Raise your hand if you have a grave weakness for a certain heroic werewolf and his sarcastic best friend. (My hand’s up.)
I have such fond high school memories of donning my mock Stilinski lacrosse jersey on Teen Wolf “Moondays” and announcing to my parents that it was time for them to evacuate the room so that I could fully immerse myself in the world of Beacon Hills.
To think we are getting a revival at long last! It’s thrilling!
If you’re as psyched for the upcoming Teen Wolf movie as I am, you’re probably itching to take a trip down memory lane, with all its big bads and shocking bumps.
Below is a selection of the best of each season for your viewing pleasure. Bust out your old fan gear and get watching!
1. “Wolf Moon”
What better place to start your trek into Teen Wolf’s glory days than the pilot? The stage is perfectly set on Teen Wolf Season 1 Episode 1: a foggy night, rainfall, Scott and Stiles searching for a dead body in the woods. Well, half of one.
Scott and Stiles emerge as the two-person backbone of the show. They form the bromance of all bromances, loyal to one another until the end.
There’s something undeniably special about Scott being the one to wield a baseball bat as he steps cautiously onto his porch, Stiles’ weapon of choice, showcasing that before the bite, he and Stiles were peas in a pod in every sense, helplessly human but helpless together.
Scott’s earnestness (and baby face) make him an instantly likable lead. He is so good that he can come across as a bit bland at the start, but I find his pure heart refreshing upon rewatching.
Stiles sets himself apart as the comic relief in a 147-pound body of “pale skin and fragile bone.” He delivers the zingers. We also get a peek at his propensity for solving mysteries, which foreshadows his eventual acceptance into a pre-FBI program with the help of Mr. McCall.
Derek makes his debut, too, popping up out of thin air in all black as he likes to do — he throws off more vampire vibes than werewolf — to take Scott under his pale wing.
This marks the inaugural “the bite is a gift” speech that we know so well.
Starting here will remind you of Teen Wolf’s innocent days, back when Scott used his abilities to flirt and make team captain, and the biggest drama was Scott worrying about Allison hating him after ditching her at a party.
2. “Formality”
Full of jaw-dropping reveals for the main characters, Teen Wolf Season 1 Episode 11 is not one to be skipped, which is why it makes this list.
This is a pivotal episode for Allison, as she learns not only about the existence of werewolves from Kate but that Scott is one. Huntress Allison is born, bow and arrow in hand, using Derek’s picture as target practice.
Derek and Kate’s romantic history is elaborated on, mirroring Scott’s romance with Allison. Every scene involving Kate torturing Derek is moderately uncomfortable in its sensual nature, namely when she licks his torso and he snaps his fangs at her. Kate could benefit from an etiquette class.
Scott’s rapidly developing hero complex is evident in a touching scene in which he overhears his mom crying in the car. Most kids get a reality check at some point in their lives, their parents’ own emotional needs and imperfections dawning on them at last.
When Stiles tells Scott he can’t protect everyone, Scott responds in classic Scott fashion, saying that he has to, his mom’s melancholy serving to solidify his resolve. (Which leads him to fall off Allison’s roof while trying to guard her window at night.)
“Formality,” as the title suggests, includes a formal. Who doesn’t love a TV high school dance, especially one crashed by a ruthless Alpha?
The dance is major for Stiles because he admits to Lydia that he’s had a crush on her since the third grade, which is unfortunate since Teen Wolf Season 1 Lydia is a flat, dreadful character whose only personality trait is being rude to Stiles. He deserves better.
However, we do have to appreciate Scott’s little grin when he sees Stiles pulling Lydia onto the dance floor. It’s just as necessary to portray healthy friendships as it is to portray healthy romances.
Peter recognizes Stiles as “the clever one” when he boldly dashes onto the field to save Lydia, hinting at his big brain’s prominence throughout the rest of the series.
If you’re not convinced that you need to rewatch “Formality,” imagine your favorite TV mom, Melissa McCall, stitching up Scott’s pants before the dance and advising him to be honest with Allison about how he feels.
We can blame her for Scott’s tattoo. She gives him the green light to go to great lengths to profess one’s love, including but not limited to: singing it, carving it into a tree, and tattooing it on your arm.
3. “Abomination”
Teen Wolf Season 2 Episode 4 needs no introduction other than this: Stiles and Derek are trapped in a pool, fleeing the kanima’s whip of a tail.
You must remember the kanima, one of Teen Wolf’s most entertaining villains, because it’s not really the villain; its master is.
With its telltale venom dripping from crime scenes and its disconcerting reptilian stare, how could you not love to hate it? (Fitting that it’s Jackson, given he’s an acquired taste.)
Stiles witnesses the kanima murder a mechanic while paralyzed on the floor, bringing up a central issue of the series: trauma. We don’t talk enough about the trauma our Beacon Hills’ heroes undergo on an almost weekly basis. This is true for a lot of supernatural shows. How do they sleep at night? How do they breathe?
At least we see Lydia in therapy with Deaton’s sister, Ms. Morrell, her hallucination of young Peter by her side.
If you’re craving an awkward family dinner concocted by Gerard himself or want to hear lovable Danny tell Jackson he’s not his type in a satisfying snippet of dialogue, this episode is a must-rewatch.
Gerard might be creepier than every Teen Wolf big bad combined. We get to hear him harshly scold Allison for not speaking with conviction and see him violently stab Scott.
His duplicitous ways are plain as day, shedding some light on his villainous, self-serving intent, thwarted in the Teen Wolf Season 2 finale by “Mountain Ashhhhh!” (Anyone else chuckle at that hyperbolic exclamation every time?)
“Abomination” also gives us the silly scene in which Stiles acts as a messenger for Allison and Scott, running madly around the high school — a winded, wingless Hermes.
4. “Raving”
Teen Wolf’s partying episodes do hit differently. On Teen Wolf Season 2 Episode 8, it’s rave time — with a side of murder.
Stark moral differences are highlighted during the preparation for the “trap Jackson the kanima and his master at the rave” plan. When Deaton asks if the gang plans on killing or saving Jackson, without hesitating, Derek says kill, while Scott says save.
Scott was taught by Derek, yet he never strays from his righteous path, even when given reason to (unless you count when he was forcibly turned into a berserker in Teen Wolf Season 4).
Stiles and Sheriff Stilinski’s relationship is a focal point of “Raving,” the good and the bad. The good: Stiles ordering his dad a veggies burger to promote a healthy lifestyle, and the pair poring over files together to detect a pattern in the kanima’s killings. Like father, like son.
The bad: we are reminded that there are repercussions to Stiles’ glossed-over illegal actions when Sheriff Stilinski has to take a leave of absence. Sheriff Stilinski’s quiet disappointment is worse than anger.
What’s compelling about “Raving” is that nothing goes as planned.
With so many successfully executed schemes on TV, even when the odds are stacked against the protagonists, it’s gratifying to see Scott and his friends fail, and they fail hard, miserably. They don’t save the kanima’s latest victim. They don’t manage to contain Jackson and Matt — the master.
Stiles is finally given a task only a human can complete — to create a Mountain Ash barrier — only to have to break it so that Derek can save Scott from Mrs. Argent. His efforts were all for naught. It’s realistic (if a supernatural show can be described as such).
The bright side of “Raving” is Mrs. Argent being bitten by Derek. That bite is a catalyst. It drives Mrs. Argent to fall on her own sword, ridding Beacon Hills of her severe gaze and wicked ways, and it infects Allison with grief potent enough to darken her spirit.
5. “Tattoo”
Teen Wolf Season 3 is arguably its finest. If there were one season to rewatch in its entirety, it would be this one.
Teen Wolf Season 3 Episode 1 is a surprising light(ish) episode to kick off a heavy season. The calm before the storm is an apt idiom to describe it, albeit a ruffled calm.
It is an episode of positive transformations.
Lydia gets a personality! Hooray! One that is complex and radiant. She’s an entirely new person with a sense of humor, compassion for others, and full use of her impressive mental faculties, now Banshee-fied.
Additionally, her friendship with Allison is further developed, just in time for Allison to die at the end of the season. RIP.
Scott and Stiles have glowed up, no longer the baby-faced boys running into the woods that fateful night.
Scott’s transformation is accentuated by a parallel scene to “Wolf Moon.” He does one-handed pull-ups, a book in his free hand. A vocabulary word lights up his computer screen, and he’s actually able to define it.
To see Scott get serious about school is heartening because he’s smart, too. It’s easy to see him as the group’s brawn, but he has more to offer! (I feel like a proud mom.)
Scott’s transformation includes a motorcycle and a tattoo.
His new tattoo is laughable at first glance. Stiles expresses his distaste for it, as well as the tattoo artist who studies Scott’s drawing of two simple bands and says, “Boy, good thing you drew me a picture.” The sass is real.
How Derek keeps a straight face while Scott acts like it’s profound that his tattoo is a reward for not calling Allison all summer is beyond me.
The depth of his tattoo is revealed when Scott mentions how he needs something permanent. He even drops a PSAT word: ephemeral. What a studious little werewolf. Our poor boys have no stability in their lives. The toll that it takes on them is immense.
It’s all downhill from there. Nothing says “terrible things are afoot” like animals on the fritz, namely the murder of crows swarming outside of their classroom, bloodying the windows before busting in. But hey, it bodes well for the viewers — more action for us.
6. “Illuminated”
Teen Wolf Season 3 Episode 16 is another excellent partying episode worth your attention. The Oni run rampant on Halloween, testing everyone to ensure they are themselves. With their ominous clicking noises and black scowling masks, they make some seriously cool “villains.”
The chaos of dozens of neon bodies gyrating about Derek’s loft coupled with the surprise attacks from the Oni generates a high-stress episode — enjoyably so.
Isaac is among the first to be checked, which spotlights Argent’s evolution. He runs to Isaac, urging him to turn to heal, whereas old Argent would have been hunting him.
Argent isn’t the only one growing closer to Isaac. Allison and Isaac ooze chemistry at the blacklight party. Dare I say it, more chemistry than Allison and Scott?
My jaw hit the floor when Allison said she was frustrated, to which Isaac replied, “Sexually?” Hot damn!
Though “Illuminated” isn’t centered around Scott, his leadership qualities are the talk of the town. Ethan comments to Aiden on how Scott cares about people, commending him for retaining his humanity. Isaac inadvertently compliments Scott as a leader by not wanting to keep the secret of the Oni from him.
Scott is a good leader in that he inspires others to want to be honest, to be better.
My favorite part of “Illuminated” is the interwoven mystery of Stiles’ key. It’s enticing in that no one thinks it’s important aside from Stiles, who is left to solve it himself, thereby solving himself. Is that a riddle? The Nogitsune would applaud.
This would be the ideal episode to rewatch on a cold October night. (Don’t scare off your trick-or-treaters as Derek does.)
7. “Riddled”
Teen Wolf Season 3 Episode 18 is the cream of the crop. Dylan O’Brien’s performance is heartwrenching. Every wail as he mentally battles the Nogitsune is a complete sucker punch.
Scott’s panic when he receives the distressed call from Stiles is perversely exciting because it gives the show room to explore just how much Stiles means to everyone and how brutal it would be to lose him.
We are disoriented along with Stiles, unsure of what’s real or not on our first watch, which is why the episode’s structure and dim lighting work so well.
We are set loose to solve the missing Stiles case with his loved ones, brought along on a fearful search that leads us to the hospital, Stiles’ room — where Lydia hears the whispers of the red string, Eichen House, and so on. Even the second time around, it’s just as powerful and eerie.
If you’re like me and have a special place in your heart for the Nogitsune, this is definitely the episode for you. He creeps around with his staggering gait and bandaged face, spewing riddles. He’s a blast.
It is so deliciously cruel that he tampers with the MRI scans to make it look like Stiles has the type of dementia his mother had.
If Stiles (and his dark counterpart) being the center of attention isn’t enough of a reason to rewatch, consider doing so for the sake of Scott and Stiles’ bond.
Scott is there with Stiles for his MRI, naturally.
He tearfully promises he’ll do something if Stiles does have his mother’s dementia — Scott’s toxic pattern of putting himself in charge of saving everyone continues — and they share a precious hug.
Please rewatch Teen Wolf Season 3 Episode 6: “Motel California” for an even better hug than this.
Everyone has it, but no one can lose it? What is it? If you don’t remember, you’ve got some catching up to do.
8. “Muted”
Teen Wolf Season 4 Episode 3 is a treat because it reeks of nostalgia, pleasantly, thanks to lacrosse tryouts and fresh meat.
The Beacon Hills lacrosse field is my happy place in the show, home to countless great times (and tragic ones). We can recall Stiles pelting Scott with lacrosse balls to help him control his heart rate or Scott’s first time crushing tryouts.
In “Muted,” tryouts are revived, newcomer Liam so skilled Stiles suspects he’s a werewolf and confronts him in the locker room. This is the lighthearted content we all deserve after Season 3.
It’s a hoot watching Kira and Malia witness Scott and Stiles perform poorly, as well as Stiles dramatically collapsing, Scott hoisting him up to take him somewhere to throw up.
We are also reminded that our crazy coach does care about Scott and Stiles when he says they are like sons to him. Aw. (He sure wouldn’t say that about Greenberg.)
It’s easy to want to resist the charms of the additions to Beacon Hills because of loyalty to the original cast, but Liam is a welcome change. He gives Scott a new purpose, a Beta to teach as Derek taught him — not that Scott wanted to bite him, but when a wendigo strikes, what can you do?
Speaking of Derek, if you want to see his grumpy cat expression soften, “Muted” has got you covered.
We see romance brew between Derek and Braeden. They complement each other, both survivors, feisty and worn-down.
This episode provides further relief from the overwhelming darkness of Season 3 and is reminiscent of Season 1 in its focus on teenage awkwardness and new love. Scott gives Kira a “chaste kiss,” as Stiles labels it, and frets about it in the locker room as Kira airs her concerns to Malia in the stands.
High on the wholesome scale is Stiles and Malia’s study date. Stiles notices that Malia uses highlighters the same way he used to use his colored string in a moment of kindred recognition. Her textbook is covered in red, as his board used to be. If that’s not love, what is?
If you’re more in it for the villains, rewatch this one for a double whammy: the Mute and a cannibalistic wendigo.
9. “Dreamcatchers”
Teen Wolf Season 5 Episode 3 is a fast-paced, dizzying mix of danger and delight, emblematic of Teen Wolf as a whole, never just light and never just dark — unless we’re talking about 3b — which makes it worth the rewatch.
On the delightful end of things, we get to see Scott and Stiles hype up Sheriff Stilinski for a date — with Lydia’s mom, no less! Scott compliments, Stiles teases, and Sheriff Stilinski blushes like a schoolboy. It’s like watching Scott and Stiles send their son to prom.
Also on the sunny side, we get a bus-side pow-wow with the pack, featuring Mason, a veritable fanboy, standing agog as Scott and the others make a game plan on how to deal with Tracy, the chimera of the hour. We are Mason, our minds blown by *almost* every new creature.
Donovan joins the scene in this episode, infiltrating the happy date-prep scene by shouting threats at Sheriff Stilinski as he’s being led from the station for transfer. He is more a pawn than anything, strategically placed into the show to eventually bloody Stiles’ hands and cause the rift between Scott and Stiles.
A hearkening back to Season 2 is made when Tracy goes full kanima and paralyzes Scott, Stiles, Malia, and Deaton at the animal clinic.
We proudly witness Malia’s moral evolution when she spares Tracy, even after Tracy leaves Lydia bleeding out. Stiles’ constant lessons on not killing and the proximity of Scott’s sound moral compass truly changed her for the better.
This personal victory is short-lived when a Dread Doctor kills Tracy anyway. Remember them?
10. “Radio Silence”
Stiles being forgotten goes down as one of the saddest moments in Teen Wolf history, second to Allison’s death, though I am biased. On Teen Wolf Season 6 Episode 5, we get him back, vocally, that is.
The claustrophobic train station of the Wild Hunt is a simple but effective set, confining us to its dusty surfaces and drab walls with its zombie-like occupants, save for Stiles, who does not forget himself and the Ghost Riders, as everyone else does.
Every time he runs through the doors only to reenter the station, we feel the anxiety-inducing ache of the loop.
Peter, the cockroach that he is, appears. He ever-so-slightly redeems himself by jumping on the back of a Ghost Rider’s horse to escape in what he knows could be a deadly move. (Unsurprisingly, he lives.)
As he lays a burnt heap of flesh on the ground, he can keep his fist closed, but he chooses to give Malia Stiles’ keys. As selfish as Peter is, this act seems to indicate he does have love for his daughter, or Stiles saying no one could ever come to rescue him got under his skin, now crisp as a roast pig.
The star character of the hour is Stiles’ trusty Jeep. It acts as a bridge between the Wild Hunt and Beacon Hills. That Jeep has witnessed nearly every horror Scott’s pack has faced, so it’s appropriate to have it be utilized as a tether.
Even without her memory, Lydia is drawn to the Jeep. I won’t give her all the credit, but it’s highly possible Stiles would’ve been lost forever, as well as Beacon Hills if Lydia hadn’t fought for Stiles.
By this point in the series, I’d boarded ship Stydia, so the parallel of them sitting hopelessly against the walls in their respective worlds is moving, especially given Lydia’s tears, such is the agony of grasping for a loved one you can’t reach.
Having only Scott and Lydia present in the Jeep when they get through to Stiles is gladdening.
Not to say the original characters are superior — I’d take Malia over Season 1 Lydia any day — but there’s a sense of rightness when those who have been there since before Scott was a werewolf come together again.
The unbridled desperation and relief in Scott and Lydia’s voices after hearing Stiles is palpable, paired with the crescendo of the background music.
Rewatch “Radio Silence” because it’s a beautiful tribute to Stiles, his Jeep, and the relationships he has forged over the years.
11. “Riders on the Storm”
When I think of the end, I think of Teen Wolf Season 6 Episode 10, which is why it’s where I leave you.
It would’ve made a solid series finale, bursting with glorious reunions and nods to previous seasons. It’s the kind of episode that leaves you feeling at peace.
Plus, the Wild Hunt is one of Teen Wolf’s most intriguing concepts, everything coming to a head in its resolution as the two worlds collapse into one another.
Scott and Stiles’ reunion is saturated in sentiment. After an audible “aw,” Stiles jogs to Scott with his arms up and ready for the hug as if he couldn’t wait for another second to reconnect with his brother. Both are positively giddy. It’s mushy and raw and adorable.
One thing we can appreciate about their friendship is that they don’t care about seeming tough or “manly,” they have made it loud and clear that they are dear to one another. All of that shines through in this tender embrace.
The best kiss of the hour goes to Stiles and Lydia, though Argent and Melissa’s was steamy.
Stiles has a gun pressed to his head, eyes closed, like in Season 4. Lydia saves him from the Ghost Rider with her banshee scream, and they share a passionate kiss.
Another parallel is that it’s the same locker room where Lydia first kisses Stiles to stop his panic attack in Season 3. Their relationship was more so a glacial burn than a slow one, so their kiss was momentous.
We are again transported back into the “good old days” when Liam scurries off into the fog to steal a Ghost Rider’s horse without thinking it through. Stiles asks Scott if they were like that. Scott says they were worse.
This moment is meaningful because we can’t help but recall young and impulsive Scott and Stiles.
If you’ve any reason to rewatch this episode, it would be for the last few minutes. It’s painfully bittersweet. It’s like we are graduating from Beacon Hills High, too, and in a way, we are.
When you watch characters grow up and sometimes grow up with them, you can’t help but be emotionally affected by the milestones in their lives.
Stiles is the one to resist accepting that high school is behind them, allowing the stubbornly sentimental of us to find footing in his perspective. His passing the baton (baseball bat) to Mason, saying he will help Liam as Stiles helped Scott is sweet enough to make Gerard cry.
A new generation crowned.
It ends as it should, with Scott and Stiles riding off into the proverbial sunset in the Jeep after admitting they will always need each other. The song leading them off is a hopeful tune, interrupted by Sheriff Stilinski on the radio confirming there’s a dead body in the woods.
There you have it! Some of the star episodes of Teen Wolf. This list only skims the surface. Which are your favorites? What do you want to see in the movie?
You can watch Teen Wolf right here on TV Fanatic.
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Ashley Myers is a staff writer for TV Fanatic, who you can follow on Twitter.
You can view the original article HERE.
