"Charmed" The Power of Three Blondes (2003)

Director:

John Behring

Writers:

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

TV Series:

"Charmed" (1998)

Original Air Date:

12 October 2003 (Season 6, Episode 4)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama | Fantasy | Mystery | Romance

Plot:

When three evil sisters magically steal the Charmed Ones' identities and powers, Piper, Phoebe and Paige...

Plot Keywords:

Wiccan | Number In Title | Sisters | Demon | Witchcraft

Cast

Alyssa Milano	...	Phoebe Halliwell
Rose McGowan	...	Paige Matthews
Holly Marie Combs	...	Piper Halliwell
Brian Krause	...	Leo Wyatt
Drew Fuller	...	Chris Halliwell
Jenny McCarthy	...	Mitzy Stillman
Jennifer Sky	...	Mabel Stillman
Melody Perkins	...	Margo Stillman
Rebecca Balding	...	Elise Rothman
Eric Dane	...	Jason Dean
Niki Botelho	...	Elf Nanny
Kip Martin	...	Jack
Joanna Sanchez	...	Lupita
Glenn Taranto	...	Foreman
Robert Alan Beuth	...	Salesman

Runtime:

42 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Certification:

Mexico:A | USA:G | Mexico:B | USA:TV-PG

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Paramount Pictures

Trivia:

The three blonde sister witches have the surname of Spellman until it was pointed out that it was also the last name of Melissa Joan Hart's character on "Sabrina, the Teenage Witch" (1996) (1996), so it was changed to Stillman.

Quotes:

Chris Halliwell: You should take this threat seriously. And tell Paige. Where is Paige?
Phoebe Halliwell: She's at her new temp job.
Chris Halliwell: She's still on that kick?
Piper Halliwell: It's not a kick, Chris. It's her quest for happiness outside of magic.
Chris Halliwell: Yeah, but it's a temp job. Who finds happiness on a temp job ?

Movie Connections:

Featured in "Charmed: Generation Hex (#8.17)" (2006)

They've taken identity theft to a new level

*** This review may contain spoilers ***

The episode doesn't particularly stand out, even though it creates an interesting situation, with evil witches who, instead of destroying the sisters, decide to BE them... and succeed. The whole comedy rests on the fact that the Stillman sisters are written as caricatures : they're evil, stupid, superficial bimbos who are way too fond of sex, slutty clothes, money and themselves. The problem, though, is that they don't do anything beyond impersonate the Halliwells, so the plot is more or less limited to the caricature. Heavy comedy may be entertaining but it doesn't hold interest for long.

Nevertheless, the fake sisters actually get the real ones to reconsider their present situations. Paige keeps complaining about having to help people with magic, but her fake alter ego, by trying to stain her image, actually helps all the workers more than she ever did. As for Phoebe, having to tidy up after Mitzy forces her to articulate her confusion about her complicated office romance. And by foisting Wyatt on Leo, Mabel helps Piper realise that she can't let her status as a single mother keep her from getting a life of her own -or keep Leo from his own son. (By the way, Wyatt and Leo are so cute together !). Anyway, by next episode, Piper will be dating again -trying to, at least.

And of course the conclusion of the episode is brilliant : Chris may be busted with Leo, but he also gets a "get out of jail" card because after all, he has saved the day. The scene where he splits the fake sisters apart is great. And knowing Chris's big secret, I think that kissing Mitzy must have taken him a great leap of faith (or rather, a leap of disbelief). Actually, the first time I watched season 6, I kept wondering how a normal 22-years old guy (who clearly hadn't sworn an oath of chastity) could live in the same house with three beautiful and powerful women without being the least attracted to them. Now, in retrospect, I have to laugh at the panicked look on his face when Margo and Mitzy start coming on to him. And just imagine the confusion if Mabel (as Piper) had done the same !