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.

V celebrates "Mother's Day"

     What an exciting finale ABC's V delivered! While the show is frequently uneven, and suffers from major plot holes, more so than almost any other show on television, when things work, they really work. The second season finale, entitled "Mother's Day", has few problems. In fact, it is probably one of the strongest episodes to date. Considering the steadily increasing quality, I am really holding out hope for season three, as the series may hit its stride given one more chance. Plus, with a cliffhanger like this, we just need to see more!

     The culmination for control of the V race came to a head. Lisa (Laura Vandervoort) lures Anna (Morena Baccarin) into a trap, intending to kill her. Anna sees what her daughter is about to do in a conveniently located reflective surface, and fakes emotion convincingly enough to stop Lisa. I can see why Lisa gives her mother the benefit of the doubt. Lisa has developed emotions, and so would want to think the best of her mother, no matter what past experience has taught her. Despite Erica's (Elizabeth Mitchell) anger at her, I think Lisa is justified in her actions.

     Sadly, that justification comes with steep consequences. Anna kills her mother, Diana (Jane Badler), whose friends have helped her escape, then installs Lisa in Diana's former dungeon. Anna's backup queen egg hatches, and Anna has her new daughter made to look exactly like Lisa and given her memories. Lisa 2.0 mates with, and kills, Tyler (Logan Huffman), whom Lisa is in love with, while Lisa watches helplessly on a video screen.

     This series has proved to me that Vandervoort's bad run on Smallville was either a fluke, or she has improved greatly in her acting ability. This episode gave her an even bigger chance to shine, as we got to see her as the Lisa we've grown to love AND a ruthless, cold blooded killer more chilling than even Anna. If for no other reason, V needs a third season pick up so we can watch Vandervoort work her magic in the duel role. From what we've seen so far, she is good, like Nina Dobrev in The Vampire Diaries level good.

     The really scary thing about this episode is that Anna finds the true nature of her evil. Up until now, Anna has fought against human emotions, even as they threaten to overwhelm her. The human skin the Vs cover themselves with somehow plays on them, making them more susceptible to feelings. When Anna fights against those emotions, it weakens her. Now that Anna discovers emotions can be used as a weapon, which she wields extremely effectively, she is more dangerous than easily imagined. This is the real consequence of Lisa's failure.

     Also scary? Anna now has a way to bliss mankind, effectively making us her slaves. Little Amy (multiple actresses, as she is rapidly growing), a human / V hybrid, is able to easily deliver bliss to humans, and she loves Anna. While I have viewed Amy mostly as a distraction, and have not at all liked the affect she has had on her father, Ryan (Morris Chestnut), clearly she is something more. Should the series be renewed, I would expect an adult actress to be cast to play a fully grown Amy, and stop the rotation of children. Anna and Amy together may just be unstoppable.

     Of course, humanity does have hope, however slim. Erica Evans began the series with a small cell of people she just met. Earlier this year, she found out how vast a net the Fifth Column casts, before taking over the group. Now, in the finale, she (and we) learn of Project Aries, (led by Marc Singer, like Jane Badler, a cast member in the original V) an international group determined to take out the V. It's interesting, because Erica thought she was fighting alone, and keeps finding larger and larger circles of people who already have the same goal. My question now is, given the scope of anti-V organizations, why didn't they do something before now? Why has Erica been the only one to really strike a blow against the Vs?

     As mentioned above, the body count last night was very high. We lost Tyler, who was mostly an annoying distraction to his mother. We lost Ryan, who has become annoying while being distracted by his daughter. It was only slightly surprising that Dianna died, because Anna had to overcome her somehow, and what transpired is far more exciting than Anna hiding and plotting quietly to take out Diana as she rules in peace, as next season could have been. As such, I don't see any really big losses to the cast, other than possibly Diana, but for the reasons above, I'm OK with it. If anything, the writers did a good job pruning. Time to bring in some fresh blood.

     Thankfully, Chad (Scott Wolf), who used to be annoying, but it just getting started in his usefulness, is merely captured by the Vs, not killed, though why not, I can't imagine. Unless Anna just plans on blissing him and doesn't want to bring in a new reporter to train all over again. I would also like to know where Hobbes (Charles Mesure) has gone, but I am hoping that his character will return to his roots, freed of the burden of Erica. I like the two of them together, but she did tame the beast, so to speak.

     Which just leaves Jack (Joel Gretsch). I really saw a love triangle developing between Erica, Hobbes, and Jack, now that Jack has lost his priesthood collar. It is incredibly ironic how Jack talks of looking to the sky, meaning god, for answers, and that's how Erica finds him at the end of the episode. Only instead of looking at god, he's being blissed by Amy.

     V is on the bubble, but I urge you to write and e-mail ABC asking for its renewal. There is also a facebook site set up for just such a purpose.

Article first published as TV Review: V - "Mother's Day" on Blogcritics.

 For frequent mini-reviews and occasional TV news, follow Jerome on Twitter.

Click here foran alphabetical list of all of Jerome's Current Season Reviews.

V Getting Past "Birth Pangs"

     While I have mostly enjoyed ABC's V, it has had wild swings in quality. At times, the episodes flow nicely and make a lot of sense. Other times, there are gaping plot holes a whole fleet of invading V ships could swarm through. This season has been a bit more even than the first, but the show has gotten to a point where it is exciting enough to overlook some of the flaws. Just some, mind you. If they start to swing too far back the other way, it won't take long to turn against the show once more.

     Erica Evans (Elizabeth Mitchell) is series heroine. The last couple of weeks, Erica has been taking a turn towards bada**, which is welcome. It's about time. For too long, Erica and her friends have been hiding in the dark, barely fighting back against the V invaders. They've done a few little missions, but nothing that meant all that much in the larger scheme, other than slaughtering the eggs at the end of last season. However, after the death of international Fifth Column leader Eli Cohn (Oded Fehr), Erica now finds herself in charge of a vast organization, and she decides to use it.

     At first, though I love seeing Erica in that position, I was resistant to the change. What a coincidence that the worldwide leader just happened to be in Erica's neighborhood! And after only a week or so of knowing each other, he hands the whole thing over to her, rather than the people he has been working with for years. Then I stepped back and tried to view it from his perspective. Erica is a very formidable woman, and has huge stakes in what is going on. Additionally, she has ins and connections that the other followers do not. As such, I began to accept that twist. Eli's top lieutenants doubting her until she could deliver to them progress and a plan also helped with the transition, though I'm not sure that what she accomplished this week would really have been enough to win over her skeptics, converting them into enthusiastic followers.

     That being said, Erica has already uncovered more about the V in the last few weeks than she has all season. She and Hobbes (Charles Mesure) have a rousing sequence in the apartment complex, and her video chat with her original cell is pretty inspiring. With Sid (Bret Harrison) on board, real progress is being made on understanding the V's DNA tampering. As Erica gathers more and more people working for her, I get more and more behind the belief that Erica can topple the technologically-superior aliens. And now that her son Tyler (Logan Huffman) is not around, she has a bit more focus.

     On the subject of Tyler, why the heck doesn't Erica tell him the truth? She should have done so a long time ago. I can't believe that she can't stop him from going to the Vs if she just explains what is going on. Tyler's true loyalty to the aliens is bonded mostly through one particular V, Lisa (Laura Vandervoort), who is on Erica's side! If Erica doesn't want to inform Tyler, can't Lisa? She cares about him, too, so she should stage some sort of break up to keep him safely away. Instead, both Lisa and Erica, who are supposed to care about the boy, let him be pulled into Anna's plans, in which, by the way, Tyler is expendable. Great job, you two!

     Erica has a chance to succeed because of the V uprising brewing against Anna (Morena Baccarin), the series' other leading lady, only on the opposite side of the fight. While thus far the show has shown a two woman battle of the wills between Anna and Erica, every week Anna's daughter, Lisa, is growing more formidable. Yes, Anna is beginning to suspect that Lisa's loyalty isn't with her mother, casting suspicion on her actions. But Lisa has the support of her imprisoned grandmother, Anna's mother, Diana (Jane Badler), which I am thinking may give Lisa the power that she needs to take over the fleet. But if she does that, the show will be over, so I'm not expecting it anytime soon.

     Diana, on the other hand, is simply mysterious. I know she stands against her daughter, but Badler's sly looks make me think that Diana is not just going to stand behind Lisa, either. She must have her own motivations, and while Diana does exhibit emotion, I'm not convinced she suddenly developed feelings for her just-reconnected with granddaughter. I worry that once Lisa gets Diana free of her prison, Erica and the others may suddenly be battling two formidable enemies.

     Luckily, all of these power struggles have been the most interesting part of the show. On both sides of the line, leadership is being questioned and changed, in sometimes action-packed ways, like buildings blowing up and fierce shoot-outs. Honestly, as much as I like the personal drama side of things, V can be a little weak with the writing, so a focus on big action and betrayals is probably the smartest way to go to keep an audience. Know your strengths and your weaknesses, and play to the former.

     I am pretty unnerved about Anna's new hold over Hobbes, supposedly having his wife prisoner. It feels like this has already been done before with Ryan (Morris Chestnut) and his daughter. I think it's lazy of the writers, having lost Ryan from Erica's central group, to just do the same thing to another one of her friends. Unless they play it quite differently going forward, this was a bad move.

     As to how Ryan may or may not be relevant to the story anymore, I don't really see his place. His daughter is more attached to Anna than him, and she's the subject of Anna's latest experiments. The only place story-wise I see to go with Ryan is to have him rescue his daughter. In which case, he will need to find a hiding spot and be a father. I don't see how Ryan could re-enter the fight, unless his daughter is aged to at least teenager before he rescues her (a possibility, I know). Then perhaps they could get into the Fifth Column together. As such, I wonder why Ryan even survived the explosion last week. I think it may have been more dignified than what is character is about to become to the show - a drag.

     Then there's Father Jack (Joel Gretsch). While he has pledged to be a soldier now that he's been kicked out of the church, I can't imagine that means he'll be fine with a killing spree. Will he be Erica's moral compass, letting her know when she's gone too far? I hope that is how he will be used, as if he's not willing to step up in a violently aggressive manner, and I don't see that as a realistic choice, that's his only real purpose.

     Lastly, we have Chad (Scott Wolf), who is just a courier right now. I'm glad that he was swayed from V-supporter to a member of the Fifth Column. But now what? Will he just be a message relayer from Lisa to Erica? I don't see him excelling in combat. His access is limited, at best. Anna uses him, but doesn't really trust him. His place in the series confuses me.

     We're definitely more in the middle of a story arc than at either end, so now is mostly just the time to wonder. To see what comes of things, watch V on ABC Tuesday nights at 9 p.m.


Article first published as TV Review: V Getting Past "Birth Pangs" on Blogcritics.

For frequent mini-reviews and occasional TV news, follow Jerome on Twitter.

V is for Vicious

     What a ride the first season of ABC's V was!  With both a crappy pilot, and a crappy first episode back from the long, winter hiatus, it still managed to be good in succeeding episodes, leading to a wonderfully inventive and intense finale, "Red Sky"!  At least one significant character died, and though I expected it, it didn't take away from the pull of the moment.

     Erica (Elizabeth Mitchell) is the most vulnerable member of the featured cell of the Fifth Column, of which the show partially focuses on.  Her son, Tyler (Logan Huffman) has gotten himself involved with a V, the aliens come to earth on a seemingly peaceful mission, but Erica knows better.  However, she feels she can best protect her son by keeping him in the dark, and now seems to be actively using him to help her terrorist actions.  I'm sympathetic to her plight and position in the F.B.I., charged with heading up the task force against the Fifth Column, but I certainly question her mother abilities.

     Also in Erica's cell is Ryan (Morris Chestnut), a former V spy who now works against them.  It was Ryan's girlfriend, Val (Lourdes Benedicto) who was the main character killed off, after giving birth to his half-human, half-V child.  Her death may be the biggest blow to the Fifth Column yet.  You see, V's don't have human emotions, initially, though they seems to be contagious.  And the cold, calculating Queen of the Vs, Anna (Morena Baccarin), is using Val's death to try to win back Ryan.  If she does, which was uncertain in this week's finale, he could be the most dangerous foe Erica and company have faced.

     Especially interesting is the character of Lisa (Laura Vandervoort), Anna's daughter.  Tasked with getting close to Tyler, and later, Erica, we viewers have gotten to see first hand how emotions can affect and change the V aliens, and Lisa seems to have swung the way of the Fifth Column.  In fact, before the exciting climatic events had finished unfolding, rebel V Joshua (Mark Hildreth) called her queen.

     The introduction of rival queens, fighting for the V species's allegiance, is just one of many things I am looking forward to finding out in the forthcoming second season of the show, a pickup I was pleasantly surprise to learn of.  Another is, what will become of Joshua, who was healed from his near fatal wounds?  And what will Ryan's hybrid child mean to both species?  Also, why did the sky turn red and what does it mean?

     Sci-fi shows don't traditionally do all that well on network television, with a few notable exceptions, and, provided this one can keep growing it's audience, it will be nice to see a new one work.