He Said: The Secret Circle 1.13 ‘Medallion’ review: The Not So Great Wizard of Oz

A disturbing pattern is beginning to emerge amidst The Secret Circle’s faux gothic thrills and buzzkill angst: another adult guest star attempts to aid the Real Witches of Chance Harbor, and then surprise, surprise they’re untrustworthy. Why would the circle, who’ve made lawyers look like amateurs in their weekly cases against Jake, trust yet another adult? Especially a random one at that! Oh right, so that the writers can shoehorn the weekly ration of backstory that leads to more backstory into the episode. The predictability robs the show of any tension, deflates any building momentum I’m dying to invest in. I’m beginning to suspect there really isn’t anything great behind the viewing curtain on this show, just a diminutive man talking into a loudspeaker, creating a mirage of something more like that charlatan the Wizard of Oz.

The scene when the medallion paralyzed Cassie in her dad’s crumbling abode is a Grade A example of the awkward staging. The effects, dialogue, reactions, were all hokey and unconvincing. Why would Cassie wait until Jake was about to walk up the stairs to tell him she couldn’t move? So Jake could tackle her, which leads to Adam seeing them in each other’s arm? One they need to invest in a Do Not Disturb Sign, and two, there has to be fresher routes that result in the same expected tension in this…umm, love triangle.

Right now I’m bored with The Secret Circle’s constant stalling tactics on episode long mysteries and illogical character actions. I’m mean really how much longer can the circle remain clueless about their parents Machiavellian scheming? The revelation would offer more inspired storylines than we’re currently watching, about witch drugs and crystal nabbing. Honestly, what happened to the demons? Aren’t they supposed to be attracted to high concentrations of witchy power? Each week I try to focus solely on the positive, but I think we’re too far into the season for such elementary road bumps and unanswered questions. Of course the show still has immense potential. However, the inconsistency is frustrating. As always the previews for next week look awesome, but fool me once…you know how it goes.