Teen Wolf

I woke up one day and decided that I should probably watch all the teen shows I possibly can before I get too old to do so. I think the thought process started after I watched Gossip Girl and I thought to myself I would never tolerate this nonsense if I was much older. I don’t know what I was doing when I was in high school or middle school or whenever these shows came out, but I know that if I don’t watch now, I won’t ever watch it again, and I didn’t want to miss out on any possible pop culture references in the future.

That being said, I started watching Teen Wolf and I loved it. In all honesty, I thought it would be actual rubbish. Teenage werewolves? What’s next? Teenage vampires? (Yes, Vampire Diaries is next on the list). There were several things I liked about this show (and a lot I didn’t) so let’s get into it. I should probably say spoiler alert but this has been out for a while, right? So if you’re like me and want to start watching, I’d strongly advise not reading this.

First thing I probably noticed is that Colton Haynes is an amazing actor. Not only does he have a jawline that can cut through glass, but he’s also very expressive and I was impressed. I may have undermined him in the past but I can assure you, I won’t make that mistake again.

On the topic of good actors, I would like to give an honorary mention to Dylan O’Brien. Stiles may be my favorite character from any TV series, ever. He’s funny, smart, super emotional and an absolute train-wreck. I see a lot of myself in him, especially the train-wreck bit. I probably never related to a character like I did with him. I think he was excellently written and portrayed. The fact that he could play an overly curious teenager and a malicious, emotionless demon spirit so convincingly definitely deserves recognition.

You know what they say, take everything with a pinch of salt. Someone said that to me once and I’ve been trying to figure it out since. I think it means to expect something negative with everything positive? I hope that’s what it means because I’m about to start listing the things I did not like about Teen Wolf.

For starters, I was not a fan of the last two seasons, it seemed entirely far-fetched. I know what you’re thinking, more far-fetched than teen werewolves? Yes. If you watched the show, you would agree with me. I was not a fan of the storyline and I was not a fan of the lack of Stiles. I did, however, enjoy seeing a few characters make a comeback. That was bittersweet, but I still wanted to see a few more, *cough* Isaac Lahey, and Danny *cough*.

That’s all for the pinch of salt. Now, to more important topics. Considering the fact that this show started pretty early on, it is insanely progressive and diverse. From the cast to the characters, I feel like there is more representation in comparison to a lot of the other shows that aired around the same time. Also, there are several strong female leads in the main cast, and as supporting characters. They are portrayed as badasses with the ability to fight anyone and everyone. That’s a trait I appreciate in my women. None of them were seen as helpless, and that’s something every film/series maker should take note of.

Another thing that I really liked about Teen Wolf was how much they tried to make it realistic. I’m not talking about the supernatural bits, but the fact that the kids were always concerned about their attendance and grades (unlike too many other series where they only show the school in two scenes and forget about it), or how Scott had the same bag throughout the series, or how all of them were worried about college and had financial problems. It struck a chord with me and it made the characters more relatable, hence made the show more likable.

Aside from the main cast, who I rarely mentioned (Sorry Scott, Derek, Alison, etc.), there are some noteworthy performances by the supporting cast. So in no particular order:

• Yes, I’m using bullet-points, I’m really into this article. Moving on, Melissa McCall. Scott’s mother. She is this show’s unsung hero. I loved her character, she was strong-willed and fearless. She also helped everyone too many times to be counted and did not receive any credit for it.
• Badass parents seem to be a theme here because this next guy is Sheriff Stilinski. This poor man tried to solve supernatural cases like they were normal and it nearly drove him insane. But, he kept trying his best to abide by the law and protect and serve at the same time. He was also a good dad to Stiles. Kudos for raising such a dope kid.
• One more parent, I swear. Chris Argent, because he is the definition of character development. He learned from his family’s mistakes and just tried his best to make it right. He helped Scott and the pack get out of trouble, track down people and used his extensive knowledge for good rather than hunting monsters. He was alo the only one in his family who actually honored the code. I hated him and his righteousness initially but I grew to grow fond of him.
• Coach Finstock. I’m not going to lie, I might actually be Coach Finstock. I mean, done with life? mad all the time? couldn’t care less about anything? All the arrows point to me. Coach was just a comedic character for the longest time and I didn’t put much thought into it, until that episode where he stopped Lydia and Liam from getting attacked (separate episodes but still significant). Not to mention the fact that he nonchalantly saved Jackson and Ethan in the last season.

Is there more I’d like to add about Teen Wolf? Absolutely. I can talk about it forever, but this post dragged on longer than I anticipated. I guess I had a lot of feelings about Teen Wolf, which goes to show just how much I liked it. If you’re going through an existential crisis and want to start watching teen dramas before you grow old, I highly recommend you start with this one. I’ll leave you with this gem:

Gif sources:
jadejaxc, tweenw, derrekshales, bob-belcher, kskjins