For me — and likely many others — Teen Wolf had a lot of things going against it before it even aired. MTV doesn’t have a good track record for original non-reality programming, for one … hell, it doesn’t have a track record for original programming at all, unless you count something like Beavis & Butt-head. The show also shared its name — and some of its characters’ names — with a kinda-sorta cheesy mid-’80s Michael J. Fox movie. Those who thought the movie was awful simply figured the TV show would be the same; those who loved the movie figured the show would ruin the nostalgia.
After watching the pilot, I wasn’t alone in being pleasantly surprised. After six episodes now, I can safely say that the show is not at all without its flaws and aspects that stop me from loving it, but it’s earned a hearty golf clap in MTV’s direction, if nothing else. This latest episode may have added some standing to the golf clap this time around.
I may not be a fan of The Vampire Diaries, but it doesn’t stop me from having to have it on my TV every week while Deb reviews it. It’s not that I don’t appreciate the show, though. One thing I’ve consistently noticed about TVD is how character deaths — or, what appear to be character deaths — are handed out heartily and shockingly. In this latest episode, it may be that we’ve seen a step in that direction with Teen Wolf, in that major-player Derek Hale looks all but dead at the hands of what appears to be the elusive Alpha.
Given that Derek is on the posters for Teen Wolf, I’d say it’s safe to say he’s not dead. That doesn’t lessen the shock of seeing him gutted from behind and tossed in a motionless heap. It’s been noted a few times that werewolves are able to heal, though in seeing him recover from this kind of wound, I imagine Scott will quickly come to understand he’s got a lot more power than he’s aware of, meaning near-invincibility.
Teen Wolf came very close to Blowing the Hatch for me in this episode, though I’m not quite there yet. Where I believe they really could smack me in the face with that hatch lid is in the reveal of who the Alpha is. I truly believed the vet was going to turn out to be the Alpha; now it only seems he’s working for him, and that’s added another nice twist to things to keep this show humming along. Could it turn out to be Allison’s rogue-demon-hunter-like dad after all? Is it that detention hall teacher? Someone we’ve never met? And, once we know who the Alpha is, will the show take a serious tumble downhill with that missing piece of mystery to solve?
Oh don’t tell me you didn’t think of Angel‘s Wesley when you saw Alison’s dad the first time!
In seeing who the Alpha is, what’s going to happen to Derek and what’s going on with Jackson, the next episode or two could make or break this show for me. If I can get by the hokey high school junk and the fact I’m supposed to take lacrosse seriously, I think I could keep on digging this show.
Clacked by Keith McDuffee 
on Jul 04, 2011 @ 23:52 EST5EDT
I, for one, think the Alpha is Scott’s dad. I’ve thought since his dad has never really ever been in the picture. So, his dad is trying to get Scott in his pack. Idk, something like that.
The Alpha couldn’t be Scott’s dad, that would have made Scott a “natutral born” werewolf – making no need for him to have bitten. Although, apparentally not all of Derek Hale’s family had the werewolf trait, it just wouldn’t make sense for Scott’s dad to be a werewolf. On another point, when Derek was trying to get his uncle to tell him if anyone escaped from the fire other than him he indicated yes…so most likley the aplha is one of Derek’s family members.
In lunatic, the alpha changed into human really quickly. The build of the human was tall, and big. The vet isn’t tall, but he’s african- american, and the alpha had really dark colorings to him. I don’t think it’s the chem teacher, because he is pretty scrawny. The coach seems a little dumb, so I doubt it’s him. A lot of it is unanswered like the fact that the alpha would try to scare Jackson in the store, and the background of him being adopted. Plus, why would the alpha keep this up after the fire? He should just leave it to rest, instead of adding Jackson and Scott to everything. This can only mean that something bad happened during the fire. P.S. I heard there’s TWO alphas from a tweet by the MTV team!!