"Charmed" Sword and the City (2003)

User Rating:

5.9/10   

Director:

Derek E. Johansen

Writers:

Constance M. Burge (creator) and
David Simkins (writer)

TV Series:

"Charmed" (1998)

Original Air Date:

9 November 2003 (Season 6, Episode 8)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama | Fantasy | Mystery | Romance

Plot:

The Lady of the Lake contacts the sisters and pleads for help. They suddenly find themselves the guardians of the Sword in the Stone. When one of them pulls Excalibur out of the stone, will she let the power go to her head? |

Plot Keywords:

Wiccan | Sisters | Witchcraft | Demon | Power Of Three

Cast

Alyssa Milano	...	Phoebe Halliwell
Rose McGowan	...	Paige Matthews
Holly Marie Combs	...	Piper Halliwell
Brian Krause	...	Leo Wyatt
Balthazar Getty	...	Richard Montana
Mark Aiken	...	Dark Knight
Danny Woodburn	...	Head Dwarf
Brian Leckner	...	Head Executioner Demon
Edward Atterton	...	Mordaunt
Danielle Bisutti	...	The Lady of the Lake
Lamont Johnson	...	Soul Blaster Demon
Bjorn Johnson	...	Cranky Satyr
Matthew McGrory	...	Ogre
Amanda Sickler	...	Sophie
Scout Taylor-Compton	...	Fairy

Runtime:

42 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Certification:

Mexico:B | USA:TV-PG

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Paramount Pictures

Trivia:

It was stated by Holly Marie Combs that this was her favorite episode of the show because while filming the episode she found out she was pregnant with her son Finley.

Quotes:

Mordaunt: It's simply a transfer of power, that's all. And now, all that remains to do is to eliminate the true recipient of Excalibur before he grows old enough to fulfill his Destiny as the Son of a Charmed One.

Movie Connections:

References "Sex and the City" (1998)

Baby gets a new toy

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

The opportunity was probably too good to pass. Personally, I don't mind seeing the story of Excalibur rewritten, and the fact that the thing is basically orbed around for 45 minutes only adds to the fun. Besides, the crowd of magical pretenders will come back now and again for the next episodes (sometimes even the next seasons), which is just brilliant. I also appreciate that the manor sorely lacks a handyman now that Leo isn't around anymore. Ha!

But on the downside, WHY is it always Piper who gets turned into a murderous leather-clad warrior? At least, Holly Marie Comb seems to be having a lot of fun waving that sword around, but it is a bit hard to believe that in barely 10mn Piper would go from "This is just a big scam!" to "Let's recreate the Round Table with Harpies and Grimlocks!" I understand that it is meant to illustrate the old say that power corrupts, but the result is that the plot focuses on action and completely sacrifices character development.

Finally, it is very logical that Excalibur should prove to be Wyatt's heirloom, as the boy seems to be a sort of magical beacon. The only trouble is that the fabled sword won't do much in the future (I think it reappears once), so this is a lot of setup for nothing; and the fact that Chris isn't even here doesn't help connect it to the plot or the characters' evolution. Put the episode anywhere else in season 5, 6 or 7 and you won't see much difference.