Supernatural 8.04: Smitten by "Bitten"

Episode 4 of season 8, “Bitten”, marks yet another episode of the series to break the “rules” of both standard television fare and the series itself. Robbie Thompson has written a brilliantly backwards and inside out version of the show. Thomas R Wright must have had hours and hours more film than normal to sift through to edit the episode, but the final product was well worth it. I hope that “hardcore” Supernatural fans will really give this episode its due, even though it is undeniably Sam and Dean-lite. Those who know me, may actually be surprised at how much I liked this episode, but one of the things I like best about Supernatural is its willingness to take chances. While the core of the show is the brothers’ relationship, it’s also about what it means to be a monster and also about the relationship between hunter and hunted and civilization and outsider. This episode focuses more on those themes.

            The episode opens normally enough with some close up shots of bloody walls. We then see Dean and Sam bust into the room, guns drawn, only to discover the dead bodies and a computer with a sticky note on it asking “play me.” Luckily for us, they do and that footage provides the body of the episode. The boys are the framing players in this one and we see the story play out from the monster’s perspective. Now, this gives us a different look at the hunter/hunted relationship, but given Dean’s willingness to let Kate go at the end of the episode, I think it’s safe to say that the brothers have also gained a new perspective. This also provides a little more context and closure to two episodes last season that were contentious among fans at best: “The Girl Next Door” and “Slice Girls”. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that the monster that is the subject of spare or slay is also a woman here.  

            The found footage on the computer was shot mainly by the actors themselves and they did an amazing job. The shakey handheld video images which aren’t nicely framed and often give us the action that we may not want to watch – you know that feeling when you want the ability to turn the camera to someone else? We get lots of shots that only show us part of someone’s face. All of this serves to underscore the feelings of the kids themselves as they slowly learn what’s going on and what it’s done to all of them and as they learn about each other.

            So much of this episode helps to frame the self-discovery of these kids. I really liked the placement of the where do you want to be in five years footage. Seeing it before, their ambitions to be a lawyer (echos of Sam!!!), to work for HBO, to be on a boat seem to be normal and possible. They also seem like doable goals for these kids. Seeing the same footage afterwards simply underscores how badly life can treat you even if you aren’t born a hunter. Kate’s final words that “We don’t get to choose who we are” and that “Michael wasn’t always a monster” resonate not only with the audience, but also with the brothers. I don’t think the choice of Michael for the name of one of the characters can be ignored either. Is there also a possible link to Benny through the boat?

            The pop culture references in the episode also hit home for me, especially Brian referring to Sam and Dean as Starsky and Hutch, though realistically that is likely before the kids’ time. The Rizzoli and Isles comment seemed more likely, and we also get the kids questioning the relationship between the brothers, something we haven’t seen for a while... yes. I miss those jokes... We also got shout outs to The X-Files – “maybe he was bit by an alien” – and then when the FBI are investigating they speculate that Mike is an X-file.

            I very much appreciated the overlay of Lord of the Flies. Is there anyone who wasn’t forced to read it in high school? It’s a wonderful look at how people can do things that they normally wouldn’t when pressured by society or the simple need to survive. It’s also a cautionary tale about being seduced by power. And I wonder how this may play out in relation to Dean’s time in Purgatory. Nobody wants to be Piggy – the character who is bullied and killed in the novel. Everyone wants to be Ralph, the popular kid. The scene where Brian confesses to Kate that he loves her and doesn’t want to be Piggy is heartbreaking. In fact, I think all three guest stars, Brandon Jones as Michael, Leigh Parker as Brian, and Brit Sheridan as Kate, did a fantastic job.

            I will quibble with the mythology a bit in this episode. I thought we had learned before that werewolves couldn’t eat animal hearts to survive and that they essentially completely lost their humanity when they changed. Having the professor, be close to, but not the alpha, didn’t really help to solve these issues for me. In a show that is as tightly written as Supernatural is, I am always a little disappointed when they don’t stick closely to established mythology – a standard I wouldn’t hold many shows to admittedly. I did really enjoy the scene in which Dean and Sam kill the professor. The way it was shot reminded me of the scene in “Born Under a Bad Sign” that captures “Sam” on tape killing Steve Wandell. I don’t think there’s a parallel in the action, but the framing and quality of the shots are a nice echo of the surveillance footage. On the other hand, having the brothers accept Kate’s promise not to kill her because she hasn’t yet killed anyone and can survive without ever killing someone is consistent. Dean might reflect on his ability to resist drinking blood when turned into a vamp. And in “The Girl Next Door” Amy has already killed. There are no girls on the island in Lord of the Flies, so this may also be a reason why she’s the one able to survive.

            The end of the episode brings us back to Sam and Dean – and Kate heading off on a lonely existence as a monster fugitive. I have to admit that I thought I’d somehow missed the credits until they played at the end of the episode. Supernatural has a great history in playing with their credits and title cards and this is no exception. Placing the credits here really underscored that this is usually the place where we would enter the story.

            There was a lot to appreciate and like about this episode. I know that a lot of fans will be upset about the lack of Sam and Dean in the episode, but I’m hoping that after the initial distress wears off, the majority will be able to appreciate the fine work done in this episode by the entire cast, crew, and production team. I’m looking forward to hearing about the references I may have missed in the episode and how you see the themes explored in the episode playing out against the backdrop of this season. While I want to know what you think, please try to keep your comments positive – or at least not just “not enough Sam and Dean”...

            My last thoughts this week? I’m so excited for our next episode which airs on Holloween! Is there a more fitting night of the year for Supernatural?