Teen Wolf season 3, part 2 airs in just one week, and we’ve got a rundown of all the information you need going into the next 12 episodes.

Despite all of your not-so-subtle hints that you’d like Teen Wolf season 3, part 1 for Christmas, your family didn’t set it under the tree this holiday season. But not to worry! If you can’t rewatch the 12 most recent episodes of the show, we’ve gathered up all the important bits you’ll need going into the new year.

Major plot points

What were the biggest plots of the summer season, and where do our heroes stand now?

The Alpha Pack

In the first half of the season, the Alpha Pack was one of the major antagonists for Scott and his friends. The pack included Deucalion, Kali, Ennis, Ethan, and Aiden. Deucalion, the leader, wanted both Derek and Scott in his pack, and he was willing to do just about anything to get them.

At first, Deuc’s focus was solely on Derek. The sometimes-blind Demon Wolf wanted Derek to kill his pack members, thereby taking their power for his own and becoming an Alpha that was worthy of an Alpha Pack. The focus soon shifted to Scott, however, and we learned that he was a True Alpha. Deucalion wanted Scott in his pack because of this, but was willing to destroy any chances of Scott’s ability to rise to that status if it meant the teen wolf wouldn’t join him.

In the end, Ennis and Kali were killed, Ethan and Aiden helped Scott and his friends, and Deucalion’s sight was restored. He was let go by Scott and Derek with the promise that if he did anything they didn’t like, he would never see them coming and they wouldn’t hesitate to take his life.

The Darach

It turns out that Jennifer Blake was a little more than just a high school English teacher. She was the Darach, a Dark Druid, who sacrificed people in order to gain power. She wanted this power in order to defeat the Alpha Pack, particularly Deucalion, whose Demon Wolf abilities made him a formidable opponent.

Jennifer, once known as Julia, had been Kali’s emissary many years ago. In order to join Deucalion’s pack, Kali had to kill her betas and her emissary. That emissary was Julia. Unable to deliver the final blow, but believing that she was as good as dead anyway, Kali walked away. Julia, however, crawled to the Nemeton in the hopes that it had a little bit of power left. It did. Derek’s sacrifice of Paige a few months earlier allowed Julia to survive, albeit in a disfigured and unhinged way.

Returning to Beacon Hills under a new guise, Jennifer hid in plain sight for most of the season. It was only when she nearly killed Lydia for knowing too much that we realized the sweet English teacher was not so innocent. For several episodes, Jennifer continued to move her pieces into place. But in the end, a combination of Deucalion and Peter’s claws finished her off for good.

The Nemeton

The Nemeton is the large, cut-down tree that has been influencing Scott, Allison, and Stiles for far longer than they were aware of it. The Nemeton is a sacred place for the Druids, and they believe that it brings power and protection when treated correctly, and strife and despair when not.

Unfortunately, the Nemeton was cut down some time ago, and its stores of power very nearly dried up. A few sacrifices later, however, and it’s bursting with new life — for better or for worse.

The latest of these sacrifices involved Allison, Scott, and Stiles putting themselves in the places of their parents in order to find the Nemeton and rescue the three adults from Jennifer’s clutches. The result will be a darkness around their hearts and the transformation of the Nemeton into something much more powerful than it has been in a long time.

The True Alpha

A True Alpha is an Alpha that does not need to kill or steal power in order to become leader of the pack. A True Alpha rises to that status using his or her willpower and their virtue as a person.

Scott’s morals, being the strongest of anyone’s on the show, allowed him to do just that in season 3, episode 12. In order to get through Jennifer’s mountain ash circle and save the guardians that were being sacrificed, Scott accepted his role as Alpha and became more powerful because of it.

Though he hasn’t built his pack in the usual means, it has been obvious for some time now that some of his human and supernatural friends are aligned with him regardless. So, going into season 3, Scott will not only be an Alpha, but have a pack to support him as well. And, unfortunately, he’ll need all the help he can get going up against the ever-manipulative Peter Hale and whatever else the Nemeton decides to bring to Beacon Hills.

Our heroes

Which of our heroes are left standing, and what’s next for them and the ones they care about most?

Scott

Scott is now an Alpha of his rag-tag pack of friends, and he’s got a lot on his plate. Some of his friends died this season, and he’ll do anything to keep the ones that remain safe. He’ll also be looking out for his mother as well, of course, but the sudden appearance of his FBI agent of a father makes that whole situation even more tricky.

Allison

Allison and her father tried to give up being hunters, but it didn’t work out so well for them. After lying to each other for most of these past 12 episodes, they finally seem to be on the same page. Allison has come up with a new plan, though, and a change in their code: “We protect those who cannot protect themselves.”

Stiles

Stiles and his father both went through a lot this season. In the end, they both survived, and Sheriff Stilinski now knows the truth about werewolves, kanimas, Druids, and emissaries. Stiles suffered from his first panic attack in a long time, and he’s been slowly losing his patience for the entirety of these last 12 episodes.

Derek

Derek rose to an Alpha quickly and violently at the end of season 1, but his fall back to being a Beta was much more poignant and selfless. In order to save his sister’s life, he needed to give up that power, and he did so without a second’s hesitation. At the end of the mid-season finale, we see Derek and Cora leaving Beacon Hills without a backward’s glance.

Lydia

We finally know that all of Lydia’s screaming hasn’t be for naught, although the extent of her powers is still a mystery to us. Lydia is a Banshee, and even though we know it has something to do with knowing when death is imminent, we’re still not sure how it works. Regardless, Lydia seems pretty happy with her lot in life, and has hooked up with Aiden for the time being, despite the kiss she shared with Stiles.

Isaac

Isaac’s arc this season had a lot to do with being sassy and wearing scarves, but it also focused on the aftereffects of the way his father had treated him. Terrified of confined spaces, he had to confront those fears face first on more than one occasion. And despite their past encounters, it looks like Allison and Isaac may be trying to explore their relationship on a deeper level.

Deaths

Who left us this season, and what impact did their departure have on our heroes?

Braeden

The mysterious girl in season 3, episode 1 was an emissary, just like Dr. Deaton and Ms. Morrell. Morrell sent her there in order to help Isaac and the others, but her role was quickly cut short when Deucalion slashed her throat in the locker room at Beacon Hills High. Although we didn’t see much of her, Braeden did show us a little more of what the emissaries could do.

Erica

Erica and Boyd were being held captive by the Alpha Pack, but Erica wasn’t one to give up her freedom so easily. Tired of being a prisoner, and wanting to show the Alpha Pack what she was made of, Erica attacked Kali. It wasn’t the smartest thing to do, but it certainly was brave of her. In the end, however, Kali killed her, and Boyd lost his only friend.

Heather

Heather was Stiles’ childhood friend, and someone he’d known for his entire life. But that friendship ended when the Darach kidnapped and ritually sacrificed Heather because she was a virgin. Even though she was a minor character, the effects of her death will probably haunt Stiles for a while to come, especially given the theme of season 3, part 2 and all we know Stiles will go through.

Emily

Emily was another minor character whose death will probably have lasting influences. She was a virgin sacrifice just like Heather, and she was the girlfriend of another character, Caitlin. We know Caitlin will be returning in part 2, so Emily is bound to be brought up once again, if only as a reminder of how many people Jennifer effected with her plan to gain power.

Boyd

Boyd’s death was one of the most tragic this season, especially since it was at the hands of an unwilling Derek. Kali forced Boyd forward as the twins took Derek’s claws and made him kill his Beta. This was in an attempt to get Derek to join the Alpha Pack, and though Derek did receive power from Boyd, Derek still refused the illustrious offer Deucalion was giving him.

Mr. Harris

Even though Mr. Harris’ death only served to show us that he (once again) was involved in more than he probably should’ve been, he had been a staple character since season 1. Whether you loved him or hated him, there are still a lot of unanswered questions about the chemistry teacher that we hope will addressed at some point in season 3, part 2 or beyond.

Ennis

Ennis very nearly made it through the battle with Derek’s pack alive. If only Deucalion hadn’t squished his head in order to make Kali even more determined to go after Derek. This death mostly served to showcase Deucalion’s unwavering desire to have the best of the best in his pack, even at the expense of those he’s already collected.

Tara

Tara Graham was Sheriff Stilinski’s deputy and a former teacher. She was also a human sacrifice, and died to further along Jennifer’s plan for ultimate power. In season 3B, we’ll be getting another deputy to replace her. Hopefully this one lasts a little longer, though with the rate at which Beacon Hills loses its citizens, that might be too much to ask for.

Kali

Kali was one of the last characters to go, and she went out with a bang. Throughout all of season 3, part 1, we’d gotten a good glimpse of her malice and strength, and although she was a powerful Alpha, she was no match for Jennifer’s powers. In the end, she got a face and chest full of glass shards that even she couldn’t heal from.

Jennifer

Jennifer’s death was nearly as painful as her life. After Scott broke through her mountain ash barrier, Deucalion sliced her throat. She seemed dead at that point, but when Scott and Derek went to look for her, the body was gone. What they don’t know, is that she had crawled to the Nemeton in hopes of surviving once again. And maybe she would have, if it hadn’t been for Peter, who finally finished her off for good.

What’s coming next?

What can we expect in Teen Wolf season 3, part 2? What do we know, and what’s our best guess at what’s to come?

Kira and the Kitsune

Teen Wolf season 3, part 2 will focus, at least in general, around the Kitsune myth. The Kitsune is a trickster spirit that often takes on a fox form. This is a Japanese myth, and you can expect the show to delve into even more Japanese lore this season.

In connection with that is the arrival of a new student named Kira. She’s of Japanese and Korean descent, and it may just be that she’s also a Kitsune. She’ll be helping our heroes this season, but if she is the trickster spirit, we should be keeping an eye on her either way — especially since she and Scott may be hooking up in the near future.

Darkness around their hearts

The surrogate sacrifices that took place at the end of season 3, episode 12 will have lasting influences on everyone this season, but particularly our three main heroes, Scott, Aliison, and Stiles.

Season 3B will be a psychological thriller and much of that is going to be a direct result of what happened in those ice baths. We can expect a lot of creepy moments this season, and many of our favorite characters will be feeling as if they’re going insane. Hooray!

We protect those that cannot protect themselves

Every action has a consequence, and Allison’s decision to change the Argent code will be no exception. Instead of hunting those who hunt them, she and her father will set out to protect others against the supernatural. But not everyone will be happy with this decision.

A new set of hunters will enter the picture this season. Led by a woman and possibly having a Latin influence, these hunters will not be seeing eye to eye with the Argents. We don’t know what else to expect from this new set of characters, but chances are that Allison and Chris will need to get clever in order to outwit them.

Getting ready for ‘Teen Wolf’

As we count down the days until Teen Wolf airs on January 6 at 10 p.m. ET, we’ve got a few things for you to catch up in order to get ready for new episodes.

In our previous article, we gathered together each of the new characters that we thought would be most important this season. Be sure to read our descriptions and speculations, and let us know who you’re most looking forward to.

We’ve also watched Teen Wolf season 3, episode 13 ahead of the premiere and put together a list of five things we can tell you about the episode.

Are you ready?