5x02 - Parasomnia

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MTV

A girl breathes uneasily. It flashes to a skylight slamming shut in the rain. There's the flapping of wings. Then we see that the girl is in the guidance counselor's office with Ms. Martin, who is explaining how the college admissions process works. The girl's recommendations will have to be astounding because she has a low GPA. "Tracy?" Ms. Martin asks, getting the girl's attention. Ms. Martin asks if she's feeling overwhelmed and if she's been getting enough sleep. 

 

Tracy admits that she hasn't. Ms. Martin explains that teenagers have a different circadian rhythm such that when they're waking up for school, their bodies are still making melatonin, which is why they're tired all the time. Tracy tells her that it's not just that, she's been having night terrors. "Actual night terrors? Parasomnia?" Tracy says she normally doesn't remember them, but there's one she does. 

 

Tracy is asleep in her room. A leaf pendant hangs on a jewelry tree by her bed. She wakes up during a thunderstorm and hears wings flapping. When she looks up, there's a raven outside her skylight. The bird taps its beak on the glass trying to get in. Tracy glances at her window and sees the reflection of The Surgeon. She gasps and turns on the light.

 

When she looks again, the reflection is gone. She approaches the window and locks it, then goes back to bed, turning off the light fearfully. After a moment, she looks up to realize that the skylight is now open. This time when she tries to turn on her light, it won't function. In a panic, she grabs a chair and stands on it to reach the skylight. She's only barely tall enough and has to balance on her toes, tipping the chair to reach it. She manages to get the skylight closed and locks that, too. 

 

Then she looks down. She sees The Surgeon grab the chair out from under her and screams. 

 

Tracy tells Ms. Martin that her dad found her on the floor lying beside the chair. Ms. Martin asks about the skylight and Tracy tells her that it was sealed shut years ago to weatherproof it, so it doesn't really open. Ms. Martin suggests that this means most of what happened was a dream. Tracy insists that some of it wasn't. Ms. Martin thinks that Tracy's subconscious is using the dream to help her practice dealing with the normal anxiety of being a teenager and graduating. 

 

Classes will be starting soon so Tracy gets up to leave, but she starts coughing. She coughs so heavily that Ms. Martin gets up out of her chair to help her. Tracy swipes everything off the desk and then vomits up black ooze and a raven feather. "Is this common?" Tracy asks. 

 

At the Beacon Hills Animal Clinic, Scott is giving a shot to a dog. Dr. Deaton reminds him that for injections in the hind leg "Stay clear of the sciatic nerve," Scott supplies. Deaton instructs him on how to give the injection. Scott hurts the dog a little when he pulls the needle out, but he did well. Scott picks up the dog and returns him a little girl, Stephanie, who is waiting. "Thank you, Dr. McCall," she says. Scott smiles and tells her that he isn't a doctor yet. The "yet" is the first indication that Scott has been thinking of becoming a vet as a career.

 

Deaton, meanwhile, is still examining one of the claws from Belasko that Scott brought back after their encounter at the school. "Are you sure this guy was a werewolf? As far as I can tell, these claws are actually talons. In fact, they're the talons of a harpy eagle." Scott asks how a werewolf gets talons, but Deaton is more interested in the fact that the talons could absorb Scott's power. "The only one who should be able to do that is a Beta of your own making."

 

Scott confirms that that means Liam, then asks would the same thing be possible if he let someone into his Pack. "I would normally say no, but I'm starting to wonder if the rules to our supernatural world aren't as rigid as I once thought." Deaton holds the talon out toward Scott. "Or maybe someone's trying to change those rules."

 

At the Beacon Hills Sheriff Station, Stiles is talking to his dad about his suspicions about Theo. Stiles says that he knows the Raekens left Beacon Hills when Theo was nine or ten because his older sister got into an accident and died when Theo was eight. The Sheriff interrups Stiles to ask him to go to school. "Dad, this kid's a werewolf." "Your best friend is a werewolf. You are dating a werecoyote. I still don't know what Kira's supposed to be. When the flying monkeys come soaring through this station, you will have my undivided attention." He begs Stiles to get to school, but Stiles ignores him and asks him what he did.

 

The Sheriff is confused, but Stiles insists that something's different about him. Stiles gets up close to his dad like he's going to sniff him, looking for something that's off. The Sheriff shoves him back and orders him to go to school. "I will go if you promise to do a full background check of the Raekens." The Sheriff refuses. Just because he's the only law enforcement officer who knows about the supernatural doesn't make it his responsibility to do something every time Stiles has a suspicion. Stiles thinks about it for a second and realizes that his dad isn't the only one. There's also Parrish. Annoyed, the Sheriff calls Parrish into his office to set him on the trail.

 

At school, Stiles and Malia discuss the fact that the only thing they found in the background check was a speeding ticket. "Speeding ticket signed by Theo's dad eight years ago," Stiles clarifies. Malia asks what that means, and Stiles tells her that people who speed are people who are trying to get away from something. She counters that if his dad wasn't the sheriff, he'd have 17 speeding tickets. 

 

"I don't know, Stiles. I mean, I see why you're worried. He's really hot. He's got like great hair, perfect body. You should definitely feel threatened." Stiles gestures at her. "Thank you. Because I do. Now more than ever." Malia asks if Stiles would like her to torture him, but Stiles declines the offer. He has steps to follow to prove his case. He has to get the story and verify the facts. He finds a piece that doesn't fit and catches him in the act. 

 

Stiles looks up and sees Theo getting dropped off to school. Theo waves to them and smiles, and Malia asks why Stiles is so suspicious again. "Because I remember Theo from fourth grade. Okay? That's not Theo."

 

Scott enters the high school and looks around at the swarm of people. Kira comes up to his side. "First day of senior year," she says. "Last first day ever," Scott replies. This kiss and head to class.

 

Mason Hewitt shows Liam a book he was telling him about. He got it from a rare book dealer in Germany. Liam tries to deflect the topic asking if Mason is still reading about this supernatural stuff. "I was attacked by an armor-plated giant wearing a bear skull. It left an impression," he replies. He shows Liam the page with the drawing of the Berserker and asks if he's ever seen anything like it. Liam lies. 

 

There's a section in the book, still about Berserkers, on the Nagual, too. "Have you ever heard of the name Tezcat--" He can't pronounce it. "Tezcatlipoca," Liam says for him, then claims that he's never heard of him. They head into Mr. Yukimura's History class and Liam finds that there's only one available seat next to a girl that he's clearly not happy to see. She blows a bubble with her gum, while Liam stands awkwardly. Mr. Yukimura insists that Liam sit down. After he sits, Liam discovers that he sat in gum.

 

Scott, Kira, and Lydia are in Biology class. Lydia and Kira have a silent conversation about the fact that Scott is there. Kira finally asks him if he's in the right class. And Lydia asks if he knows what AP stands for. "Advanced Placement," Scott replies, and opens his textbook already full of notes and highlighting. The girls are surprised and impressed.

 

The AP Bio teacher, Mrs. Finch, comes into class and asks what plasmids are. "Circular, self-replciating DNA molecules," Lydia replies. Mrs. Finch then asks what vitamin is absorbed in the stomach via parietal cell production of glycoprotein. Everyone, including Lydia, stares. The answer is B-12. She then asks Scott if he knew the answer. "It's a common test question. What's your number one college pick?" Scott tells her UC Davis, which is the best school on the West Coast for biological and physical sciences. She then asks everyone if they think they're in the right class. 

 

In the back, Theo raises his hand. Then everyone else does, too. Mrs. Finch tells them there will be a test tomorrow that will prove it. They will have two weeks to drop the class. She gives Scott a meaningful look, clearly knowing that he hasn't had the best grades.

 

Outside on the steps later, Stiles catches up with Scott and tells him to come with him. They have a free period and so does Theo

 

Liam and Mason continue to talk about the supernatural. Mason knows that people know things. Lydia, for example. Liam deflects, telling Mason to think about other things like staring at the soccer players. He offers that the players will probably be shirtless while they practice. Mason glances at the player who have just walked by, and one turns to give him a coy smile. Mason sighs, "I'll see you in Physics," and goes to follow them.

 

Liam turns back to his locker and realizes that Hayden has the locker right next to his. She makes a comment about the fact that he changed his pants since the gum incident. Liam says that he was wondering if she was still pissed about the sixth grade, but he guesses that's all cleared up. "I'm not pissed off, Liam. I'm vengeful," she says. She walks away and Liam curses his life.

 

Tracy goes to her locker and hears a waves of static electricity as she goes to open the lock. Suddenly, she's alone in the hallway. She hears strange noises, and the shadow of The Surgeon stretches across the lockers toward her. Tracy hurries to open her locker, and as soon as she does, daylight is back, as are the rest of the students. It only lasts for a second before all the lights go out again and she's alone. 

 

Black ooze starts pouring from a locker, and then the locker opens on its own. The Surgeon crawls out and starts climbing down the lockers toward her, like gravity doesn't affect him. Tracy repeats, "There's nothing there," to herself. When The Surgeon has almost reached her, Lydia snaps her out of the vision. She takes Tracy outside. Tracy's locker door has claw marks on it.

 

Theo skateboards in an empty pool. He's telling Scott and Stiles the story of his being bitten. He was feeling determined to do a handplant that day, so he lost track of time and didn't realize night had fallen until the yard lights came on. On his last try, he fell and hit hard. He was at the bottom of the pool and realized that he didn't hear the board come back down. 

 

When he looked up, he saw a clawed, bloody hand holding his board. The alpha came at him fast and bit him, on the side like where Scott got bitten. Scott says it wasn't an accident, the alpha clearly wanted to turn him. Stiles then asks why Theo isn't part of that alpha's pack, then. "Because by the time of my first full moon, he was dead." He says that he met another member of that alpha's pack a couple of weeks later. "He told me the alpha that bit me was killed by two of his own betas. They were twins." He's referring to Ethan and Aiden

 

Scott and Stiles give each other significant looks at that piece of information. Theo tells Scott to listen to his pulse to confirm that he's telling the truth. "Right. Or you just know how to steady your heartrate while you're lying your ass off," Stiles adds. Theo tries to convince them that he is who he says he is by telling Scott about that time that Theo was waiting to go to ER for an asthma attack and Scott was waiting for the principal. "You told me what would happen when you go to the ER for asthma. How they give you oxygen an IV of prednisone. You made it sound easy. Like everything would be okay."

 

Scott doesn't seem to remember this incident, but the story clearly has an effect on him. Theo goes on to say that he's been by himself the whole time. "Everybody knows that lone wolves, they don't make it on their own." The bell rings for them to get to class. Theo says he better go because they're not the only ones he needs to make a good impression on. Scott smiles while Stiles squints and looks suspicious. 

 

Scott tells Stiles that they have to give people the benefit of the doubt sometimes. "Not this time. I'm right. There's something off about him. I can feel it." Scott comments that Lydia is the psychic, not Stiles. Stiles objects that Lydia isn't psychic, she's a banshee

 

Lydia and her mother talk about Tracy. Natalie Martin says that people with night terrors have done far stranger things than eat feathers. Ms. Martin already told Tracy to take the rest of the day off but she said she didn't want to miss the first day. Lydia offers to take Tracy home and talk to her, but her mom says that if she needs help beyond just some trouble sleeping they will get her professional help. Lydia has a particular professional in mind.

 

Parrish joins Lydia and Tracy in Tracy's room to look for evidence that her dreams were real. He checks the window and says he doesn't see any signs of attempted forced entry. Parrish asks if he can take a look at the skylight. The skylight was supposed to be sealed for weatherproofing, but Parrish pushes it open easily. He sticks his head out to have a look around and is shocked. "Anything?" Lydia asks. He gives her a meaningful look and then lies. "No, nothing." When he lets the skylight close, there are bloody scratch marks all over the outside and a dozen dead ravens on the roof. 

 

Back at the school, Malia is getting her first driving lesson with Ken Yukimura. She's smiling as big as she can and inches the car forward between slamming on the brakes. Suddenly, she flashes back to a memory of her crash as a child. She speeds foward and then slams the brakes with both feet. "Okay, I think we're all good for today," Mr. Yukimura says in distress. Malia is just as happy to get out of the car. "How'd I do?" she asks. "There's room for improvement," Ken answers. They look back at all the knocked over cones. 

 

Stiles meets up with Scott, Kira, and Malia in the library. He tells them that he found another signature from Theo's dad. This one was on his transfer form getting him into Beacon Hills High School. He shows everyone both and points out how the handwriting doesn't match. "So now Theo is Theo but his parents aren't his parents?" Kira asks. "Someone's not someone. And when I figure out who that someone really is, someone's in big trouble." Scott points out that no one has done anything wrong. Stiles thinks it's just a matter of time. Since no one else is concerned or helping, Stiles just packs up his evidence and leaves, declaring that he'll figure it out himself.

 

Stiles goes out to his Jeep. "What's a Criminal Tremor?" Liam asks suddenly. Stiles grabs the copies of the signatures out of Liam's hand. He starts the car and drives off, taking Liam with him.

 

Parrish tells Lydia that he can't do anything for Tracy at the moment but he can come back after his shift is over and watch the house for a couple of hours. Lydia offers to keep him company, but he tells her he'll be all right. She wheedles him a little, and he says he owes her for the three weeks she spent going through everything they had trying to figure out what he is.  She offers to bring him coffee. "Don't you have school tomrorow?" "One class." "How can you only have one class?" "I had enough credits to graduate last year. And I will bring you coffee at midnight if I want to." Parrish grins and gives her his coffee order, medium Americano, black. 

 

That night, Theo heads into the woods. He grabs a package from the back of his car.

 

Stiles and Liam have been following him all day. "We just spent three hours watching this dude play video games in his bedroom," Liam complains. "He better be out here covering up a mass murder." "Let's find out," Stiles replies, and then follow Theo. Liam was tracking Theo by scent, but he finds footprints they can follow instead.  Liam suddenly stops and Stiles asks him what's wrong.

 

"I forgot, I was supposed to meet Mason at the school gym." Stiles asks why he doesn't just tell him. Liam admits that he hasn't told Mason about being a werewolf. Stiles is surprised. "We said it was okay." "Yeah, I know, but it's not that easy. It's a lot to accept." Stiles reminds him that Mason watched the Sheriff blow up a berserker with a land mine so there's a lot of groundwork in place already for acceptance. Stiles advises Liam that it's always better when people know what's really going on. 

 

"What if he freaks out? What if he doesn't want to talk to me? What if he tries to stab me with something silver?" Liam is cut off when he falls into a hole. Stiles turns around and looks down at him. He tells Liam to hurry up and stop screwing around runs to follow Theo. Liam digs his phone out of the mud. It's 10:30pm. Mason has been messaging him since 9:30. 

 

Liam fails to notice that Tracy's leaf necklace is in the hole with him. He hops out of the hole and joins Stiles. They hide behind a tree while they look at Theo on a bridge. Stiles tells Liam to try to get his scent. Liam smells soap. "It's nice. It smells good." Stiles deadpans. "Not his soap, his emotional state. Chemosignals, remember?" Liam tries again. He picks up on grief. 

 

Theo takes an easter lily out of the package he brought and tosses it into the river. Stiles realizes what they're seeing and hurries to get Liam out of there. "That's the  bridge where they found his sister," Stiles reports. She got lost and died from exposure. Theo is leaving a flower for her. "Well that doesn't sound evil," Liam says. "I know!" Stiles replies. 

 

They come to a stop when Theo appears in a tree in front of them. He jumps down. "What are you guys doing?" Liam growls and edges in front of Stiles. Theo thinks Liam is tougher than he looks. "Only when we let him off his leash," Stiles replies. Theo asks Stiles why he's so suspicious of him. Stiles shows him the signatures. Theo admits that they look a little different, but Stiles insists that they're totally different signed by two different people. "So my dad's not my dad? He's an imposter?" Theo asks. "Yeah, something like that," Liam replies. 

 

Theo offers to give them a DNA sample, but Stiles replies that he doesn't have anything from fourth grade to compare it to. Theo tells Stiles that he came back for Scott but he also came back for him. "Someone like you. Someone who's willing to walk into the woods in the middle of the night to protect his friends." Theo doesn't have anyone like that. He insists that he's meant to be a part of Scott's pack.

 

Tracy's dad finishes nailing boards over her skylight. He tells her that he has to meet a client at the courthouse (at 10:30pm?) and will be back soon. She turns off her light and tries to get to sleep. 

 

Stiles and Liam get back to the Jeep to find Scott waiting for them. "Find anything?" Scott asks. "Nope," Stiles says. "I fell in a hole," Liam offers. Scott goes to talk to Stiles through the car window. "It was the bridge where his sister died, wasn't it?" Scott asks. "Yes it was. Very embarrassing. So we're gonna leave now."

 

Stiles tries to start the Jeep, but it won't start. Stiles curses and tells Liam to get in the car and start it when he says. Stiles open the Jeep's hood and fiddles around. He has Liam try it, but it won't start. Scott tries to talk to him, but Stiles ignores him. Scott tries again. "Yes. Okay, we followed him out here. What do you want me to say? That I'm a stalker, huh? That I'm crazy, totally paranoid? None of this is new information."

 

Scott asks if Stiles will now give Theo the benefit of the doubt. "I give people the benefit of the doubt. I've given a lot of benefit to a lot of people." Scott isn't giving up. "Like Derek? Kira? Liam?" Stiles claims that he was right about Peter. Stiles fiddles with the engine again and has Liam turn the ignition. It still doesn't start. Stiles bets that Scott still thinks Peter can be saved. "Maybe," Scott replies. Stiles doesn't even have words for that. He goes back to trying to fix the engine. 

 

The Jeep still won't start. 

 

"Why can't you trust anyone?" Scott asks.

 

"Because you trust everyone!" Stiles shouts back. He punches the Jeep, badly hurting his hand. Scott asks to see his hand. Stiles doesn't want him to, but Scott slowly takes his hand anyway. He leeches out the pain, and Stiles flexes his fingers. They give each other a long look, and then the Jeep starts. 

 

Parrish is in his car outside Tracy's house. He gets a message from Lydia saying she'll be there at midnight. He smiles and then goes back to montioring the house. He misses Tracy standing in the middle of the street next to his car, though. She turns and wanders away in a trance.

 

Mason is still at the school when Liam comes running to find him. Mason worked out for two hours on his own. Liam says that he's going to tell Mason why he forgot and a few other things besides. "There's a wolf," Mason says. "Yeah, I'm getting to that." But Mason means there's a real wolf standing behind Liam. Liam turns, and a black wolf comes into view. 

 

The boys start to run, and the wolf chases them into the school. Liam stops and decides he's not going to run. He turns to face the wolf while Mason continues running. Liam shifts and roars. The wolf stops chasing and turns around to leave. Mason comes back down the steps, staring at Liam. "There's something I gotta tell you," Liam says. Mason smiles. "You're a werewolf." 

 

The wolf runs back into the woods to the bridge where Theo was earlier. It shifts back to human and turns out to be Theo.

 

Scott and Kira are in Scott's room making out. She asks him why he never said he wanted to go to UC Davis. She's figured out that he wants to be a vet. Scott admits that he's worried he's not smart enough to get in. Kira kisses Scott and pulls her shirt off. She goes to turn the light off but accidentally makes the bulb explode instead. They kiss more.

 

Parrish and Lydia are outside Tracy's house having coffee. Parrish says that no one has come in or out that he's seen. She apologizes to him for wasting his time. "Not a total waste," Parrish says with a smile. "I'm just glad Tracy's okay."

 

In the Dread Doctors' lab, Tracy wakes up on the floor. The Surgeon comes toward her and she tries to convince herself that he isn't there. The other Doctors surround her. She keeps repeating that she's just sleeping. The Surgeon holds up a needle. The Doctors grab her arms, forcing her to the floor. The Surgeon injects her with something silver. 

 

Tracy sees herself smashing at the skylight above her room. In the school, she had fangs and left the claw marks on her locker herself. 

 

The Doctors release her arms, and Tracy roars, transformed into a werewolf

 

In his room, Stiles is writing on his crime board. His father comes in and says that usually they wait until someone does something wrong before trying to find them guilty. Stiles is sure Theo is guilty of something. The Sheriff says, "Proof always trumps instinct." The Sheriff suggests that Stiles let it go and get some sleep.

 

Stiles calls after him. "I got it. There's something different. I know what it is." The Sheriff isn't wearing his wedding ring anymore. The Sheriff's expression falls. Stiles just demonstrated finding proof for what was previously an instinct. The Sheriff asks him if he's sure Theo is guilty. "Absolutely." "Then all you gotta do is wait. If they're really guilty, eventually, they make a mistake. They always make a mistake." 

 

At Theo's house, he shows the signatures to the man playing his father. "You were told to practice." The woman gives the man an accusing look. The man swears that he practiced. Theo says that there is one way that the signature can be explained. It's not easy to write wearing a cast. He holds up a hammer, and the people look horrified. The man puts his hand out on the table, and Theo smashes it. 

 

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