Guardian's Vigil

A lot of you are freaking out about Ms. Blake and Derek Hale. And I get it, I do, I’ve seen a lot of worry that would make sense in normal contexts. I see people worrying that a relationship between Ms. Blake and Derek (what are the kids calling that? Blarek? Does she even have a first name? My god I’m so out of it) would necessarily mean no Sterek. I see people worried that Ms. Blake is being “given” to Derek as a “prize” (which I’m assuming refers to a prize for having saved her?). I see people worried that she’s only there to be a love interest for Derek.

I’d like to welcome you all to Teen Wolf, where No.

Jeff has never done anything like that to us before, why on Earth would he start now? He didn’t give Allison to Scott as a prize for saving the day or coming to terms with being a werewolf or whatever; Allison pretty much called him on his bullshit lying and then left him when she felt she was losing herself being involved in his (admittedly dangerous and consuming) world. Lydia was never a “prize” for Jackson, he didn’t win her for anything he did, they ended up fighting tooth and nail (or claw?) for one another after he practically gutted himself so he wouldn’t go crazy where she was and she put herself directly in the path of danger to save him back. She had that whole thing with Young Peter and Peter using her to bring himself back to life (we think??) but that was never shown in any light except “this is a bad thing Peter did” so I don’t personally consider that the same thing at all.

I dunno about you but I wouldn’t DARE ever say that Melissa McCall was anything other than an I’m-not-taking-your-bullshit strong-ass mom who isn’t here for anyone else’s benefit (except okay, Scott’s, but that’s a parent thing imo not a woman thing). Of course there was Erica, who was on the cusp of having a really spectacular storyline about coming into her own as a wolf and finding out that she’s awesome (and then her actress had to go be talented and beautiful and amazing and get picked up by another show, so we’ll never know where Erica was meant to go- but you can bet it wasn’t a one-dimensional love story). And then there’s Morrell, whom I’m pretty certain by now is actually a complete BAMF working double agent duty with the alphas and our home pack (maybe including Deaton? I really hope so I want them to be BAMF hunter druid partners or something). We can’t really speak of Cora, but I’m sure we will and I’m sure that, coming from the Hale family, she’s not going to be interested in taking anyone’s nonsense (especially Derek’s). I haven’t seen enough of Kali to make comments on her except that I think I saw her cut a person’s throat- with her feet.

How about the dead girls? Kate certainly was never a prize for anyone (oh god please don’t let her near people again). Victoria was already in the picture but can you honestly imagine that woman ever sitting around just to be someone’s love interest? No. There was Laura, but we only met her one half at a time and no one’s come forth as her lover so we can’t really say. Then there was Heather, Stiles’ childhood friend whom Jeff brought in juuuuust long enough to show us that she and Stiles were (or at least had been) close; just long enough to show us he had a connection to someone before she died. Or rather, before she was killed for plot purposes (so Stiles could make the connection between the deaths). There’s also the mysterious girl Isaac met whom we’re meant to suspect is dead but it probably in much worse condition, and I think we’re all hoping she comes back and gets to be a kickass, motorbike-riding prophet of the Werewolves.

I can’t tell if I’m forgetting anyone because I’m really bad with names and such, but let’s just take a step back and look at what the pattern so far is with the women listed above.

Mostly badass, self-actualized (or on their way to being self-actualized) women with some amount of power and no tie-downs to men romantically if that isn’t exactly what they intended. They all have roles to play in the show, they all matter in ways outside of romance.

And you think that somehow Jeff is going to say “Great, NOW is the time to give DEREK HALE the only one-dimensional love story in the show.”

A remotely happy ending moment for Derek fucking Hale? Of all people?

This is Derek Hale, guys. This is Derek I-dated-the-hunter-that-killed-my-family Hale. Derek I-came-back-to-Beacon-Hills-because-someone-cut-my-sister-in-half Hale. Derek I-live-in-the-burned-out-shell-of-my-family’s-grave/home-until-the-county-kicks-me-out Hale. Derek I-killed-the-only-family-member-I-had-left-because-he-was-a-psychopath Hale. Derek I-can’t-even-kill-the-only-family-member-I-had-left-right Hale. Derek I-turned-a-bunch-of-teenagers-into-werewolves-because-that-was-my-best-plan Hale. Derek I-taunt-hunters-until-they-smash-my-Camaro’s-window-in Hale. Derek I-bit-the-mother-of-the-girl-that-Scott-I’mnotinyourpack-McCall-likes-so-he-hates-me-even-though-I-saved-his-life Hale.

Speaking purely in terms of the character we already know, Derek is just not lucky enough to be awarded anything. Derek can’t even get given a thank you.

Derek’s in an incredibly bad place right now. He’s beaten it into his skull that he’s worthless, that everyone around him gets hurt, that he is, perhaps, beyond redemption, and he is looking for a way to change that.  For instance, if he can just save one person, just one, even if it means his death, maybe that will be a start. Some people have said he’s given up on life; I don’t think that’s true. I think he hasn’t given up on life so much as he is looking for a reason to die. His life, in his eyes, means nothing, but maybe his death can.

And here tonight, our gruff, sassy little fuck-up Derek Hale managed to save not one person, but three people; a family member, a pack mate, and a (supposedly, for now) innocent bystander (though I don’t believe she’s innocent or a bystander, but we’ve been told that so far so that’s what I’m going with here). You think he’s going to get to keep any part of that equation in a good way?

Like I guess I don’t even fathom how anyone can think this wasn’t a setup for bad things?? I wholly believe that Ms Blake is Involved (capital I) with the alphas or with the killings (or both), and if she’s not then I will be really fucking surprised. Given Jeff’s patterns so far, the only other explanation I can see is if something horrible is going to happen to her because Derek saved her life here. (Though I’ll be honest, Lady Winter’s desire to see her be a good character and part ways amicably with Derek later on because she wants NO part of all these life-shortening werewolf shenanigans is rather charming, to me).

And just a last thought here, have some psychological science: he’s saved her, and his adrenaline is high because of it and she’s just been through an ordeal and her adrenaline is high because of it and if anything, if ANYTHING AT ALL happens romantically between them as a result of this night (and no other reason what-so-ever) I would put money on it being a factor of the misattribution of arousal paradigm. And that will absolutely mean crash and burn later.

But I think that’s not going to be the case at all. I think much more highly of Jeff than that, and I DO NOT TRUST (in bold, glowing, flashing caps) Ms. Blake right now. I think she means bad news for Derek.

This isn’t a prize for Derek- this is a Kate Argent level mistake waiting to happen.