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S02.E17: Search Party


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CHANGE OF HEART - The Charmed Ones (Melonie Diaz, Madeleine Mantock, Sarah Jeffries) must infiltrate a faction gala event in order to rescue Harry (Rupert Evans); Macy comes to a stunning conclusion. Also starring Jordan Donica and Poppy Drayton. Craig Shapiro directed the episode written by Aziza Aba Butain and Nicki Renna (#217). Original Airdate 4/10/2020

 

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Well, colour me surprised but I actually liked this episode and it managed  to hold my attention the entire way through. 

What did not surprise me, however, was the reveal that Harry had amnesia. I knew he was going to ask Macy who she was every time he tried to interrupt her. 

Also, I really liked Maggie's skull sweater. 

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Hey, remember when Mel used to be able to freeze time? Well, now she hides in the closet when demons show up.

I don't understand why Mel and Maggie had their original powers replaced with lame ones, but even if Mel freezes people now by literally freezing them, couldn't she have just done that? Why were she and Abigael cowering behind the door over a bunch of meat-head demons, wringing their hands wondering what to do? And then they come up with some weird light spell we've never heard of before?

Also, since when do they know how to make all of these potions? Have they been studying this in their free time? What free time? Mel seemed to have a random potion for anything Macy needed at any given moment. Convenient!

FInally . . . how did Abigael know where they live? Isn't the house hidden behind some barrier of invisibility up on a roof top somewhere?

Edited by iMonrey
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I also enjoyed this one, but I'm a sucker for people pulling heists at fancy parties. It was nice to see everyone working together, and the one plot (a welcome change from the usual A and B and sometimes C stories) was suspenseful and coherent. The story is finally moving along!

This episode used Jordan well; he felt like an important member of the team and not just a tagalong who needed to be rescued. I also liked seeing Mel and Abi paired up on a mission; it's been fun seeing them go from complete disdain to a reluctant camaraderie of sorts. I wouldn't mind if it turns into more, tbh, especially considering Mel hasn't had a real romantic plot in a while (her new girl, while nice, is such a nonentity that I can't even remember her name, and no love interest is gonna make it on this show unless they're somehow involved in the main plot).

I hope the remaining episodes can keep up this momentum. How many did they manage to finish before the novel coronavirus shut down production, anyway?

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I'd imagine they finish 20 episodes as filming was supposed to wrap on 4/16. 

For the most part an enjoyable episode, especially when Macy was finally able to use her TK in a fairly intense scene, though I loved how the demons got incinerated so quickly but when it gets to Harry it slows down so much lol.

But as usual I worry about them giving TCO such a big team especially so soon. Apart from their Charmed connection, what makes Macy any different from Abigail? They both have the same power and Abigail is able to use her powers better than any of the sister and at this point she is practically the 4th sister. They've finally let the sisters start doing more work together, now they just need to let them stop relying on everyone around them to win the day. 

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I agree this was a much better episode, after a string of really bad ones.  

I too liked them all working together towards a tangible goal, with the villains' endgame more clear.  Jordan's inclusion was fun.  

I didn't even mind Abigail in this one.  It made a difference that what Abigail and Mel were doing directly influenced what the others were doing at the party with that cool transporter purse.

20 hours ago, Primal Slayer said:

what makes Macy any different from Abigail? They both have the same power and Abigail is able to use her powers better than any of the sister and at this point she is practically the 4th sister. They've finally let the sisters start doing more work together, now they just need to let them stop relying on everyone around them to win the day. 

It is annoying that they need to rely on Abigail for something or other, every single episode.  

Did they inconveniently leave the magic locator behind at the lab?  I saw Maggie carelessly leaving it on some table when they entered.  Why not put it back into the "purse"?  

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This episode was certainly better than the last few, I usually enjoy heist style episodes, and we got some actual plot movement in ways that seemed to make sense. I admit, I am actually surprised that Macy's new love interest is apparently in on it, I thought that it would just be his aunt who was the Big Bad. So he found out about the supernatural because some asshole Whitelighter let his sister die? Yeah, that probably wouldn't endear most people to magic. I dont know, I am still not sure he is a total bad guy yet. 

Jordan has grown on me, he fit in with the team quite well here, especially now that he actually has a point to be here other than being an obvious love interest, and he can show some personality. 

I still wish that the sisters could be allowed to show more power and more competence, it feels like they're always getting bailed out by other people, normally Abigail or Harry. 

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On 4/13/2020 at 5:25 PM, Primal Slayer said:

I don't understand the need to paint the magical community in such a horrible light. It makes it hard to not root for the humans. Witches/whitelighters/elders are all selfish. Is it just to prop up our "lead" characters?

The Elders were horrible, and all the shitty things they've done seem to be part of their horrible policies, the random witches they save seem to be fairly normal people who are just getting hunted by two groups of arseholes. Then there are magical creatures like the dryads who got murdered and the pixies in the last season, who seem pretty benign and are just getting abused by people/demons out for their own gains. Of course they aren't using their powers for the benefit of mankind but it really looks as if mankind would probably respond to the offer by abducting and vivisecting them, so I think that's fair enough, really.

I really liked this episode. I don't know if the remaining episodes are like this but I hope so and I hope season 3 is more tense, fun magical adventures and less idiots whining because they don't know how to feel about their feelings or about the feelings that are being felt for them and who is feeling them... I know, this is an urban fantasy melodrama and that's part of the whole thing but I think in this season it's gone a bit overboard. This from someone who happily watched 'Shadowhunters' and 'The Originals' 😉

I hope Abi makes it to the end and gets into season 3, she's easily my favourite at this point. Also the times they've been working together has provided Mel's best parts this season-i agree with the comment in another thread that I don't think the writers know what to do with her and I think they are really nervous that they might make the 'bossy and judgemental' lesbian character come across as obnoxious-so more of that. And if they go this way I'd happily move my OTP sticker over from Hacy to Abimel because Harry and Macy have been so insufferable. 

Edit; I wonder about Julian's employees. Do none of them watch their 12th kidnap victim get liquidated so their superpowers can be transferred into their growing slave army of super mutants and think 'hang on a minute, are we the baddies?'

Edited by Speakeasy
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On 12/16/2020 at 7:59 AM, Speakeasy said:

The Elders were horrible, and all the shitty things they've done seem to be part of their horrible policies, the random witches they save seem to be fairly normal people who are just getting hunted by two groups of arseholes. Then there are magical creatures like the dryads who got murdered and the pixies in the last season, who seem pretty benign and are just getting abused by people/demons out for their own gains. Of course they aren't using their powers for the benefit of mankind but it really looks as if mankind would probably respond to the offer by abducting and vivisecting them, so I think that's fair enough, really.

I really liked this episode. I don't know if the remaining episodes are like this but I hope so and I hope season 3 is more tense, fun magical adventures

This is what I love about this reboot - the Elders are just older or "elder" witches who have far too much responsibility heaped upon them who have had to fight back against puritanism and witch hunting that nearly wiped them out, as well as demon hoardes, etc.. and other evil magical creatures... it makes them human and ... gray.  It gives them nuance.

Even though the Elders did some horrendous things, I thought it was BRILLIANT to connect that to the Salem Witch Trials and the abject fear witches were all living under and the way that drove them to create protectors (whitelighters) at any cost.  That's such a superior origin story for Whitelighters vs the Original.

In the OG show, it felt like the Elders were like gods or something and they always seemed so disconnected... and their inhumanity or cruelty or arbitrary application of rules never really had a satisfactory explanation.  On the reboot - they're just elder witches figuring it out as they go along.  It's just better, imo.

I do hope we get more fun magical adventures like this with true stakes.  I loved this episode the pieces.

Agree to disagree about Abigael.  I worry about her being paired with Mel because I don't trust the writers not to decenter Mel and focus on Abigael too much.  The show has 3 WoC leads and that's a huge reason why I watch.  I'm not interested in seeing them marginalized for a white woman actress.  Plenty of shows already do that - and I left them for that reason.

Thankfully according to Google Trends, Macy and Maggie still trend super high relative to Abigael, so I don't think she'll ever eclipse them, but I do worry she'll eclipse Mel, who is the weaker of the 3 leads.

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3 hours ago, phoenics said:

This is what I love about this reboot - the Elders are just older or "elder" witches who have far too much responsibility heaped upon them who have had to fight back against puritanism and witch hunting that nearly wiped them out, as well as demon hoardes, etc.. and other evil magical creatures... it makes them human and ... gray.  It gives them nuance.

Even though the Elders did some horrendous things, I thought it was BRILLIANT to connect that to the Salem Witch Trials and the abject fear witches were all living under and the way that drove them to create protectors (whitelighters) at any cost.  That's such a superior origin story for Whitelighters vs the Original.

In the OG show, it felt like the Elders were like gods or something and they always seemed so disconnected... and their inhumanity or cruelty or arbitrary application of rules never really had a satisfactory explanation.  On the reboot - they're just elder witches figuring it out as they go along.  It's just better, imo.

I was never 100% clear on what the Elders were in the original. I thought they were supposed to be angels or something.

Same as you I definitely prefer it to be people all the way up and down trying to navigate their way through a dangerous world. I would have liked the Elders to stick around a few more seasons to be honest, exploring the dynamics of these three young, powerful and idealistic but ignorant heroes with an ancient, cautious and knowledgeable power structure. But that isn't how the show is working. 

3 hours ago, phoenics said:

I do hope we get more fun magical adventures like this with true stakes.  I loved this episode the pieces.

Yep. More where the heroes need to make a plan and think on their feet, less of this other stuff.

3 hours ago, phoenics said:

Agree to disagree about Abigael.  I worry about her being paired with Mel because I don't trust the writers not to decenter Mel and focus on Abigael too much.  The show has 3 WoC leads and that's a huge reason why I watch.  I'm not interested in seeing them marginalized for a white woman actress.  Plenty of shows already do that - and I left them for that reason.

Thankfully according to Google Trends, Macy and Maggie still trend super high relative to Abigael, so I don't think she'll ever eclipse them, but I do worry she'll eclipse Mel, who is the weaker of the 3 leads.

That's definitely a legitimate concern, sadly. I would say they just need to write Mel better and more consistently... BUT... Hmm. Maybe change my answer to 'i wouldn't mind them putting them together IF they remember to put the focus on the one who is 1/3 of the show's title'. Bit optimistic I know.

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20 hours ago, Speakeasy said:

I would have liked the Elders to stick around a few more seasons to be honest, exploring the dynamics of these three young, powerful and idealistic but ignorant heroes with an ancient, cautious and knowledgeable power structure. 

I dunno - I kinda like the Buffy style they went to in the second season.  I recognize that it's not just like the OG Charmed, but I liked the direction it went and the team dynamic in this episode was just SOOOOO good.  I had been expecting to get that super tight team dynamic in the roswell reboot (but the show went off the rails and was racially problematic to boot) but it didn't deliver, so I was so happy to see that team dynamic emerge in Charmed.  I do still want the focus to be on the Charmed Ones, but love these little team adventures where they all come together.  So good.

For that reason, I'm glad the Elders are gone.  I like that we got Celeste (even though I don't fully trust her) though.  I like them having someone with more historical knowledge, but I like them having to figure it out on their own.  I get the feeling the show is trying to "groom" them to be the nuElders and show us the journey of how they got there.

Edited by phoenics
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