Next week the Newsroom comes back for its second season and
I actually have HBO and will be able to watch it. Only the genius of Aaron Sorkin (and the adorableness of
Jim) can distract me from my current number one show, Teen Wolf. I am new to the world of Teen Wolf,
having started with season one a few weeks ago. And I know what you’re thinking. It’s on Mtv.
It’s based on an 80s movie that while it had its merits (I mean, it did
star Michael J. Fox), hardly deserved a sequel, let alone an entire TV
series. And the only reason I can
imagine it got made is because the vampire craze leaked over into werewolf
territory. And courtesy of
Twilight and True Blood’s sexy shirtless wolf boys, werewolves were a hot
commodity. Enter Mtv and their
fond memory of the 80s (remember, when Mtv was new and cool and didn’t just
play crappy reality TV all the time, but actually played music?), and their
desire to be relevant, and perhaps to gain back a little bit of dignity.
Coming
Soon: Sarah hunts werewolves in Portland, but instead finds signs of the
elusive Sasquatch.
So I was skeptical when I first heard of this show. Over time, however, I kept hearing more
and more that made me curious. And
Kacey finally watched a few episodes and said it was actually pretty
decent. Tumblr (just, in general) and a few posts on
my favorite fandom website, Hypable, pushed me over the edge. It was time to give it a try.
As the title of this post gives away, I loved it. I watched the first two seasons on
Netflix in less time than it took Krystal & I to watch the first two
seasons of the O.C. all those years ago.
You’ll have to take my word for it, it was quick. So now I’m totally caught up, and
eagerly anticipate a new episode every week. I think the short seasons allow for a faster pace and
contribute to the overall quality of the show, but I can’t lie, I’m going to be
disappointed when the season ends and I have to wait.
What is it about this teen show on Mtv that makes me look
forward to Tuesdays (I’m too old and tired to stay up at watch it at 10 on
Mondays, so I watch On Demand the next day)? So glad you asked.
In order, this is what I love about Teen Wolf:
1)
Stiles - From
episode one, my absolute favorite thing about this show is the character of
Stiles. In all his Seth Cohen-like
glory, Stiles steals every episode every moment he is on screen. I don’t even know if I like Scott all
that much – the main character, and only other character pulled from the 80s
movie – but Stiles loves him, so he must have some merit. If you ever loved the O.C,’s Seth Cohen,
and kind of feel like the world needs more nerdy characters like that, you need
look no further. And you actually
don’t have to finish this post, cause I’ve told you everything you need to
know. Stiles is the second coming
of Seth Cohen, right down to his love for the popular girl who is going to need
some more time before she figures out precisely how amazing he is. I should note that the adorable Dylan
O’Brien who plays Stiles was born in the 90s, so he makes the number one slot
in a totally platonic manner.
2)
Buffy-like genre bending mash-up – Buffy is the best example
of a show that brilliantly mashed up comedy, drama, action, and horror. I can’t say that every Buffy fan will
love Teen Wolf (although I think that many would), but if you are craving that
same blending of genres, Teen Wolf does it with gusto. It has the tension of good
horror, some quality werewolf action, the humor of Stiles (well, and others,
but mostly just Stiles), and the right amount of teen angst to give it some
dramatic flair.
3)
Werewolf lore – If you feel like you’ve maxed out on learning
various vampire lore (do they burn or sparkle in the sunlight? Do they need an
invitation to come in, or can they stalk you while you sleep?, etc), and are
looking for something new, the werewolf offers some new discussion points. Are they born or bitten? Do they only
turn at the full moon or does something else trigger them? And while the basic rules have been established
for our Teen Wolf crew, there are constantly new elements being introduced to
provide a richer picture.
4)
The supernatural drives the story, not the typical issues that
pop up in various teen dramas. No
one cares that Danny is gay, it’s something everyone was aware of at the start,
it’s a normal part of life. While
the parents had understandable reactions to Scott & Allison being sexually
active, it wasn’t dwelt on, and it wasn’t the end of their worlds. The only reason the drinking at Lydia’s
party was a problem is because in a trance she poisoned everyone. Whatever is sacrificing people this season
picked three virgins for its first grouping, and then moved on to three
soldiers for its next, quickly making this about finding this enemy who focuses on rituals and groupings of
three as opposed to whether or not various characters have had sex. These things that are a part of life
are there, but they don’t stand out as odd nor do they pull focus away from
what actually matters in this town.
There are freaking werewolves.
5)
Tyler Hoechlin (Derek) is really hot. He’s not the only one, but
as the rest of them are playing high schoolers, l will just focus on him. I recognize this is only appealing to a
certain demographic, so for those who prefer the ladies, there are plenty of
good-looking women on the show as well.
Maybe you won’t like it, but don’t write it off because
almost everything else on Mtv is crap.
