My Review of The Secret Circle 1.07- Masked

We find out some interesting information about Cassie, Adam tries (and fails) to win Diana back, Faye tries (and fails) to "distract" Jake, and the witch hunters strike....

Well, Cassie is not only seriously powerful from her mom's side, but her dad's side has seriously dark mojo.  Dark enough that she has to be "taken care of" in a different manner.  And apparently also dark and powerful enough for her to be able to do some serious involuntary magic on her own while in a circle meant to contain her magic.  That is not a good thing.  Her power seemed to scare Jake and totally freaked out the leader of the witch hunters.  Don't mess with Cassie.  I fear what will happen if/when she gets her full powers under conscious control.

Jake really needs to pick a side.  He does seem fairly solidly on the side of the witch hunters, but there are moments where he wavers.  Nothing major and maybe it is just my imagination, but there are moments.  It definitely feels like he needs to force himself to take some actions which is part of this.  I do congratulate Cassie for realizing that something is off about him, she just needs to put all the pieces together and figure out that 1 and 1 equal 2.

Adam is desperately trying to make everything up to Diana and he ain't succeeding.  I do wish she would give him a chance, but I get it.  He and Cassie have been getting closer and closer and then his dad goes on about their "fate".  Fortunately, she is still talking with Cassie.  I think she'll probably try and get back with Adam at some point, let's just hope it is not too late.

Who smacked Cassie's grandmother over the head?  I suspect Charles or Dawn, but I could be very wrong.  And who exactly is Jack Blackwell and why does he have such seriously dark magic?

Next week, Cassie tries to be naughty....

My Review of Vampire Diaries 3.07- Ghost World

Jeremy makes a decision, Bonnie gets pissed, Caroline defends Mrs. Lockwood, Mason Lockwood teams up with Damon (!), and Elena finds someone with experience in detoxing Stefan....

Well, we found out why exactly people were able to cross over.  When Bonnie brought Jeremy back, she opened a door that the First Witch took advantage of.  And when Matt sent Vicki back last week, she was able to throw the door open for all sorts of beings with unfinished business to come back.  And come back they did.  Bonnie's grandmother came back as did Lexi and the graveyard vampires.  Basically, the population  of Mystic Falls experienced a serious boost due to the ghosts.

Let's start with Mason and Damon.  Was anyone else just totally amused by the fact that Mason chained up Damon and stabbed him with a red hot poker the way that Damon did to him.  Only thing missing was the ripped out heart.  I know it may be wrong, but I found it definitively amusing.  What was even more amusing was the "apology" that Damon threw at Mason.  We all knew it was the best Mason would get, so he just went with it.  The fact that he and Damon then teamed up to find a weapon to kill Klaus was pretty cool.  And it turns out that what they found were drawings.  I am guessing the drawings tell the stories of the Originals or something like that.  And given what they look like, they are *REALLY* old.

Lexi has a *VERY* direct way of drying Stefan out.  First, knock him out.  Then chain him to a chair.  Then put him through some sort of mega-accelerated detox.  I am guessing this is a ghost thing, but I could be wrong.  Then stab him repeatedly with a stake to make him feel.  Not exactly an orthodox method, but then again, these are not orthodox conditions.  I was very happy to see her back though.  I wonder what Elena will do now that Lexi has been sent back.

Jeremy screwed up.  Ok, he's been screwing up.  I understand that Anna is his first love post-drugs and what not and will always have a special place in his heart.  Not to mention that he never really got closure with her because she was killed by his uncle.  So he has alot to work through.  However, he also knows how Bonnie feels about this and he ended up ignoring that.  These two are going to have some issues to work through.  Not sure if their going to have much of a chance due to the necklace coming back.  I am foreseeing bad things for Bonnie.

The graveyard vampires were back with vengeance on their minds.  Specifically, killing members of the founding families.  Again, not a good thing.  Fortunately, there is only one victim.  There would have been a second, except Caroline went all badass and starting kicking ghost ass.  That girl just keeps on impressing me.  Yes, she's a total blonde, but she can fight really well when she needs to.  I love watching her fight because it is just really cool.

Next week, Elena (or is that Katherine?) and Rebekah have a throwdown and Alaric tries to decipher the pictures.....

My Review of The Secret Circle 1.06- Wake

In the wake of Nick's death, the town has a wake (ok, there was no other way I could think of to phrase it) and Nick's brother Jake appears to the consternation of almost everyone.  And he has secrets.....

Well, apparently Nick's good looks are a family trait because Jake is very easy on the eyes.  Not so easy, unfortunately, is the effect he had on everyone when he returned.  Faye, his ex, is plotting how to prove that she is over him; which just shows how not over him she is.  Adam hates his guts because Jake stole from Adam and his dad.  And then there is the little fact that he makes straight for Cassie which gives Adam jealousy issues which are not unnoticed by Diana who reacts to these and the declaration by Adam's dad that Adam and Cassie are destined for each other by breaking up with Adam.  Oy!  Oh, and did I mention that Jake is also a witch turned witch-hunter as revenge for what happened to his family?  This is not good...

Ok, so let's start with Diana and Adam.  This little situation has been brewing since Cassie first arrived.  Diana has been pretty quiet about this, but she obviously reached the end of her rope tonight.  Fortunately, she seems to realize that Cassie has very little to do with it purposefully, so hopefully their relationship won't be too strained.  But woe to Cassie and Adam.  Start dating and methinks that Diana will get a *leeettle* bit upset.  Hopefully not full-on, Faye darkside, but upset.  And Adam's dad so didn't help matters at all.  Not entirely sure why he is so fixated on the *destiny* of Adam and Cassie, but he is.  Suspect the drunkeness has something to do with that though.

Poor Melissa is riding an emotional rollercoaster.  Faye is not exactly the flying buttress of supports (although she is trying before Jake arrives) and Melissa really needs to find someone else to help her out.  When she curled up in that little ball of pain in Nick's bed, that just hurt something fierce.  And post-Jake arrival, Faye is so obsessed with proving how over him she is, that she almost ended up ignoring Melissa.  Sigh.....

One thing I do have to say about Jake is that he knows how to make an entrance.  That little show outside of his house was quite the eyecatcher.  And the little spell he did with Cassie?  Nifty.  I knew he knew the hunter, but I didn't quite suspect that he was a hunter too.  Having a member of the Circle hunting the Circle?  That just goes beyond not a good thing into realms I don't want to think about.

Thank goodness Cassie is keeping something of a level head on her shoulders.  From relying on and listening to her grandmother to trying to hold the Circle together, she has a lot to do.  Granted, her idea about keeping Jake around may not be the smartest idea given what we know, but from what I have seen Cassie is a good judge of character and I suspect (rather heavily) that Jake will come around at some point.  Of course, I could be wrong, but I am hoping that I am not.  And nice use of the crystal.  I also appreciated the explanation for why Cassie individually is so damned powerful and why she added so much to the Circle.  Her bloodline is from the first generation of witches which apparently makes her an uber-witch.

 

Charles, dude, hold it together.  You are becoming as bad as Adam's dad.  Keep heading down this road and Dawn may just do something to you that you won't like.....

My Review of The Vampire Diaries 3.06- Smells Like Teen Spirit

Stefan and Tyler are having *TOO* much fun, things with Vicki come to a head, and how Bonnie deals with the situation has interesting ramifications....

Ok, was anyone besides me *TOTALLY* blindsided by the return of our favorite werewolf uncle, Mason Lockwood?  I am assuming that it is his spirit back from the other side in much the same way that Anna's is.  Presumably what happened is that when Bonnie sent Vicki back, it somehow freed Anna to be on this side and did the same thing to Mason for some reason.  Either that, or somehow Klaus resurrected Mason and turned him into a hybrid.  I do not think it was the second, but I could be wrong.

What was up with Tyler "whipped-by-Klaus" Lockwood?  Geez, he was annoying.  Overly perky, prone to overreacting to situations...oh wait, he's part vampire now and totally sire-whipped.  Guess being sired by an Original will do that to you.  The question is what effect (if any) his obvious love for Caroline will have on the situation.  Given that Stefan nearly resisted Klaus' compulsion last week based on his love for Elena, will Tyler be able to pull something similar?  Of course, with Rebecca around, the point may very well be moot or close to it anyway.

Watching Elena go all tough girl was interesting.  Given everything that has happened to her, I think she that this will help her to hold it all together.  Of course, having Stefan the Stalker around isn't really going to help matters much.  I was amused by her talent to pretend to be drunk.  Figured it was part of the plan, but was still totally amused by it.  I am surprised that Stefan fell for it, although maybe he thought it was her way of pining over him.  Ok, it sort of was, but not entirely.  She really wants her Stefan back.  Stabbing Stefan in the gut with the spikes was almost the highlight of the entire episode because he *SO* deserved it.

While we are on the subject of Stefan and Elena, I am going to go out on a bit of a limb and guess that the first witch (who cursed Klaus) is the one who made a deal with Vicki to let her stay over here if she killed Elena.  Neat trick, I must say.  I do want to say that I have some very deep suspicions about  Mason and Anna.  I wonder if Vicki was supposed to come over and tell Matt about wanting to kill Elena so that Matt would go to Bonnie who would do her mojo and banish Vicki back to the other side while simultaneously releasing Anna and/or Mason.  That would truly be a little twisted.

I want to see a Caroline/Rebecca throwdown.  Ok, part of me wants to see it.  I think it would be an awesome cat fight, but I am afraid that Rebecca would have a severe edge over Caroline and kill her, and so not fond of that idea.  Oh well.

I am impressed with Damon.  He is actually being somewhat responsible and helping Elena out without the normal attitude.  That is appreciated.  And Catherine, while being helpful and bringing Michael back has gotten herself drunk (by him).  I do hope she's ok, because while she is an obnoxious bitch, she is alot of fun and I would seriously miss her.

Until next week.....

My Review of Ringer 1.06- Poor Kids Do it Every Day

And tonight we deal with the effects of Gemma's disappearance which brings some definite tension between Henry and Bridget....

I find the way that Bridget dealt with Gemma's disappearance very interesting.  Once she finds out about the rags and vase, she finds them and then proceeds to frame....herself.  I suspect that she is trying to stop Agent Machado from looking for her by making it look like she had something to do with Gemma's disappearance and then fled.  Unique method, I must admit.  I am also very proud of the fact that she took Juliet's drugs and gave them to Charlie to get rid of.  Good girl, you get a cookie.  Now all she has to worry about is convincing Machado about what happened, which ought to be a challenging exercise.

Could Henry make himself look any guiltier?  He cleans the crime scene really well, makes it look like Gemma fled, and then flips out at Bridget about it.  And any bets on how long it is going to take him to figure out that "Siobhan" called the cops?  I want to witness that little confrontation.

So Siobhan did have something to do with the disappearance after all.  Not entirely convinced Gemma is dead, but given that little conversation between Siobhan and her associate, I am willing to bet good money that she is.  Then there is also the little conversation she had with Henry.  Andrew had better watch his back because Siobhan has a long reach.

Juliet, sweetie, just a little idea.  Mouthing off during your first day of school at a girl who looks like a punk?  Not a good idea.  At least she had a teacher who was ready to defend her and spoke the truth, even if he didn't know it for sure.  Now just learn to control that little mouth of yours, ok?

Malcolm, Malcolm, where oh where art thou Malcolm?  Machado was so close to you, but then you got moved.  And I so hope you didn't tell the gangsters where Bridget is.

Andrew didn't do much other than react to things.  Not the best reactions either.  Take some time to reassure your daughter that you believe her first before you send her out.  Sigh....

Question of the night: Is Gemma dead?

Next episode in two weeks.  Until then!

My Review of The Secret Circle 1.05- Slither

Holy crap, I so did not see that ending coming.  This show just keeps getting better and better every week.

Ok, I know they were talking about a death, but I figured it would come later in the season.  I also figured it would be one of the adults.  I did not expect Nick to die in the fifth frikking episode of the show!  Wow, wow, wow....and owowowowowowow......

Well, Cassie's grandmother now knows that the kids know that they are witches.  And she is powerful and knowledgable.  Facing down that demon and bringing the crystal along was just incredible.  Surprisingly, she is fine with the kids knowing.  I think she realizes that hiding this from them is just going to cause problems.  So if guiding them along will keep them relatively safe, go for it.  Unfortunately, I think this could mean doom for her given that mentors normally die at the most inopportune moments.  Also, her knowledge came too late to save Nick.

So, the demon was summoned by the Circle 16 years ago?  I wonder why you would summon a demon.  That seems to be an incredibly stupid thing to do.  The only justification I can see for it is if they somehow thought they were summoning a benign spirit of some sort.  Still, the demon killed alot of people before being ended by Charles.  I really feel for him.  To have to drown a kid, even to save yourself and others, is horrible.  I just hope he doesn't go the route of Adam's father.  I suspect that he will start drinking to dull the pain and let what happened slip to Diana around mid-season or at the end of the season.

It was nice to see Adam and Diana together and relaxed.  That was just totally cute.  Then, demonus interruptus.  Talk about killing the mood.  If anyone knows of a faster way to kill a mood, don't tell me, I don't want to know.

I am so not going to enjoy seeing the impact that losing Nick is going to have on Melissa and the rest of the kids (but mainly Melissa).  I wonder if this breaks the Circle and thus restores their individual powers or if they will simply be weakened as a whole because of this.  I am going to say that I am holding out hope that Nick will return somehow, even if I seriously doubt it.

My Review of The Vampire Diaries 3.05- The Reckoning

When this episode was called a "game changer" I was skeptical.  Boy, was I wrong.  Tonight, everything changed, and almost none of it for the better....

It turns out that Elena's death would have destroyed any chance Klaus had of creating hybrids.  Her blood is what stabilizes the transformation.  Good news for Tyler who survived the change, bad news for everyone else.  Ok, it's a double edged sword for Elena.  Klaus needs her alive as a human in order to continue making hybrids once his supply of her blood (which he took from her) runs out.  So that means he is not as much of a threat to her personally.  But it is bad because now she is the "mother" (so to speak) of the new hybrids and now her friends and loved ones are in more danger because Klaus will undoubtedly use them to do what he wants.  Other piece of bad news for our girl?  Stefan is back.  And not our lovable, brooding and tortured Stefan, but a compelled Stefan who is fully within the Ripper persona.  This is very bad....

Everyone who wants to smack Matt squarely upside the head raise your hand!  Dude, I get wanting to help your sister and your friend, but seriously, drowning yourself to get to see her is such a dumb move!  He is (ok, was) the one normal one in the whole group and now that is shot to hell.  Brave, yes.  Selfless, sort of.  Stupid, insane, and moronic?  Absolutely!  I know that his life sucks, but at least his problems were normal human problems.  Yes, he knew about werewolves, witches, and vampires, but he could pretty much ignore it.  I also want to smack Jeremy for telling Matt about seeing Vicki and Anna.  I know why he did it, but it was not a great idea.

Damon is going to be in an interesting position now.  He is the only protector Elena has left seeing as Stefan has gone over to the dark side and Alaric is pretty much gone.  So, will he be a good guy and help Elena out like he did tonight?  Or will he revert to old form and join Stefan in vampiric fun?  I seriously suspect the former, but with this show, you can never tell.

Katherine's idea of kidnapping Jeremy to find out about Michael was really smart.  Find Klaus' weakness and exploit it for all it is worth.  A vampire who hunts other vampires and knows how to destroy Klaus permanently?  Wow.  And apparently he is indiscriminate in his choice of victims based on Anna's warning to Damon and Katherine.  Waking him sounds alot like poking a sleeping dragon.  In other words, an incredibly stupid idea that will backfire in so many bad ways.

I shudder at the implications of Klaus leaving Stefan behind as his eyes and ears.  Given how intimately Stefan knows Elena and the group, I am foreseeing serious Angelus-like mind games coming up.  And with Tyler a hybrid, this is just not good for our heroes....

My Review of Ringer 1.05- A Whole New Kind of Bitch

In the wake of Bridget's revelation, Gemma takes some odd steps.  Bridget continues to try and pick up the pieces of the mess Siobhan has left her with and Juliet returns with a vengeance.

Well, well, well.  Gemma knows for sure about Bridget now.  Due to some video footage that shows that Bridget doesn't have a scar that Siobhan does, Gemma now knows for sure.  And boy, does she fulfill that old trope that hell hath no fury like a woman scorned.  I mean, I get that she is upset about Siobhan and Henry and upset about Bridget pretending to be Siobhan, but wow, to try and blackmail Bridget into sleeping with Henry or else she'll reveal who Bridget really is?  That is seriously low.  But the question is, what exactly happened to her?  But more on that at the end.

Bridget walked a seriously fine line and managed to stay on the right path.  You could tell that she really wanted to take those pills, but thank goodness she didn't.  Let's talk about her crappy couple of days.  First, the closest thing she has to a friend goes missing and won't return her phone call.  Then Gemma finds out about Siobhan and Henry and goes ballistic.  Then there is Juliet painting "WHORE" on the picture of Siobhan and lighting her clothes on fire.  Yeah, I say that would count as a crappy couple of days.  I was so happy to see her maintain some sort of equilibrium and stay focused on helping other people.  That will be what keeps her sober.

Andrew cheated on his previous wife with Siobhan.  No wonder Juliet hates them both.  Fortunately, Bridget used the steps from NA in order to help Juliet out.  That was nice to see.  Then there was that weird phone call from Gemma and her disappearance.  I really don't think Henry had anything to do with it.  In fact, I suspect one of two things.  Either Siobhan or her confederate reached out and did something or Gemma staged the whole thing knowing that Henry would say nothing.  I just wonder which it was or if it was something else entirely.

Question of the week: What happened to Gemma?

My Review of The Secret Circle 1.04- Heather

Cassie and Faye cast a spell with unintended consequences.....

Actually the summary above is a summary of most of the episode.  Unlike alot of episodes of shows which have multiple plots happening simultaneously, this one just had the main one with its consequences.

I am glad to see Cassie researching magic, even if it was only for personal reasons.  She is determined to figure out what her mom did to Heather Barnes 16 years ago.  It turns out that Heather was possessed by a demon and the spell which rendered Heather catatonic was a spell to bind the demon into Heather and keep it from doing any harm.  Unfortunately, Cassie (not knowing what exactly the spell did) decides to undo the spell.  Diana refuses to help and Adam follows along, but Faye finds out about it and decides to help Cassie herself.  The spell works, albeit in a delayed fashion.  Unfortunately for Cassie and Faye, Heather comes looking for Amelia and ends up attacking them only to end up dead after being hit by a truck.  The demon escapes and enters Melissa.

Talk about unintended consequences.  Try to do good and it comes back to bite ya on the ass.  So not a good thing.  Well Cassie, live and learn.  I am sure Diana will not always be right, but for now, her caution is more than warranted.  And why does Diana keep shoving Adam and Cassie together?  We know she is aware of their connection, but still she persists.  That is asking for trouble.

It was also nice to see Nick be seriously human this week.  He treats Melissa right and admits that he is not be the right guy for her.  Love him for that.  It is going to suck when he is forced to confront those feelings with the demon in Melissa and all.  And Melissa sweetie, don't listen to Faye.  Follow your own heart dear.

Until next week!

My Review of Vampire Diaries 3.04- Disturbing Behavior

Elena gets a wake-up call, a surprising person comes to Mr. Forbes' defense, Bonnie learns some disturbing news, and someone unwelcome has returned to town....

Well, well, well at long last, Klaus and Stefan have come back to Mystic Falls.  And road was not easy and the arrival came at a *VERY* unpropitious moment for Elena.  But, more on this later.  Let's start with the twisted saga of Elena and Damon.

After 2 seasons of banter, semi-flirting, and interesting looks, Elena confronts the fact that she cares about Damon.  If you're shocked, raise your hand.  No hands, that's what I thought.  There has clearly always been something there between the two of them.  It is nowhere near the level of Elena and Stefan, but it is there.  Elena has been trying (unsuccessfully) to tame Damon and change him to make him more like Stefan; in other words more civilized and less vampiric.  Well, tonight, Damon let her know in no uncertain terms that he was having none of it.  Let me see, tonight he drank from Mr. Forbes (twice), attempted to compel him once, and snapped Alaric's neck when Alaric annoyed him (which led to a very amusing talk when Alaric recovered).  So, when Katherine shows up, Damon leaves with her because he feels that the walls are closing in on him.  How much do we love that Caroline forced Elena to confront the feelings and admit they were there?  Can I just say, "Oodles and oodles!"  Also loved Caroline attacking Damon to protect her dad.  Not that he really deserved it, but it was nice to see.  Now if only the man could bend a little for Caroline.....

And Bonnie returns.  And just in time too, because Klaus' witch (Gloria) was looking for the necklace.  Unfortunately, Bonnie couldn't stop her or anything, but she is determined to see what she can do in regards to the necklace.  And she also knows that Jeremy has been seeing Anna and Vicky.  I wonder what she is going to do or if she can do anything about it.  Work magic and consequences ensue.  Unfortunately this time, the consequences are pretty severe given that the magic was restoring life to Jeremy.  Also interesting to learn that Vicky and Anna can only appear when Jeremy wants them to.  Only problem with the necklace is that now Katherine has it.  I worry about that one.

And now for the Klaus/Stefan show.  After being tortured by Gloria who figures out why Stefan is hiding his knowledge of the necklace, Stefan is rescued by Katherine.  We also learn that Klaus' name is Niklaus and that the hunter from last week is named Michael.  Oh, and one other small matter.  Rebecca knows that Stefan is holding onto a part of his old life.  Thus, Klaus knocks Stefan out and they return to Mystic Falls, just as Damon and Katherine are leaving.  So not a good sign.

And one last matter, Alaric has forced his way onto the Council as the representative of the Gilbert family to speak for the normal humans.  I do get a bad feeling about this....

Until next week.

My Review of Ringer 1.04- It's Gonna Kill Me, But I'll Do It

A birthday with secrets revealed, Bridget faces the consequences of what Siobhan did, and Siobhan puts her plan back on track....

Well, well, well, Bridget's lies are starting to catch up with her (as are Siobhan's).  She has a wonderful birthday weekend planned for her by Andrew, who invites Henry and Gemma along.  Unbeknownst to Bridget, Agent Machado also invites himself along and reveals her existence to Gemma.  Talk about an awkward conversation.  Having to talk about yourself in the third person and explaining why your existence was never revealed.  At least she could that flawlessly.  Unfortunately for Bridget, Henry has a conversation with her which is overheard by Gemma who finds out about the affair.  One confrontation later and Bridget reveals who she is in an effort to get out of trouble.  Ow.....  But, methinks that this conversation may not actually be believed.

And as for Siobhan, well, she is doing her best to live it up and to get Tyler back as a part of her plan which appears to be to get money from Andrews company, presumably through illegal means.  I wonder how much of what she said was true and how much was a lie.  Based on what we have seen, most of it was true, but you can never be sure.  I want to know what exactly Andrew did to make Siobhan hate him so much.  This whole thing could not have been planned because Bridget coming to see her was unexpected.  Unless Siobhan had a plan and then modified it because Bridget was there.  Who knows?

What will Gemma do?  Given the preview, I don't think she believes Bridget, but it was ambiguous enough that she may have.  I wonder if she'll believe Bridget but lash out at her anyways since Siobhan is not around.  That would suck.

Given that Malcolm wasn't present this week, I wonder how he is doing after the forced drug injection last week.  My guess, not good, but you never know.

Questions:

[1] Who was Siobhan talking to on the phone and what exactly is her plan?

[2] Why does she hate Andrew so much?

[3] What exactly was the unforgivable thing that Bridget did to Siobhan that got Siobhan to turn her back on her?

Until next week!