The Secret Circle
2011
Original language: English
- drama
- sci-fi & fantasy
The story
After her mother dies in a fire, Cassie Blake moves in with her grandmother in the small town of Chance Harbor, Washington. As she gets to know her high school classmates, strange and frightening things begin to happen. They are all descended from powerful witches, and they've been waiting for Cassie to join them and complete a new generation of the Secret Circle. What they don't yet know is that darker powers are at play and that Cassie's mother's death might not have been an accident.
What it’s like
Cool blue dusk and wet Pacific Northwest greens give this CW teen series a moody, slightly glossy look, with lots of rain-streaked windows, shadowy wooded lots and dim lamplit kitchens where the witchcraft gathers. The camera stays fairly conventional: standard coverage, shallow focus on faces in close-ups, and the occasional sweeping push toward a candlelit circle. Its sound leans on a pop-rock and moody electronic soundtrack that swells at every reveal, with the spellwork announced by sharp stings and whooshes. The vibe is brooding teen melodrama with a supernatural undertow, the kind of thing to put on for a rainy weekend or a comfort rewatch with a bowl of something warm. Pacing is brisk and cliffhanger-driven, with each episode ending on a fresh twist, and the emotional register swings between romantic longing, jealous rivalry and grief over a lost mother. Its central arc follows a newcomer learning who she really is and whom to trust. Violence is present but moderate, with some peril, jump scares and a few fight sequences, and no gore; the romance includes kissing and suggestive scenes. It suits viewers who enjoy witch stories set against high school hallways, especially fans of young adult supernatural drama.
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