Monday, February 29, 2016

Bitten, Season 3, Episode 3: Right Behind You


Time for my pouty frustrated face

I’m not frustrated by how this episode went, but by how it got there

Today, everything was revealed to the rest of the pack – so Jeremy et al are aware that Sasha Antinov and his kids are in America and that Roman wants them handing over – something Jeremy has already promised to do.

This puts the North American Pack in something of an awkward position – the Russian pack is bigger (especially after the recent losses the North American pack has suffered), even when Karl reveals that it’s not quite as united as it seems (relying on a whole lot of bribes to keep the disparate factions united) and Roman has been steadily moving more and more wolves into the US.

It’s not a good place for the Pack to be in. And it could have been a great storyline

Again, this frustration comes from my reading of the books – But I’m going to complain about it anyway. In the books Jeremy would have been awesome with this storyline! In the books he would have spoken to Clay and Elena and other wolves, taken their advice, explored options, thought and then made a decision – and it would have been a decision everyone would have supported because they respected him that much! It would have been excellent and told us, yet again, why Jeremy is such a supremely good alpha

Instead we have this Jeremy who frets about Elena keeping secrets and being distant – without for one second acknowledging that she may be being secretive because he is less approachable than a rabid porcupine! How about, for one second, realising that the reason people are keeping secrets from him is because he rides roughshod over every suggestion and concern raised? Even this episode, when Elena speaks to him he pulls the whole “I am Alpha. Do not question!” Why offer advice or objection when it’s rejected out of hand.

Sadly none of them make the obvious point that allowing Roman to hunt mutts in his territory, allowing him to bring in more and more wolves without permission doesn’t exactly make Jeremy look in control either.


There’s a lot of debate back and forth over who can trust who, from Antonin and his kids as well as Jeremy trying to find a middle road until something fortuitous happens: in an attempt to grab Sasha, Roman’s son holds a knife to Elena’s throat

That’s a definite breach of the treaty, gives the American pack a hostage and room to negotiate.

Also, Sheriff Karen in town is no longer sheriff, but she is still aware that odd things are happening at Stonehaven.

I just think this whole thing could have been a much better story if Jeremy wasn’t depicted the way he is – the inflexible alpha constantly trying to control everything through threat and force (and not being all that effective about it either) and was only, very belatedly, moved to help Elena’s family when she tearfully begged: rather than as a pack coming together under Jeremy's excellent leadership to address a problem