The Secret Circle "Traitor" Review

The Secret Circle writers were clearly spinning tires for the majority of the season because the last two episodes have been very good. The storytelling and plotting in "Traitor" were terrific. "Traitor" is a sign of a show with confidence in its choices, its characters, and its direction. The scenes at the abandoned Hudson Theme Park were of the stuff of 90s slasher films. There are deceptions and manipulations. John Blackwell's become quite a compelling villain. I'm just amazed a show that produced some truly dreadful moments mid-season came out of their short hiatus with tight storytelling and plotting. I couldn't give a shit about the endgame of the season 1 one month ago. Now, I'm somewhat hooked and even engaged in the action. Good job, TSC.

"Traitor" began with a wake for Jane. The frenetic energy that would dominate the latter portion of the hour was non-existent in this contemplative and morose teaser. Cassie's sad. The circle feels sad for her. Blackwell spun a yarn about how the witch-hunters were responsible for Jane's death and how the murder signifies the true beginning of their war. Blackwell is a villain though. I speculated about Blackwell's motivations last week and basically dismissed the Jane death because genre shows have made heroes out of murders (for evidence of that, watch ANY genre show). Blackwell does not seem destined for the hero throne. If anything, he'll be a recurring figure whom Cassie cannot help but allow into her life time and again. He's her father and so on. Jane's death is part of Blackwell's larger plan to finish the work he failed to finish in 1996. Blackwell used the power of his friends and then watched two of them die. The new circle is engaging in the same work as the previous circle. The story about Jane's death provides the group with a clear goal and more incentive. The search for the crystals becomes more urgent; and so then every subsequent scene is more urgent and more immediate.

Blackwell and the circle split off into their own stories. Adam and Melissa search for Adam's crystal. Cassie, Jake, Faye and Diana search for Faye's crystal, which mysteriously disappeared into a hole in a table. Ash around the house led the foursome to conclude that the witch-hunters were behind the magical theft. Blackwell, meanwhile, encouraged the circle with great paternal warmth which only makes him more villainous. Suddenly, those scenes with Melissa and Faye aren't so sweet. Then Blackwell had some business with Dawn and Charles. The A and B circle stories were well-done. Adam and Melissa used their brains (and some alcohol) to figure out how to uncloak an object and, later, how to find something they thought was found but wasn't. The writing was slick enough to throw in one or two essential emotional beats too. Both stories managed to be effective on the macro and micro level. The writers struggled to do this for most of the season.

The A story fun led to an awesome amusement park described as 'the creepiest place in Chance Harbor' by Faye. The group met up with a witch-hunter, Ian from the Halloween episode, to find out if they took the crystal. Jake wanted to meet with Isaac but Eben killed him. The circle went to Hudson Park because of the crystal, still following Blackwell's orders and trusting him. Cassie nearly killed Ian with dark magic until Diana intervened and stopped her. Hudson Park was a nifty little set-piece. I loved the reveal of the dead witch-hunters on the amusement ride because it reminded me of Scream, Urban Legend, and any other 90s slasher flick. The group also needed to look out for the traitor witch. The traitor witch wanted witch-hunters and witches dead. Cassie and Diana eventually learned the identity of the traitor. The traitor is a resurrected Nick, in one of the show's coolest reveals.

The episode succeeds on the micro level, in the emotional and character beats during the drive to find answers and exact revenge. Diana struggled to accept the news that she's a Blackwell. Cassie tried to talk with her half-sister about it; but Diana refused to, wanting only to shut her eyes and hope the whole thing disappears when she opens them. I like this initial chapter of their sisterhood where Diana is an antidote for Cassie. Cassie needs someone to watch out for her. The girls engaged in a serious conversation about the ethics of murder and whether or not one life is worth saving the lives of others. The debate should be more prominent on that other Thursday night CW show. Diana ends the conversation by stating her desire to never kill anyone with her magic because she'll never tap into dark magic. Cassie defended what she did on Halloween. On genre shows, in these created worlds, murder is okay in instances. I'm sure academic scholars explored these issues in long pieces for journals within the context of the Whedeonverse (at least). Cassie had no answer for Diana. Diana took the moral high road.

The adult problem of the show is quickly becoming less of a problem. Charles punched and kicked Blackwell a few times for the whole Diana-is-your-daughter thing. Dawn listened carefully to John about his plans to kill the witch-hunters, off the elders, and make a world where magic isn't controlled, or trapped in a system of checks-and-balances. Dawn would kill anyone or commit any act to get her power back. She seems to be playing Blackwell though. Charles and Dawn want to protect their children from the fate of their own circle. Finally, Charles and Dawn are interesting.

I'm confident the show's momentum will continue into the final two episodes. Again, I never thought I'd care about these characters, their fates, or the endgame, in January. It's a testament to the cast and crew for finally reaching their potential and making people care.

Other Thoughts:

-Cassie kissed Adam in her room during her grandmother's funeral. Whenever Blackwell's plan blows up in his face, Adam's going to be one pissed off dude for believing in a curse that would kill a circle member if he and Cassie hooked up.

-Faye and Jake had some sexy time tonight and then remembered an old date of theirs at the amusement park. Phoebe Tonkin and Chris Zylka have great chemistry.

-Faye had the line of the night in the abandoned amusement park when creepy music played. I should quote the line because I won't have any idea what it is when I re-read this. Alas, I don't write down good quotes during the episode.

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