‘Mountain Monsters’ Recap: The AIMS Team Returns To The Dark Woods

From the start of the new season of Mountain Monsters, the AIMS team has been on the defensive as they struggle to unravel the mysteries that surround them. The Mountain Monsters team now has a good idea of what the Rogue Team wants from them, but Trapper John, Buck, Huckleberry, Jeff, Wild Bill, and Willy are still trying to decide if they can be trusted. The Rogue team’s leader promised to tell them who killed the Stonish Giant and where the body can be found if the AIMS team will bring him the Woman of the Woods, a frightening figure in the Dark Woods that seems to have some sort of hold on Jeff.

Jeff shared with the rest of the Mountain Monsters team that he discovered a video on his cell phone that someone took of him wandering around the forest. He has no memory of going back to the Dark Woods, and it sounds as though he was with the Woman of the Woods. She mentions a new creature called the Black Wolf, which surprises the Mountain Monsters team. Buck remarks that if they return to the woods, they will have to deal with the local Bigfoot called the Raven Mocker, the Woman of the Woods, and now something called the Black Wolf. Trapper comments that they don’t even know for sure if it is a creature or a person called the Black Wolf.

The team searches for clues but something odd is going on with Jeff. Watch #MountainMonsters Saturday 10/9c!https://t.co/CTxJDc0rIC

— Destination America (@DestAmerica) April 21, 2017

According to Monsters and Critics, the Mountain Monsters team decides they must return to Lee County, Virginia, to help Jeff free himself from the Woman of the Woods’ influence. Wild Bill and Willy can build any trap the team needs, but whether the Mountain Monsters group can actually capture the elusive and dangerous Woman of the Woods remains to be seen. They know just how dangerous it is after coming away from a previous investigation there that left the Mountain Monsters team feeling fortunate to leave without anyone seriously injured or worse. The Mountain Monsters men decide to go, and Trapper stays behind as Wild Bill and Willy begin work on building a base camp. Meanwhile, the rest of the Mountain Monsters team decides to begin a preliminary investigation of the area.

Almost immediately upon entering the Dark Forest, the Mountain Monsters team encounters strange formations and symbols made from tree limbs and twigs, and begin hearing unusual sounds. When Jeff begins acting strangely, the Mountain Monsters group decides to head back and meet up with Wild Bill and Willy. Buck and Huckleberry share their concerns about Jeff’s behavior, and everyone decides he should not join the Mountain Monsters team on the night hunt. At first, Jeff accepts this, but then he suddenly turns on Buck, accusing him of trying to run off first Trapper and then himself so Buck can take over the Mountain Monsters team. Huckleberry puts a quick stop to the argument, and the two men apologize. Jeff realizes he was out of line and that the way he acted was out of character for him.

Later, Wild Bill and Willy take Buck and Huckleberry to base camp, and while there, Huckleberry discovers another strange symbol made of twigs. They ask Jeff to come to base camp so he can look at the symbol and compare it to his sketch of another similar object. They are different in design, and Buck believes that what it must mean is that they are right on the edge of the Dark Forest. Jeff declares to his Mountain Monsters brothers that he is fit and ready for the hunt, and so they decide he can join them on their next investigation.

From here, things take another strange turn during the night hunt. The Mountain Monsters team splits up, with Buck, Jeff, and Huckleberry going in one direction as Wild Bill and Willy start out in another area. The plan is for Wild Bill and Willy to drive whatever is in the woods before them as the two Mountain Monsters groups slowly meet back up. To their surprise, Buck runs into first one trip line and then another, and they’re not sure where to proceed from there. The trip lines were placed up high in order to only go off when someone was walking through the forest, and most animals would be able to walk underneath them.

There's a #Bigfoot that makes a sound like thunder. #MountainMonsters is NEW Sat 10/9C! https://t.co/Q77ltk4ske pic.twitter.com/ykcZDemOkl

— Destination America (@DestAmerica) February 5, 2016

As they’re trying to decide what to do next, they have to scramble for cover when men begin to descend on their area. Could this be the other group that killed the Stonish Giant? There has to be another group out there if the Rogue team didn’t shoot the creature. If not, then who is setting up trip wires in the woods? The Mountain Monsters team isn’t ready for a confrontation, and the three men hunker down. When Jeff suddenly jumps up and runs off, Buck and Huckleberry are forced to stay hidden until the other group leaves.

Buck and Huckleberry quickly go after Jeff, but he keeps running off from them. When they call for him, they hear Jeff respond from two different directions, and Buck realizes the Woman of the Woods has the ability to mimic voices, and that it’s probably her trying to fool them. They finally find him kneeling by a tree, and Buck sees a girl in white pointing at Jeff. She runs off and they tackle Jeff, holding him down until Huckleberry literally smacks some sense back into him. Buck starts to go after the girl but when he hears her, he can’t bring himself to go any further.

As the Mountain Monsters team regroups, they hear something that stops everyone in their tracks. Both teams decide it’s time to head for base camp, and once back together, they discuss what they heard when Buck notices someone else is there. The silhouette looks familiar and may be the man the Mountain Monsters team talked to earlier on their way to the Dark Woods. The figure tells them that the horrendous, ground-shaking sound they heard was the Black Wolf.

Next week’s Mountain Monsters episode, aptly titled “The Black Wolf,” finds the team trying to learn all they can about what they may be facing as a shaman warns them that the Black Wolf’s presence could spell disaster for Jeff. His behavior continues to be erratic, causing the Mountain Monsters team even more concern. Facing the Woman of the Woods is dangerous enough, but the Black Wolf could prove to be the instrument of their undoing if they’re not careful. The Futon Critic calls this the most intense, suspenseful, and emotionally charged season of Mountain Monsters yet, and many fans of the show would agree.

Are you a fan of Mountain Monsters? What do you think of the new season so far? Leave your comments, thoughts, and opinions concerning Mountain Monsters below. Mountain Monsters airs every Saturday at 10 p.m. ET on the Destination America Channel.

[Featured Image by Destination America Channel]