Teen Wolf: Omega

“Yeah, right, ‘cause when it comes to werewolves you’re a real model of self-control.”

There are shows out there that come straight out of the bat, all guns-a-blazing. There are others that emerge with a subtle confidence, never trying harder than they need to in order to draw in an audience. Then there are ones that start out weak, with awkward writing, hard to like characters and only a small flicker of appeal. It’s only in the rarest of cases that these shows develop into something more. The Vampire Diaries did it, and I guess it’s time to add Teen Wolf to that list. There was a certain self-assuredness that developed during the second half of Teen Wolf’s debut season, eventually taking hold during its strangely impressive season finale. Omega solidified that confidence, almost taking it to the next level. Teen Wolf is on, people.

From the first minute you could see that this show had really stepped things up. The excitement and fast pace were almost instant, and like The Vampire Diaries sophomore opener, this premiere had a hell of a lot going on, but managed to balance it so easily, eventually merging all of the plot threads it had introduced by the final few seconds. As a season premiere, it was insanely strong. It took all of our cliff-hangers and gave us the answers we needed almost right away. Though some answers were a link to more questions, it’s hard to deny how excited I am to see where these stories will go next.

One of those cliff-hangers was popular, but secretly and weirdly intelligent, girl Lydia’s fate. Last season she was left with her life hanging in the balance, as a bite from former Alpha Wolf Paul hinted that she might be following in Scott’s footsteps. When the show first started, I wasn’t really sure there was enough of a scope for the show to draw on to keep viewers hooked, like other teen sci-fi’s do, but plots like this one put a lot more credence in Teen Wolf’s mythology, for me.

The Wolf Hunters were always played up as a side-villain, since the Alpha was last season’s real big bad, but the arrival of Gerard Argent (played by Battlestar Galactica’s Michael Hogan), Allison’s grandfather, bringing with him all of daughter Kate’s psycho tendencies, make them the biggest foe these guys have faced so far. It’s hard to like Derek, but when his motives were revealed as a plain case of keeping him and Scott alive we can at least accept him as some kind of an un-willing ally.

I’m still not sold on a few small things, like Dylan O’Brien’s faux awkwardness, and Tyler Hoechlin's one-note performances, but even they weren't too big of an issue (acting classes over the hiatus?). This entire premiere felt very grown up, and oddly dark, and based on the positive fan reaction, it looks like it maintains this vibe for a while. If you're just starting to watch Teen Wolf yourself, and really doubting that it's is for you, hang in there; it's worth it.

4.5 out of 5 chopped up Omegas.

Plus

Since Lydia’s still in hospital, I’m guessing only a few days have passed in between the season finale and this premiere, yet Scott appears to have put on 30 pounds of muscle and gotten a haircut. He looks very grown-up.

There’s a cool new set of opening credits to go along with this new season. I miss a good set of opening credits; they’ve gone out of style lately.

An Omega is a wolf without a pack; nether an Alpha or a Beta. The Wolf Hunters favoured killing method for this type of wolf is cutting them in half, same as Derek’s sister.

He Said, She Said

Sheriff Stilinski: “All right, let’s get an APB out on a 16 year-old read-head; any other descriptors?”
Stiles: “5 foot 3, green eyes, fair-skinned, and her hair is actually strawberry blonde.”

Jackson: “If Lydia’s turning, she’s not the one that’s gonna need help."
Scott: “What do you mean?”
Jackson: “God, you’ve got it all backwards, McCall. When I was with Lydia you should have seen the scratch marks she left on me. What do you think she’s gonna do with a set of real claws?”

Scott: “What are they doing?”
Derek: “Declaring war.”

Mr. Argent: “We have a code.”
Gerard: “Not when they murder my daughter. No code; not anymore. From now on these things are just bodies waiting to be cut in half. Are you listening? Because I don’t care if they’re wounded and weak; or seemingly harmless, begging for their life with the promise that they will never, ever hurt anyone; or some desperate, lost soul with no idea what they’re getting into. We find them, we kill them; we kill them all.”

Previously posted at PandaTV.

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