Charmed – Season 1 Episode 2 – I’ve Got You Under My Skin
This is a fairly strong follow up to the pilot. Where as the pilot was the discovery of having powers, this episode is the response to that discovery, which is something along the lines of “okay, we have powers, now how do we go about dealing with them.” Prue and Phoebe still both seem to be following approaches similar to the ones they displayed in the pilot. Phoebe is all for using their powers. She realizes that they can help people with them, and is not going to shy away from an opportunity to do so. Granted, sometimes she honestly cannot help using them, as the girls still have no control over their powers. Prue still thinks the powers are potentially dangerous, and seems to be just as happy to not use them at all. However, it is Piper’s journey that, to me, was the highlight of the episode.
Piper is essentially confused as to how to react to her newfound witchhood. The show approached the subject from an interesting angle, by bringing in the history of witchcraft and its relationship to the church. Between the documentary that she watches, and her childhood Sunday school classes, Piper is terrified that she might, in fact, be evil, since all the signs she keeps seeing seem to point in that direction. This leads to the very sweet scene between Piper and Phoebe in the attic, where Phoebe assures her that there is no possible way that she is evil, as she is one of the kindest people Phoebe knows. Piper’s little moment of excitement when she accepts that she is good, after not bursting into flames entering the church, was a fitting conclusion to her journey of discovery. This story, as much as it was about Piper’s exploration of witchcraft, seemed like it was also this moment of reassuring the audience that the sisters were good, and that it was okay to like them, and, in turn, the show. The fact that Piper can still enter the church, this epic symbol of good, is their way of proving that. Witchcraft can be a touchy subject for some, due to religious connotations, so it is reasonable to want to make sure the audience is comfortable with how you are presenting the characters to them.
Now, let’s talk about Prue and Andy. They pretty much jumped right in the deep end with these characters right off the bat. No waiting or wondering if they’ll ever get together. The first thing we see of them in this episode is the aftermath of their first date, which ended in the bedroom, and Prue is sneaking out in the middle of the night. I get that Prue is concerned with how magic may potentially affect her relationship, but honestly, it just feels like an excuse to avoid some deeper issue that is causing her to be so conflicted about the situation between her and Andy. Speaking of Prue, she got a new job working at Buckland’s. and her new coworkers, Rex and Hannah, seem to know something about witches, unless of course, Hannah’s comment was meant as a joke.
In terms of sister relationships, there is still a lot of unresolved tension between Phoebe and Prue, which might just literally give Piper a panic attack. Especially when they decide that the restaurant, which we learn is called Quake, is a good place to let their feelings out. It is because of this little outburst, and Piper’s stressing over it, that they discover that Piper’s power has no effect on them. Apparently witches don’t freeze. Prue still seems to have some issue with Phoebe, be it Roger or something else, that is just not allowing her to let down this wall she has put up between them. That’s not to say that Phoebe is blameless, but Prue seems more resistant to resolving their issues.
Finally, let’s discuss the demon story. Javna, the demon who feeds on the lives of women to keep himself young. I guess he was okay as a demon. I did not have any particularly strong reaction to him. In terms of the story, it does seem notable that it is the youngest sister who ends up in danger. This served to emphasize the fact that, despite the fact that she’s confident and generally independent, Phoebe is still a bit naïve. It was a fairly obvious metaphor for being careful about trusting guys you’ve just met, and being careful to not put yourself in situations where you are in danger. This message is relayed to the audience very clearly by Phoebe at the end of the episode.
These episodes pack quite a punch for a 43ish minute show. There was a lot more going on than I initially realized. I think the show really came out swinging with its initial episodes, and I enjoyed watching this one.
Best Quote:
I had to choose 2. Couldn’t decide between them.
Piper: Don’t put me in the middle.
Prue: I didn’t. You were born in the middle.
Phoebe: Is that guy at the bar staring at me?
Piper: There are a lot of guys at the bar staring at you.
Best Moment(s):
-Piper testing out whether or not she can still enter the church
-Phoebe and Piper unloading the van and Phoebe just goes on and on about witches and sex as the old guy comes up to take the food tray from her and then she’s just like “Hi” and he walks away
Best Sibling Moment:
I am definitely going with the scene with Piper and Phoebe in the attic. I’ll say it now; the relationship between those two is one of my favorites of the series.
This is a fairly strong follow up to the pilot. Where as the pilot was the discovery of having powers, this episode is the response to that discovery, which is something along the lines of “okay, we have powers, now how do we go about dealing with them.” Prue and Phoebe still both seem to be following approaches similar to the ones they displayed in the pilot. Phoebe is all for using their powers. She realizes that they can help people with them, and is not going to shy away from an opportunity to do so. Granted, sometimes she honestly cannot help using them, as the girls still have no control over their powers. Prue still thinks the powers are potentially dangerous, and seems to be just as happy to not use them at all. However, it is Piper’s journey that, to me, was the highlight of the episode.
Piper is essentially confused as to how to react to her newfound witchhood. The show approached the subject from an interesting angle, by bringing in the history of witchcraft and its relationship to the church. Between the documentary that she watches, and her childhood Sunday school classes, Piper is terrified that she might, in fact, be evil, since all the signs she keeps seeing seem to point in that direction. This leads to the very sweet scene between Piper and Phoebe in the attic, where Phoebe assures her that there is no possible way that she is evil, as she is one of the kindest people Phoebe knows. Piper’s little moment of excitement when she accepts that she is good, after not bursting into flames entering the church, was a fitting conclusion to her journey of discovery. This story, as much as it was about Piper’s exploration of witchcraft, seemed like it was also this moment of reassuring the audience that the sisters were good, and that it was okay to like them, and, in turn, the show. The fact that Piper can still enter the church, this epic symbol of good, is their way of proving that. Witchcraft can be a touchy subject for some, due to religious connotations, so it is reasonable to want to make sure the audience is comfortable with how you are presenting the characters to them.
Now, let’s talk about Prue and Andy. They pretty much jumped right in the deep end with these characters right off the bat. No waiting or wondering if they’ll ever get together. The first thing we see of them in this episode is the aftermath of their first date, which ended in the bedroom, and Prue is sneaking out in the middle of the night. I get that Prue is concerned with how magic may potentially affect her relationship, but honestly, it just feels like an excuse to avoid some deeper issue that is causing her to be so conflicted about the situation between her and Andy. Speaking of Prue, she got a new job working at Buckland’s. and her new coworkers, Rex and Hannah, seem to know something about witches, unless of course, Hannah’s comment was meant as a joke.
In terms of sister relationships, there is still a lot of unresolved tension between Phoebe and Prue, which might just literally give Piper a panic attack. Especially when they decide that the restaurant, which we learn is called Quake, is a good place to let their feelings out. It is because of this little outburst, and Piper’s stressing over it, that they discover that Piper’s power has no effect on them. Apparently witches don’t freeze. Prue still seems to have some issue with Phoebe, be it Roger or something else, that is just not allowing her to let down this wall she has put up between them. That’s not to say that Phoebe is blameless, but Prue seems more resistant to resolving their issues.
Finally, let’s discuss the demon story. Javna, the demon who feeds on the lives of women to keep himself young. I guess he was okay as a demon. I did not have any particularly strong reaction to him. In terms of the story, it does seem notable that it is the youngest sister who ends up in danger. This served to emphasize the fact that, despite the fact that she’s confident and generally independent, Phoebe is still a bit naïve. It was a fairly obvious metaphor for being careful about trusting guys you’ve just met, and being careful to not put yourself in situations where you are in danger. This message is relayed to the audience very clearly by Phoebe at the end of the episode.
These episodes pack quite a punch for a 43ish minute show. There was a lot more going on than I initially realized. I think the show really came out swinging with its initial episodes, and I enjoyed watching this one.
Best Quote:
I had to choose 2. Couldn’t decide between them.
Piper: Don’t put me in the middle.
Prue: I didn’t. You were born in the middle.
Phoebe: Is that guy at the bar staring at me?
Piper: There are a lot of guys at the bar staring at you.
Best Moment(s):
-Piper testing out whether or not she can still enter the church
-Phoebe and Piper unloading the van and Phoebe just goes on and on about witches and sex as the old guy comes up to take the food tray from her and then she’s just like “Hi” and he walks away
Best Sibling Moment:
I am definitely going with the scene with Piper and Phoebe in the attic. I’ll say it now; the relationship between those two is one of my favorites of the series.