Teen Wolf Season 5B Review

One episode was reviewed.

Fans take a walk on the dark side in the second half of season 5, as Teen Wolf continues to push the envelope – one freakishly dangerous Chimera at a time. Relying on momentum as per usual, tonight’s premiere episode was only the beginning of a rough-and-tumble climb out of the current divided state that Scott (Tyler Posey) finds his pack in after being infiltrated by an enemy who sported a convincing smile and a few smooth lines. Season 5B will keep you on your toes as the writers lead you swiftly through the shift in power taking place as all the pieces of this bizarre supernatural puzzle start to fall clumsily into place.

Although this half of the season is undeniably tied to the first 10 episodes with an overarching storyline, MTV is more than justified in creating the distinction between the two parts. Whereas the initial episodes were all about tearing down the pack, the latter 10 episodes seem set to focus on recreating the bond that has been an essential part of Teen Wolf all along. As the season winds down, marked by the lack of high school dances remaining, the core characters are headed to the end of the road in more ways than one. The real question hanging in the air is who will survive until graduation day. With characters falling victim to new threats right and left, it seems that the only way to defeat the most recent antagonists, and to answer the beacon that is Beacon Hills, is the Musketeer approach – one for all, and all for one.

Teen Wolf has always boasted an impressive ensemble cast, but with the back half of season 5 primed and ready to go, that fact is more apparent than ever. The increasingly maturing performances have become a driving force behind the show. Coupled with witty dialogue and a winning shot list, they’ve served as the difference between Teen Wolf finding its own niche success and it becoming just another title in the oversaturated wasteland of teen dramas. Although the premiere (appropriately, given its dramatic heft) lacked any of the usual quirky one-liners from Stiles (Dylan O’Brien), which have become a staple in dissolving awkward scenes, their absence created its own sense of tension as Stiles sets the tone for an uneasy road to recovery for all the characters over the next nine weeks.

It’s no secret that creator Jeff Davis had originally intended to wrap Teen Wolf up in a five-season story arc. However, with season 6 already in the works, the exit of one or more core character is almost an inevitability. Despite Lydia (Holland Roden) hovering between catatonic and barely conscious so often lately, the most obvious suspect is O’Brien, who has received some much overdue notoriety with his recent film roles. Unfortunately, that means creating an exit scenario worthy of his character and with the added pressure of not letting throngs of loyal fans down. Stiles has been the backbone of the show since Teen Wolf premiered in 2011 – his claim to fame being his lack of supernatural abilities.

In order to smoothly transition to a post-Stiles reality, it seems that an on-screen audition of sorts is taking place over the remainder of this season. It’s hard not to notice the influx of younger cast members being paraded around these days – all of which could easily have more utility with the right storyline. It’s unlikely that Theo (Cody Christian) will make it past the season five finale, given his ties to evil and all that – yet there are plenty of other newcomers with potential to steal the spotlight.

And potential is really what this season boils down to. Teen Wolf has all the tools at its disposal to shock and awe, and tonight’s premiere was dressed to impress. The tone is more urgent, the look is a bit darker, and the characters are poised to come back strong. With the return of J.R. Bourne as Chris Argent giving Scott and his friends a much needed boost in morale, everything is finally falling into place for a resurrection of the True Alpha.