Blu-ray Review: ‘Bitten – The Complete First Season’

Article first published as Blu-ray Review: ‘Bitten – The Complete First Season’ on Blogcritics.

Bitten, a Canadian-made supernatural drama that recently aired its first season on the SyFy channel in the United States, comes to Blu-ray and DVD this week in a four-disc set. Based on the best-selling books by Kelley Armstrong, Bitten is an action-packed, sexy drama centered on Elena Michaels (Laura Vandervoort, V, Smallville), the only female werewolf in existence. She is drawn back to the pack she abandoned when rogue mutts begin killing innocent people.

The Characters

The series is a character-driven drama, despite the other elements. Elena is caught between two worlds, a normal, wonderful boyfriend, Philip McAdams (Paul Greene, Wicked Wicked Games), who offers her the chance at an average existence, which she is trying to convince herself she wants, and hot, uncontrollable passion for Clayton Danvers (Greyston Holt, Alcatraz), whom she loves but doesn’t trust since he accidentally turned her into the same creature she didn’t know he was. It’s more than a simple love triangle because it’s the type of life Elena would have with each, more than her feelings for the men themselves, that drive her decisions.

The show is also bolstered by the pack ensemble, which are secondary to Elena, but still important to the success of the series. Their leader is Jeremy Danvers (Greg Bryk, XIII: The Series), a calm, logical man, who makes the tough decisions while guiding the others on a more peaceful path than past Alphas. His best friend, Antonio Sorrentino (Paulino Nunes, The Firm), could have been Alpha, but chose to step aside. There is also Antonio’s playboy son, Nick (Steve Lund, Haven), and Logan (Michael Xavier, The Best Years), who wants to have a family with Rachel (Genelle Williams, Warehouse 13), something against pack law.

The Premise

The mythology in Bitten is well-developed. Both the arcs for the central cast and the villains brought in fit into a large picture, a world developed long before the show starts, and one that will continue after we stop watching. The season is both a complete story, and a piece of something much bigger. The pacing is good, and the acting is serviceable. While not the number one show on television, it is better than most of its peers because of the depth and cohesion it exhibits.

Those familiar with the source material should be both satisfied and surprised. Having read books one and two so far myself, with plans to continue with the set, I can say that Bitten hews fairly close to the first book in Armstrong’s Otherworld series in a lot of ways, but in others, including a major character death or two, it departs. I like that the show’s writers know what works for TV and what doesn’t, keeping to the spirit of the piece, but not being a slave to it. I do wonder how future seasons will unfold, as Elena only serves as the protagonist for the first two novels in the series, the second book expanding the structure greatly and moving in other directions. I suspect the show may end up telling us a lot of stories involving these players that isn’t on the page, rather than move away from its core.
Features

There are a handful of bonus features included on this set. Audio commentary is provided for the premiere, finale, and pivotal fifth episode, which gives Elena’s back story, certainly the three installments fans would be most interested in hearing commentary for. An eight-minute “Behind the Scenes” spends most of its time telling us who the characters are, rather than really going into how the show is made, a totally unnecessary inclusion to those who have already watched the episodes (or read this review). Similarly, “VFX – Behind the Wolf” talks about how the characters relate to their animal versions much more than the special effects wizardry that goes into creating the effects. The one semi-valuable feature is for those interested in stunt work, as the disc spends more than eight minutes breaking down a few scenes from episodes 11 and 13, mainly by showing picture-in-picture of the finished product versus rehearsal. There are also about 15 minutes of deleted and extended scenes. It’s an acceptable amount of extras, even if the content is a bit weak.

As far as the high definition presented on the Blu-ray, it’s as good as what aired on television, but not a particularly impressive release. The audio is well- mixed, as most shows are these days, but it does not boast surround sound or anything special. The picture is clear enough, but lacking the super crisp detail some series have. My guess is that, because this is a Canadian production, the budget is likely lower than many American series, and the money is mainly spent on special effects, rather than enhancing the video and audio.

Verdict

Still, even with disappointing extras and an acceptable, but not stunning, presentation, Bitten is a solid series that is both enjoyable and engaging. Maybe there are a few too many shirtless men for a straight male like me, but it’s not sappy like Twilight, and it actually takes time to make a gripping tale. I would recommend watching this for anyone who enjoys the genre.

Bitten – The Complete First Season will be available this coming Tuesday.

BITTEN In a Good Way

Article first written for Seat42F.

SyFy’s new BITTEN is a show about werewolves. OK, cue the groan about the gluttony of vampire, werewolves, and their ilk currently on television. And that frustration is understandable, as even though each story is different there are also some overwhelming similarities. But BITTEN does seem different, at least initially, more about a woman trying to define herself than about the creature she sometimes becomes.

Laura Vandervoort (V, Smallville) stars as Elena Michaels, the only female werewolf in the world. A year ago, she left her pack behind to try to make it on her own. Now, after she’s happily settled, living with a man named Philip McAdams (Paul Greene, Wicked Wicked Games) and getting to know his family, she’s called back to rejoin those she left behind.

It’s not that the pack imposes on her unnecessarily. Bodies are showing up in their area, bodies that are ripped apart, as if by an animal, and clearly killed only for sport, breaking one of the cardinal rules of the werewolf race. Elena is their best tracker, and with no one knowing who this new interloper is, they need her to help them find and stop the murderer.

And so Elena is torn. Should she return home to her pack leader, Jeremy Danvers (Greg Bryk, XIII: The Series), and his son, Clayton (Greyson Holt, Durham County), with whom she was once involved, or should she stay with the man she loves? Can she separate herself from the other wolves, or does she have a duty to those she once lived among?

It’s this primary crisis of conscience that makes up the series premiere, and while the outcome is a given, based on the premise of the show, it’s one that Elena doesn’t make easily, and certainly struggles with even after her mind is made up. In this, it’s a familiar story that is usually told having nothing to do with supernatural creatures, grounding the characters in a way that should be accessible to audiences.

While the cast is not that well known, Vandervoort has her share of followers in the science fiction genre. She is actually a good actress, despite her lackluster beginnings, and it was unfortunate V was canceled when she was just starting to show her chops. I do believe that BITTEN will be a good vehicle for her, and we’ll see some talent emerge that she hasn’t yet had a chance to show the world.

One thing that BITTEN may do differently than other werewolf stories, assuming it stays pretty close to the source material, which the network was kind enough to distribute along with the episodes, its werewolf population is very, very low. In the book, it is mentioned that only three dozen of them exist on the entire globe. This greatly limits the amount of characters that can be shown turning into animals, and shrinks the scope in a very manageable way.

It also means that there won’t constantly be more be more furry beasts showing up or exposing their race to the populace at large. Jeremy’s pack represents a significant chunk of all known werewolves, so they can control the story in a very finite manner.

I am anxious to see the development between Elena and Philip’s family. She has to hide who she is from them, and from Philip himself, which again, is something TV audiences have seen before. But the fact that multiple members of Philip’s family are a part of the cast, including his sister Diane (Natalie Brown, Sophie), whom introduced the couple, indicates Elena won’t be running away from the new life she’s established anytime soon.

Keeping a secret identity is likely to make BITTEN veer near the realm of comic book heroes, as much as it also serves the supernatural fans, and adds another layer to the proceedings. Will those normal characters learn about Elena’s nature and will they accept her? Or will she continue to be torn between the two realms, forever hiding, always on the brink of losing what she cares about?

I won’t claim BITTEN is the best new series on the air, or even a revelation for the genre. But I do think it has a strong structure and a great lead, with plenty of fresh elements to explore. In this, it could easily become a show worth watching, and I plan on setting a season pass for now.

BITTEN premieres Monday at 10 p.m. ET on SyFy.