After almost half a season of build up, countless vaguely threatening references, it figures that John Blackwell's arrival in Chance Harbour would be kind of an anti-climax. Though its events were some bit disappointing, the direction and tone of ‘Return’ seems to have finally solidified the series into something wholly appealing and definitive in its own right.
‘Return’ sees Cassie’s long thought dead father arrival in Chance Harbour. When Cassie is taken by witch Hunters, John turns to her friends to help save her before she’s hurt. Faye and Diana ask Ian for help when they begin to worry for Melissa’s safety when she attends a party thrown by Callum.
So, John’s arrival wasn’t the explosive moment it should have been, but there were so many elements to his appearance that were totally satisfying. My first nod has to be to the casting directors, who couldn’t have chosen a better man to play the role. Joe Lando is equally mysterious as he is alluring while still evoking a vaguely threatening nature at the same time. Cassie’s reaction to his none too surprising homecoming was so endearing and heartfelt; it really felt like we were dealing with a teenage girl battling abandonment issues. She fought so hard to appear steely and independent, but eventually cracked and showed the true anger and disappointment she feels for her Daddy. Hats off to Britt Robertson this week who pulled off another decent performance.
After several episodes of backfired visits to Chance Harbour, you can’t expect the series to forgo the opportunity to milk John’s for some dramatic realisation of the true familial bond between Cassie and himself. Still coming off slightly formulaic, the action and magic all felt like it was coming from the right place this week. Tonally, this was the best episode so far with the eerie, dark vibe meshing wonderfully with the striking, harsh nature of the dark magic these characters find themselves engrossed in. The circle’s rescue came across as slightly staged, but there was a beautiful believability to Cassie’s desire to save her father from certain death.
Elsewhere Melissa and Faye’s dangerous liaisons feel like they’re heading in the right direction. Avoiding the obvious route of teenage substance abuse, Melissa snapped herself out of her tragic attraction to the obnoxious Callum, returning to her rightful place in the circle, though I doubt this is the last we’ll see of him. With Ian’s hidden motives making him appear disingenuous to Faye, there’s still some ground to be covered before his real reasons for helping are made public knowledge. I’m curious to know how his secret will change Faye’s opinion of him. He may be keeping something huge from her, but it’s all in the name of love, and we all know she’s a big softie underneath that bravado.
I can’t help but feel slightly cheated by this whole episode, which wasn’t the big event it was being made into in my head, but it did its job well; a solid effort.
7.5/10
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