Lydia Martin is Beacon Hill's resident Banshee and Queen of Mean in Teen Wolf. Though she begins the series as a seemingly two-dimensional popular girl at school, she undergoes one of the greatest character arcs in the show. Lydia learns that she shouldn't be afraid of hiding her intelligence and that it doesn't undermine her personality at all - if anything it makes her stronger.
Lydia learns to dial down her hostility and embrace her true self as the seasons continue and her abilities blossom. But that doesn't mean this powerful red-head doesn't know how to simply burn characters to a crisp with a single smoldering glare and a few fiery words.
"Boring. Still Boring. 'Slipping Into A Coma' Bored."
Season 1 was the height of Lydia's popularity and confidence before the supernatural began to take over her life. She was quite the mean girl, even to her best friend Allison Argent. While Allison is slowly learning about the supernatural, Lydia cannot help but show her disinterest. Season 1 Lydia would much rather talk about boys with her best friend than listen to the boring fictional tales of monsters - that is until they begin to infiltrate her life on a larger scale.
It's simple but effective savagery that's ultimately harmless between friends. Short and witty banter like this between Lydia and Allison quickly leads them to become best friends and eventually defines their relationship.
"Oh, Finally. Awkwardly. Predictably."
Nothing is more fun at a party than watching other people which is what Lydia decides to do during the Halloween black-light party. She looks on from the sidelines at Allison as she finally decides to do something about the sexual tension she shares with Isaac Lahey, delivering this line as she watches. It is a sweet moment of light banter that winks at the audience.
When Lydia drags her eyes over to Stiles who is dancing erratically and awkwardly, the audience continues to laugh hysterically. Then her gaze lands on Aiden, one of Lydia's best love interests in Teen Wolf, dancing with other girls. Though hurting, she is still able to deliver a deeply relatable line that reads the minds of what the fans watching have been thinking and reminds fans that she will not "fall prey to society's desire to turn girls into emotionally insecure neurotics".
"No, My Designer Handbag."
Some of Lydia's best insults and burns are directed at Stiles Stilinski. While Lydia realizes her love for the sarcastic goofball in season 6, Stiles' love was unrequited for most of the show's seasons. The tension between them undulated with every snarky remark hurled at one another.
When Lydia turns up to school sporting a bandage on her ankle, Stiles is concerned. While it turns out that Prada bit her, Stiles should have known better than to ask whether it was her dog or not. Lydia's sarcastic comment is perfectly timed, brutal and hilarious.
"Do You Have An IQ Higher Than 170?"
No one in Teen Wolf is smarter than Lydia Martin - who is literally a genius. Anyone with an IQ score over 140 can be qualified as a genius, and Lydia's score is 170. She is a math goddess, a whiz at chemistry, and not to mention she is a fantastic artist too.
No one needs to help her with studying, least of all Aiden - who only went back to school to torment the teen wolves learning there. She is right to decline his invitation, she certainly doesn't need to carry any dead weight - especially since she was already on her way to MIT.
"Someone In Desperate Need Of A Pedicure. I'd Be Happy To Give You A Referral."
While Lydia was still figuring out her powers in season 3, she is still able to defend herself against the terrifying alpha werewolf Kali - with her words. Kali likes to walk barefoot and show off her claws, of which Lydia obviously takes advantage.
Lydia's words are laced with venom but don't lead to a fight as Aiden jumps in to protect her from his pack member's anger. Though some fans have the unpopular opinion that Lydia was a damsel in distress too often in the show, in later seasons her words aren't the only way she defends herself. With her powers, fighting skills, and snark, Lydia becomes soon becomes a terrifying force to be reckoned with.
"It's Not Like My Aunt's A Serial Killer."
It's a blink-and-you'll-miss-it burn but it stings nonetheless for Allison, whose recently deceased aunt Kate Argent has been revealed as the murderer of the Hales. While this comment is considered one of the worst things Lydia did to Allison, it is still a very amusing and shady burn.
This flippant burn may come off as insensitive but Lydia is returning to school with trauma as well after spending two days in the woods in a fugue state. She is rebuilding her confidence through her savage burns and unfortunately, Allison is one of those victims.
"You Should Have Thought About That Before Wearing Those Shoes."
While it is amusing when Lydia's mother implies that she could be the one to embarrass her when Natalie Martin takes over as the school's biology teacher - since the last one became a human sacrifice. Lydia comes back with a savage burn about her mother's shoes.
Their relationship grows in season 3 and includes a lot more sweet mother/daughter moments. This one becomes even funnier when Lydia says "love you" to her mother in such a sweet and sour tone.
"And Scott McCall Can Stay Home Surfing The Net For Porn."
This season 1 moment is one of the first exchanges between Scott and Lydia. When Scott worries that he'll hurt someone while playing lacrosse, Lydia tells him that he better play because she doesn't want her boyfriend to be the captain of the losing lacrosse team.
This conversation is full of burns and insults on Lydia's part but nothing is more savage than blackmailing Scott by saying she'll introduce Allison to lots of hot athletes while he stays at home. This comment is brutal and only becomes more so when the audience begins to see hints that she is more than just the school's Queen Bee but also a math genius as she quickly finishes the equation before leaving Scott on his own to sulk.
"And Less Important Things Like Medicine, Economics, Engineering..."
Though some Reddit users had an unpopular opinion about Teen Wolf's Malia, saying they found it unlikely that Malia would be learning High School-level subjects, it doesn't stop Teen Wolf from sending her to Beacon Hills High School. She struggles with many subjects including math but she has her friends to help her.
While Malia doesn't understand the importance of math, Stiles thinks he does: it's for knowing how much to tip. Lydia helps Malia throughout school and makes sure she learns what's important - but not from Stiles. Lydia is not afraid to be righteously snarky and reminding him of the truly crucial areas in society where math is actually used.
"What Kind Of Shape Is Sociopathic B*tch?"
While the comment about Allison's aunt might have been a bit uncalled for, this comment was not. In Teen Wolf's season 3 finale cliffhanger, it is revealed that Kate Argent is alive and the season 4 premiere explains she was turned when Peter slashed her throat and supposedly killed her.
The shape of were-creatures such as were-coyotes and werewolves reflect the person they truly are. Lydia savagely says what the audience is thinking as she wonders what kind of shape the sociopathic Kate would take. Apparently, the answer is a jaguar.
