This show is awkward. Interesting, but awkward.
Before I divulge any more information about Wolf Like Me, a spoiler alert is due. So, if the show is on your to-watch list and you’d like to stay a spoiler virgin, stay off this page.
Without further ado, let’s get into Wolf Like Me, season 1 review.
It’s a fantasy romantic dramedy?
You read the heading correctly; the show is an amalgamation of four genres squished into six short episodes. It’s romantic, it’s comedic, it’s dramatic, and it’s definitely fantasy (hint: it’s in the title).
Backstory
The first two episodes start off strong and promising. Actor Josh Gad (playing Gary Fletcher) is a single father raising his eleven-year-old daughter Emma. Emma’s mom died of cancer seven years ago. Since then, Gary has devoted his life to taking care of his daughter, neglecting his own.
Oh, and Emma has anxiety with a tendency to break into full-blown panic attacks.
Actress Isla Fisher (playing Mary) is a lonely widow with a scary secret. She changes location once a while to make sure her secret stays, well, secret.
The Drama
Mary crashes into Gary’s car with Emma in the backseat. The eleven-year-old breaks into a panic attack, which the redheaded widow manages to contain. Gary is impressed and they both exchange information for insurance purposes.
A few weeks later, Mary comes by Gary’s house to check on little Emma. Their small talk builds Gary’s courage to ask Mary out, because why wouldn’t you ask the hot woman who crashed into your car and literally endangered your child’s life, right?
It’s not like he’s already lost his wife and could’ve lost his daughter, too. I digress.
The Fantasy
Gary and Mary go on their official first date. While that sentence sounds like the title of a rom-com, shit takes a weird turn when Mary bolts out of her date when:
- A specific song plays when they’re about to kiss
- She realizes the sun is going down.
Mary runs all the way back home (yes, all the bloody way. The sequence is awkwardly hectic and funny). Once inside, she locks herself in her basement behind a fortified steel door. And that’s the end of episode one.
Despite her efforts to stay away from Gary, the universe (which is a major theme in this series) had other plans for them. The two adults meet again at the mall.
During their do-over, Mary does what she does best: run away. Except for this time, she mistakenly takes Gary’s keys. The poor shmuck hails a taxi and follows her home. Yes, it sounds stalker-y because it is.
Mary locks herself in her basement as usual. Uninvited, Gary breaks into her house and witnesses the horror: Mary turns into a werewolf. dum dum dum duuuuuuum or whatever.
Shaken to his core, the incredulous man tries to flee, but the house goes into lockdown mode: All entry points are covered with fortified steel.
Gary spends the night on Mary’s kitchen floor.
The romantic comedy
The next morning, Mary finds herself in a position where she has to come out and spill her secrets onto Gary. She was bit by a “dog” when she was in Prague with her ex-husband. The bite infected her and turned her into a werewolf. The first time she turned, she ate her husband.
Needless to say, Gary was scared shitless throughout the revelation. He ran away from her house and decided to break things off with her.
Mary decided to skip town since she couldn’t trust Gary with her secret. But the dear old universe had other plans: They crashed into each other; AGAIN!
Oh, and then Gary crashed into the Italian restaurant (some symbolism you’ll understand once you hear Mary’s story).
After some passive-aggressive banter between the doomed adults, Emma invites Mary over for dinner. The catty conversation continues, but they eventually soften up.
Episode four ends with Gary and Mary sleeping together.
More drama
Episode five starts off light-hearted. Everyone is light-hearted after sex. Gary, Mary, and Emma hang out together as a family. Emma breaks up with her incompetent therapist. And Mary gets to meet Gary’s sister and his brother-in-law.
During the cookout at Gary’s sister’s house, Mary anxiously tells her “boyfriend” that she’s “late” and freaks out about the thought of her eating their baby.
Eventually, Gary calms her down and helps her warm up to the idea of having a family.
The Climax
Gary, Mary, and Emma go on a camping trip. It’s a great bonding vacation for the three of them, and an opportunity for the two grown-ups to reveal Mary’s secret to Emma.
When they’re about to leave, the car breaks down. Mary loses her cool because it’s about to be a full-moon night, and she needs to lock herself up in her basement.
The RAA (think America’s Triple-A) is unable to send help as soon as needed. Mary makes an executive decision to run as far away as possible before she has to turn.
Come nightfall, the father and daughter lock themselves up in the car. Despite Emma needing to pee, Gary refuses to let her out. That’s when two delinquents attack them and try to take the car.
After a few minutes of terrorism, Mary emerges from the shadows and viciously eats the two assailants. The werewolf calmly gazes through the car’s window, sort of reassuring Gary and Emma that they’re safe then disappears into the night.
Mary reappears in human form at dawn and they all drive back.
Final Thoughts
The series is fun to watch. The story is intriguing and the final twist is thrilling. However, revealing the whole thing feels rushed. By episode two, Gary learns that Mary turns into a werewolf. There wasn’t much build-up nor tease.
Also, we don’t get to enjoy and soak in the flourishing relationship between the two lead actors. In episode four, they’ve slept together after one date and two car crashes. Seriously?
By episode five, Mary’s supposedly pregnant? Woah, slow your roll cowboy. It feels like so many punchlines and twists condensed into six 25-minute episodes.
The producers and scriptwriters should’ve prolonged it a bit.
That being said, the series is enjoyable and has its haha moments. I recommend giving it a shot. binging it should take three hours out of your life. You can find the show on the Peacock streaming service.
