9
Wichita van Rijkom geeft Witches of East End – Pilot een 9.
13 October 2013, 19:40 by Wichita van Rijkom
Witches of East End – Pilot
Three witches living in the same house… Sounds like a series I’ve seen before. ‘Charmed’ came to mind the first time I read the description about this new Lifetime show. But I have to say that even though there are some similarities, ‘Witches of East End’ soon makes you forget all the other series within this genre. The story, loosely based on the epynomous novel by Melissa de la Cruz, is portrayed very well by a believable cast with great special effects which make you intrigued right away.
The first scene we see contains a murder. This sets the tone and shows that there’s also a dark side to this show. Mother Joanna Beauchamp (Julia Ormond, ‘Mad Men’) is living together with her daughters Ingrid (Rachel Boston, ‘American Dreams’) and Freya (Jenna Dewan-Tatum, ‘American Horror Story’) when sister Wendy (Mädchen Amick, ‘Freddie’) all of a sudden shows up after not having been part of their lives for years. She has some news that will change the girls' lives completely. During the first episode Freya and Ingrid soon realize that they’re not ‘normal’. When they both end up in situations that make them use their ‘powers’ they start to doubt their own minds. A family secret is revealed and the family Beauchamp seems to be in great danger.
The end of the first episode and the promo for the rest of the season shows that there’s a lot ahead for us viewers. The right dose of tension, humor and drama which is all there throughout the whole pilot, seems to be consistent during the rest of this season, judging by the promotion footage. When I started watching ‘Witches of East End’, I honestly wasn’t paying enough attention to it as I should’ve been. By the end of the episode I realized I hadn’t looked away from the screen once and was totally into everything that had happened. One episode didn’t seem to be enough. A lot happened during the pilot but that was a good thing in my opinion. You got to know the characters and their history that way a lot better real quick. I felt, it also made you more compassionate about the characters, as well.
Important guys in the series are brothers Dash (Eric Winter, ‘Good Christian Belles’) and Killian Gardiner (Daniel DiTomasso). Dash is Freya’s fiancée and even though they’ve only been dating for a couple of months they think they’re made for each other and are ready to take the next step. But when Killian shows up, all of that changes. All of a sudden, Freya is feeling conflicted about her feelings and emotions which causes a chain reaction leading back to what the show is all about. The fact that Ingrid and Freya are actually witches just like their mom and aunt. I don’t want to spoil the rest that will happen during the premiere episode so I’ll just leave it at that for now.
Even though my expectations where high when I heard about the series and its genre, I didn’t exactly know if ‘Witches of East End’ could live up to that. In the past, ‘Charmed’ has made a huge impression on me and I still consider it to be one of my favorite series ever. With that kind of competition, I found it hard to believe that any series could compete with it. After seeing the pilot I have to say though that this might be the new witches series of this generation. I love the show and can’t wait for the next episodes to air! My feeling is that ‘Witches of East End’ can be the show about witchcraft that all of us fans out there of this genre have been waiting for all these years.
The first scene we see contains a murder. This sets the tone and shows that there’s also a dark side to this show. Mother Joanna Beauchamp (Julia Ormond, ‘Mad Men’) is living together with her daughters Ingrid (Rachel Boston, ‘American Dreams’) and Freya (Jenna Dewan-Tatum, ‘American Horror Story’) when sister Wendy (Mädchen Amick, ‘Freddie’) all of a sudden shows up after not having been part of their lives for years. She has some news that will change the girls' lives completely. During the first episode Freya and Ingrid soon realize that they’re not ‘normal’. When they both end up in situations that make them use their ‘powers’ they start to doubt their own minds. A family secret is revealed and the family Beauchamp seems to be in great danger.
The end of the first episode and the promo for the rest of the season shows that there’s a lot ahead for us viewers. The right dose of tension, humor and drama which is all there throughout the whole pilot, seems to be consistent during the rest of this season, judging by the promotion footage. When I started watching ‘Witches of East End’, I honestly wasn’t paying enough attention to it as I should’ve been. By the end of the episode I realized I hadn’t looked away from the screen once and was totally into everything that had happened. One episode didn’t seem to be enough. A lot happened during the pilot but that was a good thing in my opinion. You got to know the characters and their history that way a lot better real quick. I felt, it also made you more compassionate about the characters, as well.
Important guys in the series are brothers Dash (Eric Winter, ‘Good Christian Belles’) and Killian Gardiner (Daniel DiTomasso). Dash is Freya’s fiancée and even though they’ve only been dating for a couple of months they think they’re made for each other and are ready to take the next step. But when Killian shows up, all of that changes. All of a sudden, Freya is feeling conflicted about her feelings and emotions which causes a chain reaction leading back to what the show is all about. The fact that Ingrid and Freya are actually witches just like their mom and aunt. I don’t want to spoil the rest that will happen during the premiere episode so I’ll just leave it at that for now.
Even though my expectations where high when I heard about the series and its genre, I didn’t exactly know if ‘Witches of East End’ could live up to that. In the past, ‘Charmed’ has made a huge impression on me and I still consider it to be one of my favorite series ever. With that kind of competition, I found it hard to believe that any series could compete with it. After seeing the pilot I have to say though that this might be the new witches series of this generation. I love the show and can’t wait for the next episodes to air! My feeling is that ‘Witches of East End’ can be the show about witchcraft that all of us fans out there of this genre have been waiting for all these years.
About the writer, Wichita van Rijkom
Wichita is a huge animal lover and 90’s kid who loves watching TV series and writing. Despite her age, she has been unfit for work for over fifteen years now. Watching TV series is a way to relax and have fun for her. That's what makes writing reviews for MySeries such a perfect hobby for her. In the past, she's also co-written a book about one of her health issues and has been writing reviews for MySeries since the beginning of 2013. English has always come natural to her because of her international contacts and past travels in her childhood. That's why she loves to write English reviews from time to time as well as Dutch reviews for MySeries.
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