Bitten - Fine Temporum - Review - "Finale and Season Retrospective"

Bitten’s second season came to an end with “Fine Temporum” and was one of the best finales of the 2014/2015 season. It delivered all the action that the previous episodes promised. The stakes were high as both Ruth (Tammy Isbell) and Aleister (Sean Rogerson) met their ends. There were some great fight scenes and a satisfying end to the season long storyarc. The episode was written by showrunner Daegan Fryklind and directed by TJ Scott, who delivered so spectacularly on the season one finale. Let’s hope this is always the go to team for the finales! Greyston Holt (Clay) and Laura Vandervoort (Elena) deliver outstanding performances. Most importantly, we know that Elena’s shocking vision at the end of the episode will be fully fleshed out in season three!

As the episode begins, everyone converges on the Delphi building as the undoing looms. It was great to see the pack reunited for the climax. They quickly catch each other up. Elena naturally wants to kill Kane (Noah Danby), but Clay stops her and Kane tells her that he’s with the pack. Her rage is quickly followed by grief as Nick (Steve Lund) insists on knowing where Logan (Michael Xavier) is and Jeremy (Greg Bryk) must tell them all that Logan is dead. Nick and Elena being closest to Logan are the most devastated. Jeremy also tells them that Rachel (Genelle Williams) is waiting at Stonehaven. It seems like Jeremy is definitely considering loosening the rules.

        Before they head in, Nick confides in Jeremy that he doesn’t want to be forced to change because he wants what Clay and Elena have and what Logan had. It’s clear that he’s in love with Paige (Tommie-Amber Pirie) and wants to spend his life with her. This is new territory for the pack. Can witches be held to the same standard as humans? Jeremy tells Nick to fight the change – and indication that he’s open to the relationship.

Elena refuses to hear anyone suggest that if they can’t kill Aleister, they will have to kill Savannah (Kiara Glasco) to stop the undoing. Elena insists that Savannah is innocent. I was a bit disappointed that Aleister’s spell on the door was so easily defeated by Clay simply throwing a sign through the door.

      They are met by a group of possessed security guards. Instead of an axe this year, Jeremy’s super throw weapon is a shard of the shattered door directly into one of the guard’s chest. The group is scattered into pairs. Elena and Paige go in one direction, Clay and Kane in another, leaving Nick and Jeremy fighting together, but they are also separated.

Each pair has a terrific fight scene, which we have to infer are all happening simultaneously. This episode is beautifully shot, especially the fight scenes. But there is also a juxtaposition of lines or corridors and circles throughout the episode. As the others battle through these corridors, Ruth is sitting in a circle in a circular room in the catacombs. She is using the left hand magic in an attempt to kill Aleister. He, like the others, is suffering, but he makes it to Ruth with Clara (Debra McCabe) and Savannah in tow. I liked how so much of this episode drew on the season, tying it together, so we see that the worm is still inside Savannah preventing her from exerting her own will: she is still the key to Aleister’s lock – an interesting choice of words as she is the one as a member of the coven who has to open the door.

Even though Aleister turns out to have no power in the catacombs because he’s not a member of the coven, he does pull Ruth from her protective circle. It’s hard not to feel some compassion for the life he’s lead, and Ruth’s admissions that she didn’t intend for his life to be full of pain and that she should have protected Aleister fall flat. Aleister insists that she’s not sorry for what she’s done, she’s only sorry that he survived. There’s a nice parallel, of course, between the witches insisting that male children be killed and the wolves stealing their male children from their mothers. Neither the wolves nor the witches do family very well, but is loyalty to the pack and to the coven more important? It would seem that like the wolves, the witches need to re-think their traditions.

Meanwhile, Paige is possessed as she and Elena try to get to the catacombs. Watch for Vandervoort preventing Pirie from cracking her head on the corner of the staircase! I loved this scene as Elena gets Paige to fight through. I can’t say enough how much I like the way this show really empowers the women characters. The two make it to the door and Paige waits for the others so that she can let then in. She once again tells Elena that she may have to sacrifice Savannah for the greater good.

Elena rushes into the middle of Aleister and Ruth’s confrontation. He drops Ruth’s talisman, and Elena is cleaning his clock – oh, so satisfying! – when Clara hands him the ritual knife and he stabs Elena. She in turn does exactly what you aren’t supposed to do and removes the knife to cut the worm out of Savannah and kill it, releasing Savannah from Aleister. However, Aleister and Clara drag Savannah away from a dying Elena and unconscious Ruth.

Meanwhile, the battle rages on upstairs. I’ve said before how much I enjoy Noah Danby, and this episode is no exception. It’s a little amazing that he holds no animosity towards Clay, but that makes Kane an even more sympathetic character. Even after saying he won’t take a bullet for Clay, Kane won’t let Clay change and risk being separated from Elena – it shows what high regard he has for love. Of course, he doesn’t change either when he rushes the guard. Kane manages to get the key even though he’s shot to pieces. We don’t actually see him die, however, so I’m still holding out hope that he isn’t dead and we may yet see him join the pack!

We focus primarily on Nick’s fight, and it’s truly the centerpiece fight of this finale. It’s beautifully choreographed and shot. I loved the shots of them fighting through the lobby with slow motion and regular speed interspersed. And, of course, the fight on the stairs, escalator is spectacular – and all Steve Lund!

Clay finally makes it to Elena, but she’s too far gone. He cradles her in his arms as she dies. This is simply a spectacular scene. Holt and Vandervoort commit completely to it. There are really no words needed as their emotions and love for one another is clearly etched onto their faces. This isn’t the pretty crying you so often see in such scenes, but a real moment created by these two actors.

Upstairs, Nick has a brief – perhaps final – moment with Paige, sending her into the catacombs. Jeremy finally arrives and there’s another great fight as Jeremy and Nick once again work together to defeat the last of the security guards. I loved the way this scene faded to black, and we just hear the sounds of the fight, knowing that Nick and Jeremy are winning!

Paige arrives as Ruth awakens and both see Clay with Elena’s now dead body. He changes because he has no reason not to now. Ruth is consumed with guilt, blaming herself and her mistakes for all that has happened. She sacrifices herself to bring Elena back, even though Paige pleads with her that she needs her. Paige now become Coven leader. Ruth dies in Paige’s arms in a nice parallel to Clay/Elena. Pirie is really excellent in this scene and has really gotten stronger as this season has progressed and she’s settled into the role.

Elena awakes to find Ruth dead, and she thanks Paige when Paige tells her that Ruth sacrificed herself to bring Elena back. Elena goes after Clay and Aleister. Clay has made it to Aleister who has regained his power with Ruth’s death. Clay manages to break through Aleister’s spell to wound him, causing Aleister to drop Savannah’s talisman, but resulting in Clay being thrown and wounded. Savannah kills Clara, but it’s important to note that she uses her right hand to do it. Just as Savannah and Aleister are facing off, Elena arrives.

Aleister says that it’s fitting it comes down to the two of them: “the only male witch and the only female werewolf.” But, of course, he’s forgetting Savannah. Here again, it is down to the women, and I love how Elena again and again has empowered Savannah, and it’s the women who save the day. Savannah spells Aleister long enough for Elena to grab his talisman and then drown him in the fountain – fount? – that is there. We have another gorgeous shot as we see the sun break through from under the water – have they done it in time?

The denouement of the episode is fairly quick. Elena sees Clay and tells him, “You did what was right, and I love you.” The others arrive not knowing if the undoing has been prevented or not, but when Clay awakens and begins to change back, it’s clear they’ve won. Savannah laments that Ruth is gone, but Paige assures her that Ruth will never really be gone and that her spirit is with them to guide them. Jeremy thanks Paige and Savannah and tells them, “there was a time when I turned you away. I promise I will never turn you away again. We are bound together by all of this.”

Paige tells Nick that they need time to heal and that she is to become the leader of the Coven. This means that there is no hope for them to be together. However, is anybody else pretty sure that she’s carrying Nick’s baby? And of course, Jeremy has already expressed a willingness for them to be a permanent part of their lives. No doubt the witches will be back for season three!

Elena and Clay are reunited, and she confesses how frightened she was that they wouldn’t make it out alive. Clay reassures her, however: “That’s impossible, Darlin’. Whatever it is – fate. Magic – There is something that protects us.” Is it possible not to be in love with the way he calls her “Darlin’”? Elena tells Clay, “It’s love.” He nods in agreement and they kiss. Once again, this is a beautifully composed shot as we see the circle of light over their heads, almost like a halo and certainly as a benediction.

In the final scene, Elena once again empowers Savannah, the young woman she’s taken under her wing. Savannah is blaming herself, but Elena reminds her that she was under a spell. Savannah responds that it was because she let Aleister in, but Elena reminds her that Savannah let her in too. She tells her, “You are powerful, Savannah. You always have a choice.” It’s the choice that makes her powerful. And Savannah tells Elena that for the first time in a long time she feels like herself. Elena has set her free to be able to make her own choices. It’s a powerful message for women – and young women viewers especially.

Naturally the final moments set us up for season three. Elena and Savannah touch and Elena has a powerful vision of herself drenched in blood in Jeremy’s chair while Stonehaven seemingly burns around her. Of course, the other visions have not been literal, so there is no need for us to see this a literal vision of the future, but even symbolically, it can’t mean anything good! Is Elena going to take Jeremy’s place? Is Stonehaven or the pack in imminent danger of being destroyed? Whose blood is that? So many great questions!

I thought this season lagged a bit towards the middle, and I missed spending more time with the pack. However, I think this finale really brought those elements together to close the season strongly. I look forward to seeing more of the Lund/Pirie pairing. What did you think of the finale? The season? What do you most want to see in season three? I want Kane and Marsden back – and the Sheriff as a potential love interest for Jeremy! 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.