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'Teen Wolf' finally comes to an end, thank god

Teen Wolf
The cast of "Teen Wolf" spoke in a panel at Nerd HQ during San Diego Comic-Con 2016 for "Conversations for a Cause."

“Teen Wolf” ended its six-year run with its 100th episode last night, but Scott McCall and his pack’s story is far from over.

The series focuses on Scott McCall (Tyler Posey), who was bitten by a werewolf in the forests of Beacon Hills and now must face reality as a werewolf. On top of that, he’s juggling high school, lacrosse, other supernatural creatures and, worst of all, girls.

Even worse, his first girlfriend’s father just happens to be the one thing he fears most — a werewolf hunter.

He soon finds himself in the midst of a supernatural war between werewolves and werewolf hunters.

Ever since its premiere in 2011, I’ve been following the show religiously. It was a welcome change to the pop culture world — one that was dominated by vampires (I’m looking at you, “Twilight”).

Throughout the years, Scott and his friends (referred to as his pack) protected their hometown from many supernatural villains. However, what made this show stand out from other supernatural shows was its rich mythology. 

Instead of focusing solely on werewolves, there were wendigos, druids, kitsunes — you name it. 

The first three seasons were superb. However, the third season stood out among them all. Split into two parts, this season really upped the ante when it came to horror. For example, “Motel California” was among the best horrific hours of television I’ve ever witnessed. 

However, the show also reached its peak during the third season. With the loss of a major character (#RIPAllison), the show lost its footing and it all began to go downhill. 

With that in mind, the final season was a race to the end game, and it was not pretty. 

The second half of the final season focused primarily on prejudice and fear, both of which are relevant to the political climate, as the humans began to turn on the supernatural, especially Scott and the pack.

I found this season really off-putting because the message I received was that if you’re different in any way, you will be ostracized. You must conform to be accepted, meaning individuality is not a good thing.

In the series finale, Scott and the pack came out on top, defeating the primary villains of the season, the Anuk-Ite, a creature that uses eye contact to turn its victims into stone, and Gerard Argent (Michael Hogan). However, their win felt too easy and undeserved.

When Scott was fighting the Anuk-Ite, he clawed his eyes out, blinding himself in order to defeat the creature. After the battle, his eyes easily healed. It felt as if there was nothing real at stake here.

The finale was heavily devoted to fan service, bringing back favorites like Stiles (Dylan O’Brien), Jackson (Colton Haynes), Ethan (Charlie Carver) and Derek (Tyler Hoechlin). The Sterek (Stiles and Derek’s shipper name) moments had me feeling all the feels. 

Despite all the fan service, the show failed to bring back Allison (Crystal Reed), which angered me because they were able to bring back Derek’s ex when the Anuk-Ite shape-shifted into her.

I'm also upset that the show didn't bring back Danny (Keahu Kahuanui). He just disappeared after the third season, and the show never explained why he was gone. As much as I love Jackson and Ethan together (aka Jethan), Ethan belongs with Danny. 

The MVP of the finale was Coach Bobby Finstock (Orny Adams) when he saved Jackson and Ethan from one of the bad guys with his lacrosse stick for the most iconic scene of the finale.

Overall, the finale was somewhat satisfying, primarily because of the fan service, but the ending didn’t feel conclusive – most likely because it sets up “Teen Wolf” to come back as a reboot in the near future. Ask showrunner Jeff Davis.

But the war between humans and the supernatural continues on, “Buffy the Vampire Slayer”-style.

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As much as I love “Teen Wolf,” please let the show die, Jeff.


@adamphan_

arts@dailytarheel.com