Charmed – Season 1 Episode 3 – Thank You For Not Morphing
Honestly, I thought the last episode was stronger. This episode does not have nearly as much meat to it as its predecessor. There was a lack of suspense in the demon story, and there was not as much meat as there has been in the past two episodes. It is, however, nice to get some backstory on the sisters, and to learn more about their upbringing.
So, obviously the big story of this episode revolves around the return of the girls’ father, Victor. He has not been around in nearly 20 years, and suddenly shows up again. Again, they really play into the stereotyped birth order formula that they have with the sisters. Prue wants nothing to do with him, Piper is curious but cautious, and Phoebe wants to meet him immediately and find out more about him. I mean, you can’t really blame her. She was practically a baby when he left. Prue, on the other hand was significantly older. It seems slightly unrealistic that she did not recognize him at all when he shows up. I guess 20 years can change a person’s looks, but I don’t know. What really bothers me about Victor’s first scene is how far they go to try and make him seem evil right off the bat. It’s overdone. When all is said and done, he’s not as bad a guy as Prue would like to believe, though, leaving your kids like that is a crappy thing to do. I’m not sure I buy into grams using magic to keep him away either, as he leaves at the end of the episode on his own accord. While I think it is clear that he loves his daughters, he just does not seem equipped to know how to be a father to them as adult women, even if he may have possessed some fatherly skills when they were kids. There is a difficulty to relate at this point.
Prue and Andy’s relationship gets some play in this episode. Piper and Phoebe not so subtly make sure the two run into one another at the neighbors’ party. Clearly they are close enough again that Prue feels comfortable telling Andy why it bothers her so much that her father is back. I’m not sure what to take from this episode of their relationship other than the fact that it is definitely moving slowly. It’s almost at a standstill on Prue’s end. Let’s be honest. The only reason she wanted anything to do with him in this episode is because he was a convenient excuse to get out of dinner with dad.
The demons in this episode are shape shifters. To me, they seem to pose less of a threat to the sisters than they do to the book itself. There was never a point in this episode where I really felt like the sisters, or really anyone else, was in that much danger. Possibly Victor near the end, but not enough that I feared for his life or anything. The episode lacked suspense. There is also the fact that shape shifting is kind of a lame power, so how can you really be afraid of a lame power?
There are several continuity issues story wise between this episode and some of the later ones, which I will discuss when we reach those episodes so as not to spoil anything. I think that is part of why I just don’t feel as engaged with this episode as I do with many of the others.
Overall, this would be a decent episode of television for most shows. However, as this is my second viewing, I have come to expect more from Charmed than what I saw in this episode, mostly in terms of writing. I’m also looking forward to seeing more of Leo the handyman. I won’t say anything further to avoid spoilers, but I love his character.
Best Moment:
-Dinner with Victor when he reveals that he knows their various powers. The look on Phoebe’s face is priceless
Best Quote:
Leo: Call me Leo.
Phoebe: Gladly.
Best Sibling Moment(s):
-Watching video together at the end
-Phoebe locking Prue in laundry room
Honestly, I thought the last episode was stronger. This episode does not have nearly as much meat to it as its predecessor. There was a lack of suspense in the demon story, and there was not as much meat as there has been in the past two episodes. It is, however, nice to get some backstory on the sisters, and to learn more about their upbringing.
So, obviously the big story of this episode revolves around the return of the girls’ father, Victor. He has not been around in nearly 20 years, and suddenly shows up again. Again, they really play into the stereotyped birth order formula that they have with the sisters. Prue wants nothing to do with him, Piper is curious but cautious, and Phoebe wants to meet him immediately and find out more about him. I mean, you can’t really blame her. She was practically a baby when he left. Prue, on the other hand was significantly older. It seems slightly unrealistic that she did not recognize him at all when he shows up. I guess 20 years can change a person’s looks, but I don’t know. What really bothers me about Victor’s first scene is how far they go to try and make him seem evil right off the bat. It’s overdone. When all is said and done, he’s not as bad a guy as Prue would like to believe, though, leaving your kids like that is a crappy thing to do. I’m not sure I buy into grams using magic to keep him away either, as he leaves at the end of the episode on his own accord. While I think it is clear that he loves his daughters, he just does not seem equipped to know how to be a father to them as adult women, even if he may have possessed some fatherly skills when they were kids. There is a difficulty to relate at this point.
Prue and Andy’s relationship gets some play in this episode. Piper and Phoebe not so subtly make sure the two run into one another at the neighbors’ party. Clearly they are close enough again that Prue feels comfortable telling Andy why it bothers her so much that her father is back. I’m not sure what to take from this episode of their relationship other than the fact that it is definitely moving slowly. It’s almost at a standstill on Prue’s end. Let’s be honest. The only reason she wanted anything to do with him in this episode is because he was a convenient excuse to get out of dinner with dad.
The demons in this episode are shape shifters. To me, they seem to pose less of a threat to the sisters than they do to the book itself. There was never a point in this episode where I really felt like the sisters, or really anyone else, was in that much danger. Possibly Victor near the end, but not enough that I feared for his life or anything. The episode lacked suspense. There is also the fact that shape shifting is kind of a lame power, so how can you really be afraid of a lame power?
There are several continuity issues story wise between this episode and some of the later ones, which I will discuss when we reach those episodes so as not to spoil anything. I think that is part of why I just don’t feel as engaged with this episode as I do with many of the others.
Overall, this would be a decent episode of television for most shows. However, as this is my second viewing, I have come to expect more from Charmed than what I saw in this episode, mostly in terms of writing. I’m also looking forward to seeing more of Leo the handyman. I won’t say anything further to avoid spoilers, but I love his character.
Best Moment:
-Dinner with Victor when he reveals that he knows their various powers. The look on Phoebe’s face is priceless
Best Quote:
Leo: Call me Leo.
Phoebe: Gladly.
Best Sibling Moment(s):
-Watching video together at the end
-Phoebe locking Prue in laundry room