Teen Wolf: 10 Things About Scott McCall That Have Aged Poorly
There is no Teen Wolf without the main protagonist, Scott McCall. He proved he was a loyal protector and fearless leader, always wanting to keep those close to him safe. These are the things that made him such a lovable character.
Scott also had some flaws to his character throughout the show, which have aged poorly since the show went off the air. Although some of his traits can arguably be good, like his leadership abilities and constant need to protect everyone, they also have a negative side.
There were several moments in the show's early seasons where Scott decides to peek in on Allison without her knowing he was looking. Looking back at it, it was not only creepy but just wrong.
Scott helps Allison at the pet clinic by giving her dry clothes to change into after being in the rain and then casually takes a peek at her while she's changing. He also decides to check in on her through her bedroom window a few times without her even knowing he was there. This act that seemed "endearing" at the time feels a little bit more like an invasion of privacy and borderline stalker-ish looking back at it.
Scott constantly kept secrets from the people around him because he didn't want to burden them, and he wanted to protect them from the truth. Telling the truth was probably the right way to go about it in the long run.
This started when he first became a werewolf, and he tried to keep it a secret from everyone, which really didn't work out that well anyway. He continued after that to make little white lies here and there because he thought he could handle things himself and it would protect the people he cared about. Honestly, it probably would have been better if he was just honest and accepted the help.
Scott undoubtfully made a good leader to his pack with his loyalty and strategy. Some of those leadership qualities have aged a bit poorly and look a bit more controlling and manipulative instead of helpful.
Scott did not always do well under stress, and this caused him to lash out a few times at his friends and family. It's understandable for someone to have a moment of weakness, but looking back at it, these moments just made Scott look bossy and controlling. He expected everyone to see things his way and abused his power to get things done the way he thought was best.
Allison and Scott's relationship was strained when they figured out Allison's family were hunters. Allison was stuck in the middle of being loyal to her family and loyal to Scott. However, Scott wasn't that sympathetic about it.
Scott and Allison tried their best to keep up their relationships even though it was a classic Romeo and Juliet situation. As cute and romantic as their relationship was, Allison had to make the hard choices since she was in the middle ground between the hunters and wolves. Scott almost expected her to be loyal to him over her family, which honestly made it really unfair for Allison.
Although he had a lot of different people to keep up with at all times, Scott did not always do a great job balancing his relationships. It created some drama-full moments on the show but also aged poorly and put a little damper on his character.
Scott had a lot of people he felt he needed to protect at all times, his pack, his mom, Stiles, and his girlfriends. Sometimes, he put his own vendettas before the people that ultimately needed him at the moment. His and Stiles' relationship was almost destroyed because he was putting his trust in Theo and was not there for Stiles. Also, Scott's mom was a boss, and viewers rarely saw him with her at all.
Scott and Kira's breakup was another relationship lost to personal interests and values, branching off into two very different paths. Although it ended on a mutual note, Scott was not very supportive.
Kira tells Scott that she needs to follow her own destiny and join the Skinwalkers to further her training and control her powers, which leads to their breakup. Scott doesn't want her to go because he loves her, but instead of supporting her wishes, he tells her she "doesn't need to do this" and tries to get her to change her mind. It was sad that she had to leave, but Scott's reaction was not so cool anymore.
There's nothing wrong with knowing your wants and needs and striving toward them, but Scott's sometimes whiney behavior in early seasons just made him look a little like an entitled brat.
Scott went through a lot during the show, especially in the first season when he was first transitioning into a wolf which flipped his world upside down. However, his whining about it, especially in the first season, was one thing that has aged poorly over the years. Of course, becoming a werewolf is awful, but he still had a lot of things to be grateful for. His moments of whining really just made him look self-entitled and honestly annoying.
Scott wanted to prove himself as Alpha and be tough for his pack and friends, but the constant need to be the best and failure to admit his weaknesses is really just a sign of toxic masculinity now.
Scott was constantly pushing himself to be the best and strongest alpha that he could be. Several times, he tried to push himself beyond his capability and had a hard time admitting he needed help. Rather than discuss his demons and feelings in the episode "Motel California," Scott concludes that he should take his own life, which thankfully his friends could talk him out of. This avoidance of emotions and belief that he needs to be strong at all times has really aged poorly and proves toxic masculinity is a real problem.
Scott and Malia developed a romantic relationship in the sixth season of Teen Wolf. Although it was adorable that the two could comfort each other through the pain of missing their loved ones, their relationship was also a little strange looking back at it.
Many fans loved the idea of Malia and Scott finally getting together and believed they truly belonged together. It still seems a bit strange, considering Stiles was in a romantic relationship with her prior. Plus, they began their romance while Stiles was out of the picture. Apparently, Scott was alright with getting with his best friend's ex.
Scott sometimes had a rough time controlling his anger and allowed his emotions to cloud his better judgment. His decisions and attempts to fix problems could sometimes be affected by his own selfish ambitions.
Scott wanted what was best for his pack and being the leader, had to make some difficult choices, but sometimes he would let his desires affect the decisions he made. Scott made some bad choices that led to other people getting hurt, such as trusting Theo, or his plan to try and capture a Dread Doctor. His passion would often blind him from the whole picture.