Review | 8x04 | Bitten
Robbie Thompson was, hands down, my favourite writer in S7 - every single one of his episodes were instant Supernatural classics for me - so, naturally, I was eagerly awaiting his first episode of S8. Unfortunately, Bitten proves to be the first interruption of his winning streak for me. Now, from a purely technical/narrative point of view, the episode is done really well. As usual, Thompson is exceptionally good at paying homage to his chosen genre - the 'found footage' genre in this case - and at playing with different visual styles. However, I think Bitten is the wrong episode at the wrong time, because it kills the momentum the season gained just last episode. I think I would have enjoyed the episode a lot more, had it come at a different point in the season.
I have to admit, I am rather puzzled by the opening act of S8 so far. From S2 onwards, it has become somewhat of a tradition that the first four episodes of a new season form a character-centric unit, thus building a strong foundation for Sam and Dean’s emotional arcs before the complication phase of the season sets in. For example, the first four episodes of S2 built a mini-arc that started with John’s death and ended with Sam and Dean finding common ground in their grief; in S5 the first few episodes explored the effect Sam’s betrayal had on his relationship with Dean, culminating in their first act of reconciliation; and at the beginning of S7, each episode picked up where the previous one had left off, resulting in an extensive introduction to Sam’s mental problems and Dean’s depression. In comparison, this season’s opening act feels disjointed. Moreover, there is an irritating lack of focus on the brothers’ storylines. I mean, in What’s up, Tiger Mommy Sam and Dean played second fiddle to Kevin and Linda Tran, and in Bitten the brothers have barely five minutes of screen time, thus effectively killing the momentum their character arcs gained just last episode. To be honest, this feels like a stalling tactic on the writers’ part. First, they set up the mystery about Sam and Dean’s time apart, and then they postpone giving the answers. I suppose they want to create suspense, but it has the exact opposite effect on me. Now, there is nothing wrong with breaking the normal format - I actually like the 'found footage' style, and I love outsider point of view - but usually these kinds of unorthodox episodes, like Ghostfacers or The French Mistake, air in the early second half of the season, i.e. after the mid-season resolution/turning point, and I think that serves the narrative flow of the season a lot better.
Sam: "Look, Kate’s right. She hasn’t hurt anybody. Well, anybody human, at least."
Dean: "Yeah, she didn’t choose this. Let’s give her a shot."
Thematically, Bitten raises several questions that have been present in the show from the very beginning - like, for example, what makes a monster a monster, and do monsters have the right to live - and Sam and Dean’s outlook on these issues has changed surprisingly little over the years. Usually, the brothers kill monsters without questioning the morality of it, and with good reason, as most monsters Sam and Dean encounter in their line of work have little regard for human lives. In the few cases that invite doubt about their course of action, Dean tends to take a hard line, but he is not entirely without sympathy. Similarly, Sam tends to take the viewpoint that monsters are not necessarily evil and deserve a chance to prove their 'humanity', but when push comes to shove, he is still willing to make the tough decisions. Now, I think that Sam and Dean’s individual reactions to Kate’s tale in Bitten fall into a pretty familiar pattern, even though it seems like the writers want to insinuate that they do not. I mean, I suppose we are to assume that Dean letting Kate go is based on his experience in purgatory - his friendship with Benny in particular - and it may very well be a factor in his decision. However, I would maintain that even before Dean went to purgatory, he would have spared Kate’s life with little hesitation.
As I already pointed out in my review for the season premiere, Dean may have always been more comfortable with clear lines between monsters and humans, but that does not mean that he is incapable of compromise. "Our job is hunting evil, and if these things aren’t killing people, they are not evil," Sam told Dean back in Bloodlust and that is a guideline Dean consistently followed throughout the years - as long as a monster refrains from killing, Dean will allow it to live. After all, being born as a 'monster' (or made into one) does not define who someone is, their choices and actions do, and Dean clearly understands that. I mean, back in Bloodlust he let Lenore go because she resisted her instinct to feed on humans; in Metamorphosis Dean gave into Sam’s demand that they refrain from taking action against the rugaru Jack, as long as he does not give into his cravings for human flesh; in I Believe The Children Are Our Future Dean refused to make an attempt on Jesse’s life because, despite being born as the antichrist, he was an innocent child at the time; in The Girl Next Door Dean killed Amy because she had murdered four people, but he let her son go because he had not harmed anyone yet; and in The Slice Girls he would have let his daughter Emma go, had she turned away from the Amazons’ custom of killing their fathers.
So, overall, I think that, even outside the context of his time in purgatory, Dean letting Kate go makes perfect sense. Kate may have had no choice when Brian turned her into a monster, but she did have the choice of how to deal with it - and she chose her humanity. I think that is something Dean would always have respected. Now, I have no doubt that Dean’s friendship with Benny has a moderating effect on Dean’s hatred for all things supernatural and further facilitates his ability to sympathise with monsters, but I think Dean’s understanding for Kate’s situation is not the best way to show it. In fact, I think that last week’s episode underscored the change in Dean’s attitude towards monsters way more effectively than Bitten does. I mean, Dean clearly sympathised with Betsy, a human who protected a monster and knowingly turned a blind eye to the fact that said monster practiced human sacrifice. That is something I think pre-purgatory Dean would never have tolerated, and I suspect that his relationship with Benny is the decisive factor in his tolerant attitude. I mean, Dean knows that it is in the nature of vampires to feed on humans and Benny does not strike me as the reformed kind of vampire at all, so I think Dean has every reason to suspect that Benny resumed feeding on humans after they escaped from purgatory, and yet he chooses to ignore that possibility, just like Betsy chose to ignore her husband’s need for human hearts.
As for Sam, I think it is interesting to note that, even though Sam’s expression after watching Kate’s video indicates that he sympathises with her and has no desire to hunt her down, he suggests to go after her anyway, simply because he assumes that Dean wants it - an impression that is further substantiated by Sam’s visible relief when Dean proposes to give Kate a shot at proving herself. I find this interesting because, in the past, Sam would have instantly struck up an argument with Dean; he would have tried to advocate Kate’s right to live and convince Dean to give her a chance to prove that she will not stray from the straight and narrow. At present, however, Sam simply anticipates Dean’s position and goes along with it, and that reminds me of Sam’s rather passive reaction to Dean’s more radical behaviour in What’s Up, Tiger Mommy. I assume that Sam’s overall passivity is the result of his reluctance to return to the hunt in the first place. He has lost his enthusiasm for the hunt, and it shows. I think, essentially, Sam and Dean find themselves in the exact opposite situation than at the beginning of S7, where Sam was the one eager to hunt, while Dean was barely able to get up in the mornings, and I am curious to see where the writers will take it from here.
What else is noteworthy:
(1) Even though Sam and Dean are barely in the episode, we do get a couple of interesting titbits about the brothers. For example, Brian’s statement that Sam and Dean spent the majority of their dinner talk discussing their year apart, tells us that the brothers continue their open and honest exchange about their different experiences, and I find that heartening. Granted, it frustrates me greatly that we have been excluded from that particular conversation, and the moment Brian mentioned Sam and Dean’s conversation, I really could not care less about the guest characters’ problems, but still, it is good to know that Sam and Dean are constantly communicating, even when we are not privy to it. Similarly, the fact that Dean accuses his brother of being rusty, when Sam states that there is no real case in town, indicates that Dean is still not done needling Sam about his retirement from the hunt last year, and while I understand where he is coming from, I really wished he was a little less aggressive towards Sam. On a more positive note, I love that Sam never grows tired of complaining about Dean’s unhealthy eating habits, and Dean shooting his health-freak of a brother down with a Friday Night Lights reference makes that little exchange even more delightful. ♥
(2) There are a lot of interesting layers in the episode that are well worth exploring. Like, for example, the way the visual style of the episode supports the story of Brian, Kate and Michael; or the fact that the episode reflects on different facets and origins of monsters; or the parallels between Brian and Sam, who both made bad choices because they felt weak and betrayed their best friends/brother in the process; or the similarities between Sam and Kate, who were both physically changed by a monster and fought for their humanity ever since; or the parallels between Dean and Michael, who both abhorred what they had become and who struggled with the loss of their sense of self, all of which undermined their outgoing, optimistic nature. However, unlike with last week’s episode Heartache, I do not feel inspired enough by the episode to dwell on the different aspects of the story at length, so this short overview has to suffice. Let’s just hope the next episode appeals more to my meta muse than Bitten does.
In conclusion: While Bitten is an excellent example of the writers’ ability to work outside of Supernatural’s usual format, the episode simply feels like a waste of time at this point in the season. It would have fit a lot better in the second half of the season. Moreover, I think the writers’ effort to illustrate Dean’s changed attitude towards monsters somewhat misses the mark, as his decision at the end of the episode does not really differ from the decisions he made in similar situations in the past. Also, the fact that I have little reason to care about the one-off characters makes it difficult for me to feel truly invested in the episode, no matter how well done it is. I really hope that, from now on, the writers will focus more on Sam and Dean’s storylines, because I fear my patience with this season is beginning to wear thin.
To give you the heads up, it is quite possible that I will not be able to draft a review for the next episode. My sisters will arrive for an extended visit tomorrow and I will have little time to watch the new episode, let alone write a couple of thousand words of meta. So, I will probably have to postpone the review till the winter hiatus and just post a quick episode reaction instead.
I have to admit, I am rather puzzled by the opening act of S8 so far. From S2 onwards, it has become somewhat of a tradition that the first four episodes of a new season form a character-centric unit, thus building a strong foundation for Sam and Dean’s emotional arcs before the complication phase of the season sets in. For example, the first four episodes of S2 built a mini-arc that started with John’s death and ended with Sam and Dean finding common ground in their grief; in S5 the first few episodes explored the effect Sam’s betrayal had on his relationship with Dean, culminating in their first act of reconciliation; and at the beginning of S7, each episode picked up where the previous one had left off, resulting in an extensive introduction to Sam’s mental problems and Dean’s depression. In comparison, this season’s opening act feels disjointed. Moreover, there is an irritating lack of focus on the brothers’ storylines. I mean, in What’s up, Tiger Mommy Sam and Dean played second fiddle to Kevin and Linda Tran, and in Bitten the brothers have barely five minutes of screen time, thus effectively killing the momentum their character arcs gained just last episode. To be honest, this feels like a stalling tactic on the writers’ part. First, they set up the mystery about Sam and Dean’s time apart, and then they postpone giving the answers. I suppose they want to create suspense, but it has the exact opposite effect on me. Now, there is nothing wrong with breaking the normal format - I actually like the 'found footage' style, and I love outsider point of view - but usually these kinds of unorthodox episodes, like Ghostfacers or The French Mistake, air in the early second half of the season, i.e. after the mid-season resolution/turning point, and I think that serves the narrative flow of the season a lot better.
Sam: "Look, Kate’s right. She hasn’t hurt anybody. Well, anybody human, at least."
Dean: "Yeah, she didn’t choose this. Let’s give her a shot."
Thematically, Bitten raises several questions that have been present in the show from the very beginning - like, for example, what makes a monster a monster, and do monsters have the right to live - and Sam and Dean’s outlook on these issues has changed surprisingly little over the years. Usually, the brothers kill monsters without questioning the morality of it, and with good reason, as most monsters Sam and Dean encounter in their line of work have little regard for human lives. In the few cases that invite doubt about their course of action, Dean tends to take a hard line, but he is not entirely without sympathy. Similarly, Sam tends to take the viewpoint that monsters are not necessarily evil and deserve a chance to prove their 'humanity', but when push comes to shove, he is still willing to make the tough decisions. Now, I think that Sam and Dean’s individual reactions to Kate’s tale in Bitten fall into a pretty familiar pattern, even though it seems like the writers want to insinuate that they do not. I mean, I suppose we are to assume that Dean letting Kate go is based on his experience in purgatory - his friendship with Benny in particular - and it may very well be a factor in his decision. However, I would maintain that even before Dean went to purgatory, he would have spared Kate’s life with little hesitation.
As I already pointed out in my review for the season premiere, Dean may have always been more comfortable with clear lines between monsters and humans, but that does not mean that he is incapable of compromise. "Our job is hunting evil, and if these things aren’t killing people, they are not evil," Sam told Dean back in Bloodlust and that is a guideline Dean consistently followed throughout the years - as long as a monster refrains from killing, Dean will allow it to live. After all, being born as a 'monster' (or made into one) does not define who someone is, their choices and actions do, and Dean clearly understands that. I mean, back in Bloodlust he let Lenore go because she resisted her instinct to feed on humans; in Metamorphosis Dean gave into Sam’s demand that they refrain from taking action against the rugaru Jack, as long as he does not give into his cravings for human flesh; in I Believe The Children Are Our Future Dean refused to make an attempt on Jesse’s life because, despite being born as the antichrist, he was an innocent child at the time; in The Girl Next Door Dean killed Amy because she had murdered four people, but he let her son go because he had not harmed anyone yet; and in The Slice Girls he would have let his daughter Emma go, had she turned away from the Amazons’ custom of killing their fathers.
So, overall, I think that, even outside the context of his time in purgatory, Dean letting Kate go makes perfect sense. Kate may have had no choice when Brian turned her into a monster, but she did have the choice of how to deal with it - and she chose her humanity. I think that is something Dean would always have respected. Now, I have no doubt that Dean’s friendship with Benny has a moderating effect on Dean’s hatred for all things supernatural and further facilitates his ability to sympathise with monsters, but I think Dean’s understanding for Kate’s situation is not the best way to show it. In fact, I think that last week’s episode underscored the change in Dean’s attitude towards monsters way more effectively than Bitten does. I mean, Dean clearly sympathised with Betsy, a human who protected a monster and knowingly turned a blind eye to the fact that said monster practiced human sacrifice. That is something I think pre-purgatory Dean would never have tolerated, and I suspect that his relationship with Benny is the decisive factor in his tolerant attitude. I mean, Dean knows that it is in the nature of vampires to feed on humans and Benny does not strike me as the reformed kind of vampire at all, so I think Dean has every reason to suspect that Benny resumed feeding on humans after they escaped from purgatory, and yet he chooses to ignore that possibility, just like Betsy chose to ignore her husband’s need for human hearts.
As for Sam, I think it is interesting to note that, even though Sam’s expression after watching Kate’s video indicates that he sympathises with her and has no desire to hunt her down, he suggests to go after her anyway, simply because he assumes that Dean wants it - an impression that is further substantiated by Sam’s visible relief when Dean proposes to give Kate a shot at proving herself. I find this interesting because, in the past, Sam would have instantly struck up an argument with Dean; he would have tried to advocate Kate’s right to live and convince Dean to give her a chance to prove that she will not stray from the straight and narrow. At present, however, Sam simply anticipates Dean’s position and goes along with it, and that reminds me of Sam’s rather passive reaction to Dean’s more radical behaviour in What’s Up, Tiger Mommy. I assume that Sam’s overall passivity is the result of his reluctance to return to the hunt in the first place. He has lost his enthusiasm for the hunt, and it shows. I think, essentially, Sam and Dean find themselves in the exact opposite situation than at the beginning of S7, where Sam was the one eager to hunt, while Dean was barely able to get up in the mornings, and I am curious to see where the writers will take it from here.
What else is noteworthy:
(1) Even though Sam and Dean are barely in the episode, we do get a couple of interesting titbits about the brothers. For example, Brian’s statement that Sam and Dean spent the majority of their dinner talk discussing their year apart, tells us that the brothers continue their open and honest exchange about their different experiences, and I find that heartening. Granted, it frustrates me greatly that we have been excluded from that particular conversation, and the moment Brian mentioned Sam and Dean’s conversation, I really could not care less about the guest characters’ problems, but still, it is good to know that Sam and Dean are constantly communicating, even when we are not privy to it. Similarly, the fact that Dean accuses his brother of being rusty, when Sam states that there is no real case in town, indicates that Dean is still not done needling Sam about his retirement from the hunt last year, and while I understand where he is coming from, I really wished he was a little less aggressive towards Sam. On a more positive note, I love that Sam never grows tired of complaining about Dean’s unhealthy eating habits, and Dean shooting his health-freak of a brother down with a Friday Night Lights reference makes that little exchange even more delightful. ♥
(2) There are a lot of interesting layers in the episode that are well worth exploring. Like, for example, the way the visual style of the episode supports the story of Brian, Kate and Michael; or the fact that the episode reflects on different facets and origins of monsters; or the parallels between Brian and Sam, who both made bad choices because they felt weak and betrayed their best friends/brother in the process; or the similarities between Sam and Kate, who were both physically changed by a monster and fought for their humanity ever since; or the parallels between Dean and Michael, who both abhorred what they had become and who struggled with the loss of their sense of self, all of which undermined their outgoing, optimistic nature. However, unlike with last week’s episode Heartache, I do not feel inspired enough by the episode to dwell on the different aspects of the story at length, so this short overview has to suffice. Let’s just hope the next episode appeals more to my meta muse than Bitten does.
In conclusion: While Bitten is an excellent example of the writers’ ability to work outside of Supernatural’s usual format, the episode simply feels like a waste of time at this point in the season. It would have fit a lot better in the second half of the season. Moreover, I think the writers’ effort to illustrate Dean’s changed attitude towards monsters somewhat misses the mark, as his decision at the end of the episode does not really differ from the decisions he made in similar situations in the past. Also, the fact that I have little reason to care about the one-off characters makes it difficult for me to feel truly invested in the episode, no matter how well done it is. I really hope that, from now on, the writers will focus more on Sam and Dean’s storylines, because I fear my patience with this season is beginning to wear thin.
To give you the heads up, it is quite possible that I will not be able to draft a review for the next episode. My sisters will arrive for an extended visit tomorrow and I will have little time to watch the new episode, let alone write a couple of thousand words of meta. So, I will probably have to postpone the review till the winter hiatus and just post a quick episode reaction instead.