With a
clear end-game in sight, and after last week’s declaration of war on the witch
hunters, this episode marked the beginning of what is clearly the show’s final
march towards the season finale. Momentum throttled this episode forward at a
seriously rapid pace, bringing new revelations into the fold, and changing the
circle irreversibly.
In ‘Crystal’,
the Circle begins the hunt for the 6 family crystals to stop the witch hunters.
Charles and Jane put a plan into effect in order to stop Blackwell, and the
second Blackwell child is revealed.
There’s always been a strong bond between
Cassie and Diana, I wouldn’t say it was a sisterly one, but the idea of them
sharing something like this isn’t without merit. In fact, it serves the dynamics
that have been formed so far quite well by highlighting all of the
characterisation that the writers have gotten right from the start. The twist
itself was one of greatest moves the writers have made all season, but I had honestly
come to the conclusion half way through the episode. That didn’t diminish the power
of the episode’s final moment at all though, which has really kick started The
Secret Circle in a way I never thought it could have.
Such a
massive revelation fed quite neatly into Diana’s desire to set herself apart
from the circle. I’ve discussed it so many times already, but Diana’s
independence has forged her a nice separate identity from the circle, and as a
result she’s begun to stand out from the crowd, so to speak. I love it when you
think you have a character all figured out, and then they’re turned around on
you. She’s been that kind of girl ever since she made the decision to cut Adam
loose, and her side tryst with Grant has only solidified that opinion. It’ll be
interesting to see where Diana ends up by season’s end. I hope it’s not in a
body bag.
Speaking of
body bags, after retuning with a new “and” credit, I should have spotted Ashley
Crow getting the Amber Benson treatment straight away. Given her large absence,
I can’t say Jane is someone I’ll miss a whole lot, but as a single character
unit, I’ve always enjoyed the strength and comfort she so easily exuded. It’ll
be devastating to see Cassie suffer yet another massive loss. That girl can’t
catch a break. Jane’s death felt more like a way to reveal John’s true colours (finally),
but its emotional effect shouldn’t be ignored.
The history
of witchcraft in this series has always been a fascinating aspect, and I got
serious enjoyment out of the amount divulged during this episode. Alongside
some serious “fill-in-the-blanks” about the fire 16 years ago, the story of the
witch’s arrival to Chance Harbour gave the series back story a lot more weight
and believability. The only thing we’re missing now is a nice flashback
episode. Something similar to ‘Witness’ wouldn’t go amiss, right?
I honestly
thought an episode named after the most annoying plot device of all time would
suck a tonne, but ‘Crystal’ was an episode that put an end to the slightly
clumsy nature of the show’s plots by neatly tying them all together, and
sending the show forward with a new lease on life.
8.5/10
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