The Secret Circle “Slither” 

Each week, the CW’s The Secret Circle keeps getting better and better. The show is taking risks and the characters are being fleshed out. Let’s take a look at the most recent episode, “Slither.” It was big in the fact that it featured the show’s first major character death. How successful was this move? Let’s discuss the more substantial points of the latest installment:Nick dying

• OK. This was a major happening and something I didn’t see coming. And now I don’t know what to feel about it. It’s still too early in the series for me to be seriously attached to any of these characters. So the impact for me may not have been as huge. If his death had come in episode 12, that would have probably affected me more. But it happened in episode five.
• Charles and Dawn’s crystal conveniently was out of energy so there was no saving Nick. I guess that was the purpose of saving the goody goody girl Cassie had befriended and Faye had briefly killed in “Bound,” I believe. In the same episode, Dawn used the crystal on her father-in-law as well.
• I feel bad because Nick and his family are gone. His parents had died all those years ago and now he’s gone. He still has a never-before-seen aunt, I think, but that’s about it. How does his death affect the Circle? Are they weakened at all by losing one of their own?
• I’m even more torn about this in regards to Melissa. If Nick stays alive, she has some story to play out. She had been possessed by that nasty demon and things were said and done. It would have been interesting to see the fallout of that. It would have also been great to see them grow more as a couple. As it is, Nick went from a damaged kid who was simply using Melissa into true blue boyfriend in no time flat. I wish the show could have given the two more time to be together.
• On the other hand, Nick’s death also gives Melissa something to do. She’s going to have to deal with the sudden loss of the guy she was falling for — she’ll grieve and people grieve in so many different ways. I love Jessica Parker Kennedy and I am enjoying the fact that she’s finally been given something to do the last couple of episodes. I hope that Nick’s death doesn’t mean she’ll be neglected again. I hope this death generates plenty of story for her.
• I do look forward to seeing how the group is affected but really, they’re still sort of gelling for me. With Cassie’s arrival, things aren’t what you call sympatico between them even though they binded their powers. I feel like Nick could have died down the road when the impact would have been even more significant.

The Charles Meade character develops

• A couple of things about the dastardly (??) Charles Meade. We know he used magic to kill Cassie’s mom. He was pretty cold and calculated when he did it; showing very little emotion. Throughout these first few Secret Circles, he’s been rather robotic. We know he has a super secret agenda, one he shares with Principal Chamberlain. But is it just me or did this guy finally show some cracks in his armor?

• It’s clear he’s not really calling the shots when it comes to whatever he and the principal are doing together. I kind of like that. I just always think of Gale Harold as the one in charge. The one calling all the shots. That’s how he was as Brian Kinney on Queer as Folk and as the teacher on last season’s Hellcats. It’s good to see him playing someone different even though he can break out and be badass in a split second.
• He had to tell his daughter, Diana, that he and Dawn are dating. Of course, he can’t tell her he’s really in cahoots with the high school principal. But I get the sense he also has a thing for his partner in magic and crime. In “Slither,” he sets a certain ambiance on his boat knowing Dawn is coming over to get one step closer to getting their true power back. Still, he has this little bit of puppy love going on and it’s almost endearing. Almost. Considering what he did in this episode.
• Drowning and killing the demon meant murdering a teenaged boy. Even Charles couldn’t help but be affected by what he did. He definitely wasn’t prepared for the lengths he’d have to go to protect the Circle and their secrets. I’m glad he was as affected as he was. I hope that feeling marinates and infects him as the season continues. I’d like to see him pay for his guilt someday because we know he won’t be going to jail anytime soon.

Grandma finds out about the Circle

• Charles and Dawn are two adults that know the kids have formed a Secret Circle and are using their powers. But the kids don’t know the adults know. And while it makes for interesting scenes and close calls, I’m happy Cassie turned to her grandma for help in dealing with the demon in Melissa.

• And I’m even happier Grandma Blake didn’t overreact and threaten to come up with a way to cut off their powers. She was there for the teens. She’s pretty powerful in her own right. She calmly dealt with the situation at hand. And later, she was finally able to have an honest conversation with her granddaughter. I hope she becomes a mentor for the teens as well as some sort of a positive influence on the group. Positive influence? Yeah, that probably won’t happen. Chance Harbor wouldn’t be as fun if the Secret Circle stopped being unpredictable and at times selfish with their powers.

Drowning scenes on the same night in back-to-back Kevin Williamson shows

• Did you notice there were two drowning scenes on Kevin Williamson shows that aired on the CW Thursday night? On The Vampire Diaries, Matt purposefully drowned so he’d die for a minute and be brought back. His theory was he’d be able to see his Ghost Sister. It worked. And Charles drowned the demon out of Nick on The Secret Circle. Very interesting. Was this planned? Or a mere coincidence? I’m sorry Nick had to die but I’m very, very, very happy Matt lived. He can see his dead sister now but he’s alive.

Demon Intel

• So far we know they come in the form of snakes before taking over a human body. And the adjustment period is very painful. And you can either burn them or drown them — those are the two ways to get rid of demons.

Wanted to see Faye tell Melissa about Nick dying

• I felt a little bit cheated by the fact that we didn’t get to see the full effect of Melissa finding out Nick was dead. We saw it unfold from far away during a montage set to music. Boo.

I can’t wait for the next episode to see how life continues after Nick’s death. The Secret Circle’s sixth episode, “Wake,” airs Thursday October 20 at 9/8c on the CW.