Teen Wolf – “Pilot” – review

By the end of the first episode of MTV’s “reimagining” of Teen Wolf, I was beyond furious. The show doesn’t deserve to share the same title as the 1985 Michael J. Fox comedy. It’s clearly just an attempt to cash in on the nostalgia of the original movie, as the show has nothing in common with it besides the title, the first name of the main character, and the high school setting. They threw out the werewolf gene in favor of a more traditional mythology, having Scott get bitten by another werewolf early in the episode. They also add werewolf hunters, made Scott play lacrosse instead of basketball, and a heap of other annoyances.

But what bothered me the most was how they portrayed Scott at the beginning. He’s supposed to be this high school outcast, who sucks at lacrosse and isn’t popular one bit. This is never fully shown. We just have to take Scott’s word for it, yet we see that he’s well built physically and he’s clearly easy on the eyes. So why is he so unpopular? Maybe people think he’s too wooden, which is exactly how I thought Tyler Posey’s performance was.

Once Scott gets bitten, he starts going through some changes. He’s able to hear conversations from far away, he can smell what flavor gum is in your pocket, and his speed and reflexes improved dramatically. He even uses his new found sense of hearing to eaves drop on a pretty girl’s (Crystal Reed) conversation, learn things about her, and use the knowledge to his advantage, which is something nobody seems to find creepy. Oh yeah, and he’s apparently a dog whisperer, and his eyes glow when he talks to them. Super cheesy. And when he finally starts to wolf out near the end of the episode, he doesn’t even fully change. What a rip off!

This is a poor attempt by MTV to make decent scripted television. Although I’m sure if you’re already watching MTV’s other shows (Jersey Shore, 16 and Pregnant, Teen Mom) you’ll probably enjoy this just fine. But if you’re looking for something a bit more thought out or a more faithful adaptation of Teen Wolf, then you should just stay away from this garbage.