The Secret Circle "Darkness" Review

Ortho Stice is nicknamed The Darkness in David Foster Wallace's magnum opus, Infinite Jest. Late in the novel, while frozen to a window, Stice and Hal Incandenza have a strange and somewhat ambiguous conversation about Stice's summoning a spirit, or ghost, earlier in his life. Stice's bed hovers at the top of his bedroom, because his ghost wants to remind him not to underestimate ordinary objects. On page 633, we read, "The Darkness at some vague center of this energy, somehow, you can feel." Now, people wouldn't rush to compare The CW's The Secret Circle with Wallace's Infinite Jest; however, the title of the episode made me think of 'The Darkness' and his strange confession nearly 900 pages into the novel, because Cassie Blake's experiencing something similar. Cassie's the center of something powerful, but the specifics are vague.

Of course, Infinite Jest is a story about sadness and addiction (to paint the story in the broadest strokes that is). Themes of addiction emerged during the first run of episodes. Magic is the addiction of the characters. The ones who lost it, like Dawn and Charles, desire power more than anything else in the world. Dawn and Charles haven't been afraid to kill to keep their powers. Faye got a taste of true power, lost it somewhat, and then pursued avenues which would allow her to use magic without the other members of the circle. Their collective powers don't compare to Cassie Blake, who's discovery of dark magic freaked her out, and kept her dreaming about accidentally killing her friends, begins to like the overwhelming power she has. Addiction is setting in.

I'm interested in the exploration of Cassie's dark magic. The characters with wisdom and experience fear the power that dwells within Cassie. The specifics are vague. Charles' mother explained to Cassie about her role in the battle between good and evil; Cassie possesses the powers to tip the scales of this battle. Diana uttered the final line of "Darkness," a question to Cassie about how powerful she is. There isn't an answer to her question yet. Cassie's able to close someone's throat by just yelling, and she's able to destroy a coffin buried in the ground with her mind. The answer to that question should be fun to watch and also revealing, not just for Cassie but for her friends when they're in a position to react. For Cassie, she'll need to fight the urge to embrace her powers; she'll need to learn what she can about the dangers of dark magic. Cassie's first instincts were educating herself, but Jake left town. Jake had the knowledge she needs. Until she sees him again, she'll be more prone to act recklessly, putting not only herself in danger but her friends. It should be a revealing and riveting arc.

Meanwhile, Faye wanted Melissa to stop being sad about Nick. While I disagree with Faye's argument that being sad about someone is boring and counterproductive, I understand that this is only a fictional show. The writers want to return to witch hijinks. Faye's lust for power returned full-force this week upon learning about Cassie's dark power. We met a new character, Lee LeBaque, a purported voodoo doctor, who dupes Faye into he's casting a spell that'll expand her abilities. Faye's mad. Faye destroys a decent chunk of Lee's personal property. Lee enters his garage, doesn't care about the damage, and offers to help Faye, because he's capable of some witchcraft (or something). I should mention the sexual chemistry between the characters, because it's The CW and important for the characters to be involved with someone. Most importantly, things have been set up for another showdown between Faye and Cassie.

Diana's grandmother visited Chance Harbor. Dawn wanted to kill her. Charles didn't because, well, she's his mother, and he's also tired of murdering their problems. Diana's grandmother provided another look at the elders. Henry seemed, and Jane too, more benevolent. The grandmother didn't care about scaring Cassie to near death in her quest for clarity about Cassie's powers. Unanswered questions linger about the old circle and the elders, including the mystery of the boat fire, the loss powers, etc. I have a feeling the elders might have more in common with the watcher's council. I wouldn't doubt that the elders and witch-hunters are different. Of course, this is speculation.

"Darkness" is a solid return for The Secret Circle. Some more pieces need to fall into place, gaps need to be filled in the narrative, and all of that will happen in time. Next week's episode should be fun.

Dave Ehrman wrote "Darkness." Chris Grisman directed it.

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