Riders on the Storm

Riders on the Storm is the tenth episode of Teen Wolf Season 6.

The title comes from a song by The Doors. "Riders on the Storm," released on the group's 1971 album L.A. Woman, was inspired by a 1948 song called "Riders in the Sky" by Stan Jones.

Besides the chorus, The Doors' song doesn't actually mention any of the imagery of the Wild Hunt and the penchant for the Ghost Riders to take people to join their never-ending ride. It was Jones' song that popularized the old Norse legend in the guise of cowboys in the American west.

In addition to the theme of supernatural beings riding a thunderstorm, The Doors' Jim Morrison included lines about a hitchhiking serial killer. "Riders" was Morrison's last song recorded with the group and the last released before his death.

Synopsis

With the fate of Beacon Hills hanging in the balance, Scott and his pack face off against Douglas in a final showdown.

Full Recap

Liam pries his way out of the elevator at the hospital. The building is still deserted since the Ghost Riders took everyone. Suddenly, behind the nurses’ station, a railway departures board (like the one in the phantom train station) appears in the hospital. The first city name flips with a click, click, click before settling on Beacon Hills.

Stiles stares at a similar board inside the train station. Suddenly, he can hear Lydia whispering his name. He calls out to her. A voice comes over the loud speaker announcing the train would be arriving in 25 minutes. All the other passengers rise and make toward the tunnel. Stiles is trying to get through but cannot. A gunshot cows the group. Noah Stilinski shouts, “Give the boy some room!” Father and son rush to each other and embrace. “Oh, I found you. I can’t believe I found you,” says the Sheriff. Stiles explains that he can hear Lydia and that he thinks he can get to her. The sound of horses indicates the riders are returning. Noah tells his son to go and get help. He says they’ll find each other again. He takes up a position to block the riders as Stiles jumps down to the tracks and runs toward the light. He again hears Lydia’s voice calling to him, urging him to keep going.

In the bunker, the light and shadow Lydia believed to be Stiles fades out. She doesn’t understand. It was working, she could see him. Scott and Malia said they didn’t see anything. Lydia insists that Stiles is here.

The headlights of Stiles’ jeep flash on. It’s still parked at the school and a hand appears and grips the steering wheel. Stiles rises up in the driver’s seat. He seems surprised.

Stiles is Back!

Scott and Malia lead Lydia back into the bunker. Liam appears, informs Scott that everyone has been taken, and insists the Alpha come with him immediately. Scott tells the women to stay put in case it works and Stiles appears.

Stiles heads to Scott’s house first and then to the Sheriff’s station looking for anyone. He finds the radio, still on and humming.

Malia decides she’s not staying in the bunker. She tells Lydia that Stiles won’t come there and, since Lydia feels strongly that he’s back, they should go look for him. They go looking.

There are now train tracks running down the length of the hallway at Beacon Hills Memorial Hospital. Liam tells Scott that it’s also happening at school, the lacrosse field, all over. Scott doesn’t understand what’s happening. Garrett Douglas appears and says, “It means it’s working.”

Lydia and Malia find tire marks on in the school parking lot. Malia decides they’re from Stiles’ jeep. Lydia points out that he doesn’t have his keys but Malia says he often started it with just a screwdriver anyway. Lydia wants to tell Scott. Malia notices the train tracks now extend from the entrance to the school across the parking lot.

Douglas bares his teeth. Scott and Liam believe they can take him but Douglas calls out in German for the Hellhound and Parrish attacks from behind. They try to talk him down but Parrish advances. Douglas says, “There’s no stopping the Wild Hunt. You’ll make a fine Ghost Rider Scott, and I’ll have a True Alpha by my side. And then a Banshee, a werecoyote …” Before he can finish his list, Stiles appears and cracks him over the head with a bat.

Douglas is quickly back on his feet and Parrish is still bearing down on them. Scott picks up Parrish and throws him down the hall, knocking Douglas down again. Stiles runs to Scott and they embrace. Liam attempts to inform them that Douglas and Parrish are back on their feet but Stiles mistakes this for a request for a hug and interrupts with a strong embrace.

Parrish’s body is engulfed in orange and green flames which he somehow projects down the hallway towards them. The boys run.

The Merging of Two Worlds

Lydia and Malia follow the tracks to the school library. The interior is transformed into a version of the phantom train station. Dozens of people are sitting or just standing around in a trance-like state. The women work out that if there’s a station, there’s a train and everyone is going to be taken to the Wild Hunt. Malia attempts to yell at people to wake them from their trance. It doesn’t work.

Mason and Hayden have been running around inside the Wild Hunt phantom train station for a while. They’ve searched 57 similar rooms but can’t find Corey. Hayden want’s Mason to concentrate. At that moment, the voice comes over the loud speaker announcing that the train will be arriving in 19 minutes. Mason suddenly knows the voice is Corey’s.

Stiles is looking for something in the abandoned hospital. He says he can’t believe he’s been gone a couple of days and the whole place falls apart. Stiles is concerned they won’t let him graduate. Scott informs him he’s been gone for three months. He finds a canister of liquid nitrogen just before Parrish catches up to them. He tells Scott and Liam to hold the deputy. They do and Stiles sprays him with the super-cooled liquid. The cold brings Parrish back to himself and he explains Douglas’ plan. He wants to merge the Wild Hunt with the real world so he gets his super-powered army. They decide they need to stop the train but Parrish says they can’t stop it but they can divert it.

Stiles, Liam and Scott follow the tracks to the school. They discuss the difficulty of moving between the two worlds and question how it could be possible to merge them. This gives Liam an idea. He reminds them that Corey can exist in both worlds and bring people with him when he travels between them. He believes Douglas is merging the worlds using Corey’s power. Stiles says since they can’t get to him inside the hunt the only way to save everybody is to divert the train. Liam is adamant, he says they have to find Corey.

Scott suggests Liam could get taken by the Ghost Riders. Stiles says that’s not a pleasant option. Liam sees some glowing horseshoe tracks in the grass nearby. He says he doesn’t have to get taken to get into the hunt. He takes off running without explaining his plan to the others.

Scott and Stiles weigh their options, the tracks lead into the school or off into the woods. Scott asks if he wants to split up. Stiles says, “Never again.”

Into the Wild Hunt

Liam spots one of the Riders’ horses hanging out on the lawn of the school. He is about to jump down to get it when a Ghost Rider appears and grabs him. He fights but the rider is too strong. Suddenly Theo is there. His shirt is ripped to shreds and he looks bruised and batter but he takes on the Ghost Rider to give Liam a chance to get away and get the horse and ride away.

In the library, Lydia spots Peter and suggests Malia use emotion to get through to him. Malia hesitates but eventually puts some emotion behind her calls of “Dad!” Peter hears her, drops the newspaper he’s staring at and stands up.

Corey’s voice comes again from the speakers in the Wild Hunt saying the train will be arriving in 17 minutes. Hayden questions if it’s really Corey but Mason knows it’s him, “I know his smile. I know his touch, and I know that that’s his voice.” The begin tracking the power lines leading to the speaker. They hear a horse coming down the tunnel and everyone panics. The horse arrives but it’s Liam riding it. He and Hayden embrace. She asks when he learned to ride a horse and he says, “Just now.”

Scott spots the railroad switch that can divert the train but stops well short of the lever suggesting that it’s too easy to just walk up and switch the tracks. Stiles balks, he says it can be easy and they should, just once, do easy. He plunges ahead but just as he reaches for the switch, a whip wraps around his arm. He’s jerked to the ground and, in a puff of green smoke, he’s gone.

Douglas wields the whip. He also has a Rider’s pistol and fires it at Scott who also disappears.

Stiles reappears on the floor of the girl’s locker room at school.

In the library, Lydia and Malia bring Peter up to speed. Loudspeaker Corey says the train will be arriving in 12 minutes. Peter is hesitant to try to stop the people from boarding the train. He says it’s impossible but Malia says they can try. A Ghost Rider appears in the tunnel.

Scott reappears on the stairs in the school hallway. Stiles joins him and they speculate that the worlds are collapsing in on each other. Corey’s voice comes over the school’s PA system and says the train is now 11 minutes away. Scott says they need to get back to the “diverter” meaning the railroad switch in the woods. Scott reappears in the storage room off the chemistry classroom and hears the riders all around.

Ghost Riders Everywhere

Malia growls at the rider in the library. Lydia steps in front of her, knowing the rider won’t attack her. Peter is not convinced and steps in to take on the rider instead. The rider whips Peter. He tries to fight back but his punches don’t land, seeming to go right through the rider’s body.

Another rider appears and whips at Malia, catching her arm. She yells in pain. Peter hears this and, in concern for his daughter, turns his back on the rider he’s fighting. He pushes Malia to relative safety and takes on both riders at once. He kicks out at the rider with the whip and, while his foot passes partially through its body, he manages to connect with something solid and knock the rider down. The cowboys are fully solid now and Peter takes them both on. They manage to get the best of him. He yells for Malia to run but she turns back and rushes to help him fight them.

Alone Lydia senses something in the hallway and rushes to investigate.

Scott is attacked by two riders who shoot and whip at him. He manages to escape and makes it to the tracks.

Corey’s voice says the train will arrive in 9 minutes. Inside the phantom train station, Liam, Hayden, and Mason find Corey wired into the electronics in the radio room (See Radio Silence). He says the train will be arriving in 8 minutes.

Stiles reappears in the locker room cursing. He makes for the door but a rider is waiting. Stiles grabs his arm to keep it from firing its weapon. It fires a gun but misses. Stiles calls out for Scott but it’s Lydia’s Banshee scream that answers him. She throws the rider across the room.

Lydia catches her breath and says, “I didn’t say it back.” Stiles rushes to her saying, “You didn’t have to.” They kiss passionately and then remain in a tight embrace.

EDITOR’S NOTE: Because it has already become a frequently asked question - Stiles and Lydia are in love. It appears to be romantic love and therefore (because the writers made it plain in this episode) their romantic relationship is now official canon. Also, as the next scene shows, Melissa and Chris kiss romantically. We’ll need to see more of this relationship to know for sure where it’s heading.

Melissa McCall and Chris Argent are trapped in another part of the wild hunt train station. They’ve tried the doors but they’re chained shut in this section. Melissa opines that they could use a werewolf to bust open the doors. Chris says he’d like to have one around for another reason; a ghost rider just appeared. It pins Argent up against a column but the hunter manages to grab its gun and shoots him.

Another rider appears. He and Argent face off in a classic Hollywood version of an old west pistol duel. Argent gets off the first shot and the rider is down. Melissa rushes to Chris, spins him around, and kisses him passionately. He asks what the kiss was for and she says, “That was so hot.” They kiss again.

The Battle on the Tracks

Scott makes it back to the railroad switch where Douglas is waiting. The teacher suggests Scott enjoys the pursuit of utterly futile endeavors. Scott threatens him to step back from the “diverter.” Douglas is impressed and says Scott has a “very German way of doing things” and adds, “you would have made an excellent Nazi youth.” Scott repeats his threat. The two flash fangs and growl at each other. Dozens of Ghost Riders appear and surround them.

Inside the school, Stiles hears his mother’s voice. Lydia explains that the Wild Hunt brought her back but that she isn’t real. Claudia Stilinski steps out from the shadows but her face is now that of a Ghost Rider.

Mason touches one of the wires embedded in Corey’s skin. The young man grits his teeth to keep from crying out in pain. Mason says they need to get him out of the thing. Hayden says she’ll pull the big one first. She says it will hurt but Corey will heal. Liam stops her. He says they can’t unhook him until Scott diverts the train. He says if they stop the worlds from merging (which Corey is facilitating) Scott won’t be able to find the “diverter.” Mason disagrees, pointing out how much pain his boyfriend is in, he says, “We need to do something.” Corey says they have to leave him so they can save everyone.

Douglas seems impressed that Scott continues to stand his ground in the face of insurmountable odds. He says it’s either suicide or stupidity. Scott says it may be both but either way he’s getting to the “diverter.” Douglas mocks him for being a lone wolf but Theo’s voice rings out in the wilderness. “He’s not alone. He’s got a pack.” Malia and Peter join him. It’s werewolves, werecoyote, and chimera versus a ton of Ghost Riders and one Nazi Löwenmensch/werewolf. Scott’s makeshift pack dodges bullets and whips and manages to get in some good punches and kicks but they’re no match for the Wild Hunt.

The fake Claudia says Stiles managed to “worm” his way back into Noah’s memory even while trapped in the Wild Hunt. He says “worming” is one of his skills. Lydia explains that “that thing” is conjured from his dad’s pain. If Noah remembers Stiles, he can’t believe in Claudia. The creature says that’s why Stiles has to go. She moves to attack. Lydia starts to scream but it grabs her throat and squeezes, rendering her speechless. Stiles rushes to help but it then grabs him by the throat and scolds him not to treat his mother that way. He manages to say, “You’re not my mother,” as she squeezes his windpipe. Lydia is still gasping, unable to scream. Stiles is thrown up against the wall and held there by his throat.

The fight in the woods continues with Scott and Douglas squaring off with each other. They seem evenly matched with both taking the upper hand at different times. Scott rushes toward the railroad switch. Douglas blocks him but Scott knocks him down. They hear the train whistle, it’s close. More riders approach, firing their weapons as they come. Malia rushes into their midst. The light from the train is growing closer. She manages to grab a whip from one of the riders and tosses it to Scott. Douglas realizes what’s happening but can’t react fast enough as Scott cracks the whip toward the switch, catches it and pulls it back. The train tracks slide over to connect with the set of tracks heading away from Beacon Hills.

The train barrels by. Its horn blares as it heads out of sight. Scott lets out a loud and prolonged growl. Liam hears him inside hunt and knows it’s time to disconnect Corey who tells Mason it’s okay because he’ll heal. They begin pulling out the wires and other connections. All over town, people begin disappearing as the world’s separate once more.

At school, Stiles is still being choked. The thing that wears his mother’s face says, “He believes in me. Dreams, so hard to kill.” Noah appears with a gun and says, “But not impossible.” He fires but the bullet passes through her. Lydia joins the sheriff, in a strained, scratchy voice she says, “Fire again.” He takes aim and she screams and this time when he fires, the bullet strikes right where its heart should be and the creature flies backward away from Stiles. The building begins to shake and suddenly they hear Ghost Riders and horses all around them.

The riders in the woods surround Scott and the rest. The sky flashes with lightning and the thunder rolls. Suddenly, the riders holster their weapons and begin walking away. Douglas yells after them. In German, he commands them to return. He says he’s their master. The eventually do turn around and surround him. Peter points out that riders don’t bow because they have no leader. Douglas raises his hands and discovers he’s wearing gloves like the riders. His face goes all wooden, his eyes turn black and cavernous. He is now a Ghost Rider. The only difference between him and the rest is a red armband with the swastika of the Nazi Party. Then, in a flash of green lightning, all the riders disappear. The sky above rapidly clears. The stars become visible.

The End

Parrish finds himself back in the Sheriff’s Station. He seems confused about how he got there. Everyone around him is acting normally as if nothing at all happened. Noah comes out of his office, also surprised to see everything back to the way it was before. He and the deputy share a look that seems to say, “Well okay then. That’s over and we’re still here.”

Chris, Melissa and Mason wheel Corey on a gurney through the hospital. It too is back to normal. They stop to stare at all the seemingly clueless doctors, nurses, and patients who were, just moments before, heading toward oblivion. Melissa urges them on. They get Corey settled in a room. Chris assures Mason that Melissa knows what she’s doing. She asks if Mason’s ever heard of the “Nine Herbs.” (See Ghosted). He says, “The nine sacred herbs of the Saxons used to cure poison and infections. Yeah, of course. Did you need to know what they are?” Melissa says she’s got it.

In school, it’s the last day before summer break. Stiles is disappointed, he missed a full three months of his senior year and says it feels so anticlimactic. Lydia points out they still have graduation. Malia says she has to go to Summer School before she can graduate. They exit but Stiles stays behind. Someone turns off the classroom lights. He reluctantly follows his friends out.

At the lockers, Scott says it’s hard to believe they’re no longer in high school and that it feels like nothing’s really changed. Stiles shares a look with Lydia and says, “Everything’s changed.”

Outside moments later, Stiles makes a big deal of passing the torch to Liam and Mason. He calls Liam the “new Alpha” but Liam corrects him and says he’s not an Alpha and would have to kill one to become one. Stiles clarifies and says Liam is “taking over” because he and Scott are going to college. He tells Liam that Mason will always be there to save his ass. He gives Mason his aluminum baseball bat. The younger boys leave.

Scott and Stiles discuss their plans for college. Scott got into UC Davis while Stiles will be attending George Washington University in Washington D. C. in the fall. Scott’s dad pulled some strings to help Stiles get into the Pre-FBI program at the school. He says Lydia is going to drive him down and help him move into his dorm before she heads to MIT in Cambridge, Massachusetts. She’ll be an incoming junior apparently.

He gives Scott the keys to his Jeep as well as several others on a ring. Those other keys are apparently copies that Stiles had made on the sly. They open several important locations in Beacon Hills including the school, Scott’s house, animal clinic, and the Sheriff’s Station. Scott protests taking the Jeep but Stiles insists.

Stiles watches some of his former classmates as they exit the school. He says they still need us. Scott agrees, saying they’ll always need us. Stiles say he needs Scott and his friend reciprocates. He seems on the edge of tears. Stiles breaks the tension by joking that he needs Scott to drive because he lost his license inside the Wild Hunt. Scott points out that Stiles’ dad is the Sheriff so he can get away with driving without a license. He insists that Stiles drive. As they get into the Jeep, the scanner comes to life and we hear the Sheriff talking to a deputy who reports that there is a dead body had been found in the woods.

EDITOR’S NOTE: The voice of “Unit Four” on the scanner is Teen Wolf creator Jeff Davis. Davis has also appeared before on the show as a body double in some scenes.

Stiles turns off the scanner. The friends look at each other as if to say, “should we?” The Jeep speeds out of the parking space, out of the school lot, down the street and into the woods.

Episode List

← Season 5 Season 6
#01 Memory Lost	#06 Ghosted	#11 Said the Spider to the Fly	#16 Triggers
#02 Superposition	#07 Heartless	#12 Raw Talent	#17 Werewolves of London
#03 Sundowning	#08 Blitzkrieg	#13 After Images	#18 Genotype
#04 Relics	#09 Memory Found	#14 Face-to-Faceless	#19 Broken Glass
#05 Radio Silence	#10 Riders on the Storm	#15 Pressure Test	#20 The Wolves of War