It’s Throw-Back Thursday TV Fans! For today, I am going to be counting down the top 5 episodes from Charmed. Out of the 178 episodes of the series, it was extremely difficult to narrow this list down to just 5 episodes. Over my many re-watches of the show, these episodes have stood the test of time. As I re-watch the series each time, I find myself looking forward to them because they truly make an impact with me. There have been different points in my life where many episodes of Charmed have gotten me through some really tough times and that just goes to show you how amazing this show is.
It’s not just about witchcraft and magic. It’s about family, loyalty, and how to deal with the everyday demons in our lives, not just the supernatural. The entire series is filled with great episodes, all connecting to create a believable story and providing us with some great entertainment, while keeping our favorite characters real, empathetic, funny, and significant in the process. It’s hard not to feel like part of the Halliwell family when you invest so much time watching these powerful and amazing women. These stand-out episodes below take it a step further, however; surpassing our expectations as fans and surprising us with unforgettable moments. Please note spoilers are ahead if you have not yet watched the series.
My top 5 episodes from Charmed are:
5
“From Fear to Eternity.” (Season 1, episode 13)
“Prue. Prue. You must face your fears, Prue. You must trust in the greatest of all powers. Love.” (Patty Halliwell)
So for me this episode has to be the one that hooked me onto Charmed for good. This episode was in the middle of the first season and really elevated the show to an entirely new level. It’s Friday the 13th and we are first introduced to one of the greatest villains on the show, Barbas, the Demon of Fear. I have to say that it was very clever to have episode 13 be the Friday the 13th one, which really made this episode that much more haunting. The Demon of Fear has to murder 13 witches before midnight so that he can be freed, which is alarming enough for those of you who are superstitious.
What makes Barbas so frightening is that he brings a victim’s greatest fear to the surface. The victim appears to die from a heart attack and their hair turns bright white from fright, which gets the police involved, but there is something so bone-chilling about this. Just imagining this happening makes my skin crawl, which is why Barbas was such a genius villain and so difficult for the sisters to face. This episode stood out to me as well because the sisters could not just rely on their magical powers to defeat him. Phoebe is held captive by him and he lures Prue to the scene to get two witches for the price of one. We learn in the episode that Prue is very fearful of drowning, as Barbas initially attacks her in the shower.
When Prue is in the pool, the spirit of her mother, Patty appears before her and tells her to trust in the power of love. Prue is able to overcome her fear, which banishes Barbas. It took Prue conquering her inner demons to be able to defeat this one and it finally allows her to open up to her sisters and let them into her heart, while still having plenty of room to remember and love her mother.
4
“Chick Flick.” (Season 2, episode 18)
“You’re my hero Billy.”
“And I think you’re swell, Sally Mae.”
My top 5 list would not be complete without including “Chick Flick.” I typically refer to this episode as “Kill It Before It Dies,” which is the old movie that Phoebe is obsessed with, currently playing down at the local theater. In this episode, the Demon of Illusion flees from the Charmed ones and hides right in the movie. The demon is not afraid to change the script and even recruits other psycho killers from different movies to attack the sisters. Phoebe’s dream man, Billy, comes out of the movie and is still in black-and-white. Phoebe is beyond thrilled and bonds with Billy. I mean how many times have we thought about hanging out with one of our favorite characters? Phoebe actually gets to do this which is beyond cool.
The sisters team up with Billy to fight the Demon of Illusion, but not before they get trapped in the film. The Demon of Illusion explains that if they are stuck in there when the movie ends, they will never get out. Luckily, Prue is quite the photographer and is able to rewind the film and vanquish the Demon of Illusion by leaving his frame under the light for too long. Phoebe is forced to say goodbye to Billy, but is thrilled when she gets her own copy of the movie. “Kill It Before it Dies” actually appears in three episodes of Charmed and even Cole tries to give her a message through the movie. I mean you can’t knock him for lack of effort.
Either way, this episode is absolutely hilarious and fun. If you’re having a bad day, I strongly recommend you grab your popcorn and watch this one. And whatever you do…don’t hide from a psycho killer in the shower like poor Piper.
3
“The Seven Year Witch.” (Season 7, episode 16)
“Leo and Piper’s love, it’s epic, it’s massive. It’s Romeo and Juliet, Anthony and Cleopatra, Brad and Jennifer.” (Drake)
There are a few reasons why I absolutely adore this episode. First off, my absolute favorite character, Cole Turner is back. Well not back to the land of the living, but he does act as a sort of mentor and guide for Piper who is currently trapped in limbo. Meanwhile, the elders decide to test Leo and strip him of his memory and leave him out on an abandoned highway so that he can choose his path once and for all. The path is not so clear-cut, however; as the elders do try to manipulate him by focusing on his love to help others. Cole finally gets through to Piper and she realizes that she must let go and die and call out to Leo in order to reach him and the plan is a success. While Drake should have probably picked couples in history that actually ended up together…or ended up surviving, the intent is there.
When I think about epic couples, Piper and Leo always come to mind and it’s because of moments like this. Piper and Leo’s love transcends everything else around them and they are able to fight for each other and support each other through it all. At the end of the episode, Drake’s life ends at midnight when he says, “Alas…pumpkin time.” Fans learn that Cole sent him there to help Phoebe believe in love again, which is absolutely swoon-worthy. Even though Cole can’t be with Phoebe, her happiness is all that keeps him going in the other plane and he will forever love her. Phoebe even feels his presence in the house, which proves that they are still connected on some level. Now that’s romantic.
2
“Centennial Charmed.” (Season 5, episode 12)
“We’ve been through so much together…haven’t we? Our love’s so strong, nothing can destroy it, not even this. We’re meant to be together.” (Cole)
So even though Phoebe says, “I don’t think so,” it’s hard to fully believe this can be true. I absolutely believe that Phoebe and Cole were meant to be together, but unlike Piper and Leo, they are unable to defeat everything that gets in their way. Cole’s path toward self-destruction is beyond difficult to control and Phoebe will always choose her family over her love for him simply because she is selfless. It’s a sacrifice and something that will always be with her, but it’s hard to agree that their love was not meant to be. While I do think that her love with Coop later on in the series is a healthy and stable relationship for her, it comes as a close second to her passionate and messy romance with Cole. This episode is the 100th episode of the show and I think that they really hit home with it. Cole has been vanquished before, but he always finds some way back. However, this time is different.
Cole reveals that it is his birthday but all he wants is a chance at love and happiness, which is heart-breaking and empathetic. The Avatars approach Cole, which prove to be a greater threat later down the road with Leo, and Cole decides to use his new powers to cast a spell to alter reality so that he can win Phoebe back. Only this has unforeseen consequences, as Phoebe does not love him in this reality anymore than she does now. Cole’s plan back-fires when Paige sneezes and orbs out when the spell is cast, as he had anticipated her being dead in this reality. Paige is able to convince Piper to help her, which is no easy task and the power of 3 is alive again. Cole is not indestructible in this reality and when he is vanquished, it’s for good this time. The end of the episode is bitter sweet, as Cole’s place is found empty and abandoned, revealing that he’s not coming back anytime soon.
Paige wishes him a happy birthday before she exits, which always brings me to tears. The sisters did not want to vanquish Cole, but he made it impossible for them to live in a world with him. Perhaps his path could have been different or perhaps it would end just the same, but it’s clear that he impacted more than just Phoebe, which makes his departure from the show that much more heart-breaking.
Some honorable mentions before revealing my number one episode of Charmed are:
- “The Wendigo”
- “Is There a Woogy in the House?”
- “Déjà Vu All Over Again”
- “P3 H20”
- “Ms. Hellfire”
- “Awakened”
- “The Good, The Bad, and the Cursed”
- “Just Harried”
- “All Hell Breaks Loose”
- “Brain Drain”
- “A Paige from the Past”
- “Charmed and Dangerous”
- “Marry-Go-Round”
- “Long Live the Queen”
- “The Day the Magic Died”
- “Sense and Sense Ability”
- “Witchstock”
- “The Courtship of Wyatt’s Father”
- “Hyde School Reunion”
- “Witch Wars”
- “Charmageddon”
- “Show Ghouls”
- “The Torn Identity”
- “Kill Billy: Volume 2”
1
“Forever Charmed.” (Season 8, episode 22)
“And although we certainly had our struggles and heart aches over the years we’re a family of survivors and we always will be. Which is why we’ve truly been Charmed.” (Piper Halliwell)
So I absolutely have to give the series finale of the show the number one spot. Mostly because it truly sums up everything the way I would have liked. I would say that the only thing missing was the presence of Prue but they did mention her. The episode focuses on Piper using Coop’s ring to travel through time to save her sisters, which allows some of our favorite characters from the past and future to get involved to help save the day. When the threat is over, we get a glimpse into the future of the lives of our favorite Halliwell sisters and everything is as it should be. Piper’s words to her future grand-daughter remind us what the show is all about. While the Halliwell sisters are powerful witches, they are much more than that.
They are survivors and they are a family that sticks together no matter what. It’s hard not to fall in love with this show and every time I watch the series finale, it inspires hope and love. While it’s always hard to say goodbye to the Charmed ones, you can always start the series over again, but knowing that they obtained the future that they deserved provides us with closure and satisfaction. “The power of 3 will set us free!”
I hope you enjoyed the list and please feel free to post some of your own favorite episodes from Charmed below. Thanks so much for reading and happy viewing!
Best,
Amy Koto, TV Fanatic Girl
@TV_Fanatic_Girl
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