Bitten’s Cast Talks Season 2 and Their Lovefest with the Fans [Interview] 

[Warning: General spoilers ahead.]

Bitten returns to Syfy for season two Friday night with a double-shot of back-to-back episodes. It’s been a long wait for fans of the werewolf drama, and season two picks up right where the first season left off. In the last couple of weeks, we’ve had the chance to chat with series stars Laura Vandervoort and Greyston Holt via a press call and one-on-one with Greg Bryk and Steve Lund. Over the next six weeks, as the ten episodes air, we’ll have goodies for you from those chats.

To kick off, here’s what that had to say about what to expect in season two, and how much the fans mean to them.

The second season is darker and gorier than the first season, and the cast thinks the fans will enjoy it. “They’ll be thrilled by the magic. The show looks so good this year. It’s action-packed and relentless [and] there’s this heartbeat underneath it all,” says Bryk.

“This season, the horror definitely amps up. There’s much more blood and gore. [We’ve] got insane explosions and fight sequences. I had a lot of fun,” adds Vandervoort. “I’m a huge horror fan and I had my own little horror movie in one episode. It’s very cinematic this season. It does look like it should be on the big screen”

[We] have a new director of photography this season, Boris [Mojsovski], and he’s really put a dark tone on the show. He has this thing called the dark side where you you’ll notice in this show more specifically on the interior scenes,” explains Holt. “There’s a further shot on half of our face and it really kind of add to this dramatic tone. [Visually] it looks really appealing, it’s just very rich and dark.  [It’s] definitely a bloodier, sexier, more violent season.”

Holt is happy that U.S. audiences are getting a two-part opener. “[These] two episodes really do play well. I mean, the whole season plays well as a whole but these two episodes [especially],” he says. “I think it was smart to play them back-to-back, just artistically and plotwise it’s like it really kind of go together as a nice little unit, like a two-hour premiere. It will be two hours of edge-of-your seat TV.”

“The first season is obviously great and we love it. But I think this season [even] if you haven’t seen the first season…you could probably jump into this one with a bit of basic info and [the] recap at the beginning…and just fall into the world and I think it seems to kind of stand alone.”

Holt and Vanedervoort’s characters, Clay and Elena, were reunited at the end of season one after all the lies and secrets were laid bare, and they begin the season as a united front in the pursuit of Malcolm. “[A lot] of the big things are out of the way relationship-wise…We’re back together [so] that’s definite. But there are a lot of obstacles that we have to face this season,” says Holt. “I think Clay has really taken…a step back [to let] Elena deal with some of her issues this season.”

They’re soon joined by a coven that has their own reasons to track Malcolm down and they become a throughline this season. “It broadens all of our horizons a little bit. It’s a big bomb to drop in our world that there…were others out there with…supernatural abilities and there’s a whole new world that’s opened up,” says Holt. “I think it’s just kind of made all of us a little more accepting and trustworthy of the world around us.”

“Initially…the werewolves, the pack, we are…very weary of the witches and their intentions. But as the season progresses…there’s another darker force out there that we realized and we also realized that we need their help and they need our help in order to deal with this new enemy. This is definitely a darker, more heady season. It’s twisted and really affects you in a mental level. [There] are a lot of unknown forces around us. [Our] world is physical and this new world is very supernatural and magical and fantastical and it’s really thrown us for a loop.”

Vandervoort says going into season two, they didn’t feel the same pressure that existed in the first season, when they wanted to satisfy fans of the books. “At the beginning of the first season, we were all a little bit…nervous to get it right and make the fans happy because the books existed before,” she says. “And I think now that they’ve accepted the show and they’re happy and the…the fan base has been growing, it sort of gives us a little more freedom to play with the characters and we’re more comfortable.”

“We were always comfortable with one another but the comfort factor is a lot higher and this season you know it’s a darker show with witchcraft, and it’s gorier. So I think this season we just feel more comfortable to expand our characters’ minds a little bit more and the writers always give us great material. So we are following the books in a way but taking a lot of liberty.”

Bitten’s fans have been a powerful force online, and the cast is grateful for the real-time and ongoing feedback and interaction. “I think people have…grown to love our characters and [the] people who were with us right on board from the beginning are just happy to see it come to life,” says Holt. “The reaction’s been amazing. On Twitter, I’m starting to recognize faces that…are more active. [Quite] a few times [I’ve] have been at conventions and I see [people] in line [that I recognize from Twitter].”

“[With] social media…we can interact with the fans. [It’s] great when you get the fans that really want to talk to you and are excited about the show,” says Vandervoort. “”[You] can send out behind-the-scenes photos and get them excited and they’re live tweeting and the instant feedback we can give them on the show as they’re watching it is amazing.”

“[The conventions] are a great way to talk to them what they like about the show, what they don’t like. [They] make t-shirts, and jewelry, and bags and they’re just phenomenal, so having their support…like any show, helps with the ratings, helps with being picked up and we hope that continues this season…[We’re] grateful that they’re watching.”

Lund feels a special bond with Bitten‘s fans. “That’s probably the highlight for me. I’ve always loved getting those opportunities. I get this unique charge from getting the chance to put some face time in with the people who keep us afloat,” he says. “They give us life, they give us energy. Their support is really why we do this stuff. If it weren’t for them, there would be no material to support that kind of passion that people have.”

He dates that back to time when he played hockey. “The greatest part about that was being able to interact with the fans. Being some young kid’s hero was possibly the most gratifying experience in my life. I vowed to work myself to the bone until I had that opportunity again. Now I’m given that time and time again with the conventions. It’s been so rewarding. I love that world, and I’ll always be grateful for it.”

Bryk is looking forward to rewatching the second season (which just wrapped Saturday night on Space in Canada) with the fans on Syfy. “It’s like beginning again. I’m so appreciative of the support we get on both sides of the border. The passion, creativity, and enthusiasm [make me] excited to experience it again through their eyes,” he says. “I’ll be engaged with my U.S. pack throughout the run on Syfy.”

Fandom and conventions are new stomping ground for Bryk, and he’s loved the experience. “I had never really done…much genre work. This has been my first exposure. I find them incredible in the best possible away,” he says. “Our fans are second to none. They come out, they’re supportive. They’re active on social media. They love the characters and they love the story. It’s inspiring. Their passion encourages us to aim higher and dig deeper.”

“The thing I like about these conventions is that you have fans of such a wide variety of shows and everybody’s passionate about their corner of their universe and they’re so accepting of everyone else. You wish the world worked that way. Everyone is allowed to love what they love. There’s no sense of ownership or judgment. It just is.”

“Everybody celebrates their differences and comes together recognizing that they’re all different but we’re in this together. It’s quite beautiful. It’s a great opportunity to see the faces. I really enjoy it. I love talking about the show and to hear questions about the show. It’s those rare moment of real connections where you can look someone in the eye and take pictures and feel the other person. It’s kind of nice.”

Look for the cast to live Tweet from @Vandiekins22, @greystonh, @GregBryk, and @leven_stund during the premiere. Bitten premieres Friday at 8/7c on Syfy. Check back throughout the season for more from our interviews.