So. Teen Wolf, huh?

[darkemeralds]

HOW DID THIS HAPPEN?

*eyes ravurian eyeingly*

I started watching Teen Wolf just...let's see here...three weeks ago. I completely dismissed it based on all the obvious things--its title, its promotional images, its general air of dumbness. Really, I need to remember that "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" sounded just as stupid in its day.

Now, TW is not quite Joss, but I gotta say after this week's episode "Battlefield" that it's starting to think about approaching that standard. I have mainlined all 23 extant episodes--several of them twice--in the past three weeks, and have lured vampirefan into the pack. I am reading fanfic. I am considering writing fanfic. You know how rare that is.

I know everyone else is already watching it, so I won't prose on. I just want to add that the sixteen-year-old in me has a huge crush on Jackson, the thirty-year-old in me is hot for Derek, and the timeless winged being of my soul adores Stiles.

Stiles is Willow and Giles and a bit of Xander all rolled into one perfectly heroic best friend character, played by a boy with a beautiful face and his heart on his sleeve, and I just love him so.

(And so does Derek. All the fic says so, and I agree.)

Comments

[darkemeralds]

Stiles is the beating heart at the center of the show. He's one of those characters, played by one of those actors, who just transcends the whole concept and causes writers to writer for him and the whole show to shift its center of gravity slightly because of him.

I'm amazed at how much my cup of tea TW has turned out to be.

[donutsweeper]

I wonder if it meant to revolve around Stiles as much as it does. (And is it just me, or anyone else wondering about his first name?)

Something that has amazed me about the show is how it portrays those outside the 'norm'. Danny is gay. So what. He's Danny. The drag queens Stiles met? There's no making fun of them, but you need someone who knows how to party? Call them!

[darkemeralds]

I think everyone wonders what Stiles' first name is. And there is a very tantalizing bit in the latest episode that made me think we might be going somewhere with that mystery one of these days.

The portrayal of a non-homophobic town is absolutely wonderful--utopian, almost, I'd say. I love how in this small California mountain town there's a) a gay bar and b) enough variety of gay life to fill it up with drag queens and dancers and all skin colors. And like us, they all love Stiles.

And I really suspect that in original concept, the story was meant to revolve around Scott and Derek. But Dylan O'Brien just stole it so elegantly that there was absolutely no sidelining him.

[donutsweeper]

What tantalizing bit? I must have missed it.

I wonder how much of the characterization is how Stiles is written and how much is Dylan's portrayal.

[darkemeralds]

Peter delivers that whole thing about "Christian names" curing a werewolf. Now, Stiles isn't a werewolf and if they make him one I will never forgive them, but that bit was so weird and not really part of traditional werewolf lore that it might as well have had a little flashing arrow pointing at it saying, "THINK ABOUT FIRST NAMES."

Perhaps I'm over-fanning it.

My feeling about the Stiles characterization is that it's the most fortuitous, brilliant piece of casting, the perfect blend of actor and role--they stair-step each other upward. I don't know what it's like to be in a TV writing room, but can't you just imagine how satisfying it would be to hear the producers say, "The audience LOVES this kid--give him more lines," and then to write those lines and watch him deliver them?

[donutsweeper]

Ah. I thought that was supposed to show us how, during the Danny&Jackson conversation in the locker room that it was Danny yelling "Jackson!" that finally shook Gerard's hold for long enough for Jackson to deliver that warning of sorts for Danny to stay inside and stay safe.

[darkemeralds]

Oh wow, you're right. I watched twice and even *blush* took notes the second time through, but I missed that.

Nope, not too fannish here at all.

[donutsweeper]

It would be really interesting if it wasn't Lydia, but Danny that could be the key to breaking through to Jackson, wouldn't it?

There is no such thing as being too fannish :)

Personally, I want a scene about how the Sheriff started calling Stiles "Stiles". Usually parents don't do that sort of nickname. Did it start with the mom's death? Before that? Did the mom call him that too? Just how horrible IS his first name? Inquiring minds want to know!

[darkemeralds]

I think I saw a fanon first name for Stiles in a fic somewhere, presumably cobbled together from the extremely brief and cryptic view we get of his school file-folder. Coach calling him "Bolinsky" in that one ep seems to contribute to a notion that his name begins with a B.

I've found it hard to believe, too, that Sheriff Stilinsky willingly calls his own son "Stiles", but they play the family dynamics so heartbreakingly that I'll buy anything they're selling. We don't really know how old Stiles was when his mother dies, do we?

Well, we'll see what the writers give us. Twenty-four whole eps next season!

[donutsweeper]

Yes, yes and YES! Although, 24 episodes can be a blessing and a curse. It's vaguely possible they might drag out the pacing a bit as a result because if they want to get X, Y and Z done and that's what they wanted to get done when they thought they'd have 12 episodes if they don't add more things they wanted to get done they'd have 2x as long to do it and might add filler instead of adding more plot points/

I haven't read much/participated much in the Teen Wolf fandom so I'm clueless about fanon. I assumed the Balinski thing was due to the Coach being a bit of a flake when it came to anyone other than the "important" players.

Oh, a friend showed me this- I love this casts' opinions about life and their show, especially the first .gif

http://coltonhaynes.us/post/28117177842

[darkemeralds]

Oh, I've read all of three fics so far, so my fanon is very basic. You're right, of course, about the curse of the 24-episode season. I'm really enjoying all the shows like Suits and White Collar with 12-episode seasons. I think it makes for much better storytelling. OTOH, MOAR STILES

The Colton Haynes gif is fantastic! Good for him. As far as I can tell he makes no secret of being gay himself, but I've also seen rumblings that his representation is trying to squelch that information. Can't imagine why, but it's rumored.

As if.

[donutsweeper]

More Stiles is definitely a GOOD THING.

There were a bunch of clips and .gifs of similar interviews right around Comic Con time. The entire cast was like that. It was awesome to read some of the things they said. Of course I can't find them now, though

[darkemeralds]

OMG don't hook me up. I just spent half an hour down the rabbit hole of Tumblr.

[donutsweeper]

only a half an hour? I'm in awe of your fortitude, I get lost for hours and hours at a time on tumblr.

[darkemeralds]

It was a wrench to leave, I don't deny it.

[donutsweeper]

I am impressed! I find tumblr equal parts amazing and utterly frustrating. Yet still I stay. But, it is responsible for my interest in Teen Wolf, so there is that.

[ravurian]

Jeff Davis went on record that they're treating the 24 episodes as if they have two 12-episode seasons back-to-back, because they don't want to mess with the rhythm they've established and what they know works. Sensible, I think, and reassuring. Sorry to butt in!

[donutsweeper]

Oh, that's excellent. Thank you, that's great to know.

[darkemeralds]

Thanks for the good word. That IS reassuring.