"Pilot" | |
---|---|
The Secret Circle episode | |
Episode no. | Season 1 Episode 1 |
Directed by | Liz Friedlander |
Written by | Kevin Williamson |
Teleplay by | Andrew Miller |
Production code | 296808 |
Original air date | September 15, 2011 |
Running time | 42 mins (approx.) |
Guest appearances | |
"Pilot" is the pilot episode of the CW television series The Secret Circle and the first episode of the show overall. The original teleplay was written by Andrew Miller, but was heavily edited by Kevin Williamson. It originally aired on Thursday, September 15, 2011.
Cassie (Britt Robertson) is run off of the road by another driver on the way home which leads to a flat tire. Unknown to Cassie, her mother, Amelia Blake (Emily Holmes), is about to see the last of this world. A stranger (Gale Harold) appears outside Cassie's residence playing with matches as a fire breaks out in the kitchen inside. Cassie's mother dies in what she believes is an accident.
One month later, Cassie, still dealing with her mother's death, moves to her grandmother's (Ashley Crow) house in Chance Harbor. Cassie meets new people on her first day of school: Adam Conant (Thomas Dekker) a handsome boy who seems to have this pull to Cassie, Diana Meade (Shelley Hennig) Adam's girlfriend, Faye Chamberlain (Phoebe Tonkin) a young and all around rebel, Melissa Glaser (Jessica Parker Kennedy) Faye's quiet sidekick, and Nick Armstrong (Louis Hunter) her next door neighbor.
Unknown to Cassie, this group of kids makes up a coven of witches. With Cassie now in town they can all experience the full effects of their magic. Faye sets Cassie's car on fire to see if Cassie knows she's a witch. When Cassie can't escape her car, Adam saves her.
The next day, Cassie tries looking for her grandmother but runs into Diana and her father, Charles, the man who is responsible for the fire that killed Cassie's mother. Diana takes Cassie to an abandoned house in the woods and explains that they, along with Adam, Faye, Melissa, and Nick, are all witches. They call this the Circle (with Diana as the de facto leader) and is only at its best if Cassie joins. Cassie doesn't believe them, saying that witches aren't real, and runs from the house. Adam follows her and they have a moment in the woods where their energy joins together causing all of the water droplets to float. Adam leans in to kiss Cassie, but she pulls away and runs off.
Cassie ponders whether she will join them or not, and all while dark secrets surface such as Diana's father, Charles, is the man that was outside Amelia's house. Along with these secrets, Cassie is revealed to be more of a puppet for the adult generation of witches that were thought to have sworn off witchcraft after a bad accident long ago.
In its original American broadcast, "Pilot" of the show was watched by 3.05 million. [1]
The "Pilot" of the show received mostly positive reviews and, as the appended reviews attest, there was a clear comparison to The Vampire Diaries show.
Matt Richenthal from TV Fanatic rated the Pilot episode with 4.7/5 stating that if there was ever an ideal comparison to The Vampire Diaries, it would be The Secret Circle. "...it's never clear how a book will translate to the big screen. Based on the series premiere, however, I can safely say: so far, so mysteriously, enjoyably, attractively good." [2]
Rowan Kaiser and Katherine Miller from The A.V. Club gave a B− grade to the episode. Katherine said that at this moment the show wasn’t exactly a revolution in suspense but is not without promise while Rowan said that the "Pilot" was slick and has found himself really wanting to know what will happen next. "This show could really work well, and even if not, it should still be eminently watchable." [3]
Laurel Brown from Buddy TV stated that those witches arrived as a force to be reckoned with. "The pilot for The Secret Circle is occasionally a bit slow as it builds up the story. But that's actually OK -- the slow build gives us a chance to really get to know the central players in this melodrama. The magic, meanwhile, is thoroughly impressive (just wait until you see everything they do with rain!)." [4]
In the "Pilot" episode we can hear the songs: [5]
The Secret Circle is an American supernatural fantasy teen drama television series that aired on The CW from September 15, 2011, to May 10, 2012. It is based on the book series of the same name written by L. J. Smith. Set in the fictional town of Chance Harbor, Washington, the series focuses on Cassie Blake who, after moving to the town, discovers that she is a hereditary witch and becomes the sixth member of a secret coven. The series was developed by Andrew Miller and was picked up by The CW on May 17, 2011. On October 12, The CW ordered a full 22-episode season.
"Bound" is the 2nd episode of the first season of the CW television series The Secret Circle, and the series' 2nd episode overall. It aired on September 22, 2011. The episode was written by Kevin Williamson & Andrew Miller. It was directed by Liz Friedlander.
"Loner" is the 3rd episode of the first season of the CW television series The Secret Circle, and the series' 3rd episode overall. It aired on September 29, 2011. The episode was written by Richard Hatem and it was directed by Colin Bucksey.
"Heather" is the 4th episode of the first season of the CW television series The Secret Circle, and the series' 4th episode overall. It was aired on October 6, 2011. The episode was written by David Ehrman and it was directed by Dave Barrett.
"Slither" is the 5th episode of the first season of the CW television series The Secret Circle, and the series' 5th episode overall. It was aired on October 13, 2011. The episode was written by Dana Baratta and it was directed by Liz Friedlander.
"Wake" is the 6th episode of the first season of the CW television series The Secret Circle, and the series' 6th episode overall. It was aired on October 20, 2011. The episode was written by Andrea Newman and it was directed by Guy Bee.
"Masked" is the 7th episode of the first season of the CW television series The Secret Circle, and the series' 7th episode overall. It was aired on October 27, 2011. The episode was written by Michelle Lovretta and it was directed by Charles Beeson.
"Beneath" is the 8th episode of the first season of the CW television series The Secret Circle, and the series' 8th episode overall. It was aired on November 3, 2011. The episode was written by Don Whitehead and Holly Henderson, and it was directed by John Fawcett.
"Balcoin" is the 9th episode of the first season of the CW television series The Secret Circle, and the series' 9th episode overall. It was aired on November 10, 2011. The episode was written by Andrew Miller and Andrea Newman and it was directed by Brad Turner.
"Darkness" is the 10th episode of the first season of the CW television series The Secret Circle, and the series' 10th episode overall. It was aired on January 5, 2012. The episode was written by David Ehrman and it was directed by Chris Grismer.
"Fire/Ice" is the 11th episode of the first season of the CW television series The Secret Circle, and the series' 11th episode overall. It was aired on January 12, 2012. The episode was written by Holly Henderson and Don Whitehead and it was directed by Joshua Butler.
"Witness" is the 12th episode of the first season of the CW television series The Secret Circle, and the series' 12th episode overall. It was aired on January 19, 2012. The episode was written by Dana Baratta and it was directed by Eagle Egilsson.
"Valentine" is the 14th episode of the first season of the CW television series The Secret Circle, and the series' 14th episode overall. It was aired on February 9, 2012. The episode was written by Roger Grant and it was directed by Dave Barrett.
"Return" is the 15th episode of the first season of the CW television series The Secret Circle. It aired on February 16, 2012. The episode was written by David Ehrman and directed by Brad Turner.
"Curse" is the 17th episode of the first season of the CW television series The Secret Circle, and the series' 17th episode overall. It was aired on March 22, 2012. The episode was written by Don Whitehead & Holly Henderson and it was directed by John Fawcett.
"Sacrifice" is the 18th episode of the first season of the CW television series The Secret Circle, and the series' 18th episode overall. It was aired on March 29, 2012. The episode was written by David Ehrman and it was directed by Nick Copus.
"Crystal" is the 19th episode of the first season of the CW television series The Secret Circle, and the series' 19th episode overall. It was aired on April 19, 2012. The episode was written by Micah Schraft and it was directed by Omar Madha.
"Traitor" is the 20th episode of the first season of the CW television series The Secret Circle, and the series' 20th episode overall. It was aired on April 26, 2012. The episode was written by Roger Grant & Katie Wech and it was directed by Eagle Egilsson.
"Prom" is the 21st episode of the first season of the CW television series The Secret Circle, and the series' 21st episode overall. It was aired on May 3, 2012. The episode was written by Holly Henderson & Don Whitehead and it was directed by Alex Zakrzewski.
"Family" is the 22nd and the last episode of the first season of the CW television series The Secret Circle, and the series' 22nd and last episode overall. It was aired on May 10, 2012. The episode was written by Andrew Miller & Andrea Newman and it was directed by Dave Barrett.