S01.E09: Jingle Hell

[Lady Calypso]

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HAPPY HOLIDAYS —  Mel (Melonie Diaz) turns to Harry (Rupert Evans) for guidance after learning information about the magical world that leaves her questioning everything she knows.  Galvin (Ser’Darius Blain) shows up to see Macy (Madeleine Mantock) and she is determined to not let fate get in the way of their potential relationship.  Meanwhile, Maggie (Sarah Jeffery) tries to keep her mom’s Christmas traditions going and is excited for Parker (Nick Hargrove) to be a part of it.  Michael Lange directed the episode written by Jessica O’Toole & Amy Rardin (#109).  Original airdate 12/9/2018 

[Lady Calypso]

You know, the whole Parker being a demon was a fairly quick reveal, especially if you consider they only got together about three episodes ago and she only met him in episode three, but it wasn't that bad. Ok, the acting was pretty bad, but Sarah Jeffery did a decent job. Nick Hargove wasn't great, but I will say his last scene with Maggie was better than I thought it would be. 

It's nice to see that Galvin was utterly and completely useless. He took away from the episode a bit. Who the fuck cares about this guy? All he did was sit on the couch and then find out about the sisters being witches right at the end. 

The end with Harry disappearing into the ground with Hunter wasn't bad, although none of the girls could have recovered enough to try and grab him? Really? 

I am interested in Parker's story...but again, it's the actor here. Not that the writing is much better, but better acting would save it.

I was thoroughly entertained by Madeleine Mantock's acting as Hunter-as-Macy. That was fun and showcased Mantock's acting chops.

Overall? The series IS getting better but they need to dump some of their weight....like Galvin. Sorry, nope, still don't like him, still don't care. 

[Primal Slayer]

Go figure that Macys new boss is also the mother of Parker. Does being a telepath automatically make you into an Empath? Or did they just up Maggies powers just for the hell of it so they could make her relevant to the demons since her telepathy is useless? She has the ability to drain her sisters powers just by wearing that necklace?

Why is Galvin here? Is he just here to have his mark glow and out Parker? I've said it once, I've said it 5 times and I will say again...I feel NOTHING for Galvin, he is just dead space taking up the scene but Macy/Galvin is even worst.  In fact Maggie doesnt have that great of chemistry with Parker either. I like how he goes to the bathroom and everyone in the house forgets that he even exists.

There are A LOT of witches in this small college town, and now Mel gets a nifty new tattoo. I knew they'd want us to think that Sarcana are the bad guys they spent to much time red haring them only to reveal that *Shock!* they attempted to help Marisol!

Parkers brother annoys me, he has zero charisma to him. The actress who plays Macy playing Parker is very good. I know Maggie doesnt know Mel to much but she cant be believing "Macy" right now with how she is acting and talking (Mel's acting is very bad in this scene though)  Ok what!?! Parker is seen as the next Source of All Evil? Are they serious? What is this crap?

This show spends to much time with these relationships. I WANT MORE SISTER MOMENTS! Like 10x then what we are getting. Doesnt help that I just rewatched all of S1 of OG Charmed so it is fresh in my mind at how big the sisters relationships with one another were in comparison to being with guys.Harry you really dumb. Like so dumb! If Macy is calling you for help but standing right in front of you...what do you think that means? Huh? What?  

These Charmed Ones are really bad about using their powers. If Mel cant even freeze a basic ass demon and has to rely on her tattoo to fend him off why are they Charmed again? 

Just like with Mel/Niko, Maggie/Parker are another "Toon soon" relationship. I could care less if they break up, if he states that he loves her, if she despises him. They dont have the chemistry and they've been dating all of 2 episodes?  

Oh sweet lord Charmed Ones cant even deal with the brother by themselves. Parker has to step in and help lead the thing? And on object used by holy figures should not be able to be used by demons, half or not. Go figure that Harry gets sucked into hell or wherever he is sent.

For a mid season finale it wasnt the best episode, it dealt way to much with Maggie/Parker and Parker in general. He seemed more like the central character then Macy did. 

[tennisgurl]

Yeah, not a great holiday when you accidentally send your friend to Hell. Oops!

Damn, why do the relationships on this show progress so freaking fast?! I just cant be that emotionally invested in Parker/Maggie, we`ve only known him for a few episodes, they've only been a couple for about one or two episodes, and we have hardly seen any of his struggle with his demon side, nor do we really know anything about what it really means. So Macy's boss is his mother? And we already got the reveal? Good lord show, take a breath! This is a marathon, not a sprint! Much like last week, I found myself way more interested in the relationship between Parker and Hunter, and how, despite how evil he is, Hunter actually did care about his brother. Maybe more than Parker did, as he didnt seem to have much trouble sending his brother to a Hell dimension! Or maybe its because the actor cant express an emotion beyond boredom? Yeah, maybe I would be more into this story if the guy playing Parker wasn't so achingly bland. Its not impossible to make me invested in a relationship or character quickly, but this aint working for me. Its interesting as a start, but I hate how fast its all moving.

On the flip slide, I think the actor playing Galvin is fine, but is being written as terribly bland and kind of a dick. I really have no clue why they keep having him stay around, when they have perfectly good reasons to write him out, or just as Macy's friend. They have no chemistry, and the character is just boring as sin. So you have Parker, who has an interesting story, but a dull actor, and Galvin, a decent actor with a dull story. 

I really feel like they could have tried harder to pull Harry out of Hello, but its at least a decent cliffhanger. I actually like Harry, so I can get invested in saving him at least! And maybe Macy will realize that she shouldn't be chasing Galvin when she has another guy right there the whole time...damn it, I am so on board this ship! 

Like, seriously, Mel could have frozen him! Macy could have pulled him away! There were options!

Turns out, the crows were trying to help? Probably the real killer is some OTHER group that Mamma Witch was involved with, like she was involved with every other person in the tri state area. So, I do think the show got better, and there is enough that I like to want to watch more later, but it has a whole lot to work on. Hopefully the pace will improve now that they know cancellation isnt imminent. 

[magicdog]

2 hours ago, tennisgurl said:

Turns out, the crows were trying to help? Probably the real killer is some OTHER group that Mamma Witch was involved with

I'm calling it now:  Charity did it!

[Cranberry]

I actually really enjoyed this one, despite various people having to hold the idiot ball to make it work (I don't care how much you trust your new boyfriend; if he gives you a color-changing old amulet, you at least go ask your magic book about that shit... and if your sister suddenly starts acting insanely out of character, you at least test her in some way, come on). The shape-shifting shenanigans made up for it, though; Hunter-as-Macy was especially fun, but the rapid shifting in the climactic battle was neat, too. Harry being accidentally sent to hell is a good cliffhanger, and although the guy who plays Parker is indeed bad, I'm at least interested in how the writers will resolve the character's predicament. I like the Sisters of Arcana and their crows, and I expect we'll have some good "who do I trust?" stuff coming with Mel. The only thing that absolutely does not work for me in any way is stupid boring "nice guy" Galvin, and I hope the writers realize that and dump the character as soon as possible.

One other nitpick: Macy's telekinesis is pretty useless if she can't even snap some zip ties. But I guess it has to be, or she'd be pretty overpowered. Telekinesis in shows and movies is handled pretty badly most of the time... in real life if someone with bad intentions got that power, they'd be snapping necks and ripping out hearts left and right, not just tossing a car or whatever. The movie Chronicle is the best example of how it'd likely go that I can think of, and even that kid wasn't as dangerous as he could have been.

[GreyWolf]

Galvin...again, what do writers find in him? He is good only as Macy`s work friend, not a love interest at all. And now he knows everything, I don`t like that. It seems writers are really going to make a love couple from them. It will be awful

Poor Harry, but it will be a good chance for girls to show who they are without his help. I don`t know how they will rescue him, but I want Macy to do it with Alastair help, Well, we have still unknown situation with Macy`s darkness, her real father, key from Tartarus and her weak telekinez. So I think in this hopeless situation Macy can make a deal with demons. I think Sarcana and Elders can`t help. And while Macy is rescuing Harry, her dark side in Tartarus may rise and increase her power.

Well, I am not a big fan of Parker, so I don`t really worry about him, just continue to watch.

Oh, Jada. She is incredible! Her abilities.... She is a really badass! I like her much and sure she is not bad.

[K42]

How are people complaining about everything in this newer version of Charmed? I absolutely love every aspect of it. IMO it's way better than the original. I love Shannen Doherty to bits but this newer Charmed makes me realize that the old one was so flawed. I hope SD joins in on this. I read that Julian McMahon is interested. I look forward to watching the new episodes every week. I also find the character a lot more interesting and complex. (minus Gavin?)  I'm glad Parker's reveal was faster than Cole's. It gives the show and character more room to explore what's going to happen. Like yes, he's half demon but what now? 


Ps: Holy crap, does the youngest sister look like Rose Mcgowan/Paige or what!

[Stardancer Supreme]

Plot Hole Galvin. If he was supposed to be traveling to his family for the holiday, won't they miss him? How did he get to Vera Manor with the broken leg? There could have been a better way to out Parker as a demon. In fact, I'm shocked that Hunter actually told Parker what the real plan was.  I wonder why Parker's mother is so keen on the plan, unless she doesn't know that Demon Daddy plans to use her son as the host for the Source... 

Jada was so right. These sisters are so extra.  I hope that they get Harry out quickly. Whitelighters probably won't fare well in Hell.  

Edited December 10, 2018 by Stardancer Supreme

[Lady Calypso]

I think one of the writing issues with Parker is that they're playing him too much to his human side. There's no real divide between that side and his demon side. Sure, we've seen shadow demon do some stuff, but as Parker, he's been a fairly by-the-books bad boy with a heart, rather than struggling between good and evil. The show won't go far enough with him, which is a shame. 

2 hours ago, K42 said:

I'm glad Parker's reveal was faster than Cole's.

Gonna take this particular quote to the Original vs Reboot thread.

[AnimeMania]

I wish Gavin had been pulled into Tartarus with Harry and that Gavin's mark had still been active. It would have been hilarious to see Harry providing the knowledge about Demons and Gavin blowing Demons away with his mark as they try to escape Tartarus. Gavin using the Priest's crosier as a crutch and a weapon. Roaming Tartarus learning new information and finding all kinds of magical relics to bring back to the Charmed sisters.

[libgirl2]

8 hours ago, GreyWolf said:

Galvin...again, what do writers find in him? He is good only as Macy`s work friend, not a love interest at all. And now he knows everything, I don`t like that. It seems writers are really going to make a love couple from them. It will be awful

Poor Harry, but it will be a good chance for girls to show who they are without his help. I don`t know how they will rescue him, but I want Macy to do it with Alastair help, Well, we have still unknown situation with Macy`s darkness, her real father, key from Tartarus and her weak telekinez. So I think in this hopeless situation Macy can make a deal with demons. I think Sarcana and Elders can`t help. And while Macy is rescuing Harry, her dark side in Tartarus may rise and increase her power.

Well, I am not a big fan of Parker, so I don`t really worry about him, just continue to watch.

Oh, Jada. She is incredible! Her abilities.... She is a really badass! I like her much and sure she is not bad.

That is what I was thinking. They need to come together to save him. 

[iMonrey]

I think this episode benefited from being more or less a "bottle" episode, in that it mostly took place within the Charmed manor. I'm also glad they know the truth about Parker now. I guess the upside of racing through all these plot points is that we don't have to sit through them for very long. 

I'm much more interested to know about the Sarcana than I am interested in anything Parker related, because the whole Maggie/Parker relationship is basically a rehash of Phoebe and Cole, whereas the Sarcana is an original idea. I feel like I know where the former is going but not the latter. Are the Sarcana really the bad guys? We don't have a precedent from the original show to give us any clues. 

Still, this episode left a lot of unanswered questions. Did the potion Galvin drank permanently remove his warning signal against evil, or was it just temporarily blocked? Why couldn't Harry have simply orbed out of the hell hole before it closed? Is Hunter supposed to be gay? The way he snuggled up to Galvin when he was disguised as Macy made it seemed like he was perfectly comfortable doing that.

The show as a whole still suffers from making a mad dash to an imaginary finish line it doesn't need to reach anytime soon. They are blowing past way too many crucial plot points, the most jarring of which is why Macy might have "darkness" inside of her. All three sisters are strangely un-curious about why Macy was given up by her mother, especially after learning there might be something "dark" about her. Has it occurred to nobody that Macy's father might be a demon? Not even Harry or the Elders? Why isn't anyone asking her anything about her father or any other paternal relatives she might have? And since everyone and their brother seemed to know Marisol why isn't anyone trying to ask around and find out if they know why she gave Macy up? That seems like a key piece of information which they've made no effort to learn whatsoever, and that's just baffling. I know it's probably something the writers want to save for later but by ignoring it for this long it just makes the characters look like idiots. 

[rubyred]

I don't think they did a good enough job showing this, but re: Macy's Struggle-kinesis; I think she couldn't initially do anything about the zip-ties because the amulet had already started sapping her powers.

[CheezyXpressed]

If a half demon doesn't live that long, then does that mean Macy's witch side is keeping her alive? I wonder if her blood will end up causing more harm to Parker since she's half demon. Maybe the blood sample is actually making him sicker instead of closer to a demon? And maybe Charity is the one who killed Marisol. (Speaking of Charity, it's kind of cold how she is willing to let Harry stay down there, but it is consistent Elder behaviour)

The Sarcana is great and I hope the show let's them stay. Keep both the Elders and the Sarcana as opposing forces who will work together when the Source ends up showing up.

....can Macy become the Source? Is that possible due to her demon side?

Harry looked good in the episode. Especially after he took off his sweater vest.

 

19 hours ago, tennisgurl said:

On the flip slide, I think the actor playing Galvin is fine, but is being written as terribly bland and kind of a dick. I really have no clue why they keep having him stay around, when they have perfectly good reasons to write him out, or just as Macy's friend. They have no chemistry, and the character is just boring as sin. So you have Parker, who has an interesting story, but a dull actor, and Galvin, a decent actor with a dull story.

I may not like him as a love interest, but it's clear the actor is good. He just has nothing to work with, since the character is garbage. Parker, on the other hand, has tons of potential but the actor cannot emote much. Hopefully Galvin can become the new Darryl and help the sisters out without being romantically involved with anyone. He has better friendship chemistry with Macy, so I hope the show goes that route.

[Primal Slayer]

Why is the show even talking about any of these people becoming The Source? Its so early in the shows histroy and what about the current Source? Or are they currently Source-less?

[Cranberry]

5 hours ago, rubyred said:

I don't think they did a good enough job showing this, but re: Macy's Struggle-kinesis; I think she couldn't initially do anything about the zip-ties because the amulet had already started sapping her powers.

That's what I thought, too, but then Parker took the amulet off Maggie and it went back to white and (I assume) reversed the power-zapping effect, at which point Macy was able to undo the gag enough to call for help, but was still unable to break the zip ties. Maybe the show just doesn't want to make her too strong too soon... telekinesis really is an OP power.

[Stardancer Supreme]

So the Source can be hosted by a human/demon hybrid.  Is Parker the only one walking around?  If there is no current Source, there should be more demon factions vying with Alistair for that power.  His only advantage is Parker and the Harbinger in a paint can he can't open. 

I can only hope that a future episode centers on Marisol. I want to know what her deal was while doing she was doing witchy things.  If I could fix the issues with this show, I would have kept Marisol alive, but without her powers. Then we watch her scramble to assemble her Charmed ones and try to keep them all from getting killed with a sassy Whitelighter by her side. 

[CheezyXpressed]

Just wondering, did anyone else laugh when Parker said, "I love you" to Maggie?

He's only known her for like three episodes, come on man.

[rubyred]

Sorry if this has been answered elsewhere, but has anyone ever suggested (on the show) that they try to track down that witch Melinda was talking to when pregnant with Macy? She seemed to know what was going on in Melinda's life. Is she a dead member of Sarcana? Or has that character/beat/plot point been dropped?

I am hoping that Galvin finding out about the Three puts the kibosh on any potential romance. Oh, and the wrong demon brother got sucked into Hell.

[iMonrey]

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Sorry if this has been answered elsewhere, but has anyone ever suggested (on the show) that they try to track down that witch Marisol was talking to when pregnant with Macy? She seemed to know what was going on in Melinda's life. Is she a dead member of Sarcana? Or has that character/beat/plot point been dropped?

The idea that Macy has "darkness" in her hasn't been dropped because she spent the entirety of this episode avoiding Galvin, because she thinks her "darkness" is causing him harm, such as getting hit by the car last week. However, neither she nor her sisters have made any effort, whatsoever, to determine what this "darkness" or where it comes from. As I noted above, it's baffling. Just about everyone they've encountered since learning they were witches has claimed to have some connection to their mother. You'd think they'd go ask one of them if they knew anything about why Marisol gave up Macy or why Macy might have "darkness." Or maybe go ask some of Macy's father's friends, y'know? Their lack of curiosity is just astounding.

[rubyred]

44 minutes ago, iMonrey said:

The idea that Macy has "darkness" in her hasn't been dropped because she spent the entirety of this episode avoiding Galvin, because she thinks her "darkness" is causing him harm, such as getting hit by the car last week. However, neither she nor her sisters have made any effort, whatsoever, to determine what this "darkness" or where it comes from. As I noted above, it's baffling. Just about everyone they've encountered since learning they were witches has claimed to have some connection to their mother. You'd think they'd go ask one of them if they knew anything about why Marisol gave up Macy or why Macy might have "darkness." Or maybe go ask some of Macy's father's friends, y'know? Their lack of curiosity is just astounding.

Yeah it's weird. Also, I guess the fact that Galvin's mark doesn't give Macy pain (as it does Parker) indicates that she may not be a ...bad... half-demon? Assuming demon = darkness, or darkness = demon. Which would be pretty literal but face it, this show does not specialize in subtle nuance.

I think the three of them should ask the Book of Shadows to indicate an impartial, reliable narrator who can tell them what's going on. Both the Elders and the Sarcana have their own agendas and the sisters don't seem to have good critical thinking skills.

[Xenith22]

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Plot Hole Galvin. If he was supposed to be traveling to his family for the holiday, won't they miss him? How did he get to Vera Manor with the broken leg?

Better question...why does he just have a cast on his left leg when he was absolutely crushed by a speeding vehicle on his right side with his right leg clearly taking the full force of the impact?  Seriously though he was freaking crushed by that car, to be walking around without the slightest bruise or scar or other broken bones besides the wrong leg.... Miracle does not seem to cover it unless that protection tattoo actually saved him?

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I think one of the writing issues with Parker is that they're playing him too much to his human side. There's no real divide between that side and his demon side. Sure, we've seen shadow demon do some stuff, but as Parker, he's been a fairly by-the-books bad boy with a heart, rather than struggling between good and evil. The show won't go far enough with him, which is a shame.

Even his demon side has done jack squat as far as actual evil.  He didn't even kill any of those useless key guardians...  He is being treated as 100% woobie even as a demon...   Anyways In positive Parker news...he actually did show a few other emotions besides bored emo, especially when he was defending Maggie's family holiday decorations he actually sounded dare I say excited for the briefest of moments.  That is serious progress!    Now if only Galvin could find a range besides dull wet blanket, even his exclamation at seeing the vanquish scene was reminiscent of someone surprised at finding a penny in the seat.   I feel like Macy might as well be dating Eeyore.

---------

The amount of stupid in that portal vanquish scene was just staggering...   Harry...decides to just freaking stand near the portal instead of making any attempt to move away well before it started to grab him.  In fact the genius actually takes a step closer and lean towards it just so he can point to it and tell the sisters that it is portal to Tartarus.  First of all was it really important for them to know at that moment?  Second of all do you think the sisters might have been smart enough to maybe figure that out for themselves?  Shut up Harry you dolt.  Then he completely forgets about trying to orb, or to TK something into the head of the demon grabbing him to try to make him let go for a second.   Do not even get me started on the chair that stupid lightweight living room chair which probably weighs less than a person which Harry grabs on to in order to try to prevent himself from getting pulled in.  *shakes head*

Now it's time for a pop quiz:

You're a Charmed One and a spell you are casting has put your close friend/whitelighter in danger of accidentally sucked into hell where he will likely be tortured by the worst of the worst demons/witches that have been sealed away there for who knows how long (possibly forever).   What do you do?

A.)  Stop the spell.  Sure the demon may get away today, but not sending an innocent person to hell is more important.

B.)  Briefly pause chanting the spell and try to freeze the demon.  Sure having seen the demon before you may know you can't totally freeze him, but you do know you can probably slow him down enough for your friend to get away then resume the spell.  (He needed his arms to reflect her freeze...which would have meant letting go of Harry.  Although the reflecting the freeze made no sense to begin with...they freaking treated her power like it was TK or an semi-invisible forcefield in this episode.  What the freaking heck was that crap show?)

C.)  Try to use TK to hit or stab the demon with something to at least try to make him let go of your friend.

D.)  Keep on chanting and hope for the best.

If you chose D, then congratulations you are a worthy to be a Charmed One.  You know it's always more important to vanquish a demon even if may mean killing/damning an innocent or friend to the pits of hell.   (Wait....wasn't there a plot about a Harbinger of Doom who might have meant the death of a whole city but....no forget it that must have been a hallucination.)   To be fair to the Charmed Ones this was the same demon that they decided to completely erase Nico's life for (without her consent) after having barely tried to vanquish him once before with a simple human poison (ie not the power of three and apparently they did no further research on him since then either).  Somehow they just know he's a massive unstoppable threat that had to be stopped at any costs and they will never ever possible get another chance to do it.

Edited December 12, 2018 by Xenith22

[Camera One]

This episode really threw everything at the kitchen sink, and then some.  There were some major reveals, so there were some isolated moments which worked, but it was generally frustrating to watch.  Granted, that's usually the case when there's an impersonator in the mix.  I agree the actress playing Macy did a great job as Hunter pretending to be Macy, but everyone was tricked for way too long.

Once again, they bring up stuff without zero setup.  For example, their dad who didn't show up.  How can we care if we didn't even know about the dad?  It was completely unnecessary.  Then, there was Parker's mother being the new lab manager.  I don't get her reasoning... she didn't want Parker to die, but wasn't his demon side dying?  If his human side was dying, why didn't Evil Dad and Evil Bro just wait for that to happen?  

The use of background contemporary music on this show is so distracting.  It seems like the characters couldn't care less about doing important research.  Harry got drunk.  What happened to the sisters not keeping secrets from one another?

Another unlikeable character was that half witch/whitelighter and that coven or whatever they are.  It was so obvious that they didn't kill their mother, since she's clearly set up to be a future love interest for Mel.  But I don't like her "I have a plan for you" crap.  That's no better than the Elders.  

At least that cliffhanger with Harry falling to hell was sort of interesting.  

[iMonrey]

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 Then, there was Parker's mother being the new lab manager.  I don't get her reasoning... she didn't want Parker to die, but wasn't his demon side dying?  If his human side was dying, why didn't Evil Dad and Evil Bro just wait for that to happen? 

It appears that his demon half is killing his human half, which means both halves will die. That seems to be what his injections are for - to stave off whatever is killing him. Whatever Parker's father is trying to do seems aimed at simply ridding Parker of his human half so his demon half can survive and he'll be full demon. Apparently they can't just wait for the demon half to kill off the human half because it's killing ALL of him. 

Now, whatever his mother is doing is another question. I don't know if she's trying to get rid of his demon half, or just trying to stop his demon half from killing his human half and, thus, all of him.

[Chas411]

Maggie remains painfully whiny and Parker is still played by a terrible actor. I get the impression that there breakup scene was meant to carry more weight than it actually did due to the lack of spark in the relationship and the bad acting.