The journey into Jake’s memories brings the circle some unwanted attention and Adam celebrates his birthday in this week’s episode.
This is a recap, so there are spoilers.
Adam pays a visit to Cassie, who is getting some of her things. Jane is still not back, so Cassie is staying with Diana. Adam tells Cassie what he learned from Diana. He is upset that he learned about Blackwell’s empty grave from Diana and not from Cassie. Also, he doesn’t like that Jake is involved. Jake and Adam both have feelings for Cassie, and she has kissed both of them, and her indecision is taking its toll. Cassie still thinks Jake is helping her, but Adam tells her that he cares about her for her, not for her heritage. Adam will help her find her father if he is still alive.
Faye bumps into Jake outside of the coffee shop. Faye teases him for liking Cassie; she doesn’t think Cassie is his type. Jake accuses her of being jealous.
Cassie is in her room. She puts her father’s medallion in the cubbyhole in the fireplace. She goes downstairs and is ready to leave. She opens the door, and a woman stands there. This woman is Lucy, and she remembers Cassie from her memory 16 years ago. When Cassie went into Jake’s mind, Lucy’s memory changed because she is a psychic. Moments in time have a distinct psychic impression or energy, and when Cassie entered Jake’s mind, Lucy was able to sense the change in the energy. When she first saw Cassie, she thought Cassie was her mother Amelia, so it took her some time to figure out Cassie was in Chance Harbor. Lucy is afraid; she claims that she is risking her life by talking to Cassie. The witch hunters have been after her for 16 years, and she does not want to face their wrath. She is there to warn Cassie that the witch hunters are actively after her.
Dawn is at home, in her kitchen. She unpacks groceries and notices an open scratch on her hand. There is a knock at the door. Charles has come by. He can’t believe she sent Ethan, Ethan of all people, after him. He vows to get the crystal. He realized when she wanted to kill his mother he might not want to be on the same side as her even though he shares her goal of getting their powers back. Charles promises that if Dawn crosses him again, it would be the last thing she did.
At the Boathouse Grill, Ethan and Diana talk. He wants Diana’s help to plan a surprise party for Adam. Diana wasn’t sure what to do for his birthday, so she agrees. The surprise doesn’t last because Adam hears their plans.
Cassie and Jake are at the Blackwell house. Cassie fills in Jake about Lucy; Jake wonders if she could trust the psychic, and Cassie mentions that she is still not 100% convinced she can trust him. Cassie is curious about the medallion. She remembers her father used it against the witch hunters, but she cannot recall the words he spoke to activate it. They go downstairs because the symbol on the medallion is carved into the ceiling. Cassie examines the medallion and the carving. She tries tilting the medallion and catching the light at a certain angle. When she turns around and stands so that the symbol on the medallion faces the carved symbol, Cassie can’t stop staring at the medallion, and the house starts to shake. Cassie is immobile. She tells Jake to leave, but he tackles her instead. With the trance broken, the house settles. Adam enters and demands to know what is going on.
Adam rushes outside; Cassie follows. Cassie insists that the medallion is needed to protect the circle. Adam reminds her that everyone lost a parent that day (including Melissa, who lost her mother), so the medallion could make things worse. He tells her that she is not alone; the power of the circle is all they need. Cassie nods her head and agrees.
Inside, Cassie tells Jake that she is not done. She has him go with her to talk to Lucy.
At the Boathouse Grill, Faye is not happy that Melissa talks about Diana. Faye is jealous of Melissa’s friendship with Diana. Melissa tells her that Faye is still part of the circle whether she likes it or not. Faye brings out the drug devil’s spirit. Does Melissa want to hang with little Ms. Party Planner or join her and tap into their inner powers? From Melissa’s expression, I think Melissa will join Faye.
Cassie and Jake arrive at the motel. Lucy lets them in. She is still very frightened. Lucy knows Jake has powers because she is psychic; however, Cassie did tell Lucy Jake’s last name, and if she knows any information about the circle, then she could just do the math and conclude he has powers based on his name. For some reason, I’m suspicious of Lucy. She says there was someone else in the memory who saw Cassie, which is why the witch hunters are coming for her, but what if this isn’t Lucy? What if this is a fake Lucy sent by the witch hunters? I don’t know, but I do know there is something about her I don’t like. Lucy knows about the Balcoin medallion. Cassie wants to know if she can use it for protection; Lucy says it can be, but it is lost. Cassie informs Lucy that she has the medallion, and Lucy is ecstatic. The medallion needs to be activated. The circle can perform a certain ritual and activate the medallion. Lucy agrees to help, and they make plans to meet in the woods behind the Blackwell house.
They leave. There is a knock on the door, and Lucy assumes it is Cassie, so she opens it. Instead of Cassie, Dawn is there. After Lucy betrayed them, Dawn marked Lucy so she would know if Lucy ever came back to town. The open wound on Dawn’s hand is the signal of Lucy’s return. Lucy was Blackwell’s psychic; she should have seen the witch hunters coming for him. Lucy thinks the witch hunters blocked her vision. Lucy wants to make up for her betrayal, promising Dawn that she will make good. Dawn wants Lucy to help her find the crystals; if Lucy refuses, Dawn threatens to make things very bad for her.
Cassie is in her room; she opens the cubby in the fireplace. Her Book of Shadows is there, but the medallion is gone. She has a suspect. My problem with this scene is that we do not see her put the medallion back in the cubbyhole. She had it at the Blackwell house, so I guess she stopped by her house before she saw Lucy.
Diana can throw one heck of a party. The Boathouse Grill is beautiful and packed with guests. Melissa tells Faye that she thinks Diana is strong; Melissa is obviously in an altered state. Melissa and Faye took the drug, but only Melissa thinks everything is “shiny.” Faye wants to be high too, so she brings out the drug, but the wind blows the rest away. Melissa tells Faye to call the guy so they can get some more.
Cassie arrives at the party. Ethan makes a toast; he tells Adam that he loves him. There is an awkward silence. Ethan has Diana give a toast; her toast is lovely. She says that Adam is the one she looks to first; his reaction lets her know which direction is the right way to go. They hug, and Cassie is a bit uneasy at the moment between the former lovers.
Charles talks to Ethan at the bar. Charles says it is a shame about Diana and Adam; they still have love between them. Charles says he has recently recognized that he has made some bad choices. When Ethan turns away from Charles, he slips a pill into Ethan’s coffee.
Cassie accuses Adam of taking the medallion. He confesses; he took it to protect her. She says she needs it. Adam wants to convince her that she is more than black magic, but she says he is acting out of jealousy. Adam tells her that what he has said about Jake is true, but she still clings to the idea that Jake is not a killer and has changed.
Lee’s sleazy drug dealing friend Callum arrives at the party. He immediately has eyes for Melissa. Callum gives Melissa more of the drug. Jake interrupts and tells Callum to leave.
Adam gives Cassie the medallion back. He needs to let her make her own decisions. Again, Adam says that, down deep, Cassie knows that what he says about Jake is true.
Ethan is woozy. He goes to the back.
Outside, Cassie confronts Jake. She asks him if he has ever killed a witch (he has). He says nothing. Cassie walks away.
Lucy arrives at Dawn’s house. Dawn wants Lucy to use her power to locate the other crystals, but Lucy stabs Dawn instead. Lucy admits that she was never on their side; she was always on the witch hunters’ side. The witch hunters are coming, and Lucy plans to strip the circle of their powers so they will be vulnerable.
I knew something was up with Lucy. Lucy betrayed Dawn’s entire circle; she must have told the witch hunters about Blackwell and the circle’s plans. I am shocked when Dawn got stabbed, but Dawn should have been more on her guard. Traitors rarely can be trusted. Although things look bleak for Dawn, I doubt some psychic will be the one take her out.
After the party, Cassie states her plan to the rest of the circle. Faye resists because she is jealous. Adam tries to be the voice of reason, but Diana is on board, and Melissa is too high to object. Everyone but Cassie and Adam leave. Cassie admits that Adam is right about Jake. Adam tells her that he accepts all of her and that she is more than dark magic.
Charles takes the crystal from a sleeping Ethan.
In the woods, the group forms a circle around a fire. They hold hands. Lucy begins the ritual.
Ethan wakes up. He discovers the crystal is missing.
The ritual is underway. Melissa doesn’t feel well. Is it the ritual or the drugs? Lucy claims the medallion is being activated. However, some of the others start feeling odd. Cassie feels that something is definitely wrong. They feel like they did when Faye took their powers. Lucy tells them that the medallion channels magic in or out; this is why the medallion is so powerful. Lucy channeled the circle’s magic into the medallion. Cassie’s anger rises and she finally remembers the words her father spoke in Jake’s memory.
Cassie says the words. Fire shoots out on the ground towards Lucy. Frightened, Lucy begins to try to talk her way out of getting burned alive. Cassie demands the truth: Is her father alive? Lucy says that he is, but she doesn’t know where he is. The fire gets closer to Lucy. Cassie tells her to leave Chance Harbor and never return. Cassie has Lucy deliver a message: Let the witch hunters come; she has the medallion, and she knows how to use it. Lucy runs away.
Cassie and Jake are in the woods; the rest of the circle is gone. Jake does not want her to push him away; he says that they are alike. He says that she will need her anger to fight the witch hunters. Cassie says that she is nothing like him and walks away.
Charles looks through a window and sees Dawn on the floor. He bursts into the house and uses the crystal to revive Dawn. She is surprised that he saved her.
Melissa meets Callum; she is out of the drug. He reminds her of Nick, and the drug helps her get through the night. He cautions her about the drug, but she claims to be able to take care of herself.
Faye enters Jake’s room. She got his text. Faye asks what he wants. Let’s see. Cassie rejected him. It’s late at night. I can add; it’s a booty call. I’m right. They kiss. It’s not romantic; it’s raw and reeks of desperation.
Lucy meets a witch hunter. It is the same witch hunter that killed Jake’s parents and tried to kill Blackwell. He cannot believe Lucy failed, and he has decided to see in person just how strong Cassie is. Lucy thinks that by being the one who told him new information would save her, but she is wrong. He slits Lucy’s throat.
Cassie is in the basement of the Blackwell house. She is determined and obsessed to find her father. She stands in the same position as earlier. The house shakes. She lets the magic course through her. The house settles. Cassie opens her eyes and says, “Daddy.”
Cassie is alone in the basement. I think she must have felt her father’s presence.
I have mixed feelings about this episode. While not terrible, there are moments that just don’t work. Dawn is an intelligent and calculating woman. She knew Lucy was a traitor, so I think Dawn would have been better prepared. It would have been interesting if Lucy could have done some psychic attack on Dawn just so we could have seen Lucy in action. And poor Diana. Ethan should have never asked her to plan Adam’s party. After what he did, I’m surprised Diana wasn’t insulted by his request. Yes, she is the “nice” one of the group, but she didn’t have to be as polite as she was.
What’s going on with Melissa? She was getting closer to Diana, was out of town, and now she has a drug problem? Because Melissa has not been in every episode, we haven’t been able to see her progress. I understand she misses Nick, but when did she go from being able to confide in Diana to needing drugs to cope? That type of major change in a character should not happen off camera.
As usual, the scenes with the adults were riveting, and I wanted them to be longer. Charles saving Dawn revealed a lot about his character. Many of his problems would be solved if he let her die, but he must care for her in some odd, twisted fashion. Some might think Dawn will be grateful to Charles. She probably will be for a while, and then her desire for power will transform those positive feelings into fuel for further manipulation and misdeeds.
Cassie’s storyline held this episode together. Watching her interact with Adam and Jake showed her inner conflict, and each scene with Adam and Jake further developed Cassie’s character and moved the story forward, building to the moment when Cassie finally decides to stop flirting with Jake. Cassie’s character is consistent. Her obsession to learn more about her dark magic has morphed into an obsession to find her father. She must know. She must discover the truth. She needs to know. It seems she is spinning out of control. There may be hope for her. She did resist Jake and his suggestion to her about needing her anger to fight. Will she remember Adam’s words about her being a part of a circle? If she doesn’t, if she keeps acting on her own, then she risks putting the circle in danger. Danger does equal good drama, so perhaps Cassie’s actions will bring more scary and dark moments to the show.
We are deep in the season, so we don’t need as many exposition-y scenes of dialogue as there were in this episode. Now is the time to start ramping up the action and the drama. ‘The Secret Circle’ has many interesting characters, but when all they are doing is telling each other what just happened, then we don’t get to see how interesting the circle actually is.
If you missed the previous episode be sure to read our ‘The Secret Circle: Witness’ episode 112 recap.
