The Utterly Enchanting Charmed Rewatch

[amensisterfriend]

Great!!! Should we each nominate five episodes that we want to rewatch, after which I can put them in chronological order and try to put together a schedule?! (And if anyone else wants to do the schedule, please don't be shy---suffice it to say that kind of thing is NOT my forte!) 

Here are my five for now, though we can each submit more than five if we decide we want to watch more episodes :) 

1) That '70's Episode

2) Pre-Witched

3) Sin Fransisco

4) Long Live the Queen 

5) Sympathy for the Demon 

 

---Again, these aren't necessarily my five favorites (though I do happen to love all five!), but episodes that I think might lend themselves to interesting and fun discussion :) I can't wait to see everybody's choices! 

[Lady Calypso]

I'll happily nominate five episodes here! Not necessarily my favourites either. In fact, some of these aren't even on my top thirty list! I think I'm also partially choosing episodes that I haven't seen in a while that I think would have some interesting discussions.

1) P3H20

2) Sleuthing With The Enemy

3) Charmed and Dangerous

4) Centennial Charmed

5) Crimes and Witch Demeanors

So, here's a compiled list!

1) That '70's Episode

2) P3H20

3) Sleuthing With The Enemy

4) Pre-Witched

5) Sin Fransisco

6) Charmed and Dangerous

7) Long Live the Queen 

8) Sympathy for the Demon 

9) Centennial Charmed

10) Crimes and Witch Demeanors

Honestly, my last choice can be taken off; I'll probably find a better episode to put on there, but I'll leave it for now!

[amensisterfriend]

Centennial Charmed

 

I'm so happy you chose this one---I was dying to put it on my list too :) 

[4evaQuez]

I can also add 5!
 

1.  A Witch in Time

2. Hulkis Pulkis

3. Charrrmed (So I've always found this episode interesting because it's the only one where I remember an LGBT character showing up)

4. Siren Song

5. Witches in Tights

[amensisterfriend]

Updated list in chronological order: 

1) That '70's Episode

2) P3H20

3) Sleuthing With The Enemy

4) Pre-Witched

5) Sin Fransisco

6) Charmed and Dangerous

7) Long Live the Queen 

8) Siren's Song

9) Witches in Tights

10) Sympathy for the Demon 

11) A Witch in Time

12) Centennial Charmed

13) Charrrrmed

14) Crimes and Witch Demeanors

15) Hulkus Pocus 

...Just waiting to see if a few more people will join us in this fabulous rewatch and submit their episodes! 

[amensisterfriend]

----Since there may not be more people joining us, should those of us who are participating each nominate another couple of episodes?! My admittedly strange choices:

Brain Drain

Lost and Bound 

---Also, maybe we should all kick off with the pilot because...it's the pilot?! It would be fun to see how similar AND different the show's initial setup was as compared to what it became throughout the seasons. 

[Lady Calypso]

Ok! So new updated list, along with my choices! I decided to try to add a couple of later season episodes! Seeing this list, we have a lot of seasons 4 and 5 episodes.

On a side note, we probably could use another couple of season 2 episodes! We could maybe cap the rewatch to 25 episodes for now, then? That would give us probably a couple of months of rewatching, depending how many episodes we decide to watch a week. Maybe on our next rewatch, we do themed-type episodes to rewatch! But that's a while away! 

1. Something Wicca This Way Comes
2. That '70's Episode
3. P3H20
4. Sleuthing With The Enemy
5. Pre-Witched
6. Sin Fransisco
7. Brain Drain
8. Lost and Bound
9. Charmed and Dangerous
10. Long Live the Queen 
11. Siren's Song
12. Witches in Tights
13. Sympathy for the Demon 
14. A Witch in Time
15. Centennial Charmed
16. Chris Crossed
17.  Crimes and Witch Demeanors
18. Charrrrmed
19. Charmageddon
20. Hulkus Pocus 

[amensisterfriend]

Thanks so much for updating our list, Lady C! I don't think we need to make sure each season is equally represented, but obviously people can nominate from whatever seasons they feel like :) I guess we should wait another day or two for additional nominations/participants? I can't wait to get started! 

[4evaQuez]

I love the list! Cant wait to start

[amensisterfriend]

4eva, feel free to add a couple more episodes! 

[Rockstar99435]

I'm still in season 8 of my rewatch, but if you're looking for suggestions, Chick Flick is one of my favorites. "I am being stalked by psycho killers and I hide in the shower!"

[4evaQuez]

The Painted World, Murphy's Luck

[amensisterfriend]

Okay, Charmed fans, it looks like we have our utterly fabulous rewatch list! If anyone has an addition or wants to change their picks, just let me know. Meanwhile, can someone a little less numerically impaired than I am help to set up the schedule?! I'm thinking we should watch 2 or 3 per week, right? So maybe we can pick next Monday as the day we'll discuss the Pilot and then plan to start discussing That 70's Episode by Thursday or Friday...?  

 

Something Wicca This Way Comes

That '70's Episode

The Painted World

P3H20

Murphy's Luck

Chick Flick

Sleuthing With The Enemy

Pre-Witched

Sin Fransisco

Brain Drain

Lost and Bound

Charmed and Dangerous

Long Live the Queen 

Siren's Song

Witches in Tights

Sympathy for the Demon 

A Witch in Time

Centennial Charmed

Chris Crossed

 Crimes and Witch Demeanors

Charrrrmed

Charmageddon

Hulkus Pocus 

[Lady Calypso]

1. Something Wicca This Way Comes- Mon. August 22nd
2. That '70's Episode- Fri. August 26th
3. The Painted World- Mon. August 29th
4. P3H20 Fri. Sept. 2nd
5. Murphy's Luck- Mon. Sept 5th
6. Chick Flick- Fri. Sept 9th
7. Sleuthing With The Enemy- Mon. Sept 12th
8. Pre-Witched- Fri. Sept 16th
9. Sin Fransisco- Mon. Sept 19th
10. Brain Drain- Fri. Sept 23rd
11. Lost and Bound- Mon. Sept 26th
12. Charmed and Dangerous- Fri. Sept 30th
13. Long Live the Queen- Mon. October 3rd
14. Siren's Song- Fri. Oct 7th
15. Witches in Tights- Mon. Oct 10th
16. Sympathy for the Demon- Fri. Oct 14th
17. A Witch in Time- Mon. Oct 17th
18. Centennial Charmed- Fri. Oct 21st
19. Chris Crossed- Mon. Oct 24th
20.  Crimes and Witch Demeanors- Fri. Oct 28th
21. Charrrrmed- Mon. Oct 31st
22. Charmageddon- Mon. November 4th
23. Hulkus Pocus- Fri. Nov 7th

So, there's the list. 23 episodes. If we watch two a week, we'll be watching for roughly 11 weeks, which I think is good. I like the Monday/Friday schedule. Monday gives people the weekend to watch the episode and make whatever notes, while Friday gives people the whole week to not only comment on the previous episode, but to watch the next one.

ETA: I added the rough schedule, so take a look and see how it looks. If we have to adjust as we go along, we can do that! 

Edited August 17, 2016 by Lady Calypso

[Kohola3]

Works for me.

[amensisterfriend]

Perfect!!! I'm really excited! 

[4evaQuez]

Perfect!

[Lady Calypso]

Ok, so without further ado, our Charmed Rewatch starts with Something Wicca This Way Comes

I forgot how this show started. I remembered they started on a new witch, but I totally forgot about Kit being that witch's cat. It was really great to see another with with the power of pyrokinesis. And she knew Jeremy, which was not expected from me. There's clearly a lot I forgot about the pilot.

The tension between Prue and Phoebe really helped set up the show. I really enjoyed the dynamic of the three sisters, which really stayed consistent with Prue/Piper, and Prue/Phoebe's relationship grew over the course of the seasons. Hell, it grew in this one episode.

The one thing I note is the shots of San Francisco throughout the series after the opening credits. I go back and forth between thinking they're great for the show, and thinking that they're wasting time on scenes with the characters. 

I also forgot Darryl was there from the very beginning. For some reason, I always thought he showed up a few episodes in.

I really like Andy's introduction. He started off as believing witches and wicca and magic stuff. I feel like they initially had his character on a different path before they found their footing with the show. 

Phoebe finding the Book ended up being really cheesy with the special effects lights guiding her to the Book, but I did love the spirit board scene, and the special effect of the photo of the three sisters being altered. 

Yeah, what happened to the Warren line becoming stronger until the arrival of 3 sisters, the most powerful that the world has ever known? For me, they ended up being so incredibly average. They didn't quite hit their end goal, especially later on with the birth of Wyatt. 

I really don't get the Prue/Roger thing. He looks like a slimy bastard, not a type of Prue's, and especially not one that she'd get engaged to. Also noting that she did use her hands to channel her powers when she tightened Roger's tie. At least the Piper/Jeremy relationship kind of made sense. Jeremy had some kind of charm as he faked being human. But damn, he is still very creepy, showing up to Piper's audition. But Prue/Andy really worked well right from the beginning. Both of them got childish grins when they met each other at the hospital. 

Jeremy turned quite quickly on Piper. He slipped up and it's like 'oops, can't hide it now' and went right to the evil villain monologue and creepy demon voice. It's also funny that he seemingly didn't have any teleportation powers because he decided to...run to the Halliwell Manor. I also don't know why they were trying to leave the house. Also, a small continuity error with Piper having locked the door, but when they ran down the stairs, Prue opened it without unlocking it. Also, Jeremy apparently has telekinesis too. But I do love that they could easily defeat Jeremy with the Power of Three chant. They also weren't quite saying it in unison, but whatever. 

I realize that out of Piper and Phoebe, Piper's the one who has changed the most throughout the series. She was so introverted yet so very likable. I'm just surprised that someone can change so much in eight seasons. I think Piper's change really happened after Prue's death and when she became the eldest. It was like they needed another Prue so they just made Piper more like Prue, but taking more of her negative qualities. She lost the quiet charm that she had. 

Overall, the episode set the tone for the rest of the show, at least. They dropped the ball on a lot but they really stuck to the importance of family and the relationships of the sisters. 

[4evaQuez]

So I just finished watching Something Wicca This Way Comes.

While watching the episode, I realized that season 1 episodes of Charmed are the ones I rewatch least.  I'll actually rank this season above both season 6 and 8, but that is more because I have very little love for those seasons, and it has little to do with my actual affection for season 1. Don't get me wrong, I remember loving season 1 when it originally aired, but seasons 2, 3, 4, 5, and 7 definitely hold my rewatchability heart.

That being said, it was actually odd watching the 1st episode again. I was struck by how "real world" the show was. Even seasons 2 and 3 seem a bit more fantastical than this 1st episode. I was also struck by how many things I'd forgotten: I don't remember Daryll being in the first episode. To be fair, I actually don't remember Daryll at all until the second season when he discovers the sisters' secret. I also didn't remember that Jeremy was a journalist, assuming that was his real job. The show definitely wrote Prue as more a mother to Phoebe than sisterly. I was struck at Prue offering Phoebe blankets because of Phoebe's cold room even after the Phoebe/Prue argument. Such a mom thing to do. There was another moment were Prue interrupted a Phoebe/Piper moment, and Piper immediately explained her actions to Prue similar to a small child trying not to be scolded by their mom. Speaking of that Phoebe/Piper moment, I was surprised that the two had a moment at all. I've written on here a few times that I never really felt a Phoebe/Piper connection even though this is actually the longest relationship on the show. I also didn't realize this was the longest relationship on the show until a fellow poster stated it. I actually enjoyed the moment because we got to see Piper and Phoebe outside their roles as defined by Prue. Phoebe was a lot softer with Piper and Piper seemed like a protective and caring big sister. This also established nicely how Piper even protects Phoebe from Prue since she hides Phoebe's return from Prue to ensure Phoebe could have access to the manor. While the episode as a whole is not focused on Piper, I actually liked the duality of Piper's childishness around Prue and her own maternal protectiveness around Phoebe. It's something I've honestly never noticed before. (I'm curious to see if there are more Piper/Phoebe moments that I've forgotten).

I also completely forgot about Roger. I've seen other posters mention Roger from the pilot and I had absolutely no recollection. Once I saw him, the only thing I could remember was Prue unknowingly choking him with his tie. I actually want to respectfully disagree with a few posters who said they could not see Prue dating someone like Roger. While I can't see the Prue we've come to love and respect dating Roger - especially seasons 2 and 3 Prue - I can easily see the Prue in the pilot dating this guy. Pilot Prue is a lot less daring. Yes, she still has her strength and toughness, but this Prue also seemed kind of tired. Maybe I'm overthinking but the dialogue about Grams death she had at the beginning of the episode and her refusal to believe in Phoebe - in general - and especially about their witchcraft. This Prue seemed a lot more closed off, reserved and shut off. I could see this Prue ignoring her inner voice and desires to date a "safe" guy like Roger. I mean, yes, he's a wimp, but he was the kind of wimp that you could take home to your parents and he'll discuss his boring job, how much money he makes and hide his more egregious personality traits. I'm sure Grams would have hated him, but I could see the people in Prue's circle loving him and encouraging her to be with him. (I know the show tells us nothing about Prue's social life in this episode. But something about this Prue lacks the fun that later Prue has).

Speaking of Prue, I've always been confused as to how she transported the cream into the coffee. 

 I didn't remember that the spirit board was from their mom. I think I always assumed it was Grams who was magically calling out to her granddaughters from beyond the grave. 

Are all of Piper's head chefs jerks? The one in the pilot was rude and annoying, and I can only remember one other chef from the truth episode where Piper quits, but he has no recollection of her doing so. 

I liked how wise Phoebe was in this episode. It was weird because even though the show "told" us Phoebe was the wild one, she actually comes off as the most open-minded and mature of the episode. Yes, I would argue even more mature that Prue. While Prue has this hardness and honestly at times borderline rudeness to her character in this episode, I see Phoebe actually trying to communicate with Prue about Roger, she has the initiative to research more about their family history, their powers - she guesses that Piper can freeze based off her visions and Prue telekinesis - she explains the ways of witchcraft to Prue and she even has the insight to know that Prue's anger toward her isn't about Roger. In a lot of ways, the pilot set up that the Prue/Phoebe dynamic was the most important to the show while not giving as much attention to Piper's relationship with either sister.

Lastly, it was funny hearing Jeremy cite that ominous speech about there are more warlocks out there that will attack and kill the Charmed ones considering the show never mentions warlocks again after the 5th season. I can also only think of one warlock - the one from A Witch in Time - that is successful at killing the Charmed ones. Although, I'm sure I'm misremembering others.

I enjoyed this episode a lot more than I was expecting, and I'm looking forward to that 70's Episode. *Whisper* An episode that I remember not liking very much during the original broadcast, but I'm excited to rewatch now with the hindsight that this episode opens the door for Paige.*

[4evaQuez]

That 70's Episode

I just finished watching That 70'S episode. I'm ashamed to admit I got this episode confused with P3H2O, hence my Paige comment from my last post. This is another episode that I remember watching the original airing. (Aparrently I can remember episodes from almost 20 years ago, but my brain refuses to remember the duties my supervisor gave me this morning. Priorities!)

This was great episode. Nicholas was a bore, but he obviously was not the focus of the episode. This definitely felt like a Phoebe centric arc that once again showed her maturity. It was odd hearing Grams ask Phoebe if Phoebe was going to be a handful when Phoebe shows nothing but maturity throughout the course of the episode. Sure, she flirts with the idea of warning her mom, and she even leaves Patty a note warning of her death. However, Phoebe ultimately realizes she cannot be selfish and must continue to live without her. 

It was kinda odd watching this episode knowing that death would eventually become meaningless in the Charmed universe. This is actually quite odd since the very premise of the show revolves around two major deaths for the Charmed ones, Grams and Patty. I enjoyed seeing Grams and Patty's dynamic, and it made me crave a Grams/Patty spin-off even more. I know the show loved to make Piper/Patty comparisons, but I actually felt that Grams/Prue seemed like the better comparison. They're both fearless, take charge and can have a biting wit. Plus their both telekenetic which matches their personalities beautifully. I liked that the show portrayed Grams is a "superwitch" and the control she has over her telekinesis always impressed me.

 

As mentioned earlier, this was a Phoebe centric episode, but I actually think Piper did the best material. Holly Marie Combs really sold her heartbreak, hope and happiness and seeing and hugging Patty for the first time in decades. While Phoebe was given the instrumental dialogue, it was Piper's eyes that completely broke my heart. I like that the show focused on each sister's moment with Patty - to varying degrees - without trying to portray either sister as the most like Patty. This was an episode that definitely had emotional resonance, and one I'm happy I watched again.

That being said, I actually was not very impressed with Patty's actress. She just didn't sell the shock, awe, wonder and excitement of meeting one's grown daughters, discovering she was having a miracle pregnancy, or even learning of her mother's death, even if it is 20 years in the future. I thought Grams did a better job with displaying a wide array of emotions, or when Patty and Grams 1st cast the spell to return the Charmed ones home, Grams' voice seemed as if if was on the verge of breaking from emotion. I also couldn't help but notice that Piper was the first to hug Grams before the return home spell was cast, which furthers my belief that Piper was the closest to Grams before Grams' death, and how that influenced Piper's bitterness in later seasons.  Lastly, I've never been much of a Patty fan - I know this contradicts my Patty/Grams spinoff request, but I would want different actresses for the roles.

 

The only thing I thought was weird about this episode was Nicholas' plan. So for several years this warlock has come to the Halliwell home. He has glamoured himself as aging over these years, so the Charmed ones wouldn't get suspicious. He comes at the exact time and drops the flowers to see if Piper has attained the power to freeze. Am I the only one who thought that was an odd plan? Also, Grams has been dead for less than a year. Also, why would this guy not know Grams has passed? I know we aren't supposed to think of these things, and it did not affect my enjoyment of the show, but I still thought this was a rather odd plan from a forgettable warlock. 

[4evaQuez]

The Painted World

First off, I've always loved this episode.  And on the shallow end, since we're talking about hair in the Elimination thread, I loved all three sisters' hair this episode. I think Piper's was my favorite.

Speaking of, I didn't realize just how early Piper became dismissive of helping innocents. This episode, Prue shares with Piper that she believes an innocent is trapped inside a painting. Piper's response is basically don't go looking for trouble, Prue. I thought that was something Piper only said to Paige, but it seems that became her motto pretty early in the season. 

I love the concept of the episode, and this episode was before great feats of magic became commonplace with the sisters. We have Prue discussing the time, energy and great magic creating such a powerful world would take, and using this information to gleam that there must be more to the story than Malcolm, the warlock, was sharing. We also see Phoebe in her room with the BOS trying to craft the perfect Smart Spell. We see here writing and practicing the best words for her spell before she actually casts it. Charmed, in its early seasons, showed that powerful magic and spells took practice and skills. It also showed that Phoebe was the sister who was most dedicated to this practice.

Speaking of Phoebe, yet again Charmed illustrates that Phoebe is the most mature sister. She backs Prue's car into a pole, and even though at first she wants to hide it from Prue, she comes clean the very next morning, feels appropriately guilty concerning her actions and creates a plan, even if not thought out and nonsensical, to pay for Prue's car. The show tells us this is another example of Phoebe being the screw up younger sister, but it shows us that Phoebe takes responsibility for her actions and accepts the consequences. While her Smart Spell may have been impulsive, her heart was at least in the right place. I also like how the show uses Phoebe's Smart Spell and the Web Tech San Francisco subplot to advance Phoebe's personal narrative. This episode Phoebe reveals that smart people, with college degrees are respected. She even tells Piper that Piper understands how it feels to be respected because Piper had a degree but she, Phoebe, does not. Later in the episode, Phoebe says how she could see herself returning to school. Phoebe's journey of going back to school and accomplishing her dreams is something I've always loved and respected about the character. I love how they incorporated her fears and need for respect into this episode.

Speaking of the Piper/Phoebe exchange, the two share a few scenes this episode. It was nothing too significant, but I did enjoy being able to see the two outside Prue's definition of who they are. While their interaction wasn't as significant as Something Wicca This Way Comes,  I did like how the two seemed more like equals with each other. When Phoebe tells Prue earlier in the episode about her irresponsible actions, Phoebe comes off as dramatic and like a teen trying to convince their parent to let them drive their car. Phoebe is so convinced that Prue sees her as the irresponsible little sister that Phoebe reverts to that character in Prue's presence. However, with Piper, Phoebe has a more rational and adult conversation. She expresses her fears of not how Prue sees Phoebe, but Phoebe is concerned with how the world sees her. She's concerned her lack of formal education means that she is less worthy a person in general. Piper, outside Prue's definition of her, is not playing the neutral middle sister who stays quiet or only attempts to keep the peace - much like she did earlier in the episode in Prue's presence. She instead informs Phoebe of her many smarts, skills and how she's already seen growth in Phoebe. She also reveals to Phoebe her own insecurities and how even though she has a degree, Phoebe has attributes in which she is envious. Again, while the two don't share a lot of scenes together, it was still important for me, as a viewer, to see how they view themselves away from Prue's presence. 

Something I never understood about this episode is how X-Ray vision was a power worth having. I mean how can one use this power to defeat warlocks or steal witchly powers. Also, the show started their continuity errors pretty early on. In this episode, Malcolm bleeds, but later in this very season, we're told that warlocks don't bleed. Malcolm also says he plans to steal Prue and Piper's powers and his girlfriend, whose name I already forgot, can steal Phoebe's premonition powers. But how was Malcolm going to do this when his girlfriend set the painting on fire. Did he forget he wanted Prue and Piper's abilities?

Dan and Jenny were in this episode. Yawn.

The ending of the episode was great. The three sisters together enjoying each other's company at P3. I know fans can be split about P3's inclusion in the show, but I usually did like when episodes ended there. Yes, the sisters could be together in the manor, but I found that episodes that end at P3 were usually more heartwarming and fun - like this episode - or at least more memorable. 

[4evaQuez]

P3H20

So I watched P3H20. As I said earlier, this was not one of my favorite episodes during the original run. However, I found myself enjoying this episode a lot more than I originally had. I'm not sure if this was intentional, but the episode had an original Friday the 13th feeling because of the drowned kids/teenagers at the lake plot.

First, as I've mentioned before, I always find it weird when people compare Prue to Patty. I know we didn't really get a lot of Patty characterization throughout the course of the series, but Sam described her as willful and strong like Prue. Those aren't words I would ever use to describe Patty. Grams, yes. Patty, never. It was also interesting how the show connected each sister to Patty's final moments. Prue discovered her mom's body, which I did not remember from the original airing, and I found quite shocking. Having such a powerful and instrumental character moment is something that later Charmed would not do.  Phoebe had to relive her Mother's final moments through her premonition to discover how Patty planned to vanquish the demon. Piper relived Patty's final moment, when Piper had to freeze Leo to save Leo similar to Patty freezing Sam to save Sam. 

There was an odd and personally I felt out of place subplot in this episode. Something to do with Prue and Jack and Bucklands. I found myself more captivated by the sartorial (I learned that word from Charmed) choices of Prue and Jack than whatever they were discussing. At one point, Prue is in the office wearing something sleeveless, backless and reveals her belly button. Jack is wearing swim trunks. I know people often rag on the later years of Charmed because of how Phoebe would go to the office, but Charmed began this practice quite early in the season.

There was also the Piper, Leo, Dan subplot. I think the problem with this subplot is that I can't really tell Leo and Dan apart personality wise. They both seem like the perfect boyfriend. I mean Dan cooks, brings poison ivy lotion, always shows up at Piper's door, and is even okay with going through the back door when she doesn't open the front door. He's just a handsome, nice guy who always has the top button of his shirt open showing his chest hair. This episode also unintentionally introduced a huge hole in the triangle. Piper is mostly considering Dan because Leo is a whitelighter. However, this episode establishes that whitelighters can willingly clip their wigs as done by Sam. As a result, I'm not really sure what the problem is. It's obvious Piper wants Leo. I mean she's not even attempting to give Dan a chance. Don't get me wrong, I'm not rooting for Dan/Piper, but I was struck at how dismissive she was to his feelings, and how she's not communicating with him at all. Personally, I think he dodged a bullet, and this is coming from someone who loved 2nd season Piper.

The demon was forgettable, but it obviously was not the focus of the episode. I was struck that whitelighter dust was not originally whitelighter dust. In the episode, it's mentioned that Patty made it. Lastly, I was struck at the difference between Patty/Sam's relations and Piper/Leo's relationship.  Patty was willing to put innocents ahead of herself. She tells Sam that she knows it's been weeks since they've been together, but his helping innocents is more important. She also is willing to risk her life to save innocents, which is something that I admit reminds me of Prue and Paige.

Overall, I liked this episode, but it's still not one I'll find myself rewatching countless times in the future. Looking forward to the next episode.

P.S. While I'm loving rewatching these episodes, I would also love to hear opinions from my Charmed friends.

[4evaQuez]

Murphy's Luck

So I just finished watching Murphy's Luck. I have to say, work has been extremely exhausting and overwhelming, so I look forward to this hour and a half of watching an episode and responding. But please let me know if I'm talking too much. I realize my posts are usually on the long side.

So now, I return to the episode. The first thing of course is Amy Adams. I remember watching this during the original episode and absolutely loving Maggie. I felt for the character, and years later she was one of my favorite Charmed innocents. Even when I didn't remember what she looked like anymore, I remembered the character and the episode. I'll never forget a few years ago when I was looking up Amy Adams' work history and saw that she was on an episode of Charmed. I looked up the episode and realized she was Maggie. It was exciting to see that one of my favorite actresses was one of my favorite  innocents in one of my favorite shows before she became the star that is currently known as Amy Adams. Also, while Amy did a phenomenal job this episode, I could also see how she's grown as an actress since the almost two decades ago this was filmed. She is definitely more natural and confident in her decisions now, but even during this episode, I could see the potential for a future Academy Award winner, which I am still rooting for Amy to get one day. 

The tone of this episode was also drastically different than the previous episodes we've viewed for this rewatch. This was the first episode that felt truly dark. Maggie and Prue's bad luck, the telepathic darklighter preying on their fears and insecurities, the threat of suicide, the looming sense of loss for Maggie and especially Prue, the idea that depression is a constant battle one must continually struggle to overcome. The episode actually reminds me of Sympathy for the Demon.  With a demon with telepathic abilities playing on fear to get one or more of the sisters to act in a destructive manner. However, where Sympathy played the episode as more lighthearted, Murphy's Luck incorporates elements of horror and thriller into the episode to place the audience on the edge of their seat. When Prue is on the ledge, the camera angles, at one point placed above Prue and the Darklighter and emphasizing the highway and therefore death below, places the audience in the position of a powerless God. We're watching Prue battle with making the ultimate decision of life versus death and the slow progression of each footstep Prue takes builds the growing tension of the final outcome. 

Furthermore, the episode has a strong emphasis on the theme of Charmed. Family and love conquers all. The darklighter is gaslighting Maggie and Prue through their fears of how their actions affect others, especially the ones they love. When the darklighter manipulating Prue's thoughts, and she begins to repeat his words as her truth, only hearing Phoebe and Piper in the distance is what gives her the strength to break the darklighter's curse. He himself is shocked! He mentions how he's never lost and how eventually he'll get Prue to jump, but what is implied is that he does this by getting his victims isolated. Prue, however, is not isolated because her sisters are with her. The darklighter failed because love conquers hate and hope conquers fear. It was a pretty powerful episode, which is placed near the end of the season. In retrospect, it's a fitting near the end of the season episode considering the events of the next season.

Lastly, at least considering the main plot of the episode, it's odd to see how much death surrounds Prue's character. So many of these episodes we've rewatched have been with Prue dealing with the death of Patty, to a lesser extent Grams, Andy's death is mentioned in this episode, and now Prue is dealing with her own mortality, and if being "strong" is a suitable replacement for being happy - this episode and previous episodes treat Prue's strength and sadness as dichotomies that can't reside in the same person. However, this episode shows that Prue - and by extension all people - are complex. This is seen with Phoebe's dialogue. Phoebe says Prue is "too strong" and would "never" consider taking her own life. After this dialogue, Phoebe immediately has a vision showing Prue contemplating suicide in her past and the audience then sees Prue contemplating suicide again in her present. This shows us that people can be both strong and weak, helpful and harmful,  full of hope and full of fear. I love that it was Prue that the episode decided to have tackle this serious issue because too often there's an idea that "strong" people never have insecurities or doubts, but this episode plays with Prue's characterization in such a real and profound way that those myths are spectacularly busted. 

On to other events in this episode. Piper and Phoebe share a scene early in this episode. I realized while watching this scene what has never worked for me- or more specifically - what has never been memorable about their relationship for me. Their scenes are short and a lot of the time is used as exposition for their internal feelings. Don't get me wrong, I think that's important because Piper and Phoebe see each other as equals, so they reveal things about themselves to each other that I'm not sure they would reveal to Prue. It's also important because it allows the audience to understand their internal motivations. Unfortunately, the result tends to not be on their relationship with each other, but their relationship with themselves. In this episode's scene, they felt like good friends, not best friends, but good friends. Piper is mainly talking about her relationships with Dan and Leo, and Phoebe gives her advice. Phoebe, I think, mentions her psychology classes and going back to school. Phoebe doesn't have a big role this episode or even a plot. She just serves as background to Prue and to a lesser extent Piper's plots. After this short scene in the beginning of the episode, the two do not share any other scenes alone. Either Prue or Leo is with them. Something else that hurts this relationship is that when Piper/Leo aren't going through their angst and later Phoebe/Cole, Leo/Cole ends up stealing the Phoebe/Piper role in the respective sisters' lives. In this episode, after Piper reveals her emotions regarding Leo to Phoebe, Piper then continues these dialogues with Leo. While it is okay to have more than one person a character can share their true intentions with, in this episode Piper primarily shared these scenes with Leo, so the necessity for Phoebe was greatly lessened and, as a result, the importance of their relationship is greatly lessened.

This episode also continued the early seasons theme that magic takes time, effort and practice. When Prue casts the good luck spell for Phoebe, she firsts asks Phoebe how she can cast such a spell because Prue had never cast one before. Phoebe gives her some advice, specifically the words must come from the heart and her connection with the innocent. Prue chooses her words carefully and the spell sounds sounds like purposefully written poetry. Prue/Phoebe then continue this discussion and Prue states this is the first time she's ever cast a spell completely on her own - I was really surprised by this. Phoebe then says that it took several attempts before she finally cast a spell that worked. This was something that never would have happened in the later seasons as most spells seemed written by an assembly line produced spell generator and the sisters were constantly making powerful potions. I love that early seasons Charmed is taking magic seriously and showing the rewards and drawbacks and even mentioning that even though these are powerful witches, that power is a mixture of innate ability and hard work. 

Piper/Dan/Leo are in this episode. Piper is portrayed horribly in this triangle. Dan is calling her from NYC, she is barely paying him any attention, outright lies to him, and when he mentions that he'll take a cab home, she just says alright. She's is obviously over this relationship, and Dan even mentions this to her. I understand that it's wrong to break up with a guy over the telephone when he's thousands of miles away, but she is essentially already treating him like an annoying neighbor. This storyline is the one downside of what was an amazing episode. This episode also give Brian Krause a big dramatic scene where he is demanding his wings back to help the sisters. The scene completely fails. Brian seemed lost and directionless, and his facial expressions were odd and out of place. I realize one of the several huge drawbacks in this storyline is the wide gulf between Holly's acting and Brian's acting. While I don't necessarily like Piper's actions, Holly is playing Piper with enough guilt and awareness that I don't see Piper as a horrible person. She's a good person in a horrible situation trying to make the best decisions possible. Brian, however, is not able to give Leo that same level of nuance and layers. I actually found myself hating Leo this episode, which to be fair, is actually a tad bit better from the indifference I usually feel toward his character.

All in all, this has always been one of my favorite episodes of Charmed, and I'm looking forward to the next rewatch.

[magicdog]

On 9/2/2016 at 9:55 PM, 4evaQuez said:

The only thing I thought was weird about this episode was Nicholas' plan. So for several years this warlock has come to the Halliwell home. He has glamoured himself as aging over these years, so the Charmed ones wouldn't get suspicious. He comes at the exact time and drops the flowers to see if Piper has attained the power to freeze. Am I the only one who thought that was an odd plan? Also, Grams has been dead for less than a year. Also, why would this guy not know Grams has passed?

It wasn't necessarily that Grams had passed that he wanted to know, but to find out of the girls had received their powers.  Grams theoretically could have released the girls' powers before dying, so he kept "testing" them with the flowers and dropping the vase waiting for magic to happen.

[Esmeralda]

Seeing this, I just had to include my own reviews for Season One from my own re-watch a few months back.

But I'm just going to offer my review for the premiere, 'Something Wicca This Way Comes' and  see what people think and whether I should keep posting them.  Maybe do a review a day...

Quote

 

Something Wicca This Way Comes
Written by: Constance M. Burge
Season 1, Episode 01
Episode Number: 01

Oh, man!  I have totally forgotten how very much I love this series!  That’s my original reaction to watching “Something Wicca This Way Comes”, Charmed’s series premiere for the first time in I'm-not-sure-how-long.  I’d forgotten how powerful the other witches and the warlocks started out to be – Jeremy is darn right terrifying with what he can do.   Seeing Kit’s previous owner being able to light the candles with her fingers – there’s a power that could’ve been useful but one we never see again – well, except when Jeremy shows that he has stolen it.  And when he goes after the sisters in the attic, he is darn right demonic, as in hellspawn, what I’d truly think of when I think of demons much more than the shimmering/energy-ball throwing "demons" that will soon become the standard Halliwell opponent.

What surprised me right off the bat was the credits. I always thought “And Holly Marie Combs as Piper” was the first “and” – but it’s not.  This one shows Shannen, then Holly, then Ted, then Dorian and then “And Alyssa Milano”. Of course, I know that she was added after another actress, Lori Romm, left the show before the premiere even aired, but it was still a surprise. I'm not sure if this was the case during the entire first season or just this episode, but I'm curious to find out.

No need to go through the plotline – you guys all know it - but it was such fun to watch it play out!  I’d forgotten how Prue’s power to move things with her mind was so much more than her just waving her arm or squinting her eyes - and how things happened when she wasn't even in the same room; how Piper’s powers to freeze time/slow down molecules (as we’d later find them to be) was EVERYTHING, not just the thing she pointed her hand at, and how Phoebe not only got premonitions when she touched something, but also when something was going to happen – she’s just riding her bike the first time she’s hit with one.

Of course, I love how they all play the typical roles – Prue the overly-protective Big Sister (and definitely a bit of a bitch, there’s no doubt about that), Piper, the frantic peacemaking Middle Sister, and Phoebe the reckless, fearless Baby, which made her totally lovable and already my favorite of the bunch, which is probably why at this point, I really don’t like Prue at all – I’d forgotten what a judgmental stick-in-the-mud she started out being!  I even love watching their different reactions to everything that happens – Prue upset and angry, especially at Phoebe, Phoebe totally fascinated, and Piper trying to hang onto her normal life as long as she can until it almost kills her!   All three actresses did a fantastic job of making them truly seem like sisters.

Right now there’s a thread here at the site I usually visit about the cute Charmed girl, so I was thinking about that while I was watching.  I thought that Phoebe was cute all the time, but for the other two, it’s funny how at times I thought each was cute and at times I didn’t, and in both case a lot of it was the hair.  When Prue’s hair is just straight, she looks cute – when it curls at the end and she turns into bossy Prue, she’s not.  When Piper’s bangs hangs straight in her eyes, she’s not, but when she pushes them aside, she’s adorable.  I didn’t find any of the beautiful, not like I know I will later in the series, when their outside didn't match their inside, but in this episode they were all cute.

I also noticed clothes - Prue all in black, emphasizing how strait-laced she was, Piper constantly changing to fit the situation which seems to fit her constantly trying to fit in and Phoebe, mainly in her sleep clothes with her navel showing.  Nothing particularly revealing or slutty, just all seeming to fit the character.

I smiled at the use of the picture that Grams took to show how witchcraft would bring these three so-different sisters together, the introduction of Kit – especially Andy’s reaction towards the introduction of Kit… and, of course, the two spells – the spell that made the thorns stick out of Jeremy and the Power of Three protection spell and can’t help wondering why they wouldn’t use it more often in the future when they’d need protection.

I liked the introduction of Darryl and Andy, and already showing their different reaction to witchcraft.  I especially loved the chemistry between Andy and Prue when they met - it seemed to soften Prue a bit and her conversation with Andy is when I liked her best – Shannen and Ted did a fantastic job – but even more, I loved the chemistry between Jeremy and Piper – even knowing what was coming, I could really believe that they were in love with each other and was still shocked when Jeremy suddenly changed, even as I was yelling at the TV, “No, Piper!  Don’t go up in that building with him!”  And when Jeremy appears in the open Manor door, oh, man, I screamed!

I must admit that I was surprised when it was Prue who suddenly remembered the inscription on the back of the spirit board and was suddenly in the middle telling the others what to do, with her in the front and the others behind, putting the emphasis on her.  Although it felt right for her in her role as Big Sister-protector to be in front, she doesn’t seem like the type who would remember the inscription.  It feels like it would’ve worked so much better for Phoebe to remember the spell and then for Prue to take over. Looking back, it now seems a bit too much of the producers trying to make Shannen the star, with her character shoved at us the way others would be in the future. Maybe that's why I just didn't like her in this episode the first time I watched it.

But despite that, I am already thoroughly enjoying this stroll down Memory Lane and hope others decide to do the same and do the same thing I just did – as soon as they’re done watching, write down and post their reactions!

GRADE: A

 

[nightwing877]

So I caught Charmed and Dangerous last night. It doesn't hold up too well today, especially with how horrible The Source was. I can't believe I once was excited to see his face. Now he sounds like an ugly and annoying demon. But Debbie who plays The Seer stole the show, now she was the only part of the episode I enjoyed. 

Otherwise, it made no sense for the new power of three to be able to take on The Source this soon.

[Commando Cody]

I woke up early this morning and turned on TNT. Charmed had just started over again, so I watched the first two episodes. I didn't think the show, as a whole, held up that well over the years - although I enjoyed it in its initial run. I still like the pilot. It struck me today that Charmed is an approximately 20 years old TV series. Things haven't changed all that much in 20 years in terms of how things look today. I don't mean in terms of special effects. Just the way the show looks in general.