Formality

**Formality** is the eleventh episode of Season 1 and of the *Teen Wolf* series.

## Synopsis

A winter formal is held at the school. Scott struggles to protect both his friends and enemies while also keeping his secret safe from Allison.

## Plot

The winter formal is coming up at the school. Kate explains about werewolves and werewolf hunters to Allison by using Derek as an example. While the vet is taking care of Scott, he is accosted by Peter, who threatens him. The vet however, refuses to give Scott to him. Peter throws furniture at the wall next to him when he is unable to approach due to mountain ash.

Coach Finstock informs Scott that due to his academic standing, he won't be allowed to attend the dance. This concerns Scott and Stiles, who are aware that the Alpha werewolf is after Allison. Scott pleads with Jackson into asking Allison to the dance to protect her. When Jackson refuses, Scott shifts into a werewolf and forces Jackson to ask her, while Allison convinces Lydia to ask Stiles.

They go shopping for formal clothes, where Peter approaches Allison. However, Scott's quick thinking pulls her away from him. That evening, Kate speaks to Derek, revealing that the two were in a relationship at one point but that she betrayed him. Kate figures out that Scott is the second Beta werewolf.

At the dance, Jackson has gotten drunk and is reluctant to spend time with Allison. Stiles has success in wooing Lydia but she is on the lookout for Jackson. Scott also arrives and confesses to Allison that he loves her, leading to a kiss. Jackson drunkenly stumbles into the woods and sees what he thinks is a werewolf. He demands to be changed, only to see that the silhouettes are that of werewolf hunters, led by Mr. Argent. Jackson reveals Scott's identity to them. Lydia leaves to find Jackson. Stiles finds Jackson instead, who is in a confused daze. Lydia walks out to the field, where she is brutally attacked by Peter. Peter asks Stiles where Derek is, threatening to kill an unconscious Lydia. Scott and Allison go to the school buses for privacy and Allison enters a bus, beckoning Scott to come in. Before he can, Scott is blocked in between two cars, one of which is driven by Chris Argent. By the time Scott looks up, he has transformed into a werewolf, revealing his identity to a horrified Allison.

## Cast

### Main Cast

* Tyler Posey as Scott McCall
* Crystal Reed as Allison Argent
* Dylan O'Brien as Stiles Stilinski
* Tyler Hoechlin as Derek Hale
* Holland Roden as Lydia Martin
* Colton Haynes as Jackson Whittemore

### Supporting Cast

* JR Bourne as Chris Argent
* Linden Ashby as Sheriff Stilinski
* Orny Adams as Coach Bobby Finstock
* Melissa Ponzio as Melissa McCall
* Jill Wagner as Kate Argent
* Ian Bohen as Peter Hale
* Seth Gilliam as Dr. Alan Deaton
* Keahu Kahuanui as Danny Mahealani

### Guest Cast

* Kids of 88 (Special Appearance)
* Jeff Rose as Mr. Martin
* Damon Jackson as Danny's Prom Date
* Adam C. Edwards as Tyhurst
* David Calhoun as Marcus (as Stephen Calhoun)
* Sam McCarthy as Band Member #1
* Jordan Arts as Band Member #2
* Frances Cobb as Teacher
* Marvin Duerkholz as Cody

## Continuity

* The Argent family finally learns that Scott McCall is a Werewolf in this episode through various means.
	+ Allison Argent learns after witnessing Scott being forced to shift into Werewolf form in front of her. She first learned that Werewolves exist (and that her family are Hunters) in *Co-Captain*.
	+ Chris Argent (and, by proxy, Victoria) learns after Chris forced Jackson to tell him who the second Beta was, which was then confirmed when he forced Scott to shift into his Werewolf form.
	+ Kate finally learns after putting the pieces together during a one-sided conversation with Derek.
* Allison references Lydia's make-out session with Scott in this episode, which occurred in *Lunatic*.
* Lydia is attacked and bitten by Peter Hale in this episode. Though it is initially assumed that Peter did this in hopes that she'd become a Werewolf who would join his pack with Scott and Derek Hale, he later revealed in Season 3B's *Letharia Vulpina* that he eventually figured out that she was a Banshee and had bitten her knowing that it would give them a connection he could use to resurrect himself in case he was killed.
	+ It was also revealed in *Letharia Vulpina* that it was Peter's bite that triggered Lydia's Banshee powers and forced them to manifest, though it was implied in *Time of Death* that they would have emerged on their own in time anyway.
* Scott is technically barred from attending the Winter Formal because of his poor grades, though he does end up sneaking in anyway. It was first revealed that his grades were suffering as a result of his supernatural extracurricular activities in *Pack Mentality*.
* Derek continues to be held hostage by Kate and her associates underneath the Hale House ruins after being captured in *Co-Captain*.
* Melissa suggests Scott metaphorically tattoo his feelings for Allison on his arm when she describes how he can tell her how much he loves her. This ends up being a sort of foreshadowing in Season 3 when Scott, who had been planning to get his first tattoo at age eighteen for the last few years, gets a tattoo in the season premiere, *Tattoo*. He explained that in Samoan, the word "tattoo" means "open wound," and that he decided to get his armband tattoo to symbolize the "open wound" left in his heart from his break-up with Allison.
* This episode marks the first time that Mountain Ash is used and mentioned, as it was revealed that Alan Deaton's animal clinic has the substance in the front gate of the lobby, preventing any supernatural from coming into the back without his permission. Mountain Ash will continue to play an important role in the show's mythology throughout the series.
* Deaton demonstrates once again that he is more than he appears to be when he seemingly prevents the chair that Peter Hale throws at him from making contact with his body—instead, it looks as though it shatters before it can even hit the wall beside him. This mysterious history was first indicated in *Night School*, when Deaton manages to escape from inside the trunk of Derek's Camaro.
* It is finally revealed in this episode that Derek and Kate had a romantic relationship in the past, which was first hinted in *The Tell*. However, Kate implied that she tricked him into dating her, which suggests she concealed the fact that she was a Hunter from him.
	+ During this same conversation, Kate references the fact that history seems to be repeating itself, which leads her to realize the parallel between her relationship with Derek and what is happening in the present day—namely, that Scott, who is the Derek in this scenario, is a Beta Werewolf who is in love with an Argent Hunter, Allison, who is the Kate in this scenario. The main difference between these two relationships is that Scott's love for Allison is reciprocated, whereas Kate never loved Derek back and was simply using him for information about the Hale Pack.
	+ The theme of history repeating is a major one that will continue throughout the series.
* Scott realizes that his phone is missing in this episode. It will later be revealed that Derek stole in it hopes that they could use the GPS to find out where Kate brought him after capturing him.
* Allison and Scott attempt to break into a school bus in order to make out during the dance, which is a parallel to Scott's dream in *Pack Mentality.*

## Trivia

* The title refers to the Winter Formal dance at Beacon Hills High School, where the majority of the action in the episode occurs.
* The usual romantic couples on the series are split up and recombined in this episode: Allison attended as Jackson's date (after Scott convinced him to take her so he could protect her from Peter, since he technically wasn't allowed to attend), and Lydia attended as Stiles' date (after Allison forced Lydia to go as his date in penance for making out with Scott while Allison and Scott were broken up).
* The Kids of 88 are featured in this episode as the band playing at Beacon Hills High School's Winter Formal.

## Locations

* Hale House
	+ Cellar
* Beacon Hills Animal Clinic
* McCall House
	+ Scott's Bedroom
* Argent House
	+ Allison's Bedroom
* Beacon Hills High School
	+ Locker Room
	+ Gymnasium
	+ Parking Lot
	+ Lacrosse Field
* Macy's Department Store

## Soundtrack

* "One I Love" by Drug Cabin
	+ Melissa helps Scott get ready for the dance by sewing up a hole in Scott's suit
* "Just A Little Bit" by Kids of 88
	+ The Winter Formal begins at the high school
* "Ribbons of Light" by Kids of 88
	+ Allison and Scott dance while Argent confronts Jackson in the parking lot
* "Raise Your Weapon" by Deadmau5
	+ Scott and Allison sneak away from the dance to make out in a bus
* "Angel Eyes" by Taxicab Racers
	+ Scott and Allison kiss outside
* "Night Song" by Our Broken Garden
	+ Scott and Stiles talk in Scott's bedroom while he searches for his phone
* "Aim to Lose" by Hot Streets
	+ Coach tells Scott he can't come to the dance because of his poor grades
* "Starstruck" by Parade of Lights
	+ Allison and Lydia shop for Winter Formal dresses at Macy's
* "Chrome Disco" by You Love Her Coz She's Dead
	+ Peter creeps on Allison at Macy's while Scott watches from afar
* "Sledgehammer" by Art vs. Science
	+ Students begin to arrive at the dance
* "Taste of Heaven" by The Chain Gang of 1974
	+ Stiles and Lydia arrives at the dance
* "Universe" by Kids of 88
	+ Scott slow dances with Danny to prevent Coach from kicking him out
* "Not Just A Girl" by She Wants Revenge
	+ Stiles and Lydia slow-dance, and Stiles realizes that Lydia is worried about Jackson
* "Human Emotion" by Digital Daggers
	+ Scott and Allison slow dance
* "Show Us Love" by Taxicab Racers
	+ Scott can't take his eyes off of Allison while they dance together

## Gallery

*Teen Wolf Wiki* has 32 images related to ***Formality***.