The Secret Circle: Family

“The time has finally come for a cleansing.”

This episode had to be amazing, didn’t it? Just to make it even more awful for me to say goodbye. Ugh. 'Family' wasn’t altogether shocking; in fact everything that happened was kind of to be expected. Predictable doesn’t adequately describe it though, because it was all stuff that had to happen. The Secret Circle was headed in the right direction, characters were even more appealing than they were before and the future looked bright. One thing’s for certain: season two would have been amazing.

The Secret Circle: Prom

“I knew I should have brought demon chasing shoes!”

School dances always end in tears. These guys should know; they’ve had two of them already! Alongside some very predictable chaos, Prom was the culmination of a season long worth of mysteries and build-up, and set the stage for a total blowout next week. It utilized all of the greatest strengths this show has displayed since the start, and reached so many levels of awesomeness, it’s hard to pick just one reason why this was the greatest episode The Secret Circle has ever produced.

NewsFlash: Supernatural and Vampire Diaries Renewed

Well, who didn't see that coming?

Okay, only one was ever a certainty. But it has been obvious for a while now that both shows were safe. And now it is official. The CW has renewed The Vampire Diaries for a fourth season and Supernatural for an eighth.

The network also renewed 90210 for a fifth season. Yes, we live in a reality where that show gets five seasons while Firefly barely got one. Go figure. There has yet to be decision on the fates of Gossip Girl, Nikita, The Secret Circle, Ringer and Hart of Dixie (don't worry, Paul, I'm sure it will be back).

Happy about this news? Please let us know in the comments section below.

The Secret Circle: Traitor

“We totally got out-magic-ed in our own magic house. Unbelievable.”

The shock factor is something that can go either way. In a show that knows what its doing and where it’s going, it can work as great mechanism for enticing viewers into returning, on one that’s messy and disjointed, it’ll just come off as cheap and forced. The former applies in The Secret Circle’s case, but without that sense of impending battle and culmination, Traitor’s twist could have so easily become the latter.

The Secret Circle: Crystal

“The circle will be the death of you.”

With a clear end-game in sight, and after last week’s declaration of war on the witch hunters, this episode marked the beginning of what is clearly the show’s final march towards the season finale. Momentum throttled this episode forward at a seriously rapid pace, bringing new revelations into the fold, and changing the circle irreversibly.

The Secret Circle: Sacrifice

“I just spent the last 16 years believing that witchcraft isn’t the answer, but I was wrong; it’s the only answer.”

As The Secret Circle starts to fight its way to the finish line, it’s taking a lot to get the over arcing stories off the ground. Notwithstanding a few meagre plot devices, I think that fact that the show has finally found its feet with regards the bigger picture could mean that we’re about to enter the all-important make-or-break zone. Succeed, and we could be looking at a long-running drama that could easily run The Vampire Diaries off track, fail and it’ll join the likes of Point Pleasant and Tru Calling in the “sc-fi’s that had so much freaking potential” graveyard.

The Secret Circle: Curse

“I’m not God, Eva. I can’t just make someone live. I unlock locks and I cheat at cards and I get hot pizza guys and I can’t even do any of that without someone helping me.”

This episode was clearly the show’s attempt at putting an end to the never-ending chit-chat about prophesised events, and actually exploring them, and in some cases changing their meaning completely. As a single entity, the episode was definitely one of the more successful ones, but the implications that some of this week's events could have on the series makes me wonder where The Secret Circle is actually heading.

The Secret Circle: Lucky

“Our fate is our own. We’ll screw up however we want.”

This episode was a little strange. One could argue that it got basically nowhere, and pretty much everything that happened had very little impact, but as far as I’m concerned this was all about set-up. From the bubbling love triangle, to Cassie’s struggle with her dark side, it all seemed to promise that the journey was about to reach a major turning point, but how soon that point will arrive remains to be seen.

The Secret Circle: Loner

“We’re better together than we are apart; power, or no power.”

Though the mechanics of this episode fall into the realm of unoriginality, the otherwise original magical elements helped amp things up a bit. The shot of adrenaline meant that this episode did everything it could to get things moving, but in comparison to the past two episodes, 'Loner' does seem like a small step down. Don’t get me wrong, there were a lot of great moments here, and I’m still standing firm that it’s had a much stronger start than The Vampire Diaries did, I just feel like its full potential isn’t being tapped into just yet. Like the first two episodes, Loner is one that is a little more concerned with in-house circle dynamics, but started to add new layers to the series mythology, to mostly positive results.

The Secret Circle: Bound

“It’s like living in a Harry Potter movie.”

As a follow-up to a pilot that’s mostly about the set-up of the series, 'Bound' fails in taking the things somewhere big and exciting. Instead, it focuses in on the characters and the different dynamics that are sure to become important as the series wears on, something the first episode didn’t do as well as it could have. I still can’t help but feel like this episode went nowhere, though.

The Secret Circle: Pilot

“Destiny’s not easy to run from.”

After the surprising transformation of The Vampire Diaries into an epic fantasy that rivals even the greatest shows in its genre, my expectations for Kevin Williamson’s new baby series were high. All of the lessons had been learned, so we could skip all the boring stuff and get straight down to business. Unlike The Vampire Diaries’ pilot, which left a lot to be desired, this felt like it belonged in a different league. It introduced us to a diverse group of characters, opened up an intriguing world of magic and mystery and left me with an impressive amount of excitement for the story’s continuation. Some people found it difficult to get into this series, especially at first, but I was drawn in almost instantly, despite its predictability.

The Secret Circle: Return

“There are a lot of stories out there, but the truth is bigger. I think you know that.”

After almost half a season of build up and countless vaguely threatening references, it figures that John Blackwell's arrival in Chance Harbour would be kind of an anti-climax. Though its events were some bit disappointing, the direction and tone of ‘Return’ seems to have finally solidified the series into something wholly appealing and definitive in its own right.

The Secret Circle

Reviews |
Articles | Cast |

The Secret Circle, birthed by Vampire Diaries creative mind Kevin Williamson, follows Cassie Blake (Britt Robertson) who moves to sleepy town Chance Harbour to live with her grandmother after the tragic death of her mother, Amelia. Upon arrival, she discovers her birthright; a position within a circle of five other teen witches. She must come to grips with her magic and learn to protect herself before she succumbs to the same fate as her late mother.

With a beautiful cast and a remarkable amount darkness and intrigue, The Secret Circle is well on its way to becoming a significant rival for its sister series. (Until it was canceled.)

Programming note: Our coverage of The Secret Circle is substantial but incomplete.

Reviews

1.1 Pilot
1.2 Bound
1.3 Loner
1.4 Heather
1.5 Slither
1.6 Wake
1.7 Masked
1.8 Beneath
1.9 Balcoin
1.10 Darkness
1.11 Fire/Ice
1.12 Witness
1.13 Medallion
1.14 Valentine
1.15 Return
1.16 Lucky
1.17 Curse
1.18 Sacrifice
1.19 Crystal
1.20 Traitor
1.21 Prom
1.22 Family

Articles

Review of the Pilot by Josie Kafka

Cast

Britt Robertson (Cassie Blake)
Thomas Dekker (Adam Conant)
Gale Harold (Charles Meade)
Phoebe Tonkin (Faye Chamberlain)
Shelley Hennig (Diana Meade)
Jessica Parker Kennedy (Melissa Glaser)
Natasha Henstridge (Dawn Chamberlain)
Chris Zylka (Jake Armstrong)
Ashley Crow (Jane Blake)

The Secret Circle: Pilot

Based on a book by L.J. Smith (author of the Vampire Diaries series) and produced by Kevin Williamson, Julie Plec, and Elizabeth Craft and Sarah Fain, The Secret Circle has a strong pedigree. All the requisite components are in place: orphans, missing parents, and wacky parents; a small town (Chance Harbor, Washington); supernatural secrets; woodsy settings; romantic lusty drama.