For weeks, ‘The Secret Circle’ has been dropping breadcrumbs for viewers to follow. So far the show has been leaving the right amount on the trail. And tonight is no different in a riveting and captivating midseason finale.

Cassie shows Jane the paper Calvin Wilson left her. Jane does not recognize any of the symbols and suggests showing the paper to Henry Chamberlain. Cassie’s shocked, not because Henry’s an Elder, but because he’s dead. Jane apologizes for forgetting Henry is dead; she’s not sleeping, and she doesn’t look very well. What Jane and Cassie don’t know (but we do) is that Charles Meade used a spell to alter Jane’s memories. Charles’s spell might be working in ways he did not intend.

Melissa's cousin Holden comes to town.

The town’s abuzz about the upcoming fundraiser. Helping Melissa’s dad with the event is her cousin Holden. Diana used to have a crush on Holden when she was younger; when the two meet again, the newly single Diana flirts a little. Holden doesn’t seem to mind.

Faye is angry at her mother. Faye observes Dawn’s lack of sadness about Henry’s death. They had a complicated relationship, Dawn tries to explain, which is why Henry was not more of a presence in Faye’s life. Dawn speaks the truth to Faye, but not all of it. Henry was Faye’s paternal grandfather, and Faye’s father died in the fire sixteen years ago, so that would put a strain on any relationship. What also put a strain on their relationship is the fact that Dawn’s a power-hungry witch who wants her magic back and will do almost anything to make it happen, including killing her father-in-law.

At the abandoned house in the woods, Faye sees Cassie give Jake the tour. Jake slips a stone in his pocket, and Faye catches him. The stone is jasper, the Armstrong family stone, and Jake wants to place it on Nick’s grave. Faye does not believe him. Jake accuses Faye of never really knowing him. Faye shoots him a look, “Yes I do.”

Cassie shows Jake the paper. Jake realizes a sheet has been spilt to hide information, an old witch’s trick. Jake pulls back the sheet and reveals the Blackwell family tree. Cassie has a “Well, duh, JB is for my dad” moment, but she only recently discovered who her father was, so thinking of Jane Blake first makes sense.

Cassie traces her lineage back and discovers she is part of the Balcoin family line. Jake denies knowing anything about the Balcoins, but he’s jittery; he knows something, but he leaves before Cassie catches on. Later, Cassie shows Diana the family tree; Cassie cannot find anything about the Blackwell family online.

The Blackwells are a mystery to Cassie, but not to Jake. Jake meets Isaac in the woods and informs him of Cassie’s origins. The Balcoin line is rooted deep in black magic. Isaac thought John Blackwell was the last of the line, but he fathered Cassie. The council has to be notified. Cassie’s fate will be in the council’s hands. Jake tenses. Isaac asks if Jake has feelings for Cassie. Jake says he doesn’t. Isaac reminds him that when Jake was found he was lost in pain and anger; he is on the verge of redemption, and Isaac does not want him to stray from the path.

Cassie meets Jake in his room. She senses not all is right with Jake; he’s off somehow, and she can’t identify the source of his weird vibe. But this does not stop her from asking Jake to the fundraiser. Jake turns her down. Cassie’s upset; she’s good enough to kiss, but not to date? She confronts him. Jake gives her the “I’m just not that into you” spiel. Cassie leaves. After she’s gone, Jake grabs his bag and beats his bed with it. Jake came to town convinced all witches were evil beings that have killed thousands of innocents. Perhaps one blonde witch has convinced him otherwise.

At the Boathouse Grill, Faye and Adam discuss Jake. What is weird about Jake? According to Faye, the Jake she knows doesn’t care about things, is more nonchalant, but Jake is acting very interested in Cassie. They agree to observe Jake.

Adam and Faye work together to spy on Jake.

Charles picks up Dawn to go to the fundraiser. Again, Dawn tries to convince Charles to give her the crystal. Charles resists her; he will keep the crystal, and he wants to try to find the other crystals again. Dawn says no; the Elders might be getting suspicious because of all the recent deaths in Chance Harbor. They need to fly low for the time being. Their power struggle is tense. Charles wants to fight her, but he halfheartedly agrees with Dawn.

Cassie shows Jane the Blackwell family tree. Jane does not recognize any of the names. She is forgetful and shaky. There is a knock at the door. Jake, with flowers in hand, apologizes to Cassie. He admits to feeling something for her; these feelings shocked him, and he hasn’t handled the situation well. Cassie accepts his apology and agrees to go with Jake to the fundraiser.

At the fundraiser, Charles talks to Jane. Jane is so happy to see Amelia there. Charles is alarmed. Jane does not seem to know when in time she is. Charles suspects his spell might be to blame.

Faye and Adam spy on Jake. Adam watches as Cassie and Jake dance. The chemistry between Jake and Cassie differs from the connection between Adam and Cassie. The moments between Adam and Cassie have a sweet, almost innocent aura. But there’s heat between Cassie and Jake, but it’s just not lust. Cassie is not afraid to be herself with Jake; while they dance, she rambles about how she created an imaginary father and talked to him. She stops herself. “I’m sorry,” she tells Jake; she’s going on about missing her father to someone who lost both his parents. Jake smiles. He tells her about a conversation he had with Nick before he died; Nick told him about a sad but strong blonde girl new to town. Nick admired Cassie, and Jake understands why.

Jake gets a text. He leaves. Adam follows.

Outside Jake meets Isaac. There’s a new plan. They need to take Cassie tonight because the council claims there is more going on. Jake warns Isaac about kidnapping Cassie; she possesses power they don’t fully comprehend. Isaac wants Jake to convince her to come with him. The council wants to use Cassie like they are using Jake—fighting fire with fire. Jake tells Isaac he can complete this mission.

Adam overhears this entire conversation.

Jake finally admits how he feels about Cassie.

Jake gets Cassie back to his place and shows her his family’s Book of Shadows. As Cassie turns each page, Jake reveals that her Balcoin ancestors possess great dark power. Cassie’s shocked to see her ancestor’s name associated with monsters and demons. Cassie accuses Jake of knowing the whole time, of toying with her. “I knew you were special,” he tells her. For the first time, Jake is genuine; he’s more than a soulless witch hunting robot. A warm concern emanates from Jake as he tries to comfort Cassie and assure her that she is more than her bloodline. Cassie has to know who she is so she can have the necessary weapons to fight the darkness within. Jake wants her to leave town with him; many envy the power the Balcoin bloodline has and will come after her. Cassie disagrees; she believes staying with the circle will give her more protection. Cassie gazes at Jake. She is about to trust him completely.

And then she gets a text from Adam telling her one piece of information Jake hasn’t told her—Jake is a witch hunter.

Cassie tells Jake that she will go with him. Before she leaves, Jake says, “You really can trust me.”

Cassie is in her room. Because he’s next door, Jake can see her. Suddenly, Isaac appears. He grabs Cassie. Jake runs outside. Another witch hunter knocks Jake out. Cassie is taken.

At the fundraiser, Dawn and Charles talk to Jane. Dizzy from a migraine, Jane is happy to see Dawn with someone other than Blackwell. Jane divulges how Dawn used to worship Blackwell. Dawn and Charles leave Jane alone. Charles tries to share the blame about the misfired spell with Dawn, but she coldly reminds him that he found the spell from his daughter’s Book of Shadows, and he used the crystal to perform his spell on Jane. The blame is entirely his.

Charles realizes his spell has the potential to cause Jane great harm.

Adam and Faye find Jake. Jake claims he wants to save Cassie. Adam doesn’t buy it, but Faye stares at Jake. She does know him, and she figures out that Jake actually cares about Cassie. They agree to let Jake help them find Cassie. Jake takes them to the docks. They find Isaac’s boat. Because it is made of ashwood, they cannot perform magic near the boat, but Jake has a plan. He will get Cassie as Adam and Faye create a distraction. Adam vehemently disagrees; he will get Cassie. Adam heads to the boat. Jake grabs a light bulb causing other lights to blow. Adam finds Cassie.

Before Adam and Cassie can leave, Isaac grabs Adam, but Jake quickly tackles Isaac. Adam and Cassie flee. They set fire to the dock to stop the other witch hunters. On the boat, Jake admits to caring about Cassie and declares that Cassie can fight the darkness. The boat starts to leave. For a moment I think Jake might jump off the boat, but Isaac stuns him with a vital piece of information:

Cassie is not the only Blackwell in the circle.

Jake releases Isaac. He stands at the end of the boat and stares longingly at Cassie. Cassie watches him sail away.

The characters learned a lot in this episode: Cassie knows the truth about her heritage, all of them know Jake is a witch hunter, and Diana begins to think there is life after Adam (her flirtation with Holden is quiet believable). Have we found all the breadcrumbs? No. A well-crafted dramatic television show knows with satisfaction must come the hint of more to come. The writers of ‘The Secret Circle’ have given us a rather hefty morsel to chew on during the midseason break. Who is the other Blackwell? I have three possible candidates.

Candidate one is Adam. What is my evidence? Since Cassie arrived in town, they have had an obvious connection, and many of us, me included, assumed their connection to be romantic in nature. What if they are brother and sister? Unknown siblings have had romantic thoughts about each other. Remember Luke and Leia? How likely is Adam the other Blackwell? Slim. If Adam is Cassie’s sibling, then the love pentagon between Adam, Cassie, Diana, Faye, and Jake loses tension. Even if Diana and Holden become a pair (yes, please!), we would be left with the Adam/Cassie/Faye/Jake love square, which would still be a great source of drama.

Candidate two is Faye. What is my evidence? Tonight Jane revealed Dawn’s fascination with Blackwell. Dawn is drawn to power, and Blackwell had a lot. Dawn and Henry never got along. Could Henry have suspected Faye was not his biological granddaughter? Faye is impulsive and has an edge to her, and she yearns to be independent, qualities similar to Blackwell, but also very much like her mother. Faye did reach out to Cassie subconsciously, but this could be explained by Cassie’s status as the most powerful member of the circle. How likely is Faye the other Blackwell? Very possible. Faye is the obvious choice, but I’m hoping the writers will surprise us.

Candidate three is Melissa. What is my evidence? Last week, Melissa was out of town with her mother. This week, Holden is in town to help her dad. How can Melissa have two live parents? In the first episode, Faye told Cassie that all members of the circle lost a parent during the fire sixteen years ago (Nick lost both). Which parent did Melissa lose in the fire? How likely is Melissa the other Blackwell? This is a stretch. Until we know more about Melissa and her family (she is the one we know so little about), it will be interesting to speculate about Melissa’s origins.

Besides the mystery of the other Blackwell, we still have more to discover. Will Jane recover? What are Dawn and Charles up to? Could their power struggle erupt in a war that threatens the circle? Questions bring answers; answers bring questions. I am completely under this show’s spell, and I can’t wait until ‘The Secret Circle’ returns January 5, 2012.

If you missed last week’s episode be sure to read our ‘The Secret Circle: Beneath’ recap to catch up.