Five Things About The Secret Circle “Darkness”

In addition to the Vampire Diaries episode “The New Deal,” The CW also sent us a screener for the January 5 return episode of freshman series The Secret Circle.

“Darkness” picks up soon after the midseason finale and features a guest appearance by Stepfanie Kramer of Hunter fame.

How is it, and what can we tell you? Read on…

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1. Jake. We last saw him going off on a boat at the end of the last episode, but we see him again very early on into “Darkness.” What role does he play in the episode? You’re going to have to watch and see! But thankfully, unlike the last few episodes, this isn’t another installment of The Jake Show – Cassie is front and center, as it should be.

2. Grandma DeeDee McCall. One one hand, I find it hard to believe that Stepfanie Kramer could be anyone’s grandmother, or even the mother of Gale Harold, who himself plays a parent. I don’t know how old she is but she looks pretty young to me, considering… then again, The CW is a place where Jasmine Guy can play a grandmother. At least on The Vampire Diaries they explain that witches age more slowly, and I guess the explanation here can be that people had kids young in Chance Harbor. But anyway… Stepfanie Kramer comes to town as the mother of Charles Meade and grandmother to Diana. I really found her to be interesting. On that same note, for whatever reason, I find the “elder” generation to be more interesting than Charles or Dawn, whose antics seem to be getting extraneous. I know they add a bit to the story, and I know Gale Harold has a huge fan base, but I’d rather get to know and like the younger people more first.

With that said… Kramer is one of the best guests they’ve gotten on the show, and her character Kate is definitely one to watch.

3. Cassie’s darkness. Cassie confides in Adam about her worries, and there’s drama when Diana finds out what’s going on as well. I’m not sure what I think of this either. Cassie going all Dark Phoenix on us could be pretty interesting; but, although I know Britt Robertson is a fantastic actress I can’t say I can picture her playing dark or evil, if the time ever completely comes to that. I can reveal Cassie finds a way to shut people up, that’s for sure.

4. Melissa, Sidekick. Although Melissa claims in this episode that she doesn’t want to just be following Faye around, Jessica Parker Kennedy again gets the short stick and barely has anything to do but, well, follow Faye around. Let’s see some more of her. Maybe she can be the other Balcoin descendant?

5. Faye goes for help. Faye goes to someone named Lee (played by guest Grey Damon of Friday Night Lights) for help in restoring her own power. We don’t see a lot of Lee, but he’s another one I’d like to see more of. The ladies (and probably quite a few guys) might find him appealing to the eyes, too… (Hey CW, why don’t we have any promo shots of this guy?) Faye’s quest also brings out some snark that really, only Faye can deliver. I like that.

And not included in the five things, but still noteworthy: There are some pretty cool effects that come in the final acts.

Ultimately, was it worth it? If you love The Secret Circle already, the answer is “of course.” I’m curious enough to keep watching but this is still not a show that excites me in the same way that, say, Smallville did. I still think the show is finding itself, and hopefully it will sooner rather than later.

“Darkness” airs January 5 on The CW. See a gallery of images from this episode and come talk The Secret Circle on our forum!