A strong attempt is made to not be very spoilery, but, of course, there will be some minor spoilage within.
Here are six things that stuck after seeing the episode… as to who it stuck with, that would be me, KSiteTV’s webmaster Craig Byrne.
1. Some great material for Ashley Crow. Ashley Crow’s Sandra Bennet became one of my favorite characters of Heroes as the show progressed. Yes, at first, her and her love for Mr. Muggles was kind of grating, but eventually, she became a great character, once her husband stopped mind-wiping her. (I still haven’t forgiven HRG for moving on with that annoying Lauren) Here on The Secret Circle, Ms. Crow again plays a great character… and again gets her mind messed with. The effects of what Charles and Dawn did to her linger here, and it’s almost heartbreaking… especially as she is Cassie’s sole living relative… at least the only one we’re currently aware of.
2. The “John Blackwell” mystery builds. Cassie learns more about the “J.B.” in the papers that she recently obtained, and there are more secrets about her family background revealed. In the books, apparently he’s called “Black John;” either way, expect to see more about this, along with a few unforeseen surprises. Also: I don’t know why, but I find an odd similarity between the names of “Blackwell” and “Blake,” and I don’t know if it’s intentional… it probably shouldn’t be, as Blackwell is Cassie’s dad’s side of the family and Blake is her mom’s. Just wonder if there’s something more going on there.
3. Jake. I’ve got to be honest. Chris Zylka is giving it his all, but there are two big issues I have with this character. One- Intentionally or not, he seems to be taking over the show. We barely get to see Cassie interacting with anyone else, and what about the actual series regulars, like, I don’t know, Melissa, who seems virtually invisible? But two – yes, he’s a very good looking guy, but it seems like the character is a walking Ken doll. It’s nothing a few acting lessons wouldn’t fix. I’m sure Zylka is capable, but he’s not quite there yet, and right now, the Jake character seems to bring in more giggles than he brings serious concern right now. Maybe I’m the wrong demographic for the Jake love. It’s just – you need more than good looks and doe-eyes to make your audience love and believe in you. Maybe he’ll grow on us. But at the very least, please, enough with the Jake Show. One thing I will say that I like is that he does seem to have chemistry with Britt Robertson’s Cassie, so there’s that.
4. Melissa’s cousin. Jake is, at least, more interesting than Melissa’s cousin, who seems to only be there so [spoiler deleted] can appear to move on. The last thing the show needs right now is another extraneous character. Next!
6. The show is getting there. The Secret Circle was one of my favorite pilots of Fall 2011. I have to admit, though, that nine episodes in, I’m not loving it yet, like I thought it should. I just got through ten years of Smallville where, even in the worst episodes, there were characters that brought a strong emotional response out of me. I’m not feeling that yet here, though I think I can and will very soon. There are things that do work – I understand Diana’s concerns, I root for Faye to say something b*tchy, and Britt Robertson is always wonderful. But I still don’t know how connected I am to the characters. It took The Vampire Diaries four or five episodes to really get going. I hope the time comes where The Secret Circle becomes that good. I think some of the questions this episode leaves us with allow for the potential of greatness. Seeing Andrew Miller talking and knowing this cast, I think the ingredients are there though, as it’s a smart, talented group. But again, not there yet, and that’s a shame, because The CW needs a new show that is as “must see” as something like Smallville was for me.
So there you have it. Should you watch? If you’re a fan of the show already, definitely. If you’re new? I’d probably recommend going back to the Pilot and working your way through to here, to see if it’s your thing. But when the show gets even better (and I’m pretty sure it’s a matter of “when” rather than “if”), you can bet I’ll be telling everyone to tune in.
1 Comment
I agree with much of what you said here. I’d hoped to love the show as much as Vampire Diaries, but I feel like it’s not quit there yet. And the inclusion of Jake seems to be quickly taking over the show starting with this first episode. Instead, we should have been able to focus on the other characters after ****’s death. He’s the new character and shouldn’t be given the spotlight yet.