Like a lot of you, I enjoyed the pilot of The Secret Circle but thought it had a lot of set up and not much action. I was hoping this week we’d finally get into our season-long storyline. Instead, I feel like we’re still taking the car ride to the top of the rollercoaster track. Now, I’m just waiting to be let go…

Don’t get me wrong, “Bound” was good and established what future episodes will be like. It set up some more of the premise, introduced some interesting mythology, and gave us our first step towards total chaos. It’s still early in the season, so I’m still willing to give the show some time to develop.

Adam: A circle has more power than any one person can handle. Binding it is the only way we can utilize the power but keep it controlled. It will limit our individual abilities but strengthen us as a group. That way, no one can have too much power.

To bind or not to bind. That is the question. At first, the pros and cons were tricky, and a lot of the Circle had an opinion on which was best. Faye didn’t want her power restricted. Cassie didn’t want to be included. And Diana just wanted the craziness to end. Then, of course, chaos ensued. Some chem fires, exploding bulbs, and a death later, and the choice was finally made to bind. Well, that is, after we hear Grandpa Henry tell Dawn, “You know what can be unleashed if they bind together.” Oh, I’m sure she does.

Dawn: It was wrong of you to strip us of our power.
Grandpa Henry: There was a time for witchcraft. That time is long gone. There’s no place for it in this world, anymore. You know what can be unleashed if they bind together.

You thought you had enough with two generations of witches and their circles? Well, meet Grandpa Henry, Faye’s grandather, who tired of witchcraft about sixteen years ago after the Incident. (That’s what everyone’s calling whatever happened.) He, his circle, or the Council of Elders he mentions, stripped his children’s circle of their power, and now Dawn and Charles’ power comes from the only crystal that wasn’t destroyed.

So far, I’m getting the idea that Dawn and Charles have a plan to get their children to create a circle in order to get or steal their power back. There’s talk about power throughout the episode as if it’s a seductive drug, and I can see how it could be seen that way just by witnessing Faye’s reactions. She doesn’t want to be without it. Like mother, like daughter. As I said last week, hopefully Faye learns and grows from her mother’s mistakes.

Meanwhile, Dawn is getting further and further into not caring what it takes to get their power back. Where will she draw the line? “We don’t kill innocent children.” Yet, it was ok to kill Cassie’s mother? It was ok to kill Grandpa Henry? (And just what did she do with his body after giving him a magical heart attack?) Plus, she doesn’t seem to care that something will be unleashed on them all as a result of their actions.

Diana: Fire, earth, metal, air, water, and blood. By these elements, we bind the circle and follow in the footsteps of our ancestors who pledged themselves to fight against the forces of darkness. When evil assails us, when fear weakens us, when descent threatens us, in the circle we will find our power. We come to this place alone but leave bound as one. With this oath, our journey begins together. Do you accept the circle?

The burgeoning relationship between Cassie and Adam is kind of a double edged sword to binding the circle. On the one hand, Cassie wants to bind the circle so things stop going haywire whenever they’re around each other. On the other hand, binding will bring everyone in the circle closer together, including, one assumes, Cassie and Adam. Also, I don’t understand why Diana keeps asking Adam to help out Cassie if she’s worried about them being together.

I started off liking the possibilities of both couples, but I’m now actually more interested in Adam and Diana now. I’ve grown tired of Cassie and Adam’s constant over-sexualized scenes. (If them talking about flowing energy, breathing hard, and having a physical reaction isn’t a metaphor…) Yes, Cassie and Adam are supposedly written in the stars. But Ethan was meant to be with Amelia, and that clearly didn’t work out. The scene with Diana confessing her insecurities to Adam has quickly become my favorite, and I’m looking forward to seeing more between them instead.

I’m also looking forward to Melissa and Nick getting a storyline of their very own, particularly Mellisa as she needs to get out from under Nick and Faye’s bitchy attitude. Nick is turning out to be quite an ass. But I actually found myself liking Faye for the first time this week. After she almost killed someone, there was a distinct change in her personality. She’s really just a lost girl. While, she can continue being as badass as ever, please let this new change stick.

I didn’t find this week’s episode to be as good as last week, and it felt a lot like filler to bridge the gap between before and after the creation of the circle. I’m hoping, now that a lot of the introduction is out of the way, we’ll get into more exciting storylines soon.

Notes:

Despite the parents having some dubious morals, the fact is they care for their kids. Dawn used some more of the crystal so her daughter wouldn’t have to live with having killed someone. And Charles’ comforting of Diana when Sally died was sweet.

I’m curious about this Council of Elders we heard about. I can’t wait to know more about the six families and more mythology about everything.

“We can’t have Ethan running his mouth off about Amelia. He’d blow it for us.” I think it’s becoming clear Ethan and Amelia know something Dawn and Charles don’t want anyone else knowing. Amelia died for it (and to get Cassie back in Chance Harbor). She also knew her days were numbered because she left Cassie a letter to find. It’s a good thing Cassie is keeping her Book of Shadows a secret for now.

I’m loving the moody music they play on the show. And I have to say, the circle’s clubhouse is too cool.

Next week:
Now, that they’re bound from doing crazy magic alone, what could go wrong? Just a crazy witch-killer after Cassie.