Bitten Recap 'Scare Tactics'

Image from Bitten, streamed via Netflix

Season 2 Episode 2

The second episode of the second season was all about being scared of the scary, powerful thing that was coming. I have not watched Bitten past this episode so I genuinely have no idea how the season would go. I wanted to learn more about the werewolves of Bitten, the different families, the different packs. So, when I saw via the summaries on Netflix that witches were going to be introduced, I was not that happy. The scope of power of witches did not always lead to good stories. How the witches wielded their power in this episode were pretty cool, though, so I am ready and willing to withhold judgement.

Witches Ruth and Paige tried to take Malcolm from the Stonehaven cage via stealth, which did not work because werewolf Logan was there guarding him. So, they decided to simply waltz through the front door and ask Jeremy to hand him over. The force (referred to as ‘he’) who killed the werewolves in Rochester kidnapped a young witch who could not yet defend herself with powers. Ruth and Paige wanted to trade Malcolm in for her freedom.

Jeremy, who did not know about the existence of witches until very recently, refused. Ruth assured him that the werewolves would be begging for the witches’ help soon enough. Ruth was shown channelling her power via her ring earlier. She stealthily left this ring in Stonehaven. Presumably, it was through that ring that she managed to open every door and window in the mansion, including Malcolm’s cage. The next morning, the Stonehaven crew found Malcolm gone.

It was small comfort that Logan and Jeremy had figured out Malcolm had no idea where Rachel was. Malcolm had tried to bargain his freedom for Pachel’s, to no avail. Jeremy advised Logan to prepare himself for the worst.

Elena continued struggling with Philip’s murder. Her meeting with Diane, which went badly, only made her angrier. Malcolm told her he wanted her to know who was boss, and that was her wolf nature. What Malcolm did was destroy her human life in Toronto --- her burgeoning art career, her relationships. Killing Philip was just the final act to make her realise her desire for a human life was futile.

Elena was feral in her anger toward Malcolm. She would have fought him had Clay and Logan not stopped her. Clay had returned from her trip to Louisiana with news about the witches and heartbreaking information about his parents. It was Malcolm who bit Clay all those years ago, and caused him to live in a swamp until Jeremy found him. Yet Malcolm did not stop with Clay. Malcolm murdered Clay’s mother in their trailer. When Clay’s father, a Marine stationed in Somalia, came home and found his wife dead and his son missing, he committed suicide.

Clay’s current life as a professor and a resident of the massive Stonehaven estate was a far cry from his beginnings in that trailer. It seemed that all this time, he never returned home. He never tried to find out what happened to his parents. From what we have seen so far, werewolves were discouraged from forming relationships with humans. It was implied in passing back in the first season that Logan, who grew up with his human mother until he was 16, left her when he joined the Pack.

When Clay showed the symbol found at the Rochester massacre to a professor who was an expert in pagan symbols, the professor was visibly frightened. Professor Shayhaus mentioned ‘left hand path’ which could mean the malevolent practise of witchcraft. He tried to dissuade Clay from investigating the symbol further, but eventually gave Clay the name of a woman who would know more. Clay found Miss Yoruba murdered. That was Malcolm’s work as well, though Malcolm did not find what Clay did, a book with spells on it.

Scare Tactics was not a particularly strong episode. It was more of a portent of things to come rather than a complete tale. I am cautiously optimistic that the second season will be a good one.

Strays

■ Inside the book Clay found was the same symbol at Rochester along with the words ‘The destroyer comes’.

■ Jeremy had the Spanish Alpha Rodrigo come to Stonehaven. Jeremy ripped out his throat in front of Malcolm.

■During the first attempt to take Malcolm, Paige made Nick believe he had gone blind. The witchcraft wore off eventually.

■ Ruth Winterbourne ran a successful cosmetic company.

■ Ruth claimed the witches had survived longer than werewolves. The werewolves had no idea the witches existed but the witches knew about the werewolves.

■ Witches only gave birth to females.

■ During the dialogue with Ruth and Paige, Jeremy asked Clay and Logan to guard the entrance whilst Nick remained with him. It was as though Nick had become his second following the death of Antonio.

■ Malcolm claimed the ones who attacked Rochester were human but they did not feel pain.

■ Malcolm claimed Elena was their future.