Tattoo

**Tattoo** is the premiere episode of Season 3 and the twenty-fifth episode of *Teen Wolf*.

## Synopsis

In the season premiere, a new Alpha Pack arrives to wreak havoc on Scott's life while Derek and Isaac search for Erica and Boyd.

## Plot

Isaac wakes up with amnesia but is rescued from the Alpha Pack by a mystery girl. Jackson is revealed to have moved to London. Allison and her father have quit being werewolf hunters, and Scott is working on being a better person. Derek has been looking for Boyd and Erica, who were captured by the Alpha Pack almost four months ago. Something eerie is causing the animals of Beacon Hills to go insane, and Dr. Deaton concludes that the animals are killing themselves intentionally. Derek gives Scott the tattoo he has been wanting to get, and talks about the Alpha Pack's leader Deucalion, who is blind but the strongest and most lethal of their kind.

## 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

### Supporting Cast

* JR Bourne as Chris Argent
* Linden Ashby as Sheriff Stilinski
* Melissa Ponzio as Melissa McCall
* Daniel Sharman as Isaac Lahey
* Seth Gilliam as Dr. Alan Deaton
* Gideon Emery as Deucalion
* Felisha Terrell as Kali
* Brian Patrick Wade as Ennis
* Charlie Carver as Ethan
* Max Carver as Aiden
* Adelaide Kane as Cora Hale
* Meagan Tandy as Braeden
* Haley Webb as Jennifer Blake
* Ian Bohen as Peter Hale
* Sinqua Walls as Vernon Boyd
* Gage Golightly as Erica Reyes

### Guest Cast

* Brandon Boyce as Dr. Vandenburg
* Cody Griffith as Brandon
* Christian Taylor as Principal
* Donnell Turner as Paramedic
* Denise Vasquez as Beverley/Secretary
* Kevin Thomas as Tattoo Artist
* Esquire Duke as Student (uncredited)

## Continuity

* This episode marks the introduction of quite a few new characters:
	+ The Alpha Pack makes their first official appearance after a glimpse of them was shown at the end of *Master Plan*. The pack is composed of Kali, Ennis, the twins Ethan and Aiden, and their leader Deucalion.
	+ Jennifer Blake is introduced as the new English teacher at Beacon Hills High School.
	+ Isaac Lahey's mysterious female savior also makes her first appearance, though her name (Braeden) will not be revealed until *Alpha Pact*.
	+ Dr. Vandenburg is introduced as an emergency room physician at Beacon Hills Memorial Hospital and will make more appearances throughout the series.
	+ Though her face isn't seen, a brief glimpse of Cora Hale is seen at the end of the episode.
* It is confirmed that the Alpha Pack captured Erica Reyes and Vernon Boyd at the end of *Master Plan*, and that they have been holding them captive for almost four months, establishing that the timeline is currently set in August 2011.
* Jackson Whittemore was mentioned by Lydia Martin and Allison Argent when they discussed the fact that he had moved to London with his family after all the supernatural drama caused by both of his deaths and resurrections at the end of Season 2, as well the fact that he was turned into a Werewolf after a brief time as a Kanima in *Master Plan*. According to Lydia, Derek taught Jackson how to control himself during full moons
	+ Jackson was bitten and inadvertently turned into a Kanima by Derek Hale in Season 1's finale, *Code Breaker*. His first death occurred in Season 2's *Battlefield*, and the second occurred in the Season 2 finale *Master Plan*, both of which resulted in his resurrection shortly afterward.
* It is revealed that not only can the Werewolf Memory Manipulation ritual (which involves the werewolf piercing their claws into the back of someone's neck) allow an Alpha to view the victim's memories and share their own memories with them, but it can also allow an especially powerful Alpha to remove or modify memories as well. This was demonstrated when Isaac had no memories of where he was or who had hurt him after one of the Alphas (presumably Deucalion) used the ritual to take those memories from him.
* Braeden tells Melissa McCall that she needs to find the Alpha, but though Melissa mistakenly believed she meant Derek Hale before she passed Braeden off to another nurse, Braeden replied, "Not Hale. McCall. Scott McCall," marking the series' first hint of Scott's potential as a True Alpha.
* It is established that at least some twin werewolves can merge together and form one large werewolf, as evidenced by Ethan and Aiden in this episode.
* A string of strange animal behavior begins in this episode that will continue throughout Season 3A including several dozen crows committing suicide by flying into Jennifer Blake's classroom at the high school, at least a dozen kittens at the Beacon Hills Animal Clinic killing themselves by clawing themselves apart, and a deer that purposely ran into Lydia's car while she and Allison were driving to a double date. It is implied that at least the deer, if not the kittens as well, committed suicide as a result of fear caused by the presence of the members of the Alpha Pack in Beacon Hills, but the crows were likely caused by the Darach, who needed animal sacrifice to gain more power, using her power of Zoopathy to force the animals to kill themselves.
* Lydia mentions the "rule of threes" in a conversation with Stiles, which foreshadows the trio-sacrifices that will make up the main plotline for Season 3A.
* In a conversation with Braeden, Deucalion says, "Someone once taught me a very smart way to eliminate a threat-- get someone else to do it for you." This is a paraphrased version of the statement Gerard Argent made to Chris Argent in *Frenemy*, which could be foreshadowing Deucalion's past history with Gerard.
* Chris Argent reveals that he and Allison have left the hunter life after the supposed death of Kate (which occurred in Season 1's *Code Breaker*), the true death of Victoria (which occurred in Season 2's *Party Guessed*) and the corruption of Gerard (which occurred in Season 2's *Master Plan*).
* The principal of Beacon Hills High School referenced the destroyed library in this episode. The library was destroyed during a battle between Jackson (in Kanima form and under Matt Daehler's control) and Scott, Allison, Stiles, and Erica in *Restraint*.

## Trivia

* The title is a reference to Scott's tattoo, two black bands around his left bicep that will eventually become the symbol of the McCall Pack. It is also a reference to a quote Scott said about the Samoan word for "tattoo" meaning "an open wound."
* As part of what Stiles calls Scott's "Be a better Scott McCall Program," Scott has dedicated himself to improving his grades by spending the summer reading a variety of classic novels. Included in the stack on Scott's desk were *Call of the Wild* and *White Fang* by Jack London; *The Snows of Kilimanjaro*, *For Whom the Bell Tolls*, and *A Farewell to Arms* by Ernest Hemingway; *Great Expectations* by Charles Dickens; *The Longest Journey* by E.M. Forster; and *Absalom, Absalom!* by William Faulkner.
* Co-Executive Producer of *Teen Wolf*, Christian Taylor, reprises his role as the Beacon Hills High School principal in this episode.

## Body Count

* Dozens of animals (including crows, cats, and a deer) - suicide; killed by themselves (influenced by the Darach/the Alpha Pack)

## Locations

* Downtown Beacon Hills
	+ Warehouse District
	+ Tattoo Parlor
* Beacon Hills Memorial Hospital
	+ Emergency Room
	+ Isaac's Room
	+ Operating Room
	+ Elevator
* McCall House
	+ Scott's Bedroom
* Argent Apartment
	+ Allison's Bedroom
* Stilinski House
	+ Stiles' Bedroom
* Martin House
	+ Lydia's Bedroom
* Beacon Hills High School
	+ Parking Lot
	+ Ms. Blake's Classroom
	+ Locker Room
* Hale House
* Beacon Hills Animal Clinic
	+ Reception Area
	+ Exam Room
* First National Bank
	+ Bank Vault

## Soundtrack

* "Not Giving In" by Rudimental ft. John Newman and Alex Clare
	+ Scott and Stiles go to a tattoo parlor so Scott can get his first tattoo.
* "Dangerous Times" by Wildlife
	+ Scott does one-armed pull-ups and reads *Call of the Wild* before school.
* "Darkness" by Drop the Lime
	+ Stiles looks up deer-related auto accidents on his laptop before Sheriff forces him to go to school.
* "Rumble and Sway" by Jamie N Commons
	+ Lydia gets ready for school while Brandon, a half-naked young man in her bed, watches her longingly.
* "Add it Up" by This Club
	+ Allison and Lydia talk in the hallway while Lydia checks out the new freshmen.
* "Shake That Thing" by Ash Grunwald
	+ Lydia and Allison stare at the twins as they enter the school.
* "Basically, I" by Robert DeLong
	+ The late bell rings, and everyone takes their seats in Ms. Blake's English class.
* "Quasar (Original Mix)" by Hard Rock Sofa
	+ Scott sees Ennis capturing Isaac and begins to fight him in the elevator at the hospital.
* "Diaspora" by The Calm Blue Sea
	+ Scott discusses the significance of his tattoo before Derek burns the healed skin so the tattoo will be visible.

## Gallery

*Teen Wolf Wiki* has 47 images related to ***Tattoo***.
3x01 Ethan and Aiden Merging.gif.gif