In psychology, there is a concept called ‘escalation of commitment’. It means that once you get into something you are unsure about, you will get more and more attached as time progresses to justify your initial choice to do it in the first place. That’s what Teen Wolf is to me; shameful as it is to admit.
Teen Wolf is a MTV series about teenage werewolves – and that says enough. Like, literally that’s it. It’s a bunch of teenagers who suddenly have to face the fact that they are werewolves and then also still have to deal with school and dating and whatever Hollywood thinks teenagers do. It’s an MTV SHOW. God, it’s so terrible. Nonetheless, I love this garbage show with all my heart and I’ll tell you why.
I started watching this show way back when it started in 2011 and I have been imprisoned by it ever since. The first season is actually quite good and surprisingly funny, mostly because the two main characters, Scott and Stiles (played by Tyler Posey and Dylan O’Brien, both are the loves of my life), are so naïve and young in everything that they do. It is endearing and the plot isn’t half bad and suddenly, you find yourself attached to two dumb teenage boys and you CAN’T LEAVE.
After the first season, the show tries to get deeper and add more elements to the plot; new monsters, new mythical creatures, new romances. At first it works! The show remains enjoyable, fun and light and it’s so easy to watch. You find yourself thinking, “Wow, turns out this isn’t the Actual MTV Trash I thought it was!”.
However, this is where you are wrong. As the show progresses, the plot takes a turn for the worse. People leave without any explanation. People are killed for no reason. Too many new characters get added. Your favourite characters go through hell, which makes you cry, which makes you question all your life choices because you are crying about a tv show about teenage werewolves. Somewhere along the way, you will want to stop watching – but you won’t. Because it’s the characters that drew you in and it’s the characters that make you stay. They are all well developed, relatable and infinitely human, no matter their supernatural status.
So, once you watch all finished seasons that are actually up on Netflix, you will, like me, patiently wait for every new episode of the currently airing LAST season, because you have to know if Stiles and Lydia end up together. You have to know what will happen when they go to college. And when it’s done, you will be free. But for the time being, I hope you want to join me in the Pit of Despair that is Teen Wolf.
Maaike Oosterling, Class of 2016, is a Cognitive Science and Psychology major from Zwijndrecht, the Netherlands.
