Fall Premiere Pilot Review: The Secret Circle (B-)
The Secret Circle (CW)
Yet another show that begins with horrific violence against women, this time the torture and murder of the protagonist’s mother. Cassie seems like an interesting character so far: she’s capable, can change a tire, and is struggling to fit into a new town and school after the death of her mother and only parent. Oh, did I forget to mention this is a show about witches? Turns out she’s a witch. But in this case, being a witch isn’t entirely stereotypical and isn’t reserved only for evil, conniving women (it’s just reserved for white people — and their one black friend).
Some choices the writers made were a little over-the-top. For instance, the scene where a male witch opens Cassie’s bedroom curtains to watch her undress, which was meant to help Cassie realize her new town is a little bit strange, was clearly an extreme way to convey that message. AKA, they probably could have done without the sexual harassment. Also, the “evil” witch, Faye, is a bit too much of a throw back to The Craft. I hope they settle her character out, but I doubt they will.
Personally, I have a hard time getting past the intentional casting of actors that fit the typical Hollywood model. I mean, a little size, age, and appearance diversity wouldn’t make the show any worse. I didn’t believe the parents were actual parents who cared about their kids at all. Casting adults to play teens, and adults (who aren’t that much older) to play parents makes the situation all the more unbelievable.
One little thing that nagged at me was how much Cassie (Britt Robertson) looks like Hayden Panettiere, and with the casting of Thomas Dekker, I kept getting thrown back to the friendship from Heroes. The show isn’t good, but it isn’t entirely bad either. And with all the crap I’ve been watching this week I’m probably giving this a chance when I normally wouldn’t.
Will unenthusiastically watch again
**Addendum: I watched a few more episodes and my final conclusion is that this show is unwatchably bad, please don’t even bother with it!
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Source: feministfrequency.com
