What with the lack of quality in MTV shows of the late, the name Teen Wolf sounds rather unpromising – when the promo for season one aired in spring 2011, it was no doubt accompanied by groans and eye rolls. The theme of forbidden love and sadistic supernatural creatures has been long overused since the immense popularity of the Twilight Saga; consequently, it seemed that Teen Wolf would only appeal to hormonal teenagers and Taylor Lautner fangirls. But despite the low expectations and mocking attitudes of those who watched the previews, the show had a surprising appeal: the intrigue of the story line was better than any viewer had anticipated. After gaining a significant fanbase over the past two years, the underdog MTV drama is returning for its third season this summer.
The first season revolves around protagonist Scott McCall (Tyler Posey)’s struggle to keep his life in balance after being bitten by an unidentified werewolf and transforming into the famed “teen wolf.” At first, his transformation is a blessing: suddenly no longer an unpopular asthmatic, he makes the starting line of his school’s lacrosse time and gains the affections of the new girl at school, Allison Argent (Crystal Reed). Though his newfound skills and heightened senses are at first a gift, Scott discovers that being a werewolf is not the most enjoyable venture. As the small town of Beacon Hills, California is ravaged by a series of horrific murders, Scott and his best friend “Stiles” Stilinski (Dylan O’Brien) discover that the alpha werewolf who bit Scott is the culprit. They first suspect the mysterious werewolf Derek Hale (Tyler Hoechlin), but are taken aback when he admits that he too is unaware of the identity of the homicidal shape-shifter. As if things could not get any worse for Scott, he discovers that Allison comes from a family who has conveniently been hunting werewolves for centuries.
Throughout the twelve episodes, the characters struggle to identify and eventually kill the alpha, who is revealed to be Derek’s uncle Peter Hale after a turn of events. Two other significant characters, Jackson Whittemore (Colton Haynes) and Lydia Martin (Holland Roden) are pulled into the twisted plot: Jackson, co-captain of the lacrosse team with Scott, discovers his secret and issues an ultimatum, while Lydia is attacked and bitten by Peter Hale. The fates of these characters set the stage for season two, as Jackson transforms into the deadly lizard creature, the kanima, and becomes the latest supernatural-death-machine in the creepy town of Beacon Hills, California.
Meanwhile, Peter Hale is secretly manipulating Lydia, who is curiously immune to the werewolf bite, into resurrecting him. The two plots come to a stalemate at the end of the season when Scott and Stiles discover that the new kid at school, Matt, is controlling the kanima as a means of revenge, and Peter miraculously comes back to life with unclear intentions. Matt is quickly eliminated by Allison’s super creepy grandpa Gerard. In the finale of the show, Jackson is pronounced dead on the lacrosse field (no doubt under Gerard’s influence) but comes back to life and transitions into a werewolf (much to fans’ confusion). Scott unveils the plan that he had to defeat Gerard all along, and for once, all is well in Beacon Hills.
Season three, set to premiere June 3, will pick up four months after the end of season two, beginning at the start of the characters’ junior year. The premiere episode will briefly delve into how Scott and his friends have dealt with the stressful occurrences of the past year. Though the characters will have experienced some blissful peace over the summer, it is evanescent, as a pack of alpha werewolves have arrived and are demolishing Beacon Hills. This motley crew of alphas – including threatening identical twins and an intimidating female – are the latest to terrorize the town, leaving Scott and his friends amidst yet another crisis. The town will again be plagued by mystery, but unlike previous seasons, it may not be directly correlated with the supernatural – in a scene in the season three trailer, Stiles points out a “lack of werewolf-itude” in the murders. Season three is also said to be the darkest yet, as producer Jeff Davis confirms that the body-count this season will be higher than that of the first two combined. Rumored love interests for Derek and Stiles and a flashback episode introducing the Hale family are also anticipated. One worry many viewers have is how Jackson will be written off the show, as actor Colton Haynes did not return for season three. What followers of Teen Wolf can expect is a lot more drama, plenty of sarcastic one-liners from Stiles, and yet another mystery surrounding Beacon Hills to untangle.
