The Benefactor is the 4th episode of Teen Wolf Season 4.
According to the Nielsen Company, approximately 1.7 million people saw the episode upon it's initial airing on MTV.
This marks a modest ratings rebound after two weeks of record low numbers.
Synopsis
On the night of the full moon, uninvited guests turn up at Lydia's lake house; Derek pursues a killer.
Featured Creature
Werewolf
New werewolves like Liam have a hard time maintaining control on a full moon. For the more experienced - like Scott - it is still a constant struggle.
Main Article: Werewolf
Full Recap
A helicopter, spotlight shining, circles above Beacon Hills Hospital. On the roof, Sheriff Stilinski along with Deputy Parrish and several other officers are cataloging the crime scene. Sean’s corpse lies where it fell at the end of Muted.
Sheriff Stilinski has Parrish clear the roof and seal the scene so that he can consult with an “expert” about the scene. Parrish is surprised that the sheriff has “an expert on teenage cannibals” but does as he is ordered.
Derek Hale seems to appear out of nowhere once the officers leave. The Sheriff explains what Scott told him about Sean being a Wendigo. Derek describes them as “cannibalistic shapeshifters” and says they’ve not been in Beacon Hills for a long time. He suggests Sean’s family was well hidden.
Derek then catches the scent of blood. Scott McCall claimed it was just Sean, The Mute and himself on the roof – but Derek says there was a fourth person, a young male.
Stiles and Scott arrive back at the McCall House. Scott dropped off Liam earlier – wrapped him in duct tape and stuck him in the bathtub.
Liam – mouth covered by tape – grunts and whimpers at Scott and Stiles from the tub.
Stiles says Scott sucks at coming up with plans. Stiles decides to move Liam from the tub to a chair in Scott’s room and to remove the tape from Liam’s mouth so they can talk to him.
Scott is trying to explain that he bit him in order to save his life and that he is now going to change but Stiles keeps pointing out that he might also die.
Liam begins to cry and they untie him. After a moment, Liam jumps up, grabs the chair and whacks Scott with it. Scott falls into Stiles who stays on his feet. Liam then punches Stiles in the face and runs out the door, realizing that his ankle (injured during this afternoon’s lacrosse tryouts) is now healed.
He makes it to the end of the hall before Scott and Stiles come after him. They all end up rolling down the stairs and end up in a cluster at the bottom. Liam escapes and Scott points out that Stiles’ plan sucked too.
The alarm light is flashing at Derek’s Loft but the alarm is not sounding when Peter shuts it off and calls out for his nephew. He is focused on reading a document when a tomahawk flies through the air and lodges in his chest.
The Mute steps out and Peter gasps for Derek. His attacker types on his wrist keyboard and an electronic voice says – “Don’t worry Peter. Derek is next.”
Stiles is attaching chains and restraints to Malia in his bedroom. Malia says she hates full moons. Stiles promises it will get easier. The restraints are worn through in some areas and she believes they may not last much longer. He says they should try to make this the last full moon that they will need to use it. He also says they may need them for Liam.
Malia questions if they know for sure that Liam will turn into a werewolf and Stiles again says he’s not sure he’ll live. The sheriff stops by his son’s room, sees the chains, and decides he doesn’t even want to know what’s going on and turns around to leave.
Lydia Martin has her math notes on her laptop. Kira says it doesn’t look like math. Lydia agrees that it looks more like code and she has no memory of writing it. She points out that, since her drawing a tree led to the Nemeton (see Alpha Pact) she should probably figure out what the code means “before it tries to kill us.”
Kira says it might be like the Enigma Code the Allies used in World War II. She reminds Lydia that her father studied the war and her mom “was in it” (see The Fox and the Wolf).
Lydia believes it is a variation of the Vigenère cipher which is a code in which letters are substituted based on a code word or “key.”
Lydia's Mom (Susan Walters), who sometimes teaches at Beacon Hills High School, dangles a set of keys in front of Lydia reminding her that she can have no more than six people at the lake house, to stay out of the wine and that if anything gets broken it will be added to Lydia’s “credit card debt.” Mrs. Martin also reminds her to lock up the basement because from all the scratches on the walls it looked like a pack of wild animals had gotten down there.
Garrett (Mason Dye), Violet (Samantha Logan), and Mason (Khylin Rambo) exit the school bus. Garrett is complaining that he doesn’t want to watch another movie on a “Friday night.” Mason reminds him that they are freshmen and just got off a school bus so won’t be “hitting the clubs till 4AM.”
Liam arrives, out of breath, with a bloodied bandage covering his arm. Mason asks him why he wasn’t on the bus and he says he ran from home which is apparently 3 miles away. Liam has a dizzy spell and sees Scott watching him from across the quad. He then rushes inside the school.
Inside, Stiles and Scott corner him and convince him to listen. Scott tries to explain the situation but doesn’t know what to say. He tries a couple of lines that Derek said to him after he was bitten in Season 1 saying “we’re brothers now” and “the bite is a gift” (see Wolf Moon) and that something big is happening to him (Liam).
Liam is not impressed. He says nothing is happening to him and rips off the bandage and Scott’s bite has healed completely. He leaves them standing there.
Sometime later at school, Lydia, Scott, Kira, Stiles, and Malia are discussing what to do with Liam. Malia says she won’t share “her” basement. Lydia points out that it is her basement and that her mother knows how Malia tore it up “last time”. Scott says they’ll use the boat house for Liam. It has support beams to which they can chain him.
Lydia suggests they tell Liam there is a party and invite him. They want her to seduce or trick Liam into coming to the lake house but she says she is “done with teenage boys” and suggests they use the trickster to play a trick on him. When Kira is reluctant, Lydia reminds her that female foxes are called “vixen.”
Liam catches site of Kira coming down the stairs in the hallway. He is smitten. In slow motion, Kira sexily descends the stairs but trips on the last one and falls on her face. Liam rushes to help her and she asks him to go to a party with her.
Peter has a gaping chest wound, oozing black puss, but is still alive after his encounter with The Mute. At the loft, Derek explains that the ax was coated with Wolfsbane and since he doesn’t know the “species”, he’ll have to burn it out.
Peter points out that he can “handle a little fire” (a reference to the Hale House Arson). Derek lights a blow torch and sets to work. Peter screams.
Once he’s recovered, Peter explains that The Mute said he was after Derek. Peter apparently stripped him of his key board speaking device during their fight and shows it to his nephew.
Kira drives Liam through the woods. The full moon is out. Liam’s hearing becomes very sensitive and while her car stereo is playing low – he hears a cacophony. Kira explains that they’re going to Lydia Martin’s lake house but that it actually belongs to Lydia’s dead grandmother.
Liam gets a text from Mason “Where are you?”
- EDITOR’S NOTE: The date on the Text Message says Mar 28. This is the date they filmed the scene, NOT the date within the show. This is yet another in a long line of Teen Wolf production errors.
After Kira explains that “everyone” is coming to the party, Liam responds to the text.
Scott arrives at the lake house on his motor bike. Lydia, Malia and Stiles are waiting. Stile explains that he looked into Liam’s past and found out that he got into it with a teacher at his old school. He was apparently kicked out due to his violent attack on the teacher’s car with a crowbar. The image shows a smashed and dented car with windows busted out and the words “THIS IS YOUR FAULT” scratched across the passenger side doors (front and back).
As they get closer to the lake house, Liam’s breathing becomes labored and Kira looks worried. Once they arrive he seems fine but he is suspicious that there aren’t more vehicles there. Inside, Stiles, Scott, Malia and Lydia are waiting. Stiles says to think of it as an intervention.
Derek has brought the wrist keyboard (which is attached to a leather glove) to the Sheriff’s Station. The sheriff is still trying to figure out the Mute. He wonders aloud how he eats with no mouth. Derek wisecracks that Peter didn’t get a chance to ask him since he was too busy fighting with a tomahawk in his chest.
That’s another question on Stilinski’s mind, “who runs around with a tomahawk?” Parrish sticks his head in and says he did in the military for “I. E. D.” (Improvised Explosive Device) removal. He says the tomahawk and the wrist keyboard are both military issue. He says the device they have looks to have been modified. At a nod from Derek, the sheriff closes the door between his office and the bullpen and turns back to Parrish and says “show us.”
The others have apparently tried to fill Liam in on the supernatural situation. He repeats each one’s designation “Werewolf, Werecoyote, Banshee, Fox.” Kira supplies the word Kitsune. Liam turns to Stiles “What are you?” to which Stiles replies “For a little while I was possessed by an evil spirit. It was very evil.” Liam asks again “What are you now?” Stiles replies, “Better?”
Liam notices the chains and restraints on the coffee table and asks if those are for him. Malia says their hers and her eyes glow blue. Liam is taken aback and demands to know how she did it. Scott says he’ll learn after he gets through the full moon. Liam resists when they begin to explain that he’s already feeling the effects. He gets angrier and angrier until his hearing is overwhelmed by a noise only he can hear. He is disabled. Scott cocks an ear to listen and a car pulls into the drive.
Liam admits that he told Mason about the party and Mason apparently invited everyone.
Liam’s nails shift into claws and he begins to scratch the floor. Lydia freaks out a bit and demands that they get him off the floors. Liam rises up, bares his fangs, and growls at Lydia. Scott and Kira rush him to the boat house.
Malia is suddenly overwhelmed by her transformation and growls at Stiles who rushes her off to the basement. Lydia is left to deal with the unexpected party goers because Stiles points out that she throws the best parties in Beacon Hills.
She goes to the door and finds more than 30 people are lined up to get inside. Mason and Garret are in front and ask if they’re in the right place for the party. Lydia forces a grimace-like smile and says “absolutely.” The crowd cheers and flood inside.
Parrish has hacked into The Mute’s keyboard glove device and says he’s found an IP address. The sheriff points out that they can use the address to find him. The glove twitches and on the screen a message arrives.
The screen reads –
SEC
SBC #38 ; SBUF ADR – 38
INY
STA (ZPGWRK),Y ; IF ADR OF NEXT TAB
PHA ; WHICH GOES INTO
TXA ; LINK
SBC #0
INY
D<;> BENEFACTOR: MONEY TRANSFERED
They’re baffled by the “handle” Benefactor but the sheriff realizes that the money means The Mute isn’t just a killer, he’s an assassin.
Lydia’s lake house sits on a hill above the lake, a small metal boat house sits on the water. Inside, Scott tries to hold a snarling Liam back while Kira fastens the chains to one of the buildings support beams. Liam breaks free and lands on top of Scott who manages to hold him off until Kira smacks him in the head with a nearby boat paddle. Liam is knocked cold.
Stiles is fastening the restraints to Malia as the music from the party plays in the house above. Malia keeps trying to get Stiles to leave but he refuses.
Upstairs a delivery man rolls in a keg of beer. Lydia says she didn’t order it (especially because it is domestic beer) but the guy says someone here ordered it. Lydia acquiesces and takes the bill, which has a $100 extra charge the delivery man tacks on for customers below the legal drinking age.
Lydia notices a glass of wine on her laptop and freaks, pointing out that the computer cost $2000. She sees Garrett holding a bottle of wine and points out that it costs $400.
Lydia takes the bottle from him and notices Mason going upstairs. She follows and Garrett says he should pay for the keg since he opened the wine. He hands the delivery man several bills.
Kira and Scott watch over Liam who is still out cold. Kira says he looks young and Scott points out that he is just 15. Scott says they will help Liam and seems certain that the boy will want their help.
Malia is still trying to get Stiles to leave her. She begs and threatens (graphically) but he refuses to leave her and says he won’t let her hurt anyone. Her restraints begin to tear.
Outside, the beer delivery guy returns to his car. He has a flat tire and begins cursing. He grows claws and his eyes glow yellow as he grunts and growls. He takes several deep breaths and begins to chant – “three things cannot be long hidden: the sun, the moon, the truth.” He repeats the mantra three times, begins to calm down, and drops to his knees. We can now read the badge on his work shirt it says “Demarco” which is apparently his name.
As he is kneeling, a figure comes up behind and loops a chain around his neck. It is pulled tight and as Demarco struggles we see his assailant is Violet – Garrett’s girlfriend. She pulls the chain tight and then pushes a silver brooch attached to it. The chain begins to glow and Demarco’s neck begins to smoke. Within seconds, his head is detached from his body and flops to the ground. Violet snaps a picture with her cellphone and walks away from the body.
She returns to the house. She has refashioned the deadly wire into a necklace and the brooch/button mechanism hangs bolo-like around her neck. She walks up to Garrett who is pleased to announce that “our friend” just sent him a text.
It is from “The Benefactor” and says “The money has been transferred into your account.” Violet smiles broadly and they kiss.
Mason is looking around upstairs. He wanders into a white room with red accents at the end of the hall. It is decorated sparsely with a bookcase, a couple of chairs, a desk and a record player.
- EDITOR’S NOTE: This portion of the broadcast was initially aired with inaudible dialogue. We present the transcript for you in its entirety as well as a link to the scene with full audio. Simply click the record player for the video.
Mason (in the hallway): Liam? You up here? Dude, where the hell are you?
Lydia: What are you doing up here? The party is downstairs.
Mason: I was looking for Liam.
Lydia: Sorry, but missing freshmen are a little low on my priority list.
Mason: But not so low that you don’t know he’s a freshman?
Lydia: I might have seen your friend downstairs.
Drinks spill
Lydia: Oh my god the carpet! No, God, No!
Mason: Hey, it’s okay, it’ll come out. I promise. Okay. I’m sorry. Was it valuable?
Lydia: No. That’s the problem, nothing in here’s valuable. We just put the house on the market. It was supposed to be left without a scratch. It has to be in perfect condition. We need every penny we can get out of this place.
Mason: Okay, let me go get some club soda and salt. Lydia, it’ll come out. It will.
Lydia: Okay.
Lydia stays behind after Mason leaves, the door seems to close on it’s own shutting out all sound. Lydia rises and opens the door and can once again hear the party raging downstairs. She closes the door and the room is completely silent.
Lydia: Soundproof?
She walks over to the red record player and turns it on. The needle rises and finds its way to the record before dropping. A peculiar kind of white noise comes from the speakers. Faces seem to push through the white wall, mouths opening and closing as if speaking. Lydia stares transfixed.
In the boat house, Scott can hear the music from the house but Kira cannot. He says they’re playing “Electronic.” Kira says she wished they played slow songs at parties because she was better at slow dancing.
Scott pulls up some music on his phone and they dance. Kira questions Scott on how he maintains control on the full moon. Scott says it comes down to keeping his pulse rate down and concentration. Kira then sets out to distract him. He says he is “in-distractable.” She kisses him a couple of times and his eyes begin to glow. She says she heard him growl too but Scott realizes it wasn’t him – it was Liam.
They turn as Liam busts out of his chains, runs past them, dives through the window, and runs off through the woods.
In the basement, one of Malia’s arm restraints breaks and she urges Stiles to run as she tries to break the chain that still restrains her other arm.
The sheriff (with gun drawn) and Derek enter the high school. They’ve traced The Mute’s IP address to the school’s wifi but Derek points out that doesn’t mean he’s still there. The sheriff says he’s seen enough at the school to know he should keep a gun in his hand when walking in after dark.
He notices a large pool of blood seeping under one of the classroom doors. Derek says it doesn’t make any sense because he would have smelled it before they entered the building. They cautiously open the door and see the knob is attached by a line to a claymore explosive that would have blown out toward anyone who opened the door all the way.
Derek senses something coming, grabs the sheriff, and throws him to the ground as a tomahawk slices through the air and into the wall where his head was.
The Mute leaps from his hiding place on the stairs and comes toward them.
Malia is still struggling against her restraints. Stiles talks her down saying he won’t run because he doesn’t believe she will hurt him. He says she is afraid of hurting him because of what happened to her family.
Stiles says he knows what it’s like because while he was possessed by the Nogitsune he was aware of everything he did and even enjoyed it. He felt powerful and fearless and most of all “in control.” But once he was free he realized control is overrated.
Stiles reaches down and unlocks Malia’s chains. She jumps to attack him but almost instantly returns to fully human form. They embrace.
Liam runs through the woods with Scott following close behind. Scott loses sight of him but the boy is now behind him. Wild and out of control, Liam gets the better of Scott. Pinning him to a tree and screaming “it’s your fault.” A flash bolt arrow hits the tree near their heads and Liam is blinded. He runs off and leaves Scott behind. The arrow was fired by Chris Argent. He explains his arrival simply with “I got your text.”
The sheriff is thrown to the ground and Derek is dodging The Mute’s tomahawks. He manages to disarm him and pins his arms behind his back. The sheriff points his pistol at him and says “you have the right to remain silent.” But as the Sheriff cuffs him, Peter shows up and attacks The Mute – ripping him to pieces.
The sheriff levels his pistol at Peter who just shakes his head, turns and walks away. Derek shouts after him, we’ve learned a better way but Peter says he’s a creature of habit.
Argent explains that he’s set up a trap for Liam in a nearby clearing. He says Liam is Scott’s Beta and he will have to deal with him. When Scott protests that the boy won’t listen to him, Argent says that he will if Scott uses his own words.
The trap is a circle of Ultrasonic Emitters. Liam is on his knees in the center when Scott arrives and turns them off. Liam is no longer transformed. He asks Scott what’s happened to him and Scott says “the same thing that happened to me.”
Kira finds Lydia still listening to the white noise upstairs. She says she’s got the key to break the code.
Liam is crying and says his family can’t find out about him because of the way they looked at him when he became violent with his teacher’s car. He says they looked at him like he was a monster. Scott says you’re not a monster. You’re a werewolf, like me while his eyes flash red.
Lydia inputs the “KEYWORD” – ALLISON - and hits the enter key on her laptop. A list of names and numbers scroll down the screen.
SEAN WALCOTT 250
DAVID WALCOTT 250
MICHAEL WALCOTT 250
CHRISTINA WALCOTT 250
LYDIA MARTIN 20
SCOTT MCCALL 25
DEMARCO MONTANA 250
DEREK HALE 15
CARRIE HUDSON 500
KAYLEN BETTCHER 250
KIRA YUKIMURA 6
ELIAS TOWN 250
Lydia say it’s a list of supernaturals in Beacon Hills and they’re all on it.
Soundtrack
Magic Man – "Every Day"
- Scene: Freshmen get off of bus and discuss their plans for the weekend.
Deeds Plus Thoughts – "The World’s Made Up of This and That (Fatboy Slim Mix)"
- Scene: Kira walks down the stairs while Liam watches.
Matt Young – "This Party"
- Scene: Kira and Liam drive to the lake house.
Tiësto & Showtek – "Hell Yeah!"
- Scene: The Freshman enter the Martin lake house.
Nifty Trick – "Dub Drop"
- Scene: A keg gets delivered to the lake house.
Megha Maan presents The Trap feat. Trophyy – "#Turn Down For What"
- Scene: Violet returns to the party.
Moon & Pollution – "Alter Eagle"
- Scene: Mason searches for Liam.
Movement – "Us"
- Scene: Scott and Kira slow dance.
Lizi Kay – "Do You Like What You See"
- Scene: Kira looks for Lydia.
Gallery
Video
Episodes List
← Season 3 Season 4 Season 5 → | |
#01 The Dark Moon | #07 Weaponized |
#02 117 | #08 Time of Death |
#03 Muted | #09 Perishable |
#04 The Benefactor (Teen Wolf Episode) | #10 Monstrous |
#05 I. E. D. | #11 A Promise to the Dead |
#06 Orphaned | #12 Smoke & Mirrors |