Teen Wolf - Second Chance at First Line

Scott is still struggling with  his werewolvery, how to rein in his impulse to transform at a moment's notice. With the chance to get on the field and prove his worth as a player in a game that would develop some serious cred in his favor with his peers, Scott might risk being exposed just so he can achieve what he never thought possible before being bit by a werewolf.

Teen Wolf has turned out to be a lot more fun than I initially anticipated. I guess the casting has something to do with it. I think Tyler Posey needs to grow into a more dramatic actor; he’s a bit silly at the opening as he comes to grips with Allison’s father being a hunter. His face, with the Keanu Reeves’ “Woah” (or maybe that is the Joey Lawrence “Woah”) expression, is rather cringe-inducing. Poor Dylan O’Brien, at this point in the show, was in that current role of loveable loser, on the Lacrosse bench and invisible to the likes of It gal, Lydia (Holland Roden). Lydia has more to do in the episode, enforcing her Mean Girls high school position, inspiring Scott to throw caution to the wind and start on the front line in their school’s first Lacrosse game. Derek Hale is quite against it, warning Scott that there is great potential for the werewolf to surface, bringing unwanted “attention” to him (that is danger). Scott and Stiles are certain the upper torso of the Jane Doe found in the woods by the police is buried in Derek’s yard next to the charred skeletal remains of his parent’s burnt home. The details of the house’s burning are still a bit sketchy. Scott “sniffed” the lower torso of the body in the morgue, gaining a distinct aroma for her. That aroma is tied to what is buried in Derek’s yard. The autopsy results indicate an animal attack which gets Derek off the hook. He had wolfsbane encircling the burial plot on a rope, which stirs up the werewolf in Scott when Stiles takes the flower with them by accident. Speaking of the werewolf, it gets stirred up in Scott often in this episode. Scott is crawling atop Allison’s roof when he falls off, getting hit by her dad’s vehicle. Thankfully Scott seems to hide the werewolf when Allison and her dad approach him during his “spells”. Stiles uses a fire extinguisher (!) to tame the beast that threatens to maul him when Scott is unable to ward off the werewolf when antagonized by star Lacrosse player, Jackson. Jackson isn’t prepared for the separated shoulder he receives when getting physical with Scott during practice. This practice is where Derek sees Scott overcome with the werewolf spurned by the aggression of the sport on the field. Of course, the big game arrives and Scott is undeterred despite all the reason to not go on that field. His potential girlfriend, her dad, and his mom are all in attendance. And there’s Lydia, with her mind games and “Jackson cheering section”, convincing Allison to help her cheer on her man. Jackson tries to get his boys to freeze out Scott, but he’s got the werewolf inside on his side. And he shows out, fleeing from the field just in the nick of time. There’s the Scott and Allison shared kiss after an extended suspense buildup in the shower room where she is looking for him while he is full on werewolf. Yes, Scott and Allison are that cute It couple certain to be undermined by soap opera machinations that demand for them to be ruined by circumstances that ultimately separate them. Stiles’ dad, Sheriff Noah (Linden Ashby), hopes he might just get in the big game, but he’s more worried about his buddy’s transformation and turning loose on students on the field than competing for time on the field. This episode is very sports-oriented with Scott getting plenty of time to flex his athleticism thanks to werewolvery. That Tyler Hoechlin broods and sends off all kinds of intimidating vibes. And Crystal Reed is just a lovely face up close and her photogenic beauty has understanding all too well why Scott is head over heels for her Allison. Roden, as Lydia, is a force to be reckoned with…she puts a lot of value in her status as Lil Miss Popular. Kudos to the mention of The Wolf Man in the script as Stiles speaks about wolfsbane to Scott, one of my favorite horror films. The image of Derek's sister in the dug up grave is rather creepy.