Teen Wolf 212 Review- Master Disaster

Allison- "There's no such thing as fate."

Scott- "There's no such thing as werewolves."

At the end last summer, I said that "we may all be in for a whole lot of fun" in regard to Teen Wolf's second season. It's certainly safe to say that fun was had by all who watched this highly entertaining and very much improved season two.

"Master Plan" was a great end to the run, as it gave viewers highlights from most of our favorite characters, plenty of action towards the end, a few scares, a surprise or two - and a great tease of things to come in next year's super-sized season three.

Teen Wolf did what it does so well over the first 30 minutes or so. It kept things tense while leading to an epic event. As the story progressed toward the battle royal, there was a lot of attempting to figure out what exactly was going on, and I was on the edge of my seat the entire way through.

Although the tension remained high, the moment between Stiles and Lydia in his room was so tender that it deserves its own mention. Holland Roden was fantastic. She really does prove to do more with a shiver than most can do with a five-minute monologue. Too bad for us Stiles fans, he pushed his 10-year plan back to a 15-year one due to his blow up late in the conversation.

To read the rest of my review of last night's Teen Wolf season finale, head over to TV Fanatic.

Teen Wolf 211 Review- Our Independence Day

Gerard- "I didn't just come here to bury my daughter, I came to avenge her."

In its final episode before the Season 2 finale, Teen Wolf did many of the same things it has done throughout this fantastic summer. "Battlefield" answered a number of questions, gave the viewers plenty more to ponder, and fired all of it out at a rapid pace.

The hour began with a terrifically directed sequence, in which extreme close ups and strange angles were used to build tension as Stiles spoke with the guidance counselor. Tim Andrew deserves credit for hooking us into the hour in a new and interesting fashion.

The action didn't stop there. After hearing howls from wolves in the woods, and apparently realizing that they had lost the current war, Erica and Boyd decided that they wanted to join the new pack they thought they heard. Unfortunately for them, the pack was actually Chris and Allison playing a recording.

Unfortunately for all of us, Allison is now an all out ass kicker. Well, maybe it's unfortunate for the rest of y'all because I loved watching her show no mercy on the two defenseless pups. Crystal Reed was great at playing the stone cold killer that she was in that moment, and it is exactly the kind of crisis that will give this series legs. Allison is losing it a bit, and if that creates tension between her and Scott while giving our hero a formidable opponent, I'm all for it.

To read the rest of my review of last night's Teen Wolf, head over to TV Fanatic.

Teen Wolf 211 - "Battlefield"
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Teen Wolf 210 Review- Don't Think About It

Matt- "That's what Jackson's for. I just think about killing them, and he does it."

Other than Stephen Lunsford's slightly over-the-top performance as a psychotic killer on his last leg, "Fury" was yet another action-packed hour of Teen Wolf that managed to simultaneously scare the audience to death and pull at its heart strings.

Just like always, every second was pulse-pounding, as Jackson was paralyzing main characters and murdering extras at the drop of the hat. He wasn't doing it on his own accord, though. We learned at the end of last week's episode that Matt was indeed the master, and he put that title to use here, thinking about killing almost everyone in his sight.

While it still ended up being a bit confusing, the flashback to Jackson's camera recording session helped a great deal. It might not have shored up why or how Matt became the kanima's master, but his watching of the video, and the hand touching between master and kanima, explained when it all began.

Through a long-winded speech to Scott, Matt then revealed more about his murderous tour through town, telling his rival about how the 2006 swim team laughed and did nothing to help while he almost drowned to death. Apparently the murders weren't linked simply because the swim team sucks, like Stiles hilariously joked.

To read the rest of my review of last night's Teen Wolf, head over to TV Fanatic.

Teen Wolf 210 - "Fury"
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Teen Wolf 209 Review- Punch, Drunk, Love

Scott- "Why should I apologize?"

Stiles- "Because you're the guy. It's like what we do."

I hate to be repetitive, but it is too difficult not to praise Jeff Davis and company week after week for their ability to find this perfect pace for a summer action series. Sometimes you expect to see a dull episode every once and a while, but during Teen Wolf Season 2 it has yet to come.

"Party Guessed" was filled with crazy hallucinations, uncontrollable new wolves, a stalker at his finest, plenty of goofs from Stiles, a husband and wife going through the most terrible of situations and two giant reveals. In other words, stuff went down!

The dream sequences, which were all beautifully created by director Tim Andrew, began early with Lydia's vision of a shower that turned into a lax game, which led to Peter chasing her down. When she woke up, the former Alpha remained by her side, but this time in what we assume was just his semi-dead spirit form.

Thanks to Lydia, her immunity and that purple dust that allowed her to drag Derek back to the abandoned house, it might have been the last we see of Peter's spirit form. The alpha is back!  There was no explanation for why digging a dead claw into the current alpha brings the former one back to life, but that's what happened!

To read the rest of my review of last night's Teen Wolf, head over to TV Fanatic.

Teen Wolf 209 - "Party Guessed"
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Teen Wolf 208 Review- Unkindness of Raving

The action never seems to stop on Teen Wolf, and that was no different on "Raving." Both sides made plans, neither of which worked out how they had wanted, and a couple of people were hurt in the process.

The first - or the last, as it was how the hour ended - was Mrs. Argent, who took the bite from Derek after attempting to destroy her daughter's boyfriend. That's what she gets, though. You can't mess with Scott McCall. When you do, you get bitten, literally.

Derek coming to Scott's rescue was awesome. Ever since they first met up way back in the beginning, it has always been nice to see their connection come to the forefront. Derek was seriously worried about Scott, and when the latter uttered "I'm not alone" I can only hope he was referring to his quasi-pal Derek.

As for Mrs. Argent, I guess this is the first of a number of big surprises that J.R. Bourne teased to us a few weeks ago. "There's going to be a tragedy, something that the Argents are going to have to deal with," Bourne said back in June. This is certainly something they're going to have to deal with.

To read the rest of my review of last night's Teen Wolf, head over to TV Fanatic.

Teen Wolf 208 - "Raving"
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Teen Wolf 207 Review- Plan B, Be Lydia

Stiles- "You wanna play Cat Woman? I'll be your Batman."

Teen Wolf has a tendency to keep information from its viewers, to be secretive in order to create more suspense. But "Restraint" was the first time that the series made an overt attempt to be confusing.

The ending to this week's installment, where Lydia met up with the mysterious boy who ended up being alpha wolf Peter Hale, was extremely successful at confounding viewers in an almost Christopher Nolan-esque fashion.

Not to the lengths or the depths that Nolan takes movies like Inception or The Prestige, but for one plot of a very busy television series, this thing probably did a number on most minds.

Is Peter alive? Is Lydia imagining him? Is she imagining the boy? Was that Peter as a teenager? What is his plan B? Is it to bring him back to life? How is she hearing him if he's dead? These questions, and probably a million more, were most likely running through everyone's head while watching these final moments of "Restraint."

To read the rest of my review of last night's Teen Wolf, head over to TV Fanatic.

Teen Wolf 207 - "Restraint"
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Teen Wolf 206 Review- Know Thy Frenemy

Stiles- "I got it. Kill Jackson. Problem solved."

After the big reveal of the Kanima's identity last week, Teen Wolf was able to send things into overdrive with "Frenemy," taking the audience on an action-packed adventure that ended with yet another reveal - and a whole mess of new questions.

That's how this series rolls, and it's all the better for it. There's no slowing down, whether it's the 41 minutes of air time that seems to fly by while you're watching, or the plot of each season that seems to go down avenue after avenue before allowing the fans to realize what end of arc will actually look like.

Finding out the identity of the kanima was not good enough. Scott, Stiles and the gang had to figure out some way of keeping Jackson contained, and after that didn't work the boys had to face the consequences of containing a lizard-kid in the back of a van.

As quickly as all of that took place, it was just as exciting as it was fast. The fight under the bridge*, the trip through the club (not exactly Stiles' kind of club), capturing Jax and driving him out to the woods in handcuffs... it all kept us on the edge of our respective seats.

To read the rest of my review of last night's Teen Wolf, head over to TV Fanatic.

Teen Wolf 206 - "Frenemy"
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Teen Wolf Exclusive: JR Bourne Discusses Family, On and Off Screen

"The group that we've got, we're like a family," JR Bourne told me of the crew making MTV's hit series, Teen Wolf. The veteran actor - who plays the mostly antagonizing Chris Argent - went on to say that "you realize how grateful you are for not just loving the job, and the character, but also loving everyone involved."

It comes off exactly like that on screen. Teen Wolf has been an extremely fun series to watch, and a lot of that can be credited to what seems to be a very enjoyable atmosphere among those creating it. Bourne reiterated a number of times during the interview: "I have fun with [Tyler Posey]."

So much fun that while filming the scene in which Chris and Scott pick up desserts in the kitchen during last week's "Abomination," Bourne said "that was the only [take] they could have used. I cracked up every time."

The characters might not all get along on screen, but it's apparent that the actors, writers and everyone else involved with the show are like a family. Teen Wolf gives off that vibe every week, as we watch Scott, Stiles and the gang traverse this crazy world they're inhabiting.

To read the rest of my exclusive with JR Bourne of Teen Wolf, head over to TV Fanatic.

Teen Wolf 204 Review- Off To See The Lizard

Coach- "The bigger they are, the bigger they are."

After the season premiere, I stated that "Teen Wolf is good television." Following this week's "Abomination," I have to take that statement back. The hour was certainly fun, with plenty of excitement and twists, but there continue to be way too many WTH moments to warrant the term "good."

That's not to say that I didn't enjoy this week's installment. Just because it isn't of the utmost quality, that doesn't mean that we can't all enjoy Teen Wolf just as much as something like Mad Men, which is renowned as some of the best work on television.

Honestly, there were moments in "Abomination" when I started to think that the series might dumb itself down purposefully. It is on MTV after all. Maybe the overacting, and the obvious writing is simply playing to its audience. More subtle, complex characters and stories might not go over as well in the market.

I'm not trying to put any fan of Teen Wolf down, because at the end of the day, I am a fan as well. Watching Stiles sprint back and forth between Scott and Allison in order to help them converse, Gerard conducting the most awkward dinner ever and the entire Lizard on the pool deck scene were some of the most fun I've had this summer!

To read the rest of my review of last night's Teen Wolf, head over to TV Fanatic.

Teen Wolf 204 - "Abomination"
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Teen Wolf 203 Review- Skating Around the Subject

Stiles (to Scott)- "This new-found heroism is making me very attracted to you."

Two of my favorite things about Teen Wolf highlighted its third installment of season two, "Ice Pick." The hour was filled with plenty of moments for Stiles to be awkward and funny, while featuring Derek's all around studliness on multiple occasions.

Three distinctive Stiles moments throughout the episode made this the funniest yet. The first was in which he attempted to bargain with Boyd on renting out the ice rink. His skills in the field were certainly lacking, but his ability to remember the "twuh" sound had me grinning ear to ear.

After finally shelling out the eventual 50 bucks it took to get the double date accomplished, Stiles was super awkward when attempting to connect with Lydia. Trying to broach the subject of opposites attracting was so over-the-top that it worked perfectly... perfectly Stiles.

Finally, as I note that Dylan O'Brien's timing was once again at 100% this week, there was the old straight-guy-acting-gay stunt that had me in stitches near the end of the hour. Stiles telling Scott that he was attracted to his new-found heroism, and that he wanted to make out for a sec, was absolutely hilarious.

To read the rest of my review of last night's Teen Wolf, head over to TV Fanatic.

Teen Wolf 203 - "Ice Pick"
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Teen Wolf 202 Review- Moon Of My Life

Stiles- "How did you do that?"

Derek- "I'm the Alpha."

Likely because Sunday night's premiere was so exhilarating, "Shape Shifted" felt a bit underwhelming by comparison. There were certainly moments to enjoy, and new reveals to get excited about, but overall part two of the summer premiere wasn't Teen Wolf's best work.

One of those enjoyable moments was the opening scene, which is something the series did well throughout the first season. Teen Wolf is great at the pulse-pounding, suspense-filled cold open, and that was true once again in the scene between Isaac and his rage-filled father.

We met them briefly in the premiere, but that conversation about grades and cleaning up after dinner allowed the viewers to get to know this father-son duo at a much deeper level rather quickly. The father's temper was one for the record books. I was scared for the kid, even though his wolfian characteristics would have saved him from any serious danger.

And then the dad died. It wasn't by the hand - or claws I guess, or even mouth - of his son, but rather the new creature we sort of learned the identity of by the end of the hour. Is it a were-lizard? Is it a straight up shifter? I'm sure we will learn more as we continue to watch, but I'm hoping its the former rather than the latter.

To read the rest of my review of last night's Teen Wolf, head over to TV Fanatic.

Teen Wolf 202 - "Shape Shifted"
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Teen Wolf 201 Review- The Lone Wolf

Allison- "You okay?"

Scott- "Just another life threatening conversation with your dad."

When I started watching the first ever episode of Teen Wolf, I was very skeptical. As season one went on, though, I began enjoying the series for what it was, a bit of a guilty pleasure. When the season concluded, as my review of the finale reiterated, I unashamedly admitted that there was no guilt in my viewing pleasure of the MTV drama.

After watching the season two premiere, "Omega," I reaffirm my conclusion that Teen Wolf is good television. There is quality action, great suspense, plenty of romance with very attractive actors, and interesting plot twists. Nobody will confuse the series with Breaking Bad in the writing department, but there is no longer much to make fun about the series.

Even the special effects have improved to start the second season.

When we last left our Beacon Hills crew, Scott had killed the Alpha, which allowed Derek to step into the top spot in the pack. Jackson had accepted Derek's bite, Allison found out about Scott's hairy secret and a whole bunch of strange was going on with Lydia.

A couple of those situations were explained if not resolved rather quickly to start the season, which is good. We don't want to see them drag multiple mysteries out for an extended period of time.

To read the rest of my review of last night's Teen Wolf season premiere, head over to TV Fanatic.

Teen Wolf 201 - "Omega"
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Teen Wolf 112 Review- Do You Want the Bite?

Alpha- "His username is Allison? His password is also Allison?"

Stiles- "Still want him in your pack?"

The strange and exciting first season of Teen Wolf ended with a finale equally as strange and even more exciting.

"Code Breaker" was filled with suspense, action, some romance and a few unlikely heroes. It answered a bunch of questions, but left us asking twice as many by the time everything was said and done. As we await next summer, here are a few of my burning questions:

1. Did Derek put any real thought into letting Scott kill the Alpha? If not, is this still the same guy that we all grew to love throughout the season? Even if he becomes less sincere as the new Alpha, Derek will always be the coolest dude on the block. I mean, did you see him channel his inner Rufio as he staked his claim as the new Alpha?

2. Does Derek killing the Alpha truly mean that Scott has no chance of being cured? Is the point of the show simply going to be that Scott can make in this world as a werewolf? Or will we soon find out that there is another way to un-wolf yourself? If Allison is willing to love him and all of his hairy face, what's the difference really?

To read the rest of my review of last night's Teen Wolf season finale, head over to TV Fanatic.

Teen Wolf 112 - "Code Breaker"
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Teen Wolf 111 Review- Dancing With Wolves

Stiles- "Well I shouldn't say I told you so, 'cause it's not strong enough. How about, I'm always right, and you should listen to whatever I have to say, and never disagree ever for the sake of your wolvlihood."

Teen Wolf dances are always epic. While "Formality" did not showcase Scott in a white suit going full wolf, like in the original movie, it certainly had enough excitement to keep the audience wanting more from the MTV series.

But, seriously, there was not a single person doing the patented Teen Wolf dance move? What a waste!

Let's take a look at some of the highlights from the dance itself. First and foremost, there was Stiles getting Lydia to dance with him by spewing out a number of compliments, including the fact that she would someday win the Nobel Prize for Mathematics. It's great to see him get the girl, even if it was only for a few songs.

Then, there was Scott's interesting strategy to stay at the dance. Grooving with his gay friend so that the Coach will not want to look like a homophobic jerk? Difficult to pull off, but Scott backed his way into that one nicely.

Finally, there was Jackson in all of his drunken bliss, leaving the dance and heading out to the woods, where he proclaimed his desire to be a werewolf to who he thought was the Alpha. When it turned out to be Chris Argent, the poor child spilled all the beans.

To read the rest of my review of last night's Teen Wolf, head over to TV Fanatic.

Teen Wolf 111 - "Formality"
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Teen Wolf 110 Review- Bite On The First Date?

Kate- "You know how every family has its secrets? Ours are a little different."

Even though scripted television is planned out far in advance, shows can still get complacent, akin to a professional basketball team in first place by a wide margin.

After a couple of great episodes in a row ("Lunatic" and "Wolf's Bane"), Teen Wolf turned in a bit of a dud with "Co-Captain." Filled with plenty of exposition early, the chapter's main purpose seemed to be setting up what should be a fantastic final two episodes of the season.

I enjoy Stiles getting his father hammered for information, and I love most anything Jackson does, but the first half of the hour seemed to fly by with nothing happening. After the thrilling finish last week, finally finding out who the Alpha is, I was expecting more.

Thankfully, there were a couple of plot-driving events near the end of the outing that should have everyone excited.

To read the rest of my review of last night's Teen Wolf, head over to TV Fanatic.

Teen Wolf 110 - "Co-Captain"
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Teen Wolf 109 Review- Pain In The Neck

Lydia- "Are you breaking up with me?"

Jackson- "Dumping, actually, I'm dumping you."

For those of you who have not done so yet, trust me: join the fun on MTV Mondays, where Teen Wolf continues to be one of the best new shows of the summer.

Case in point: "Wolf's Bane" was filled with excitement, surprising reveals, and a shirtless Derek Hale! What more could you ask for?

A pair of exhilarating action sequences were used as bookends, as things began with Derek saving Mr. Harris from the Alpha and then getting chased by the cops. Everything ended with a new addition to the Teen Wolf repertoire: Derek Hale getting demolished in a fight. Both scenes were tons of fun to watch, serving as quality anchors for a much more dialogue friendly core of the episode.

Yes, Derek Hale was dismantled by the Alpha, who, in a strange turn of events, ended up being his uncle! It was definitely funny watching Stiles get caught in the middle of that battle royal in the hospital, but it was much less hilarious seeing poor Derek getting dragged down the hall by his Alpha Uncle.

To read the rest of my review of last night's Teen Wolf, head over to TV Fanatic.

Teen Wolf 109 - "Wolf's Bane"
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Teen Wolf 108 Review- SuperHale Returns

Stiles- "Yeah it's called heartbreak. About two billion songs written about it."

Through eight episodes, Teen Wolf has developed into an exciting series that does a tremendous job writing story on top of story.

It all started with Scott McCall getting bit by a werewolf. Things then began to build in "Pack Mentality" when we learned about the Alpha Wolf. As the season carried on, it seemed like this might not be anything more than a simple story of "let's kill the big bad wolf."

Thankfully, that was not the case.

"Lunatic" gave us the reveal that there may be a werewolf cure, and in doing so, it provided our protagonist with something to really pine for as the season/series moves forward. Everyone has wanted to kill the Alpha Wolf since learning about him, but now that result would be rewarded twofold as it also would clear Scott of his werewolf problems.

Is that possible on a show that is titled Teen Wolf? Probably not, but the series has already earned enough respect in its ability to surprise that I wouldn't take it out of the realm of possibilities.

To read the rest of my review of last night's Teen Wolf, head over to TV Fanatic.

Teen Wolf 108 - "Lunatic"
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Teen Wolf 107 Review- Kids In The Hall

Stiles- "I'm not dying here. I'm not dying at school."

In what was only the first episode of the back half of the season, "Night School" had all of the suspense and excitement of a season finale.

Thanks in part to the bottle episode-like atmosphere, there was action aplenty, as almost the entire hour took place inside the school that Scott, Stiles and company call home on a daily basis. Viewers were treated to crazy scare that a gigantic alpha wolf can give you as it attempts to hunt down a group of kids in the aforementioned school.

The suspense was surely potent, but very much in the style of any modern horror movie. Every step around the corner for Scott and the gang was another opportunity to lock themselves in a mini death trap just so that the alpha could find them and scare them into escaping to another locked pit of doom.

It was extremely predictable that way, but I still enjoyed it. Every time the alpha came closer and closer, I tried to hide my eyes... but ended up reluctantly watching him pass on hurting any of the Beacon Hills students.

To read the rest of my review of last night's Teen Wolf, head over to TV Fanatic.

Teen Wolf 107 - "Night School"
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Teen Wolf 106 Review- Spiraling Out Of Control

Derek- "You want me to teach you, get rid of her."

Watching great action sequences is enjoyable. Observing the plight of a protagonist can be intriguing. Adding in-depth mythology to that fun and interesting world is what can make a series seriously worth watching. On Teen Wolf last night, "Heart Monitor" accomplished all of that and more.

With both the historical background of La Bete Du Gevaudan and the mystery of the spirals on Scott's car window and the dead deer, we learned a lot more about the world in which this show takes place. And that really helps the viewer get more involved.

The La Bete Du Gevaudan is an old French legend of a beast that killed over 100 people. So now we know this has been going on for ages and ages, and that the Argents have been hunting werewolves for a long time. The question then becomes: why have we been dropped in on this world right now?

Is there something special about this point in the history of werewolves? Maybe it's time for them to take out all of the Argent hunters. Or maybe it's time for them to die out as a species. Whatever the case may be, the historical background gives everything more weight. As do the mysterious spirals.

To read the rest of my review of last night's Teen Wolf, head over to TV Fanatic.

Teen Wolf 106 - "Heart Monitor"
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Teen Wolf 105 Review- Alpha Wolf Killed The Video Store

Derek- "You wanna do homework? Or you wanna not die?"

After a few exciting episodes, "The Tell" brought Teen Wolf back down to Earth. It was an hour that featured a less-than-exciting romance plot between Scott and Allison, and a whole lot of exposition about many of the students we have met at this point in the series.

That's not to say that there weren't exciting moments. As has been the case lately, the opening scene was both frightening and entertaining. Apparently Teen Wolf takes place in a world where video rental stores are still in business, but the real question is: "What was the alpha wolf's deal?"

Why go through all that trouble to scare and hurt Jackson if you are just going to scratch his neck? There have to be some more repercussions from those nail marks, right? From our interview with Dylan O'Brien last week, it sounds like more supernatural beings aren't out of the question in this series. Does Jackson getting scratched bring out whatever power he has inside of him? Or will we hear nothing of this again?

Also, keeping the excitement going was Stiles' run in with Lydia in her bedroom. O'Brien has been extremely good at playing nervous and fidgety thus far, and this scene was a superb example of that, as he struggled with the idea that Lydia might have wanted to hook up with him. Don't get me wrong, I'd love to see Stiles get his, but wouldn't we all rather see it happen with a female that isn't high as a kite?

To read the rest of my review of last night's Teen Wolf, head over to TV Fanatic.

Teen Wolf 105 - "The Tell"
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