Bitten, “Bad Dreams,” was written by Larry Bambrick and directed by executive producer J. B. Sugar. And I should add, brilliantly directed by Sugar. This is by far my favorite episode this season and really, for me, marks a return to what made this show great – the wolf pack. Our wolf pack. Bambrick’s other credits include Flashpoint, Cold Blood and True Crime Stories, which helps to explain the great pacing and tension in the episode.
The episode opens with three beautifully shot scenes. The first is Savannah’s (Kiara Glasco) dream which is shot in black and white with the red blood drops as the only color to make them pop. I liked how the episode circled back to the dream later in the episode, adding new material. The black and white motif of the dream is also mirrored in the color of Aleister’s (Sean Rogerson) office in the third scene.
Next we see Elena (Laura Vandervoort) and Clay (Greyston Holt) recovering. I loved the shot framed by the round mirror. This is a nice foreshadowing of the “mirror image” of Clay that will return after the events of the last scene. We see Elena cutting her hair – I’ll miss that long mane, but it’s so much more sensible for fighting. And I’m betting Vandervoort is happy to ditch the wig! Clay wants to go away to recover, but Elena wants to press on and even continue her training. She’s clearly going to be carrying some baggage over her ordeal, but it’s a relief to see her back with Clay who is the best person (wolf) to help her heal.
The third scene shows us Paige (Tommie-Amber Pirie) destroying Aleister’s talisman – or at least what she thinks is his talisman – the top. I loved the special effect, but also the composition of the shot of her in profile against the backdrop of his white quarters. We see that Paige and Nick (Steve Lund) are burning everything, including a number of things with the symbol on them. Paige tells Nick that she doesn’t remember seeing it on Aleister’s dead body – and we know he always wears it. Hopefully, this clue will help them quickly realize that he isn’t dead – and that that necklace is much more likely to be his talisman.
I liked the storyline with Nick and Paige in this episode as they grow closer. Both yearn for family – Paige for the brother she might have had and Nick for his mother. Paige believes she is helping as she leads Nick to see his mother, Lily (Shauna MacDonald). Both find family very important, with Nick admitting that he would love to have a “normal” family one day. Clearly, a witch/werewolf match would be perfect. Female offspring would be witches and males would be werewolves. They already know each other’s secret too!
Another brilliant piece of direction is the scene in which Nick calls Clay to fill him in. As Clay hangs up, Elena asks, “What’s going on with Nick and Paige?” Clay responds, “Hard to tell,” and Elena questions, “Is it?” And then Nick answers “No.” in his own scene – but indirectly to Elena’s question as well. Elena knows very well that something is up between these two.
There’s a great use of music in the diner as the song lyrics tell us, “Lone wolf don’t hunt like he used to.” Nick is definitely no longer that lone wolf, and Paige has pretty much stopped his woman hunting. I loved how she manipulated him into seeing his mother. In the end, she recognizes him because Antonio had sent her a picture of him every year. I also loved her telling them that she’s bought the restaurant but never married. She’s still wearing Antonio’s engagement ring because he was the love of her life.
I loved the scene in the cornfield when Nick saves both Lily and Paige by using his wolf form to take out the Spanish wolf. Lily immediately realizes that this is Nick’s wolf form and instead of being at all afraid, she is simply overwhelmed at the sight. I loved the final scene between mother and son as she tells him that she saw Antonio change and that he told her everything, including why he had to leave her to keep both her and Nick safe. She’s already realized that Antonio is dead because he didn’t send his yearly picture.
They cry together over his loss. She vows she will keep his secret as she kept Antonio’s, but Nick says that he can never see her again in order to protect them both. MacDonald was excellent, so hopefully we will see her again sometime. Lund does some of his best work in these scenes.
The encounter makes Nick re-think his stance on how they treat the mothers of their children. Logan’s (Michael Xavier) own situation may not be so dire as we believed. Certainly, there’s also lots of talk about times changing and the wolves having to change with them in this episode.
The main storyline concerns Jeremy (Greg Bryk) dealing with the Alpha Council. Bryk, as always, is excellent and it’s nice to see a bit more of him in this episode – something else that I’ve been missing so far this season. Roman (Daniel Kash) and Eduardo (Mishka Thebaud) are on the attack, not accepting Jeremy’s recounting of Malcolm’s death. Eduardo, of course, has ulterior motives. I loved Jeremy telling them that “A true leader doesn’t just seek glory for himself, but focuses on what was accomplished, not who did it.” However, the Council insists on meeting Elena.
This was another perfectly directed scene. Vandervoort and Bryk also deliver fantastic performances. The Council moves from asking for information about her killing Malcolm to discussing her like she’s not even in the room, particularly how she survived the change. Jeremy moves to protect her and stop the discussion. He physically places himself in front of her.
She then steps around him to confront the Council herself, telling them, “You want to know how I survived? Because of Jeremy. Because of his guidance, his counsel. You want to learn to grow? To change? To evolve? Then stop talking and start listening to him.” This is an interesting theme. The wolves rely very much on their heightened senses – smell and hearing being primary. Sounds are best heard out of silence – it was also loud noises only the wolves could hear that Baur tormented them with. Witches, on the other hand, tend to live by spells which are often – though definitely not always – spoken.
She faces the Council head on, challenging them with her body language. She then turns and drops her eyes and shoulders in a completely subservient pose to Jeremy, her alpha. She asks him in a much different tone, “May I go?” She asks only for his permission. Bryk releases her and a tiny smile plays across his lips. It’s a brilliantly shot and acted scene, underscored with their lupine alter egos.
Everyone seems to have multiple balls in the air as Eduardo tries to get Jeremy to kill Roman even while he’s planning to kill Jeremy. Meanwhile, Jeremy sets Clay to watch Eduardo and ends up spotting Eduardo meeting with Karl Marsten (Pascal Langdale)! I hope everyone else was thrilled to see Langdale back and then disappointed that we didn’t get more with him. I’m still hoping that some of Jeremy’s changes will include letting a mutt like Marsten back into the pack.
Naturally, Savannah has to show up and blurt out that she’s had a vision in front of Roman. I’m still liking the bond forming between Elena and Savannah, and it grows stronger in this episode. It also becomes clear that Savannah isn’t really losing control of her power. She knows she isn’t the one to make the Spanish wolf bleed and it’s easy for us to recognize Aleister’s handiwork even before he confesses as much to Clay.
I really liked Jeremy’s response to Eduardo that “An accusation without proof is just a story.” Even better, of course, was Jeremy being one step ahead of Eduardo. Elena tells the tied up Roman that if he wants proof, he should shut up and listen – back to our theme. I loved Elena quietly taking out each of the Spanish wolves. She no longer hesitates to protect her pack, and her face is quiet, powerful and strong as she takes them down. Roman gets a clear idea of just how strong Jeremy’s pack is. After all, Clay and Nick are away for all of this.
In the end, Roman does agree to end the Spanish pack and let Jeremy make the decisions where his own pack is concerned. He’s still not convinced that the wolves need to change with the world, however. He does concede that the witches are powerful and doesn’t disagree with Jeremy’s assessment that they make better allies than enemies. Jeremy says that he will decide the fate of Susannah, but it seems pretty obvious that he will do her no harm, especially as she is under Elena’s care.
The final scene between Aleister and Clay is chilling. Aleister body snatches Clay. I assume that we are to assume that Clay’s soul or essence is now in Aleister’s body. I wonder where the ability to turn into a wolf resides? That could be a pretty fun twist.
All in all, this was the best episode so far this season. I’m actually a bit sad to see what appears to be the end of the Alpha Council storyline as I was enjoying the greater focus on the wolves in this episode. What did you think of the episode? Do you think Elena will realize it’s not Clay immediately? I’m not sure I’ll be able to stand it if she even just kisses him, thinking it’s Clay and really kissing Aleister! EW! Let me know your thoughts in the comments below!
About the Author - Lisa Macklem
I do interviews and write articles for the site in addition to reviewing a number of shows, including Supernatural, Arrow, Agents of Shield, The Walking Dead, Game of Thrones, Forever, Defiance, Bitten, Glee, and a few others! Highlights of this past year include covering San Diego Comic Con as press and a set visit to Bitten. When I'm not writing about television shows, I'm often writing about entertainment and media law in my capacity as a legal scholar. I also work in theatre when the opportunity arises. I'm an avid runner and rider, currently training in dressage.
