So it turns out, it wasn’t irresponsible witchcraft but the anti-witches council (aka witch hunters) that caused the fire on the boathouse. But it wasn’t the fire that killed everyone – most of them were killed before the fire started, and the one who spread it was John Blackwell himself, being burned at his own version of the stake. But he held a medallion that saved his life and he escaped, so Cassie’s father is somewhere in hiding. And now Cassie has that medallion too, that can protect her from the hunters, though may only enhance her dark magic.
I probably should backtrack and elaborate a bit. But that would also require giving Jake more attention than I would like to, and definitely more attention than he deserves on screen. I continue my lament that he is back in town, back with his lame attempts at wooing Cassie with his robotic brooding. When he relays what ought to be an emotional wrenching story comes out monotone and lifeless. I don’t believe that his toddler trauma rendered him scarred, but we’re supposed to sympathize with him that he lost his beloved parents. When he later shows Cassie a picture of his family, I still feel no warmth from him, or even regret. And Cassie’s devotion to believing him just shows how naïve she can be, even if she is right.
Jake’s return, however, does mark the only time we learn what happened at the boathouse since, as a child, he followed his parents there and witnessed the whole thing. Cassie’s dark magic has the benefit of being able to fuel the spell of memory and go into it with Jake. He experiences severe headaches in going in, and he leaves while Cassie stays.
What she manages to see definitely moves much of this story along for the rest of the season. Adam’s father Ethan was at the boat, though he’s denied it all these years. Most everyone’s throats were slashed, except Jake’s mother, who died from smoke inhalation. There was also someone named Lucy there, who may have been one of the mothers who died (Diana’s? Melissa’? Adam’s?) but who, more importantly, was the only person in the vision that saw and spoke to Cassie, scolding her that she wasn’t supposed to be there. I really want to know more about her.
I also shook my head at Cassie, who needed more proof that her father really did survive. Why, for instance, didn’t she try and follow him instead of allowing herself to get trapped by the smoke? When they do dig up the casket, there are the bones of a small animal in there. Faked death confirmed.
Outside of the Circle, Dawn appeals to Ethan to get the live crystal back from Charles when her attempts to get at him through Diana fail. Unfortunately, Dawn underestimates Ethan, who manages to inflict a spell on Charles to shut up and, definitely drunk on the crystal’s power, tells her that, for the moment, he’ll hold onto the crystal. It makes sense an addict would replace his addiction, and it seems like magic will be the way he goes. The new knowledge that he is a boathouse survivor and, from the looks of the vision – that he lead some of his fellow Circle members to their death’s make him so much more interesting going forward. Up until now, I’ve held onto the belief that he was a sad sack drunk, lamenting the death of his wife and his soul mate (separately) but it appears that he maybe have been trying to drown the memories of his betrayal. If we’re to believe that he loved Amelia so much, was destined for her, and that he lost her to John Blackwell, it may be that he meant to only hand him over and the rest were collateral damage. But the bottom line is, he had a guiding hand in the deaths of his friends.
Meanwhile, Faye is hanging with Lee, who were learn was a drug dealer of “Devil’s Spirit” that essentially creates superpowers. His ex-customer, Callum, tells Faye about it and it’s clear he’s bad news. Lee won’t give it to Faye because he watched it destroy his ex-girlfriend Eva, but Callum seeks Faye out and hands her a bag of it. So it appears Faye will begin a path of drug taker, if not addict, to get her powers back.
While TSC continues to try and push the Jake and Cassie forbidden-like love story, I really feel more for Adam and Diana. They are having a hard time being friends in the wake of their breakup, and Adam’s feelings for Cassie, and even though they know they need to be friends to help keep the Circle together, it’s hard for them. This is such a realistic – and grown-up! showcase of a relationship on TV that I can stand behind.
In a couple of weeks we’ll learn more about if Ethan relinquishes the crystal to Dawn, if John Blackwell is hiding in plain sight, what the Devil’s Spirit will do to Faye, and if that dark magic medallion will really protect Cassie, or just tap into something darker within her…
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Aspiring screenwriter and seamstress, Sonia's dream is to write life-tweaking films while product-placing her own line of handbags. In 1999, she wrote, co-directed and co-starred in the short film Dr. Lovestrange, or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bug, a satirical homage to Stanley Kubrick set amidst the panic of Y2K. She is working on her next short about the Mayan Calender that she hopes to finish before the end of the world. Ever the late bloomer, she finally started a blog chronicling her misadventures as one half of a long distance relationship (http://llddr.wordpress.com). She still struggles with which picture to kiss before bedtime: her boyfriend's or Bruce Campbell's. And, in the interest of time, she'd like to start thanking the Academy now. 
