Something Wicca This Way Comes

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“Something Wicca This Way Comes”
Charmed episode

The Halliwell sisters following the first inciting of "The Power of Three".
Episode no. Season 1
Episode 1
Written by Constance M. Burge
Directed by John T. Kretchmer
Guest stars Eric Scott Woods
   (Jeremy)
Matthew Ashford
   (Roger)
Chris Flanders
   (Chef Moore)
Production no. 1498704
Original airdate October 7, 1998
Episode chronology
← Previous Next →
"None" "I've Got You Under My Skin"

"Something Wicca This Way Comes" is the first episode of The WB drama series, Charmed. This is the series premiere of Charmed and the second pilot for the series. The original pilot never aired. The unaired pilot was shot in the actual manor that is shown on the show. After replacing Lori Rom, the show moved to a sound studio. Lori Rom left Charmed because of personal reasons. Executive producer Aaron Spelling asked Alyssa Milano, whom he knew from Melrose Place, to replace Rom as Phoebe and she accepted. Alyssa Milano has played Phoebe ever since.

The name of this episode is a play on words from Shakespeare's Macbeth. There are three witches, known as the Charmed Ones. The line is: "By the pricking of my thumbs, something wicked this way comes."

This is the highest rated episode of Charmed in the entire series.

Contents

[edit] Plot summary

A photograph of the three Halliwell sisters magically changes, pushing the women closer together inside the frame, after they become the Charmed Ones.
A photograph of the three Halliwell sisters magically changes, pushing the women closer together inside the frame, after they become the Charmed Ones.

The show opens with a witch sitting at an altar and lighting candles with the tips of her fingers. This is her power. She begins a ritual when she is startled by her cat, most probably her familiar. She continues her ritual but then turns around again and is startled by someone who is not identified to us. She acts as if she knows him and there is nothing to fear around him but then she screams.

Phoebe Halliwell returns to the Manor of her childhood in San Francisco after living in New York for six months. The manor is where her two sisters, Piper Halliwell and Prue Halliwell, currently live. There is some friction between Prue and Phoebe. Prue does not know about Phoebe moving back in until moments before she arrives. It is pouring with rain outside and the power fails. Prue and Piper go to fix the fuse while Phoebe ventures up to the attic sometime later after mysteriously receiving a message from the family Ouija board (with the inscription on the back "The light will leads you to find the Shadows, the power of three will set you free, love mom.") In the attic, she finds a huge book in a chest that the moon light streamed down onto entitled "The Book of Shadows" (the light of the moon is the light mentioned in the inscription and the "shadows" it will lead you to find is the book of shadows.) She reads an incantation from it, giving her and her sisters their destined powers; Phoebe with premonitions, Piper can freeze particles and energy, and Prue has telekinesis. This activation of the Charmed Ones (their nickname in the magical community) causes the chanderlier in the foyer to shake and emit a blue light, probably because the house itself is magical, though we do not discover this until later episodes. It is ironic that Phoebe receives the power of premonitions as Prue stated in this episode that "Phoebe has no sense of the future whatsoever." It is also ironic that Piper receives the power to freeze time as Prue also mentions that Piper is always late and freezing time allows Piper "more time".

Later on, Prue quits her job due to the fact that Roger, her boss and ex-fiancé, is giving her a very hard time. Although she is not aware off it she uses her power to tighten his tie until it chokes him around his neck and he has to cut it off, and she makes a pen explode in his pocket so the ink leaks all over his shirt and squirts ink all over his face. Piper learns of her power when she gets frustrated and accidentally freezes the chef of the restaurant she is trying out for; although she is surprised, she quickly puts the last ingridient into her tryout recipe. Phoebe is riding her bike when she has her first premonition of two boys on skates getting hit by a car. (Usually Phoebe has to be touching an object to do with her premonition in order to receive one, but here she is not; however her bike was involved in the outcome of the premonition so perhaps this is the item considered to be what triggers her premonition. ) She yells out when she sees them and skids her bike in front of them to stop them and she falls off. While Phoebe is in the hospital because of her accident, Prue meets up with her high school boyfriend and childhood friend, Andy, who is a detective. Phoebe and Prue go out together and talk, after finishing up at the hospital, about being witches. Prue is having difficulty swallowing the idea of being a witch, but when she keeps accidentally using her power it gets harder to ignore. She and Phoebe go and get asprin from the pharmacy and she accidentally knocks down a whole shelf of asprin using her powers when Phoebe gets her angry. Piper goes out with her boyfriend, Jeremy, later on, only to discover he is a warlock who has been involved in the recent murders of three witches, including the witch murdered at the beginning of the episode. Just before he stabs her with an athame, a ceremonial knife that is sometimes used by witches to channel their powers, she freezes time and runs home to Prue and Phoebe. They cast a spell on Jeremy, who is coming to the Manor, and he stops, screaming in agony due to the fact the spell caused thorns to shoot out of his body. Piper and Prue think the job is done until Phoebe has a premonition of Jeremy still running back to the Manor. He bursts into the house and comes up to the attic where Piper, Prue, and Phoebe recite the inscription on the back of their spirit board, "The power of three will set us free", a spell that vanquishes him for good. The next day, the three sisters realize that they won't be able to get rid of their destiny, but have to embrace it.

[edit] Book of Shadows

[edit] Enemies

  • Jeremy Burns: A low level warlock who romances female witches to get their powers and kill them. Jeremy posed as a reporter, tricking women into dating him. Jeremy was capable of changing the shape of his face, ignite flames from his fingers, telekinesis, disintegrate objects, and project energy bolts from an athame. He is also capable of adjusting. He is after the Charmed Ones' powers and knows that they will be released after Grams dies. He starts dating Piper Halliwell so he can keep an eye on the sisters. Once Grams dies and Phoebe returns, he makes his move and is vanquished by the Halliwell Sisters.

[edit] Spells

  • Dominus Trinus: Hear now the words of the witches. The secrets we hid in the night. The oldest of Gods are invoked here. The great work of magic is sought. In this night and in this hour. We call upon the Ancient Power. Bring your powers to us sisters three! We want the power! Give us the power.
  • To Break The Bond of Love: Use a basket, poppet, nine candles anointed with oils and spices, and a rose given from the lover. Put basket and poppet on a table, encircled by the candles. To make it stronger, bind rose to poppet and press thorns into it. Place poppet in the basket and burn while saying the spell. Your love will wither and depart From my life and my heart Let me be, (name) And go away forever.
    Note: this spell did not vanquish Jeremy Burns, as intended, instead causing him to erupt in thorns. He was not properly vanquished until the Charmed Ones recited the Power of Three Spell.
  • Power of Three Spell: The power of three will set us free. repeat this spell until the evil being is destroyed.

[edit] Production Details

[edit] Cast

[edit] Co-Stars

[edit] Arc Significance

  • This episode establishes the strained relationship between Prue and Phoebe. Piper, as the middle sister, is also established as a peace keeper. This role will later be filled by Phoebe when she becomes the middle sister.
  • Kit (the cat) is adopted by the Charmed Ones, although her background story is later changed.

[edit] International Titles

 This section does not cite any references or sources. (January 2008)
Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources. Unverifiable material may be challenged and removed.
  • French: Le livre des ombres (The Book of Shadows)
  • German: Das Buch der Schatten (The Book of Shadows)
  • Italian: Il Libro delle Ombre (The Book of Shadows)
  • Spanish: Por aquí llega algo mágico (Something Magical This Way Comes) Algo Extraño se Aproxima (Something Strange Approaches) - Latin America
  • Macedonia: Knigata na Senkite (The Book of Shadows)
  • Polish: Księga cieni (The Book of Shadows)
Preceded by:
N/A - series beginning		 Charmed episodes Followed by:
I've Got You Under My Skin
v • d • e
Charmed Universe
Episode list • Actors • Multimedia • Novels • Quotes
Locations & artifacts
Triquetra, symbol of the Power of Three
The Charmed Ones
Supporting characters
Family and friends
Major villains
Magical beings
Related articles