The Secret Circle "Bound" Review

I'm good for one CW show a season. I tried to write about Hellcats last season. The attempt didn't work out and I bailed after two episodes. The Secret Circle pilot didn't blow me away. I watched "Bound" with an open mind but the episode didn't hit with me. The adult characters are boring and uninteresting. The teenage circle of witches isn't very interesting either. The drama came from possible love triangles and unrequited feelings. There's nothing wrong with that in a CW show. It's just not for me. I already watch a CW show regularly that has love triangles and pieces of melodrama (of course TVD is awesome). The Secret Circle could evolve into a series nearly as great as TVD. I'm just not going to write about it anymore.

"Bound" was about the inevitable binding spell of the circle. There were quite a few expository scenes. Dawn's father-in-law visited Chance Harbor after he heard about the possible revival of magic in town. Through their exchanges, we learned about the dark past of the old circle and why the magic was taken from them. Adam told Cassie how the old circle never binded their powers and that resulted in the deaths. Faye, the wild-card witch, experimented with her powers and nearly killed someone. Cassie couldn't control her tremendous power. The specifics of the binding ritual is similar to the essential concept of Marxism. The intent's to distribute powers evenly among the witches.

The only charismatic character in the series is Phoebe Tonkin's Faye. Faye isn't incredibly interesting but Tonkin portrays her with a menace and glee that's unlike any of the other performances. I liked how her behavior shifted immediately when she pushed the tertiary character through a railing. The dangerous witch disappeared and the teenage girl replaced her. Tonkin's very, very good. The rest of the teenagers are reduced to melodramatic pieces in romantic triangles. Adam and Cassie shatter glass and lights because their chemistry is electric. Dekker and Robertson have okay chemistry but it's not magnetic. Dekker's a bit too restrained in his performance. He speaks in low tones and seems disinterested in those around him but the exposition tells us Adam and Cassie are meant to be.

Britt Robertson should shine once her character embraces her potential. She spends quite some time resisting and arguing with her fellow witches. Cassie looks longingly at Adam. Diana already feels insecure about Cassie's presence around her boyfriend. Each witch is as powerful as their own feelings and thoughts. Imagine a teenager could control light and weather with their teen angst. The powers will explode as the attractions and envy grow.

The adults are the most problematic, as per usual in teenage dramas. Charlie found a magical crystal that allows one to use magic again. Dawn used it to intimidate her father-in-law. Dawn and Charlie are essentially chasing their youth. They need the new circle to use their powers to return to the adults powers. The evil plan's not engaging nor are the villainous Dawn and Charlie. Naturally, I dislike them because they threaten their elders with death. They're just dull overall.

I don't have much to write about "Bound" because nothing really happened. I'll recommend anyone reading to read my review of the latest TVD episode because it's thoughtful and verbose. TVD's sister series isn't for me, though, so I'm bowing out of writing reviews of their episodes.