Incendiary

**Incendiary** is the fifth episode of the first season of the Paramount+ original supernatural drama, *Wolf Pack*. It aired on February 23, 2023.

## Synopsis

The unknown caller leads the pack to the site of an attack; to protect their friends, Everett, Blake, Luna and Harlan crash a party; the task force follows a trail to an abandoned construction site where they discover the fire's point of origin.

## Plot

12-year-old Harlan is in the woods with Garrett trying to learn how to control his super hearing, but he's struggling, causing Garrett to suspect that he's distracting Harlan. And so, he instructs young Harlan to follow the trail and see what he can hear when he's alone. Every time he's been able to hear things, he wasn't trying, it simply happened, meaning it can't be forced. Garrett advises Harlan to learn to hear before he can listen and sends Harlan on his way. As instructed, Harlan traverses the trail. However, he gets startled at the sound of growling and a consistent heartbeat. Someone is watching him, and Harlan flees for cover, taking refuge in a den, where he comes face to face with a wolf.

Present day, Harlan listens for the werewolf before leaving the house with Luna to meet up with Blake and Everett at his house, where they discuss the missing cop, as well as Blake's brother, who the werewolf could've killed if Everett didn't find him first. Blake suspects it went after Danny because he hit her, confirming their theory that the werewolf is protecting its pack, which is the same reason it killed Officer Miller. Everett wonders about Connor and why he wasn't treated as part of the pack, though his bite was different and didn't have the same effect, which Luna believes has something to do with his broken leg, making him too weak to join the pack. Everett then gets a call from the unknown caller, but he's reluctant to answer. Luna's phone rings next, and then Harlan's, who finally decides to answer, only to get a high-pitched ringing sound in his ear. The caller then calls Everett again. This time he answers, and the caller tells the story of Lycaon, the king of Arcadia, who built a temple to honor Zeus but tried feeding him human flesh. Zeus didn't like that, so he destroyed Lycaon's kingdom with lightning bolts and turned him into a wolf, making him the first werewolf. Everett receives a third call from the anonymous caller, and this time, they reveal that the werewolf kills every night, and now it's killing for them. It kills to serve a predatory drive, an urge too powerful to resist. It hunts, kills, and then hides, sleeping until the next night. Only they can stop it, but they have to do it together. The caller then shares a location with Everett.

The pack drives to the location shared with them by the unknown caller. Assuming the werewolf is picking up on their emotions, Luna suggests they remain unemotional. When they arrive at the scene of the crime, they find a car tipped over in an alleyway. Inside is Nurse Hughes, who remembers Everett from the hospital. She was with Dr. Salgado, who was taken into the woods by the werewolf. Everett and Harlan struggle to pry the door open whilst Blake and Luna pull her out. Unfortunately, they're too slow, and the werewolf kills Nurse Hughes as well, causing them to retreat to the car and flee the scene. With everyone panicking, Luna exclaims for them to calm down. The werewolf is killing every night on their behalf. It's up to them to figure out who it's going after tomorrow night and stop it.

Garrett, Investigator Ramsey, and Officer Jang arrive at Gray Lakes High School, specifically the robotics class, where Ramsey reveals that she knew the arsonist was a student because the incendiary device was made with parts from the 3D printer at the school. Class begins, and as students fill the room, Officer Jang points out Cyrus as the kid who said the construction site was a good place to watch the fire.

Everett, Blake, Harlan, and Luna convene in the school bathroom, where they discuss Cyrus potentially being the arsonist. Everett also reveals that the caller shared another location, this time being Tia's house, which correlates with Harlan having overheard that she was having a kickback. Blake doubts they'd be allowed in, but Harlan assures them he has something that will guarantee them access. Unlike Everett, Harlan explains that his power works all the time, encouraging Everett to go to the gym and work on his strength.

Ramsey follows up with Cyrus, who never knew his father, as he died fighting a wildfire 17 years ago right after Cyrus was born. Ramsey is asking about his father because she's finding some interesting connections between the fires now and then, namely Cyrus and a couple other students.

Harlan meets with Cody at the gym to score some drugs. He asks Harlan if he came to the gym solely to buy or if he's staying to work out. Harlan claims he has to be quick, as he has a party to attend later, to which Cody replies that an invitation might get him a discount. Harlan then notices Everett working out in the gym and decides to stay for a bit.

Everett tests the limits of his strength, adding more weights as time passes. Harlan joins him and even challenges Everett to determine who's stronger between the two of them, with Everett displaying his superior strength. Refusing to accept defeat, Harlan adds more weight than he can lift and looks to Everett to rerack the bar. However, Everett's momentary assistance leads to Harlan lifting the weights on his own through his shared connection with Everett, if only for a few seconds. They need to figure out how to share their abilities willingly. Everett tried to use Harlan's hearing the other day, but the only thing he heard was his mom saying how much she hates him. Harlan recalls the first time he intentionally used his hearing was when he was 12-years-old and in the woods, which was also the first time he saw his real father, who looked like a regular wolf then. It's hard to explain, but Harlan could feel the connection between them, though Everett questions how his father could go from a real wolf to a 7ft tall monster and if maybe there's a way to change him back.

That night, the pack convenes at Tia's with shrooms, which Harlan uses to bargain their way into the kickback, much to Phoebe's dismay, who attempts to block their entry. Tia gleefully accepts the shrooms and passes them throughout the party.

Austin accepts a shroom whereas Luna declines, though she claims to have taken them in the past, which Austin is skeptical of, making fun of Luna, who realizes that he's an asshole. Everett approaches and advises Luna to not look at Austin as if she wants to kill him.

Before long, Cody arrives at a party with an invitation from Harlan and brings more shrooms. Harlan's taken a shroom, and Blake is on her second, though Everett and Luna remain sober considering they came to save someone's life, not get high, though Harlan insists he's fine. He even encourages Everett to take one to help with his anxiety.

Prisha guides Garrett, Ramsey, and Jang through the abandoned construction site, which the developers stopped building about three years ago when they ran out of money, and now it's just another strain on the environment, which leads Ramsey to questions Prisha about her past involvement with several radical environmental groups, but that was back in her 20s after college, and she doesn't see them as radical, nor was she convicted of arson, Garrett adds. The four of them then watch as the fire burns, but there's no security camera to determine just how many times they kids were here. Ramsey now wants to know how Garrett found Harlan and Luna, which just so happened to be the same wildfire in which Cyrus' father died. Garrett can't speak for the latter, but Harlan and Luna were abandoned in the woods with no sign of their parents. Garrett offered to foster them until room was made available at Social Services. Two months later, Social Services claimed to find a family for the twins, but Garrett was already attached. She wonders what made him take on such a responsibility. Garrett asks himself that question every time he fights with Harlan. Ramsey can relate. After a certain age, all she and her son ever did was fight, but he then died in a fire.

Back at Tia's, Luna gives Blake a swimsuit to wear, explaining that it's so she can see herself. The two of them then get in the pool and are joined by Everett shortly after.

Ramsey shows Garrett satellite photos taken one hour after the fires were started, with two clear origin points. Ramsey theorizes that the arsonist set them in the woods and came back to the construction site to watch them burn. Garrett concludes that not only were both fires started at the same time, but that the arsonist set both fires from the construction site using drones they built in robotic classes at the school.

Cyrus becomes jealous after noticing Harlan staring at Cody and questions what he's into. Cody replies that he likes shrooms, leading Cyrus to ask if he likes them with girls, boys, or both, but Cody doesn't like to label himself. Cyrus retorts that everyone likes labels and that it's all people care about. Noticing the tension between them, Harlan asks Cyrus if he has anything to smoke.

Harlan and Cyrus sneak off to get high, away from everyone else. He asks if Cyrus was being rude to Cody out of jealousy, which he admits he was. Cyrus then says Harlan should ask him out on a date, but Harlan claims he doesn't date. He then heats growling coming from the woods, but when Cyrus asks if he's alright, Harlan claims the weed is hitting him harder than expected. He then asks for Cyrus' phone and saves his number. However, when Harlan calls himself from Cyrus' phone, the screen reads "No Caller ID," identical to when the unknown caller called him.

Luna wanders through the house alone until stumbling upon Austin playing the piano. She used to play a little herself and performs Beethoven's *Moonlight Sonata*. Austin begins playing as well, much to her amazement. She asks why he's such an asshole most of the time, to which he replies that it's his default setting, blaming his parents. She then asks him to play something else, maybe something that makes her think he's not such an asshole, so Austin plays a gentle piece.

Blake asks to borrow Everett's towel, as there's none left in the house. She then confronts him about his anxiety, as she could feel it earlier, asking what he usually does to calm himself. Everett explains that he typically does breath work, or yoga, as well as listening to music with different frequencies, such as brown and pink noises, which he then plays for Blake, who he urges to get a phone, as it would make it a lot easier. Often, he lies awake and thinks about her and all the things he wants to tell her, but he can never text her. So then he thinks to himself that he'll tell her tomorrow, but then he doesn't. She wonders what it is he wants to tell her. In response, Everett kisses Blake.

Ramsey instructs the security guard to open up the elevator door. As he goes to retrieve the keys, Jang gets a call that they got the warrant. And so, she sends them ahead while she waits for the guard to return with the elevator keys.

Phoebe accosts Blake for coming to the party uninvited and tells her to leave, accusing them of ruining her night. She claims that she never did anything to Blake, but then Harlan plays the message Phoebe left on his phone aimed at Blake after her car tires were slashed. Harlan proceeds to send the recording to Austin, who remixes the message and plays it over the speaker, which the crowd begins to chant, even Tia. As Phoebe grows upset, as well as Luna, Blake takes his phone and throws it in the pool. Upset, he confronts Blake until Everett comes to her defense. Austin then dives into the pool to retrieve his phone, at which point he sees the werewolf and returns to the surface, scurrying inside the house, with the rest of the party following him inside and locking the doors as the werewolf exits the pool.

The security guard returns with the keys and allows Ramsey into the elevator, where they discover a pile of bodies in the shaft. When the guard asks who put them down there, she replies a werewolf is responsible and hits the security guard over the head with her flashlight before sending him down the shaft, effectively killing him.

## Cast

* Bella Shepard as Blake Navarro
* Chloe Rose Robertson as Luna Briggs
* Tyler Lawrence Gray as Harlan Briggs
* Rodrigo Santoro as Garrett Briggs
* Sarah Michelle Gellar as Kristin Ramsey
* Rio Mangini as Austin
* Lanny Joon as Officer Jason Jang
* Hollie Bahar as Ranger Prisha

Co-starring* Bailey Stender as Phoebe
* Stella Smith as Tia
* Zack Nelson as Cyrus Nix
* Rainer Dawn as Cody
* Julian Wanderer as Young Harlan
* De'variyay Harris as Damon
* Blaise Reyes as Marco
* Si Chen as Raya
* Dani Liggens as Emma
* Patience Dodson as Ashley
* Nobi Nakanishi as Vice Principal Kasai
* Bria Brimmer as Nurse Hughes
* Blayne Weaver as Security Guard Maguire
* Holly Firfer as News Anchor Kelsey Madden
* Aaron Robey as Bodybuilder Ronnie