Sticking with Teen Wolf (and Shipping Marrish)

It took me longer than most to get hooked on MTV’s Teen Wolf.

I’m a bit ashamed of this.

I can’t blame this on a slow start or lack of access to the show. It was rare case of “no, that’s not for me” getting in the way of awesomeness. Once I caved and watched the entire first season in under 48 hours (several years back), I binged the show and became quite the fan of Tyler Hoechlin, who plays Derek Hale.

While I opined my crack-tastic love for the show and nudged the team at Heroes & Heartbreakers to include Hoechlin in their beefcake posts, I found myself sucked into the twisty events in Beacon Hills. The show doesn’t have a problem going to dark places—if I lose my girl Lydia, I might riot—and I love them for that.

However, I have a serious issue with my lack of Derek Hale these days. His skipping out wasn’t without reason, but I wasn’t sure how invested I could be without him and his wonderful relationship with Stiles.

After a few Twitter chats this week, it looks like I’m not the only one missing him. I’m here to tell you, it’s worth sticking with Teen Wolf even without regular doses of shirtless Derek.

The back half of season five premiered earlier this week, and it’s good. We have intriguing villains and plenty of Stiles and Lydia, which make me very happy. Stiles’s Dylan O’Brian has proven to be a hell of an actor, and it looks like Teen Wolf is planning to take full advantage of his acting chops. Add that to nice doses of Lydia and Parrish, and I’m a happy camper. (Yes, I’m ‘shipping Marrish!)

Now, if only we can get Stiles a little HEA…