Teen Wolf recap: Season 6, Episode 5

After weeks of nothing but questions and doubt, we finally have an answer as to where Stiles is…sort of. Hey, at least we have a way to communicate with him. Again, sort of. Let’s just get into this, shall we?

The episode begins by checking in with Stiles, whom we haven’t seen since the Ghost Riders took him in the season premiere. And this entire time, it seems he’s been…sitting in a train station? Pretty much. With his car keys still in his hand, Stiles is sitting on a bench at train station 137 — which has to end up meaning something, right? — where he has been for a total of six hours, which isn’t as long as I thought. (Is time different in this “dimension”?)

Stiles is surrounded by fellow would-be train passengers, but they all appear to be in some sort of trance, totally oblivious to the fact there’s quite literally dust gathering at the ticket booth because this is not an actual train station. Just as Stiles starts to ask questions, the Ghost Riders return to drop off more Beacon Hills residents, and seconds before Stiles is about to come face-to-face with a Ghost Rider, it’s Peter who pulls him out of harm’s way. Guess we know where Peter’s been!

But what we don’t know is how Peter escaped Eichen, where we last saw him get locked in a cell with Dr. Valack and his creepy third eye. Peter himself doesn’t remember until he forces himself to: Just as he was alone in his cell — somehow Valack was already “treating Lydia” at that point — carving a spiral, otherwise known as the werewolf-pack symbol for revenge, into the floor, the power shut off and his cell door opened. Wait, let’s back up… Remember last season, when Scott and his pack went on a rescue mission to get Lydia out of Eichen and Hayden destroyed that transformer, thereby cutting off all power to Eichen? That’s when Peter quite literally walked free. But he didn’t get far before the Ghost Riders found him and shot him.

So now he’s at this “train station,” where he’s been for three months. Stiles fills him in on the Ghost Rider of it all and Peter immediately decides they’re stuck, mostly because Beacon Hills doesn’t have a train station. Stiles, however, is determined to find a way out, even if the train-station doors literally don’t lead anywhere.

Just then, Peter realizes someone is watching them. Turns out, not everyone here is catatonic. Another outlaw claims the only way out is through the dark tunnel the Ghost Riders use. Furthermore, this guy has a plan to get out: The next time the Ghost Riders pay a visit, he’s going to hop on the back of one of the horses and ride with them as they go through whatever supernatural portal exists at the end of the tunnel.

Long story short: His plan does not work, and instead, he’s burned to death the second he hits the barrier/portal — as in, he’s now a pile of ashes. At least we can check that off as a bad option.

With that, Peter’s ready to give up. Taking Stiles’ wallet and keys, he tries to tell the kid none of those things matter because “We don’t exist, and we are already forgotten.” But Stiles knows his friends, and as he tells Peter, “Somebody’s gonna remember me… They’ll come for me. But who would ever come for you?” BOOM. TAKE THAT, PETER.

Speaking of Stiles’ “high-school sweethearts,” they’re currently so, so close to remembering him. As Scott — in an amazing hoodie, by the way — and Lydia sit in class, something catches Lydia’s eye: A tow truck has pulled into the parking lot to take Roscoe away. Lydia’s not sure why, but she quickly heads outside to stop it. It ends up costing her and Scott $150 — what teen has that much cash on them? — but they manage to save Roscoe for another day. Now, if only they knew why it was important.

NEXT: Peter makes a bold move

Meanwhile, back in the train station, Stiles gets an idea when an announcement — which mirrors the “following stops have been canceled” Lydia heard — comes over the intercom. Stiles and Peter then follow the intercom wires to the radio room, where they successfully create a frequency that Scott, Lydia, and Malia follow to the Jeep.

It doesn’t last long because the Ghost Riders show back up, but it serves a purpose: It gets Scott, Malia, and Lydia inside the Jeep, and Scott quickly picks up on all three of their scents. They’ve been here before. Furthermore, Lydia finds the deed to the car, which they trace back to the Stilinski household. Claudia, who’s becoming more and more suspicious with time, claims she hasn’t seen the Jeep in almost 18 years because it was stolen. She then puts a halt on all of Lydia’s plans. According to her, Lydia needs to let it go.

Instead, Lydia walks to the hallway where she once peeled back the wallpaper and cries. As the camera zooms out… She’s sitting back to back with Stiles.

As for Stiles, he’s still in the train station when the Ghost Riders drop off Gwen, who’s reunited with her sister, Phoebe. Just then, Peter looks at the board and notices something about the “stops.” Suddenly, he’s convinced the Ghost Riders are never going to stop, which means Peter is going to try to go through the portal. Sure, it might scorch him, but he’s a werewolf, which means he will heal.

Peter claims that if he survives, he’s going to get as far away from Beacon Hills as possible, but Stiles knows he’s doing all of this for Malia. With that, we flash back to Peter’s escape from Eichen — when he heard Malia get trapped during lockdown — which maybe implies he helped free her and Kira? I’m not sure, but what I am sure of is he hops on the back of a Ghost Rider’s horse and successfully makes it through the portal.

Don’t get me wrong: He’s totally scorched. But he still manages to roar through the pain, leading Scott and Malia right to him.

It’s Malia who recognizes him first, and suddenly, they both remember Peter Hale as Malia’s father and the one who bit Scott. More importantly, Peter has something in his hand: Stiles’ keys!

While Lydia and Scott start the Jeep, Stiles looks at the board in the train station; when he, too, realizes something, he tries the radio trick one more time. And he gets through! When Stiles asks Lydia if she remembers anything he said to her, she does. “You said, ‘Remember I love you.'” YEAH HE DID, LYDIA.

Stiles tells them to find Canaan, a stop on the train-station board, before he loses the connection. And then, he’s gone again.

Altogether, I loved the Stiles-Peter stuff, and I’m so happy we’re finally making some progress on this mystery.