Tuesday, November 5, 2013

Witches of East End, Season 1, Episode 5: Electric Avenue



Ingrid is all sad –because it’s Adam’s funeral. He did die after all, probably because of Ingrid’s spell. She’s not going to the funeral because, even though she loved him, they’d hardly been dating him any time and doesn’t want to play grieving widow at a funeral which should be for family. Wendy offers all kinds of help and support but Ingrid wants to handle things her own way and returns to her room – to meet Adam who looks awfully healthy for a dead guy.

Nor does it seem he knows he’s dead. He thinks he’s taken 3 days off and is bemused by how not hungry he is as well. And when they kiss there’s a weird glowy spark. He thinks he still has a job to go to, a life, everything. She has to tell him the truth and while he doesn’t believe it at first, she talks him through his memories. In the mirror he sees blood flowing down from his nose that isn’t really there – Ingrid calls him a conscious apparition. She casts a spell to make the blood disappear, calling it a natural part of his “new reality”. He is, rather understandably, freaked out and leaves.

She finds Adam watching his own funeral and stunned that his life is over. Ingrid points out it doesn’t have to be – he’s been very happy the last few days. Oh and she’s a witch who conjured his spirit (he’s doubtful until she points out he’s a ghost so scepticism is rather moot). He’s a being of pure energy now and most people can’t see him – also why they get the occasional shock when  they touch. He kisses her.

On to second sister, Freya who is making wonderful progress with Penelope (Dash’s mother), though she slips in Dash’s previous engagement every time she can (you can’t expect her to blunt the sharp edges of her tongue so quickly).

Freya goes on to the bar to pick up her pay with Killian trying to flirt with her and her shutting him down. At the bar is Elise, Dash’s ex-fiancee.

Later, Freya tries on the antique wedding dress that the workmen at Dash’s home found in the wing they’re restoring – and Wendy sees it and promptly burns it. The dress belonged to Ingrid (well, a previous incarnation of Ingrid). She also reassures Freya about Dash’s ex-fiancée being in town.

Freya decides to return to the bar and demand to know why Elise is there (oh Freya, there’s no way you can look good doing this). Elise walks away and Freya tries to follow her when Killian asks her why she’s shouting at no-one. And the big dramatic reveal – Elise is dead.

At home, Joanna is facing the fact she’s due in court charged with a murder she didn’t commit – but she did commit a murder no-one knows about. Harrison praises her for being strong and capable and powerful and protecting her family though Joanna recognises the man is a skilled purveyor of bullshit.

They go to court and Maura steps up to give her testimony –and can’t remember a thing. Looks like Wendy’s little butterfly spell has done the trick. Her previous certainty dissolves, she now emphasises how dark and foggy it was and how confusing and now says she never saw who killed her husband. She pours herself a glass of water – and sees the glass full of maggots she drops both the glass and the pitcher that both shatter. There’s only water in the debris.

Understandably, the case is thrown out. Though Joanna is confused by Maura’s sudden memory loss. At home while celebrating over Champaign Joanna asks Wendy about Maura’s oh-so-convenient memory loss. Freya flounces out of the room, shocked and appalled they could accuse her of casting a dangerous and irreversible memory spell (Joanna and Harrison don’t believe her but have more intimate celebrations of their own)

Freya arrives home and asks Wendy if ghosts exist – Wendy says “of course”. Freya has a very reasonable pout that ghosts can be “of course” especially when Wendy dismisses vampires as ridiculous. Turned out Elise killed herself over Dash breaking up with her – which is another thing (along with the brother and having an ex-fiancee in the first place) that Dash never told her. Wendy says you can’t force a ghost to pass on, it has to choose to – but she’s confused that Freya hasn’t seen this ghost before if it’s new how did the ghost cross over anyway?

Sudden inspiration strikes. She storms upstairs, followed by Freya, to Ingrid’s room where she is having fun with ghostly Adam (and yes, they can see him). Ingrid is shocked to hear about Elise because it wasn’t in the book! It wasn’t in her research! Wendy reminds Ingrid again how little she knows about witchcraft and why she needs to talk to her and Joanna. Wendy warns Ingrid that if she doesn’t let Adam go by sunrise he will be stuck – and that was definitely in the book. Ingrid thinks that’s fine but Wendy has more sense – he’ll be doomed to a life where only Ingrid can see him and while she grows and lives and changes, he will be ever the same

Elise is busy haunting Dash (and finding she can make electronics mess up) when Freya arrives to see Dash and confront him about another secret being kept from her. Dash reassures Freya – which also includes a long speech about how she didn’t regret leaving Elise, how he never really loved Elise and how his worst day with Freya was better than his best day with Elise – all heard by Elise’s ghost. Ouch. Elise strops that she can have Dash – she didn’t come for him

Joanna goes out in errands and finds Maura clawing at her skin – she’s hallucinating again, convinced she is covered in bugs. Wendy tries to get on with some midnight gardening but first Freya calls her to check if ghosts can hurt someone – and she confirms that since they can affect electricity that, yes, they can. And Joanna arrives to tell her about Maura who is now sectioned. Joanna lectures her about abusing her powers and Wendy brings up the whole murdering someone with a fireplace poker and that Joanna should be thanking her.

Freya hurries to the bar to check on Killian and keep an eye out for any revenge from Elise. When the bar is empty, the electrics start to act up and Freya talks to the air trying to

Ingrid talks to Adam about why he died – the spell she cast and the price of it. He forgives her instantly and he already knows he has a narrow window to the other side due to special dead person wisdom (and the fact Wendy and Ingrid were loud when they argued) both of them regret but accept the needs to move on. Elise appears and rants that she wants to be with Killian, he slept with her once then never wanted to be with her again – and she always loved him. So she’s going to take Killian with her.

Killian touches the light switch and is shocked. He’s quickly rushed to hospital where Dash fights to resurrect him (seriously, they don’t have another doctor in the hospital?! They’re going to have him work on his own brother?) After a few shocks, Killian is saved.

Freya is by his bedside when he wakes up and he has another “woe I totally love you” moment and she repeats the phrase “sister-in-law” like it’s some kind of talisman before the rest of the family arrive and there’s some minor thawing between Dash and Killian.

Freya confronts Elise’s ghost who is all kinds of regretful, and asks her whether she really wants to spend the rest of eternity filled with regret and anger; which will happen if she doesn’t move on before sunrise.

And back home Joanna makes up with Wendy with both Wendy and Joanna admitting the other had a point – that Joanna killing to protect herself wasn’t that far from Wendy cursing Maura – but Wendy admitting that while she would always put Joanna ahead of Maura, it isn’t quite the same as self-defence. Still, angst over ruining people’s life over! It’s time to gossip about Joanna sleeping with Harrison! And how good it was! And Joanna’s issues after being so long and having to open up again.

Ingrid and Joanna have an excellent scene in the kitchen and some amusingly sad motherly advice. Ingrid takes Adam to his graveyard and lays out the ritual with his ghost: and no, she can’t summon him back another time. This is the last chance.

Elsewhere, Freya and Elise stand at their own ritual. Elise asks her to take care of both of them and do her best to make sure they don’t hate each other forever.

Both ghosts move on

Joanna and Wendy go to Maura. They can’t heal her, but they change her hallucinations so she imagines she’s having a wonderful life with her husband. As Joanna says, she can’t make it right, but they can make it a little better.

We close with an ominous close-up of a past Ingrid’s gravestone



I am glad that Adam got more of a send off than the scene last week – but it does mean that he is dead and he was one of the few points of inclusion this show had, and certainly the most visible one (not saying much but it’s true). I also felt it was awfully... neat. Or he has some supernatural drugged out level of calm. He's really dead? He adapts. Ingrid killed him? Takes him a second to process. He only has a narrow window before having to move on and Ingrid didn't tell him? Takes it in his stride. How can anyone be this mellow?


I still like how the family bounces off each other; they have excellent relationships. But I also feel like storylines are being closed at a rapid rate – the only one ongoing is a love triangle which is, frankly, the dullest on the show anyway