For weeks now The Secret Circle has been attempting to get the magic of its premiere back. However, through weak story and character development, as well as a lack of focus on some of the more important aspects of the show as it attempted to go for the romantic side of things to draw viewers in, the show finally has an episode that does not disappoint, just in time for its break for the rest of the year. Characters have depth, sides are (slightly) chosen, and one big reveal has viewers begging for more.
The Return of Melissa
Following last week’s random disappearing act, Melissa is back with a family member in tow (her cousin, Holden). I don’t care if he is simply there to check on her, but I sure hope he is here to stay. Not only has he brought out a side of Melissa that actually makes me glad that she is in the show, but he is already starting to make the love shape that was once a triangle grow once more, adding yet another corner. Apparently Diana used to have a crush on him, and I am all for this relationship growing. For starters, he is already my favorite male character on the show after only a few short scenes, and it will add more to Diana as a character other than just having to deal with Adam. Plus, with him there we had no time for scenes involving Adam crying over Diana.
Not Just Senile
One of the bad things about getting older is that the mind isn’t what it used to be. To add insult to injury, Grandma Blake is showing far more memory loss than the usual senile old person (as well as hand shaking). We’re talking Finding Nemo’s Dory proportions. Her losses are looking more like dementia with each scene, and Charles is the one to blame. He’s still showing his more in charge side, but while at the party Gma Blake calls Cassie by her mother’s name while talking to Charles. It is possible that he is just connecting the dots with this confusion and his spell, but I’d like to think that it wasn’t just brief confusion in his eyes as she walks away, but possible concern.
Though this is a sad thing to see, it is a great device for the show because her memory problems bring up a comment about Dawn having feelings for Blackwell long ago. What seemed like a random comment at the moment comes barreling back into play at the end of the episode.
The Blackwell Family Tree
The Blackwell’s are evil and blah blah blah… But first thing's first: FAYE AND CASSIE ARE RELATED! As this episode’s “cliffhanger” as the hunters sail off into the moonset, the man in charge tells Jake that Cassie is not the only child of Blackwell in the circle. But before you freak out about some potential Luke / Leia, Star Wars, accidental sibling kissing considering two circle members are pining after Cassie, fear not, it is Faye. They don’t actually say this, but it has to be her for the simple fact that the writers felt the need to include that line about Dawn having a thing for Blackwell from Gma Blake.
Now back to the Blackwell name. Apparently evil runs in their veins, starting far back in the family tree (which just so happens to be hidden within the papers that Calvin left Cassie). Technically the tree starts with the name Balcoin, but I am sure glad they changed it because Blackwell is far more ominous. But whatever their name is, they must be tech savvy because google didn’t bring up any hits on the name when Cassie tried to find out more, and it’s google. My name brings up 4,360 results, for crying out loud. Not that I searched my name or anything…
Anyway, when Jake mentions this fact to the hunters, it is stated that Balcoin is at the origin of black magic, which is quite the family history to live up to. I would say that Cassie would be playing good witch to Faye’s bad witch, but the preview for the episodes starting back up January 5th hinted at a darker side of Cassie. And if so, I approve. But no matter how the good/bad dichotomy plays out, I cannot wait for the moment when Faye and Cassie discover they are related, as well as for the sibling rivalry, evil teamwork, or traveling sibling magic show that comes out of it.
Jake’s Inner Struggle
Thank goodness Jake is there to struggle with his thoughts about witches because this close-minded mentality of the hunters is pretty obnoxious. Granted girls always have a tendency to change a boy, and Cassie seems to be stepping in as Jake’s weakness. Towards the beginning of the episode Jake was still putting on his D-bag front in order to push Cassie away (shooting her down once again following last week’s kiss by declining the date this episode). Then he beats up his room with a duffle bag much to my amusement. Clearly this boy has some conflicting feelings, and as much as I try to not like him he still managed to creep back in by turning up the charm factor. He adorably shows up at Cassie’s door in a suit with flowers pulled from her own garden to apologize for his actions, and then later he actually says some very sweet things while they are dancing together. Swoon…
With that said, it was still hard not to question his loyalty in this episode, and just when I thought I had him pegged he would do or say something that would bring on the questions once more. However, his defining moment comes when the main hunter nabs Cassie and he steps up to save her. Just prior to this he was talking to Cassie about running away, and it was hard to judge whether he was doing this because he was going to take her to the hunters/council, or if he was actually suggesting running away with her. The hopeless romantic in me is voting for option two, but there were moments, such as when he said, “This is the right thing, I promise,” that the doubts came into play again. I want to believe he meant it because he wanted to protect her, but it is almost as if he says it without an ounce of emotion. Saving Cassie redeemed him for sure, but he still sailed away with the rest of the hunters at the end of the episode instead of diving into the water and swimming back to the docks. Granted he could just be afraid of the Adam/Faye tag team that was in full-blown detective mode tonight (which is a much better color on Faye than her extreme jealousy). Or he could just be afraid of dealing with the group as a whole now that they know he is a hunter.
Final Thoughts
For weeks now I have been waiting for a much-needed break from the show because I hoped time apart would be what I needed to finally really get into it. Don't get me wrong, I have been intrigued by it all along, it just always felt as if something was missing. Turns out its second chance came tonight, and now I am kind of sad to see it go. I don’t want to wait until January to have my questions answered! When is Faye going to learn that her mother killed grandpa? Faye says, “maybe this is your fault” while talking to her, and she better learn the truth to those words some point this season! What are the Council’s plans for Cassie in concern to using her against the others? Is Cassie finally going to have an edgy side to live up to the Blackwell name? Faye already has a ’tude, now it’s Cassie’s turn. When are they going to find out they are half sisters? Why was Jake really stealing jasper? When are these shots that look as if someone is watching the characters from a distance going to be explained? Tonight we are treated to one through a fence as Cassie looks for Calvin, as well as one in the rundown house, and I am praying that it is Blackwell because no matter what these characters believe I still think he is alive!
So what did you guys think? Were you as creeped out by the illustrations of darkness in Jake’s book as I was? Still clinging to the hope that someone will finally throw on a yellow shirt or something (though Cassie did give us a red dress tonight to mix it up with all the darker colors)? Wondering if they will ever get better game faces when a text with information that is not necessarily happy reaches their phones? Let me know your thoughts on all of my questions (both random and pertinent), as well as anything I might have missed!
