THE WOLVES
by Sarah DeLappe
Plot Sumary:
The action takes place in an indoor soccer facility. Each scene depicts the nine teenage girls who make up the Wolves, a soccer team, warming up before their game each week.
The first scene opens with discussion of a murderous Cambodian dictator, and conversations stem from there. Overlapping dialogue illustrates an atmosphere where each group of girls have their own, specific conversations while still chiming in on the main topic. These spin-offs include period gossip, talk of boyfriends, their coach's obvious hangovers, and speculations about the new girl, #46, who is said to live in a “yogurt” (a yurt) and repeatedly burst in conversations at the most inappropriate times such as mentioning how the team's striker, #7, had an abortion.
In every scene, the girls are going through a stretching routine led by #25. This is one of the only repetitive actions, besides #7's constant use of the word “fuck” and the goalie, #00, suffering from social anxiety attacks and consequently running outside to vomit. The girls sometimes continue their gossip from the previous week, bringing new drama and topics of conversation. #46 slowly begins to fit in and most girls seem to grow more comfortable with each other as the season progresses.
A ski trip taken by #7 and #14 before the second-to-last game leaves the team suffering from injuries and internal drama. #7 suffers a season-ending injury, which forces #46 to step up. She excels, and is even scouted along with two other girls while the rest watch enviously from the sidelines. #7 and #14 bring their ski trip squabble back to the field as well. #14 expresses her anger towards her friend about her neglect during the trip and being left with a strange guy (#7's boyfriend's friend). They fight, and end the day on a terrible note.
Tragedy strikes before the final game, though it takes most of the scene for the full account of what happened to be unveiled. The whole team is grieving and in shock, and most assume that the full team will ditch the game which would force them to forfeit. We learn that the tragedy was a car accident that killed one of the team members, and as they show up for the warm-ups, the audience is left in suspense as to who the victim of the accident was. Finally all the girls are there except for #14 and we learn that she is the one who died. As they rally together to play the final game of the season without her, Soccer Mom (#14's mother) suddenly approaches them, giving them a delirious, heartbroken speech about how they have banded together in spite of everything. After she leaves, the team chants their slogan ("WE ARE THE WOLVES!") and howl as they head off to play their final game of the season.
Episode Facts
Episode: 1.1
Date Aired: September 7, 2020
Team: Jennifer, Ricardo & Sam
Analysis Technique: Forwards
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