Teen Wolf Summary / Synopsis / Recap of Season 1 and Season 2

Can't watch or re-watch 24 episodes before June 3rd? No problem. You can review and catch-up here. This might be hella long, but it's shorter than watching two seasons of Teen Wolf. You should probably at least watch the pilot, just so you know what some of these people look like.

Teen Wolf- Season 1-2 Review

Should you watch this show? If you like the teen fantasy genre, definitely. If you can make it through a slower first 12 episodes, yep. 

As for us, we caught up on this show just in time for season three, and man are we glad we did. The first season was merely watchable. It was a little predictable, and we didn’t love many of the characters, but it wasn’t a chore to watch. It was cute. There were a lot of filler episodes in the first season too.

The storyline didn’t start speeding along until the second year. The second season was great and a definite improvement on season one. There was more tension, we started to like more of the characters, and it went to more creative places. It went from “cute” to “reeeal fun.”

One thing we didn’t like about this show was the principal romance. We kind of wanted Allison with Jackson or Stiles or anyone else. Well, not Matt. The problem was that they got together too quickly. As a result, their relationship was based completely on sexual desire rather than anything we could emotionally get attached to. The primary romance on this show fails to get viewers swooning like it really could have.

Adding some buildup or a reason other than “we’re hot” for them to like each other would have been good. Sure, they have a solid history and a ton of trust in each other by the time the second season rolls around. That means this won’t be as much of a problem in the future. History brings people closer together. Still, the show missed an opportunity to really tap into the romance potential. The first season spent a lot of time on a vanilla romance that wasn’t all that romantic. 

Another thing we didn’t like was that Allison was a gymnast and this might factor into her growing into a more violent character. We like that the show seems to have dropped that and made her primarily more of an archer. Gymnastics does not equate to combat. Just looking cool and a natural athleticism. One of our sisters is a black belt gymnast and she would never flip in an actual fight. That’s how you die. 

As for the things we liked? Lydia turning out to be a genius who can make a molotov cocktail. Her character had a lot more depth than we’d expected, although her shallow persona is hilarious.

Speaking of hilarious: the lacrosse team coach. He’s an enjoyable side character. We also like Crystal Reed’s acting, especially when she’s reacting to personal tragedy. She’s so pretty too. Can you believe she’s 28 in real life? The girl playing Lydia is 26. Yeah guys, no one looks like that in high school. Most people’s looks improve after those years. 

Hands down, the best character on this series is Stiles. He’s like the Seth Cohen of Teen Wolf. Heck, if you close your eyes, he even sounds like Seth Cohen. Stiles is the comic relief, but he also brings a lot of heart to Teen Wolf. Our favorite relationship is the one between him and his father, especially in season two. 

A good thing about this show is that it knows to plan its stories in season-long arcs. That way, it never drags, it focuses on a short story, and it has a climax and resolution and the end of each season. If it’s ever cancelled, we won’t be left frustrated. After the powerhouse second season, we’re more than ready to watch the third.

Season 1 grade: B-

Season 2 grade: A-

Agenda

Only three episodes away from being done with Teen Wolf. Can’t wait for Arrested Development this Sunday! One of us is having a bunch of people over for an all-day marathon. It’s gonna be the tits.

Catching up on Teen Wolf

We ship Allison/Jackson.

Critics Choice Television Awards 2013- A Few of Our Picks

Best Comedy Series

The Big Bang Theory
Louie- Desired winner
The Middle
New Girl- Runner Up
Parks and Recreation
Veep

Best Actor in a Comedy Series
Don Cheadle (House of Lies)- Runner up
Louis C.K. (Louie)
Jake Johnson (New Girl)
Jim Parsons (The Big Bang Theory)
Adam Scott (Parks and Recreation)- Desired Winner
Jeremy Sisto (Suburgatory)

Best Actress in a Comedy Series
Laura Dern (Enlightened)
Zooey Deschanel (New Girl)
Lena Dunham (Girls)
Sutton Foster (Bunheads)- Runner up
Family Julia Louis-Dreyfus (Veep)
Amy Poehler (Parks and Recreation)- Desired Winner

Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series
Max Greenfield (New Girl)
Simon Helberg (The Big Bang Theory)
Alex Karpovsky (Girls)
Adam Pally (Happy Endings)- Runner Up
Chris Pratt (Parks and Recreation)
Danny Pudi (Community)- Desired Winner

Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series
Carly Chaikin (Suburgatory)
Kaley Cuoco (The Big Bang Theory)- Runner Up
Sarah Hyland (Modern Family)
Melissa Rauch (The Big Bang Theory)
Eden Sher (The Middle)
Casey Wilson (Happy Endings)- Desired Winner

Best Guest Performer in a Comedy Series
Melissa Leo (Louie)- Runner Up
David Lynch (Louie)
Bob Newhart (The Big Bang Theory)
Patton Oswalt (Parks and Recreation)
Molly Shannon (Enlightened)
Patrick Wilson (Girls)- Desired Winner

Best Drama Series
The Americans
Breaking Bad- Runner Up
Downton Abbey
Game of Thrones- Desired Winner
The Good Wife
Homeland

Best Actor in a Drama Series
Bryan Cranston (Breaking Bad)
Damian Lewis (Homeland)
Andrew Lincoln (The Walking Dead)
Timothy Olyphant (Justified)
Matthew Rhys (The Americans)- Runner Up
Kevin Spacey (House of Cards)- Desired Winner

Best Actress in a Drama Series
Claire Danes (Homeland)
Vera Farmiga (Bates Motel)- Desired Winner
Julianna Margulies (The Good Wife)
Tatiana Maslany (Orphan Black)
Elisabeth Moss (Mad Men)
Keri Russell (The Americans)- Runner Up

Best Supporting Actor in a Drama Series
Jonathan Banks (Breaking Bad)
Nikolaj Coster-Waldau (Game of Thrones)
Michael Cudlitz (Southland)- Runner Up
Noah Emmerich (The Americans)
Walton Goggins (Justified)- Desired Winner
Corey Stoll (House of Cards)

Best Supporting Actress in a Drama Series
Jennifer Carpenter (Dexter)- Desired Winner
Emilia Clarke (Game of Thrones)
Anna Gunn (Breaking Bad)
Regina King (Southland)
Monica Potter (Parenthood)- Runner Up
Abigail Spencer (Rectify)

Best Guest Performer in a Drama Series
Jim Beaver (Justified)
Jane Fonda (The Newsroom)
Martha Plimpton (The Good Wife)
Carrie Preston (The Good Wife)- Runner Up
Diana Rigg (Game of Thrones)- Desired Winner
Jimmy Smits (Sons of Anarchy)

Best Movie or Mini-Series
American Horror Story: Asylum- Desired Winner (because it’s the only one we watched, admittedly)
Behind the Candelabra
The Crimson Petal and the White
The Hour
Political Animals
Top of the Lake

So You've Never Seen Arrested Development?

Why you should watch it: Because it's a hilarious, brilliant comedy classic with 15 new episodes available on Netflix this Sunday. It's hard to get into the humor, but once you do, your sides are going to hurt. Some people find it difficult to follow the legal and business aspects of the plot, but we don't think you really need to follow those perfectly to enjoy the show and the humor anyway. Just stay with it. If subtitles don't annoy you, those might help you catch the jokes that zing by. The dialogue is genius, and the show has great guest stars, like Liza Minelli, Charlize Theron, Amy Poehler, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Jane Lynch, Christine Taylor, Ben Stiller, and Zach Braff.

What are the best episodes and characters?

Game of Thrones: Season 3, Episode 8

Second Sons- Game of Thrones is the only show we care about right now (if you haven't noticed). While there were a lot of good shows on TV this year, not a lot of those shows were having good seasons. Even The Vampire Diaries lost its mojo. Once Upon a Time didn't make logical sense by the rules of its own universe and really dragged. The chuckles were fewer in Parks and Rec. But Game of Thrones is better than ever. This week, we had the most awkward (yet oddly hilarious) episode of all time. Poor Tyrion. We feel the worst for him. 

New shows we will definitely check out next season

• Hostages, CBS: Dylan McDermotte (American Horror Story) and Toni Collette (United States of Tara, The Sixth Sense) are the draw here. We don't know how long this can go on, but we like the idea of the possibility of a short story and quick resolution. Plus, this is the only CBS show that seems to want to bend gender stereotypes beyond what we usually see on that channel. Casting Toni Collette alone bodes well for the character.
• Believe, NBC: J.J. Abrams is the draw here. This show is about a little girl with certain powers and a man pulled from prison to protect her. It's one of the nerdiest and most unique TV premises of the new lot (that's not saying much).
• Crossbones, NBC: All we need to know is that this is about the pirate Blackbeard and it stars John Malkovich. That's trainwreck material, right? How could we look away? Watch it actually be good...
• Once Upon a Time in Wonderland, ABC: The trailer looks awesome. Once Upon a Time disappointed us this season and remains a little too cheesy and G-rated for its own good. Alice's story looks like it has the budget and the darkness to hold us though. Our only qualm is that she isn't blonde and that her dull-looking fiance didn't die in the trailer.
• The 100, CW: More sci-fi! It's not like that's the only TV genre we like...it's just that most of the promising shows next season look to be that kind of thing. The 100 is about juvenile delinquents sent back to Earth after a sort of apocalypse to see if the planet is ready for humans again. You can do so much with that.
• Us and Them, Fox: Alexis Bledel!!!! We love seeing her on TV. We've missed her so much. We will definitely give her new show a chance. Jason Ritter (Parenthood) is great too. We hear the British version of this show was worth watching too.
• Sleepy Hollow, Fox: Leeard is a sucker for horror.
• Killer Women, ABC: Weirdly intriguing.
• The Tomorrow People, The CW: Yeah, it's an X-Men rip-off, but it looks decent.
• Reign, The CW: We like period pieces and the actress who played Anne of Green Gables is in it (Megan Follows). Of course, a basic knowledge of history is going to ruin this one. It's Mary, Queen of Scots.
• Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D, ABC: Because Joss Whedon is running it. He never disappoints. Prepare for great dialogue and even better characters, people!

New shows we might check out next season (still deciding)

• Mom, CBS: This is a Chuck Lorre sitcom, but we're considering it because of Alison Janney and Anna Faris, two great, funny actresses who are definitely up to carrying this kind of show. It looks better than Two Broke Girls, the only other CBS comedy we can remotely tolerate. We also like that the show is about women and probably won't have as many of the disgusting "boy's club" jokes for players that Two-and-a-Half-Men would have.
• The Crazy Ones, CBS: It's nice to see James Wolk again after the unjust cancelation of Lone Star. Also, this pilot has Kelly Clarkson! We might watch it for her alone. We don't hate Robin Williams either. We feel like we'll get sick of this show quick, but we might watch the first couple of episodes, if we have time.
• Intelligence, CBS: We like the idea of Josh Holloway back on TV even if this show is a total rip-off of Chuck. And it is. Meghan Ory is in this too though, and it looks fun and action-packed. We'll watch it to see if it has its own voice. If it's not boring, we'll probably stick with it.
• The Black List, NBC: We'll probably wait for word of mouth on this one. It looks completely unoriginal. It's like Se7en, Silence of the Lambs, The Following, Hannibal, and plenty of other cop shows where a bad guy helps one or a few cops.
• The Michael J Fox Show, NBC: Who doesn't love Michael J Fox? He's making light of himself and his condition on this show. The preview looked pretty charming and a little funny, which is good for a preview. It would be unAmerican to not give Marty McFly a few episodes, wouldn't it?
• Crisis, NBC: We want to see what got Gillian Anderson (X-Files) back on TV. The show itself doesn't look great. Nor does it look bad.
• Super Fun Night, ABC: We liked Rebel Wilson in Pitch Perfect.
• Resurrection, ABC: It looks weird. We like that.
• Surviving Jack, Fox: We'll watch a few for Christopher Meloni, but we're not gonna force it.
• Brooklyn Nine Nine, Fox: We like Andy Samberg's songs. Maybe his show will be funny too? Maybe not, but we'll want to see for ourselves.
• Almost Human, Fox: We're watching this for the JJ Abrams brand. He's brought us a few good things (and a few boring things). We're not enthused about the robot angle though. Robots are not people, and thus they are not characters and don't interest us much.
• Gang Related, Fox: Terry O'Quinn has earned a lot of cred with us, so we'll watch at least three if we're not doing anything else.
• Rake, Fox: We can't tell if this is good from the trailer, so the only way to know is to watch at least an episode ourselves. If it isn't good, we'll watch the Australian version, which we hear is great.

New Shows We're Going To Skip Next Year (Unless We Hear They Are Amazing)

• The Millers, CBS: Will Arnett should only be Gob. Or he should hire people to pick better shows for him.
• The Goldbergs, ABC: This is like a loud, unfunny, unnecessary version of The Wonder Years, which is on Instant Netflix if you want to watch it instead.
• Star-Crossed, The CW: Lame. We already have Roswell.
• We Are Men, CBS: Man-children who are looking to get laid? Snore. It's these kinds of shows that perpetuate dumb gender stereotypes and keep rehashing the same jokes over and over. You can't beat Workaholics. Let it lie.
• The Originals, CW: We don't know how this show will ever be a hit, because people who don't like The Vampire Diaries probably won't watch the spin off either. Also, people who DO like TVD already know how annoying and whiny The Originals are. Hopefully the show makes it so those characters never return to TVD again and that show can regain its glory. We're not watching it though.
• Dracula, NBC: Jonathan Rhys Meyers. Ugh. We had enough of his terrible acting in The Tudors.
• Ironside, NBC: Another cop drama. Ho hum. But now a cop is....IN A WHEELCHAIR. Groundbreaking (sarcasm). Wake us up when someone comes up with a premise that's worth picking up a remote for. You can never replace our beloved Southland.
• Sean Saves the World, NBC: This network is trying to become CBS, and we don't like it. That preview was grating.
• Welcome to the Family, NBC: Just not interested.
• About a Boy, NBC: The movie was enough. There are plenty of movies that would make better TV shows.
• Chicago PD, NBC: A spin-off of a show we already don't watch or like? No thanks.
• Enlisted, Fox: Somehow, after watching The Invisible War, a comedy about the military just doesn't seem like something we could get into. The military isn't inherently funny. It's flawed, dangerous, and something that we really respect people for going into anyway. We can't laugh at that subject. Army shenanigans just feel gross when you think about how 20% of servicewoman are raped, the military is so based on power structure, and people give their lives serving...it's just not appropriate. Unless we hear it's reeeeally funny.
• Mixology, ABC: A minute in and the preview had the line "the higher the heels, the looser she feels." That is NOT TRUE. Girls almost always want to wear heels. It's not a come hither thing most of the time. Girls take into consideration how far they will be walking, if they want to dance, if they will be standing a long time, what shoes go well with the outfit, how much they plan to drink, etc, when deciding to wear heels. Not everything is about whether a girl is trying to get a guy. It also talked about how a guy should feel happy for the chance to replace his ex with someone with a bigger butt. If that's the sort of material this comedy has to offer, we're out.
• Dads, Fox: We like you, Seth Green, but you need to NOT be in a show from the writers of "Ted." That movie was not funny.
• The Family Guide, NBC: Looks a little too cornball. Love JK Simmons though.
• Trophy Wife, ABC: This is the one we might be wrong on. So far, we're not interested, but if and when you watch the pilot, let us know if we should give it a shot. The title isn't exactly a draw. Decent cast though.
• Mind Games, ABC: Whatever its appeal to execs, we don't get it. We'll keep our ears open though.
• The Night Shift, NBC: Grey's Anatomy is enough medical drama for us. It's still pretty good.
• Undateable, NBC: God, save us from shows about a man showing other men how to get girls, as if there is some formula that will work on all (or even most) women. You're looking for a person. That likes you as a person. As you are. TV is lying to you. You don't have to have "game." Just be nice, confident, and talk to girls. That's it.
• Back in the Game, ABC: This reminds us of that Amy Adams/Clint Eastwood movie we hated. That wasn't exactly a blockbuster, so why does ABC think we'll like this kind of thing any better on TV?
• Betrayal, ABC: Revenge's lame second season put us off of soaps for a while. Plus, it will only run for a few episodes.
• Lucky 7, ABC: Some people win the lottery. And? Winning the lottery isn't an interesting premise unless WE win the lottery.

Mud is a pretty good movie

Movie grade: A-

Best thing we've seen Matthew McConaughey do in a while.

How I Met Your Mother- Mother reveal

The Mother. 

Big eyes? Check. Brunette? Check. Petite? Check. Pretty? Check. White? Check. Ten years younger than Ted? Check.

It looks like the show wanted to play it safe and find a universally appealing woman that men and women see as “wife material.” The actress can sing (Broadway vet) and was funny on 30 Rock though, so maybe she’ll bring something interesting in the performance.

One Season More. We'll be watching, because we'll want to see how it ends.

Summer TV List

Family Tree- May 12

Arrested Development- May 26

The Fall- May 28

Teen Wolf- June 3

The Fosters- June 3

Switched At Birth- June 10

Twisted- June 11

Pretty Little Liars- June 11

Wilfred- June 20

Copper- June 23

Under the Dome- June 24

Big Brother- June 26

Dexter- June 30

Ray Donovan- June 30

Orange is the New Black- July 11

Web Therapy- July 22

The Bridge- July TBA

Breaking Bad- August 11

Low Winter Sun- August 11

We are dropping True Blood, which gets more and more boring each season. We couldn’t give a crap about a single character anymore.

Glee, The Office, The Vampire Diaries, and Grey's Anatomy finales

• Glee: Dull, mostly lame songs, a Wemma wedding no one cares about, and no death of an annoying character. We have to wait to find out what happens with Blaine's proposal and Rachel's audition, the only two things we care about. Catfish's identity was super predictable, as was Ryder's reaction. Episode grade C-. Season grade B-
• The Office: This was the big one, and it was very nearly perfect. Michael came back and has kids, Dwight is married and in love, Pam and Jim ended things perfectly, Erin found her parents, Creed was finally brought to justice, Nelly got a baby, Ryan and Kelly got what they deserved, and we finally got to see Mose talk! We didn't know he could. This show should have ended three years ago, but this finale was perfect. Seasons 6-8 were terrible, but season 9 as a whole was watchable. Episode grade A. Season grade: B
• The Vampire Diaries: This season drained our will to even watch this show. We're so glad the sire bond is gone and Elena and Damon are together by choice. We are also glad that Elena didn't take the cure. It's good that Bonnie died because now there is no one around to magic the cast out of every single problem they face. Knowing this show, they will bring her back. The finale was pretty good, but the season as a whole was a disappointment. Episode grade B. Season Grade C
• Grey's Anatomy: Arizona whyyyyy. We like that it wasn't just about lust and that the show brought the affair back to the leg trauma. Just when you think things are buried... We kind of hope the Chief is dead. His character has run its course and the cast is too huge. LOVED April telling Jackson she wanted him, even after Matt's cute/dorky proposal. We're so glad that Meredith and her baby are healthy. We always knew they would be. Meredith has been through so much on this show that even Shonda knows it would be ridiculous to hurt her like that. Owen and Cristina are broken up...again. They do this every season, so we're not buying it. You don't spend four seasons on a couple if they aren't endgame (unless a cast member is leaving, like Callie, Izzie, George, Burke, etc). Episode grade B+. Season grade B.

New show: Family Tree. Season 1, Episode 1

HBO, Sundays, 10:30 Eastern

Family Tree is a half-hour comedy about a depressed, unemployed man, Tom Chadwick, who becomes obsessed with figuring out his ancestry after a romantic relationship ended badly for him. In this episode, Tom returns to his father’s town with his adult sister in tow, meets up with his best friend, and goes on a date with an idiot. This show is filmed in the documentary form and is partially improvised. It stars the cute cop from Bridesmaids.

We already like this show just because a main character has a monkey puppet that says everything this character can’t say but wants to say. She will be talking like a normal person, then her therapy monkey a shrink gave her as a child will make a snide remark on the side. It’s just fantastic. We are jealous that we didn’t think of it ourselves for the hypothetical TV show we are always making up in our heads. One day, world. One day.

We like the fake TV shows the characters seem to be watching. We also like Tom’s friend Pete and the story of how they met. Adorable. There is some odd and very British humor in this show, but we like it. It’s just the right length. The tone can be a bit too relaxed at times, but this show is sweet and funny, overall. It’s not necessarily laugh-out-loud funny, but it’s amusing and pleasant. We will be tuning back in for a while. We’ll let you know if it evolves into a must-watch.

Episode grade: B