I'm rewatching Teen Wolf to see if the queerbaiting was that bad and with six years of separation it's not as terrible in some aspects, worse in others.
The shows biggest weakness is the reliance on increasingly bananas plotlines, the inconsistent world and character building (Derek is 19 in the first season, 24 in the third), and its inability to hold onto actors.
The characters are strong though. The narrative allows parents to be people rather than archetypes, and Lydia discovering she's a Banshee is inspired and unique. It just— it doesn't know what to do with all those character threads and even Scott becomes a plot-puppet.
The story shines when it doesn't get too concerned with pairing off its mains into neat heteronormativity and actually takes interesting risks with character development. It needed to keep its pulse on the characters as the heart of the story because, unfortunately, the plot beats become way too erratic to keep audience interest without emotional investment.
The queercatching though...
It's still egregious but without BTS baiting it feels like Stiles has another— mostly unrequited— crush. Which is fair. They're fast and loose with Derek's age but he sees Scott and Stiles as kids at the beginning (who can blame him, with his past) and they are.
I'm not saying the show wouldn't, it absolutely would and has (only no one comments when it's a minor girl with a 23 or 223 year old supernatural man), I just don't think Derek would. Even if he gets himself reasonably together enough to acknowledge his feelings for Stiles are complicated and difficult to elucidate (which they are because of the queerbaiting), he'd let Stiles grow up without putting voice to it.
Stiles's bisexuality though.
The fact this is hinted at as strongly as it is within the text to the bitter end and is never fully realised fills me with a complicated anger, difficult to elucidate.
Other observations:
- Lydia is a bi magnet and maybe polyamorous. (And I'm also still completely in love with her).
- Scott is a better protagonist than I remember. Soft and sweet and imperfect. Low-key bi. (There's a reason he and Stiles find such a kinship).
- I still dislike all the Argents. They're fascists and you can't convince me otherwise.
- Jackson was a really fun asshole. Unrepentantly terrible, humorously so without being comically evil, vulnerable when needed, and a great foil for Scott and Stiles. Strong actor.
- There are many moments where it could be said Stiles has a crush on Derek (and Scott), but it's the last episode that's the linch for me. Him imagining himself as Derek's hero with BI emblazoned clearly on his chest. I mean. Come on.
- Derek's entire character; his emotionality, his journey, his expression... It deserved more careful building. Moments of lightness, time and space to work through the everest of pain the writing kept heaping onto him.
- I wish all the highschool characters were in university. The actors playing Scott and Stiles are 19 at shows start and they're the only ones passing as teenagers. It'd make some of the plotlines less uncomfortable too.
- Teen Wolf is both misogynistic and heteronormative but also queer and fleshes out its female characters in ways irregular for 2010s tv.
- Boyd should have had a backstory. So too should have Braeden. Industry racism is evident in how they're treated. Also, Scott and Derek should be informed by their culture rather than 'ambiguously brown' and 'read as white' (respectively).
- Kira is Scott's best love interest.
