Ghosted

Ghosted is the sixth episode of Teen Wolf Season 6. This is the first episode aired after a two-week holiday hiatus.

The name of the town featured in this episode, Canaan has a rich, real-world history. Biblically the name is often synonymous with “promised land” because that’s where Moses was leading the Israelites when they escaped slavery in Egypt. As to what that real-world history might have to do with Teen Wolf’s Canaan remains to be seen.

Synopsis

Scott, Lydia and Malia search for clues about the Wild Hunt in a mysterious place called Canaan while Liam and Hayden resort to drastic measures in the fight against the Ghost Riders.

Full Recap

EDITOR’S NOTE: This episode features three distinct plotlines with no crossover between them. We have divided the episode recap into three sections to allow readers to follow the disparate threads better. The Search for Stiles follows Scott, Lydia, Malia and the Sheriff. Catching a Ghost Rider deals with Hayden and Liam as well as the return of Theo. Saving Argent covers Melissa and Argent at the hospital.

The Search for Stiles

Through the Looking Glass

Lydia is in the locker room washing her hands in front of the mirror. Her reflection suddenly shifts to that of another woman with wild curly blond hair (Meghan McGarry). He reaches out to the mirror and is pulled inside. Lydia is suddenly at a street fair in the town of Canaan (Lanterman Developmental Center - Pomona, California). She races to catch up with the blond woman as families enjoy a cookout and Duran Duran’s “Hungry Like the Wolf” plays on a boom box. A banner hung over the street proclaims this the “35^th Annual Canaan Day.”

A rickety carousel spins slowly with children riding on faded and badly paint-chipped horses. Lydia notices one of the horses, a black one, is covered in blood.

The skies darken and chaos ensues. A man runs from a house and disappears in a puff of green smoke. Screaming people run in all directions. Each eventually disappears in the same fashion until only the blond woman remains. She screams into the lightning, thunder and wind, “It’s not real.” Lydia reaches out and touches her shoulder and the woman ages to an old woman in a flash. Lydia screams.

Scott Confronts the Sheriff

Scott tells Noah Stilinski about their recent radio contact with Stiles. The sheriff is unconvinced. He says it could be just a random signal cross. Scott produces the keys and explains how Peter provided them and that they fit Claudia Stilinski’s Jeep which started easily. Noah is suspicious of Peter Hale suggesting that he too now remembers the former Alpha.

Scott pleads with the sheriff, but the older man shuts him down, refusing to believe that he has a son that he doesn’t remember. He shoves the keys back at Scott.

Lydia relays to Malia the things she saw in her “dream” about Canaan. Malia says her research on the town has turned up little. No one answers at Canaan City Hall, and the only map reference to the town is 30 years old. Lydia says they just need to know how to get to the town.

EDITOR’S NOTE: The map shown in this scene is a regular topographical map of extreme northern California. The area shown is hundreds of miles wide with the towns of Beacon Hills and Canaan drawn onto the map giving the impression that Beacon Hills is near the real town of Alturas while Canaan is on top of the real town of Redding. Due to the type of map, the perspective shown and the way the towns appear to be drawn on top of other existing towns, as is the case with many props, these locations are not considered canon.

Welcome to Canaan

Scott is asleep in the back seat of a car. Malia taps him awake and informs him that they’ve arrived in Canaan. They emerge onto a leaf-strewn street with abandoned cars, rickety picket fences, and rundown houses. The “Canaan Day” banner still hangs, now faded and torn, across the street. They stare into what was once a town square, now covered in dirt and overgrown with weeds and Lydia declare Canaan a ghost town.

As they wander through a residential street, Scott announces that he can’t hear a single heartbeat and Malia says there are no scents either. As Scott wonders aloud why Stiles would send them to this town, a street light buzzes and flickers to life just above them. Looking at the tattered banner hanging across the street, Lydia declares that this is the place she saw in the mirror.

Among the relics left abandoned on a picnic table, Scott picks up an early-model cell phone and a newspaper, Canaan Courier, dated April 8, 1987. Malia finds a receipt in a bag. It’s dated April 8, 1987.

The carousel creaks in the distance. They head toward it. The black horse is still covered in blood, and as Scott steps forward onto the rusted and faded metal platform, the ride suddenly starts turning, music blaring and horses bobbing up and down.

Malia’s Hallucination

Malia spots two bodies lying in the yard of an abandoned house. She instantly recognizes mom and her sister Kiley. They are bloody, and their clothing is ripped. The doll Malia carried with her during her time trapped as a coyote lays near Kiley. Malia drops to her knees in tears. She lifts the doll and hears the voice of Theo behind her. He asks if this is Malia’s adopted family. He then he knows she’s thinking that she should have died with them and shoots her in the stomach with a shotgun. Malia falls to the ground. Her sister and mother open their eyes and embrace her, dragging her down into the ground.

Scott’s Hallucination

Scott explores an abandoned house. The door slams behind him. Thinking someone is there, he races back outside. His mother is standing in the yard wearing her pink scrubs. As he watches, she turns revealing a large bloodied hole in her skull and walks away.

Lydia touches him, and he jumps. She explains that his mom is not really there. Scott says he saw her and explains that it looked as if somebody took a bite out of her skull. Lydia says it wasn’t real. She says, “the energy here, it’s causing hallucinations.” She says they can’t stay. Scott says they can’t leave until they figure out why Stiles sent them. Lydia points out that there’s no one to ask, but then they spot a small boy (Mason McNulty) standing across the street with his back turned toward them. They call out to him, but he runs off. They chase him.

Meet Lenore

They wander further down the street until they see curtains move in a window of one of the houses. They enter and call out. At first, it appears no one is there, but then they spot Lenore (McNally Sagal) who seems thrilled to have visitors and greets them warmly. She says “Caleb” will be so happy to see them because it’s been a long time since he’s had anyone to play with. She invites them in and offers them lemonade. As they follow her through the house, Lydia realizes that she is the same woman, the blond, she saw earlier in the mirror.

Lenore explains that the Lemonade recipe was her mother’s, “as much as I can remember.” Scott and Lydia notice things floating in the glasses of Lemonade and don’t drink. Malia takes several deep gulps and drinks half the glass. She and Scott tell Lenore they’re looking for Stiles. The woman says it’s been a while since anyone came through Canaan. When they press about how long it’s been, she seems not to remember. Malia produces the 1987 receipt she found and Lenore becomes agitated. She chastises Malia for “disturbing” things which don’t belong to her. Scott presses on saying they need to know what happened.

Lenore explains that there was a picnic and that people had been leaving Canaan for a while and the day of the picnic was the day the last of them left. Scott expresses incredulity that everyone left at once, just “disappeared.” Lenore becomes even more agitated at the use of the word “disappeared.” She repeats that they “left.” As if for emphasis on this last, the glasses on the table shake violently for a fraction of a second. Malia is undeterred; she asks, “Did they leave in a cloud of green smoke?”

Lenore loses it. She jumps to her feet and screams “They just left!” The room seems to shake, and Scott, Malia, and Lydia are rattled and dazed.

Lydia says they didn’t mean to upset Lenore and the trio get up and head toward the door. Malia staggers a bit, and Scott seems to have trouble rising from his chair. As they make toward the door, it slams shut. Scott tries to open it, but it won’t budge. Malia points out that he’s a werewolf and should be able to get through the door. She tries to punch the window, but it also doesn’t break or budge. Lydia turns to Lenore and asks her to please unlock the door. She replies that now that they’re here, they need to stay because Caleb likes them.

Lydia says they like Caleb but they need to help their town because people are disappearing there and Lenore could really help them. Lenore says no one can help. If they want to leave, they’re going to go and go and there won’t be anything Lydia can do about it.

Caleb’s Playroom

Caleb appears at the entrance to a hallway and says, in a strange, doubled voice, for Scott and Malia to come with him. Lenore has moved on to cleaning up the glasses in the dining room and Lydia urges her friends to follow the boy.

They find Caleb in a darkened family room. There is a couple inches of dirty water on the floor, a TV showing static and an old video cassette recorder. Scott and Malia step tentatively into the room with the boy. Scott notices a window and tries to open it but it won’t budge. Scott asks the boy if he can help them get out but he says they have to stay because “mommy said so.” Then, again in that doubled voice, he says, “This is home,” and the door slams shut.

Caleb picks up a wet video cassette and inserts it into the machine. Video of Caleb blowing bubbles appears. The date shows August 12, 1985. Malia points this out and asks the boy what year he was born. He turns to them, now dripping wet, and says 1976. Scott asks, “and when did you die?”

Banshee Fight

Lydia confronts Lenore about the disappearances. Explains about the Ghost Riders and suggests that they took everyone from Canaan. She asks if Lenore fought them or hid. Lenore breaks down and says she doesn’t know why she was left behind. She says the riders took everyone but didn’t take her. She screams and Lydia flies backward over the furniture. She suddenly realizes Lenore is Banshee.

Still trapped with Caleb, Malia wonders aloud if she’s having another hallucination because water is now pouring down the walls and the stairs. Scott says if she is, she’s having the same one. Malia goes to attack Caleb but is stricken, suddenly choking. Water pours from her mouth.

Lenore says it’s not her fault the riders didn’t take her. She says Lydia thinks they didn’t because they brought back her dead son. Lenore moves to scream again but Lydia is ready for her and lets loose with her own scream. The two massive waves of sound seem to cancel each other out but Lydia is suddenly in another vision. She’s back outside on the street. The carousel turns slowly. The events from her earlier “dream” play out again, but this time the Ghost Riders are visible. They take all the citizens until only Lenore is left. Lydia watches as they surround the blond woman, examine her, and then holster their weapons. They disappear leaving the Lenore alone on the empty street. The young woman screams and Lydia covers her ears.

Lenore and Lydia snap out of the vision. Lydia realizes that Lenore didn’t see the Ghost Riders until the very end. She only saw people disappearing. Lenore explains how the riders surrounded her but didn’t take her. Lydia says she was left because Lenore is a Banshee like her. Exhausted, Lenore walks to the mirror and wipes away the dust. She asks how long it’s been and Lydia says it’s been almost 30 years.

EDITOR’S NOTE: In the Teen Wolf timeline, it is the early spring of 2013, which would place the Canaan picnic 26 years in the past. While not exact, that fits with Lydia’s statement that it’s been “almost 30 years” and does not contradict what we’ve been told and shown previously.

Escaping Canaan

Malia continues to choke on the gouts of water that are pouring from her mouth. Scott urges her to breathe. He shouts for Lydia and makes a run for the door but water beings to pour from his mouth too. He asks Caleb what he’s doing to them and the boy responds that they’re drowning just like he did and now they can all be friends forever.

Lenore assures Lydia that she will be safe from the Ghost Riders in Beacon Hills. She explains that she doesn’t want to be safe, she wants to save Stiles. She pleads with Lenore to not let her be the only one left behind and adds that she doesn’t have a Caleb. Lenore waves her hand, says “go,” and the door flies open.

Scott and Malia can suddenly breathe again. Caleb says, “Mommy says you can go now.” He returns to watching the old video of himself when he was alive. The door opens and they quickly make their way outside and back to Lydia. They’re all ready to leave but Lydia stops and turns back. She tells Lenore to come with them but she says she couldn’t leave Caleb. Lydia tries again pointing out that Lenore knows Caleb is not real but she refuses to leave him and returns to the house.

In the car on the way back to Beacon Hills, Scott wonders aloud if Stiles sent them to Canaan to warn them of what could happen with the Ghost Riders. Malia says they need to get them to leave now but Lydia says they can’t let them leave yet. Lydia says she saw in Lenore’s memory what happens to the people they’ve taken once the Wild Hunt moves on to a new place. She says it’s worse than death, that their souls are hollowed out and she thinks they became Ghost Riders and then were gone.

Back at Scott’s house, Lydia explains to Malia that there are legends of the Wild Hunt and “the Morrígan” and that this is connected to why they left Lenore behind. She says the Morrigan was a Banshee and when the Wild Hunt moves on from Beacon Hills, Lydia will be left behind like Lenore.

EDITOR’S NOTE: The Morrígan is a figure in Irish mythology and has much in common with Banshee lore in the areas of predicting death and doom. You can find more on these real-world legends at Wikipedia.

Claudia Stilinski awakes on the couch and sees her husband looking through a file of papers at the dining room table. The documents appear to be medical reports on types of frontotemporal disorders. Claudia joins Noah at the table. He says he was just thinking about how strong and amazing she is and adds that someone should write a medical paper on how she beat frontotemporal dementia.

Claudia says they should go to bed because she has to be up early to talk to the contractor about replacing the wallpaper Lydia peeled back in their hallway. They kiss and she heads off to bed. He follows a bit later but stops in the hallway. He stares at the damaged wallpaper and begins to peel it back more. His eyes grow wide.

Catching a Ghost Rider

Mr. Douglas Wants to Help

Liam and Hayden walk to class. He explains that Scott is okay with “the plan” as long as they don’t destroy his house. Hayden is confused, she doesn’t know what plan he’s talking about. He reminds her that she had some ideas about catching a Ghost Rider but she says they were bad plans. As they discuss breaking into the Faculty Storage Room, Garrett Douglas overhears them. Liam says that to save the whole school from Ghost Riders he has no problem breaking and entering.

The couple meets up outside the storage room later, and while they kiss, Hayden keeps an eye on nearby faculty members.

EDITOR’S NOTE: The song playing during this sequence is by Trevor Dayn Dallas. Dallas is a member of the extended Teen Wolf family because he and Jeff Davis are in a relationship. The song, “Ready for it All” is available on iTunes and YouTube.

Hayden says she has the list of supplies they need in her head. Liam worries she might forget something. But Hayden says if they get caught, she’d rather not have a list. The teachers down the hall leave and they head into the storage room.

Liam wonders if they can just buy a lightning rod. Hayden says they cost 25 hundred dollars. As they round a corner, the find Garrett Douglas working on equipment. He acts nervous and makes as if to leave. They ask if he’s making a Taser and he says no. Liam concludes that Mr. Douglas saw the Ghost Riders and is scared of being taken. The teacher claims he did, dozens of them, he accurately describes the scene during the Lacrosse game when some people were running from riders but others couldn’t see them. Hayden admits that they saw the horsemen too and offers to tell him more if he really wants to fight back.

Later Hayden explains their plan to attach a lightning rod to funnel a rider into the tunnel where they plan to grab him and push him into the Argent bunker. Once the door is closed there’s no way for him to ride the lightning back out. Douglas questions how they can keep him from riding the lightning right out of the tunnel before they get the door closed. Liam suggests their lightning rod would redirect the bolt meaning the rider could grab it. The teacher says they should assume the Riders have some sort of way to direct and control the lightning strikes.

Douglas says they need to absorb a lightning bolt but he can’t build a conduit that could absorb even half the energy. The bell rings and Liam and Hayden head out to class. Liam suggests they could find a person to absorb the lightning. Hayden says she doubts even Kira could do that. Liam says Josh could do it because he ate electricity. She reminds him that Josh is dead but Liam points out that his power is not. Hayden says it might as well be dead because they can’t get to it.

While they never come right out and say it, they discuss trying to bring Theo back from wherever he ended up at the end of Season 5. Liam says he knows it’s insane but he needs Hayden to back him.

Digging up Theo

Later in the tunnels, Hayden points out that there is still time to bail on the plan to retrieve Theo. Liam admits it’s not the perfect plan but they need “the bad part of the plan to make the good part work.”

They’re met in the tunnels by Noshiko Yukimura who has her daughter’s sword. She too believes it’s a bad plan. She gives them one more chance to change their minds but they refuse. Liam says they don’t know what else to do because the Ghost Riders seem unstoppable. Noshiko says they are unstoppable. She explains that they’ve been riding the storm and taking souls since long before she was born.

Liam pleads, saying they won’t survive them without her help. Noshiko says Kira entrusted her with the sword while she is off with the Skinwalkers. She says she’s now trusting Liam because Noshiko believes her daughter would want her to do so. She clarifies that her trust should not be mistaken for agreement with what Liam has planned.

He says he understands. He explains that Kira sent Theo away by stabbing her sword into the ground. Noshiko says if he wants to do it, he’ll have to do it himself. She bows and hands him the sword. Noshiko says once it’s done, Liam is responsible for whatever happens. She then leaves the two teens alone in the tunnel.

Liam moves to thrust the sword, at the last minute, Hayden yells for him to wait but it’s too late. The sword strikes the concrete. A large glowing crack jets forward from the sword. A few feet from where they’re standing, the ground explodes as a clawed hand shoots into the air. Theo climbs out of the hole and growls at them.

Theo pushes Liam against the wall. Hayden pleads with him saying they brought him back. Theo asks about his sister. They explain that he killed her. He says he’s going to kill them all and shoves Liam again. Hayden says to send him back. Liam explains what Kira’s sword can do and Theo backs off. Liam says they need his power and then he can kill whoever he wants but that if he does kill them, he’ll be worse off than ever. Theo says there’s nothing worse than what he’s been through. Liam explains about the Ghost Riders.

Zapping Theo

Elsewhere in the tunnel, Mr. Douglas has rigged up a wire and a gadget to simulate the high voltage of a lightning bolt. They have Theo grab the wire and turn up the juice. Theo is knocked backwards. Douglas explains that Theo was knocked down by “only a billion joules” and that a lightning bolt is five times as strong. They realize he no longer has Josh’s abilities. Hayden checks his claws and realizes he doesn’t have Tracy’s Kanima abilities either.

Theo quips that he’s back to “classic Theo.” Liam is angered and says he should be remorseful since Theo killed his pack members for those powers. Theo says he just put them back the way he found them. Hayden says they should send him back and Liam moves to do it. Theo tries to talk them out of it saying he knows about the Wild Hunt from the Dread Doctors. He also hints that he knows the truth about Garrett Douglas but doesn’t come right out and say that he was the Doctors’ Nazi Werewolf in a tube. Despite Theo’s discretion, Douglas says Liam should send him back down below.

Theo asks who’s making these decisions and wants to know where Scott and Stiles are. Realizing that Theo remembers Stiles convinces them to keep him above ground.

Later at Scott’s house, Theo explains that they can’t get Stiles back. He says the Wild Hunt comes and the Wild Hunt goes. Liam says they’re not going, they’re staying in Beacon Hills and still taking people. Theo says that’s not possible. He says they won’t just stick around unless they’re stuck.

Liam says Theo is going to help them but Theo says he doesn’t know what to do. Hayden says he remembers Stiles so he clearly knows more than they do. Liam threatens him with the sword again. Theo realizes Scott wasn’t part of the plan to bring him back.

Scott returns home and is infuriated to see Theo. He says it’s taking all his strength not to tear Theo in half. Malia enters and, eyes blazing, growls at Theo.

Saving Argent

Melissa McCall examines Chris Argent’s wounds. The lash mark is green and steams slightly. He says it’s spreading. She wonders aloud how a whip could do this to him. Argent explains it was a Ghost Riders’ whip. Melissa says the doctors at Beacon Hills Memorial Hospital believe they can cut away the damaged tissue and have scheduled surgery for him in an hour. Argent begins to get up. He explains that his wounds include a supernatural toxin, and if the doctors try to cut it out, it will spread. Melissa asks him to tell her what he needs. He says he can’t go in the operating room because he won’t come out alive. Melissa says they need to get him out of there.

She places him in a wheelchair and takes him into the hall. Seeing a nurse at the main desk, she says loudly that the doctor wanted to do more tests and she’s taking Argent away for that.

Eventually, Melissa sets Argent up in a bed in what appears to be a laundry room in the hospital. She gives him intravenous drugs but admits it won’t help him. He says he had an idea but it’s asking a lot. He explains there are Nine Herbs that will counteract nine supernatural venoms. He says if they’re combined in the wrong way, the power of the venom. If Melissa screws up it will kill him. She says he’ll have to talk her through it. He says he only knows the names in Celtic. The first thing she needs to find is Mugwort.

Melissa says Mugwort sounds familiar. Finally turning to her phone, she looks it up and finds that it’s prescribed for anxiety. She finds most of the herbs on the list are used in modern drugs. She says between raiding the hospital pharmacy, the homeopath downtown and a salad bar, she can find them all. As she heads out, he grabs her hand. He tries to tell her the one other ingredient she’ll need but can only manage what sounds like “Mel.”

Later, as she mixes the various bits of the formula, Melissa tries to figure out what the final ingredient might be. She’d thought “Mel” was short for her name but it dawns on her that Argent doesn’t use nicknames. She realizes he was trying to give her the ingredient name in Celtic, she looks it up on her phone and finds that “Mil” is the Irish word for honey which is a binding agent and natural anti-biotic.

She mixes the ingredients with the honey and spreads the thick paste on the wounds. The injuries begin to smoke and Argent screams. She gives him a rag to bite down on. The wounds begin to vanish and his pain subsides.

Episode List

← Season 5 Season 6
#01 Memory Lost	#06 Ghosted	#11 Said the Spider to the Fly	#16 Triggers
#02 Superposition	#07 Heartless	#12 Raw Talent	#17 Werewolves of London
#03 Sundowning	#08 Blitzkrieg	#13 After Images	#18 Genotype
#04 Relics	#09 Memory Found	#14 Face-to-Faceless	#19 Broken Glass
#05 Radio Silence	#10 Riders on the Storm	#15 Pressure Test	#20 The Wolves of War