air of mutual understanding between the three of them. When Parrish politely strongarms the drunk and disorderly orderly from last season into letting them speak to Meredith, Stiles too expresses his newly discovered undying love for the handsome Deputy. I’m starting to think being charming and wonderful is part of his supernatural powers. I really hope that doesn’t mean he’s evil. Please don’t be evil.

Meredith’s fear of the Benefactor renders her unable to help Lydia find the last key for the dead pool, and when they press the issue, she suffers a mental break that not even Parrish’s angelic face can soothe. Lydia is later able to find the last key on her own with her death prediction skills. The key is “Derek”. Another day, another thing added to Derek’s list of worries. Lydia’s guilt at pushing Meredith is intensified when Parrish informs her that Meredith has supposedly commit suicide. It seems to me like there’s foul play involved, but only time will tell. I really liked Meredith as a character. She was the only good thing to come out of the completely offensive Eichen House storyline, and I’m sad to see her go. Lydia could have really used a Banshee mentor, and I think Meredith could have filled that role.

Back at Beacon Hills High, Malia cuts school to help Derek track down the rest of Brett’s pack, which is apparently led by the old Japanese werewolf who assisted Noshiko during the 1940’s. Eventually, after switching up their search methods, the two are able to find the pack. Except that they’re all dead. As Derek and Malia turn to leave, Derek spots Braden lying injured in the pile. That girl is nothing if not crazy resilient. I pretty much love her.

With both Violet and Garrett dead, Scott worries that he won’t be able to find his werewolf son. Except that Liam is a determined little punk, so he climbs all the way up the side of the well and roars for help. Scott and Liam’s reunion is really cute. There’s a genuine trust that’s developing between them, and despite my misgivings with Scott’s instant alpha skills, I think the beta storyline is turning out for the better.

After Kate engages in a curb stomp battle with Scott and Chris Argent, she’s tracked down by Peter, who proposes a villainous team-up. I have to say, I’m excited for this. As much as I love Sassy Uncle Peter, it’ll be good to see him working as a proper villain again.

“Orphaned” is a little oversaturated, jumping between three different plots with lots of revelations in each. I missed Kira this week, but I was happy to see Malia’s wacky, feral ways downplayed in favor of some genuine sleuthing skills. I do feel that Derek’s plotline, with the draining powers and the impending death, is weak. Can we have a season where Derek triumphs and is happy?

Still, I enjoyed “Orphaned”, perhaps more than I have all season. It really feels like everything is coming together, and there are plenty of mysteries to be explored.

What do you think? Why is everyone in Beacon Hills struggling financially? Is Deputy Parrish going to crush our souls by being evil? Do you think Liam is a cute as I do? Will you miss Meredith? Sound off in the comments.

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