The scourge of modern television seems to have become not the remake or the spin-off or even reality television. The scourge of modern television is, in fact, the recap. It seems like every show I watch these days wastes the first few minutes of every episode recapping what happened the previous week. I get that this helps lower the entrance bar for those not totally on board from the very beginning, but these days, with streaming video and whatnot? There should be no barrier to anyone jumping on board a show. One of the reasons why I think this new direction for Teen Wolf seems to work for me is that, once upon a time, I was a teenage boy. Lycanthropy is the perfect metaphor for puberty, as the original Teen Wolf and Ginger Snaps have proven. All those hormones, all that new hair, all that lack of self control. Teenagers are werewolves, and most of them don’t even shapeshift. Much like teens have trouble controlling their bodies, Scott’s inability to control his body is causing him some problems, both on and off the lacrosse field. Meanwhile, the half-eaten body from the pilot episode rears its ugly, err, torso as a plot point in this week’s episode, too. I guess I should have paid more attention to it, because apparently it’s important and not just a MacGuffin to get Scott lycanthropized. I have to say, so far, this show is actually fairly good. I had low expectations considering it’s MTV and its last scripted show I watched was, uh, I don’t remember, honestly. Teen Wolf, according to the only person I know that watches Vampire Diaries, is apparently very comparable to the other teen supernatural drama, right down to having the girl a part of a family of supernatural beast slayers. There’s also the fact that on The Vampire Diaries, the werewolf’s name is Tyler while on Teen Wolf, both main weres are played by actors named Tyler. Some of the acting moments, especially when Tyler Posey is fighting to maintain control of his wolf side, are a little laughable, but the side characters (Hale, Allison, and Stiles) are usually pretty entertaining. Stiles, especially, is a highlight, as he seems to capture the necessary intelligence to be both the main exposition and the amusingly smart-assed best friend. I also like some of the secondary characters, like the lacrosse coach, Bobby Finstock (Orny Adams), who comes across as a combination of Paul Giamatti and Christopher Walken. Teen Wolf won’t live up to the legacy of the films, but it’s a damn sight better than Teen Wolf Too and is a worthy heir to Big Wolf On Campus. Read our review of the series premiere here. US Correspondent Ron Hogan would have loved to play lacrosse in school. It’s like hockey for people who cannot skate! Find more by Ron daily at Shaktronics and PopFi. Follow Den Of Geek on Twitter right here. And be our Facebook chum here.
