If you read my previous article, you know how much my roommate and I love the show “Teen Wolf.”
It’s a masterpiece of a TV show, displaying the most accurate depictions of high school in an “unrealistic high school TV show,” while also keeping the plot fun with sporadic drama and new supernatural mystery in each episode.
Like any other TV show, some seasons of “Teen Wolf” are better than others, with some even leaving you wondering how the series continued after the money they must have lost with the horrible plotlines.
After binge watching the entire series, here are my personal rankings:
- Season 1
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Even though I don’t think that it is the “best season,” which completely contradicts my argument, I do think that it does a fantastic job of setting the scene and introducing the characters.
The season immediately starts with a conflict, which is when protagonist Scott McCall gets bitten by a werewolf and has to deal with the supernatural changes that brings in his life. He is simultaneously adapting the other parts of his life, such as school and lacrosse, to his new abilities.
It has a fantastic plot, framing Derek Hale as a mysterious villain throughout the majority of the series and then turning it around completely at the end. Hale becomes an unseen hero and a mentor to Scott.
Throughout the series, Scott also tries to become human again so that he can be with his werewolf-hunter girlfriend. At the end of the season, his hope is completely destroyed, which perfectly sets up a new conflict and storyline for the next season.
Even though I think that the acting and character development gets better with each season, I firmly believe that none of that development could have happened without the strong foundation of Season 1. After all, my roommate and I, just like anyone else, wouldn’t have kept watching the series if we didn’t like the first season, right?
- Season 3
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In terms of acting and character development, I truly think that Season 3 is the best. Like most “Teen Wolf” seasons, it is split into two parts, Season 3 A and Season 3 B. To keep things organized, I am counting them as one complete season.
Season 3 sees two very distinct villains come into light: Deucalion, the leader of the alpha pack, and the Nogitsune, who ends up possessing Stiles.
Both of these characters are incredibly dynamic, humanizing the characters through a glimpse of their backstories, yet also letting the audience get a look into their true evil intentions.
In the latter half of Season 3, Stiles and Lydia really shine with their own storylines.
Like I mentioned, Stiles deals with possession by the Nogitsune, initially thinking that he had the same mental illness of his mother (which led to her death). He quickly realizes the real horror of his situation and ultimately giving in to save his friends.
Lydia, on the other hand, finds out that she is a banshee halfway through the season and spends the latter half finally using both her brains and her newfound abilities to become the strong female lead that she was meant to be.
I won’t give away too many details, since it is such an action-packed and interesting season, but trust that it is ultimately the best season of “Teen Wolf.”
- Season 2
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I could not rank this season ahead of the previous two, as the acting and character development were not as good as Season 3, and it does not set up the foundation for the series like Season 1.
However, this season does a great job expanding on the first one by dealing with and introducing new problems. For example, Scott can no longer see his werewolf-hunter girlfriend Allison, he is having a rough time in school and on the lacrosse team and there is another supernatural mystery in town.
This season stays close to the main theme of the show: exploring the lives of high school kids in California who also just happen to have supernatural problems.
We see the characters struggle and celebrate with everyday happenings, such as lacrosse games, while going after a supernatural mystery and continuing to set and develop the story and characters after Season 1.
- Season 4
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This season honestly feels so out of place compared to the previous ones.
The show begins in Mexico of all places, which is incredibly different from the Californian high school setting of the first three seasons. My roommate and I were actually ready to turn the show off right then and there, but we ultimately decided to give it another chance.
This season really delves into the new characters, and attempts to cope with the departures of others through a horrible explanation. At some points, it felt like the new characters were just wedged into the show to replace the ones who departed, but at other times they also felt original and interesting.
The plot was overall very interesting and entertaining, but there were a few problems that just didn’t sit right.
Firstly, one of the “villains” from a previous season comes back from the dead for this season, which honestly makes no sense.
The fact that the characters go to Mexico so often in the season starts to become less interesting as well, since it relays the message that they have lost the balance between the “normal” and “supernatural” plots, which were what made the show so great to begin with.
- Season 5
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This season was also a bit strange. The supernatural and mystery aspect was very interesting, but there were definitely some problems.
They introduced so many new characters just to have them leave halfway through the season or become irrelevant. Although the main characters from the past seasons continued to develop (and had great contributions to the story line), the plot itself felt like the directors were really starting to pull straws for ideas.
This season also introduced a slight shift in the genre. Although these supernatural shows always have a hint of mystery and suspense, this season introduced more of a horror and gore aspect to the show, which is not what I originally watched it for.
- Season 6
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This season is honestly so confusing. The first half, Season 6 A, is fantastic, focusing mostly on Stiles.
The plot was a brilliant way to show off the dynamic acting skills that Dylan O’Brien (who portrays Stiles) possesses without including him in every episode. Dylan was busy filming the “Maze Runner” series at this point, making his appearances less frequent.
It once again combines the mastery of balancing the “supernatural” and “normal” plots of the series. The “normal” aspect was Stiles being afraid of graduating high school and leaving his friends behind, ultimately forgetting everyone from his past.
The “supernatural” aspect has to do with completely erasing people from existence, which perfectly aligns with the theme of forgetting and moving on.
The reason why I ranked this season so poorly is due to the second half, Season 6 B. The first half ends with the original gang graduating and going off to college, while the second half introduces this strange end-of-summer period so that some of the main characters can make a return before they “go to college.” This allows the show can feature some of the newer characters.
My roommate and I tried to watch some of the season, but we quickly stopped after a few episodes and decided to skip to the final one so that we could watch the (final) return of our two favorite characters: Stiles and Derek Hale. What do you think of my ratings?