Wolf Pack Review: "Two Bitten, Two Born"

Oh, I love that feeling when you watch the series premiere, and then certain parts play in your head in the seven days that pass, and before you know it, it's time for Episode 2. It's a very familiar feeling for this TV viewer, and it amplifies when it's a crime or horror series, with Wolf Pack...well...actually falling into both categories. So after we get a recap of the premiere, the second episode, "Two Bitten, Two Born," picks up where the premiere ended: with the werewolf quartet, Everett, Blake, Harlan, and Luna, all together--though Blake runs off.

After an encounter with Prisha, a park ranger who works alongside Garrett, the quartet drive off in Luna's car, with Luna wanting to know more about Everett and Luna, while Harlan...well...doesn't. Finally, Everett returns home, and he's on the receiving end of browbeating and a slap from "mommy dearest" Kendra.

Meanwhile, Blake's back with her father and brother, and she's still stunned by the effects that the bite had on her. We also get a brief glimpse of a fanged Blake, as she is shocked to see fangs suddenly appear, but for about a few seconds. This isn't the first time; one of Blake's visions from the premiere saw her unleash her fangs towards Everett. Speaking of the premiere, I had intended to mention the backgrounds of the young actors in my review about Episode 1, but didn't do so. Regarding Blake's portrayer, Bella Shepard's acting career began with a brief appearance in the Disney film, Oz the Great and Powerful, and she has also appeared in a Lifetime film: 2019's The Secret Lives of Cheerleaders. In addition, this isn't Shepard's first time on a Paramount+ series; she appeared in an episode of the iCarly reboot.

The centerpiece of this episode is the full moon, and it really turns up the visions, as we see one of Everett and Blake together. In bed. Speaking of Everett, he's informed by Kendra that the police were at the door, and after semi-excusing her conduct on the previous night, she tells Everett to tell them everything. Lo and behold, it's Kristen Ramsey, with officer Jason Jang, who goes into typical hothead mode in his interrogation with Everett. Back to siblings Harlan and Luna, they argue, again, about Luna wanting to share everything with Everett and Blake, before Harlan heads to the gym to work out, among other things.

Regarding Everett's portrayer, Armani Jackson's filmography includes six episodes of Grey's Anatomy, as well as the films The Last Witch Hunter and Ready Player One. This isn't Jackson's first foray into Paramount+, as he was in one of their original films, Honor Society, in 2022. So Everett later studies with his friend Connor, who reveals that he was attacked, revealing the bite mark to Everett. We have us another one! As for Garrett, he's fighting for survival at the site of the fire, and we are treated to a flashback to Garrett taking in Harlan and Luna as wolf pups, and is stunned to see human hands emerge, which confirms that Garrett knew they were werewolves for their entire lives.

Ramsey also visits Blake, who ends up meeting Everett afterwards, leading to a moment that actually sees them come very, very close to a make out session. Luna comes face to face with her own vision, a bucking bronco crashing though the door before she growls it away. Garrett is found and rescued, though Luna and Harlan can't see him just yet. As for Connor, he is told to get out of the hospital, and does so, but he ends up pursued by the big bad werewolf in the process. This includes a moment where Connor had to break the cast off his ankle in order to get through the fence, but the beast draws closer. At the final moments, Ramsey appears to Everett, who is shown to have Connor's cast, while Blake's in the back of the car. As Ramsey says, they have a lot of explaining to do.

It's only two episodes, yet I'm already hoping Everett shows his mother what big teeth he has. One of the things that had me eager for the second episode was Kendra Lang, played by Amy Pietz, who has done a lot in her acting career, including playing Annie Spadaro for four seasons on Caroline in the City. I learned everything I needed to know about Kendra in that first episode; she reeks of narcissism, and it was doubled down in this episode. I'm both fascinated and repulsed by Kendra, if that makes sense at all. Either way, Pietz is playing her very, very well, which is no surprise--I've seen a lot of Pietz's work, and she is just an amazing actress.

Episode 2, "Two Bitten, Two Born," was released on Paramount+ on February 2, 2023. This was a good episode, though I think the premiere was a bit better. We did get to know the central characters a bit more, which is the thing with second episodes, and the final 10 minutes definitely have me eager for Episode 3 to come out.

Oh, and as Columbo would say, "One more thing":

I'll be honest, it's two episodes in, and my hopes/suspicious about Ramsey being the (big bad) villainess have increased. I mentioned in my review of the premiere that Sarah Michelle Gellar hasn't really done the villainess thing a lot. It's true, but I meant to go into detail. One of SMG's best known roles was Kathryn Merteuil in 1999's Cruel Intentions. We all know that movie. Gellar won two MTV Movie Awards for that role; one for Best Female Perfomance, and one for Best Kiss (with Selma Blair), and she was nominated that year for Best Villain. Gellar also played twin sisters Bridget and Siobhan Martin in The CW's short-lived series, Ringer (a show I watched and remember fondly), and it was Siobhan who was revealed as the true evil twin. That's the list. According to Gellar's own words, we are two weeks away from the big twists. Here's hoping one of them is the beginning of a heel turn for Kristen Ramsey.

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