Big Wolf on Campus: Difference between revisions

[[File:BigWolfOnCampus_5507.png|frame]]

 

 

Local high school jock Tommy Dawkins (Brandon Quinn) has nothing to worry about until he's bitten by a werewolf. Not knowing what to do, he befriends the local effeminate genius goth Merton Dingle (Danny Smith) and together [[They Fight Crime|they team up to fight the weirdness and monsters]] that pour into the town of Pleasantville, even though almost everyone believes that their protector, "The Pleasantville Werewolf", is viciously dangerous. The second season added a third friend to the cast, Lauren 'Lori' Baxter (Aimée Castle).

 

* [[Action Girl]]: Kickboxing classmate Lori Baxter, who shows up after the first season.

* [[Adorkable]]: Merton.

* [[Ambiguously Gay]]: Merton, depending on the episode.

* [[Arson, Murder, and Jaywalking]]: The reasons the gang give to Corey Feldman on why they {{spoiler|staked Corey Haim.}}

'''Tommy:''' He borrowed money from me and never gave it back. }}

* [[Badass Normal]]: Lori.

* [[Beethoven Was an Alien Spy]]: It turns out that Corey Feldman, the actor who played Edgar Frog in ''[[The Lost Boys]]'', is a ''real vampire!'' So is his costar Corey Haim; apparently some interesting things were going on backstage of that movie...

* [[Big Eater]]: It comes with the whole Werewolf thing, Tommy just can't get enough meat in his diet. It's what gets him discovered by the population at large.

* [[Big No]]: Referenced.

* [[Bluff the Impostor]]

* [[Cassandra Truth]]: Merton runs into a couple of these, including "Corey's a real vampire" and "My childhood imaginary friend is trying to kill you."

* [[Celebrity Is Overrated]]: Tommy choosing between friendship and social status in "Pleased to Eat You".

* [[City of Adventure]]: If it's paranormal and dangerous, it'll show up in Pleasantville. Right down to its nice sounding name, it's a very transparent expy of [[Buffy the Vampire Slayer|Sunnydale]].

* [[Continuity Drift]]: In the episode with the cat girl, Merton mentions that he's only allergic to cats, sneezing whenever the titular cat woman appears. In the episode with the hell hound, he's sneezing whenever he's near the dog.

** Also note that the potential causes of death the tapes cover ''include Celine Dion''.

** Not quite as impressive, but still:

'''Merton:''' What do you think, I have a kit to purge evil spirits from a dog?! *[[Beat Panel|beat]], smirk* Because I ''do''. }}

*** Apparently there were dark suspicions about the neighbor's dog.

** Also, when he "suits up" to go up against Vampire!Corey Haim. He even lampshades this when he points out that the headband might be a bit "too effeminate".

* [[Crouching Moron, Hidden Badass]]: Tommy.

** Plus they usually avoid saying hell outright at all. This is especially noticeable in episodes with demons; often Hell will be Hades, or the Underworld.

** Merton is quite fond of swearing. See:

'''Tommy:''' Hey! }}

** and:

* [[Damned By Faint Praise]]: Merton combines this with [[Stealth Insult]]. "I think you combined the articulation of Arnold Schwarzenegger with the emotional range of Jean Claude van Damme." Tommy doesn't get it.

* [[Different As Night and Day]]: Merton the unpopular goth nice guy senior, and Beckie his popular preppy evil freshman sister.

* [[Dirty Communists]]: One episode featured a Russian operative going back in time to prevent the break-up of the [[Soviet Union]]; he succeeded, resulting a [[Crapsack World]] where the Soviets had conquered the US and Pleasantville had been renamed Pleasantgrad.

** He also wrote the "Chunky N Funky" song for the hilarious Fat!Merton breakdancing scene in the episode "Pleased To Eat You".

* [[Drama Bomb Finale]]: The season two finale.

* [[Eerie Pale-Skinned Brunette]]: Merton since he's goth after all. And all the vampires in the show.

* [[The End of the Beginning]]: Said by Tommy at the end or the series.

* [[Failure Is the Only Option]]: Anytime Tommy thinks he's found a way to get rid of being a werewolf. (Or Merton, See [[Sidekick Glass Ceiling]])

* [[Fantastic Comedy]]

* [[Faux Paw]]: An episode features a [[Were Cat]] who performs the [[Faux Paw]] maneuver.

* [[Fetish Fuel]]: In-universe. As Merton's listing off different cures for lycanthropy he sounds incredibly... interested.

* [[Flanderization]]: Merton's ego and intellect, and Tommy's stupidity.

* [[The Fool]]: Tommy.

* [[Fur Against Fang]]: Whenever Tommy fights a vampire.

* [[Getting Crap Past the Radar]]: On two separate episodes, Tommy used the fake ID name of Hugh G. Balzak. I don't think I have to explain this one...

* [[Heterosexual Life Partners]]: Tommy and Merton.

* [[Hot Mom]]:

'''Tommy:''' The next word coming out of your mouth better be 'talented'. }}

* [[I Am Not Weasel]]: "Hey, I ain't fightin' no bear!" (This was said to Tommy...who is most certainly NOT a bear.)

** Not to mention that in both of the alien episodes, he's mistaken for a "dog beast of Kardak", followed by a "What are you doing here?"

* [[Idiot Hero]]: Tommy was [[Flanderized]] into a full-on dunderhead in the second season, though he was a stereotypical joke in the first season and had his moments of sheer stupidity. (Like when Merton had nearly all his intelligence stolen by a villain, but he ''still'' managed to outsmart Tommy.) A character guessed that Tommy was a werewolf and refereed him being "special", prompting him to relive grade school memories of being forced to join the reading group that met in the basement.

* [[Imaginary Enemy]]: Vince, Merton's psychotic and extremely jealous imaginary friend who comes back after Merton goes through his childhood toys and proceeds to sabotage Merton's real friendships.

* [[Imaginary Friend]]: Vince, Merton's imaginary friend who comes back after Merton goes through his childhood toys.

* [[Imagine the Audience Naked]]: Tommy suggests that Lori imagine ''she's'' naked just before they have to give a presentation together. When Lori corrects him, he points out that there's a hot girl in the class and he wouldn't be able to concentrate.

* [[Insistent Terminology]]: Merton does ''[[Berserk Button|not]]'' like being called a nerd, and is more than happy to remind you that he's a "goth".

** "Goths have lairs, nerds have labs. Ergo, I am not a nerd. ([[Beat]]) Please disregard my use of the word 'ergo'."

* [[Invisible Streaker]]: Merton in one episode.

* [[Keep Circulating the Tapes]]: No [[DVD|DVDs]] to speak of. And the only VHS tapes ever made were only in French. Luckily one godly figure seemed to have recorded every single episode, and those tapes have been circling around various streaming sites.

* [[Manchurian Agent]]: The Evil Werewolf Syndicate does this to Tommy in the aptly named episode: "The Manchurian Werewolf".

* [[Mistaken for Gay]]: Tommy when he tries to bite a guy on the neck.

* [[Mister Seahorse]]: Merton thanks to an alien, complete with shout outs to ''Junior'' and ''Alien''. The alien herself is the one to bring up the latter, when he asks how the birth is going to work.

* [[The Movie Buff]]: Merton.

* [[Nightmare Fetishist]]: Merton, full stop.

* [[Non-Action Guy]]: Merton tends to spend fight scenes hiding behind his teammates.

** [[Lampshaded]] in an episode where Tommy is in a parallel dimension where he wasn't a werewolf and didn't fight evil with his friends. When he explains this and they get caught up in their "first" fight:

** He also has other classic lines like this.

* [[Number of the Beast]]: 666 victories for an evil wrestler = the Apocalypse.

* [[Our Vampires Are Different]]: While "normal" vampires do appear, one episode features special vampires, who only feed on {{spoiler|werewolves.}}

** {{spoiler|They are normal vampires, it's just that they thought all werewolves were evil, so they figured it was more moral to eat them than to feed on people.}}

* [[Parody]]: Everything. One particularly pointed example is the episode featuring a character named "Muffy The Werewolf Annihilator". Gee, [[Buffy the Vampire Slayer|who on earth could they possibly be poking fun at]]?

* [[Perky Goth]]: Merton. Although more like "spastic, hyperactive" goth.

* [[Punny Name]]: The aforementioned "Hugh G. Balzak".

* [[Reality Subtext]]: Tommy's Werewolf form was a bit more drastic (as evidenced in the pilot), but the actor playing him had an allergic reaction to the glue used, to it had to be toned down to the more subtle appearance.

* [[Refugee From TV Land]]: Butch. Merton and Tommy are aware that this makes no sense even by the standards of the world they live in, but it happens anyway.

* [[Reset Button]]: An episode centers around a watch that could wind back time. Eventually the watch is destroyed, which resets the events of the entire episode, which of course included Stacey discovering Tommy's secret and revealing she was okay with it.

* [[Running Gag]]: Merton would keep commenting how this week's plot was just like some movie; when asked what happened, he'd give a real world answer, e.g. the director's later career. His exasperated audience would demand to know about the ''movie'', only occasionally giving in to the urge to shake him. At one point, Merton starts detailing his experience with a cute girl in the movie theater, causing even more annoyance "the MOVIE! the picture movie!!"

*** In an episode where a [[Terminator]]-esque robot disguised as Merton appears, Merton references the movie and Tommy and Lori, for once, know what he's talking about. Merton seems disappointed that he doesn't get to derail.

*** Tommy even gets in on the act in the [[Wonderful Life]] episode, where he gets to pull this on Merton:

** Also, Merton tends to ask the [[Monster of the Week]] (especially when they're about to kill him), "So, you're a (Insert monster here), what's that like?"

* [[Secret Keeper]]: Merton and Lori.

* [[The Smart Guy]]: Merton.

* [[Something Else Also Rises]]: While hosting a radio show, a girl calls in, causing Merton to stand up suddenly.

* [[Strapped to An Operating Table]]

* [[Take That]]: "If we consult the Encyclopedia of Evil...ceremonial sacrifices, Celine Dion, ah, here he is, Cerberus."

*** It was a Canadian show produced in Montreal. Of course it hated on Celine Dion.

* [[This Is Reality]]: Something-verted: Every single plot is compared to that of a movie, and the same movie generally contains the solution.

* [[Trigger Phrase]]: The Evil Werewolf Syndicate hypnotizes Tommy and gives him one of these. Due to some bad timing, the intended phrase is replaced with "Pizza's here".

* [[Van Helsing Hate Crimes]]: Muffy vs Tommy. She accepts that he's different by the end of the episode, although she's seriously weirded out by it.

* [[Wacky Cravings]]: Merton during his stint as [[Mister Seahorse]].

* [[Whole-Plot Reference]]: Happened a lot to accommodate the [[Running Gag]]. The most obvious example is ''The Mertonator''.

** Tommy taking an unpopular shy girl with [[Carrie|secret psychic abilities named Terry to the dance]].

* [[Why Did It Have to Be Snakes?]]: The modus operandi of a [[Monster of the Week]]; trapping people in illusions of their greatest fears until they are literally scared to death.

* [[Witch Doctor]]: Male nurse St. Jacques.

* [[Would Hit a Girl]]: Tommy tries to talk things out rationally against a girl attacking him. When that didn't work he wasn't afraid to pile drive her into a table.

* [[Yandere]]: The [[Monster of the Week]] in the second season finale has a dangerous crush on Tommy, who doesn't feel the same way. What happens next justifies that episode being an example of a [[Drama Bomb Finale]].

* [[You Sexy Beast]]: Tommy begins to worry that perhaps Lori is only attracted to the werewolf part of him.

 

{{reflist}}

[[Category:Canadian Series]]

[[Category:The Nineties]]

[[Category:Fantastic Comedy]]

[[Category:Horror Series]]