Six seasons of Teen Wolf have led us to this point, and now we have to wonder: has Gerard Argent been the Big Bad all along?
Every season of the series has had one or two villains or antagonists to contend with.
Season 1 was the hunters and the Alpha. Season 2 was the Kanima and Gerard. Season 3 gave us the Alpha Pack, the Darach, and the nogitsune. Season 4 was all about Kate and her Berserkers, as well as the Benefactor. Season 5 introduced us to the Dread Doctors, the Beast, and the Desert Wolf. Now, season 6 has given us The Wild Hunt, a new set of hunters, and an ancient being called Anuk-Ite.
There have been other, smaller antagonists along the way, but Gerard Argent has been one of the most consistent villains on the show. Peter Hale, having been in one more season than Gerard, would perhaps take the title, though his role as of late has been more of a reluctant ally thanks to the discovery of his daughter, Malia.
Gerard, on the other hand, has been playing a long game from the beginning. We were introduced to him in season 2 as Allison’s grandfather, though it quickly became clear that he was even more of a threat than Chris Argent. Unlike his son, Gerard liked to bend the rules, and he saw Scott as nothing more than a rabid animal who had to be put down.
In the season 2 finale, Gerard, who had been unknowingly ingesting mountain ash, was then bitten by Derek Hale. The two substances mixed together caused black goo to gush from every hole in his head. When we enter season 3, Gerard is wheelchair-bound and still struggling with the consequences of his actions.
Despite this, Gerard proves to be useful. He’s lived a long life as a hunter and has seen and heard many things. When it’s down to the wire, Scott visits him for information on Deucalion, promising to take away some of his pain in return for his help. Gerard, who only ever looks out for himself, alters the truth. Even when he’s sitting on the sidelines, he’s trying to make the game work in his favor.
Season 4 saw a complete absence of Gerard Argent, though it’s likely he spent that time off-screen plotting the demise of everyone who has ever stood in his way. When season 5 rolls around, he’s finally released from his prison by none other than his own son when Chris allows Gerard to consume yellow wolfsbane, which cures him completely.
The Beast of Gevaudan and the Argent family story are intimately intertwined, so it seems only logical that Gerard would have a hand in the occurrences of season 5. Though he proved to have knowledge of the Beast that aided them in finding a way to stop it, his goals never quite aligned with those of Chris, Scott, and the rest of the pack. He was more interested in the Argent legacy than saving an innocent life.
Gerard surely would have killed the Beast, and therefore Mason, without a second thought. But the pack found another way. And Chris got to shoot his father in the process. It was win-win for everyone but Gerard.
It seems only fitting, then, that as soon as the final 10 episodes of the series rolled around, Gerard would be front and center as one of this season’s central villains. In episode 6×11, we’re introduced to Tamora Monroe, a guidance counselor who spends her nights hunting werewolves. By the time episode 6×12 is ready to fade to black, Gerard steps from the shadows and tells Ms. Monroe he sees plenty of raw talent in her and, therefore, would like to take her under his wing.
So far we’ve seen five episodes of season 6, and Gerard continues to dig his (metaphorical) claws into Tamora and those she follows. She’s the leader of the pack of hunters who have coalesced in Beacon Hills, but Scott and the others would be naive to think that Gerard isn’t pulling every single one of their strings, despite claims that he’s only acting as a mentor.
This seems like a perfect way to wrap up the end of Teen Wolf, to bring it full circle. We began in season 1 with hunters chasing down Scott McCall, and now we’re ending with the same scenario — though a hell of a lot has changed in the meantime.
Gerard has always proven a worthy adversary. He’s been beaten time and time again, but because of his last name, he always finds a way to stay alive. He’s Teen Wolf’s ultimate villain because he has the skill, the experience, the knowledge, and the patience to bide his time until he can make the perfect move.
I have no doubt that Scott will win in the end. This isn’t Game of Thrones, after all. But I am curious about Gerard’s fate. Once he is defeated, what will happen to him? Will they put him in jail or a grave? If he is killed, who will do it? Scott has always risen above that sort of violence, but Sheriff Stilinski has already talked to him about how wars have casualties. Maybe Teen Wolf will cross that line this year.
It would be poetic justice if Chris delivered the final blow. It would weigh heavily on Chris’ shoulders, but that wouldn’t make it the wrong thing to do. Perhaps Ms. Monroe or one of the other hunters will turn on him. Maybe he’ll take on the wrong beast (Kate, perhaps?). Or maybe he’ll die trying to save his only son.
Yeah, that last one sounds pretty fantastical to me, too.
Either way, whether it was intentional or not, I love that Gerard has played both friend and foe throughout the entire series in order to finally come out of hiding and declare war on Scott and the other supernatural creatures in Beacon Hills. It’s a bold move, and one I think he’ll regret.