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John and Cassie have some father/daughter time while the show tries to decide exactly what dark magic is. I wish it would manifest itself in some sort of physical way, like her hair getting darker or more eye makeup, but we just see her melting coffee cups with her mind. Real dark. Faye can’t seem to say a single un-nasty thing, which is welcomed. Jake reminds everyone that Eben will be back to try to kill them, so they should enlist John to give them the 411 on the witch hunters.
Everyone spends the episode getting ready for a casino night fundraiser for the high school. Diana meets this Australian looker named Grant and I say kudooos to the casting director of this show for having his/her finger on the pulse (or something else) of every hot performer under the age of 22 on what appears to be the entire planet. Lee’s girlfriend is awake after an overdose on devil juice and she says she’s never going to leave him, as thanks for taking care of her. Faye invites Lee to casino night, but he says no and she’s pissed.
Cassie sees John searching for something at 7 Briar Hill and Adam decides that he must have been searching for some tool that steals power from witches. She confronts him and he says that the tool actually temporarily transfers power to a mortal. Eben used it the day of the boat fire. He says that a witch had to have given it to him and he wants to know who betrayed them.
Faye meets Lee’s girlfriend, Eva. Uh oh. He doesn’t act like he knows Faye and just tells the girl that she has a crush on him. He’s going to pay for that. Hot Grant shows up for the fundraiser, even though he said he was going to sail away earlier. Later, he and Diana kiss goodnight. Melissa is cocktailing at the party, which must be completely legal. John and Dawn run into each other in the hall and there’s a lot of sexual tension, but he’s not having it. He wants to find Ethan -- you know it’s because Cassie saw him in her vision when she went to the boat fire.
Someone stabs John in the parking lot of the school and Cassie witnesses. She chases the perpetrator through the football field and, in the most impressive piece of witchery that we’ve seen on this show as of yet, makes all of the football field lights turn on and knocks him down with flying pieces of wood from a bleacher. It’s Ethan. She’s about to club him to death when John stops her. And, he really has to convince her to stop.
Later, he tells her that she has to stop practicing magic in order to not be consumed by dark magic. And it turns out that Eva didn’t just have a drug problem, she had a fatal drug problem. Lee brought her back from the dead -- and she has powers, but he sticks to his guns about wanting to be with Faye... so she kills him. John patches himself up and goes to confront Ethan, who confesses to having given Eben the power to kill the witches. He had only intended to kill John, because Amelia apparently wanted him dead. We also find out that the unions between the Blakes and Conants are written in the stars, but as a curse. Meanwhile, Cassie and Adam do it and all of these black birds start flying around her house.
Want more? The full recap starts right below!We begin with Faye getting ready for school. Prediction: Something HUGE will happen before the day is over. Off the bat, I have to say I find the episode structure of this show pretty pedestrian. We're talking about freaking WITCHES with ancient bloodlines and shit. Having every episode wrap up in a day just seems to make things simpler than they should feel. Dawn comes in and tells her that she really needs Faye to be on her best behavior for the Casino Night fundraiser that is happening at the school that evening (i.e. the huge event that will be happening in this episode). Faye suggests that she bring a date, so that she can fixate on something besides her. Why doesn't she bring Cassie's dad? "Haven't you heard? He's back from the dead."
Cassie has made coffee and gives up a cup to her dad. Seriously, Blackwell is looking TIGHT. I'm not sure who the personal shopper is but bravo. Everything fits perfectly and I can't say enough about the hair and beard grooming. John says that he thinks he should stay there until her grandmother gets back but she doesn't because she doesn't know him and everyone is terrified of him. He says that he hates that they don't know each other. He's happy to answer any questions she has. First, did he love her mother? He says he loved her more than anyone in the world. He hurt her because of what he'd become -- dark magic changed him. Cassie says that's just an excuse because she's got a ton of dark magic and it hasn't changed her. Not yet, he says. You can't control dark magic. She says that she can. God, is she really that stupid? She obviously can't control it, we've already seen that. It bothers me that so much of the movement of this show is based on people either being stupid or loose-lipped. Cassie melts a coffee cup to show that she's in control and John tells her to stop because the more you use it, the more it takes control. It makes you destructive and vindictive. She tells him that he doesn't know her very well and walks away.
Later, Jake is going for a stroll or whatever it is that he does and John meets him on the sidewalk. He rhetorically asks if he looks after Cassie. Jake nods, then walks the other way on the sidewalk. At the coffee shop, where Cassie is still employed, the Circle has gathered. Faye wonders if John has another family somehwere and suggest that, if there is another Cassie, there could be one for Adam and one for Jake. Yikes. Melissa wonders why John, if he's such a big bad dark magic force, didn't do anything to stop Eben and the witch hunters. She waited until now to ask that? Cassie says that John's powers were stripped, just like the rest of his Circle. Jake says that none of them could have stopped Eben and reminds them that he was mobile after being impale on a tree. Adam asks accusitatively how Eben got that power and Jake says that he didn't have a chance to ask because Eben was too busy trying to kill him. Can't really argue with that. Unless you're Adam.
Diana says that Cassie is lucky because they all want back the parent they lost in the fire. Sure, agrees Faye, unless that parent is the devil. Uh, just look at your REMAINING parent, Faye. She decides this is her time to exit and says she's going to look for a date for that evening. Nice advanced notice there. He'll never be able to find something to wear! Melissa agrees to help Diana set up for the fundraiser and they leave. Before Jake leaves, he says that they should enlist John's help in learning more about the witch hunters. Adam and Cassie agree to go to the Casino Night as their official coming out as dating date. Then she plants a kiss on him.
Lee is waiting beside his girlfriend person who is still in bed. She says that he saved her life. She OD'd and he stayed by her and nursed her back to health. She says that she'll never leave him again. He suggests that she call her parents, but she doesn't want to. He's her family now.
Melissa and Diana are picking up supplies from the Boathouse donated by Ethan. Diana says that they don't need the champagne "glasses" when someone Australian dude corrects her: flutes. They're flutes. Now, I don't know about you, but I don't think it's cute when strangers correct me. Wait a minute. The camera pans to the Aussie and...whatever, he can say anything he wants. His teeth are made of molten platinum or something. He's so shiny. Diana brushes him off and they head to the parking lot. Melissa says that he looks like something you'd win at a raffle (please GOD, direct me to that raffle) but Melissa is wary about dating someone and having the "talk." The talk about her hair and how you are NEVER allowed to lay on it or touch it for more than four seconds at a time (at 25 minute intervals)? I think it's a witch talk that she means. The impeccably layered Aussie and his eyes and hair and TEETH follows them to the parking lot and offers to carry their load. They tell him about the fundraiser and he says that he's sailing away with friends that afternoon. His name is Grant. He's so cute. But, he tells them to always split eight's in Blackjack and, frankly, I'm thinking- - hey Grant, you've got three choices: 1) Take your shirt off, 2) Make out with someone, 3) Shut up. What's not one of those choices? I'll tell you -- you're apparent compulsive advice-giving. Champagne flutes and Blackjack and wake me up, because I'm sleeping. Because you bored me, Grant.
At 7 Briar Hill, John is there looking around. Cassie arrives and watches him. He looks in a secret hiding place and doesn't find what he wants. Then, in anger, he overturns a table with herbs on it. Herbs! Later, she tells Adam what she saw and thinks she can't trust John. Meanwhile, Faye goes to Lee's place. She invites him to Casino Night. She sees a lady's shoes on the floor and is all suspicious. They belong to Eva, his ex. She tells him that he can't live in the past and throws the shoes in the garbage. He says he can't go to the fundraiser. She's pissed and leaves.
Adam and Cassie sneak into Jake's house. Hidden there is a trinket that Adam and Nick had found when they first moved into 7 Briar Hill. It's a sway, used to take power from other witches. She takes it from him and says that she's going to ask John about it. At the coffee shop, Melissa admonishes Diana and Faye both for not going after these boys more forcefully. Because, really, that's where their minds should be, on boys and how to make those boys happy.
John, who has been at the movies all day or something, meets Cassie at her house. She shows him the sway and asks why he's trying to take the powers of other witches. He says that it doesn't actually do that -- it transfers power temporarily to a mortal, which is how Eben was able to kill all those witches at the boat fire. Only another witch would have been able to make the sway work, someone who was on the boat that day. He can sense that Cassie knows something. He says that Eben is possibly still working with the same witch who betrayed them before. She tells him to get out.
Later, Faye shows up in her party dress at Lee's place. She is met by Eva who says that she's his girlfriend. Lee shows up and kisses Eva. She does not have good luck in that place. She stomps out and Lee tells Eva that she has a crush on him.
Diana is running the chips table at Casino Night when Grant throws down some crisp Benjamins. He decided to leave the day. Ooh. She tells him that his Blackjack advice has an exception. I can't stand all the advice. He walks away and Melissa shows up carrying a tray of drinks, because that's completely legal. I guess they could non-alcoholic, but... still looks kinda bad.
Cassie's getting ready in her bathroom when Adam shows up and it doesn't scare her. Seriously? She tells Adam John's news about what happened on the boat. He gathers that Cassie is considering Ethan as the Judas of the old Circle. They argue about whose father is good or bad. He's a real baby about it. Later, she goes to Jake and tells him the news and he's upset that she's considering not telling John that she saw Ethan on the boat. Afterwards, he calls John.
Adam goes to Ethan. He wants to know what happened between him and Blackwell. He says it's affecting him and Cassie. Ethan says that she's worth fighting for. Spill it, Conant! Meanwhile, Faye is sulking around the fundraiser. Melissa says that Lee is an idiot. Oh wait, he's there. Faye tears into him, but Lee says it's complicated and kisses her. She's nice again.
John shows up at the fundraiser. Dawn is behind her in a quiet hallway and he throws her against a locker. She's a cat on a hot tin roof. She says she never believed he was dead. She says that she thinks they can get their power back. He wants to see Ethan and he has no time for her shit.
Adam decides to go the fundraiser and apologizes to Cassie, who is also cocktailing. They both agree to be easier on each other's dads. Dawn tells Cassie that her dad is there. Faye and Melissa use their powers to win at Blackjack. FINALLY. Some magic happens. Eva shows up at the fundraiser and is super upset. He tells her that he's with Eva now.
Jake ALSO shows up at the fundraiser. Can someone give this guy something to rub on? Melissa tells him that Cassie's really into Adam. Grant exchanges his winnings for two stuffed monkeys and gives one to Diana. Wow. Steamy. Cassie walks into the parking lot just in time to see John get stabbed by some shadowy person. She runs to his side, but then runs after the stabber. This is cool. The guy runs across the football field and Cassie runs after, turning the lights on with her power along the way. Then, she makes some bleachers break off and knock the guy down. She's pissed. She uses her power to pick up a piece of wood, then turns the guy over. It's Ethan. It doesn't matter, she's about to bash his brains in when John stops her. Ethan runs off. Later, John patches himself up and Cassie says that the dark magic was taking her to a bad place. John tells her that she has to stop practicing magic completely.
Grant walks Diana to her car and we hear that he's a fancy world traveler. He'd better be a witch, otherwise he's really boring. Diana kisses him and tells him to come back. Lee goes home and Eva is there. She's upset. He apparently brought her back from THE DEAD, so she's a little pissed that she's back and he has moved on. Apparently, she has powers and makes him grow so old that he's dead. Damn.
John confronts Ethan. He says that Eben was only supposed to kill John, not the others. Ethan is drinking again and John says that it's good that he's at least haunted by what he did. He's not going to tell that Ethan was the betrayer. He says that Ethan can't tell anyone about Cassie's dark magic, which he obviously witnesses. Ethan says that Amelia wanted John dead so they could be together (um, that was apparently true for years and they never got together). He says that Cassie and Adam are written in the stars and John says that being written about in the stars isn't so great for the Conants and the Blakes. For their families, that's a curse.
Which brings us to Adam and Cassie -- at her house. She's freaked out about what went down earlier. Adam says he isn't afraid of her and that he loves her. ANNNNND, they get it on. And, the camera pans out of her window and above, where we see black birds from all directions gathering to fly in a circle over her house. Yeah!
Jeff Long is a writer/performer living in Brooklyn. He can be reached at jeff.long75@gmail.com