The most epic episode! The cream of the crop. Legendary! Sterek rules.

Stiles visits the garage where his Jeep gets checked and fixed. Stiles touches a doorhandle and is paralyzed in seconds. Helpless he has to watch how an unknown creature attacks and kills the mechanic, while he is unable to do a thing. The creature scares him but doesn´t hurt him before it leaves.

Stiles can´t tell his father the whole truth about what had happened to the man who was killed. He has to leave his Jeep because it´s evidence. Scott picks him up. Stiles tells Scott that the creature is definitely not a werewolf. He also thinks the creature knows him.

Derek trains his Betas Isaac and Erica. Boyd is only watching. Derek looks angry and frustrated because the two Betas are not doing well in his opinion.

Derek: "Does anyone wanna try not being completely predictable?"
Erica jumps and kisses him.
Derek throws her off of him. "That´s the last time you do that."
Erica: "Why? 'Cause I´m a Beta?"
Derek: "No. Because I have someone else in mind for you."
Erica looks scared of who could that be.

Oh, Erica. You look too much like Kate. Like her you´re too forthcoming and aggressive. Of course, Derek is appalled by your attack. And look at Boyd, girl. He appears kind of jealous. So, that´s the boy you should make a move on.

Isaac complains about his broken bones. Derek makes it worse by breaking his wrist. Oops! Easy there, Obi-Wan! Sure, you are worried for the survival of your young pupils, but that is not the way to teach them.

Stiles practices with Scott how to apologize to Lydia about what had happened at the ice-rink. He is freaking out because it´s too awkward to talk to his best friend this way. Then they talk about Deaton and a book called "The Beastiary".

Stiles talks to Allison about the Beastiary. He then runs to Scott to tell him what she had said. And back to Allison. And back to Scott. And back to Allison. He almost collapses, breathing harshly, and uses Scott´s inhaler. You´re not very fit, huh?

At Lacrosse. Allison steals the key to her Grandfather´s office and gives it to Stiles. Stiles leaves. On the way he finds Lydia crying in her car. He stops and comforts her. He compliments her. She opens up. He then remembers what he was supposed to do and asks her to give him five minutes. He´ll be back. Yeah, we all know where and with whom you will end up tonight for hours. Life is a bitch!

Stiles finds nothing in Gerard´s office, but he is caught by Erica. She drags him to Derek.

Stiles: "Ah! Ah! Ah! Ah. Yeah."
Derek: "Stiles."
Stiles: "Derek."
Derek: "What did you see at the mechanic´s garage?"
Stiles: "Uh, several alarming EPA violations that I'm seriously considering reporting. Holy God!"
Derek: "Let's try that again."

Stiles and Derek acknowledge each other in an almost mocking tone. They're both aware of having history together, of the other being a relevant part of each other's lives, no matter they don´t like the fact.

Derek shows up with Erica, a blonde with big boobs, beside him. Yeah. I am a manly man. I am a woman´s man. I have no tendencies for boys like you, Stiles. Yeah, right!

Stiles is sarcastic, of course, and doesn't look particularly afraid. Stiles flirts like a cheeky bastard and Derek is amused. He is hiding a smile. Erica finds Stiles hilarious anyway.

Derek threatens Stiles by destroying the basketball he is holding with his claws. A basketball! The same object Derek was holding the day he met Paige, his first love. Why does he have it here anyway? Was he playing basketball somewhere? We never see present Derek with a basketball again. So, that has to have some meaning. Derek swallows. What is it? Are you watering for the boy? Is your mouth dry? Derek´s silly threat only works for the reason because Stiles lets Derek do this. Maybe he enjoys their clash just a little bit too much.

Stiles: "All right, the thing was pretty slick looking. Um, skin was dark. Kind of patterned. Uh, I think I actually saw scales. Is that enough? Okay, because I've somebody I really need to talk to– Hrr. All right, fine, eyes. Eyes are, um, yellowish. And slitted. Um, has a lot of teeth. Oh. And it's got a tail, too. Are we good? What? Wait, have you seen it? You have this look on your faces like you know exactly what I am talking about."
The kanima appears. Stiles jumps behind Derek.
Stiles: "Whoa!"
The kanima knocks Erica unconscious.
Derek: "Run!" Derek pushes Stiles back.
Stiles: "Derek, your neck. Come on, come here."
Derek: "Where is it?"
Stiles: "Can you see it?"
Derek: "No, just hurry. Call Scott!"
Stiles: "Yeah."
Derek: "Stiles, son of a-"

Derek falls into the pool. Stiles jumps after him and pulls him back above the water.

Derek: "Where did it go?"
Stiles: "Where is it? Do you see it?"
Derek: "No."
Stiles: "Okay, maybe it took off."
The kanima screams.
Derek: "Maybe not."

Stiles explains his sighting of the kanima. He is not afraid, he's frustrated and a little bit angry, but not afraid, because he can´t get to Lydia plus he doesn´t like to think back to genuine trauma. What to make of the look Derek gives him? I´m not sure. Is it equally frustration, because Derek can´t make any progress in the kanima matter, or is it anger because he has to depend on this boy of all people?

Erica and Derek notice the kanima behind Stiles's back. They look a bit dumbstruck. Stiles sees the kanima and pretty much jumps behind Derek for safety. Instinctively, Stiles considers that the safest place to be is with Derek between him and whatever creepy awful supernatural thing is coming at him. Right! Derek doesn't just defend him by getting in front of him, and roaring at the kanima, he makes sure Stiles knows that he has to get away. Derek orders Stiles to "Run!" He said the same thing to Scott in 1/1. Stiles is pack then, huh?

Neither of them tries to go for Erica, who has just been knocked out by the kanima. Aren´t they sweet? They don´t care one bit about Erica. Assholes! Really. Erica deserves better.

No. Stiles doesn´t run as Derek ordered him to after Derek gets hit by the kanima venom. He knows what had happened to the man at the garage. Stiles grabs Derek and makes a shambling run for it. Erica is just hanging out on the floor, but still neither of these two idiots cares about that. They only care for each other. *snorts*

They end up with Derek paralyzed and Stiles treading water, because when Derek falls in, Stiles could either call Scott and then try to rescue the werewolf, or he could jump in right away and cause them to be stuck for the next two hours. Stiles decides to jump in. That´s how much he hates Derek. Ha! So. Now Derek really depends on the human boy he pretty much dislikes, or doesn´t he?

Derek: "You get me out of here before I drown?"
Stiles: "You're worried about drowning? Did you notice the thing out there with multiple rows of razor sharp teeth?"
Derek: "Did you notice that I'm paralyzed from the neck down in eight feet of water?"
Stiles: "Okay." - "I don't see it."
The kanima appears, circling the pool.
Derek: "Wait, wait, wait, stop, stop."
Stiles: "What's it waiting for?"

Derek is pretty angry, and snarks at Stiles, probably to cover his discomfort at being helpless in a dangerous situation. Stiles is unusually agreeable, because he picks up Derek's panic instead of being opinionated as he would be otherwise Stiles does what Derek wants until the kanima shows up again. In spite of everything they look pretty cozy.

The kanima still guards the pool. It touches the water and backs away.
Stiles: "Wait. Did you see that? I don´t think it can swim."
Derek doesn´t reply. He looks desperate. He looks as if he thinks he´s gonna die.

The kanima still guards the pool. Stiles and Derek both look exhausted.
Stiles: "Okay. Okay. Okay, I don't think I can do this much longer."
Derek: "No, no, no! Don't even think about it."
Stiles: "Could you just trust me this once?"
Derek: "No!"
Stiles: "I'm the one keeping you alive, okay? Have you noticed that?"
Derek: "Yeah. And when the paralysis wears off, who´s gonna be able to fight that thing, you or me?"
Stiles: "That´s why I´ve been holding you up for the past two hours?"
Derek: "Yup. You don't trust me. I don't trust you. But you need me to survive, which is why you´re not letting me go."
They look at each other. Stiles knocks Derek down.
Derek: "Stiles!"
Derek sinks to the ground.

Derek thinks Stiles only holds him up because he needs him alive to fight the kanima. Oops! Sorry, Derek. Wrong!
Derek is important to Stiles. Stiles looks pretty much offended that Derek thinks there is no other reason. Stiles wants Derek to trust him.
Derek on the other hand almost panics at the idea that he could trust this kid. Not just a denial, but such a quick and vehement No! at the question of trust that we can absolutely make a case that he's protesting too much. That maybe he does trust Stiles and doesn't want to because that is way scarier than drowning and the kanima combined.
Well, Derek, you pushed your luck and lost. That´s why you´re on the ground, drowning. Maybe in the last second before Stiles hit him he realized his mistake. That Stiles cares more about him than having him as a weapon against the kanima.

Stiles goes for his cell phone resting on the edge of the pool. The kanima approaches but is not fast enough to catch him. Stiles calls Scott.

Stiles: "Scott!"
Scott: "I can´t talk right now."
Scott hangs up.

Oh! Great! Stiles looks at the phone, speechless. Then he looks at Derek, down there, dying. He makes the only logical choice. He throws the phone away and goes for Derek, pulling him back up above the water. Stiles saves Derek, even he is exhausted and can barely hold up himself.

Derek: "Tell me you got him."
Stiles says nothing. Derek sees the truth in Stiles´s desperate expression.

Yeah. You are alone. You and that boy. He´s the only you got to keep you alive. Scott just fucked you both. One last cuddle before you die.

Derek is not angry at being dropped into the water, because Derek is both, afraid of betrayal and he expects it constantly and reacts like it isn't a big deal at all when it happens. I don't think he forgives so much as that he doesn't think he deserves any less. So. He expected Stiles to let him go. He certainly doesn´t expect Stiles to come back for him. Not really.

Scott comes only to the pool by accident. He needs the USB stick on Gerard´s keys. That´s what he is looking for. Not Stiles.

Stiles: "I can't stay up any longer. I need something to hold on to."
Stiles swims to the edge of the pool. He tries to grab the rod of the jumping block. He fails. He and Derek go under.

There's a fine line between what anyone would do and what you do for love or because you're a fucking hero. Jumping into a pool to save a dude from drowning? It's not that special, all things considered. Most people would do it.

But Stiles has been holding them both up for two hours, he's completely exhausted and holding on by a thread. No one, least of all Derek, would fault him for letting go and saving himself. But Stiles drags Derek with him until he himself is going under and it's... over!!! Simply over.
They both would have drowned this very moment. Sure. Stiles is a good person but letting go of Derek for real wasn´t a thing he considered even for just a second, my god. Aw!

Okay. There is Scott. Pulling them both out of the water and on the cold ground. Perfect timing. Stiles and Derek can do nothing but watching Scott confronting the kanima. A mirror breaks. Scott uses a shard to fight. The kanima sees his reflection and flees. Scott looks at Derek and Stiles, still out of breath.

In front of the school Stiles and Scott read the info on Gerard´s stick on the notebook. Derek and Erica appear. Derek and Stiles are both still very wet.

Scott: "How are we supposed to figure out what this thing is?"
Derek: "It's called the kanima."
Stiles: "You knew the whole time."
Derek: "No. Only when it was confused by its own reflection."
Scott: "It doesn't know what it is."
Derek: "Or who."
Stiles: "What else do you know?"
Derek: "Just stories. Rumors."
Scott: "But it's like us?"
Derek: "A shape–shifter, yes, but it's– it's not right. It's like a–"
Stiles: "An abomination."
Scott: "Derek? We need to work together on this. Maybe even tell the Argents."
Derek: "You trust them?"
Scott: "Nobody trusts anyone! That's the problem. While we're here, arguing about who's on what side, there's something scarier, stronger and faster than any of us, and its killing people! And we still don't even know anything about it!"
Derek: "I know one thing. When I find it, I'm gonna kill it."

Derek looks wrecked. He literally looks afraid to confront Stiles after all that had happened. He looks like a wet dog, with cute teeth, big ears and soulful eyes. He is emotionally affected and not sure how to deal with this. He didn´t know what to say beyond sharing simply information, something he usually never does. Every time he looks at Stiles he appears out of his wits. He didn´t understand why Stiles saved him and what is going on? He looks like a lost boy.

Stiles on the other hand thinks Derek kept something from him and he is disappointed. He regrets that he had trusted Derek. Why did he anyway, huh? Because he does have expectations of Derek, he wants him to be the good guy and become friends with him? Why did he hold up Derek all this time? What did he expect afterwards? A changed Derek? A Derek who sees what Stiles is willing to do? A Derek who will trust him?

Stiles calls the kanima an abomination, like he says "Hey, Derek, I don´t think you´re an abomination. I know you´re better than this creature. You´re not a monster." Derek is stunned, but he gets Stiles meaning and accepts the sentiment if not the truth of it.

Scott fucks it all up by mentioning the Argents. Hey. Don't tell the dude whose whole family was murdered by a dangerous clan to work with them while he's exhausted and vulnerable. Derek storming off angry is at least half-way Scott's fault. Not that Derek isn't an idiot, too, but yeah.

Stiles witnesses Derek's angry retreat and is disappointed again. *eyeroll*

Truth is, all that happened here is a big breaking point in Stiles´s and Derek´s relationship. Nothing is ever the same again between them after the pool.
Derek will never forget what that boy did for him, and even if he is sometimes rough or stupid, he´s softer towards Stiles. Yes, even when he hits him in 3x2, he´s not the same Derek he was before towards Stiles. He always tries to protect Stiles from any harm. In season 3 he even does everything to save Stiles, no matter that Stiles is possessed by true evil and kills people.
Stiles on the other hand is never ever afraid of Derek anymore. Nope! He shouts into Derek´s face. He touches Derek. He saves Derek. He keeps caring for him all the time.
Yeah. The ship Sterek sailed itself here.

Stiles wears a red/white/black plaid shirt above a red shirt. Later he wears a red sports suit from adidas. Hey! Covered advertising! At training Derek wears a wife-beater. Later he wears grey and black.