Charmed 1.01 'Something Wicca This Way Comes'

‘Something Wicca This Way Comes’ was a strong start. It was apparent that a lot of effort went into making it and the way that Burge wanted the show to be like was very obvious here. The “Three sisters who happen to be witches” line shows here in the early episodes in particular. Charmed really focused on what magic does to their relationship not the other way around.

In the first episode of the series 'Something Wicca This Way Comes' Phoebe returns to San Francisco to live with her two older sisters Prue and Piper. After reading an incantation from an old book in their attic, the three sisters receive powers that they were destined to have and become the Charmed Ones, the most powerful good witches in the world.

The episode introduced all the girls wonderfully with each identity being clearly laid out. Prue was the protective and cautious older sister. Piper, the middle child was the heart of the family. And Phoebe was the energetic baby sister, always dancing to the beat of her own drum. We saw each of these roles play out in this episode. Phoebe and Prue’s relationship always took the forefront most of the time, seeing as how they were the ones who were always at odds.

Prue changed over the course of her three seasons on the show, but in the early episodes she just comes across as a complete crank, without any understanding. How could she taker Roger’s word over her own sister? Piper tried her best to keep them separated, a role she assumed through most of the show itself (or at least for as long as Prue was around).

The plot was average, but first episodes don’t need any more really, providing a taster of what we should come to expect from the rest of the season. The sisterly bond was what stopped Jeremy, not their individual powers. That's something I loved about the early seasons, the sisterly connection that held things in place. It became lost in future episodes, so it was nice to see how important it was in the beginning.

It was no surprise that the show had such a long run. First impressions are important, and Charmed made a very good one.

8.5/10