Kevin Williamson's shows have been show-and-tell. In other words, TSC characters aren't just hearing about the dangers of magic without experiencing it firsthand. The teenagers have been stalked and nearly killed twice within the last two episodes. The escaped demon from "Heather" sets up the show's darkest moment yet. The only way to ensure the audience will believe what a series tells them is to witness it, just like the characters. The demon possessed Melissa for the majority of the episode, with evil intentions in mind. Specifically, an old suitcase full of demon snakes was buried in the woods, waiting to be found and opened. The demon lied to the circle about another Book of Shadows being inside of the suitcase. The circle soon knew what waited inside because the suitcase constantly moved--that's when the chaos began.
The circle bound Melissa's hands and feet. Demon-possessed Melissa tried manipulation to lure her friends into freeing her. No one budged. The demon freed itself then nearly murdered Nick to scare the group into using their collective powers to unlock the box. Meanwhile, Cassie went to her grandmother to tell her about the trouble they've gotten into. Grandma had suspicions, especially after Heather's death, but she kept them to herself (actually she knew), opting for a more open and trusting dialogue with her granddaughter. Grandma belonged to the same group of Elders as Faye's grandfather. Unlike the previous circle, the Elders never lost their magic. The binding spell implemented a checks-and-balances system. The Elders are the ones who physically react should the checks-and-balances be violated by a witch. They're a powerful group--powerful enough that they removed the previous circle's individual power following the boat incident.
Grams immediately restored order. She exorcised the demon from Melissa; however, the demon found another host in Nick. Nick took off into the woods once Grams discovered the demon's possession of the innocent boy. The demon found Faye's mother in the boat house, none too pleased with her. The demon promised to possess her body in punishment for what she did when she raised the demons from the darkness. Faye's mother alerted Charles. Together, they agreed to drown Nick to kill the demon. Demons die only from extraction and drowning. The murder was dark. TVD hasn't had a disturbing death but Nick's death was disturbing. The executive producers and Liz Friedlander kept the camera on Charles as he struggled to drown the boy. So, we saw the thrashing and the struggle between killer and victim. Charles succeeded but he felt disgust by the knowledge that he just ended a teenager boy's life. Faye's mother was cold in her insistence that Nick was an unfortunate but necessary victim to kill the pissed off demon.
Nick's friends were shocked and upset. Diana cried in Adam's arms. Cassie rested in her Grandmother's embrace. Faye consoled a heartbroken Melissa. Nick's death is a game-changer for them. Before, magic offered the possibility to do whatever they liked. Diana insisted they be responsible but she never imagined what kind of danger accompanied magics. Now, the circle needs to grow up quickly and to uncover the truth of the boat accident because the demons aren't the most dangerous thing about magic--their parents are, and that's awesome.
"Slither" is the second consecutive really good episode of The Secret Circle. "Heather" is the best of the season but "Slither" challenged that title. This episode succeeded because Dana Baratta and the other writers took the show's biggest weakness (Faye's mom and Diana's dad) and turned them into strengths. Perhaps I should've realized how threatening the two adults are but I didn't. It took a visceral drowning scene to open my eyes to the true evil in Chance Harbor. I'm on board with any series that chooses to make humans scarier and more threatening than demons because their pursuit of power's so tremendous that not even murder distracts them. And this way, the writers can explore human behavior and the human condition in ways the Russian titans did in the 19th century (maybe it won't be like 19th century Russian literary titans...it is The CW).
TSC has been a pleasant surprise. I'm glad I continued watching and writing following two underwhelming episodes to start the series. The series has issues to work through, of course, such as the episode-by-episode structure. "Wake" promises another villain who wants the circle dead. Adam's a character in need of more development. Diana needs consistency. Two weeks ago, she was insecure. Last week, she was completely secure in her relationship with Adam. This week, she tried to use sex to keep Adam close to her. I suppose all of that is Diana's character, though, but her drive for passionate intercourse came from nowhere. Overall, though, "Slither" gave me confidence that the writers know what works.
Dana Baratta wrote the episode. Baratta wrote for Dawson's Creek in 1997. Williamson brought her in as a consulting producer. It's due time for Van Der Beek to join the show for a guest spot. Liz Friedlander directed it.
THE YOUTUBE CLIP OF THE WEEK
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