1. Occasionally, an episode of television is so well-written and so well-acted, that any kind of written review or recap on it simply are a disservice to its perfection and make no mistake about it, tonight’s episode of Bitten was a masterpiece in every sense of the word. In all of my other recaps of the show this season, I said that I didn’t see the chemistry between Elena and Clay, but clearly this was an intentional device, used to make tonight’s flashback sequence (that depicted their initial interaction), all the more gripping.
2. While there are many aspects of Bitten, that I enjoy, it’s the effective flashback use, that continues to draw me in each week. Instead of forcing Elena’s backstory and the story of how she became a wolf down our throat, the central theme of the show is always handled with care and that’s why tonight’s episode was so riveting. For the past four episodes, we have wondered why Elena and Clay broke up and what caused her to separate from The Pack and move back to Toronto. Tonight, we not only understood her decision. We sympathized with it.
3. Laura Vandervoort’s portrayal of Elena as an unassuming and wide-eyed college student who slowly fell in love with the professor that she was assisting, was her best work on the series thus far. In total contrast to the strong woman that Elena is now, it was wonderful to see the old Elena before she had been turned.
4. Greyston Holt was also absolutely spectacular in the episode. While I haven’t been a big fan of Clay on the series thus far and have repeatedly stated that Elena has more on-screen chemistry with Paul, tonight was the first time that I actually saw any kind of a romantic spark between the two lead characters. This was great storytelling because just as I was starting to come around to Clay, he knowingly bit Elena and didn’t even have the decency to let her decide whether she wanted to join The Pack. He decided to turn her into a wolf purely for his own selfish motive. It was a shocking twist and made Clay even more unlikeable than he already is.
5. I am also digging the main storyline. The idea that the Mutts are turning criminals and serial killers into wolves to go after Stonehaven makes sense and also gives the show a great plot device to use in the remaining episodes (as each can be a standalone with the Danvers family going after each new killer Mutt). It’s strangely believable.
6. I cannot understate how effectively the CGI is being used on this show. It would have been so easy to make Elena’s first change look goofy, but by minimizing the actual transition and cutting away until the change was complete, the producers made it seem completely authentic. Kudos.
7. I would like to see the supporting characters developed further. I think Bitten could take a page from Lost, and use one episode to tell each character’s backstory as this would allow the audience to become invested in the entire cast. Right now, it seems that this show is completely about Elena’s double-life, Clay’s unrequited love and Jeremy’s eventual and inevitable usurping. I want to know more about the others. Don’t you?
8. That scene where Laura Vandervoort and Greg Bryk where Elena tells Jeremy that she only returned to Stonehaven because he called and because he was the one who taught her to trust again (after Clay’s betrayal) was beautiful. I can’t stop thinking about it, even a couple of hours after it aired.
9. Does anyone like Clay?
10. Tonight, Bitten let the world know that it has arrived.
