Teen Wolf: Season 5, Part 1

Alpha wolf Scott McCall (Tyler Posey) and his friends are back in this fifth season of the MTV series about teenagers with supernatural powers, which is sort of like a gothic version of Buffy the Vampire Slayer played as a romantic melodrama. This season they face an insidious new threat: the Dread Doctors, a mysterious cabal of steampunk scientists who use science and magic to experiment on high school kids in an attempt to create a "chimera," a mix of human and supernatural being. Their experiments turn the kids into bloodthirsty creatures driven to kill before they die from the process, making for a kind of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde/Frankenstein story told as a teen tragedy. It's self-aware, sexy, very stylish for a TV budget, and full of attractive teenagers. And it plays the material straight, acknowledging the deaths with a sense of loss and mourning that only steels our heroes to fight for their town. The 10-episode 2015 first half of the fifth season compiled here ends with a twist that launches a second pack of supernatural teens raised from the dead by new kid Theo (Cody Christian), who is jealous of Scott's power. Extras include behind-the-scenes featurettes. A solid series aimed at teens and young adults who appreciate fantasy and horror with a sense of style, this is recommended. (S. Axmaker)