A Review of 'Teen Wolf'

Exchanging stakes for wolfsbane, Teen Wolf is so refreshing after the Vampire mania. Set in a small American town, Scott McCall is torn into the mysterious world of the werewolves with a bite that changes his life forever. Suddenly the teen becomes the star player in his school’s sport of lacrosse – which I find original and surprisingly brutal; he gets the girl, Allison, and their star-crossed love is magnificently more impressive then Bella and Edward’s. With his best friend Stiles - who makes this show charismatic, funny and witty – together they face the revenge-obsessed Alpha, the secretive, angry Derek, Allison’s family ‘The Werewolf Hunters’ and the usual high-school dramas like uncompleted homework and late night detentions.  Then there’s the inquisitive Jackson, who smells something strange and as one of the most popular and richest teens in their town threatens to unravel their secret. With a tough guy disguise, it’s his loneliness that turns him cold-blooded and murderous, which Scott has to control, in between his own struggles at keeping the wolf at bay. The trek through the woods is perilous but with Scott’s own pack of rag-tag humans, they can solve the mystery of the Alpha’s identity, the truth of the arson case and the murders of the old swimming team.

I love this series, which is edited to a fast pace that had me at the edge of my seat. Small elements of gore and horror make this all the more dramatic and Derek’s eerie howl is enough to raise hairs on my arm. I like how the bad guy of this story is constantly changing and never fully clear; Derek Hale, moody and angry, has all the right intentions but his actions are always alienating our protagonist; even the Alpha can be empathized with and later tries to help but is too mistrusted. And the characters who should be the good guys – the human werewolf hunters – are actually the most brutal and cruel. Some of the jokes can be cheesy but I find them and the characters endearing. 2013 promises an exciting series three that should finally unite all the characters against a common foe.