Jake Armstrong

Jake Armstrong is a fictional warlock featured in the 2011 Secret Circle television series on the CW Network. He was played by actor Chris Zylka and introduced in the sixth episode of season one, "Wake". He appeared in eight episodes of season one.

Biography
Jake Armstrong grew up in Chance Harbor, Washington with his family. In the mid 1990s, Jake's parents, both of whom were part of a witches' coven known as a secret circle, were mysteriously killed in a boating accident that also claimed the lives of several other members of the circle. Jake was left to raise his younger brother Nick. Because of this, Jake always harbored an intense dislike of magic even though the power was an inherent legacy of his bloodline. Both Jake and Nick possessed the ability to tap into their family's mystical legacy, but Jake had little use for it.

Jake's relationships with the other family members of the previous secret circle were tense at best. He had an on-again/off-again relationship with Faye Chamberlain, but regarded her as little more than a sexual outlet. He also had a bad relationship with Adam Conant - one that persisted for many years. Ultimately, Jake's rebellious nature urged him to leave Chance Harbor altogether.

Despite being a witch in his own right, Jake fell in with a group of witch hunters led by a fanatical man named Isaac. Isaac used him as his own personal magic gun to combat other witches. He felt that he could control Jake and nurtured the young man's hatred of magic, even though he encouraged him to use it to further his own objectives.

Jake returned to Chance Harbor in 2011 to attend the funeral of his brother Nick, who had died after being possessed by a demon that had been inadvertently loosed by the newest member of the secret circle, Cassie Blake. Isaac wanted Jake to infiltrate the secret circle so that he could destroy it from within. Jake remained close to Cassie as often as possible, trying to glean as much information as he could from her, as well as her mother's Book of Shadows. Jake manipulated Cassie and the others into a trap wherein they were captured by Isaac and several of his witch hunters. He was careful however to keep his own involvement in their schemes a secret from the others. As time went on however, Jake developed a genuine connection to Cassie despite learning about her family's ancestry and her ability to wield dark magic.

When Isaac learned that Cassie possessed more power than the others, he instructed Jake to take her out. Jake couldn't bring himself to do it however, and betrayed Isaac. He helped the others to keep Cassie alive and free of his clutches, but in doing so, revealed his true actions to the group. Despite this, Jake remained with Isaac, hoping that by doing so, he might be able to prevent him from making future attempts against Cassie's life. Unable to break the circle, Isaac and Jake left Chance Harbor.

Notes & Trivia

 * The character of was created by series developer Andrew Miller, director Guy Norman Bee and writer Andrea Newman based upon concepts originally developed by author L.J. Smith.


 * Actor Owen Mason played a young Jake Armstrong in episode 1.12, "Witness".


 * Actor Chris Zylka also appeared in the 2010 film Shark Night 3D and the 2012 film Piranha 3DD. Both movies involve killer fish.