Derek, Peter and Cora were born into it.
Jackson and Scott flat out refused it.
And Theo literally killed for it.
“It” is membership in a Teen Wolf Pack and over the years the show gave us
plenty of examples of how NOT to join one.
Right after he bit Scott, Peter seemed to just expect that his new Beta would just fall
in line with the newly forming Hale Pack.
Scott refused.
And while Peter’s efforts failed, in Season 2, it seemed almost everyone Derek bit just
joined up immediately.
And Derek seemed genuinely surprised when Jackson refused.
The Alpha Pack RECRUITED Derek but they wanted him to kill a bunch of folks he genuinely
cared for - so Derek refused.
Then, after the Alpha Pack disbanded, the Twins went full SIMP for Scott in an effort
to join his pack but Isaac and Stiles refused.
Scott: Sorry, but they don't trust you. And neither do I.
From watching the dynamic of Scott’s Pack of friends through the first four seasons,
pack membership seemed to be about love and trust but it was never really spelled out
on the show directly so I asked Teen Wolf creator Jeff Davis.
How does one join a Teen Wolf Pack?
“We have talked about that a lot actually.
We actually talked about that in regard to Theo’s character.
And what does it mean for him to become part of Scott’s pack?”
Theo’s motives are complicated enough to fill up an entire video all on their own – for
our purposes here - in the opening episodes of Season 5 he seemed to want to join Scott’s Pack.
Scott seemed on board with it, but Stiles never trusted him.
Theo’s attempts to undermine Stiles and ingratiate himself to the other pack members
actually broke up the super friends for a while.
Watching Scott put things back together in the second half of Season 5 actually gave us our
best understanding of how a Teen Wolf Pack works.
“We never wanted to get into the like ‘here’s your membership card’ thing.
So, it’s sort of a connection.
I think it’s an emotional bond.”
Davis says he based this aspect of pack formation on multiple real-world studies of wolf packs
- in captivity and in the wild.
While most members of any pack are related, they often accept non-related members.
The strength of the pack is then enhanced, and the lone wolf reaps the benefits of the larger group.
“In wolf packs, other wolves are brought into the pack.
They are accepted into the pack, and it doesn’t have anything to do with their blood relation.
I like the idea of these packs.
It’s a good story for teenagers to hear that you can be accepted into a pack just
because of the person you are and not because of your social status, not because of your
blood relation but just by being a good person.”.
Scott: Some of them always with us.
Others come when we need them.
So you don’t really join a pack, you’re accepted into it.
A Teen Wolf pack is like a group of true friends, not just people you kind of like or your hundreds
of internet friends, they have to be your ride or die, the ones you trust with your
secrets, those who will show up - no matter the hour - just because you called.
Your pack is made up of people you love.
That might be your biological family, but it can also be the family you create for yourself.
Thanks for watching.
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