A long time ago in middle school, I decided to watch MTV’s Teen Wolf, a show about teenage werewolves (who would have ever guessed?). At the end of its second season, I did so because I thought all the guys on the show were very handsome (and, of course, they are). However,` I slowly fell in love with not only the characters, but the relationships and friendships each person formed with one another. Never did I think would it impact the way I am today and how I see the world and my friends in it.
Teen Wolf premiered in 2011 and ran its series finale on the last Sunday of September of 2017. It definitely didn’t hit me that it was the end until about a minute or so before the screen abruptly turned black. It felt like it wasn’t over, as though the “Next Time on Teen Wolf” voiceover would come as it always did, but the show finished and honored the way Scott and his pack’s journeys came together. Its 100th episode, “The Wolves of War” made fans like me feel nostalgic for the show’s beginnings. I was proud to see the characters we have come to love win yet another battle against the enemies but also sad that it would be the last battle we’d ever see them fight.
The finale felt more like the end of a season instead of a series, hinting at many more adventures to come with Scott McCall and his pack which is, at its very heart, what Teen Wolf is about and has evolved to be.
We leave Scott, Stiles, Derek, Lydia and the rest of the pack continuing their journey with a new lone wolf as they go on together to protect those who cannot protect themselves; nous protégeons ceux qui ne peuvent pas se protéger eux-mêmes (right, Allison?).
Teen Wolf started off as a show about an outcast named Scott and his life as a newly turned werewolf and its subsequent consequences. We see him grow with his best friend Stiles, his first love Allison, his mysterious and brooding mentor Derek, and Allison’s best friend and Stiles’s crush, Lydia. For the past 6 years, we’ve been by the pack’s side (even though they lost a few members along the way) whether they were fighting the pre-ally Argents, the Darach, pre-ally Deucalion (who totally helped save the pack post season 5 by the way), the Nogitsune, the Berserker, la bête du Gévaudan, the Ghost Riders, the Anuk-Ite and so much more.
We’ve seen Scott grow from lost teenager to savior of Beacon Hills, reminding all of us that there’s always a hero in us. This last season was an outstanding homage to all the battles Scott and his pack have fought throughout the series, contemplating what it means to do the right thing and how our friends influence our choices when faced with those decisions. With all of Scott’s past fears literally in one room right before he conquers the totality of them, it all comes down to his loved ones: His friends. The series has taught its viewers what process is, especially the process of becoming just as Scott did. It’s not a straight path, it’s not easy. You make friends and you make enemies but it’s not about the destination; it’s about the journey and those who travel with you on it.
Scott’s driving force for protecting those who cannot protect themselves has been, without a doubt, because of his friends. There’s solace and comfort in those you love, so even in the darkest of times, they are the ones who lead you back to the light.
I’m extremely thankful for everything Teen Wolf has given its fans and everything it’s given me. Sure, it gave me something to do on Monday (Moon Mondays), Tuesday (Teen Wolf Tuesdays), and Sunday evenings but it also gave me strength and direction in my identity of who I am and who I want to be. Not to mention, learning about South American folklore and Japanese mythology was pretty cool, too.
I will forever love this show about teenage werewolves. The names Scott McCall, Allison Argent, Derek Hale, Stiles Stilinski, and Lydia Martin will always have a special place in my TV-loving heart.
Thank you, Teen Wolf and fandom. Thank you, Tyler Posey, cast, and crew. Thank you, Jeff Davis.
It’s been a hell of a ride.
Sources
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