The Secret Circle "Return" Review

The Secret Circle whiffed on two important and climatic episodes designed to inform events for rest of this season. That's a problem. "Return" brought back John Blackwell, in physical form, to the small town of Chance Harbor. Besides Cassie, Blackwell's been the most important character. He's connected to Cassie through blood and magic, and he's connected to the adults in town because of the boat fire. The witch hunters want him dead, as they want Cassie dead, so his return suggests a more prominent role for that group of antagonists. Indeed, the witch hunters play a significant part in "Return" but they aren't interesting; in fact, the problem of TSC is how uninteresting the characters are, and the plots they're involved in.

John Blackwell's return is a non-event in "Return," even though anyone who sees him reacts like they saw a very scary ghost. Blackwell doesn't want anyone to know that he returned; he insists to Cassie that he came back to protect her, which is true, but Cassie's not eager to forgive the man who abandoned her and her mother sixteen years ago. The A story's equal parts supernatural thriller and family melodrama. Cassie lashes out about the birthdays he missed and the recitals and how his re-appearance to protect her simply won't cut it. Cassie has issues she needs to work through. I'm invested enough to watch her work through these issues. I suppose my biggest issue with the episode is how it ends before it got interesting. Blackwell's history with the adults of Chance Harbor is a story I'd like to see. The previews showed that, indeed, the story will go there when it returns on March 15. Blackwell as a contrite, yet ambiguous character does work; however, Blackwell seems like an older version of Jake.

The fates of Jake and John were intertwined. Jake's a character whose knowledge transcends every other character on the series. Jake's already been an ambiguous and contrite figure after events of #109. He's never been written as a naive teenage boy; his history with the witch hunters gave him necessary depth that helped the central arc of the season. Jake meets Evan to tell him about Blackwell's return to offer Blackwell in exchange for Cassie's safety. Evan changed the plan though. At the exchange, Eben took Jake instead of Blackwell, because Cassie's free-will had been compromised, and the witch hunters made it so that Cassie would kill her father. The other members of the circle freed Jake from Eben, impaled him against a branch, and raced towards Cassie to rescue her from killing her own father. Together, they magically restored Cassie's free-will. Eben escaped the tree somehow though, which means he'll return to wreak more havoc.

Cassie expected her father to leave town after she nearly killed him, but Blackwell wants to remain in town to help his daughter control her powers, to be able to protect herself even when she's not in control. Blackwell had a conversation with Jake in which he essentially told him to protect her. Cassie's feelings for Jake should complicate her potential relationship with Adam; more importantly, the similarities between Jake and Blackwell can't be ignored. There's the old saying that girls marry men who're like they're fathers. Jake and Blackwell are both misunderstood, repentant, yet wildcards all the same. Both wear a permanent quasi-scowl on their face. Both also seem like they're anticipating for something no one knows is coming. Now, this is just observation. I've no decent opinion on the why of it all; however, the dynamic between Cassie and Jake's more interesting than her dynamic with Adam. We know that another Blackwell offspring exists; it'd make sense if Jake were her brother (this will never happen) based on how alike Jake and Blackwell are.

I'm eager to learn more about the specifics of Blackwell's past sixteen years. The information he delivered was broad. Blackwell resembled a recovered addict; a consistent element of genre shows is a reformed supernatural baddie as metaphor for addiction. Blackwell is definitely a man who's seen, and done, bad things in his life.

The voodoo party at Callum's didn't work at all. One of the problematic aspects of The Secret Circles is the use of the secondary characters. The best Diana, Melissa and Faye were used all season was last week during the sleepover. Melissa went to the party because she likes Callum. Diana and Faye followed her because they're competing to be her best friend, and because they're concerned about her interest in Callum. All of that is fine and well from a small character stand-point. The story revealed that Callum and Lee use witches for their power. Diana and Faye would be best used in a storyline with their parents, in which they finally learn the truth about the awful deeds they've been doing together since the pilot. I cannot get invested in the Callum nonsense. A small chance exists that I'm jumping to conclusions because no one knows what the role of the once-comatose-but-now-awake-brunette-girl-at-Lee's will play in the mythology of the show. I feel like this whole storyline is in an instance, or example, of the type of danger the circle will always be in. Power drives people mad. The circle possesses a ton of power. Thus, people like Callum will always be slithering around town, like the serpent in the creation story, trying to remove something fundamental from a person.

"Return" felt like a precursor to something more dramatically interesting after the hiatus. The Secret Circle will return with new episodes on March 15.

Other Thoughts:

-I'm unsure of how much significance should be given to Callum's description of Melissa's power. I just assume each circle member has a ton of power that's kept in check by the binding spell. Cassie's the outlier of course.

-Eben's a terrible villain thus far. Maybe Andrew Miller and Kevin Williamson should craft their own villain rather than take terrible villains from LJ Smith's novels.

-Jane was going to return, but then she didn't.

-David Ehrman wrote the episode. Brad Turner directed it.

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