Summary: It’s a dark and stormy night in San Francisco, and a woman is about to do some magic. As she lights some candles simply by tapping them with her finger, a man in a dark raincoat lurks outside her apartment window. He creeps in as the woman does a Wiccan spell asking for protection. She turns and sees the man, who she knows. Instead of answering her question about why he’s there, he stabs her.
Piper Halliwell goes to her big Victorian house, where her sister Prue is trying to fix a chandelier. She’s annoyed that Piper’s late; she was supposed to meet an electrician, but instead, Prue had to leave work to do it herself. Piper’s late because she went to Chinatown to buy ingredients for an audition recipe. Her boyfriend, Jeremy, sent her port, which she hopes will be the ingredient that lands her a job.
Piper sees that Prue has found their old spirit board (I guess Ouija is trademarked?). Their mother gave it to them and their third sister when they were kids. She wrote a note on the back: “To my three beautiful girls. May this give you the light to find the shadows. The power of three will set you free.” Piper notes that they never figured out what that meant.
Prue suggests that they send it to Phoebe, their third sister, who’s always in the dark and could use some light. Piper chastises Prue for always being hard on Phoebe, but Prue says she has no vision or sense of the future. Piper thinks she’s coming around. Prue replies that as long as she doesn’t come around there, there won’t be a problem. As the sisters leave the room, the planchette on the spirit board moves by itself.
Inspector Andy Trudeau meets up with his partner, Darryl Morris, at the building where the woman was killed by the man in the raincoat. (The episode never names the woman, but apparently there’s a book that calls her Serena, so I’m going to call her that.) Andy’s late because he went to an occult shop. This is the third murder of women Andy is sure were all witches.
He guesses that Serena was killed with an athame, a ceremonial knife, near an altar with carvings on it. Darryl isn’t happy that Andy followed a lead without consulting him, but he can’t really argue, since things panned out. Piper’s boyfriend, Jeremy, is on the scene to report on the murder for the San Francisco Chronicle, but the police don’t give him much information.
Back at the manor, Prue’s frustrated about not being able to fix the chandelier. There’s a spare room in the house, and Piper thinks they should fill it…with Phoebe. She’s moving back to the city from New York, and Piper already gave her the okay to move in. Even though the sisters’ grandmother willed the house to all three of them, Phoebe hasn’t been there in months, and Prue hasn’t spoken to her in all that time. Piper wants to make peace, since Phoebe lost her job and is in debt. She just held off on mentioning this to Prue for a week or so. Maybe two. She picked a good time to spill, because Phoebe’s there now.
Piper goes out to pay Phoebe’s cab driver (with Prue’s money, heh), leaving Prue and Phoebe alone together, which is a bad idea. Prue thinks that Phoebe’s only there because she wants them to sell the house. Prue and Piper moved back in because the house has been in the family for generations. Phoebe knows – they grew up there. She thinks something else is bothering Prue. Prue doesn’t want to discuss it, but Phoebe presses the issue. It’s about a guy named Roger, who Phoebe swears she didn’t do anything with. Piper tries to defuse the tension when she comes back in, but it doesn’t work.
While unpacking, Phoebe watches a news report about Serena’s murder. Piper brings her dinner and spots Jeremy on the TV. Phoebe asks why Piper didn’t tell Prue that she was coming back. Piper says that she would have changed the locks. Plus, it was on Phoebe to tell her. Phoebe says it’s hard to talk to Prue; she’s always been more like a mother than a sister. Piper defends Prue, who, as the oldest, basically raised them. Phoebe argues that she doesn’t need a mother anymore – she needs a sister. Prue shows her some sisterly love just then by bringing her an extra blanket.
Andy examines Serena’s body, finding a tattoo the other two victims also had (it’s this symbol). He suspects that this is a literal witch hunt. Darryl thinks it’s all just a bunch of freakiness, but Andy is willing to buy that witches exist, or at least that there are people who believe they’re witches. Darryl’s like, “If you don’t stop talking about witches, I’m going to think you’re the killer.” Serena’s cat pops up, and Darryl warns Andy to keep his distance, since it’s been scratching everyone. It’s nice to Andy, though, and he finds the same symbol from Serena’s tattoo on the cat’s collar.
While playing with the spirit board, Piper and Phoebe talk about Jeremy. He and Piper met at the hospital the day the sisters’ grandmother, Penny, was admitted. Piper accuses Phoebe of moving the planchette, which she always used to do. Phoebe forgot what Piper was going to ask the board, so Piper says to ask if Prue’s going to have sex with anyone other than herself this year. While she’s out of the room, the planchette moves by itself again, spelling “AT.” Prue and Piper don’t believe Phoebe when she tells them, but eventually, Piper sees it herself. The planchette finishes its word: “ATTIC.”
Piper freaks out about the sisters’ safety, but Prue thinks she’s overreacting. Piper warns that the person who says they’re safe in a horror movie is always the next one to die. She wants to go find Jeremy. Prue reminds her that it’s pouring out and there’s a murderer on the loose. She’s pretty sure that Phoebe’s messing with them. Piper’s skeptical, since they’ve been living back in the house for months and haven’t been able to get the attic door open.
The power goes out, so Piper can’t call Jeremy. Prue asks Piper to come with her to the basement while she looks at the circuit box. Piper tries to send Phoebe instead, but she wants to check out the attic. Piper gets to choose which sister to follow, and she picks Prue, probably because the basement freaks her out less than the attic. Phoebe pushes on the attic door but can’t get it open. As she’s walking away, though, it swings open on its own. Phoebe, this is the part in the horror movie where you RUN.
The attic mostly contains furniture, but there’s also a chest that seems to glow from within. Inside is a book with the symbol from Serena’s tattoo on the cover. It’s called the Book of Shadows, and it’s from 1693. Phoebe reads from it: “The oldest of gods are invoked here. The great work of magic is sought. In this night and in this hour, I call upon the Ancient Power. Bring your powers to we sisters three. We want the power. Give us the power.”
Downstairs, the chandelier shakes, then emits a glow. In a nearby photo of the sisters, Piper and Phoebe’s images move so the three women are standing closer together. Prue and Piper go up to the attic, where Phoebe says she read an incantation. There’s something in the book about the three essential elements of magic: timing, feeling, and the phases of the moon. Midnight during a full moon is the best time for them to receive their powers.
As the man in the raincoat lurks outside, Prue chastises Phoebe for messing around with witchcraft. Piper doesn’t think that reading the incantation actually did anything. She doesn’t feel different, which means nothing must have changed. Sure, uh-huh, that’s some unimpeachable logic.
The next morning, Phoebe tells Piper that she stayed up all night reading. According to the Book of Shadows, one of their ancestors, Melinda, was a witch. Piper brushes that off, adding her to the list of their notable relatives, including their deadbeat father. Phoebe tells her that Melinda had three powers – she could stop time, see the future, and move objects with her mind.
Before Melinda was burned at the stake, she vowed that future generations would become stronger and stronger. Eventually, there would be three sisters who would be both good and more powerful than any other witches. Piper doubts that any of that’s true. Penny wasn’t a witch, and neither was the sisters’ mother. Phoebe tells her that they’re protectors of the innocent, the Charmed Ones. Piper ignores her and leaves, not noticing that a tree that was bare the night before is now flowering.
At work at a museum, Prue gets booted from a project she’s been curating in favor of Roger, the guy her and Phoebe’s estrangement is about. She assumes that he’s pulling rank as revenge – they were engaged, but she broke it off. Looks like she was right to. As he tries to think of something to say, “if only to avoid a lawsuit,” she glares, then walks off. Blue ink spreads across his shirt, and when he pulls out the pen making the mess, it sprays him in the face.
Piper makes her audition meal at L’Opera Ristorante but doesn’t get to add the port before her time is up. The chef conducting the audition isn’t the type to budge and allow her more time. As he’s about to take a bite, he suddenly freezes. Though she’s confused, Piper decides to take advantage of the situation by dribbling some port on his bite. When he unfreezes, he’s impressed with the food.
Prue catches Roger talking on the phone about the collection he’s stealing from her, pretending he’s the one who did all the hard work. She announces that she’s quitting. Roger responds first by threatening to withhold references, then by arguing that he’s doing her a favor. He had to take the exhibit from her because the board would have given it to a stranger. Prue should be thanking him. Instead, Prue revels in how much work Roger is in for and how quitting is an even better decision than dumping him was. As she’s leaving, he calls after her that he hopes she hasn’t stolen any office supplies. She makes a gesture like she’s throttling him, and his tie suddenly tightens and chokes him until he cuts it off.
Piper tries to call Phoebe from a phone booth (aww, a phone booth! How cute), running into Jeremy as she’s leaving. He was so sure she would get the job at L’Opera that he came by to congratulate her. On a bike ride elsewhere in the city, Phoebe has a vision of a couple of skateboarding teens getting hit by a car. Moments later, she sees both the car and the teens. She calls out a warning and lays down her bike, forcing the car to swerve away from the teens. Serena’s cat watches from nearby.
Phoebe is taken to a hospital, and when Prue goes there to check on her, she runs into Andy. The two of them have history but haven’t seen each other in a while. They’re a little awkward with each other, but friendly, and he offers to buy her coffee. She’s pleased that he’s an inspector now (in any other city, that’s a detective; I don’t know why San Francisco is weird) and thinks his father would be proud. They catch up quickly – he moved back from Portland, she’s not with Roger anymore – and he admits that he checked up on her.
Phoebe’s fine, and when she’s done being checked over, she and Prue go to L’Opera. Phoebe tells her sister about her vision and tries to find out if Prue did anything unusual like freeze time or move something with her mind. Prue finds it ironic that Phoebe thinks she saw the future. Phoebe slams her for thinking that Phoebe doesn’t have a future, unlike Prue, who has a “perfect Hell” in front of her. She wishes Prue would trust her for once.
Prue says bluntly that she doesn’t have powers, then asks for cream. A container of it moves itself closer to her and puts itself in her coffee. Hey, guess who can move things with her mind after all! Phoebe guesses that Piper’s the one who can freeze time. Prue’s upset that Phoebe seemingly turned them into witches. Phoebe says that, actually, they were all born witches, and they’re going to need to start accepting that.
As they walk home, Phoebe tells Prue about carvings from the Book of Shadows of three women battling different types of evil. There are bad witches and good witches. Good ones follow the Wiccan rede that says they can do what they need as long as they don’t hurt anyone. Bad witches, or warlocks, want to kill good witches and steal their powers. They look like regular people and can be anyone. Phoebe thinks that being unaware of their powers kept them safe. Now they’re in danger. They’re also being followed by Serena’s cat.
Piper takes a cab home with Jeremy, asking if he’s ever experienced anything weird or inexplicable. He chalks it up to luck or fate. She brushes off her frozen-time experience and gives him a fortune cookie. He reads it out loud: “Soon you will be on top.” Piper reads the rest, which says “of the world.” Nice try, Jeremy! He decides to take Piper to the old Boeing building, which has a great view of the Bay Bridge.
Phoebe and Prue stop at a drugstore, since Prue has a headache. They debate whether having powers is good or bad. Phoebe says they can’t undo their destiny. Prue’s a little less eager to accept it, what with how dangerous it is. Phoebe tells her to move her headache out of her mind. Instead, Prue makes a bottle of aspirin fly off a shelf into her hands. Phoebe realizes that her powers flare when she’s upset.
Prue still doesn’t believe she has powers, but when Phoebe says Roger’s name, a bunch of stuff flies off the shelves. Phoebe wonders what will happen when she brings up their father. Prue says he’s dead, at least to her – he died the day he left their mother. Phoebe presses Prue’s buttons until half the contents of the shelves around them spill out onto the floor. She mentions that the Book of Shadows said their powers would grow. Prue’s like, “I’m going to get more powerful than this?”
Jeremy takes Piper to the Boeing building, combating her resistance by telling her he has a surprise. He’s sure that she’ll love it so much, she’ll tell Prue and Phoebe about it. Piper realizes that she never told him that Phoebe’s back in San Francisco. Jeremy pulls out a knife, which I guess was his surprise. He’s been waiting for this for six months, since Penny’s hospitalization. He knew that the sisters’ powers would reveal themselves once Penny was dead and they were all together. He just had to wait for Phoebe to come back to San Francisco. Phoebe realizes that he’s the witch killer.
Jeremy’s fingers light up like candles and he confirms that he killed the women to get their powers. Now he wants Piper’s. Fortunately, she uses hers to freeze him before he can kill her. She starts to leave the elevator they’re in, but time unfreezes and he grabs her leg. She knocks him out with a conveniently placed two-by-four and makes her escape.
At the manor, Phoebe listens to a message Roger left on the answering machine saying he’s decided to “let” Prue come back to work. Aww, how nice of him! Prue tells Phoebe that Piper isn’t home, but she found the cat, which she figures got in through an open window. Piper arrives and asks Phoebe if the Book of Shadows says how to get rid of a warlock.
Jeremy regains consciousness and goes on the hunt for Piper. She really should have taken his knife from him before she ran off. Prue wants to call the police, but Piper knows both that they won’t believe her and that they won’t be able to stop Jeremy. Instead, the sisters gather in the attic to use the Book of Shadows. Piper does an anti-love spell with a rose that makes thorns burst out of Jeremy’s body. But that doesn’t stop him from continuing his trip to the manor.
Prue sends her sisters away and uses her powers to keep Jeremy back. She joins the others in the attic, telling them that their powers are growing. Unfortunately, Jeremy has his own and can move the furniture they’ve used to barricade the attic door with his mind. Prue reminds her sisters of the inscription on the spirit board: The power of three will set them free. Together, they can defeat Jeremy. They chant, “The power of three will set us free,” surrounding themselves with a circle of fire. Jeremy just laughs at them, telling them that there’s too much evil in the world for them to ever defeat it. They’ll never be free. But then he explodes, so I think he underestimated the Halliwells’ powers.
The next morning, Andy drops by the manor as Prue is getting the paper from the front steps. He wants to take her to dinner, unless she’s hesitant to possibly stir up their old feelings for each other. She clearly wants to say yes, but she tells him her life has gotten complicated, so she’s not sure yet. As he leaves, Piper and Phoebe come outside with the cat, and Prue says she turned Andy down because she’s not sure witches date. Piper says they do, and they usually get the best guys.
Prue warns her sisters that they won’t be laughing when they’re in her position. Their lives have completely changed. Phoebe says that at least they won’t be boring. Prue thinks they’ll be facing problems they haven’t anticipated. Piper agrees and asks what they’re going to do. “What can’t we do?” Phoebe replies. Prue says they need to be smart and careful and stick together. But that doesn’t mean they can’t have fun. As they go back inside, Prue pauses at the front door, smiles, and closes it with her mind.
Thoughts: I’ve only ever watched the first three seasons of this show, and I’ve been led to believe that I’ll lose my grip on sanity if I watch the entire series. I’m kind of excited to find out if that’s true.
I assume everyone knows this, but just in case, Prue is played by Shannen Doherty, who played Brenda on Beverly Hills, 90210.
As a great admirer of puns, I have to say that some of the episode titles in this series are [chef’s kiss].
Keep an eye on the “questionable sartorial decisions” tag. It’s going to get busy in there.
At one point, Phoebe wears plaid pajama pants and slide sandals with socks, AKA peak ’90s fashion.
'90s Flashback 
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