by Mike Hilty, Contributing Writer
There are some performers to whom I give the benefit of the doubt when it comes to the shows they’re in. It could be partially my fault that I tend to absolve the performer of some things, and lay blame on other factors such as bad writing, poor story, or a flat supporting cast. In any case, some performers just have my number. One of those performers is Sarah Michelle Gellar. It stems from my love of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and a sentimental nod to The Crazy Ones, but most everything else she’s done has been okay at best. So what do we make of her latest show, Wolf Pack?
Despite my better judgment, this show is actually okay.
Werewolves must be one of my jams this year, because between Teen Wolf and now Wolf Pack, both sometimes feel similar-ish in story. Wolf Pack is an origin story of a group of young werewolves figuring out what it means to be in a pack, and what it means for them to be werewolves. Our pack consists of brother and sister Harlan (Tyler Lawrence Gray) and Luna (Chloe Rose Robertson), along with newly initiated Everett (Armani Jackson) and Blake (Bella Shepard). Harlan and Luna have been searching for others like them when a forest fire brings out a creature that changes the lives of Everett and Blake. Investigating the wildfire’s origin is Kristin Ramsey (Gellar).
Paramount+ did Wolf Pack a bit of a disservice, because they keep putting Gellar on all the marketing materials. She’s an important part of the show, and the big-name draw considering her Buffy the Vampire Slayer origins, but she is not the main focus. Gellar is still great as always, but I feel like this was a missed opportunity to showcase the talented, young performers who are actually anchoring the show.
Wolf Pack has a lot of fun aspects I like. Having the forest fire backdrop as the inciting incident provides organic ways for a creature to come out of the woods, to turn people into werewolves, and to bring Ramsey into the fold. It also helps connect Harlan and Luna’s dad Garrett (Rodrigo Santoro), who’s a firefighter, to Ramsey for assistance with the investigation. The chemistry between Ramsey and Garrett is strong, as both Gellar and Santoro are the strongest performers in the series.
The interactions between the pack kept me invested. They all have varying ideas of what they should do as a pack. Blake believes they should lay low and not draw any attention to themselves. Everett, though, believes they are above everyone else and should use that power. There are a lot of themes of how mental health plays into decision-making. Everett, who suffers from anxiety, uses his newfound abilities as a coping mechanism. Blake, who has self-image issues, doesn’t enjoy the new attention bestowed upon her. Harlan and Luna, with their brother/sister dynamic and abandonment issues, both struggle with finding their place in the world, and struggle to accept what it means to be in a pack. It’s a different wrinkle for the werewolf story that feels modern and different.
There are some issues that I struggled with in Wolf Pack, though. The pacing of the series feels off. It made me wonder if it would have made a better movie than series. There are a few episodes in the middle where not a whole lot happens, and the series moves at a snail’s pace, while the last few episodes have way too much jam-packed into them that it becomes distracting. Because of that, I found myself a little bored, since there isn’t a whole lot of action during a good amount of the series.
Aspects of the story feel a little too much like a CW show. There’s far too much high school and broken family drama. The werewolves each have one ability (which I thought was a smart decision), but some of the abilities only come up when it helps the plot, particularly with werewolves in the final episodes. It’s a similar problem that I have with Harry Potter, where a random, unknown spell can sometimes swoop in and save the day. The special effects do not look good either. The biggest issue with the show, though, is the dialogue, which is just bad. It’s a combination of bad writing and awkward performances.
Despite all that, Wolf Pack is shaping up to be a guilty pleasure that I’ll keep up with, and binge each season once all the episodes have aired. Gellar is what sells it for me, and she has a story turn at the end of the season that I enjoyed. The show is clunky and feels a little too much like Dawson’s Creek mixed with werewolves.
I have not heard a lot of buzz about Wolf Pack, so I’m not confident that Season Two is in the cards, especially in this new landscape where shows don’t have a lot of time to make a strong impression. Wolf Pack is serviceable enough, but in a crowded month of outstanding television with shows like The Last of Us, Poker Face, Ted Lasso, and Shrinking, this shouldn’t be very high on anyone’s queue.
Score: 6/10
Wolf Pack is currently streaming on Paramount+
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