Wolf Pack Season 1 Episode 4 Review: Fear and Pain

External and supernatural forces cause Blake, Everett, Harlan, and Luna to quickly realize that returning to their usual schedules — and high school — won’t be easy on Wolf Pack Season 1 Episode 4, “Fear and Pain.” 

While facing those hurdles, the Paramount+ show falls into a more comfortable pacing that grants the characters and their relationships time and space to develop.

Namely, this episode gives Austin more development than the fast-paced exposition at the beginning of Wolf Pack Season 1 Episode 3, “Origin Point,” allows.

By prioritizing Austin’s experiences, Wolf Pack finds a firmer position for Kristin Ramsey in the morally grey area where some of the best TV characters exist.

Plus, it’s a fun twist to see Sarah Michelle Gellar’s character not believe in monsters.

Kristin’s dialogue of “how powerful and confusing a traumatic event like this can be” frames her reception of Austin’s perspective with understanding, but her delivery is laced with suspicion, and Austin’s body language immediately recognizes both.

It’s intriguing to watch Kristin walk the line between fostering an environment where the teens feel safe to tell her what happened on the highway and possibly using their anxieties and stressors to the advantage of her confirmation bias during questioning.

Interestingly, Wolf Pack pokes holes in Kristin’s theories about the arson (and the world in general) when she becomes alarmed by a noise at the location of Connor’s disappearance, suggesting she may see some truth to Austin’s recollection of events.

“Fear and Pain” builds on that doubt and creates a compelling tension by pairing Kristin and Garrett Briggs, whose beliefs couldn’t juxtapose each other more.

As far as parental figures go on Wolf Pack thus far, it’s easy to invest in Garrett’s story, whereas it’s impossible to understand Everett’s mom’s concerning perspective on her son. It’s also challenging to sympathize with Blake’s father, which could be the point.

In fairness, the series has yet to explore those characters as much as it has Garrett, especially with such honest conversations like he has with Luna in the barn.

Despite the content of Garrett and Luna’s conversation, that quiet and grounded scene creates real opportunities to invest in the characters and their dynamics while providing necessary clarity to Luna’s history with horses through flashbacks.

Wolf Pack Season 1 Episode 1, “From a Spark to a Flame,” hits the ground running, and it’s only on “Fear and Pain” that the relationships start to find a larger focus.

For instance (like with Austin), Cyrus’ backstory about his father lands much better in his conversation with Harlan, and that glimpse into Cyrus’ life builds a stronger tether between the two teens beyond their charged glances across a crowded room.

Cyrus’ honesty comes with the knowledge that Harlan holds back (and will likely continue to do so) to protect his secret. While Wolf Pack has yet to reveal that Cyrus and Harlan are close enough for Harlan to feel comfortable sharing that he’s a werewolf, “Fear and Pain” sets up that potential story.

That tension is familiar to plenty of characters on supernatural teen dramas. Likewise, it’s a welcome turn in the story for Wolf Pack to finally introduce school as a backdrop. The conditions of the series elevate the everyday stressors of high school.

Like how Everett’s anxiety affects the pack, Connor’s empty desk at the center of the classroom is a jarring image representing the collisions of the mundane sides of the teens’ lives and the often dangerous supernatural currents rising to the surface.

“Fear and Pain” follows that thread in Luna and Austin’s scenes. It’s sweet that Austin knows Luna is a great artist and even seems charmed by her portraits of him.

However, their most endearing and scary scene is when Luna and Austin grow closer because she sketches the monster — the same creature Luna may be related to or eventually become. Wolf Pack takes the horror elements one step further when Luna sees the same deadly cuts she inflicted on her horse, Thunder, on Austin’s neck.

Those scenes, like Cyrus and Harlan’s, establish dynamics and a threat. They’re also rather dramatic, contrasting Everett’s hero move with Danny. It’s an over-the-top, slow-motion entrance MTV’s Teen Wolf embraces. Consequently, Everett’s arrival infuses the environment with levity that eases the tension — if even accidentally.

Armani Jackson’s out-of-breath delivery of “I don’t know. I think I ran” is hilarious, too. Nevertheless, Wolf Pack quickly reestablishes the stakes with the reveal that Danny has a fistful of the werewolf’s fur and confirms that the pack’s abilities are progressing — this time, to include a howl that unites the four teen wolves.

Wolf Pack‘s method of pointedly naming the mythological developments (They’re a pack. They howl.) is already becoming repetitive. It may unfold more naturally as the characters interact more in less high-stakes situations. 

The desire for that level of character work is stronger than the intrigue created by the werewolf’s pile of victims. After all, the supernatural world’s impacts lose their edge without proper investment, and “Fear and Pain” proves the show can pull it off. 

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New episodes of Wolf Pack stream on Thursdays on Paramount+. Try Paramount+ for free, right here

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