A Credible Threat

**A Credible Threat** is the seventeenth episode of Season 5 and the seventy-seven episode of the series.

## Summary

Scott and his pack use a charity lacrosse game in a deadly gambit to figure out the identity of the Beast.

## Cast

### Main Cast

* Tyler Posey as Scott McCall
* Dylan O'Brien as Stiles Stilinski
* Holland Roden as Lydia Martin
* Arden Cho as Kira Yukimura
* Shelley Hennig as Malia Tate
* Dylan Sprayberry as Liam Dunbar

### Supporting Cast

* JR Bourne as Chris Argent
* Melissa Ponzio as Melissa McCall
* Linden Ashby as Sheriff Stilinski
* Orny Adams as Coach Bobby Finstock
* Ryan Kelley as Deputy Jordan Parrish
* Khylin Rhambo as Mason Hewitt
* Marisol Nichols as the Desert Wolf
* Victoria Moroles as Hayden Romero
* Michael Johnston as Corey
* Meagan Tandy as Braeden
* Michael Hogan as Gerard Argent
* Cody Saintgnue as Brett Talbot
* Lily Bleu Andrew as Lorilee Rohr
* Claire Bryétt Andrew as Sydney (uncredited)

### Guest Cast

* Kara Ebensberger as Kathleen Cassidy
* B.J. Clinkscales as Cameraman
* Brian Maierhofer as Referee

## Continuity

* Brett Talbot appears in this episode. He was last seen in Season 5A's *Dreamcatchers*.
* Lorilee Rohr appears in this episode. She was last seen in Season 4's *Monstrous*.
* The Desert Wolf appears in this episode. She was last seen in *The Sword and the Spirit*.
* Bobby Finstock appears in this episode. He was last seen in Season 4's *Smoke and Mirrors*, and it was confirmed that he has been in rehab for his alleged alcohol addiction for the last seven months, explaining his absence throughout Season 5A.
* Peter Hale is mentioned in this episode by Lydia and Scott when they referenced the fact that, after he killed Laura Hale and became an Alpha, he got stronger with each full moon until his burns finally finished healing in Season 1's *Wolf's Bane*.
	+ Peter was last seen in Season 4's *Smoke and Mirrors*, and was last mentioned by Gabriel Valack in Season 5A's *A Novel Approach*.
* Kira's Kitsune spirit takes control over Kira in this episode, which has not happened since *Codominance*.
	+ She is also shown speaking fluent Japanese in this episode. She was first shown unconsciously speaking Japanese when she yelled "Watashi wa shi no shisha da" ("I am the Messenger of Death") in Japanese in *Condition Terminal*.
* Corey and Mason mention the serious burns Corey sustained from Jordan Parrish (while in Hellhound mode) in *Lie Ability*.
* Mason and Corey also mention the various Beast attacks that have occurred in Season 5B when Mason realizes that each attack corresponded with an intense frequency broadcast:
	+ The attack at the telecommunication towers in *Damnatio Memoriae*.
	+ The attack downtown near the Radio-Astronomy Observatory in *Amplification*.
	+ The attack at the Fort Jewett Army Base in *The Sword and the Spirit*
* It is once again implied that extreme cold temperatures can help access the subconscious mind in supernatural creatures when Chris and Gerard Argent use a modified freezer unit to lower Parrish's body temperature so that Lydia, as the Banshee, could communicate with the Hellhound inside of him.
	+ The concept of using cold to access the subconscious and unconscious mind was first introduced in Season 3A's *Chaos Rising*, when Alan Deaton, Scott, Stiles, and Derek Hale put Isaac Lahey in an ice bath to help him trigger the memories that had been taken from him by the Alpha Pack
* It is revealed that Parrish actually died while in the middle of defusing a bomb during his deployment in Afghanistan, which coincidentally occurred at the exact same time that Scott, Stiles, and Allison sacrificed themselves to the Nemeton in Season 3A's *Alpha Pact*. Because of this sacrifice, the Hellhound possessing Parrish was reborn inside of him, keeping him alive while he fulfills his duty of protecting the Nemeton and the secret of the supernatural.
	+ It was first revealed that Parrish was an EOD (explosive ordinance disposal) technician with the Army and served at least one tour in Afghanistan in Season 3B's *Letharia Vulpina*, and it was first implied that Parrish was drawn to Beacon Hills due to the Nemeton in *Insatiable*.
* It is confirmed that every time The Beast of Gevaudan transforms, it remembers a little bit more about who they truly are, and that once the "Man of Gevaudan" inside realizes who he is, the teenage Chimera acting as his vessel will cease to exist. This was first implied to be the case by Valack in *Lie Ability*.
* It is revealed that Scott has finally healed from the wounds he sustained from Theo in *Status Asthmaticus* when the Chimera temporarily killed him. According to Scott, he finally healed after they rescued Lydia from Eichen House in *Lie Ability*, indicating that it was possibly his guilt and sadness over the McCall Pack's temporary break-up that kept him from healing, similar to how Scott's guilt over Derek's supposed death kept him from healing in Season 3A's *Frayed*.
* Hayden finally agrees to join the McCall Pack when she realizes how hard Scott is working to try to keep everyone safe. Liam first invited her to join the pack in *Lie Ability*, though she will not officially be a member until *Apotheosis*.
* This episode marks the beginning of Parrish finally gaining conscious control over the Hellhound spirit within him, after spending the entirety of Season 5 up to this point, starting in *Creatures of the Night*, going into Hellhound-trances/blackouts during the night, during which time which time he would not be aware of what he was doing.

## Trivia

* The episode title refers to a comment made by Stiles to Sheriff Stilinski about canceling the game; Sheriff states that he cannot cancel the game because of the money earned for charity and insists he needs evidence of a "credible threat," and Stiles argues in response that the Beast killing over thirty people is an "incredible threat."
* The Hellhound currently possessing Jordan Parrish informs Lydia, Gerard, and Chris that it has had numerous names over his presumably eternal life, including Cerberus, Garmr, and the Black Shuck. It is unknown if this means it is the only Hellhound, or if there are others.
	+ Cerberus, arguably the most well-known Hellhound of legend, was a three-headed black dog in Greek mythology who was owned by Hades and who guarded the Underworld.
	+ Garmr was a Hellhound in Norse mythology who guarded the realm of the dead for the goddess Hel and who was prophesied to do battle with the god Týr during Ragnarok.
	+ The Black Shuck is a variation on the Black Dog myth that is specific to the regions of Norfolk, Suffolk, Essex, and Cambridgeshire and who is often regarded as an omen of death.

## Body Count

* School bus full of people - mauled to death; killed by The Beast

## Locations

* Parrish's apartment
	+ Living Room
* Beacon Hills High School
	+ Front Entrance
	+ Bus Bay
	+ Library
	+ Mr. Yukimura's Classroom
	+ Parking Lot
	+ Locker Room
	+ Coach Finstock's Office
* McCall House
	+ Living Room
	+ Kitchen
* Yukimura House
	+ Kira's Bedroom
* Beacon County Sheriff's Station
	+ Bullpen
	+ Sheriff's Office
* Stepping Stones Rehab Center
	+ Lobby
* Argent Apartment
	+ Basement Armory

## Soundtrack

* "Shelter" by Lyves
	+ Scott and Kira giggle, talk, and make out in Kira's bed.
* "What We Live For" by Afrojack & Bassjackers
	+ Everyone arrives at the charity lacrosse game between Beacon Hills High School and Devenford Prep.
* "When It Comes To Us" by Frances & Ritual
	+ Hayden approaches Liam on the bench and tells him she's decided to join the McCall Pack before kissing him.
* "Mic Check" by GTA & TJR
	+ Liam scores a series of goals and manages to pull the match to a tie after being pep-talked by Hayden.

## Gallery

*Teen Wolf Wiki* has 52 images related to ***A Credible Threat***.