Classic Charmed resumes.
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Which Victor is it Anyway?
A.K.A- Thank You for Not MorphingThe adorable Halliwell sisters are off to a party across the street. The episode rather helpfully re-establishes each sister in the first few seconds. Prue the responsible one, Phoebe the free spirit and Piper the worrier-
A glowy eyed dog (which just makes me think of Goosebumps) watches them as Prue takes shots at Phoebe for being unemployed.
We meet the neighbours: Fritz, Marshall and Cynda… an odd, mismatched looking tri of siblings.
Prue is ready to leave, but Phoebe and Piper have arranged for Andy to show up. Prue has been avoiding him it seems, because she doesn’t think witch + inspector is a good combo. Prue skedaddles when one of the neighbours starts bugging Andy about parking tickets.
Prue returns home to find the door ajar and is soon met by the very angry sounding Goosebumps dog. The dog chases Prue out of the house.
Opening credits. Think these might be the first ones to show clips of the sisters’ powers. We see Prue moving a ring and throwing some bridesmaids in a future episode I’m not particularly thrilled is coming up. Piper freezing the chef and Jeremy. Phoebe having visions of a man being hit by a car and of the demon bride from that same “not so thrilled” episode. Alyssa is still after T.W in the line up though.
The dog had apparently been scratching on the attic door.
Bucklands. A silver haired, suited man arrives in Prue’s office and asks for his family heirloom to be appraised by her. It’s a gold ring, with two green stones that’s meant to have protection powers. Prue works out from the ring that the man is her father. Not Victor Bennet, but Victor Halliwell- original recipe. Prue immediately tells him to get out and stay away. Victor O.R is pretty brazen and considering how Prue’s anger cleared half the pharmacy shelves just talking about him, he’s probably pushing his luck. He asks the sisters to dinner.
At a café, the sisters discuss. Prue is very much against hearing Victor O.R out, which I totally understand, because you can tell it comes from fear of her sisters getting their hopes up and getting hurt. Piper and Phoebe a more open minded because they don’t really know him and want the chance to.
Prue then suggests that his sudden appearance could have something to do with the unbinding of their powers and also lets slip that he was nowhere to be found when Patty died.
Phoebe visits Victor O.R at the hotel. He’s getting a massage from some pretty young blonde. He then mistakes Phoebe for Piper. Aaaaawkward. Poor Phoebe really wants to believe in him so shrugs this off. When they hug, Phoebe has a vision of him holding The Book of Shadows with an evil smirk on his face.
The Manor. Mailman gets into the house by turning his finger tip into a key. It’s pretty gross, but a good practical effect. He kicks the attic door down and grabs The Book. No forcefield or anything, however when he tries to leave the house with it, The Book glows and refuses to pass the threshold. Just as Prue gets home, he morphs into Andy and makes out like he was just checking the house. She tells him about her dad.
Restaurant. Piper, Phoebe and Victor O.R catch up. Piper clearly has some worries.
The real Andy shows up at The Manor. Prue tells him how they don’t know him like she does and how angry she is that he’s acting like no time has passed. It’s a sad scene and probably the first time we see Prue’s vulnerability and where her anger comes from. Andy offers to drop her off so she can tell him.
Prue and Victor O.R argue. He trips up a waiter holding a flambé and Piper freezes the commotion. She grabs hold of the dessert and the scene resumes. Somehow, it didn’t go unnoticed that Piper just popped from her chair to Victor’s side in the blink of an eye, so Victor O.R makes it clear that he knows about their powers.
Back at the house. The shapeshifters reveal themselves to be the Mismatched Trio. We get some pretty questionable acting before Cynda reveals her true form; which is kinda like a cross between one of the guys from Kiss and a cavewoman. The real Halliwells get home, so the trio morph into crows and fly out the door.
Victor wants to see The Book and this doesn’t go down well. More arguing, which leads to admitting that he did want to take The Book because he wanted to protect them. This leads to Victor revealing how much he’s against the sisters being witches. He implies that Grams put a spell on him to make him leave and Prue ends up telekinetically tossing him at a wall. Piper and Phoebe are mad at Prue, although I kinda get the impression that she did it unintentionally, but wants to save face.
The Misfit Trio. Victor O.R is far less phased by the supernatural and knows straight away that they’re shapeshifters. Perhaps this is one of the reasons that they essentially rebooted the character… James Read’s Victor had more of a dorky, ‘fish out of water’ quality about him when it came to the supernatural world, in stark contrast with this Victor.
Phoebe tells Prue and Piper about her premonition and we have another sweet scene where Phoebe gives into her disappointment.
Victor O.R shows up and Phoebe gets the same vision but with more on the end, revealing The Misfit Trio as shapeshifters. Phoebe looks for a spell to “banish them”… not sure if they’d used the word vanquish at this point. The Book flips to a spell.
Two Victors downstairs.
Piper: Last week we had no Dad and now we have TWO!!!
Hehe.
Victor O.R tells them to risk the spell (which will kill everyone apparently). Prue gives him the protection ring and it stops him from melting with The Trio. I never realised how many magical rings were in this show.
The sisters wait for Victor O.R. Phoebe no longer has a romanticised image of him, Prue doesn’t see him as a monster.
Oh my God. Mr. Wyatt the handyman shows up. I forgot he was introduced this early. Phoebe clearly has a crush on him.
Victor O.R has gone and left them a note and a VHS tape. It’s a family Christmas video. Patty is played by Alyssa and they make her face a bit too visible, but side from that it’s a bitter sweet note to end the episode on.
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I’m Team Mark… Sorry Leo!
AKA- Dead Man DatingAndy gives Prue a key to a spa for her birthday. Prue doesn’t look particularly excited about it.
We meet Mark Chao (it’s his 23rd birthday) and his protective mother. She’s a big believer in spirits and tries to give him a protection charm.
In an alley in China Town, Mark his targeted by a gang. They shoot him, he becomes a ghost and then watches his own body being dowsed in gasoline and set alight. Geesh, that’s grizzly. Oh and before they set him on fire, the gang leader put his ring on Mark’s finger.
Piper is planning a surprise party for Prue. She’s putting confetti in the bottom of envelopes, therefore she must be destroyed!!! I’m a bit of a neat freak. Anyway, Phoebe didn’t send the invites nor has she bought Prue a gift yet and Prue’s spa break will clash if she says yes.
Prue knows that they’re planning a surprise and leaves the room after announcing that she hates surprises.
Phoebe is applying for a job to be a hotel psychic. They’re pretty sceptical of her since she has no cards or crystal ball, but the hotel guy is quickly convinced when Phoebe touches him and sees him on a date with someone who’s not his wife. Also, Phoebe says that she gets premonitions when she touches something or when she’s in the general area.
Piper busts Mystic Phoebe, who at the moment is telling a woman that she will have gained some weight by the time her next Weight Watchers meeting comes around. Safe to say, said woman wasn’t banking on this kind of reading and storms off.
Mark shows up, having tried to communicate with every psychic in the city and is relieved to find that Piper and Phoebe are his Whoopi Goldberg. Nobody else can see Mark by the way and he follows Piper out of the hotel. Piper thinks she’s being stalked by a weirdo until a biker phases right through his body.
Quake. Prue finds Andy with another woman. Susan Trudeau.
An odd question considering they grew up together and dated. Until there was a baby girl that Andy’s mother handed over to a nun to keep her safe from outraged higher powers I guess.
Anyway, turns out she’s Andy’s ex-wife. Prue responds by crashing a dessert cart into him. Considering she was the one who first insisted on not using powers in public, she’s working up quite a portfolio of telekinetic mischief.
Piper and Mark look for his body. Mark is worried because according to his cultural tradition, if Yama: The Gatekeeper gets Mark’s soul before Mark gets a burial, Yamaha will take him to hell. Harsh. Although Yamaha doesn’t care about good or evil, he just wants souls.
They find his body… or what’s left of it. Yama shows up on horseback with a lance and Piper freezes him. Yamaha reminds me of something, but I can’t think who. Maybe it’s just that he screams “Xena: Warrior Princess” to me, he looks a lot like the kind of warlord lookin’ bad guy she’d face.
Prue has officially found out about the surprise party and has decided that it’s off. Geesh, I feel bad for Piper, I forgot how thankless a job being the middle sister could be in these early seasons… but then at least I CAN actually sympathise with her at this stage. Piper introduces them to Mark.
Piper convinces Prue and Phoebe that Mark is one of the innocents they have to protect, despite the fact that he’s ‘corporeally challenged’. Compare this to season 6 where she’s willing to let countless souls burn just to… actually no, ignore me, forget that, let’s just enjoy this.
At the hotel, a guest leaves the bar without his wallet. As Phoebe tries to alert him to this, she has a premonition of him being hit by a car. This is the vision that we see in the opening credits up to season 3 by the way.
Mark is still adjusting to his ghostliness and not being able to touch. The reality of what he’s lost is just starting to sink in. He offloads a bit to Piper and they begin to bond. Mark talks about his mother and how she taught him to cook; which Piper relates to. The chemistry between these two is so natural.
Phoebe finds the guy from her vision. He thinks she’s trying to scare him and then uh oh, it turns out his wife is angry Weight Watcher’s lady. She notices that he isn’t holding is brief case like he was in her vision, so he’s okay for the time being.
Andy shows up at Prue’s office. He apologises for not telling her he was married, but it’s not so easy for Prue to forgive it. Considering Prue’s anger towards her Dad, plus Roger, I think she has a subsequent fear of being let down, particularly by the people she opens her heart to (Andy and Phoebe before). I can get that.
Andy suggests that he’s not the only one who’s been keeping things to himself and walks away.
Piper and Mark go to Mrs. Chao’s house. She doesn’t even know that he’s dead and Piper isn’t able to tell his mother. Mark tries to run into the house, but is blocked by his mother’s protection charm.
Phoebe tells Prue about her vision and lets it slip about her new job. Prue isn’t mad, because her intentions were good and it’s led to her potentially saving a man’s life… which Prue says is enough of a gift in itself. Wow, I’m a little disoriented by actual good characters!
Mark’s body has been found on the news, but they believe he’s gang leader Tony Wong. Phoebe has a vision of Tony loading a gun at a warehouse in China Town. They say that he used Mark to fake his own death, because Mark looks a lot like him. I really don’t see it, but I guess since the body was burned that’s not such a big issue either way… but even body wise, Tony looks quite a bit shorter.
Piper freezes the gang, puts the headline reporting Tony’s death in Tony’s hands and takes a photo. They unfreeze just as she does so and Tony gets Piper’s car registration number.
There’s a cute scene with Piper and Andy talking with invisible Mark next to them. Andy seems to have an idea that Mark is there, one of the many indications that he may be open to the secret. Mark tells Piper what a sweet person she is. I agree.
Phoebe is still trying to save her innocent, he still thinks she’s insane. The vision takes place and she just manages to tackle him out of the way.
Piper and Mark go to Mark’s place. He gives her a box of his grandfather’s recipes. He asks that she use them for Prue’s party, because they shouldn’t be taken for granted. The music, the chemistry, the heart in this scene… it’s all just so spot on. This is romance! Not some depthless hunk of the month, just Mark and Piper talking about life and cooking. It’s simple, but it works perfectly.
Prue congratulates Phoebe on an innocent saved. Phoebe feels great that in her own way, she’s made a bit of a difference. I’d make a comment about later seasons Phoebe, but I can hardly even process that this is meant to be the same person.
Prue talks to her about the secret she has to keep from Andy. Phoebe insists that she take the chance.
Mark isn’t ready to say goodbye (me neither). Piper tells him to close his eyes and imagine her touch on his skin. They go into kiss, until they remember they can’t. Distracted by the moment, Piper is taken by Wong’s gang.
China Town. Piper is being held at the warehouse. Wong is loading his gun.
Andy finds the picture that Piper took of Tony.
Prue, Phoebe and Mark arrive at the warehouse. Prue takes out a few of Wong’s henchmen with relative ease. They all have guns by the way and yet nobody needs to be melted, imagine that! Piper freezes the scene just as Wong fires his gun. Prue TKs him down stairs. He runs out, all guns blazing- quite literally and Andy shoots him.
Heh.
Tony Wong goes ghostly and gets impaled by Yamaha. The sisters shield Mark from him insisting that he’s a good man and doesn’t belong with him. Yama vanishes.
Mark’s funeral. They’re playing Sara McLachlan, because you will be sad damn it! Really though, it is sad. Mark tells Prue not to miss her birthday. He says goodbye to Piper and it’s freakin’ heartbreaking. Mark’s father appears and they walk away together into the afterlife. Urgh good grief, I completely forgot how sad this ending is.
Goodbye Mark
Prue has her surprise party at the Manor. Phoebe gives her the present. Andy is there and they exchange smiles.
Well, that was a damn good episode.
Next up- Unfortunately the next couple of episodes are far from the best of season 1 (in my opinion anyway). We have a psycho mortal who fancies himself Freddy Kreuger, followed by a wedding from hell, which is everything it says on the tin.
Great show.
Anyway, this episode was cool. Many fears were faced but then not needed. lol Introducing Rex and Hannah as their first villians was a great idea. Unfortunately, they could have been there longer. And the Quake was the sisters' meeting point which one season later became P3. 
