With this we have another decent season one episode. It’s not my favorite, but there were some interesting story elements to explore.
Let's start with Piper. I kind of understand where Piper’s fear of being too invested in a relationship is coming from. The first relationship we see her in ends badly when the guy ends up being a warlock. Then she invests time and energy into Leo, and he ends up leaving without explanation. Obviously, the viewers and Phoebe understand that there are magical circumstances that forced him to leave, but in Piper’s eyes, he’s just an average human guy. It’s completely reasonable for her to be afraid that investing in another relationship will just result in further heartbreak. That being said, anything worth having requires a certain degree of risk, including relationships. In the end, it was nice to see Piper decide to take that risk and give Josh a chance.
Phoebe’s determination to get Piper and Josh on a date was a nice little sub story for the episode. To paraphrase a future Piper quote, Phoebe loves love, so it is not at all surprising that she believes that Piper needs to get back on the dating horse, and steer clear of the nunnery. Phoebe just wants Piper to be happy, and believes that Piper is cheating herself out of something potentially great by being afraid to take things further with Josh. Of course, well intentioned though she may be, things don’t quite go the way Phoebe plans. The rock climbing date was super awkward, and almost uncomfortable to watch. Piper’s freefall into Josh’s arms just had me thinking “why was no one holding the rope?” and screamed cheesy romance movie. To top it off, when Phoebe is in charge of Quake, disaster strikes. I have to say, the phone conversation between Piper and Phoebe as Phoebe desperately tries to stop the water was one of the highlight comedic moments of the episode, as well as being a convenient excuse for Piper to end her date.
It kind of felt like Prue and Phoebe switched personalities where Brendan was concerned. Phoebe has been established as the romantic, and also as the one most likely to always see the good in people. Prue, on the other hand, tends to be more cautious. It was weird to see them in a scenario where Phoebe is so vehemently against helping someone and Prue is practically blind to the potential dangers of helping someone who is part evil. I do think the chemistry between Prue and Brendan was well utilized, and the tension resulting from the knowledge that nothing could actually become of their relationship provided a Shakespearean romance quality to the story. Doomed love.
Generally speaking, I enjoyed the demon story for this episode. The parallels between the Charmed ones and Brendan and his brothers allowed for some interesting comparisons. The number three is epically important in this episode, with it’s ties to the battle between good and evil. Again, the church plays a role as a symbol of good, though it is interesting to note that Brendan’s “evil” brothers are able to set foot in the church without harm. This kind of turns Piper’s “I’m good!” moment from episode two on its head, as it suggests that her ability to enter the church does not necessarily mean that she is inherently good....though we know, based on what we have seen, that she is indeed a good person and a good witch. Of course, as is generally the case, Andy ends up working the case the girls are involved in, and he gets mad and flips out on Prue, and I get annoyed. I get that he was upset, but Andy upset means that there is no reasoning with him. It gets under my skin.
While this is a good season one episode, I think it is actually more compelling to watch having knowledge of the entire series. There are several moments which seem to foreshadow events in later seasons, though I would guess that this was unintentional foreshadowing. Obviously, keeping things spoiler free, I can’t really get into these moments too much in this review. Anyway, on to the next one!
Best Moment:
-Water shut off valve scene
-Brendan’s speech to the girl at the horse ranch
Best Sibling Moment:
-Prue and Phoebe toast to Piper’s lack of nunhood
-Phoebe comforts Prue at the church
Best Quote(s):
Phoebe: God’s got all the studs.
Phoebe: If you were a water shut off valve, where would you be?
Phoebe: Worst case, you’re in better shape when you check into the nunnery.
Phoebe: If you’re gonna lose a guy, you might as well lose him to the Big Guy.
Prue: Hey, um, you can sleep in my room and I’ll sleep with Piper.
Brendan: Why?
Prue: Because Phoebe kicks.