Witches of East End: The Complete Season 2

This second and final season of the supernatural melodrama centering on a family of witches pits the women against the ruthless patriarchy that they escaped from centuries earlier. It turns out that the ladies—Joanna (Julia Ormond), her daughters Freya (Jenna Dewan-Tatum) and Ingrid (Rachel Boston), and wild sister Wendy (Mädchen Amick), who has nine lives and can turn into a black cat—are actually descended from Norse gods. The vengeful Odin (a villain in this telling) is determined to enter the mortal realm to take them back to Valhalla or kill them for their betrayal, and he sends Joanna's son (Christian Cooke) ahead to prepare the way. While this family drama plays out, Freya struggles with her attraction to the Gardiner brothers: one, her former fiancé, a successful doctor with a dark center (Eric Winter); the other, a black sheep with a good heart (Daniel Di Tomasso), who returns (after being presumed dead) under the spell of a New Orleans witch. Made for the female-centric Lifetime channel, Witches of East End thematically focuses on a nurturing matriarchy that contrasts sharply with the violence and desire for power and control in Odin's male realm. It's also a sexy and somewhat cheeky supernatural drama with attractive stars and hot romances to spice up the magical threats to the women's earthly happiness. The show is lightweight fun, but it wasn't renewed so it ends here on a cliffhanger. Compiling all 13 episodes from 2014, this is a strong optional purchase. (S. Axmaker)