'...you want never bitter and all delicious, you want a clean conscience and all its blisses...'

Sep 19, 2011 13:01

I actually really enjoyed The Secret Circle. I was rather wary, having heard less than flattering reviews of it- worse than Twilight? Say it ain’t so! Thankfully, for me, personally, it not only exceeded those low standards but was quite entertaining. ^_^





Characters:

The main character, Cassie, is really appealing. I find a lot of times that it’s hard to identify with the main chick in teen dramas, but her reactions were realistic throughout the ep and I mostly got where she was coming from and understood her behavior and- this is a huge thing for me here- I would’ve done the same in her shoes. That’s a relief! In so many shows, supernatural or ordinary, I scream at the screen in frustration and disbelief as the heroine does stupid thing after stupid thing, and I’m all, ‘COMMON SENSE, GET YOU SOME’, but she was really sympathetic and sensible the whole way through.



The actress gets major points from me- she not only did not suck, but she was pretty convincing, and also her facial expressions and wry intonations won me over. She made me snicker at several points, and she was just really endearing. Yay!

The thing I’m aggravated about is the UST with John Connor. (sorry, can’t remember his name, he’ll forever be John Connor to me) Like, how contrived, let’s give her a love interest and then PLACE THE OBSTACLE OF HIS GIRLFRIEND OF THREE YEARS IN THE WAY. FFS. THIS IS WAY OVERDONE, GUYS. I’m just tired of that same tired old cliché getting trotted out all the time. How about we have an attraction between two characters that’s developed and built on into a solid bond before it becomes romantic? Why’s it always have to be so rushed with the acknowledgement that yes, they have a thing, but WHOA, HOLD YOUR HORSES, enter barrier keeping the epic potential romance at bay. *eyeroll*

However. That’s a script issue. If we’re talking actors/characters, it’s all good for me. In T:SCC, I got so sick of John Connor’s angsty emo boy act, the self-centered childishness, the giant ego and sense of entitlement. Ugh.



Here, he’s so much more palatable to me! He’s intrigued, concerned, compassionate, and sure, he wants her to join the Circle and does his best to convince her by wowing her with magic, but when it gets out of hand, he lets her go and then later tracks her down to apologize. I really love that he gets it out in the open, that he says he’s sorry and then acknowledges that what she does about her power is her choice and he won’t tell her what to do…then reassures her she’s not alone. I found that really sweet. *pets him* The others all had their demands and tried to pressure her, but he was supportive, and I really appreciated that.

I just hope in the next ep, she doesn’t immediately leap at the chance to join the Circle.



I mean, wow, how appealing- there’s the pervy creepster, the psycho chick that trapped her in a burning car and oh, yeah, the guy she’s attracted to plus his girlfriend. HMM.

I’m not sold on the wannabe leader. The actress isn’t that great, tbh. Or…IDK, maybe it’s the character? Hard to tell. That scene where she tried to stare down Faye…oh, right, it’s Diana, where she tried to assert her authority, it came off as really weak and try-hard.



But then Diana mocked her to her face as being unconvincing and sassily swanned off, so maybe she was meant to come off as the opposite of authoritative? So maybe the actress is actually doing her job right? Time will tell.

Really not liking Faye atm. I eased up on her when I heard that she didn’t actually mean to set the car on fire, that it was a combination of Cassie’s ~energy~ with hers, but the point is that she’s a spoiled brat who wants everything her way and doesn’t think about consequences. She could get tiresome really fast, if the writers push the bad girl angle without making her sympathetic.



The final scene was interesting and well-balanced in that sense; yeah, she got power-crazy and all ‘WE CAN DO WHATEVER WE WANT’, which is giving me a sense of foreboding, because that could translate easily into ‘I am better than everyone, I care nothing for doing good or abiding by the law, let my will be the way’. If she becomes all about satisfying her desires and acting on impulse without caring what her whims cost others, then it’s going to really piss me off. But in this case, when Diana got hurt, she ran to her straightaway, she was concerned for her wellbeing and then immediately tried to stop the storm. I’ll find it a lot easier to like her and forgive her flaws if the show keeps up that balance and doesn’t turn her evil.

Hmm, can’t say much on the pervert, except that I think he’s a slimy jerk, or the other girl who had like, one line and was pretty forgettable.

Plot:

# I was sad they killed the mother. She was so sweet. *wibble* I know it was necessary, but still. *sigh*

# Where was Cassie in the month before she went to her grandmother’s?

# I think the writers are trying to sell Faye's 'bad girl' thing too hard- later on in the ep, she lives up to it, but um, why is Cassie so wary of her at the start? All she says is 'hi', pretty much- and we, the audience, can tell she helps Cassie with her finicky locker, so...the whole 'FEAR HER EVIL WAYS' didn't work for me at that point.







WHAT IS WRONG WITH TELLING A GIRL SHE'S PRETTY?! (come to think of it, when I said the same to a girl in my class years ago, she gave me a similar look and then laughed awkwardly. TAKE A COMPLIMENT, JEEZ)

Y'know, I'm interested in Faye's proximity to Cassie in this promo, and the way she's emphasized over the other characters.



Coupled with her compliment...I think it's time for femslash goggles! :D

# Did Diana mean to stand her up? I was wary of her invite, in case it was a hazing ritual or she was the Queen Bee, trying to humiliate Cassie to put her in her place, but it was just…yeah, ‘hang out with us here’ and then she didn’t show…til much later, but IDK if she meant to hang out with Cassie or what.



# I liked the rescue, it was all kinds of romantic (yes, I harbor a secret desire for a guy to sweep me up in his arms someday *sighs wistfully*). Felt bad for Cassie when Diana waltzed up, all, 'He can take you home- he's my boyfriend, btw'. >_< This is the kind of scene where I think the lead, Britt Robertson, is really good at conveying the emotions you'd expect from a situation like that. Embarrassed, disappointed, but trying to cover it up and act normal.

# The kids were really intense about how NOBODY CAN KNOW. That’s a bit bizarre. I get it if they discovered their powers and were reluctant to involve the parentals, but…they know their parents had powers, too. They know it’s a family tradition, that they inherited their gifts. So…why the big secret? Why so hushed up? It’d make sense if they were like ‘let’s keep it on the downlow til we work this out’ or ‘ooh, this is so cool, let’s keep it our little secret!’ but the reactions were way OTT and like they knew bad things would happen if it got out. What gives?



# I was really irritated by the way the little 'coven' were so demanding and possessive of Cassie. Guys, just 'coz she might amplify your powers doesn't mean you have any claim over her. Faye actually getting in her way and trying to prevent her from leaving really pissed me off. I love the way Cassie handled it- acting calm, and then making a break for it. A HEROINE WITH SENSE, ZOMG. <3



# I actually liked the magical raindrop scene. It seemed familiar, I think I’d seen a snippet of it previewed online ages ago, but it was still cool. So pretty!



And I actually thought the almost!kiss was done believably. I mean, that moment was awe-inspiring and hugely significant for them, they were both really overcome by the wonder of it all, so I could buy them wanting to make more of it. I’m so glad they didn’t actually kiss and that Cassie snapped back to her blissfully reasonable self. (but how did she get back to civilization? I cbf rewatching to check, but I thought Diana brought her? Way out to the middle of nowhere?)



# I am so twisted. I kept wanting to ship Cassie with the kids’ fathers. BLEURGH. BAD BRAIN, BAAAAD. It’s particularly sick since main dude’s father was in love with her mom, so that’s not…that’s really wrong. And OMG, I had a guilty twinge over her and Diana’s father, til I realized later on that HE WAS THE GUY WHO KILLED HER MOTHER. AAAAAGH.



WHY ARE YOU EVIL?! GAH.

# Diana being all 'you have to promise you won't talk to anyone, not even your grandmother' creeped me out. Cassie's new, she doesn't know you, why would she have any reason to make promises to you or do anything you say? Why shouldn't she confide in her grandmother? >:[ Diana's the most 'normal' seeming of the lot, not as intense as the others, but even she acts...IDK, this whole thing seems set up for a really abusive peer pressure scenario- don't give in, Cassie! Be your strong independent self!

# Their system of magic is very basic, but I don’t mind.



I find rhymed spells to be super cringeworthy, so thank god they didn’t go with that. And the made-up Latin incantations are also not my favorite thing, besides, they’re teenagers, I wouldn’t find it believable that they’d be proficient in ancient languages. So even if it’s a bit ridic sounding, repeating a short phrase over and over is okay in my books. It’s basically putting word to a desire, and I can get behind magic that’s basically them exercising their will-power on imagining an outcome and then using their energy to make it real. Since this is tv, they have to state that desire out loud (as opposed to say, Tamora Pierce’s books where it’s all internal and has characters finding their center and mentally willing things to happen), and I’m fine with that.

# Ooh, mysteries abound. What happened all those years ago? Wtf is up with the stars and destiny and all that? Why are Diana’s father and Faye’s mother conspiring evilly and what is their aim? Who is Cassie’s father and is he a baddie and why?

# The letter from Cassie’s mother, d’aww. I found it typical that the voice-over didn’t read the whole thing. Of course it stopped on the ominous, ‘They’ll come for you’ as opposed to the whole paragraph on how much she loves her and to believe in herself and all that lovely sentimental stuff. But er, that aside, how did the journal reveal itself? Did she spell it to do that or did Cassie’s power make it come out or what?

I'm hoping the next couple eps build on this and make it an addictive show. *fingers crossed* This could be really good if only they keep working on the characters instead of sacrificing them for cheap plot contrivances. And hey, I actually like the lead character, which isn't always a guarantee, so that's a good start!
---
Meme. I swear I didn't deliberately skew my answers to get this result...

Your result for The Harry Potter Husband Test...
Mrs. Snape

Your perfect HP man is Severus Snape.



You like a guy of loyalty and intelligence and don't really mind if he comes across as a bit harsh. Or a bit bastardy. Or if he happens to terrify every child who crosses his path. The point is that under that rough exterior lies...well, a rough interior. But under that is a soft, squishy center and you don't mind at all that you're the only person in the world who gets to see it.

(Fanart by Grant Gould GrantGould.com Used with permission.)

Take The Harry Potter Husband Test at HelloQuizzy

---
Vidspam: Well, I was going to post the vid 'Stana Katic's Dance Moves from The Morning After', but I cringed so hard from the second-hand embarrassment, I coudln't even watch half of it. So instead, a lovely vid of Stana being her gorgeous self and showing off her singing skills. ^_^

image Click to view

adam conant, stana katic, harry potter!verse, faye chamberlain, the secret circle, cassie blake

Previous post Next post
Up