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CHARMED |
Piper Halliwell – Holly Marie Combs Phoebe Halliwell – Alyssa Milano Paige Matthews – Rose McGowan Leo Wyatt – Brian Krause Cole Turner – Julian McMahon 
OTHER CHARMED SEASONS Season 1 Season 2 Season 3 Season 4 Season 6 Season 7 Season 8 OTHER WITCH SHOWS Buffy The Vampire Slayer Eastwick Hex Switch 
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A Witch's Tail Part 1A mermaid whose immortality is coveted by a Sea Hag to give to a deadly demon asks for help from the Charmed Ones to save her by proving that her boyfriend loves her. Piper, though, isn't up to the task and Phoebe ends up as a mermaid herself, using the ocean to hide from the newly returned Cole. THE LITTLE MERMAID gets the CHARMED treatment with a dash of SPLASH on the side. Unfortunately, taking the entire plot from the fairy tale doesn't do the story many favours and Jaime Pressly may look gorgeous as the mermaid and do the tail and shells justice, but she fails in epic fashion to give the character any, well character. Her boyfriend is equally as bland, the Sea Hag is a nice watery special effect but a nothing villain the resolution of the love story is just awful, not to mention truncated. This, though, is really all just an excuse to get Alyssa Milano into the mermaid suit as Phoebe takes to the ocean to escape Cole and decides that she doesn't want to come back. Rose McGowan, as Paige, gets the most ridiculous clothes to wear. TopA Witch's Tail Part 2Phoebe's a mermaid now and the target of the demon who wants her immortality. Her sisters need to find and save her, but she doesn't want to be saved. The solution might lie in Cole's hands, and those of the Halliwells' dead mother. Schmaltz alert! The resolution of the Phoebe story (she's afraid because a water demon killed her mother and doesn't want to end up the same way; it's playground level psychology. Duh.) goes into sucrose overload as Ma Halliwell makes a glowing appearance to rekindle Piper's faith. It might make you well up, but more likely to throw up. Phoebe as a mermaid is quite fun, but the electricity demon is pretty much reduced to the background whilst the girls work out their issues and then is just spell fodder to allow for the action finale. It's fine, but really doesn't promise much for the season to come. TopHappily Ever AfterThe witch locked inside the magic mirror from Snow White manages to escape and sets about using the power of fairy tales to destroy the Charmed Ones. Phoebe has to attend the ball in glass slippers, Piper has to face the big bad wolf and Paige bites Snow White's apple. The idea of mining fairy tales for their comic values is a good one, but this episode never manages to really take the idea to its full potential. Whilst the twisted versions have a few good ideas (Phoebe as pumpkin) there is very much a feeling that this was a chance lost rather than an opportunity seized. TopSiren's SongThere's a siren on the loose, using her song to tempt married men into infidelity and then murders them once the wife learns the truth. Cole falls under her spell and the task of saving him is made worse when Phoebe and Leo swap bodies in order to understand each other. Two stories for the price of one, but neither really gets going. The siren storyline is the stronger since it features Cole being manipulated despite his powers into becoming a huge threat. By comparison, the body swap storyline is old, tired and completely trite. TopWitches In TightsA young boy with the gift of being able to bring the things he draws to life is being forced by a demon to create an unkillable superhero to destroy the Charmed Ones. In order to save them, he draws three superheroines and suddenly the Halliwells have all new powers, and costumes. Anyone who ever wanted to see Alyssa Milano or Rose McGowan in really tight hotpants gets their wish in this rather fun romp that takes a step away from the usual supernatural nonsense to throw in some comic book nonsense instead. A bit more could have been made of the superheroines, but it's fun whilst it lasts. The Elder needing protection strand of the story is sadly predictable from almost the start. TopThe Eyes Have ItGypsies are being killed by a hunter that they cursed long ago to be without eyes. He is taking theirs in the hope of finding the Evil Eye that protects the clan. Convincing a doctor who doesn't want anything to do with Gypsy magic to take up her heritage again may be the Halliwells' only hope. This is a pretty straightforward episode that is given a bit of an edge by having some yucky moments with eyeballs on trays and empty eyesockets all over the place, so if you're one of those people who are nervous about their eyes then you might want to skip this episode. You won't be missing anything as nothing exceptional happens otherwise and the story is pretty predictable throughout. TopSympathy For The DemonCole's mind is being twisted by an unseen force. Paige ignores her sisters' advice and ends up transferring Cole's powers into a fear demon, Barbas, who traps the witches in the house and sets their worst fears on them. For once, a simple storyline manages to drive the whole episode without ever flagging or needing a subplot to fill out some of the running time. OK, there's some old ground to go over here, but it still manages to be punchy and nasty and be a bit darker than the season to date and it's when the show's a bit darker that it really improves. TopA Witch In TimePheobe's new boyfriend ought to die, but she prevents it from happening through her visions. A warlock comes back from the future to ensure that the man dies on the orders of Cole who knows that preventing the man's death will lead to Phoebe's own. The warlock, however, decides to use his current self to help steal the Book Of Shadows and become invincible. This time twisting story allows the show to kill of two more of the Halliwell sisters in the certain knowledge that they can go back in time and reset the whole thing. It's a cheat and everyone knows it, but the rest of the story is pure CHARMED with a bit of time-travel mind-mangling thrown in. TopSam, I AmSince she is half-whitlighter, Paige is given the task of helping a man called Sam, a good man fallen on hard times. What she is not told is that he is the whitelighter that loved her mother and, therefore, her biological father. Cole uses this situation to set up a face-off with the Halliwells. Sugar overdose alert! This is the usual redemption story of a fallen angel who somehow finds his wings through the love of a family member he never knew. It's painfully hackneyed and terribly saccharine in the horrible way that this show can get from time to time. On the plus side, a new set of villains is introduced and Cole's attempts to be vanquished make for an excellent last couple of minutes. TopY Tu Mummy TambienA demon who has spent millennia searching for a new body to host the spirit of his beloved, currently trapped as a mummy, decides that Phoebe might do. Cole takes exception to that, but offers up Paige as an alternative. If you ever wanted to see Alyssa Milano do the dance of the (well two actually) veils then this is your chance as she gets to dress up as an egyptian dancing girl and play bad again. She is joined by the HIGHLANDER himself Adrian Paul, but his acting range limits things considerably, especially when he is put alongside Julian McMahon who is hamming it up like mad as the suicidal, mental, lovestruck, but evil Cole. TopThe Importance Of Being PhoebeCole turns to that most evil of instruments, the law, to bring down the Halliwells so that he gain access to the well of power under their house and use it to turn Phoebe evil. In the meantime, he uses a shapeshifter to pretend to be Phoebe to put them off the scent. Last week she was dancing with veils and now Alyssa Milano gets to do a lap dance in the early stages of this entertaining episode that takes the focus off the supernatural a little and plays with the more natural evil of the world, something that the sisters are far less well able to handle. It's light, bright and frothy, full of fun lines and silly situations and very entertaining. TopCentennial CharmedCole is given the virtually limitless powers of the Avatars and uses them to take away the moment that Paige entered the lives of her sisters. As a result, she is thrown into a world where Piper is a leather-clad demon hunter, Leo is no longer married, there is no baby coming, Phoebe is staying with Cole purely to protect Piper and Cole is not indestructible. It's the 100th episode and the show celebrates with an alternative universe story that zips along with an entertaining take on where everyone might be had Paige not come along. Piper as a demon hunter with a leather festish is the most fun, but the rest of the minor characters are good to see back or in their new roles. It being the 100th, the show also has to come up with a dramatic turn of events and the one that is chosen is rather predictable, but welcome all the same. TopHouse CallA witch doctor that the sisters call to rid their house of all the negative energy that has built up decides that they are not up the job and must be eliminated. He makes them prey to their greatest concerns at the time so that they become obsessed enough to destroy themselves. Phoebe is concerned with cleanliness for the coming baby and so takes that to the limit by cleaning the house out of existence. Phoebe is in a fight with a rival columnist and plans to turn him into the turkey that he is and kill him. Paige's best friend is getting married and she decides that she ought to be the bride. This is a tired, familiar plotline very similar to ones that have been used before. Yes, it is mildy diverting, but the sense of deja vu and the lack of a real climax at the end undermine it completely. TopSand Francisco DreamingSomeone is killing the sandmen. Without the ability to dream, people are falling prey to their issues and lashing out. Trying to save one of the supernatural beings, the sisters and Leo get hit by too much dream dust and find their worst nightmares becoming reality. Last time out it was falling prey to their greatest worries and now it's having their worst nightmares become real. The lack of originality in this idea is evident and apart from the fact that Piper's having erotic dreams about someone other than her husband there isn't really that much that is new or fun. Henry Gibson is the threatened sandman and only his fate comes as any surprise. TopThe Day The Magic DiedAll magic disappears from the world, both for good and for evil. This leaves the Halliwells vulnerable to shows of pure force. Piper is suffering from an ordinary complication of pregnancy and needs to rest, but with this and the arrival of her father and his new bride, it doesn't look like being the most restful time. This is the episode in which a Halliwell gives birth and does so in quite detailed fashion. Much more interesting is the idea of the magic suddenly disappearing, but the plot fails to make the most out of that idea with most of the consequences being mentioned rather than seen, though there are some nice lines about sorcerors having to use phones and cabs and the like. The plot is much more interested in the father and his new wife, which makes the twist that comes halfway through all the more predictable. TopBaby's First DemonThe baby needs a name, but he also needs protection from a couple of powerless demons who can only survive by leeching the magic out of others. With Phoebe stuck at work and Piper not wanting to leave the baby, Phoebe enters a magical market in search of those that would hurt her nephew. Apart from seeing Rose McGowan in a ridiculously tight short outfit there is nothing here that is either new or interesting. The humour around Phoebe's obsessive behaviour with the baby falls flat and the threat is pretty weak as well. The birth of the baby is sure to upset the balance of the show, but if this is to be the result then it needs to be fixed right now. TopLucky CharmedA demon is hunting leprechauns in order to steal their luck and use it to take over the Underworld. The remaining leprechauns agree imbue the Charmed Ones with their luck to fight the demon, but luck can go both ways. Quite apart from the racial stereotyping that could insult Irish people everywhere, this episode manages to miss the opportunities to play with the ideas of being luck and unlucky. Just about everyone gets a bit of both, but not enough to have real fun with. The demon is not much of a threat and so this is one of the more forgettable entries in the show. TopCat HouseA witch comes to the Charmed Ones for help against a demon that is chasing them. Piper and Leo see a marriage counsellor and get to relive their past, but when Phoebe and Paige fail to save the witch in one of those pasts, the effects are staggering. Inserting Paige and Phoebe into past events in the show is quite a nice idea and it's only a shame that they aren't able to do much more than watch what's happening and attempt not to be seen. The story or Piper and Leo's marriage problems is insultingly simple in that their problems are obvious and go away in seconds when the plot needs them to. The identity of the witch is kind of fun though. TopNymphs Just Want To Have FunThree wood nymphs who protect a spring that can make supernatural beings immortal come under attack from a pair of demons looking for revenge. When one of their number is killed, they embrace Paige as their new sister and introduce her to their wild child ways. Apparently being a nymph means that you are a terminally thick person who acts like they are on drugs all the time. The wildness means waving your arms in the air in a vaguely co-ordinated fashion and spouting ecological nonsense whilst looking spaced out. Suffice to say that Rose McGowan can't even look convinced when she is supposed to be one. The demon story is subordinate to the idea of the nymphs and therefore no fun at all. TopSense And Sense AbilityAn evil monkey takes away the sisters' senses, one each, in order that a villain can use them to get closer to the baby. Piper's blind, Paige is dumb and Phoebe's deaf. There are lots of comic complications that are played out for laughs and this turns out to be one the more entertaining episodes recently, though hardly what you would call deep. TopNecromancing The StoneIt's time for Wyatt's blessing and his great grandmother's spirit returns to bring together all the Halliwell matriarchs for the occasion. This makes it a perfect target for an old enemy of hers, an old enemy and an old lover. The girls' grandmother is back, so we're on saccharine overload alert, but Chris Sarandon is also on hand to give another archly camp performance as the villain of the piece and be far more fun than the rest of the performers put together. All the family stuff and grandmother hates men stuff is unconvincing and the main question to ask is where the girls' mother is when the spirits are called. TopOh My Goddess - Part 1Chris, a whitelighter from the future with an agenda that is not quite clear, arrives just in time to help out when the legendary Titans of Greek myth are freed from their ice prisons and kill all of the Elders with the exception of Leo. The only way to stop them is for the Halliwells to be become goddesses themselves. The Titans are promised to be the greatest threat that the Charmed Ones have ever faced, but they don't seem to do a lot more than most of the demons that the sisters have faced in the past. Right up until they slaughter the Elders, that is and then things start to seem a bit more serious. The solution of turning the sisters in something else, in this case goddesses, is hardly original. TopOh My Goddess - Part 2The Halliwells are now goddesses in their own rights, but their powers are seducing them and the Titans are still determined to kill the last of the whitelighters. Alyssa Milano gets to have the most fun here as the goddess of love or, as the show decides to portray her, the goddess of horny. Rose McGowan is the goddess of war and so just gets to talk to tough a bit and Holly Marie Combs turns her pain into a storm. Hardly the stuff of legends. Still, the episode does introduce some changes to the format that are going to inform the next season, but this is a less impressive season finale than we might have hoped for. Top |
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