Because I'm obsessed. It's official.
And if any of you link this to Jeff Davis I’m going to be upset because I am borderline going insane and reading waaay too much into this show and Stiles’ character and seriously. I would be so embarrassed if he read this and it was completely wrong, okay?
I’m a Film student. Not a Psychology student. And it shows. Because I want to talk about the psychological side of things, but I don’t have the training or the words and I’m sorry about that. It’s all word vomit.
Also, it goes against almost everything I’ve read about Stiles. Yeah, some people have said they were worried about how dark Stiles is but nothing like some of the stuff I’m talking about in this. Most people talk about how he’s the glue of the show. How he’s the heart of the pack. How he’s a perfect baby angel.Oh wait. That’s me.
This isn’t about Stiles’ relationship with Lydia. Or Scott. Or Derek. Or his father. It’s about his relationship with himself.
This is about Stiles’ jokes and sarcasm andhow they aren’t really funny. His comedy is also about 80% physical. Meaning, it’s how his face and body moves that makes him the funny guy, not his words. But he does have a few one liners that are memorable and make us laugh. Thing is, I think there are more to them than a chance to laugh. Because we all are starting to see that Stiles is about 10 times more than just the Comic Relief Sidekick (TM.) and he said it himself:
I’d also like to note that, I’ve been fast forwarding to all the Stiles parts and let me tell you, he’s a big mover of the plot. I’m pretty sure a non-watcher could watch all the just Stiles parts and be caught up just fine. That’s how important his character is to the plot. I never realized just how much of the action would not have happened if Stiles had not been in the thick of it, making it happen. Which says a lot about the kinda guy he is.
But seriously. The guy has a lot of guilt and selfishness and self-less-ness and he’s this giant walking contradiction that should be failing all his classes because of all the stress he’s under but he’s not.
He’s actually excelling under it. Except for his relationship with his father, the guy is actually taking everything in strides.
And no one is worried about that.
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“A dead body?”
“No, a body of water. Yes, dumbass, a dead body.”
Yeah yeah yeah, grasping at straws but water is important.
Jeff Davis even said so. But this really doesn’t have anything to do with what I want to talk about Stiles so. Just pointing out a theme of the show that’s been beating us over the head with a baseball bat.
Moving on to the good stuff.
“I think it’s called Lycanthropy.”
“What’s that, is it bad?”
“Oh yeah, it’s the worst. But only once a month. On the night of the full moon. Aroooo!”
“It’s not funny. There could be something seriously wrong with me!”
“I know! You’re a werewolf!”
Yeah. It was a joke for what it was. Irony omg. But this was days before Stiles was even considering the possibility. Stiles’ joke called it.
Never just take Stiles’ jokes at face value. Ever.
“Remember the joke from the other day? Not a joke anymore.”
Told you. He’s a serious mofo. The show told us that his jokes are more than jokes and we have only now started to understaaaaand.
“If I have to, I’ll chain you up myself on full moon nights and feed you live mice. I had a boa once, I could do it.”
He’s a) trying to cheer Scott up (and it works) but b) he’s also setting himself up for what SCOTT is going to have to go through. You can, at this point in the series, call him a really great friend. But knowing about him what we know now? There is also a big guilt factor into being the one that drug Scott out into the woods and he’s the reason Scott got bit. (Also inadequacy problems we see in regards to both Peter and his father but) people have talking about that a thousand times so I won’t go into it.
Thing is, he’s setting himself up to be okay with what he knows is going to be a gory time. Yeah, he’s joking to get Scott into a better mood…
But he’s smiling about it.
What if he catches us?”
“I have a plan for that.”
“Which is?”
“You run one way, I run the other, and whoever he catches first, too bad.”
Except, at this point, Stiles KNOWS that Scott is faster than him. He knows that Derek would catch him first. His plan isn’t a joke. It’s a fact he knows will protect Scott. Because his priority will always be the people that he loves, even in the thick of enjoying his delinquent activities. (What 16 year old kid would really want to dig up half of a dead body? We should BE WORRIED ABOUT THAT. Scott has reservations about it. Stiles doesn’t.)
We have collectively, as a fandom, considered Stiles to be the planner. The brains of the operation. The “clever one.”
Thing is, the guy tends to leap before he looks. That’s a very Gryffindor quality, but that singular trait about a Gryffindor is what tends to be their downfalls. They tend to go looking for trouble when they think they can help and end up a little bit in over their heads. Stiles has all the best intentions, maybe even a heck of a lot of courage, but the guy doesn’t always have the best ideas.
I think, sometimes, fandom forgets that about him.
“Just so you know, I’m not afraid of you.”
“Or maybe I am. It doesn’t matter.”
Because Stiles thinks that his own fear really doesn’t matter. He is not important enough for his fear to be a concern of the bigger picture. He gets in the police car, with a known werewolf, suspected of killing someone, ratted out by Stiles himself, and he just gets in. Like. Who does that?A silly Gryffindor does that but whatever. Also Stiles is totally a Hufflepuff but that isn’t the point of this post.
The point is, he thinks his fear doesn’t matter.
“I’ve never had a dream that felt like that.”
“Really? I have. Usually ends a little differently.”
Except, what if he’s talking about having nightmare dreams? IDK. Maybe it’s just a sex joke to be a sex joke. The one joke Stiles says that is actually face value.
Or also. Playing with the idea that Stiles likes violence and gore… Maybe he does have violent dreams and they end a bit differently than waking up screaming. Maybe he wakes up used to the dreams. But this is fanfiction territory. So it’s getting marked out because I don’t have any other instances of “Stiles has bad dreams” to go by and make this a valid theory. So.
“[maybe you] Ate it.”
“Raw?”
“No, you stopped to bake it in a little werewolf oven.”
I could be really mean and mention something about the Hale House fire, and how fire seems to be a continuous theme that is connected to werewolves but I won’t. Also, if season two’s theme is water, season one’s theme is fire. And then season three’s theme will be earth and season four’s will be air! And Lydia will be revealed as the new Avatar! And Jackson will regain his honor! OMg I’m stopping. Sorry.
Also. Scott is totally freaked out by the idea that he could have eaten something raw. Completely understandable reaction. Stiles, on the other hand, is totally on board with the idea, encouraging it, even. Like, his best friend suddenly slaughtering and ingesting raw rodents is completely normal.
WHY AREN’T WE WORRIED ABOUT THIS CHILD?
“I’m I not attractive to gay guys?”
“You didn’t answer my question.”
There is lots of speculation on what this means for Stiles’ sexuality and yada yada yada I’m not going to talk about that. My point, what I wanted to talk about is that for Stiles… the only way people really listen to him - and hear him - is when he’s cracking jokes. He’s constantly grabbing for people’s attention:
• “I need to do something.”
• “Can I help?”
• “I’m going to help.”
• “I can’t just sit here and do nothing.”
• “Hey, just listen to me for a second.”
Some of those are paraphrased but still. I just quick-marathoned season one and the guy is constantly fighting for someone to listen to him and to take him seriously. He uses humor and sarcasm to get his points across.
SO. When Stiles says a joke, he means something by it. It’s not just for a laugh. It’s a commentary on what’s going on in his head, on what he’s dealing with, on how he’s dealing with his best friend becoming a werewolf, how he’s dealing with the sudden new supernatural world he stumbled into.
In other words - if Stiles says a joke: pay attention. The pilot told us that with the “once a month” joke.
“How come you’re always Batman and I’m Robin?”
“Nobody is Batman and Robin any of the time.”
“Not even some of the time?”
I think, at this point, Stiles is actually excited to get dirty and gets upset when Scott basically pulls a Chuck “Stay In The Car” move on him.
Or, we can talk about how there is a payoff to this joke in season two when Stiles and Erica have a Batman/Catwoman conversation and Stiles finally gets to be Batman. That Stiles is finding his feet as “Batman,” that he’s not just a sidekick.
(And also, while I don’t have much Comic Book Know-how other than what I’ve seen in movies, of all the Super Heroes, Batman is a Big One that everyone at least KNOWS and he’s also the guy that
• Doesn’t have any super powers
• Gets by on his own strength and brains
• Has a sad history with his parents (Stiles’ mom)
• Has family ties to the city that he’s protecting (Stiles’ dad)
• Protects everyone by sketchy means
• Goes to really dark places in the name of good and justice
Yeah. Stiles fits all that. And Bruce Wayne is one messed up mother fu-er okay? Okay moving on.)
“Not if I’m forced to live vicariously through you.”
• Vicariously through Scott’s relationship with Allison.
• Vicariously on the side lines through Scott’s time on first string.
• Vicariously through Scott’s whole werewolf secret identity.Batman
Yeah. It’s more than just a sex joke. Stiles actually thinks that Scott has a more exciting life than him, and is just riding his shirt tailsoh bb boy.
He thinks he’s not important enough to lead his own life..
“Do you find me attractive?”
Again. When Stiles says a joke (and you can even argue that he wasn’t joking and being genuinely curious - it doesn’t matter the play off was for laughs in the audience) pay attention.
“Well, your werewolf crap has infiltrated my life and now I have to do something about it.”
Sarcastic liar. You are excited to be in the middle of a supernatural mess. You are trying to not let on that you are actually enjoying all this because you’ve seen how upset Scott gets when you are excited about it.
There is also the whole thing where he feels guilt for what’s happened to Scott, and therefore actually feels some kind of need and gets some kind of meaning in his life by helping Scott through everything.
“Besides, I’m a better Yoda than Derek.”
“Yeah you teach me”
“Yeah, I’ll be your Yoda.”
“Yeah, you’ll be my Yoda.”
“Your Yoda, I will be!”
HE’S GETTING TO HELP.
Not only that, he’s in a guiding role. He’s not Robin… he’s training Batman. He’s teaching Luke the Force.
And his words, actions, opinions, and suggestions are going to be taken seriously.
At this point, he’s been angry at Scott because Scott didn’t step in with the Mountain Lion and his father got hurt. But the moment Scott asked for help in the sense that he need to be taught something…
Stiles was there.
Because that makes Stiles important.
“You have something, Scott. You can do things that no one else can do. Which means you have to do something.”
If this doesn’t show Stiles’ drive to help Scott, I don’t know what does.
He’s involved, but right now he feels limited. And if Scott doesn’t do anything, then - vicariously - Stiles can’t do anything. He can’t play Batman and Robin anymore.
(It’s also a HUGE theme of the show. The Argents - Chris in particular - believes that the knowledge of the supernatural is WHY the Argents do what they do. Because they know, they have a responsibility to protect those that don’t. The Argents and Stiles do it for different reasons but still.)
With great power comes great responsibility.
“Personally I’m a fan of just ignoring a problem until it eventually just goes away.”
No you’re not.
You jump head first into a police cruiser to face the problem head on because you like solving problems. You like helping your father solve murders. You like listening in on the police scanner because you like knowing about problems.
You’re addicted to problems.
You just don’t want anyone to know it.
You don’t want anyone to know just how much you are enjoying this. Because Scott’s reactions to everything is the expected reactions: reserved, scared, upset, freaking out, panic attacks. But Stiles? Stiles is on his game. He’s found his groove, and he doesn’t want to lose it.
“Yeah, It was loud. And it was AWESOME.”
“Shut up.”
“Don’t be such a sour wolf.”
Yeah, Stiles likes his life.
I mean, we should be worried because he’s actually enjoying a world where his best friend is being hunted down just for existing - and for being something he never wanted to be in the first place - and a world where people are dying every day and people with machine guns are shooting at cars that he is in.
Like, we should be really worried.
But no. We think he’s this perfect angel child (and pshst he totally is, he’s totally still my favorite omg. but the thing is, your favorite can still be messed up.)
You know how “The Hurt Locker” explores the idea that “War is an addictive drug?”
Well, I think the same idea could be applied to Stiles. He’s a bit of an adrenaline junkie. He likes to be in the middle of problems. He likes solving them. It gives him meaning.
Even after a life and death situation inside the school, after it’s all said and done the guy says something along the lines of “we out lasted the Alpha!”
Not “survived the Alpha” not “we’re still alive!”
But “out lasted the Alpha.”
That’s a very specific phrase that leads me to believe that Stiles is liking the game that his world has become just a little too much.
“We have to do something. Kill it, hurt it, inflict mental anguish on it, something.”
I have always liked this line simply because Stiles goes from one extreme (killing the Alpha) to another (hurting the Alpha’s feelings) in the course of one sentence. But the thing is, he makes it sound like killing it would be the easiest option and causing “mental anguish” would be the worst. Like… least to greatest kinda deal.
But think about who the Alpha is.
Peter. He’s this shell of a guy, who has had the exact definition of “mental anguish” already inflicted upon him. It would be the more worse (worser?) option in the long run.
IDK I’ve always liked it.
(And, again, this is the real first time Stiles jumps to killing as an answer to his problems. He does it again later on with Jackson/the Kanima. It’s an easy solution. Not the ideal, but the easiest.)
“I’m not scared of this thing.”
Not looking before he jumps, folks.
Because he should be scared of the giant monster with glowing red eyes.
But he’s not.
“I’m not watching my dad get eaten alive.”
JUST BREAKS MY HEART EVERY TIME OKAY EVERY TIME.
Because. Well, knowing what we know about his mom now. That she died slowly on a hospital bed, Stiles can’t just stand to watch another parent die.
But the choice of words “watch my dad get eaten” as if calling for help - to save his life - he would be the cause of his father’s death.
Just
Knowing what we know. That Stiles thinks he’s this huge burden on his father. That he thinks he’s the cause for his mother’s death. I mean. It puts so much more on this statement. He stands his ground (even punching Jackson out - the first bit of physical violence we see the guy actually commit) so he won’t be the cause of another parent’s death.
Just. Ugh.
“Why are you talking about fish? I’m talking about girls. I love girls.”
You are also drunk, bb boy.
“I know it hurts. I know! No, I don’t know. But I know this! I know that as much as being broken up hurts, being alone is way worse!”
Again, it’s been talked about time and time again. How Stiles thinks that he’s alone in this world. How this line is about him and his self-worth issues. How it’s about Stiles never “getting the girl.” But I wanna talk about something I haven’t read.
I wanna talk about this in terms of pack.
I mean, look at the team of kiddos we have now, and how they work better as a team. Breaking up sucks, but as long as you aren’t alone, you’re still okay. It’s like being an Omega. Being an Omega means you are the lone wolf, and we all know what happens to a lone wolf. Being alone, on your own, without any support, is way worse than a little heartache.
But if you have the strength of a pack…
Imagine if Scott had to go through all this without Stiles. He would probably be dead. Or if Stiles had gone into the woods alone and he was bitten by Peter and didn’t have Scott to help him out. I’d be about 100% more worried about him than I am now. Even the book “On Fire” called Scott and Stiles “Litter mates.” If they didn’t have each other in all this - to keep each other grounded - then they would be off way worse than they are.
So yeah. Just one of the many themes the show has:
“Being alone is the worst thing that can happen to you.”
“You’re a horrible person.”
“I know, it keeps me awake at night.”
This is what caused this whole idea that his jokes aren’t just for laughs. That this isn’t just a throwaway joke. That Stiles is actually losing sleep because he thinks he’s a horrible person. That he knows that he’s enabling Scott’s werewolf life. That he’s the reason his best friend is being hunted. That he’s the reason his father's cholesterol is a concern. That he’s the reason for everyone to be involved in this whole mess because if he hadn’t drug Scott out into the woods to be his “partner in crime” then no one would be in the kind of danger they are in.
Or, at least, they’d all be happily ignorant of it all.
“Could you at least think about letting him die? For me?”
Again, some serious issues.
He’s not stupid. He knows that Derek is a valuable source of information on werewolves, strength and fire power against the Alpha, help when it comes to controlling Scott, but he’s this guy that really hasn’t done anything to him other than suck the fun out of howling over the school speaker system, glare at him, send a few empty threats his way, and shove him against a couple walls.
Yet, he still looks at Derek as though he’s in the way. I think he looks at Derek like he’s an annoyance (and in turn, Derek looks at Stiles as an annoyance. Derek and Stiles are both mentor type characters for Scott… and yet they have all this friction because THEY THINK THEY ARE THE ONE THAT’S RIGHT. And uuunngh parallels. Where Scott and Jackson are foils of one another, I believe Stiles and Derek are foils but OMG I’m getting close to shipping things oops.)
I believe that Stiles wants to be the ultimate werewolf guru in Scott’s life - and the only one.
Why?
Because he wants to be included. He wants to help. He wants to not just feel important, but BE important. And he knows that Derek is a more valuable source for EVERYTHING. All he has is google and a quick wit. So if Derek isn’t around then he really would be important… because he’d be all Scott’s got.
(And in my mind this is very selfish of him but whatever.)
He also doesn’t just feel guilt for what’s happened to Scott - that it could have been him with the bite instead - but because he’s actually enjoying his life since it happened to Scott. And he’s feeling guilt BECAUSE he’s enjoying it. So he does what he can to help Scott out.
Yeah, everyone he loves is in danger on a daily basis and he hates it - to the point he won’t call his own father for help because he thinks it’ll endanger his father’s life. But the point is, he thinks he’s worthless.
Expendable.
And he’s trying to prove otherwise.
…by letting Derek die…
Yeah… why aren’t we super worried about this kid?
“I shouldn’t say I told you so because it’s not strong enough. How about I’m always right and you should never disagree ever for the sake of your wolvlihood.”
Always trust Stiles.
Always.
~~~
And that’s that. I’m done with season one. Probably wont do season two unless I can get my hands on some downloads for some screen shots.
But basically, Stiles is not a funny guy. He’s a serious guy, with some serious issues, and he covers all of them up with humor. Because when he tries to be serious with people, they don’t pay attention.
So he puts up a mask. He tells jokes. And he gets to say “I told you so” later.
And I think this shows a lot about his crush on Lydia. He puts her on a pedestal, sure, but I think he admires her for more than her brains and beauty. I think he admires her for her mask. For her ability to fool everyone. So he tries to rise to occasion to impress her in that way. But this post isn’t about Stiles’ relationship to Lydia at all. It’s about Stiles and why we should be worried about him.
(Also… when it comes to the addiction to it all thing… I think Stiles has a wake up call the moment he sees Lydia unconscious, covered in blood, laying underneath a very dangerous Alpha werewolf. I think that’s why he said no to Peter in the parking garage. It was his turning point. The moment he realized just how dangerous his outlook could be. He saw the dangers of this life first hand. Up until that point, he hadn’t been a witness to any death or bloody violence other than Derek. (And remember, he’d rather Derek were out of the picture at this point.) Just thought it could happen, read about it, or heard about it from Scott or Derek. He, himself, had been in danger, yeah. But he’s not important enough to worry about, remember? He thinks he’s expendable.)
I would not be surprised, at all, in any fashion, if we saw Stiles break at some point in the future and deliver some very seriously dark shit. If all of this is right, I believe that Stiles is aware that he’s darker than everyone thinks he is and he doesn’t want to be a burden on anyone, so he hides it behind a helpful smile and a couple of jokes.
But he’s gonna break.
And he’s gonna do something dark. Maybe even something considered evil.
And I’m about 90% certain it’s going to happen if he doesn’t get some help, or reveal to SOMEONE that he’s more than a funny guy with a plan.
/omg i’m stopping before this is 100 pages long omg
source
And if any of you link this to Jeff Davis I’m going to be upset because I am borderline going insane and reading waaay too much into this show and Stiles’ character and seriously. I would be so embarrassed if he read this and it was completely wrong, okay?
I’m a Film student. Not a Psychology student. And it shows. Because I want to talk about the psychological side of things, but I don’t have the training or the words and I’m sorry about that. It’s all word vomit.
Also, it goes against almost everything I’ve read about Stiles. Yeah, some people have said they were worried about how dark Stiles is but nothing like some of the stuff I’m talking about in this. Most people talk about how he’s the glue of the show. How he’s the heart of the pack. How he’s a perfect baby angel.
This isn’t about Stiles’ relationship with Lydia. Or Scott. Or Derek. Or his father. It’s about his relationship with himself.
This is about Stiles’ jokes and sarcasm and
“I’m 147 pounds of skin and bones, sarcasm is really my only defense.”
I’d also like to note that, I’ve been fast forwarding to all the Stiles parts and let me tell you, he’s a big mover of the plot. I’m pretty sure a non-watcher could watch all the just Stiles parts and be caught up just fine. That’s how important his character is to the plot. I never realized just how much of the action would not have happened if Stiles had not been in the thick of it, making it happen. Which says a lot about the kinda guy he is.
But seriously. The guy has a lot of guilt and selfishness and self-less-ness and he’s this giant walking contradiction that should be failing all his classes because of all the stress he’s under but he’s not.
He’s actually excelling under it. Except for his relationship with his father, the guy is actually taking everything in strides.
And no one is worried about that.
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“A dead body?”
“No, a body of water. Yes, dumbass, a dead body.”
Yeah yeah yeah, grasping at straws but water is important.
Jeff Davis even said so. But this really doesn’t have anything to do with what I want to talk about Stiles so. Just pointing out a theme of the show that’s been beating us over the head with a baseball bat.
Moving on to the good stuff.
“I think it’s called Lycanthropy.”
“What’s that, is it bad?”
“Oh yeah, it’s the worst. But only once a month. On the night of the full moon. Aroooo!”
“It’s not funny. There could be something seriously wrong with me!”
“I know! You’re a werewolf!”
Yeah. It was a joke for what it was. Irony omg. But this was days before Stiles was even considering the possibility. Stiles’ joke called it.
Never just take Stiles’ jokes at face value. Ever.
“Remember the joke from the other day? Not a joke anymore.”
Told you.
“If I have to, I’ll chain you up myself on full moon nights and feed you live mice. I had a boa once, I could do it.”
He’s a) trying to cheer Scott up (and it works) but b) he’s also setting himself up for what SCOTT is going to have to go through. You can, at this point in the series, call him a really great friend. But knowing about him what we know now? There is also a big guilt factor into being the one that drug Scott out into the woods and he’s the reason Scott got bit. (Also inadequacy problems we see in regards to both Peter and his father but) people have talking about that a thousand times so I won’t go into it.
Thing is, he’s setting himself up to be okay with what he knows is going to be a gory time. Yeah, he’s joking to get Scott into a better mood…
But he’s smiling about it.
What if he catches us?”
“I have a plan for that.”
“Which is?”
“You run one way, I run the other, and whoever he catches first, too bad.”
Except, at this point, Stiles KNOWS that Scott is faster than him. He knows that Derek would catch him first. His plan isn’t a joke. It’s a fact he knows will protect Scott. Because his priority will always be the people that he loves, even in the thick of enjoying his delinquent activities. (What 16 year old kid would really want to dig up half of a dead body? We should BE WORRIED ABOUT THAT. Scott has reservations about it. Stiles doesn’t.)
We have collectively, as a fandom, considered Stiles to be the planner. The brains of the operation. The “clever one.”
Thing is, the guy tends to leap before he looks. That’s a very Gryffindor quality, but that singular trait about a Gryffindor is what tends to be their downfalls. They tend to go looking for trouble when they think they can help and end up a little bit in over their heads. Stiles has all the best intentions, maybe even a heck of a lot of courage, but the guy doesn’t always have the best ideas.
I think, sometimes, fandom forgets that about him.
“Just so you know, I’m not afraid of you.”
“Or maybe I am. It doesn’t matter.”
Because Stiles thinks that his own fear really doesn’t matter. He is not important enough for his fear to be a concern of the bigger picture. He gets in the police car, with a known werewolf, suspected of killing someone, ratted out by Stiles himself, and he just gets in. Like. Who does that?
The point is, he thinks his fear doesn’t matter.
“I’ve never had a dream that felt like that.”
“Really? I have. Usually ends a little differently.”
Except, what if he’s talking about having nightmare dreams? IDK. Maybe it’s just a sex joke to be a sex joke. The one joke Stiles says that is actually face value.
Or also. Playing with the idea that Stiles likes violence and gore… Maybe he does have violent dreams and they end a bit differently than waking up screaming. Maybe he wakes up used to the dreams. But this is fanfiction territory. So it’s getting marked out because I don’t have any other instances of “Stiles has bad dreams” to go by and make this a valid theory. So.
“[maybe you] Ate it.”
“Raw?”
“No, you stopped to bake it in a little werewolf oven.”
Also. Scott is totally freaked out by the idea that he could have eaten something raw. Completely understandable reaction. Stiles, on the other hand, is totally on board with the idea, encouraging it, even. Like, his best friend suddenly slaughtering and ingesting raw rodents is completely normal.
WHY AREN’T WE WORRIED ABOUT THIS CHILD?
“I’m I not attractive to gay guys?”
“You didn’t answer my question.”
There is lots of speculation on what this means for Stiles’ sexuality and yada yada yada I’m not going to talk about that. My point, what I wanted to talk about is that for Stiles… the only way people really listen to him - and hear him - is when he’s cracking jokes. He’s constantly grabbing for people’s attention:
• “I need to do something.”
• “Can I help?”
• “I’m going to help.”
• “I can’t just sit here and do nothing.”
• “Hey, just listen to me for a second.”
Some of those are paraphrased but still. I just quick-marathoned season one and the guy is constantly fighting for someone to listen to him and to take him seriously. He uses humor and sarcasm to get his points across.
SO. When Stiles says a joke, he means something by it. It’s not just for a laugh. It’s a commentary on what’s going on in his head, on what he’s dealing with, on how he’s dealing with his best friend becoming a werewolf, how he’s dealing with the sudden new supernatural world he stumbled into.
In other words - if Stiles says a joke: pay attention. The pilot told us that with the “once a month” joke.
“How come you’re always Batman and I’m Robin?”
“Nobody is Batman and Robin any of the time.”
“Not even some of the time?”
I think, at this point, Stiles is actually excited to get dirty and gets upset when Scott basically pulls a Chuck “Stay In The Car” move on him.
Or, we can talk about how there is a payoff to this joke in season two when Stiles and Erica have a Batman/Catwoman conversation and Stiles finally gets to be Batman. That Stiles is finding his feet as “Batman,” that he’s not just a sidekick.
(And also, while I don’t have much Comic Book Know-how other than what I’ve seen in movies, of all the Super Heroes, Batman is a Big One that everyone at least KNOWS and he’s also the guy that
• Doesn’t have any super powers
• Gets by on his own strength and brains
• Has a sad history with his parents (Stiles’ mom)
• Has family ties to the city that he’s protecting (Stiles’ dad)
• Protects everyone by sketchy means
• Goes to really dark places in the name of good and justice
Yeah. Stiles fits all that. And Bruce Wayne is one messed up mother fu-er okay? Okay moving on.)
“Not if I’m forced to live vicariously through you.”
• Vicariously through Scott’s relationship with Allison.
• Vicariously on the side lines through Scott’s time on first string.
• Vicariously through Scott’s whole werewolf secret identity.
Yeah. It’s more than just a sex joke. Stiles actually thinks that Scott has a more exciting life than him, and is just riding his shirt tails
He thinks he’s not important enough to lead his own life..
“Do you find me attractive?”
Again. When Stiles says a joke (and you can even argue that he wasn’t joking and being genuinely curious - it doesn’t matter the play off was for laughs in the audience) pay attention.
“Well, your werewolf crap has infiltrated my life and now I have to do something about it.”
Sarcastic liar. You are excited to be in the middle of a supernatural mess. You are trying to not let on that you are actually enjoying all this because you’ve seen how upset Scott gets when you are excited about it.
There is also the whole thing where he feels guilt for what’s happened to Scott, and therefore actually feels some kind of need and gets some kind of meaning in his life by helping Scott through everything.
“Besides, I’m a better Yoda than Derek.”
“Yeah you teach me”
“Yeah, I’ll be your Yoda.”
“Yeah, you’ll be my Yoda.”
“Your Yoda, I will be!”
HE’S GETTING TO HELP.
Not only that, he’s in a guiding role. He’s not Robin… he’s training Batman. He’s teaching Luke the Force.
And his words, actions, opinions, and suggestions are going to be taken seriously.
At this point, he’s been angry at Scott because Scott didn’t step in with the Mountain Lion and his father got hurt. But the moment Scott asked for help in the sense that he need to be taught something…
Stiles was there.
Because that makes Stiles important.
“You have something, Scott. You can do things that no one else can do. Which means you have to do something.”
If this doesn’t show Stiles’ drive to help Scott, I don’t know what does.
He’s involved, but right now he feels limited. And if Scott doesn’t do anything, then - vicariously - Stiles can’t do anything. He can’t play Batman and Robin anymore.
(It’s also a HUGE theme of the show. The Argents - Chris in particular - believes that the knowledge of the supernatural is WHY the Argents do what they do. Because they know, they have a responsibility to protect those that don’t. The Argents and Stiles do it for different reasons but still.)
“Personally I’m a fan of just ignoring a problem until it eventually just goes away.”
No you’re not.
You jump head first into a police cruiser to face the problem head on because you like solving problems. You like helping your father solve murders. You like listening in on the police scanner because you like knowing about problems.
You’re addicted to problems.
You just don’t want anyone to know it.
You don’t want anyone to know just how much you are enjoying this. Because Scott’s reactions to everything is the expected reactions: reserved, scared, upset, freaking out, panic attacks. But Stiles? Stiles is on his game. He’s found his groove, and he doesn’t want to lose it.
“Yeah, It was loud. And it was AWESOME.”
“Shut up.”
“Don’t be such a sour wolf.”
Yeah, Stiles likes his life.
I mean, we should be worried because he’s actually enjoying a world where his best friend is being hunted down just for existing - and for being something he never wanted to be in the first place - and a world where people are dying every day and people with machine guns are shooting at cars that he is in.
Like, we should be really worried.
But no. We think he’s this perfect angel child (and pshst he totally is, he’s totally still my favorite omg. but the thing is, your favorite can still be messed up.)
You know how “The Hurt Locker” explores the idea that “War is an addictive drug?”
The quote from the beginning of the movie, and that the rest of the movie explores:
• “War is a force that gives us meaning. The rush of battle is potent and often a lethal addiction, for war is a drug.”
• “War is a force that gives us meaning. The rush of battle is potent and often a lethal addiction, for war is a drug.”
Well, I think the same idea could be applied to Stiles. He’s a bit of an adrenaline junkie. He likes to be in the middle of problems. He likes solving them. It gives him meaning.
Even after a life and death situation inside the school, after it’s all said and done the guy says something along the lines of “we out lasted the Alpha!”
Not “survived the Alpha” not “we’re still alive!”
But “out lasted the Alpha.”
That’s a very specific phrase that leads me to believe that Stiles is liking the game that his world has become just a little too much.
“We have to do something. Kill it, hurt it, inflict mental anguish on it, something.”
I have always liked this line simply because Stiles goes from one extreme (killing the Alpha) to another (hurting the Alpha’s feelings) in the course of one sentence. But the thing is, he makes it sound like killing it would be the easiest option and causing “mental anguish” would be the worst. Like… least to greatest kinda deal.
But think about who the Alpha is.
Peter. He’s this shell of a guy, who has had the exact definition of “mental anguish” already inflicted upon him. It would be the more worse (worser?) option in the long run.
IDK I’ve always liked it.
(And, again, this is the real first time Stiles jumps to killing as an answer to his problems. He does it again later on with Jackson/the Kanima. It’s an easy solution. Not the ideal, but the easiest.)
“I’m not scared of this thing.”
Not looking before he jumps, folks.
Because he should be scared of the giant monster with glowing red eyes.
But he’s not.
“I’m not watching my dad get eaten alive.”
JUST BREAKS MY HEART EVERY TIME OKAY EVERY TIME.
Because. Well, knowing what we know about his mom now. That she died slowly on a hospital bed, Stiles can’t just stand to watch another parent die.
But the choice of words “watch my dad get eaten” as if calling for help - to save his life - he would be the cause of his father’s death.
Just
Knowing what we know. That Stiles thinks he’s this huge burden on his father. That he thinks he’s the cause for his mother’s death. I mean. It puts so much more on this statement. He stands his ground (even punching Jackson out - the first bit of physical violence we see the guy actually commit) so he won’t be the cause of another parent’s death.
Just. Ugh.
“Why are you talking about fish? I’m talking about girls. I love girls.”
You are also drunk, bb boy.
“I know it hurts. I know! No, I don’t know. But I know this! I know that as much as being broken up hurts, being alone is way worse!”
Again, it’s been talked about time and time again. How Stiles thinks that he’s alone in this world. How this line is about him and his self-worth issues. How it’s about Stiles never “getting the girl.” But I wanna talk about something I haven’t read.
I wanna talk about this in terms of pack.
I mean, look at the team of kiddos we have now, and how they work better as a team. Breaking up sucks, but as long as you aren’t alone, you’re still okay. It’s like being an Omega. Being an Omega means you are the lone wolf, and we all know what happens to a lone wolf. Being alone, on your own, without any support, is way worse than a little heartache.
But if you have the strength of a pack…
Imagine if Scott had to go through all this without Stiles. He would probably be dead. Or if Stiles had gone into the woods alone and he was bitten by Peter and didn’t have Scott to help him out. I’d be about 100% more worried about him than I am now. Even the book “On Fire” called Scott and Stiles “Litter mates.” If they didn’t have each other in all this - to keep each other grounded - then they would be off way worse than they are.
So yeah. Just one of the many themes the show has:
“Being alone is the worst thing that can happen to you.”
“You’re a horrible person.”
“I know, it keeps me awake at night.”
This is what caused this whole idea that his jokes aren’t just for laughs. That this isn’t just a throwaway joke. That Stiles is actually losing sleep because he thinks he’s a horrible person. That he knows that he’s enabling Scott’s werewolf life. That he’s the reason his best friend is being hunted. That he’s the reason his father's cholesterol is a concern. That he’s the reason for everyone to be involved in this whole mess because if he hadn’t drug Scott out into the woods to be his “partner in crime” then no one would be in the kind of danger they are in.
Or, at least, they’d all be happily ignorant of it all.
“Could you at least think about letting him die? For me?”
Again, some serious issues.
He’s not stupid. He knows that Derek is a valuable source of information on werewolves, strength and fire power against the Alpha, help when it comes to controlling Scott, but he’s this guy that really hasn’t done anything to him other than suck the fun out of howling over the school speaker system, glare at him, send a few empty threats his way, and shove him against a couple walls.
Yet, he still looks at Derek as though he’s in the way. I think he looks at Derek like he’s an annoyance (and in turn, Derek looks at Stiles as an annoyance. Derek and Stiles are both mentor type characters for Scott… and yet they have all this friction because THEY THINK THEY ARE THE ONE THAT’S RIGHT. And uuunngh parallels. Where Scott and Jackson are foils of one another, I believe Stiles and Derek are foils but OMG I’m getting close to shipping things oops.)
I believe that Stiles wants to be the ultimate werewolf guru in Scott’s life - and the only one.
Why?
Because he wants to be included. He wants to help. He wants to not just feel important, but BE important. And he knows that Derek is a more valuable source for EVERYTHING. All he has is google and a quick wit. So if Derek isn’t around then he really would be important… because he’d be all Scott’s got.
(And in my mind this is very selfish of him but whatever.)
He also doesn’t just feel guilt for what’s happened to Scott - that it could have been him with the bite instead - but because he’s actually enjoying his life since it happened to Scott. And he’s feeling guilt BECAUSE he’s enjoying it. So he does what he can to help Scott out.
Yeah, everyone he loves is in danger on a daily basis and he hates it - to the point he won’t call his own father for help because he thinks it’ll endanger his father’s life. But the point is, he thinks he’s worthless.
Expendable.
And he’s trying to prove otherwise.
…by letting Derek die…
Yeah… why aren’t we super worried about this kid?
“I shouldn’t say I told you so because it’s not strong enough. How about I’m always right and you should never disagree ever for the sake of your wolvlihood.”
Always trust Stiles.
Always.
~~~
And that’s that. I’m done with season one. Probably wont do season two unless I can get my hands on some downloads for some screen shots.
But basically, Stiles is not a funny guy. He’s a serious guy, with some serious issues, and he covers all of them up with humor. Because when he tries to be serious with people, they don’t pay attention.
So he puts up a mask. He tells jokes. And he gets to say “I told you so” later.
And I think this shows a lot about his crush on Lydia. He puts her on a pedestal, sure, but I think he admires her for more than her brains and beauty. I think he admires her for her mask. For her ability to fool everyone. So he tries to rise to occasion to impress her in that way. But this post isn’t about Stiles’ relationship to Lydia at all. It’s about Stiles and why we should be worried about him.
(Also… when it comes to the addiction to it all thing… I think Stiles has a wake up call the moment he sees Lydia unconscious, covered in blood, laying underneath a very dangerous Alpha werewolf. I think that’s why he said no to Peter in the parking garage. It was his turning point. The moment he realized just how dangerous his outlook could be. He saw the dangers of this life first hand. Up until that point, he hadn’t been a witness to any death or bloody violence other than Derek. (And remember, he’d rather Derek were out of the picture at this point.) Just thought it could happen, read about it, or heard about it from Scott or Derek. He, himself, had been in danger, yeah. But he’s not important enough to worry about, remember? He thinks he’s expendable.)
I would not be surprised, at all, in any fashion, if we saw Stiles break at some point in the future and deliver some very seriously dark shit. If all of this is right, I believe that Stiles is aware that he’s darker than everyone thinks he is and he doesn’t want to be a burden on anyone, so he hides it behind a helpful smile and a couple of jokes.
But he’s gonna break.
And he’s gonna do something dark. Maybe even something considered evil.
And I’m about 90% certain it’s going to happen if he doesn’t get some help, or reveal to SOMEONE that he’s more than a funny guy with a plan.
/omg i’m stopping before this is 100 pages long omg
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