seneuser Reviews

The Vow (2012)

I Vow to Disappoint

[6/10 · 12 January 2024]

Two beautiful actors with decent chemistry is why I give this movie 6 stars, and why I think it is worth seeing once. However, considering what it had to work with, this is a major disappointment mostly due to the writing.

The movie starts with the accident that sets up the rest of the plot. That means we are shown the marriage that is the foundation of the story via flashback. Logically, I have to agree that this is probably the best way to do this. Leo and Paige are two attractive young artists who stumbled onto each other, sparked, and then proceeded to build a relationship together and fall in love, proceeding all the way to marriage. This is a good start as the attractiveness and chemistry of the two leads is what carries this movie anyway. The wedding itself is another ridiculous Hollywood concoction where churches do not exist and the vows are always some gobly-gook that in this case should be even more relevant to the plot than they are. Frankly, if you aren't swearing a vow to love, cherish and hold for better and worse, for richer and poorer, through sickness or health, til death do you part, then I don't know what the point of having a wedding is in the first place.

So, up to the accident, we are doing pretty good, even if we have seen this before. Plot-wise, the realism of the situation begins to go sideways as soon as Paige's parents show up. Amazingly, the parents have never met Leo before. Paige has essentially disowned them and hasn't seen them in years. Even though that is the case, the parents are able to get Paige moved in the hospital without the husband's knowledge, even though she is a grown ass adult with Leo, our male lead, almost certainly listed as her emergency contact and the one to be consulted on her care.

Sure, Leo should have called them since their daughter was in a coma, but seriously this is this guy's only dick move the entire movie. Regardless, the parents obviously don't care for Leo and since Paige has amnesia and doesn't recognize her husband, the parents immediately want her to come home with them oblivious to the fact that she is a grown ass woman, that she disowned them and hasn't seen them in years, and that she is married and belongs, both legally and ethnically, with her husband.

A little further into the movie we discover that Paige has a sister. Wait, what? So she also disowned her sister for years? When finally the big secret of the movie is revealed and we find out why she did this, it all makes even less sense. Apparently the writers want us to believe that Paige is a real a-hole who abandoned her mother and sister when the probably needed her most, for something that was no fault of their own.

I guess that isn't so hard to believe since we are repeatedly shown amnesia Paige dissing the friends and husband she gave up her family to be with, despite their efforts to be there for her. That is ultimately the primary frustration of the movie. We get an entire middle section of Leo attempting to be a loving and loyal husband only to have Paige repeatedly react as if this beautiful man is somehow repugnant to her. She pivots from enjoying his company to screaming at him like a twelve year old, leaving the poor man bouncing like an inflatable that pops back up after you hit it.

We are supposed to sympathize with Paige, who is the one who lost her memory, but the movie makes almost no attempt to earn that sympathy. And after she leaves Leo to move back in with her parents, you are nearly pulling for Leo to give up and move on to greener pastures.

The final failure is the ending, which kinda falls flat after the abuse that Leo has been put through. I guess we should be glad that Paige put her life back together, but another shot at dating his ex isn't exactly the triumph that Leo deserves. The actors manage to make it sweet and hopeful, sure, but it rang mostly hollow for me. Certainly not good enough to make me forget the frustration in getting to this point.

Charmed: Give Me a Sign (2000) Season 2, Episode 15

A Merciful End

[7/10 · 23 November 2023]

For me, this episode is mostly known for putting an end to the Piper/Dan/Leo love triangle that was the one continuing subplot through the first half of Season 2.

It also moves the overall story ahead as we get to see another demon besides Barbas that actually looks and acts like most demons of future seasons- garbed in black and dwelling in a lair similar to the underworld. Litvack, unlike Barbas, also has powers similar to the demon's we'll see as he throws the first fireballs of the show. Litvack can track his query anywhere and uses something akin to the astral projection we've seen used by Rex.

So Bane is back, and though he is a decent actor and his chemistry with Prue is good, I found his entire subplot one of the most annoying of Season 2. The bad boy trope may be tried and true but Prue goes from hating Bane to sleeping with him in a snap of the fingers. Bane supposedly (I'm not so sure) saving Prue's life doesn't seem as heroic when you consider that the demon was after Bane and was surprised Prue was there.

The is another of many episodes where a sister allows her feelings for someone to override her judgement and the judgement of her sisters. Phoebe and Piper are right to not trust Bane. But again we see the trusting sister being right as Bane double-crosses Litvack in the end even though the entire final vanquish is incredibly flimsy. As if Bane would know that Piper would attempt to freeze Litvack or that Litvack would turn his back on Bane or that Piper would then unfreeze Bane. Stupid.

Phoebe, the sister spellcaster once again, casts a spell for signs to help Piper decide between Leo and Dan. Rather than being for laughs for once, it actually remains a mystery until Phoebe realizes that the signs can help them find Prue.

As it turns out, the only relevant sign was when the Angels beat the Mariners. Of course. The episode ends with Piper saying she didn't need any signs to know where her heart was at. We know that means Leo, and the love triangle is finally over.

Charmed: Pardon My Past (2000) Season 2, Episode 14

A Girl's Past Matters

[7/10 · 23 November 2023]

The idea of returning to a past life and the excuse to get the girls in 20's garb is an excellent one. Like Morality Bites, the past that is shown is somewhat ridiculous. The manor as a speakeasy? Crazy. With patrons regularly filing in and out despite the serving of liquor being a crime at the time.

The episode starts with one of Charmed's sexiest scenes with a lingerie clad Phoebe being pinned to a wall and molested by apparently a ghost. As it turns out, it was just a memory, a helluva memory. It's another slap to Dan's face when the girls send him home but insist on Leo staying. Good thing too, as Leo shows again that even without powers he's useful. Eventually he suspects that it is a past life that is intruding on the present. Good thing he's around to explain the plot to us.

After Phoebe casts a spell to investigate the past, it is discovered that she died the following day in 1924. As it turns out, it was at the hands of her cousins, which were Prue and Piper in a past life. Phoebe was a bad girl in that former life and was dating a warlock named Anton who was after her cousins' powers, of course. The warlock somehow created or found an amulet that made the wearer immune to all magic? I think Anton said immune to "your cousins' powers" but the Prue and Piper in the future are sisters and have totally different powers. If it is all magic, then more warlocks should come up with those things.

Anyway, the past Prue and Piper's way of handling the situation was to kill past Phoebe and curse her for all time, which is why Phoebe is in danger now. That seems awfully heavy-handed and crazy as opposed to simply destroying Anton.

We all like bad Phoebe, in any decade, and this episode not only has a cool vanquish but also a favorite moment of mine when Phoebe goes off with Leo and after he shows concern for her life, she tenderly touches his face and tells him not to worry or he'll get lines on his face. This isn't the last time that we see a moment like this between Phoebe and Leo, who end up regularly sharing secrets.

On the down side, though it was cool to see Leo in the past, the idea that he'd be living a past life in 1924 seems unlikely or is cutting it awfully close. After all, Leo Wyatt died during World War II as an army medic, probably circa 1945, likely in his 20's, which would place his birth in the early 20's.

Also, though it makes sense in the confines of the episode, the idea that Dan would be married to Piper in a past life is preposterous. He is nothing more than a footnote, less worthy of being in their past lives than Phoebe's future boyfriend Jason would be.

Regardless, I'd give this episode a 7 just for being the first to have Brian Krause as part of the intro, finally.

Charmed: Animal Pragmatism (2000) Season 2, Episode 13

V-Day Meets Animal Farm

[7/10 · 22 November 2023]

The monster subplot involving 3 coeds turning animals into men because they want sex is somewhat ridiculous and totally doesn't work if it was men casting the spell. Fortunately, this episode is just as much about Valentine's Day and Piper's dilemma as she contemplates closing the love triangle, and that subplot is good enough for a 7 especially thanks to the final scene.

Phoebe is now at college, and we see her attending class. She should be one of the older kids in the class, but of course, everyone is older in Hollywood so all the other students look about the same age as her. She immediately has the eyes for some mediocre guy. It never takes her long. She helps out three gals who bought a Valentine's Day magic book (odd) by rewording a spell that would turn animals into men. The three gals are short dates for Valentine's Day and are interested in such things. By the way, the gals are living in a dorm flush with horny young men, but still feel the need to resort to witchcraft for some reason. As it turns out they recorded Phoebe's voice when she worded the spell and thus, of course, it works, turning a snake, rabbit and pig into men (not sure where the pig came from). Apparently males of any species are the same as the new changelings are totally willing to fulfill the needs of the women. Try to imagine this with the sexes reversed. Nah, wouldn't happen. Anyway, I do get a kick out of the rabbit and snake, and I like that they went with common mythos by making the snake the devious one. However, I'm not sure what the rabbit's issue is. I've never seen a mean rabbit before, and they totally blew the pig who actually should be the smartest of the three.

Anyway, the newly conjured men quickly learn that they have an expiration date. They need Phoebe to change that and are willing to kill anyone they need to get what they want.

Meanwhile, Leo is helping Piper out, or she is helping him out, but working at P3's. It is Valentine's Day and the Lord of Simp, Dan, arrives at P3's with flowers and a dinner date. He is bewildered at the sight of Leo and immediately jealous, even openly admitting it. This is the first time Dan actually became interesting. If he wasn't a simp, he'd know to get out ASAP as your GF having an ex hanging around is a red flag the size of China. Dan and Leo's adversarial looks to one another is one of the best things about this episode. I also love that Phoebe and Prue, always big fans of Dan, are clearly now on Leo's side, harassing Piper about getting Leo a Valentine's Day gift. She eventually just goes and gets him a card meant for a friend, which backfires when Dan sees it and knows it is for Leo.

Eventually, all roads lead to P3's, including Daryl, who is after the animal men after they start a crime spree. Phoebe, the spellcaster extraordinaire, eventually casts a spell to turn everyone in the club into animals, for mostly the sake of comedy, of course. Once the animals turned men turned animals again are caged, Phoebe then reverses the spell and turns everyone back. The animal men are now men permanently, but they are under arrest and headed to prison.

The episode ends with Piper getting a card from Leo, which causes her to fantasize about walking over to him in the club and engaging in a passionate kiss right there. It's just a fantasy for now.

Charmed: Awakened (2000) Season 2, Episode 12

A Man Walks Through

[10/10 · 20 November 2023]

This is the best episode of Season 2 and one of the best episodes of the entire series, receiving my first 10 rating. This has all the stakes of Morality Bites without taking place in an unrealistic future that you might never have really immersed yourself in or the unrealistic set up. This has all the realism you'd want; the bad guy is a simple virus without a known cure, and there is no spell that will vanquish it.

In true Greek tragedy style, Piper has a hand in her own demise as she accepted fruit smuggled into the country. A small crime with no expected victim, it comes back to literally bite Piper when the bite of a fruit fly infects her with a deadly virus. She collapses in P3's and quickly deteriorates into a coma at the hospital. Fearing the consequences of casting a spell to save her, Prue and Phoebe first call for Leo, against Piper's wishes. This is the first time any of the sisters bring Leo by calling for him. He orbs in and explains that he is aware of the situation but there is nothing he can do. The Elders will not allow him to heal Piper. If Leo healed people stricken with disease, he'd be too busy to do anything else, but we all understand this is a Charmed One we are talking about here. At the time, it seemed non-sensical that the Elders would be OK with Piper dying, but now that we know Paige is still around, kind of a different story.

Anyway, with no other choice, Prue and Phoebe cast an awakened spell to bring Piper out of the coma. It instantly works, but at the same time awakens the disease in an animated ninja doll. Where before the disease wasn't transmitted between humans, it now is let loose in the form of the ninja doll that roams the halls of the hospital, spreading the deadly disease. WIth an outbreak now occurring at the hospital, the CDC is called in to deal with the situation. They put all 3 sisters in quarantine, and the doctor who treated Piper explains they will stay there until he figures out how Piper recovered. Six innocents at the hospital are now infected and likely to die unless an answer is found.

At this point, the sisters have little choice but to reverse the spell they cast before more people get infected. Piper immediately was stricken with the disease again and quickly devolved to cardiac arrest with her poor sisters and Dan looking on. All hope seems lost when Piper flatlines and her soul lifts from her body.

However, as Piper floats towards a doorway of brilliant light, a man comes walking towards her. It is Leo, who the Elders will not stop from healing her after all, or can not stop if they don't know it is happening. Leo heals Piper who returns to her body and immediately calls out Leo's name upon awakening. The medical staff is in total disbelief at what they just saw, even though people do return from flatlining every great once in a while.

Piper's decline into the coma before the spell and then even more so her quick deterioration after they reverse it is both tense and horrifying. The acting by the sisters is spectacular, and it is truly harrowing to see Piper possibly die of a disease right before our eyes. Piper being saved from death by Leo may have been predictable but is done beautifully with him literally walking out of the light to save her.

I thought Doctor Williamson was fabulously played, and through him we see the gravity of the situation at the hospital as things spiral out of control. I actually feel sorry for Dan here as he goes through a rollercoaster ride, witnessing Piper's apparent death, only to have her awake and call for Leo. OUCH.

And if that wasn't all great enough, the episode finishes with one of my favorite Charmed scenes of all time when Leo returns to P3 and talks with Piper. He explains that he lost his powers as a consequence of saving her. When Piper explains that she is with Dan, Leo pulls the ultimate boss move of saying, "Now that I'm mortal, I'm going to fight for you. May the best man win." Which means, bye Dan.

This episode also has huge consequences for the other sisters as Phoebe decides to go back to college, and Prue quits both the auction house and Jack in a well-written set up. Again, Jack was an entertaining character, and well played, but he never made a lot of sense as a boyfriend for Prue. Jack and the auction house were willing to pass a copy of a Monet painting as an original, even after Prue confirmed that it was not. That made her a fraud as well if she went along with it, and she refused. Lesson learned for everyone.

I would be remiss to not wonder why reversing the spell, which de-animated the doll, stopping the spread, why that would also I guess heal the other infected patients at the hospital. I can only assume that is what happened since it is never mentioned again. That doesn't seem logical. Maybe Leo healed them all too, whether that was fair or not. Consider how dark the episode would have been if even some of those poor people would have died.

Charmed: Reckless Abandon (2000) Season 2, Episode 11

Three Witches & a Baby

[6/10 · 20 November 2023]

I give this episode as much as a 6 only due to the interplay of the sisters as they take on the responsibility of caring for a baby. Usually it is men being overwhelmed by baby for the sake of comedy, here the trope is turned on its head as Dan aka Mr. Perfect is great with the baby while the sisters are the source of comedy, especially Piper, the sister one would most expect to actually be nurturing.

Though I think a cuter baby could have been found, I do appreciate some of the baby-related hijinx. The rest of the episode is ridiculous.

The big bad of the week is a ghost with a vendetta against the family that wronged him. It is already established that ghosts are difficult monsters to deal with, and they will continue to be, but this one can shoot lightning out of its hands. Utterly ridiculous and never seen in Charmed or about any other show, book or movie again. Conversely. Electricity is often shown as one of the few things that can actually harm ghosts. Sure, I get it, it is a fictional monster that can be given any powers the writers choose to give it, but it isn't even consistent with the other ghosts that appear in Charmed.

Anyway, even if we give all that a pass, why don't the men of the house simply leave the house? Why doesn't the mom leave the house and stay with her baby instead of abandoning him? There clearly is no reason why she can't leave. And her and grandma's reaction after all the men in their family have been killed is ludicrous. They barely seem concerned. The acting in this is totally unrealistic.

Lastly, it often seems like the sisters can accomplish virtually anything with a spell, including destroying upper level demons, but they can't vanquish a ghost? Seems stupid, but if nothing else, we know the high risk method from Season 1 would work. Regardless, I do appreciate grandma sacrificing herself to bring justice to the ghost. That was a different ending.

Charmed: Heartbreak City (2000) Season 2, Episode 10

The Truth Hurts

[7/10 · 16 November 2023]

I find this episode to be somewhat annoying just because the brief relationships between Piper and Dan and Prue and Jack are front and center, and Leo is no where to be found, which means there is no love triangle in this one.

I do give it credit for originality though as this time around a Cupid is involved and the never-ending battle between love and hate, opposite sides of the same coin. Phoebe essentially gets to save the day by simply talking to people.

The first good thing about this episode is that the Cupid has good chemistry with Phoebe. Yes, we've seen this before, but I can kind of believe this guy is a Cupid. I don't really get the whole Phoebe has her heart closed. It seems like she is having good connections with guys left and right and is always interested in someone. Yeah, she's single at the moment, but that is totally fine.

The second good thing and my favorite part of this episode is when Drazi momentarily breaks up Piper/Dan and Prue/Jack by merely dropping a heavy load of truth on them. I mean, not a single word the demon said was false. Unfortunately, Phoebe talks sense into her sisters and the relationships are temporarily healed.

Phoebe ultimately hits Drazi with a potion to ruin his day, and then Cupid has to say goodbye.

By the way, problematic to suggest demons can love. That seems antithetical to being a demon. The more human-like you make demons the more immoral it becomes to destroy them. Cole makes it very clear in Season 3 that he only could love Phoebe because of his human half.

Charmed: Ms. Hellfire (2000) Season 2, Episode 9

Bad Witches are Easy

[8/10 · 16 November 2023]

This is a really entertaining episode, despite the tired plot thread of a protagonist being seduced by evil and the lameness of Prue giving in to it so quickly.

First of all, Daryl is told the sisters' secret this episode. He doesn't accidentally discover it like Andy did. The sisters (Phoebe) just straight tells him, and he accepts it. In fact, his easy acceptance of it might strain belief, but it is welcome, glad to have that over with. I guess with everything he's seen so far, kind of like with Andy, it isn't that hard to believe anymore.

Secondly, Prue gets her astral projection power and uses it to her advantage for the first time. I don't quite buy her suggestion that having telekinesis makes it logical for her to do it since she isn't moving her physical form. The show is kind of fudging here since they already showed Rex using the more correct form of astral projection. Prue is not only projecting her astral self but is able to physically interact with the world at her projected location. That really isn't how this is supposed to work. (Notice how Rex only could interact in people's minds and no one could see him unless they were in the astral plane themselves, which is where you typically go when you dream.) Regardless, I know, it's magic, so they can technically have it work however they want to.

Last but foremost, Barbas is back. It is Friday the 13th once again, and he's cut a deal to escape from purgatory. He needs to have 13 witches killed by midnight, again, and he'll escape purgatory completely. This time around he goes the extra mile by recruiting a small time crime boss - Bane - to get the work done for him. Bane in turn hires a hit woman to do the killings - Ms. Hellfire. That is a lot of delegation for a demon to bother with. Buy, hey, whatever it takes to bring Barbas back is good with me. Billy Drago continues to ooze creepiness like no other demon and is still to this point the best bad guy the show has come up with.

When Ms. Hellfire is killed in the attempt on the sisters, Prue assumes her identity in the hopes of finding out who hired her and why. That leads her to Bane, who Prue immediately takes a liking to, not to mention the high-flying lifestyle that Ms. Hellfire seemed to bask in. Prue perhaps gets a little too into it, and though I get it that the darkside can be seductive and that Bane is an attractive guy, her grinding on and making out with a guy she just met is pretty lame.

In the end, Barbas convinces Prue to kill her sisters (delegation again), but Phoebe and Piper use Prue's new projection power to snap her out of it. They don't have to vanquish Barbas as midnight does it for them.

Entertaining episode with some big things happening in it.

Charmed: P3 H2O (1999) Season 2, Episode 8

It Happened One Summer

[9/10 · 11 November 2023]

P3 H20 is one of the best episodes of Season 2, and the episode that gets the most melodrama out of the Piper/Leo/Dan love triangle.

This is parallel storytelling with Prue walking in her mother's footsteps and deathly afraid of repeating her mistakes and suffering her fate. At the same time, Piper and Leo's forbidden love mirrors the affair that Patty had with Sam, her whitelighter. Rather than being a cautionary tale, the more Piper and Leo find out about the affair the closer it brings them together.

Prue's never-ending mommy and daddy issues don't entertain me, and she doesn't look anything like her mother, by the way; that clearly goes to Piper or Phoebe. I get that they are leaning heavy into the parallels between Prue and Patty, but that one strains credibility and would have been best left on the cutting room floor. There are plenty of obvious similarities between Prue and Patty's paths. Why not throw Phoebe a bone by pointing out how much she looks like her mother instead?

Anyway, Piper and Leo being together again carries the episode for me. Piper is mad at Leo still, which is really her just being mad at herself. Like in the beginning of Old Black Magic, the sisters are kind of blowing Leo off again, but changes once Sam dumps the memory dust on them. Prue and Phoebe get back to the camp to protect the children while Piper stays back with Leo due to having poison oak. They decide to read Patty and Sam's love letters together, with predictable results. When Piper needs to join her sisters at the lake, we get our first case of Leo orbing Piper. Just another good reason to have a whitelighter around.

Sam acts crazy early on, but eventually he turns into a pretty good character and a believable whitelighter. The flashbacks to Patty's death are well done and the tension going into the final vanquish is real. This all leads to a great vanquish. The water demon is much better when it isn't seen, much more frightening. Sam's final solution caught me off guard even if slightly predictable. Great ending all around with Piper and Leo saying another heartfelt goodbye. Don't worry that won't last long.

Charmed: They're Everywhere (1999) Season 2, Episode 7

Brain Drain the Prequel

[6/10 · 11 November 2023]

I haven't rated a Charmed episode as low as 6 since The Wedding (Episode) from Hell, but I find little of interest here, especially after the drama of Old Black Magic that actually moved the overall storyline forward. This episode will do nothing other than prove what we already know - Jack and Dan aren't demons or warlocks.

I do find it funny that Piper and Prue, frightened by coincidental events, went through the trouble of casting a spell to find that out, to comical results, of course, only to have Phoebe show off her magical wisdom by just pointing out that any sign of blood would prove the men are human.

This is another Phoebe-centric episode and another guest star that has good chemistry with her. Eric becomes the innocent Phoebe is determined to protect when two warlocks pursue him for knowledge that no one wants them to have. These warlocks can literally suck knowledge from people's minds, as well as sucking life. Their tandem blinking does lead to a fairly good action scene against the sisters in the nursing home. In the end, they dispose of each other, which we've seen before.

Charmed: That Old Black Magic (1999) Season 2, Episode 6

A Hot Witch, a Dork, and a Wand

[9/10 · 9 November 2023]

I get why other fans of Charmed have criticized this episode. It has clunky dialogue, unfortunate child acting, and the climatic duel for the wand is as humorous as it is suspenseful. However, this is a personal favorite of mine.

As I said before, I am a fan of the Season 2 love triangle, and this episode is where that plot-thread really takes off. Also, I am a fan of the antagonist being an attractive female, and we have that in the red-headed buxom witch Tuatha who is more than the sisters can handle, which is a new one.

No, this particular more experienced witch can only be defeated by the Chosen One, and therein lies the rub. The Chosen One happens to be a teenage boy with low self-esteem and few redeeming qualities. By time the dramatic showdown happens, you are almost pulling for the witch.

So, the real fun is that after Tuatha is awakened by a pair of unfortunate geeks seeking treasure, Leo shows up at the manor to tell the sisters. At the same time, Piper is walking in with Dan. Piper looks guilty as hell, and I guess the whole "I love you" thing from Love Hurts doesn't really mean a lot since she has already moved on to the man next door. Dan is concerned with Leo's appearance though not as concerned as he should be, while Leo just looks annoyed at Piper, as he has a right to be.

I get it though. The conflict isn't so much between Leo and Dan as it is between Piper living a normal life and a magical one. Piper has been irked both times Leo showed up, and she made it clear each time that Leo showing up meant her magical life, and responsibilities, coming with him.

The problem is that regardless of how perfect Dan is, Leo is right. Dan doesn't know he is dating a witch. He doesn't really know what he has gotten himself into. Piper doesn't need to keep any secrets from Leo. He is part of that world, and Piper is too whether she wants to face it or not. And as we have seen multiple times already, it is very GOOD to have Leo in her world. Even by the end of this episode, with Piper still yearning for that normal life and Leo orbing away as if accepting her wishes, we still already know they are meant to be together.

I also like that Leo warned the sisters not to take on Tuatha by themselves, and that he was right and they were wrong. It was cool to see a more experienced witch working her magic. Good touch by Prue with the placebo potion at the end. It worked for Ron Weasley too, so why not.

Oh, and Jack Sheridan is introduced as a co-worker/love interest for Prue in the beginning of this episode. Jack is a good character, but not a good boyfriend. I'm not sure what the writers had envisioned for him, but his existence in the end does nothing more than give Prue a BF so that Phoebe can be the lone single gal.

Charmed: She's a Man, Baby, a Man! (1999) Season 2, Episode 5

Hot Girls in Love

[8/10 · 9 November 2023]

The episode with a succubus as the bad should be one of the sexier episodes, and this is all of that. For one, San Fran is in the middle of a heatwave, and that and a connection with the succubus has Phoebe draped with sweat in nearly every scene. The succubus was well cast with a smoking Heidi Mark playing the demon. Along with the distinction being one of the hottest women to ever be on Charmed, Ms. Mark also is known for marrying the front man for Motley Crue, Vince Neil, about a year after this (terrible idea).

The plot is put into motion when Phoebe has dreams of sex with men followed by their murders. As it turns out, Phoebe's dreams are real and someone has been killing men. Daryl actually suspects something supernatural is involved and has the intuition to bring it to the sisters, which is when they realize that Phoebe is somehow psychically connected to the killer. All the male victims are from the same dating service, so they decide to visit to look for suspects. After they've been through the place, Prue Superwitch decides to cast a spell to enable her to find and destroy the succubus. The spell responds by turning Prue into a very effeminate man.

Shannen is incredibly obviously a woman impersonating a man and failing for the most part, but it is still hilarious at times to watch. As time goes by, Shannen becomes more and more man-like.

Beneath the heat and the sweat, this episode is actually just about men and women learning to listen to one another and get along. Prue and Piper both learn some lessons about how men approach relationships and women that they can use later on. Piper even sees a video Dan made for the dating service, where he is obviously talking about Piper, sounding like a total beta.

By the way, none of the people at this dating service need a dating service, of course.

I like this episode for the sexiness, Shannen's turn as a man, and the layering of a couple different themes at once.

Charmed: The Devil's Music (1999) Season 2, Episode 4

A Deal with Dishwala

[7/10 · 9 November 2023]

So, P3s is struggling. It apparently didn't have a great grand opening, which the show skipped, and that means barely anyone knows it exists. Prue and Phoebe are concerned enough to bring an investor into the mix, who you can tell is a scumbag just by looking at him. Of course, that all goes sideways and adds another conflict into the mix.

The central conflict involves a band manager making a deal with a demon to be successful. The band is Dishwala, and in exchange for their success, the manager has to bring young girls to a big ugly demon to be devoured. That only seems fair. Both Leo and Daryl are on the case, as Leo is tracking the demon while Daryl is tracking the missing girls, which leads him to the band manager. Both play excellent roles in this and add to the story.

Leo sets off an argument with Piper when he uses magic to convince the band manager to have Dishwala play at P3s. Despite the fact that this is exactly what P3s needs to be relevant, Piper is mad that Leo brought magical work to her normal work. This seems entirely unreasonable of Piper, but that would become a character trait of hers, being unreasonable at times. She also is deluding herself into thinking maybe she can live a normal life with Dan, the simping neighbor who is befuddled by Leo's sudden appearance. And with that the starting gate is up and the love triangle that dominates the first half of Season 2 is off and running. In my opinion, the love triangle is by far the best thing about Season 2 with the highlights being Old Black Magic, P3 H2O and Awakened.

I get it if the melodrama isn't what other Charmed fans are into, but then this episode won't be a favorite because the melodrama goes up another notch when Jenny, Dan's niece, gets into a tif with Dan and Piper when she is not allowed to go see Dishwala play at the club. Personally, it seems a stretch that a girl of Jenny's age would be that into Dishwala with about 10 boy bands around at that time to soak up her attention.

Regardless, this leads to an eventful night when the scumbag investor, the band manager, the DEMON, Jenny, Leo and Daryl all end up at P3's for the festivities. Ultimately, of course, the demon is vanquished, the band manager busted by Daryl, the girls saved, and the investor convinced to forget that P3's ever existed (Prue uses threats here to solve the possible exposure, something I've pointed out could have been easily done to solve the exposure risk at other times when it comes up).

Charmed: The Painted World (1999) Season 2, Episode 3

Painted Black

[7/10 · 8 November 2023]

The Painted World is a Phoebe-centric episode that utilizes the creative idea of getting magically trapped in a painting. In the end this is pretty standard fare for Season 2 with about the only exceptional thing about it being the final vanquish.

Once again we have three threads woven together with Piper getting the least of it and Phoebe getting the most. This makes sense as Prue was mostly the focus of the opener and Morality Bites primarily being from Piper's point of view.

Piper has a possible relationship budding with the next door neighbor. When she needs her club to get up to code, Dan conveniently ends up working construction and can do the work for her. Dan's work comes up a couple times this season, but the man doesn't seem to work a whole lot for being in construction. His primary job seems to be simping for Piper.

Prue receives a painting from a client who wants her to auction it, at any price, which is reminiscent of Feats of Clay in Season 1; that didn't go well either. Prue finds a spell written on the painting, recites it, and predictably ends up trapped in the painting. The painting is a very large manor. Inside the manor is dangerous as it is rigged with traps that like to spray fireballs at anyone who makes themselves a target. A man, Malcolm, has been trapped in there for years. For good reason, as it turns out. Piper inevitably goes looking for Prue and ends up trapped in the painting with her.

Phoebe is looking for a job, and when it appears she's interviewing beyond her qualifications, she decides to cheat and cast a spell to make her smart. THIS despite the lessons supposedly learned when getting burned at the stake just last episode. Huh. Anyway, as usual for Charmed, the smart spell leads to some funny scenes. Ultimately, Phoebe is going to have to release Prue and Piper from the painting and defeat two warlocks at the same time. She pulls this off without any powers, simply by outwitting them and using sleight of hand. Props to Phoebe, this is one of the most impressive vanquishes of the series. That alone is enough to garner the 7 rating.

Charmed: Morality Bites (1999) Season 2, Episode 2

Well, That Escalated Quickly

[9/10 · 8 November 2023]

This is one of the more famous episodes of Charmed. Even though it has two of the all time great scenes in the series, I still will only give it a 9 due to how illogical it is and how flawed its moral is.

Many of the best Charmed episodes deal with time travel, and this is a rare trip into the future. Except I've never taken this future nearly as serious as many of the other reviewers here. For me, the future here is too unrealistic to be anything but satire, and Prue's future self isn't even close to being consistent with her character. The future Piper is believable, but Leo would leave his daughter behind and divorce Piper? How does that even work between a whitelighter and a witch? Anyway, their interplay is actually my favorite part of the episode.

The two all time great scenes here is first when Piper is tasked with binding the powers of her daughter and Leo shows up. She can't do it, and the acting from Brian and Holly is just heart-wrenching. Holly also looks gorgeous in this.

The other great scene is when Phoebe is executed. Absolutely pulse pounding scene with amazing acting from Alyssa. Bravo!

Much of this episode just feels different than other Charmed episodes. It feels darker and more earnest. The tone, acting, and the great scenes I mentioned make this a fan favorite. However, even though I enjoyed watching this a little more the second time, I still had some serious questions.

How does Prue using her power to pay back a jerk lead to Phoebe killing someone ten years later? The sisters have used their powers for personal gain and pay back many times already. Piper freezes people whenever she gets annoyed with them or if she just needs a little more time to think. Prue has also used her power when annoyed and for petty revenges on several people. I don't see causing the neighbor to fall victim to his own dog poop as a much greater crime than things they've done already. So, why did this push the Elders over the edge?

And if Phoebe had a premonition and KNOWS someone is a murderer, then I'm not sure her dispensing magical justice is such a moral wrong. It seems similar to me to protecting innocents from demons, with the only difference being that it is a mortal. Except, sometimes mortals can be worse than demons.

This all works better if the writers had the guts to have the sisters do a more serious immoral use of their powers. As it is, this seems like abusive overkill by the Elders.

Charmed: Witch Trial (1999) Season 2, Episode 1

The Dyslexic Demon

[8/10 · 8 November 2023]

Charmed, great as it is, is not known for its season openers, with only the openers in Season 1 and Season 4 really worthy of special status. That being said, the opener for Season 2 certainly starts with a shock as a demon opens a portal in the attic and steals the Book of Shadows, which was otherwise thought to be impossible. This, of course, presents a unique challenge for the sisters.

As it turns out, the demon, Abraxas, is sort of doing a reverse Leo. He is reading the book backwards, which causes the words to disappear as he goes. As spells are unwritten, the demons that were vanquished by those spells reappear. This is also a smart idea by the writers, as any viewer who might have missed Season 1, or for people who simply needed a reminder, adversaries overcome in Season 1 are brought back to be dealt with once again. Unfortunately, this doesn't amount to a lot of difficulty as the sisters just remember the original spells and vanquish them all over again. The real threat is the race to get to Abraxas before he gets to the front of the book and unwrites the entire thing.

For this, the sisters get some direct help from Grams along with some smart thinking by Phoebe. In the end, they catch Abraxas just as he's reading the first page, and vanquish him with a Power of 3 spell.

This episode also does a good job of continuing from the end of Season 1, as Prue struggles with the death of Andy, even losing her powers for awhile. Great acting by Shannen here and some excellent dialog with Morris.

This episode also sets up some plotlines for the remainder of the season as it introduces a new next door neighbor Dan and his niece who won't be around long. It also introduces what will become P3s, the club that Piper owns.

And with that, we are off and running.

Charmed: Déjà Vu All Over Again (1999) Season 1, Episode 22

The Edge of Season 2

[9/10 · 1 November 2023]

This episode is original and tense enough to warrant a 9, though it is rather tame compared to other season finales. The stakes are higher as all three sisters are in danger.

The returning demon, Rodriguez, plans to kill the Charmed Ones. He is overconfident and his great plan is to simply walk through the front door and hit them with power balls (this is actually the first time we see a demon take this direct approach). The demon's failure is predictable, but the Source has sent an upper level demon to assist him. This demon, Tempest, has the ability to rewind time, which allows Rodriguez to keep attempting to murder the sisters, learning with each failure until he gets it right.

The weakness in this plan is that Phoebe's power allows her to instantly recognize something is wrong once time has been reset the first time. Her awareness of the situation allows the sisters to gain the upper hand on the third attempt. That last attempt, however, had Andy attempt to interfere and get killed. The other sisters would immediately look to have time rewound again except Prue stops them, obeying Andy's wish and insistence that he had fulfilled his destiny and knowing that a sister could very well die if they allow time to be reset again.

Considering her feelings for Andy and her actions to save innocents in the past, it is pretty hard to believe that Prue would just allow Andy to die rather than taking the risk of resetting the day again. Andy's request to die is the writers' way of getting out of this dilemma, but I find it hard to believe that the sisters would obey the request.

Anyway, the final disposal of Rodriguez is very good as well. Some demons never learn. This is goodbye to Andy; unfortunately, Prue would never get a better romantic interest.

Charmed: Love Hurts (1999) Season 1, Episode 21

Love Triggers

[9/10 · 1 November 2023]

This is probably my favorite episode of Season 1 though Dead Man Dating is right there. Here Darklighters are introduced though like many other things, they will end up a lot different in later seasons. The Darklighter is in love/obsessed with a woman who is destined to be a whitelighter. When the Darklighter shoots Leo with a poisoned arrow, Leo brings the future whitelighter to the sisters for protection before he dies.

As much as I like this episode, the beginning is ridiculous. When confronted by the Darklighter, Leo tells him that he'll never be able to find the woman he is after unless Leo was dead. So, the Darklighter conjures a crossbow and shoots Leo. Wow, who saw that coming? The stupidity of that scene is made worse a couple scenes later when Leo tells the sisters that the arrow he was shot with has a special poison that kills whitelighters. Whuh? So, you basically told the Darklighter he would need to kill you while knowing that he was armed with a weapon to do exactly that?

Also, how do the Elders know ahead of time that someone is destined to be a whitelighter? Don't people have to prove themselves worthy in life first?

Anyway, the real action in the episode picks up after Piper casts a spell to switch powers, wanting to use Leo's power of healing to heal him. Of course, her sisters were in the room at the time and thus everyone got the old switcheroo. Phoebe got to have fun with Prue's power while Prue got premonitions. Of course, the sisters all struggle to use these powers that they are unfamiliar with, complicating their ability to save the future whitelighter.

Eventually Piper manages to heal Leo, with love being the trigger, of course. This is the first time we see Leo and Piper confess their love for one another, a special moment that seems forgotten through the beginning of Season 2. In the end, the sisters managed to defeat the Darklighter by using his own power on him. Very cool banishment.

Despite Leo's ridiculous actions at the beginning, this will always be a personal favorite of mine as it took Piper and Leo's relationship to the next level and prepared them for the melodrama of Season 2. The power swap, also a first, was cool to see and probably fun for the actresses.

Charmed: The Power of Two (1999) Season 1, Episode 20

Better Off Dead

[8/10 · 26 October 2023]

This is the only episode of Charmed that Piper is ALMOST not in, as she leaves early on to Hawaii and thus takes no further part in the proceedings other than a couple phone calls and a quick return home scene. Thus the Power of Two title.

Phoebe and Prue are left to their own devices and are fighting as usual. Phoebe doesn't do any of the errands on her to do list because she runs into supernatural problems, of course, which obviously interest her way more than mundane tasks do.

Here we get our first evil ghost, and as we'll find out through the entire series, ghosts are difficult adversaries to deal with. Fortunately, this one is kind of limited to the standard telekinesis and possession abilities that ghosts are often shown to have. Still, the worst thing about all ghosts is that you have to be dead to vanquish them unless you have access to their bones.

The actor playing the ghost plays a great bad guy, and I was also pleased by the soul collector who we don't get to see enough of. She kind of reminded me of the Seer.

Another highlight is that though Piper is gone, Andy is around, and since he now knows their secret, he can help. Prue quickly finds out that having an Inspector on their side is a useful thing. I wish they had told Andy sooner and we could have had more episodes like this, with Andy helping out. I would like to think that this brief time with Andy being aware gave the writers the idea of what they could do with Leo and Cole later on. It would eventually lead to the best era of Charmed.

So, in the end, Prue has to "die" and then read the vanquishing spell. Pretty ballsy plan. Fortunately Andy shows up to revive her since Phoebe was knocked out. Very entertaining episode that maintains the season's momentum until the finale.

Charmed: Out of Sight (1999) Season 1, Episode 19

Out in the Open

[8/10 · 25 October 2023]

This is an episode of firsts. This is the first time that Prue uses her hands to channel her power, though that seems like a step back from just using your eyes. This is the first time that we see Grimlocks, who we will see again. This is the first time that potions are used to destroy bad guys. This is the first episode to heavily feature my least favorite conflict - exposure. And most importantly, this is the episode where Andy FINALLY finds out the sisters' secret. It is about time!

Even though the foolishness of the exposure subplot, which is virtually never done realistically, stops me from giving this more than an 8 rating, this is always an episode of Season 1 that I really look forward to seeing again. Maybe just because of the adorable romantic connection Phoebe makes with a blind guy, who is satisfyingly given his sight back by the end of the episode. Too bad that we don't see the guy again, but it was touching while it lasted.

So, at the beginning of the episode, the Grimlocks duo appear in a park to kidnap a child. Prue comes to the rescue but is frozen in shock when she channels from her hands and sends both Grimlock and kid suspended into mid-air. Her shock allows the Grimlock to escape with the boy in hand, unfortunately.

To add to that misfortune, a scuzzball reporter saw the entire thing; of course, there is nothing that rationally ties the mid-air suspension to Prue other than her raising her hands, but that doesn't stop the reporter from instantly believing Prue must have magical powers. I would think most people would need to see more than that to believe such a thing, but not this guy. Still, Prue could just deny everything and the guy would be just another nut with a possible future with The Onion. Oh, hell, there are several things Prue could do even beyond the simple denial of a crazy accusation. She could cast a spell to make the reporter forget the whole thing. She could threaten him in a myriad of ways, all of which would probably be very convincing, but anyway... The show tried to turn up the suspense on this subplot by having the guy catch Piper on video apparently freezing time. Of course, if you gave me that camcorder right now, I could shoot a video appearing to show the exact same thing because that's the power of editing, but this guy still thinks this is irrefutable proof of something no one is going to believe.

Anyway, while both the reporter and Prue see Andy regarding the kidnapping case, Phoebe does an investigation of her own and discovers two other boys were kidnapped by the Grimlocks twenty years ago. She finds one of the boys who is now a grown man and blind since the Grimlocks steal the vision from children in order to feed on people's good auras. The man is able to recall about where the Grimlocks took him and a premonition into the past for Phoebe seals it. After the sisters find Grimlocks in the Book of Shadows and learn that a potion vanquishes it, Prue makes the potion while Piper and Phoebe go to find the Grimlocks.

After Piper falls down a hole and is injured, Phoebe calls Prue to join her with the potions. Prue brings the potions out to her vehicle to find that her car is disabled by the reporter. Why? Don't know. Pretty sure Prue could call the cops at this point. Instead, pressed by time, Prue makes a deal with the reporter and tells him she's a witch in exchange for him fixing her car. He does and they leave to find Phoebe and Piper. Fortunately. Andy has also visited the blind guy and found out where the sisters are going. He arrives right behind them.

Even though he was told to stay out of the sewers, for his own good, the reporter, of course, wants live footage and follows. He gets separated from the sisters and then conveniently eliminated by a Grimlock, thus proving that even demons can do a good deed once in a while.

Andy also gets attacked by a Grimlock and is only saved by Prue, who uses her power. Now, finally, Andy knows. Our long national nightmare is over. Besides the fact that he deserves to know, I think it is long since been made obvious that having a knowing friend on the police force is a good idea.

The final Grimlock surprises the sisters, shattering the last potion and disabling Piper. He begins to strangle Phoebe, but fortunately, Prue Superwitch can pick the puddled potion off the ground and shower the Grimlock with it, destroying him.

The show ends with everyone getting their sight back, and with Andy now having the biggest eye opener of everyone. Good episode!

Charmed: When Bad Warlocks Turn Good (1999) Season 1, Episode 18

The Triad before the Triad

[7/10 · 25 October 2023]

The idea of three warlocks forming an evil Power of Three in opposition to the Charmed Ones is full of possibilities, and fitting for either a season finale or a two part episode. Unfortunately, we don't have time for that here, and most of this is just focused on the sexual chemistry between Prue and the half warlock - Brendan.

As we saw in Feats of Clay, this is another episode where one sister trusts someone to a near irrational level and is opposed by the other sisters who reasonably enough don't trust that person. I mean, having a warlock sleep at the Manor? What is up with that?

Unfortunately, this becomes a rather boring story line for Charmed because the trusting sister ALWAYS ends up right, though I guess one could argue that Phoebe was wrong to trust Aviva in The Fourth Sister. Regardless, it would have been a more suspenseful storyline if the overly trusting sister was actually wrong once in a while.

The chemistry between Prue and the warlock wanting to be good is solid, and that helps carry this episode to a 7. I do have issues with warlocks doing their business in a church. That would seem to contradict even the second episode of this very season.

Otherwise, the other two warlocks are somewhat boring with the standard angry bully older brother and meek and more sympathetic middle brother. Not sure how Brendan is supposed to complete some prophesied all-powerful warlock trio when he isn't even a full warlock and is half human.

Charmed: That '70s Episode (1999) Season 1, Episode 17

Back to the 70's

[8/10 · 24 October 2023]

The first season just continues to pick up momentum as it heads toward its finale. Here we get the sisters' first trip into the past and both the iconic character of Grams and the mother of the Charmed Ones, Penny Halliwell, shine in their guest roles.

Apparently there is a warlock, Nicholas, who has been delivering flowers every year, waiting for the sisters to reveal their powers to him. What he does with the rest of his time is anyone's guess, but here his persistence will finally pay off. Why doesn't Nicholas already know that with Grams dead the sisters are likely to now have their powers as other warlocks have already stated? Don't know. Anyway, Nicholas has a magical ring that grants him immunity from the sisters' powers. Penny imbued the ring with that ability in exchange for her life after Nicholas had ambushed her. It was a bad deal, but since she was pregnant with Phoebe at the time, we can't blame her for doing what she had to.

In order to save themselves from the immune Nicholas, the sisters go back in time to possibly stop the bargain from happening in the first place. Back in the ripping 70's, we are introduced to a Grams very much in her full power, and Prue and Piper as young children. It turns out that only one set of sisters can have their powers at a time, so the children have them and not the adult sisters, which obviously complicates matters.

This is an especially big event for Phoebe since her mother died when she was young, and she never really got to know her. Phoebe even suggests staying in the 70's, despite the obvious disaster that could result from that.

In the end, the entire Halliwell coven is way too much for one warlock to overcome. I had initially given this episode a nine, placing it among the few best episodes of the season, but I pulled it back to an 8 due to all the logic inconsistencies in it.

Why couldn't Penny defend herself from Nicholas in the first place? Can't she freeze time? If it is possible for Penny to just uncurse the ring, then why didn't she do that years ago? If she can do that, then wouldn't Nicholas know that? Why not wait until after Phoebe is born to strike? Is it really a good idea for the young girls to have magical powers? Isn't that a huge risk and wouldn't they have been huge targets being vulnerable as children? Why can't Prue just use her telekinesis to pull the ring off Nicholas's finger? Or just jump him and physically take it off?

Gram is disappointed to learn she is dead in their future, but the sister's actions also make it very clear that Penny is also dead.

Anyway, any episode with Grams is a good one.

Charmed: Which Prue Is It, Anyway? (1999) Season 1, Episode 16

Once, Twice, Three Times a Witch

[8/10 · 24 October 2023]

In this highly original episode, a Lord of War (whatever that is) with a crystal sword (very fakey) is on a mission to kill a firstborn witch, and that means Prue, of course. Since Gabriel (the ironically named bad in question) is invulnerable as long as he has his sword, Prue casts a spell to triple her powers. In a commonly used Charmed twist, the spell doesn't do what Prue thinks its going to do, instead creating two clone Prue's into existence. Your typical hijinx, comedy, and misfortune ensues.

Mad props to Shannon for pulling off three distinct versions of Prue. Personally, I am partial for cheerful and perky Prue in the pink sweater. She was a breath of fresh air. Sexy Prue doesn't get to do as much until she pulls a very Prue maneuver of going off to try to kill Gabriel on her own, which of course leads to disaster.

Ultimately it takes all three sisters working together to dispatch Gabriel in a very well done scene that introduces Phoebe's martial arts ability, which will be a staple of the character in the future.

This episode pushes Andy about as far towards insanity as it can after he discovers one of Prue's clones after she has been killed. A distraught Andy goes to break the news to Phoebe only to be told everything is fine and not to worry. In the end, the evidence disappears, leaving Andy in complete disbelief. Really unfair here that the sisters (namely Prue) don't tell him their secret at this point rather than torturing the poor guy.

Other than that, entertaining episode highlighted by a wonderful performance by Shannon, one of her best.

Charmed: Is There a Woogy in the House? (1999) Season 1, Episode 15

Bad Phoebe = Good Charmed

[8/10 · 19 October 2023]

An earthquake causes a fissure in the foundation of Halliwell manor, which releases the Shadow, an evil presence that Grams trapped there many years ago. This presence possesses people turning them evil, and since the manor sits on a magical Nexus, that evil spreads to the neighborhood around it.

This is the first time we get to see an evil Phoebe after the Shadow senses vulnerability in her and possesses her. An evil Phoebe usually means a good Charmed episode, as Alyssa obviously savors the darker roles. After she has driven Piper and Prue from the manor, they have to figure out a way to get back into the house and save their sister.

Besides the delight of seeing Alyssa in her element, this episode has a truly frightening monster, and the manor itself seems possessed and getting into the act, handing out electrical shocks at every opportunity and just all around being an element of chaos.

This leads to some entertaining comedy when Prue is forced to host a work dinner at the manor, which of course proves impossible under the present circumstances. Piper is introduced to a new romantic interest that ultimately would go no where. I don't know if the writers were kicking the tires to see if any chemistry would develop or if was just meant to parallel Piper's relationship with Leo from the get go.

Regardless, dark Phoebe is the star here, even introducing a really cool new power - conjuring- where she just literally calls things to appear in her hand. Ultimately, she is the one that has to save the day by remembering Gram's original spell that trapped the Shadow in the basement.

Charmed: Secrets and Guys (1999) Season 1, Episode 14

How Many Witches does it Take to Rob a Bank?

[7/10 · 14 October 2023]

This episode is full of foolishness, and the only reason it gets a 7 is because Leo's secrets are revealed.

Not unusual for Charmed, there is a subplot for all three sisters.

Piper has trouble at work including a new chef who is beyond obnoxious. The only point of this subplot is to keep Piper out of the rest of the story, and away from Leo, and for some minor comedy.

Phoebe while home catches Leo levitating while changing a lightbulb. She at first thinks he's a demon or warlock until he explains that he is actually a whitelighter, which is essentially a guardian angel for witches. He has been watching over the sisters and was not supposed to fall in love with Piper. Oops. Now he has to leave again and isn't sure how to tell Piper. I love Phoebe's translation of the explanation Leo plans on giving for leaving. In the end, it is much ado about nothing as Piper seems fine with Leo leaving. Oh, and Leo is the one who has been messaging Prue about the young male witch in trouble.

The third subplot is where all the idiocy comes in. It involves two thieves who somehow hatched the idea of robbing a bank with help from a young male witch with psychonesis, or the ability to move things he can not see. How that translates to being able to turn off alarms, I don't know. I get that the younger brother of the more reasonable thief told them about the male witch, but it is pretty hard to imagine that they'd believe that story.

Anyway, Prue joins the male witch in danger when she finds him and ends up a hostage as well. This subplot involves these issues and or questions.

1. The thieves test the kid on some random business with an alarm. The boy successfully turns off the alarm. The bad thief walks out of the building, is approached by a security guard, and shoots the guard dead even though he was in no trouble at all after exiting an unlocked building. Shooting the guard, on the otherhand, likely just made robbing a bank and escaping that much harder. Now the cops will be out looking for you even before you have robbed anything.

2. Prue disables the thieves and then starts a conversation with the boy rather than getting him out of there first and asking questions later.

3. Why doesn't Prue simply use her power to knock the detonator out of the scumbag's hand? Or simply knock the guy out?

4. Why does the scumbag thief who just gunned down a guy for no good reason leave Prue alive? As long as they had the boy, they had no use for Prue. Why bring her along? Crazy.

5. Why doesn't Prue stop the boy's father from getting gunned down? What kind of protecting the innocent is that?

6. Why doesn't the boy use his power to disable the bad guy's gun? Seems that would be easier than turning off alarms.

Anyway, all's well that ends well, I guess.