Wolf Pack 1×08 Review: “Trophic Cascade”

Wolf Pack season 1 finally came to an end with episode 8, titled ‘Trophic Cascade’. With how things stand right now, I kind of want this series to return for a second season just to see how bad the writing can get.

I have no idea who in the writers’ room decided to create a finale (written and directed by Jeff Davis) that was filled with a weird take on flashbacks and memory jumps. I have nothing against such storytelling tools. But they have a place, and the finale isn’t it unless you are an incredibly impressive writer to pull off such a creative decision. And we all know that isn’t the case with Wolf Pack. And thus, the majority of ‘Trophic Cascade’ ended up being a chore to sit through as the writers tried to make the audience care about Baron and explain his connection to the main leads while also trying to flesh out the ensemble.

The flashbacks/memory jumps were experienced by Baron as he tried to survive being stabbed by a silver-coated dagger (it happened in the previous episode). We got to learn how terribly Everett was treated by his parents. Blake’s parents got into an argument that caused their car to crash. We got a conversation between Garrett and Prisha after a very young Luna wolfed out and killed her horse. And from what I could understand, it’s revealed that the wolf a young Harlan encountered in the woods was Baron. 

Baron’s connected to our co-leads. I get it. And I still don’t care. Again, there had to be a better way of introducing Baron into the story instead of having him pop up out of nowhere and having the audience just go along with it.

With Baron clinging onto his life, I did like the moral conundrum the finale placed Blake and Everett in. Due to them getting their powers from Baron (he’s the one who turned them into werewolves in the first place), if Baron died, Blake and Everett would turn into normal humans. I liked how the writers decided to put Blake and Everett at odds with each other. Unlike Everett, Blake was okay with becoming “normal” again. Her stance made sense. She didn’t want to risk losing control of the wolf inside of her and hurting her family or others.

I also understood where Everett was coming from. Becoming a werewolf had given Everett the strength he didn’t have before. He didn’t want to go back to being the Everett that was dependent on medication to manage his anxiety and other issues. Also, his parents were clearly not supportive of his condition in the way good parents should be.

As for Harlan and Luna, the finale had Luna losing faith in the pack that had formed around her. Luna was still lost. And you know what? All of her scenes came across as the writers trying to give her something to do in the finale. Luna could have been written out of the final episode, and I don’t think much would have changed. If Wolf Pack comes back for a second season (which I highly doubt it will), I hope Luna gets more to work with.

Harlan confronted Cyrus about setting the recent fire, and we got to learn that Cyrus had nothing to do with it. Big surprise there (eye roll). However, he did cause a fire when he was nine or ten years old, which resulted in some houses being burned down or something. I don’t know. The entire scene between Harlan and Cyrus was boring as heck.

The big moment in ‘Trophic Cascade’ dealt with Kristen and Garrett going after Malcolm (the sole survivor of the fire and the werewolf attack from years ago), who had kidnapped an injured Baron from the hospital. Malcolm used Baron as bait to get to Kristin. And while I understood his need for revenge, the entire plan was poorly thought out. I don’t even want to call it a “plan” because it was that bad. Malcolm lured an angry werewolf to a secluded location, and yet there were no traps or anything to impede Kristin. Dude really thought he, a mere human, would be able to stand up to Kristin, a beast who also knew how to use a gun, on his own. Sigh!

The only saving grace, in my opinion, was how the finale decided to deal with Kristin as a character. Even though she’s been walking around in her human form as an arson investigator (how she was able to qualify for such a position is never explained), the truth is that she’s a supernatural creature. She’s an apex predator who will do anything to protect her family. The finale ended on a very creepy note, where Kristin talked to Garrett about the importance of expanding her pack and how an ecosystem lost control without the presence of an apex predator to keep things in check.

Kristin wanted Garrett to be part of her pack, and I don’t blame her. Have you looked at my man? He’s been such a good father to Harlan and Luna. But Kristin wanted Garrett on her terms. She wanted “werewolf” Garrett and not “human” Garrett, which I kind of saw coming.

All I can say is, “Run, Garett. Run!”

The finale ended on a cliffhanger for almost every character. Nothing was really resolved. And going such a route was a very odd choice to make considering the chances of Wolf Pack being renewed for a second season are very slim.

Some other thoughts and questions:

• The identity of the mysterious caller is still in the air. However, due to how much he knows, I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s supposed to be Kristin’s former mate.
• Kristin setting the forest on fire to find Baron made no sense. Couldn’t she sniff him out or something?
• Where the heck was Austin during the entire finale?
• The scene where Kristin broke into Garrett’s house to show motherly affection to Harlan and Luna as they slept was sweet.
• Being turned into a werewolf to “cure” being on the autistic spectrum and other issues might not sit well with certain viewers. But then again, Kristin’s not supposed to be a full-on good person. So, of course, she would think about such things in such a manner. To her, humans were weak beings.
• Luna had the ability of enhanced smell. Harlan got super hearing. Everett got super strength. Blake got super speed. Kristin could heal other werewolves. And Baron got the power to turn humans into werewolves because… plot!

What did you think of Wolf Pack season 1 episode 8, ‘Trophic Cascade’?

Let us know.

Author: Farid-ul-Haq

Farid has a Double Masters in Psychology and Biotechnology as well as an M.Phil in Molecular Genetics. He is the author of numerous books including Missing in Somerville, and The Game Master of Somerville. He gives us insight into comics, books, TV shows, anime/manga, video games, and movies.

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