Bitten Review: The Season of the Witch
Carissa Pavlica
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Can you believe it's only been three days since Elena found Philip's severed head on her bed?
Me either! The tone of Bitten Season 2 Episode 1 immediately feels different than anything that occurred last season. Even the mutt war, which was so prevalent as Bitten Season 1 came to a close doesn't feel like much of a threat, and the alphas are still standing in Stonehaven daring to threaten Jeremy.
That's not a knock, because in very short order Bitten has become a true ensemble series, with each wolf in the pack seeming to hold the same weight rather than the focus being on Elena, the only female werewolf. That was fun for a while, but now that she's back in the thick of it, giving each their due feels right.
I've not read the Otherworld series of books, so I didn't know much about the world of characters. The introduction of Paige Winterbourne is kind of a big thing in terms of the books, so I'm excited to see how this all plays out.
They touched on it a bit in Bitten Season 2 Episode 2, that witches are kind of the opposite of werewolves and are female driven, whereas wolves are male driven. When I interviewed Steve Lund, who plays Nick, we talked about the necessity of throwing in some women to shake things up and give the guys some females to play off of. It's exciting to think of, especially after his opening scene. Whoa baby!
Unfortunately, the pack spent a lot of time tracking down Malcolm only to lose him in the end to the witches. Something tells me that's going to cause a lot of bad blood right off the bat. The witches seem to be quite confident, and if they're right, a lot older in their bloodline than the wolves. I wonder what they might know that the wolves don't.
They certainly have some handy dandy tricks up their sleeves with the white eyeballs, poking faces to cause blindness (Nick was really scared!), escorting fog around when necessary and doing other witchy things like moving objects and opening all the doors and windows. It should prove to be both helpful and annoying (in a fun way).
It was interesting learning Clay's wolf origin story. He has a lot of control. I'm surprised he didn't want to rip Malcolm's head of when he was taunted with the description of his mother crying as Malcolm tore her to pieces. His poor father, back from Somalia after serving his country, so excited to see his family only to learn they were attacked by wolves; that's horrid. Now Clay knows they're gone forever.
Not having family is one thing. Knowing Malcolm was responsible for both of their deaths is another. It makes me want to kill Malcolm.
It was a pleasant surprise for Clay to visit Tulane university and the professor. Anytime someone calls him Dr. Danvers is a treat because it reminds us he's not just a hunky wolf with great physical prowess, but he matches it intellectually, as well.
At the very beginning of the two installments, Malcolm's guy Nate was being held by whatever Evil is coming for them and using that symbol. I wish he had kept running as a human before exploding by the tree line. Hey, I'm an animal lover, what can I say? That's where Rachel is being held now, but who is holding her and why?
What is the magic behind the symbol and why do they want Malcolm? They obviously have the young witch, as well. If the pack kills Malcolm before any kind of trade is made, what will happen to those being held? It was a very cryptic reveal so far, but it's intriguing.
Jeremy doesn't hold out a lot of hope for finding Rachel and told Logan to brace himself for the worst allowing for a really tender moment between the two. Still, there's little chance Logan is giving up on finding his son.
The premiere held its fair share of sexy and gory scenes, such as Nick "drilling" a bank employee while Joey was drilling a pin wore for work at the same time Elena decided sleep was for the weak and gave into carnal desires with Clay. Hey, we're not complaining! Wolves are sexy beasts, there's no doubt about it!
Elena ripped the tongue out of a guy hoping for a merciful death and then crushed his throat and lit his carcass on fire, while Jeremy later showed Rodrigo what happens to people who deal in treachery by ripping his throat out in front of Malcolm's cell. There were some neck snappings here and there, as well, but those two took the cake. The evil coming better be on its game. We have some angry wolves and witches ready to take it on!
I'm really glad they showed two episodes because airing just the first would have felt like they left us hanging with too little information. Make sure you're back next week for Bitten Season 2 Episode 3 when we learn exactly who is after Malcolm and holding the young witch!
Hit the comments to talk about the new season. Do you like the direction it's taking or would you prefer it was still about Elena trying to live her life in Toronto? Soapy or supernatural? I like they guys, so I'm digging the new feel. I think it only gets better from here!
In the meantime, you can watch Bitten online if you missed any of the action.
Carissa Pavlica is the managing editor and a staff writer and critic for TV Fanatic. She's a member of the Critic's Choice Association, enjoys mentoring writers, conversing with cats, and passionately discussing the nuances of television and film with anyone who will listen. Follow her on X and email her here at TV Fanatic.
