You’ve got to take my opinion with a grain of salt. I’m the one who is addicted to The Vampire Diaries, loved House and Cuddy together and still mourns Human Target (and Keen Eddie …). Mainstream doesn’t describe my opinion of television … you all can keep your Grey’s Anatomy and Glee (I’m so over those shows).
It is with these deviant opinions in mind that you have to consider the source when I say that MTV’s Teen Wolf could have a lot going for it. You wouldn’t be reading this if you didn’t enjoy the pilot on some level … or you’re at least wolf-curious, so maybe you’ll agree with me. There’s huge potential for screwing it all up, but the pilot was surprisingly entertaining (and I had high expectations based on the strangely engaging trailer) and I’m left wanting to see how the characters are going to interact with one another.
I don’t mean the stupid jock who is threatened by Scott’s (Tyler Posey) sudden prowess on the lacrosse field, nor do I care about watching the pretty new girl, Allison (Crystal Reed), ditch the “in-crowd.” I’m more taken with the completely obvious “twist” that the werewolf hunter is Allison’s father. Instead of going down the typical path, they could explore a world of complex emotions here, so I hope we get more than just awkward moments when Scott picks up Allison for a date. It’s really quite ambiguous as to whether or not Argent knows that Scott is the wolf he nearly caught. I’m also really intrigued with the mentor wolf, Dylan (Tyler Hoechlin). Again, hopefully their relationship will be complex and multi-layered and not a carbon-copy of Being Human‘s disastrous storyline with George / Josh’s biter. Plus, Scott and Allison are pretty cute together and they both make dogs cry, so. …
Stiles is the stereotypical sidekick (think Reaper‘s Sock, HIMYM‘s Barney, Happy Endings‘ Max, etc.) — you love him but know he’s got his limitations and he’s only there to set off certain qualities about the lead. But like the others I mentioned, you can’t help but have a little fondness for him in your heart, so he’s serving his stereotypical purpose.
I can live with the special effects because I get that a scripted MTV show probably has a budget rivaling my local cable channel’s. And it hasn’t escaped my keen eye that they are blatantly trying to capitalize on the creepy trend that Twilight started, and Vampire Diaries and Being Human brought to the TV screen. I don’t think there’s a whole lot of shame in that, because you all know there will be more zombies in the near future.
As I’m writing this, I’m starting to wonder what has me liking the show so much; it’s starting to sound kind of lame. I hope I haven’t just predicted all of the outcomes and destined this show to a typical spiral towards the ordinary. I’m hoping for a pleasant surprise, much like the trailer and the pilot, for the rest of the first season and beyond.
What do you think — are you along for the ride, at least in the short haul?
Clacked by Debbie McDuffee
on Jun 05, 2011 @ 23:30 EST5EDT
