#the lack of empathy from people is astounding like before he was ever a villain touya was a victim and that has to mean something

[hella1975]

I have so many thoughts about this show and none of them are remotely articulate but yeah the thing about endeavour redemption is it’s not really explained WHY he decided to do a complete 180. like he got everything he wanted and then was like ‘ok NOW I’ll be a good dad’ when most of his kids are fully grown. like what? and people are so defensive of endeavour when he was abusive! this isn’t even implied he on screen hits his six year old son until he threw up and hit his wife when she tried to stop him WHY ARE YOU DEFENDING HIM

LITERALLY LIKE I CANT BELIEVE THIS IS EVEN A DEBATE his children were all born to fulfill his selfish ambition, something he was so transparent about with them that touya died because despite it being physically unsustainable he was so desperate to keep training and hold his dad's attention and he knew that was the only way to do it, his only purpose from the start, and endeavour responded by continuing to push the same ideals onto his youngest son and physically abuse him and his wife until she had a mental breakdown that led to his son being mutilated and her being put in a hospital for a DECADE and neglecting his other two children and all of this went on for 24 years UNTIL endeavour finally got the thing he was after that whole time and went 'oh i feel a bit bad now'

[fluffyotters]

A Reflection on Why It Doesn’t Work for Me with Gabe Teen Wolf S6

I have always been bothered by this part because a lot of people act as if it is the point that Theo shows that he could change. I absolutely love Theo Raeken from the premier of S5 and onward from villain to an antivillain (I think he would be?) or rather someone who does things to help those he chooses. But in 6x20 when Theo goes and takes Gabe’s pain has always struck me as a huge blow backwards towards thinking he suddenly changed sides that weren’t his own. And I’d be okay with that except that its presented as this huge emotional breakthrough in the show and a lot of people buy it that somehow Theo helping Gabe makes him redeemable. Which I simply don’t understand because it is the fakest thing I’ve ever seen. I’ve even watched it again and again to see if I must have missed something. But it is such a set up that if anything it should have been suspicious that Theo would even come close to helping Gabe. It should have made them even more suspicious of him (except the last episode so it kind of ends) and it certainly makes me wonder as he’s definitely manipulating. 

The entire scenario is just an emotional ploy to have Theo be the hero without him doing much. He takes his pain and saves Gabe a few minutes of agony which okay. Theo caring about someone’s pain is unlikely but he’s not a sadist so okay maybe he could give him a merciful death. If that’s all it was (which it was) it would have been decent. That was more than Gabe honestly deserved for earlier nearly killing Melissa and injuring Chris, Rafael, Mason, etc. But the taking pain was on Theo’s mind because in 6X18 he tries to heal Mason that way too in the tunnels and fails where Mason calls him out that he couldn’t do it because he doesn’t care. And there’s nothing that Theo hates more than being a failure. Hmm. Mason is right because if it has to do with a genuine desire to help and draw out the pain, Theo does not which makes sense. The definition of care here is murky but Mason seems to define it via empathy and altruistic allusions which Theo lacks and that seems pretty close except that it might be less about that than just willingly taking the pain into their body which is shown literally in the transfer. Theo could not muster the will to heal Mason that way at the time which is why it failed. He doesn’t exactly like Mason and Mason did ruin his plans for Scott and Liam and ruined his 5a plans and then you realize he got the power Theo wanted as well as the host the doctors always wanted, and the guy despised him even calling him out on being incomplete that he doesn’t care. There is no way for Theo to have had the connection without lots of mental preparation to have possibly made transferring Mason’s pain work. 

Which puts it directly into the forefront of Theo’s mind to show all of them Mason was wrong because either Mason told them, or he didn’t and this is just a nice surprise, but then Mason couldn’t say he failed with him because Theo couldn’t succeed. Theo trying it out before hand is a blueprint of how I’m a better person” that it seriously undermines the he’s helping them for any altruistic inklings and even goes backwards as a manipulative ploy. I am astounded this scene is considered any good other than as maybe how manipulative Theo can be. It needs to be reminded that they have super hearing and senses and when Gabe is injured, Theo times it for when everyone including Mason and Corey witness it the second they come in. He even gives a quick glance over in Mason and Corey’s direction to make sure (41:05) before actually starting to draw pain from Gabe. It is a nothingburger for Theo. Gabe is already fatally wounded and dying and minutes away regardless that taking pain comforts him he still dies. This isn’t a miracle heal. Theo can afford to act benevolent in front of an audience. But he had the not healing Mason a mere two episodes ago and failing it in mind and now he has motivation to heal Gabe just to prove Mason wrong and that he could “care” to help someone. Which does bother me that people buy that because that Theo (if he’s supposed to be more merciful empathetic) could relate more to Gabe than Mason otherwise is...not exactly a good thing. But it did make it easier to draw pain without potential resentment or unwillingness even if unconscious, that he had no past history with Gabe of personal frustration like Mason ruining his plans from the beginning or that Mason does give him one of the greatest motivations other than love: spite to prove him wrong. Because he already tried to with Mason, it became a matter of proving him wrong and making everybody and Mason see it. 

But that might cause someone to go “but okay Mason failed but Theo is showing empathy.” To which case I’m disturbed that Gabe would be the natural first choice that Theo would empathize with sooner than Mason. If Theo is truly supposed to be improving Theo should have succeeded with Mason the first time. Maybe its because while I liked Gabe and he had been one of my favorites (and Andrew is incredibly good looking) he was dead to me the second he almost killed Melissa and the others and is a hunter supremacist (especially now with the world) but I really really don’t jive with the concept that Theo could have truly empathized with him (had it been about that and not the more likely just willing to draw the pain into your body) and not Mason. The Mason who is incredibly loyal, connected to both of Theo’s friend levels (Scott and Liam), who quite understandably is pissed about him trying to kill them, that actually had harbored the power of the beast Theo would and does kill for (rip Tracy and Josh) and the success the doctors had actually always craved? Actually thinking about it there was a lot they could have done there...but its just impossible that Theo really gives a flip about Gabe’s comfort in dying. He also literally was willing to kill him earlier in the season and just managed to reverse psychology Liam out of killing him...by telling exactly how Theo would hide the body which is no joke. And after the shooting at the McCall house he and the others would be out of mercy, except that Theo needed to prove Mason wrong on the easiest subject available. Gabe was dead either way. But its why he does it as cheap points to show he can. 

Though instead there are so many other ways that could have shown it better than being clearly pre-meditated that he would but opportunistic like helping Melissa, Mason, Malia, or Scott himself (is immediately reminded that Malia healed Scott’s eyes with the power of love continuing on lol) when they could have done that with Theo. I’ve shared my gripes on this before but it seriously is ridiculous and I would have loved to believe that maybe Theo has advanced beyond just helping those he likes but its a major step backwards. It shows that Theo is still manipulative. And he could love and be manipulative and I wouldn’t necessarily expect him to stop especially someone who always has, but this was old tactics that does raise again just how committed Theo is. I do think Theo changed for the better or better at least in helping those he likes without necessarily benefitting himself from it (or incorporated that making them happy gets them to be happy having him but nothing ego-centered beyond that) but this made it take a huge step backwards in trustworthiness that he feels he has to make a grand show in the end after all this time...fighting with them...going above and beyond what even they would do. Scott might genuinely have taken Gabes pain. Or maybe not. But Theo is certainly not Scott. The fact he makes a grand gesture is either proving how much he hasn’t learned, or that he’s trying to emotionally manipulate them (and the audience). Had he been alone, there is no doubt it would have played out very differently. Had it not already been on his mind and needing to prove Mason wrong, he wouldn’t have done it either and the others wouldn’t have cared. They would have maybe felt bad that it ended in death, but it was one they didn’t cause and he had nearly killed them earlier. Theo’’s grand gesture is the epitome of suspicious and that it was not from empathy to prove Mason wrong is not a good “Theo is now better or starting to develop morals standpoint. I know I am in the minority view point (at least of the vocally stated portion) but it was the worst thing they could have done to make Theo look like a good person unless you wanted him to go backwards. Or at the least should be suspicious of of going backwards. I’ve belabored it before but this was all just audience manipulation. Both of the internal Corey, Mason, Melissa, Liam, but also the real world audience. Theo is playing up the “I’m a good guy who cares!” (Take that Mason) and yet...we’ve seen him do this throughout the season of 6A and B. Especially the turning point where Theo does not leave Liam for the ghost riders. And I can list very practical motivated reasons for that as well, but  even Theo was uncertain he would have done that but he would at least risk himself somewhat without their being some master plan to use them for Scott or Liam. Theo’s ability to do things is never a question. He helped them in S5. He was just also using them. And then helping them in s6 was mutual survival. But the grand gesture in the end especially for Gabe whom they do not care about other than the generic he’s a human being and everybody should deserve to live? Its just a massive step backwards. The little things were believeable. They truly got people into it. But that grand gesture was so beyond faked it raises of how long can Theo really stay with them and not betray them as long as he gets an enticing enough offer? His supposed growth people allege for the future based on is is nebulous as the Gabe foundation is flawed. If they needed a grand gesture, they could have done a believable one and one that was better. But it was not the one that they did which is just pure emotional manipulation and once again a step backwards. 

But I always loved and preferred S5 Theo honestly as a successful villain level and that he could have done that, but just for side of the pack. But people want to soften and woobify and go “aww poor baby see he’s nice” so do see helping Gabe as a nice thing as an example of learning morals. Now, depending on one’s definition of learning you actually could make the argument that actually because he’s motivated to do it for an audience and gets rewarded emotionally, Theo might learn and be tempted to do good deeds later on for extrinsic versus intrinsic manipulated reasons. If they could influence him to continue such behavior, then perhaps Theo could learn and grow better. But as it stands solo it was not the grand gesture the show tried to show it to be or that a lot of people want to say it is. It was a farcical look at me show that could completely undermine or at least put into question actual motive what Theo is doing the whole time and perhaps he still is S5 all along and he fooled a great many more people into thinking otherwise.