Teen Wolf! Made In 2011 but Speaks The Truth of 2021
By Isabella Smarro, Managing Editor
MTV’s 2011 hit series “Teen Wolf” by Jeff Davis is nothing like its 1985 movie version. The lead character, Scott McCall, played by Tyler Posey, has a normal life as a high school sophomore until while walking in the woods alone at night, he was bitten by a huge werewolf. With the help of his best friend, Stiles, played by Dylan O’Brien, and a fellow werewolf named Derek, played by Tyler Hoechlin, he’s able to find his purpose and destroy the one who bit him while protecting his town and the girl of his dreams Allison, played by Crystal Reed. I chose this show not just because it’s my favorite, but also because Jeff Davis includes real-life situations in this horror and action-packed show. During the series, Scott becomes a True Alpha and his pack becomes diverse as it includes Werewolves, a Werecoyote, a Banshee, a Thunder Kitsune, a Hellhound, Human Hunters and other alphas. The show contains multiple deaths and bloody fights. After watching this show a couple of times, one may appreciate how Jeff Davis shows many cultural issues going on in the world while preserving the show’s lessons of determination and friendship. Some examples are female empowerment, equal rights and social/self-acceptance.
One of the main ideas that is shown throughout the series is female empowerment and the #MeToo movement. During the series, the character Allison grows in determination to show her family that she’s powerful enough to hunt as the guys do. She faces multiple moments where men judge her based on her gender, even from Scott. As a female watching the show, I fully understand how Allison is feeling and it helps that the actress, Crystal, is amazing at portraying emotion. During most of Earth’s life, women have been treated as less than men. Writer Jeff Davis shows the reality in the show with Allison and another lead character, Lydia Martin, played by Holland Roden, Lydia is abused verbally by her boyfriend, Jackson, played by Colton Hayness. He uses her for what he wants and yells at her without reason, and many women in the world face this and much worse. It allows for female fans to relate to these situations and help cope but also teaches male viewers lessons on how not to treat women and vice versa.
An internal struggle that screams from each character is acceptance of oneself. Scott McCall struggles with the idea that he’s weak and shouldn’t be a True Alpha. His character can be relatable to people who struggle with self-confidence. “We are not good enough,” he says. Jackson thinks he needs to be rude to people to fit in because he wasn’t wanted by his real parents, so he has no self-love. Multiple other characters struggle with the idea of allowing their truth to be real. They all think that they’re worthless despite it not being a reality. Sadly, this idea is true to many around the world. People think that they need to be someone they’re not to be accepted by others.
“Teen Wolf” is obviously a fantasy show about werewolves and other creatures. By just reading the synopsis, one wouldn’t realize that the series touches on issues that happen in the world, but writer Jeff Davis included many relevant and relatable issues such as female empowerment, equal rights and the path to social and self-acceptance.These are just a few of the examples of how the writers allow viewers to feel emotionally connected to the show while showering on real-life issues.