"Charmed" The Day the Magic Died (2003)

User Rating:

7.0/10   

Director:

Stuart Gillard

Writers:

Constance M. Burge (creator) and
Daniel Cerone (writer)

TV Series:

"Charmed" (1998)

Original Air Date:

16 February 2003 (Season 5, Episode 15)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama | Fantasy | Mystery | Romance

Plot:

The sorcerer Cronyn has waited for the rare natural phenomenon aurora borealis and other signs spelling...

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
James Read	...	Victor Bennett
Richard Lynch	...	Cronyn
William Morgan Sheppard	...	Merrill (as W. Morgan Sheppard)
J.P. Manoux	...	Stanley
Maggie Baird	...	Doctor
Cheryl Ladd	...	Doris Bennett
Yan Birch	...	Warlock Kane

Runtime:

42 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Certification:

Mexico:B | USA:TV-PG

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Paramount Pictures

Trivia:

The title refers to the line "The day the music died" from Don McLean's song "American Pie".

Goofs:

Continuity: When Paige asks Leo if the smoking candle is ready, he says it only needs to set and we see that the wax was only just poured. A few moments later we see Leo taking inventory of the arsenal they have just put together and not only is the candle set, it has been removed from the holder/mold.

Quotes:

Piper: Shh, I'm fine, I'm feeling fine.
Phoebe: You didn't look so fine when you bent over the toilet puking your guts out today.
Piper: Nausea, headaches, all a normal part of pregnancy. Along with gas, heartburn, constant need to pee.
Phoebe: Sounds fun.

A magical moment

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

A pretty important episode for the series, with a tight plot and some unexpected twists. The magic world and the real world keep colliding very effectively, as the Halliwells try to keep all the strange events in the manor from an over-stressed Piper and a new stepmother. The disappearance of magic makes for some very funny moments as it disrupts the everyday life of all the magical community. Leo's charges call him on the phone, demons have to use cell phones and taxis, and dead demons don't disappear as usual, which forces the sisters to deal with a rather inconvenient corpse. In addition, you have good villains, not too impressive maybe, but definitely fun, and a basic but effective plot to get rid of the Charmed Ones. And by the way, I think by now ALL the family has dated a demon at one point or another.

But the Halliwells are resourceful, as usual. They *almost* manage to make everything look normal, and the non-magical weapons they come up with are hilarious. What do you need self-defense lessons for when you have Paige ? And finally, the high point of the episode is the long-awaited birth, which is shown as a major event in the magical world. It was a nice touch to bring Victor in for that moment, as he is, after all, family. And another significant fact is the "small" detail that shows how the sisters have, finally, managed to change their own future, in case anyone was still wondering.

I only have a few complaints concerning the credibility of some points. - The unicorn just grates me. That it doesn't look magical at all is part of the joke, so I'll let that pass. But there is no way it could have walked up and down the stairs, especially so fast and without anybody hearing. - The scene with all the family helping Piper give birth is beautiful and symbolic. But... anyone notice the guy dying from a knife wound in the corner ???