The Secret Circle "Masked" Review

Halloween isn't fun in Chance Harbor, Washington. Not when a group of witch hunters target the secret circle and come within inches of murdering each and every one. The costumes were great, though. Faye stole the episode with her sexy witch doctor outfit followed by seductive red riding hood. Cassie's sexy bumblebee costume was a success. Melissa as sexy catholic school girl also impressed. The costumes were terrific. The rest of the episode was just okay. The circle found themselves in danger once again. We learned more about Cassie Blake's powers. Jake didn't become any less bland.

"Masked" was a focused effort, unlike last week's "Wake." Cassie and Jake were involved in the A story. Adam and his father were involved a B story sparked by last week's breakup between Adam and Diana. Jane left Chance Harbor to check on the elder murdered by Dawn and Charles, which meant the vulnerable teenagers witches were left alone in a town populated by people who want witches dead. The A and B stories were told well. It's interesting to watch Cassie balance her increasing feelings for Jake with her suspicions about his character and motivations. Jake's not an interesting villain; however, he acts quickly and unapologetically--a strength for any fictitious villain. There were layers added Adam's father tonight. The man's unwilling to let go of the idea that he belonged to Cassie. A tertiary character helped him become aware of his fatherly affections for Cassie--the child he wanted wasn't Adam. Adam's dad doesn't deny it, just sits and stares blankly as the truth registers.

So much of the series has been about discovery. The witches discover something new every week whether it's about one another, a parent, magic, etc. "Masked" featured more discoveries. The members of the circle and the circle's family aren't the lone witches in the town. The circle's just a more powerful breed of witches. The town could be populated by less powerful witches. The series introduced such a witch and killed him off after he revealed a huge fact about the Blakes' power. We discovered things about the history of witch hunting in the town. The witch hunters aren't part of a fundamentalist religious sect (I assume because that'd be too controversial). Instead, witch hunting's a family business. The act is passed down through generations. The witches and their hunters aren't too different after all.

The most interesting discovery of the episode belongs to Cassie and her dark magic. As per usual, a scene took place with two adult characters using too many pronouns to keep information mysterious. The adults discussed Cassie's father, Jon Blackwell. The magic shop owner wanted to tell the girl the truth because she needs to control and contain the dark magic inside herself. Adam's father wanted to keep the truth from Cassie. Well, Cassie learned about the power inside herself when she burned a classmate to death when he tried to murder Diana. The power shocked her. The existence of dark magic altered Jake and Head Witch Hunter's plan for murder because it's more difficult to murder a witch with dark magic. There are more layers to unearth about dark magic, though, and I won't bother speculating.

The Secret Circle isn't a bad series. The show's slowly finding its footing. I like the expanding mythology. I simply do not have many thoughts about "Masked" though. I wrote about the ladies costumes, which was my favorite part. November sweeps should provide a clear view of what the show wants to be and will be. So, stay tuned.

Michelle Lovretta wrote the episode. Charles Beeson directed it.

THE YOUTUBE CLIP OF THE WEEK