Charmed - 1.02: Let This Mother Out
Oct. 2nd, 2024 12:49 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
luvbarryfefe posting in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
charmed_hilltowne
After getting a message from the spirit board telling them not to trust Harry, the sisters are conflicted and ultimately concoct a plan.
Original Airdate: October 21, 2018
Written by: Jessica O'Toole & Amy Rardin
Directed by: Vanessa Parise
Okay, let’s begin discussing episode 2, shall we? I think this one was better than the first. It felt more cohesive somehow. Perhaps it is because the actors are settling more into their roles and starting to form a camaraderie. Plus, the writing seemed less whack-you-over-the-head preachy, and tighter. I had some issues with the first scene because it was so icky. That poor janitor woman and the black goop (substance, residue, whatever!) was eww. I wonder if that was leftover venom from the Marvel movies or protoplasm from Ghostbusters. (Sorry I had to go there LOL)
We soon find the girls in the attic with their Ouija board and it has told them not to trust their Whitelighter Harry, and he, of course, shows up (that was the cliffhanger from the Pilot, remember?). Mel retorts that his way of just randomly popping up all over the place is a violation of their personal space. Well, she’s kind of correct! He asks why they’re acting so suspicious (because they totally are, they’re being all shifty and stuff) and they deny they’re acting strange. He warns that spirit boards are vulnerable to tricksters.
Mel is busy moving into Mama Vera’s (why can I never remember her name? Someone help me out here please!) room and a bong Maggie made in the third grade is unearthed. Yes, she made the “mom bong” in third grade. There’s an interesting little story behind it, but really, it’s kind of a cute little chubby-looking thing that oddly enough, is referenced several more times in this episode.
Mel says she read in the Book of Shadows that the spirit board is a legit form of communication with the other side so there must be a reason Harry doesn’t want them to trust it. Mel believes it’s their Mom talking to them from the great beyond, Macy doesn’t, and Maggie isn’t so sure.
Macy wants to use a magical truth serum to find out what Harry knows. The majority (Macy and Maggie) decide to use the truth serum and stay away from the board. Something tells me this ‘majority rules’ stuff will become a big problem in the future. Also, to be honest, I don’t like it because it’s interesting when sisters challenge the viewpoints of the others. If they’re always in agreement or close to it, it’s going to be confusing and also, unbelievable. Sisters have arguments. It’s a thing we do no matter how much we love our family.
After some playful disagreements, the girls seem to decide on calling Harry “Meghan Markle” so they don’t accidentally summon him every time they say “Harry”. Meghan, of course, is with a Brit whose name is Harry. Mmkay, this is a weird thing to think about lol.
Maggie gathers with her Kappa pledge class after she devises a plan to use thick gloves to block out their thoughts. It doesn’t work so well, nor would I think that it would. Since when are the voices activated simply by touch? That’s different and not what the first episode seemed to imply. She started hearing people’s thoughts without touching anyone in the Pilot if I remember right. Anyhoo, the Kappas are all gathered around comatose Angela Wu’s bedside at the hospital. Maggie touches poor Angela and hears Angela scream inside her head!
Maggie is at the lab snitching atropine for the truth serum. Galvin approaches and she has to hide it real quick (apparently, it’s a very toxic substance. Oh and stealing from work is kind of a no-no! lol). Galvin mentions that Thaine has “resigned” and that he and Macy are now paired up on some project or other. Macy notices the mess in the lab and Galvin tells her about the janitor lady who went crazy claiming a black blob attacked her.
Across campus, Maggie’s trying to get her some with Brian, but it’s rough going because she can hear his thoughts and most of the said thoughts involve “Boobs! Boobs! And more Boobs!” Ugh, that would be so awful hearing your sex partner’s thoughts. I would have the worst stage fright ever! It’s not a satisfying experience for Maggie either, especially when she hears him think he loves her so much and needs to get her back. Awkward.
Home at the Manor, Mel’s on the phone talking to Niko about having some subs for lunch. That sounds so yummy right now! Seriously, I’m craving some Jersey Mike’s and it’s after midnight. So, gee, thanks for that, Charmed writers!
Macy walks into the janitor’s hospital room and finds Harry standing over her. She asks what he’s doing there and he says he’s wiping her memory. She looks quite skeptical.
Now back home, Mel tells Maggie she knows it’s their Mom who is reaching out from the board. Maggie is afraid to believe it, but she looks so cute and vulnerable while she considers the possibility, that my heart just goes out to her. I can’t imagine losing my mom so young and how devastating it would be.
Mel convinces Maggie to use the board to call their Mom. They try and something eerie reaches out and grabs Maggie. Macy rushes in, sees it, and sends the board flying, shattering it into many pieces. Mel is pee-yissed! She thinks Macy doesn’t want it to be their Mom. Macy says she is objective enough to know it can’t be their mom. Maggie asks her if she wants to know why Mama V gave her up. Macy says she doesn’t know how finding out could make things any better. There is a little more tense discussion. Macy says sadly, “This power of three thing is you two, and me, the outsider.” Aww poor sweet Macy!
Niko shows up and introduces herself to Macy. Coincidentally (well, not really) her coffee carafe looks just like the bottle Macy is keeping the truth serum in. That can’t be good! Niko gives Mel an awesome record (something from The Cure!!) as a present and they kiss. They’re both happy. We shall see how long that lasts!
Macy talks to Galvin on the phone. He tells her the janitor lady died. Harry shows up with two cuppas wanting to have a nice little tea party with Macy. They are kinda cute together. I could see myself shipping Macy and Harry a bit. Maybe. It’s fun that she’s asking him all these questions and he’s pretending to be oblivious so he can find out what she’s up to. Who’s playing whom?
Niko calls Mel and confesses her love and also tells her she’s a bad driver. She’s loop-de-loop. Mel realizes she ingested the truth serum. Mel goes down to the police station and gets Niko. Being uber-truthful, Niko confesses she had a one-night stand with her ex-fiancee. And I oop!! Mel doesn’t look pleased. I feel for her. But I am mostly surprised because I wouldn’t have thought shy, timid little Niko had it in her to juggle two women.
Maggie is still using the spirit board. It spells out “release me”. She rushes to tell Mel. They do a little magic this and that and their Mom emerges from the board. They rush over to hug her. They ask who killed her and Mama V insists it was Harry and that he wants to do the same to them and steal their powers. Just as Harry orbs (is it called orbing on this show? They haven’t said so, so I guess that’s what I am calling it for now. Or maybe I’ll just say zaps over?!) in with Macy. He takes one look at Mama V, starts to yell, and gets his ass knocked out. Macy looks surprised and vulnerable as she sees who is in the attic with them. I would be freaking out. Seriously, I’d be a whole ass mess but she handles it so much better than I would. Macy is a gentle, poised, lovely character.
Mama V says the girls need to get to the Prism of Souls to save the day. Harry has hidden the thing in his office behind a mirror which the three Charmed One step into (I feel like I’ve watched a scene like this before somewhere?!!). They rescue the Prism and head back home where they find Harry and Mama V in a fierce battle. Harry’s got Mama V by the neck and is about to stab her. Macy gets the knife with her telekinesis and is about to turn it on him. Maggie asks Mama V if she’s really their mom, she can tell them what she made her in third grade art class. Mama V quickly replies it was a bong. But Maggie still isn’t convinced she’s the real deal because when they hugged she couldn’t “feel” or “hear” her mother. So Mama V turns to Mel and tells her they’ve always had a special bond, so don’t listen to Maggie. Mel knows then that “Mama V” is a big phony because the real deal would never choose sides. DemonMama gets her ass stabbed and goes cray screaming like a banshee.
DemonMama is killed via a mirror app on Maggie’s phone (I kid you not, some of these vanquishing techniques are not my favorite, to be honest) after she is shown her real self. She is an impostor demon who plays on the girls' emotions to get them to do her bidding, but it’s Maggie’s power that makes imposter demons vulnerable. “Now who has the cool power?” Macy teases Mel who complained earlier about having power envy. Maggie says she is using her cool power to give her sisters advice. She says Mel needs to forget and forget what happened with Niko and her ex, and Macy needs to apologize to Galvin. Needless to say, the sisters take her advice, and Maggie does something to listen to her inner voice - she breaks up with Brian. I can’t say as I’ll miss him. I didn’t have an attachment to him at all. I hope they’re bringing in a hot, intense, brooding love interest for Maggie soon! (An Angelus/Angel from Buffy type??! Is that too much to ask? He doesn’t have to be a vampire of course.)
The episode wraps up with Harry telling the girls he had the black goopy ooze checked out by the Elders. As he suspected, it’s the “primordial form” of the Harbinger of Hell. Said Harbinger will herald the third phase of the prophecy of the coming apocalypse only the Charmed Ones can stop. The Harbinger will be looking for a human vessel. And just then our mysterious coma victim Angela Wu wakes up in her hospital bed! Dun dun dun!! I am excited to see what comes next!
So episode 2 is in the bag. Did you like it more or less than episode 1? Or was it about the same for you? What sister do you think has the best power? And finally, what did you think of the cliffhanger with Angela Wu?
Demons Vanquished: 1
Series Total: 3
Episode Quote:
Harry: You must call straightaway if you see signs of increased demonic activity. Heavy fog, abrupt changes in temperature, rampant dog fornication, spontaneous human combustion, presidential tweets...
Liked this one
Date: 2024-10-04 02:16 am (UTC)As soon as they were like "oh, what if the ouija board isn't our mom" I knew it wasn't! I kind of wish it was, though, our girls need some closure. Or at least some answers. Mom's name is Marisol! I only know this because I watch with subtitles lol, I don't think they've said it too much.
I am a bit curious to see where they go with the relationships here. Obviously dating played a big role in the OG, and I'm a sucker for the whole hide-your-powers and dramatic reveal plots.
I hope Maggie gets to have better control of her powers. I couldn't imagine being able to hear what everyone was thinking, especially when it would probably be about me!
Re: Liked this one
Date: 2024-10-04 06:14 am (UTC)I am curious about relationships as well. As a natural-born shipper (lol) I tend to be drawn to a show where there's at least one couple I can root for, even if it is just a crack ship. Niko and Mel are very meh so far, Brian/Maggie are done for, and I'm glad... the only thing I think might be a possibility is Macy/Harry, but he's kind of goofy so I don't know. lol Galvin/Macy could be cute but they both seem so calm and nice, that I wonder where the fire and passion in the romance would come from? I think we need some Cole, Leo, and Bane types maybe?? lol And of course, a really great female love interest for Mel.
And Mom's name is Marisol. TY! I will try to remember that for future reference!!