The Secret Circle: Brand new series!
So, here we are, the dawn of Episode 3 of The Secret Circle and I’m just now getting around to reviewing it. My name is Sue and I’ll be taking you on this ride.
First things first, this is another CW show, based on another series by teen author, L.J. Smith, who wrote The Vampire Diaries. She also wrote the Forbidden Game books, The Dark Visions trilogy and the Night World books. I’m wondering how long it’ll take before the CW signs on for those as well. It’s no lie-paranormal is hot right now. I read these books back in high school and enjoyed them, but I don’t remember a lot of details, other than the book Adam and Diana were both blonde and they were in New Salem, Massachusetts.
This is also going to be a wam-bam-thank-you-ma’am recap/review just to let you all know what I thought of the first two episodes:
Synopsis:
New girl is new in town and has new powers. She tries to stay normal, but instead she is sought out by a group of kids who form a coven of witches with extraordinary powers. This is their story.
Episode 1: Pilot
Cassie has some car issues at the same time that her mom is burning up in a kitchen fire by the dude from Queer as Folk. She moves to 
Chance Harbor, Washington (they couldn’t even get somewhere fictional in Mass? The whole Salem stuff was such a big part of the original series). Her grandma takes her in and Cassie automatically starts seeing stuff is off-kilter. Faye shows up and is perfect and then Diana comes to her rescue. They all hang out at the boathouse and Faye sets Cassie’s car on fire. But it’s totally in a good-natured way because she wants Cassie to use her latent “power” to put the fire out. Hero Adam rescues her and they bond, then Cassie finds out Hottie McHotterson is Diana’s boyfriend. Faye is the principal’s daughter and Gale Harold is in on something. Adam’s dad is a drunk and says too much to Cassie about her mom. Adam and Cassie make lots of water float and then she freaks out and they get wet when the dew falls on them. Faye wants to use her power for fun things, y’know like torrential downpours and lightning that almost strikes your friends ‘n stuff. Cassie saves the day and ends with reading a letter from her mom.
Episode 2: Bound
The theme for this episode is “let’s bind the circle while the adults in the town pretend not to care that we are out and about unchaperoned at midnight!” Seriously…why is it that no one in these shows seems to have any clue where their kids are going? Do they not have curfews? Anyhoo, the only two people who are against binding the circle are Faye, because she likes doing things like throwing peppy girls off the pier and Cassie, who is still insisting there is no such thing as magic and wants nothing to do with these people. She signs up to help the super peppy class president by selling raffle tickets and oops, Faye seems to have a problem with that. Because Faye has a problem with everyone, except her grandaddy. He is in town to babysit Natasha Henstridge, who is not only the president of the has-been witches club, she’s also a member. Adam’s dad called the elder and reported magic abuse, so grandaddy Faye tries intercede by taking some kind of crystal that helps it’s holder do great things like bring back dead high school girls. Yeah, it’s a lot ludicrous but it works because…it’s magic! Eventually Cassie realizes she doesn’t like people getting injured every time she gets frustrated, and someone needs to keep Faye from accidentally killing more student council members, so they all meet on the beach at midnight to bind the circle. Now they are all kinds of connected. We’ll see how good that works out for them.
My Take:
Aside from the minor differences in hair color, I think it’s pretty good so far. Each episode has introduced enough mysterious elements to keep me curious but has tied up the episode arc nicely. Of course, I’m curious to see how Cassie & Adam get together, or even if that will happen. I’m not buying the girl cast as Diana as the leader of the circle. She just doesn’t look it. Faye pretty much rocks my socks and is much more of a likeable bully in the TV show than she is in the books. Cassie is perfect and I like Adam too. Not to mention that the adult dramz is just as engaging as the teen drama.
Stay tuned for the next recap/review!
I haven’t read the books, and honestly, I only gave the show a shot because my hubs thought it looked interesting. Yes, that’s right – my husband! He so rocks my world getting all into my interests like that. :) I’m not totally into the show, like I won’t freak if I miss an episode, but it’s intersting enough that I’ll keep watching. Like you, Sue, I wonder where the hell all these kids parents are while they’re wondering all over the place at all hours? And I have a hard time watching the Queer as Folk play a straight Dad who happens to be kind of an evil witch/warlock whatever. He was just so believable in his QAF role.
Also – HELLO – how can the kids not think someone is clued in to their “witchy” ways? While Faye is kind of my favorite it’s a bit weird seeing her after H2O without a mermaid tale. Yes, I watched that series with my daughter. What of it? ;)
~Lisa