15 Reasons We Really Miss ‘Teen Wolf’

9. Motel California

Teen Wolf Season 3 Episode 6, “Motel California,” is not only considered one of the best episodes of the series, it has also been considered one of the best episodes of television to date.

The school field trip episode took place amongst the backdrop of an eerie motel and put Scott’s pack in more danger than usual as the more supernatural teens succumbed to deadly wolfsbane visions.

We would like to praise this episode simply for how many nightmares it has caused with its bone-chilling premise, but “Motel California,” isn’t considered the best episode just for its scares.

One of the most devastating and uplifting moments of the entire series came out of this episode. The thought of Scott McCall not thinking he’s good enough for this world is enough to warrant tears, but to see him attempt to take his own life after being poisoned by Wolfsbane was truly a sad moment for viewers everywhere.

Then Stiles, in what is considered one of Dylan O’Brien’s most powerful performances, tells Scott that if he wants to take his life, he’ll have to take his best friend with him.

To this day that scene stands as a testament to Stiles and Scott’s bond as well as O’Brien and Posey’s friendship in real life. While the episode stands as a reminder of what this show could accomplish when truly at its best.

10. Stydia

While there have been many slow-burning romances on television, none have been quite as slow and as unique as Stiles and Lydia’s.

It was established early on that Stiles had been harboring a crush on Lydia since 3rd grade. He pined over her for years and wanted nothing more than for her to notice him. But while Stiles was coming off too strong, Lydia was still struggling to keep her intelligence under wraps.

She dated Jackson because he was the captain of the lacrosse team and wasn’t interested in much else unless it improved her social standing.

Over the years, the two found themselves spending more time together as Lydia was let in on the secrets of Beacon Hills. She became Stiles’ partner in crime as they investigated supernatural incidents and used Lydia’s banshee senses to find more than one dead body.

Stiles never really stopped loving Lydia, but he learned to calm down and be there for her as a friend first and foremost. Even after kissing Lydia during a panic attack he never forced a relationship with her, having felt her feelings were purely platonic.

In the 6th and final season of the show, Stiles told Lydia that he loved her before the Ghost Riders erased him from memory. As Lydia realized a hole has been left in her life, she confessed that she loved him back and that after she kissed Stiles to stop his panic attack she started to see him as more than a friend.

This revelation gave fans confirmation that Stydia was in fact endgame and for the rest of Season 6A we watched as Lydia fought her way back the man she loved. The two met in the locker room and had their first mutual kiss.

Six years of build up and stolen glances between the two characters led to a masterpiece of a kiss that was everything we could have hoped for.

To this day, Stiles and Lydia’s development from friends to lovers stand as one of the best storylines in the entire series and one of the best relationships on TV.

11. Scallison

Stydia was truly a love story of the century, but it wasn’t the love story at the forefront of this series. Before ships like Stydia and Sterek existed, there was Scallison.

Scott and Allison’s romantic feelings for each other drove most of the plot of the first and second season as they found themselves on opposite sides of a war between hunters and werewolves. Eventually, that war broke them apart, but the two continued to be friends.

Even as the two started seeing other people, fans were convinced Allison and Scott would find each other again. They were star-crossed lovers who brought out the best in each other and were beyond adorable together.

But in the end, an early departure from the series by Crystal Reed extinguished any future plans the two characters had together.

Allison died a hero and put herself in the line of fire to save her friends. However, in an emotional turn of events, it was not Isaac who comforted Allison in her final moments. No, Scott rushed to her side and cradled his first love in his arms as she struggled to breathe.

Allison was strong though and managed to tell Scott she would always love him before passing away. The moment between the two of them may have been Scallison’s last but Allison’s memory would live on through Scott for several seasons to come.

Teen Wolf never let us forget how much these two loved each other even when they weren’t together.

12. The Parentals

Where shows like Riverdale capitalize on dysfunctional families, Teen Wolf has always relied on strong parental relationships as the backbone of the series. So much so, that behind every great teenager in Beacon Hills was an even greater parent.

You had Scott’s mother Melissa, a single parent who raised her son on her own while working full-time as a nurse at the local hospital. Whether it was finding the money to pay the hydro bill or dealing with the fact that her son was a werewolf, Mama McCall handled it all with a grace and gentleness that made her feel like a motherly figure to us all.

That woman’s wisdom and advice always hit home, whether it was being your own anchor or realizing that you would fall in love more than once. Melissa Ponzio encompassed the perfect mother through her role as Melissa McCall, who both reassured us and terrified us. Just like a mother should.

Then there was Chris Argent. Arguably a part of the most dysfunctional family in Beacon Hills, Chris didn’t let this define who he was going to be as a father.

Unfortunately, it took several years and losing his wife for the hunter to realize his oath to the Argent code was what was destroying his family and corrupting his daughter Allison.

But once he realized the damage that had been done, he took on a new code to protect those that cannot protect themselves. He fought alongside Scott and Derek for years and many times against his own family members. After losing Allison, Chris did everything in his power to be a strong parental figure for Scott and his friends as they processed her death.

He continued to be a father to those that needed him long after Allison was gone.

Sheriff Noah Stilinski deserves so much credit for being a father to Stiles after losing his wife. Stiles was a high energy child who could not have been easy to handle. But Noah never once lets that stop him from being the father his son needed.

Just like Melissa, he juggled working full-time as the Sheriff of Beacon Hills while making sure Stiles stayed out of trouble. Sure he wasn’t always successful in doing so but his sense of justice and knack for solving crimes was what put Stiles on the path to becoming an FBI Agent.

Stiles might not have grown up with a mother but he grew up with a father who never made him feel any less loved because of it.

These parents were an earnest representation of what parents should be in their best forms. Teen Wolf might have delved into the unrealistic at times but it never once forgot how important a realistic bond between parent and child can be for viewers watching.

13. Season 3B

When Season 3A aired, viewers were introduced to a terrifying Alpha pack bent on destroying Scott’s life. The first 12 episodes of the season were some of the strongest this show had produced with the perfect amount of drama and comedy to continue being the same loveable show we fell in love with.

Then the back half of Season 3 aired and turned everything we loved about Teen Wolf upside down.

While “Motel California,” is considered one of the best episodes, Season 3B is considered the best season of the series for its darker take on Japanese folklore.

The entire premise of Scott, Allison, and Scott opening a door to their minds led to some horrific moments involving some very vivid hallucinations and demons that came to be in the form of shadow ninjas named Oni.

But what truly made 3B a stand out season was the focus on Stiles Stilinski. Teen Wolf made the brilliant decision to capitalize on Dylan O’Brien’s acting chops and made Scott’s lovable best friend the villain of the series in a surprise reveal no one saw coming.

As an evil Japanese spirit called the Nogitsune, Stiles terrorized his family and friends, manipulating them into thinking he was still the same defenseless boy while he wreaked havoc on Beacon Hills.

Dylan O’Brien twisted his goofy smile into something so sinister it would send chills up your spine. And when the Nogitsune did speak he did everything to hurt the people around him with information Stiles had gathered from years of listening.

In the end, the Nogitsune might have lost but not before he took Allison down with him in an emotional standoff that ended with the young Argent sacrificing herself to save Isaac.

Season 3B of Teen Wolf proved that this cast of actors were some of the best on television as they portrayed horror and heartbreak on an entirely new level of brilliance bigger networks still struggle to replicate.

No amount of praise can truly do this season justice.

14. The Sass

If there’s one thing Teen Wolf never lost, it was the show’s sense of humor.

Every difficult situation could be defused with a joke or sarcastic comment. Sometimes the humor was so bizarre you couldn’t help but laugh and other times the witty comebacks were so clever you couldn’t help but be impressed.

One way or another, everyone got in on the action. Whether it was a villain like Peter Hale or once self-proclaimed good-girl Allison Argent, there was enough sass to go around.

The comedy was what grounded the show and truthfully, what made it so darn captivating to watch. We would be lying if we didn’t say we tuned in every week just to hear Stiles make a sarcastic comment or two.

And at the end of the day, the show’s unique sense of humor is the main reason why Teen Wolf, the little werewolf show that could, isn’t being forgotten anytime soon.

15. Scott McCall

Scott McCall was an amazing protagonist. That fact can be forgotten when actors like Dylan O’Brien and Holland Roden created characters who stole the spotlight on more than one occasion. At the end of the day, however, Scott was Teen Wolf’s main lead and he never stopped finding ways to remind us of why.

Tyler Posey portrayed a male character that was unlike many male protagonists out there at the time. Scott McCall wasn’t a tough badass who got any girl in school he wanted. No, even after being bitten by a werewolf Scott still came off as the awkward kid who struggled to fit in.

Scott was also very emotional, something people shy away from when writing male characters because it doesn’t come off as manly. But Scott’s heart, selflessness, and even uncertainty made him into a practical leader who cared about much more than fitting in. He stood up for others and what was right without hesitation.

His ability to only think about the wellbeing of others allowed him to become a true alpha without having to take a life. His refusal to kill anyone set a strong example for his pack and encouraged people like Chris and Derek to changes their ways for the better.

Scott underwent such an incredible transformation over the length of the series. But the boy that thought Jackson meant actual juice when he asked Scott where he was getting his juice hadn’t changed- not really. I’m sure Scott still gets his mother to do all the grocery shopping.

We may not say it enough, but deep down we miss Scott McCall the most.

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Teen Wolf may have ended but its unique storytelling and beloved characters will live on for many years to come. You never really forget a show that defied all odds and created an experience unlike anything else on TV. You never really stop missing it either.

Here’s to 7 years of Teen Wolf.

What do you miss the most about Teen Wolf? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!

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