Robin’s Ramblings – “Supernatural” 8.04 “Bitten”

BITTEN
Season 8 Episode 4
Robin’s Ramblings by Robin Vogel

Sam and Dean enter an off college campus house covered with blood, strewn with dead bodies. “”What’s The Matter” by Milo Green is playing in the background. Dean stops the music, checks upstairs and reports back downstairs to Sam that the rest of the place is clear. “No ID on this one”, says Sam, lifting up the sheet on the body, “And um, no clue who is painted on the walls”. “Well whatever happened, looks like we missed it’, says Dean. “Yeah, right”, Sam agrees then notices a computer with a Post-It note that says PLAY ME. “What the hell?” remarks Dean, and cues it up. THIS SHOULD HAVE NEVER ENDED THIS WAY, it reads, as the titles lights our screen. 

Some kids are making a movie, and it’s jerky and headache making. “In a world where nothing is what it seems”, says one kid, “One brave, shockingly handsome, virile young man and his faithful,” (His dark-haired friend makes faces), “a learning-disabled, robotic manservant, must battle through waves of cybernetic asshats in order to sexually liberate the women of. . .”  His partner wrestles away the camera.  “Aw, please, I bet at least one of these girls would let you partake in their awkward guy experimental phase”, the blonde teases his dark-haired friend. “What?–these girls?” The dark-haired guy says doubtfully, “Hash-tag fails”, he labels each girl at the table through the camera lens, “Home-schooled, secretly in love with her roommate, listens to country music, oh, dude, 12 o’clock” (about a stunning blonde with short hair). She heads their way, and the dark-haired guy, in panic, hands the camera to his blonde friend. “Were you just filming me?” She demands. “No”, blondie lies. “I wouldn’t do that.” She is filming him back, and asks, “Does that have the new firmware?” “Err, yes, yes it does” he replies, smiling. “How’s it handle?” She asks, gazing at him through her lens. “You tell me,” he says, handing her his camera. “Well, your settings are way off” she says. “I like the way the colors.” the dark-haired guy says, “you probably don’t care about that.” “Yeah, so you weren’t checking me out?” she says. “Well, I do have a thing for beautiful women” blondie admits. “Who respect their privacy.” “I have a thing for guys with cool camera” she smiles.

Later, the two blondes Michael and Kate have gotten it on. Kate walks past Brian, the dark-haired kid, who, alone and forlorn, is working at the computer.
 
Later, at a bar, she’s sitting across from someone saying she prefers the film Last Year At Marienbad to another film, asking how he likes that lens. “It’s lighter for sure,” he says. “You know, Michael knows nothing about cameras, right?” He asks. “Yeah” she smiles, “But I’m teaching him.” “Teaching who?” Asks Michael, joining them. “My boyfriend” she says, “He’s ah, big, tall and handsome.” “Sounds delish” says Michael, sliding an arm around her. “Yeah” she agrees, “You should totally meet him.” They kiss.
 
“Let’s see, she says, five years from now, hopefully I’ll pass the bar exam, practicing law, nothing corporate, something, ah, something green, you know.” Kate’s sitting on a sofa, Michael’s head in her lap, Brian listening from his seat at the computer. “Green is good,” says Brian, “Hippy” teases Michael. “Something for HBO” suggests Brian, “Or like Michael Moore would be cool?” Michael thinks that would be double hippy. “I will be on a boat in the middle of the ocean” says Michael, “My beautiful girl by my side.” “Aw…sap” says Kate. “And you can come, too” says Michael. “Nice, see what he just did there, she points out. She kisses Michael, and we see how jealous Brian is.
 
Lecture Hall.  Brian is filming Kate attempting to awaken Michael. The professor is ordering everyone to take notes. They are discussing “Lord Of The Flies”. Afterward, Michael asks what he missed, and Kate says, “Just another pitch-perfect lecture from Professor Ludensky, did you know Simon was a Christ figure?” “Yup. . .no” says Michael, and to Brian, “Please tell me you taped it.” “Who loves ya?” Brian asks. “I wish I could quit you,” teases Michael. “Yeah, right, yeah” says Brian, who is knocked to the ground by a passing student. It looks like Michael is going to get into it with the guy, but he doesn’t.
 
They come across a murder on campus; Brian asks Kate to shoot some of it for his movie. Kate isn’t sure that’s legal, but she’s concerned this is two blocks from where they live. Sam and Dean pull up in the Impala, and Brian dubs them Starsky and Hutch, while Michael dubs them Rizzoli and Isles. They introduce themselves as Agents Rose and Hudson. A woman upstairs, not too reliable, heard an attack, a growl like a coyote and came down and found her neighbor, Jacob Carter.

“So, the FBI is here,” says Kate, looking over the footage they shot, “Your neighbor got murdered, but you’re totally cool.” Toothbrush in his mouth, Brian points out that if the FBI is here, that’s good, right? “That is SO annoyingly logical,” she says. Michael puts a song on for Kate, it was playing when they first met, he says. “You are so disgustingly sweet,” she says, kissing him. But she’s annoyed that Brian wants him to come out and test the new cameras, and she knows they’re going out to shoot scenes for Jackass. “We both know he has nobody else to do this with” says Michael softly, “Rain check.” “Whatever, you’re dead to me,” she teases, smooching him again.
 
Outside, Michael urges Brian to “Do something cool.” Brian wants to hang upside down in a tree, which Brian thinks cool, and Michael Dumb and Dumber 3, but when they spot Sam and Dean, Brian asks Michael to help him down. They listen in on them. “Alright, there is not a case here,” insists Sam. “There IS a case here, you’re rusty,” insists Dean, “We just got to dig a little deeper.” “Is it just me, or are you getting a workplace romance vibe from those two?” Michael asks. They come across a couple and film them. “D-bags, mating in the wild” quips Michael. The girl ends up shoving the guy away, however.  “Strike three, yer a dick! –this is gonna look great on YouTube!” Then the guy spots them. “Oh crap.” “What the hell!” Demands the guy, chasing them. They run, laughing. Michael yells, “Brian, meet me at Scott’s mother’s house! Come on, I played it fair and square, man! Thanks for a great night out, Bri.” Above him, there is growling. “Hello? Hello! Scott, cut it out, man!” He runs, breathless, calling, “God!” He is crawling, something after him. Something gets him, and he screams. “Hey Michael, you can come out now, dude, Scott looked for us for a while but bailed.” He finds a camera on the ground. “Mike? Mike?” He hears heavy breathing. “Dude? My God, dude! Michael, you okay, man?” He finds him. “I’m okay?” “What happened?” “I dunno, I dunno.” There is a deep gash in his body. “Oh, God!” Brian helps him back to the house. Kate runs over. “Baby, what happened?” She is about to call 911, but the bite mark is completely gone! “It’s okay” Kate assures him, but Michael is still gasping for breath.
 
Later, it’s daylight.  “Doctor said he was gonna be fine, you heard him” Brian tells Kate, “…literally not a scratch on the kid.” “If anything happens to Michael” she says, “I don’t know what. . . ”  He shushes her. “It’s okay” he assures her. Michael pulls the door OFF the hinges. “Did you just pull that OFF?” Kate asks. Laughing, Michael holds Kate over his head while Brian films, then catches and kisses her. Researching, she suggests maybe he got bit by an alien. “Or maybe a mutant bit you!” suggests Brian. “Am I a superhero now?” wonders Michael. 

Kate catches Brian setting up cameras around the house. “What are you doing?” she asks. “Finally found my movie” he exults. “What?–Michael?” she says, “Michael is not your movie, we don’t even know what happened to him.” “Exactly” says Brian, “I’m going to get Michael’s origin story on camera!”
 
Later, Michael, making a sandwich, complains that Brian is creeping him out, “Nothing superheroic to see her, just a delicious bagel.” “I have this idea,” says Brian, “Don’t laugh, I really want to be able to do what you do, so I think maybe we could go back out there, get that thing to bite me, and we can both be superheroes.” “Stop!” Michael orders, “What, are you serious?” “You can’t keep this to yourself” Brian insists. “Keep what to myself?” says Michael, “We don’t even know what this thing is, why the hell would you want it?” “I don’t want to be Piggy anymore man” says Brian, gently touching his friend. “You’re not a pig man” says Michael, pulling away, “Listen to me, there’s nothing wrong with you, you just gotta figure out what it is you want and go after it, I’m telling you, you don’t want this.” Standing, Brian is angry, “Right, because I don’t wanna be super-strong!–or have a prayer of getting any ass this year!–or. . .please. . .please!”  “NO, man!” Michael cries, “No!” He tosses the plate and exits the room.
 
Later, Brian works on the film; Kate and Michael are sitting on the sofa together. Someone knocks, the latter two yell NOT IT! Muttering “Children,” Brian answers the door. He whispers, “Dudes, it’s the FBI!” They hastily hide the bong. Special Agents Rose and Hudson want to ask a few questions about the murder that occurred a few blocks away. Sam asks Brian if he knew the victim. “Not really” Brian responds. Dean asks if he remembers anything unusual about that night. “Not that I recall” replies Brian. “Heard about anyone in the neighborhood getting ahh, getting bit?” questions Sam, “Humor me.” “I don’t think so” lies Brian. “All right, no worries” says Sam, handing over a card, “How about this, if you hear anything strange, call us, no matter how late, thanks.” Brian accepts the card and closes the door. “So, what do you think?” Dean asks his brother. “Based on what we’ve got so far, we could be dealing with another Mayan God” says Sam. “That’s fantastic” says Dean, “Because the other one was such a joy!” “Canvas dormitories?” Sam suggests. “Yeah” agrees Dean.
 
“The FBI are looking for what bit you” reports Brian to Michael, who is holding the bong, “Are you an X-File?”  “No, not an X-File” says Kate, “Listen”, she plays back the part about the Mayan God. “I’m a golden God!” Michael exults standing on a chair. They all whoop at that.
 
In the middle of the night, Michael awakens, leaving Kate asleep in bed. He takes the camera with him, filming himself in the mirror. “I am a golden God” he says, “I am a God.” Then his pupils grow larger and smaller. He grows enormous fangs, and his fingernails elongate into sharp points. He punches the mirror. He returns to Kate and caresses her face with a long-nailed hand. He goes to the kitchen and chows down on leftover food, Chinese, whatever, and beer. He’s ravenous. He takes the car keys and leaves the apartment.
 
We meet a group of local kids patrolling for the animal who killed a local citizen, making sure the streets are safe for all “You fine honeys out there, let’s fan out, boys!”  One of them, Scotty, runs into Michael, heading home with groceries. “Back off, douchewill?” Michael orders. “Oooh, I’m so scared,” says Scotty, “Listen, what the. . .” Michael is abruptly gone, bags dropped on the ground. Spotting him running away, Scotty pursues Michael, “I’ve got you now, you piece of. . .why don’t you come take your beating like a man?–if you won’t come out and play, I’ll go visit that little piece of yours!–Kate?–yeah, I’ll go visit Katie’s, show her what a real man—-Michael?” He searches through the trees for his prey, “Dude, do you think this is funny?–come on!–cut it out!” Growling. Scotty runs into something, and the screen goes black as he screams.
 
Aiming the camera at Kate, Brian asks, “Can I ask you something about him, with everything that’s happened, are you afraid of him?” “At first, yeah” she admits, “…it was pretty scary, but then, to be totally honest, it’s actually been pretty hot.” “O.M.G” Brian says just as Michael, face and shirt covered in blood, enters. Kate screams. Later, when Michael is showering, she says, “Baby, just. . .can you tell us what happened?” “I ahh I ran into Scott, he chased me and I think I killed him” Michael says as water and blood pour down the drain. “What?” Brian says. “Turn it off” Kate orders, “OFF!” There is a quick shot of the blood in the bathtub. Then, Michael confessing he saw red, then, he was running home. Kate is pacing. Brian asks, “On the video, what were those things on your hands?–claws?” “Did anybody see you?” Kate asks. “Kate, you’re not trying to justify…” begins Brian. “We don’t know what happened!” Kate insists, “What, he can’t defend himself?!”  She grabs the camera.

Crime scene, Sam and Dean are accusing the cops of not doing their job. The cop says the same thing that killed the Carter kid got Mr. Parker. “The same “thing”?” repeats Sam. “I’m only the local yokel here, says the cop, but this kid was shredded by an animal. His heart was found by a patrolman up the way there, eaten, mostly.” “Show us” remarks Dean. Brian is up front, filming it all. Back home, Brian shakes Michael awake, even though Kate tries to stop him. “Did you eat a human heart?” Brian asks his friend. “What are you talkin’ about?” Michael demands. “Scott’s dead” Brian tells him, “He was shredded and his heart’s gone.” “It doesn’t mean that Michael…” insists Kate. “What do you think happened to it?” Brian asks, “What happened to it?” “I don’t remember what happened” Michael says, pushing Brian away. Brian pushes him, “Don’t LIE TO ME!” “Brian, calm down!” Kate pleads, “Look, there’s gotta be an explanation for this” “Really?” says Brian. “It was self-defense” Kate says, standing between them. “Eating a heart is self-defense,” says Brian in disbelief, “Kat who are you trying to convince, me or yourself?” “You need to back off!” orders Michael. “Why, you gonna eat my heart, too?” Brian demands. Michael punches his friend in the stomach, sending him flying across the room and over the kitchen table. “MICHAEL!” Kate screams.

Kate holds Michael in her arms. “I don’t know what’s happening to me” he agonizes, “I don’tknow who I am anymore.” “You’re Michael Wheeler” she assures him, “And you’re mine, okay, you hear me?”
 
Sitting at the computer, Brian insists to Kate they must call the police, she has to see what’s going on here, whatever he is, it’s not good for her. “Michael didn’t mean to hurt you,” she reminds him. “Obviously he did, Kate?” Brian insists. “You don’t get it, do you, you’ve never been in love,” points out Kate, “What we need are answers.” 
 
Kate and Michael are trying to listen in on Dean and Sam. A woman is telling Dean the biggest animal in the county is a raccoon. Dean asks Sam if he wants to put out an APB on Rocky Raccoon. Sam had to pick through the written county records; “10 years ago there was a similar unsolved murder, check it out.” “Death by claws and lack of heart, so we’re talking a…?” Dean asks. “No, not that time of the month” says Sam. “Awesome. Time to hit the books” says Dean, “Feed the monster” he pats his tummy.
 
They knew something, Kate tells Michael, they should follow them. But before they can continue, they’re surprised to see that Brian, camera in hand, has followed them. “How’d you find us?” Michael asks. “The GPS in your phones” their friend reveals, “Duh.” “You’re starting to creep me out” accuses Michael. “Feeling’s mutual, dude” says Brian, Kate’s filming from her camera. “What else can you hack into Brian?” Kate asks. “Anything” Brian admits.

They spy on Sam and Dean at some eatery. Michael puts on a ballcap to hide his appearance, takes a camera to do the actual filming and enters the restaurant while the other two hide in a car. Sam makes mention of Dean’s double burger. “Clear eyes and clogged arteries, can’t lose” Dean retorts, and digs in. Sam eats a salad. Dean reads, “Werewolves that are turned up to four generations from pure blood, do you think he means Alpha?–are less feral and can transform before, during and after the lunar cycle, boom!” “Pure-bloods don’t black out during the transformation” reads Sam, “They control themselves, some have been able to subsist off of animal hearts–so what, we’re hunting a werewolf with a pedigree?” “Awesome, let’s hope he has his papers” says Dean. “And that silver can kill him” says Sam, “So, what, best in show, comes here 10 years ago, ganks some poor woman, the dust settles, everything’s in the clear, he sets up shop?” “Comes for a human heart, stays for the coeds” says Dean. “Then everything’s wine and roses” says Sam, “And animal tickers, but he gets a hankering for human again.” “I told you there was a case here,” says Dean, “Now we just gotta find and kill it.”
 
Back at the house, the three kids watch the footage. “I’m a werewolf” realizes Michael. Kate urges him to calm down. He again reminds her what he is, and they babble at once. Kate is sure FBI agents don’t say “awesome” that much, and definitely don’t hunt and kill college kids. “Did they say anything else?” Michael asks. “They just sat and talked about how they’ve been apart for a year” says Brian, “You’re probably right about that office romance thing” “I’m screwed” laments Michael. Kate reminds him he’s missing the big picture, they don’t know about him, “They’re looking for whomever whatever bit you in the first place, that gives us some time to figure it out.” “So that’s the plan?” Michael asks, throwing something, gotta eat chicken hearts for my life?” He leaves, Kate rushes after him, going, “Baby. . .”
 
While Kate and Michael arguing in the bedroom, Brian goes over some footage and calls them in, but Kate closes the door on him. Brian leaves the apartment holding a photo he took from the footage and comes across what looks like a Greek letter.  He goes to see one of their professors. “I know what you are,” Brian tells him.
 
Brian finds Kate packing. We’re leaving in the morning, she tells him, those guys they might find Michael. You don’t have to worry about that or anything, Brian assures her, I took care of it. Took care of what? Michael asks, entering the room. What did you do? Kate asks.
 
Brian apparently gives Professor Ludensky back his talisman, which the professor had been looking for, “Where did you find it?” Asks the prof. “In the woods, where you bit my friend” accuses Brian, who tells him he’s filming all of this and has a hidden camera in here, too, feeding back to his laptop at home, “So if anything happens to me…” “NOTHING will happen to you” his prof assures him, “You need to calm down.” Brian attacks him with something made of silver, but the prof tells him, “I’m not what you think I am.” “I don’t care what you are,” says Brian, “I just want you to turn me.” We hear the professor turn into the creature, but he says he doesn’t want to hurt Brian. “You’re not going to” promises Brian, “cos if you do, all of this winds up on CNN.” (Later) Brian is talking to the professor, “So you stumbled on Carter” says Brian, “Wolfed out, then what, got a taste for hearts again?” “You never lose the taste if you’re stupid enough to have one” his prof says, “Once you have a human heart, it’s almost impossible to control the monster inside, but I did, until last week when I fell off the wagon, as they say–you have no idea how hard it is, I’d trained myself not to hurt anyone, I’d trained myself to choke down those other hearts.” “Animal hearts” says Brian. “And I had been clean” says the prof, “Then I saw Carter, alone, and he looked so weak, it’s harder to cover things up nowadays, I knew a hunter would catch wind of this sooner or later.” “You needed a patsy,” says Brian, “Michael.” “Yes” says the prof, “The young man who sleeps through most of my lectures, who would miss him?” “ME” says Brian. “Why are you doing this?” The prof demands. “I wanna see what you guys see,” Brian answers, “Do what you do, I’m sick of being Piggy, I wanna be Ralph.” “We don’t get to choose who we are,” the prof says bitterly. Brian reveals a giant bite under a bandage and says, “I did.”

Brian reveals to Kate and Michael what he’s done. They are horrified, and Michael proclaims him insane. “You’re welcome, for saving your ass” Brian says, and shows them their professor tossing a chair in his office on the screen, Sam and Dean beating the crap out of him, Dean shooting him, presumably with a silver bullet. “Thank you.” The professor whispers before dying. “I’ve never killed a pureblood before,” says Dean. Then Sam and Dean notice the camera filming everything. “See?” exults Brian, “Problem solved, they killed the pure-blood, they’re moving on, and we’re in the clear, just like you said.” “I never said,” Kate insists. “I did this to protect you!” Brian tells her, and to Michael, “I did what you couldn’t.” “They saw the camera, Bri” Michael reminds him, “You don’t think they’ll trace that back to you?–what the hell’s wrong with you?” “Nothing’s wrong with me” says Brian, picking up the camera to film his friends, “You told me that, I just finally figured out what I want, and now I’m going after it, you thought I was hiding behind this?” (the camera) “I was hiding behind YOU, I am DONE living in your shadow, I have ALWAYS lived in your shadow, but now we’re equals, anything you can do, right?”  “You think this is a game?” Michael demands, “Do you have any idea what you’ve done to yourself?” “Well you wouldn’t bite me, accuses Brian, so I asked,”  “You ASKED him to?” Kate cries, “He asked you to bite him?” she turns to Michael, “I DIDN’T, okay?” says Michael, and to Brian, “I didn’t want to hurt you, I would never hurt you, Brian, this thing inside of me, you don’t want this!” “It’s too late for that now” laughs Brian. “I remember attacking Scott” says Michael, “I remember ripping his beating heart out of his chest, I remember the look in his dead eyes when I bit into that heart, Brian!–and above all, I remember how sweet, how delicious it tasted, ever since I’ve tasted it, I’ve felt more powerful and more out of control!” “More weak” sneers Brian, turning to Kate, “You don’t need someone like Michael, “You need someone who can take care of you.” “I can take care of myself” she retorts. Brian grabs hold of her. “Let her go!” orders Michael. “Or WHAT?” smirks Brian, “Gonna cry some more?” Michael’s fangs emerge; he attacks Brian viciously, and pushes away Kate when she tries to intervene. When they finally separate, Kate is begging Michael, “Please don’t die!” “I love you, baby” gasps Michael. “I love you” she replies. Brian crawls across the floor to the other side of the room. Michael dies. Kate cries his name.
 
Kate, screaming, attacks Brian with a silver letter opener. “Kate, listen to me” he pleads, “I love you, you’ll understand, you just need to see what I see, after I bite you, you’ll understand!” She tries to run from him, but he is there, fangs bared, growling. She tries to run again, but he grabs her, bites her shoulder, and she screams. She locks herself in the bathroom. Brian bangs at the door, begging her to let him in, promising to fix this. She goes berserk, knocking in the glass shower doors, breaking the porcelain sink. Holding up the camera, filming, she announces that she’s coming out. “I see it now” she says, “I understand.” He’s waiting, smiling. “I told you it would be all right,” he says. “Yeah, it will be” she agrees, “Here.” She hands him the camera, then, fangs bared, attacks and kills him. She covers Michael’s body with a sheet, then sits before the computer and says, “I didn’t finish Brian’s movie to justify what happened, to be totally honest, I’m not even sure I understand it all. I just wanted you to know that Michael wasn’t always a monster, none of us were.”
 
We go back over the threesome’s original hopes and dreams, sad, sad, sad.
 
“I’m leaving,” says Kate, “And you’ll never hear from me ever, ever again. Look, I know that there’s another way, I can eat animal hearts, I’ve never hurt anyone, nobody human, anyway, I didn’t choose this, please, please give me a chance.”

After watching the pitiful film, the brothers identify Brian and Michael. Sam figures she’s got a half-day jump on them. “You all right?” Sam asks his brother. “Mmm-hmm” answers Dean. “Look” says Sam, “Kate’s right, she hasn’t hurt anybody, well, anybody human, at least.” “She didn’t choose this,” says Dean, “Let’s give her a shot.” “Seriously?” Sam asks. “Yeah” Dean agrees. “If Kate pops back up,” says Sam, “If she strays, no questions asked, we do what we gotta do, we take her down.” He gathers up all the film. “Hey Sam…” Dean starts, “Yeah?” “Do I really say awesome a lot?” Dean asks. “No, no not at all” shrugs Sam. Dean gazes at a poster of the pretty Kate. “Awesome.” He slips the music back on. “What’s the Matter” by Milo Green plays, as it has several times during the episode.
 
Kate waves to a ride she just hitched, and walks along the railroad tracks.
 
Remarks – What can you say about a college threesome friendship that goes horribly, horribly wrong? It was sad. It was well-written and a terrific tale about with great power comes great responsibility. I felt awful for all three, stupid Michael, Kate and Brian, and wished they had made different choices. You know what else I wished?  They had made their choices in a different TV show.
 
I don’t LIKE it when Sam and Dean (or Jensen and Jared, who saw this script and probably were thrilled at how little they appeared in it and made plans to go home or Italy, England or wherever) are barely in their own show!
 
That being said, I liked this episode for what it was, a decidedly Sam and Dean lite episode. It reminded me of the “Ghostfacers” episode, where we saw them from a point of view we rarely see them. I missed them. Don’t get me wrong; I was engrossed in the sad story of Kate, Michael and Brian, even if it was a cliché with a werewolf addition. I just missed seeing Sam and Dean more.
 
Here are your questions for this episode:
 
1.  Yay or nay? I say nay because I don’t like eps that don’t have more Sam and Dean. I give this one only a five.
 
2.  How stupid was Brian? Do you think he was justified in what he did, even a little?
 
3.  How did you feel about the professor? His decision to frame poor, dumb Michael because he slept in his class, what was up with that?
 
4.  Kate. – Do you really think she was going to be able to stop herself from chowing down on human hearts? The others didn’t.
 
5.  Sam and Dean let her go too easily, I was really surprised at them. They dealt with the rugaru, who couldn’t stop himself from going after that first taste of…what was the expression for man meat?
 
6.  This was a sad story, wasn’t it? The three college kids, living together, friends, two guys loving one pretty girl. Introduce a supernatural element; it goes downhill into something ugly. What would have happened without the werewolf element, do you think? Would Kate and Michael have gotten married?

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