‘Necromancing...’ is an episode that tries to tackle a deeper issue, but the execution of said issue meant that it fell short of giving it the right amount of power it needed to work. There are a few ideas here that did work, though, not the least of which was giving Penny Halliwell the chance to come out and play.
The sisters summon Grams for Wyatt’s Wicanning in ‘Necromancing the Stone’, but Grams’s elation at her first meeting with her grandson is short lived. One of Penny’s past romances causes trouble for the girls.
Grams is a character that, for obvious reasons, the show couldn’t play with as much as they wanted to. The girls’ ability to bring characters back from the dead on a regular basis removed that obstacle completely, meaning that several stories that would have only been possible through conventional flash backs, could be explored in some new and innovative ways. Here, a past romance that echoes her granddaughters’ tragic taste in men becomes a major issue in stopping this week’s demon.
While the ending came about in a bizarre way, it gave Grams the time to say goodbye to a man with whom she had more than a few unresolved issues. With such a fascinating and volatile past, it’s a shame her past romances didn’t get more of a spin. They could have easily trumped any of Phoebe’s recent romantic escapades, interest wise.
I liked that Wyatt’s sex was such an issue for Grams. She was always a woman who stuck by her morals, despite being led astray in the past, although that may be precisely why she stood so firmly against Wyatt’s inclusion in the Halliwell clan. Unfortunately, poor character work on her and the sisters’ parts meant that it all became a big whine-a-thon. All that aside, the Wicanning was a nice idea with the familial baptism coming across quite well on-screen.
In other news, Nate, one of the most pointless characters the show ever produced, is finally gotten rid of. I’m not all that certain where his plotline was supposed to go, other than prove Grams right in her argument against men. The return of the truth spell heralded its fair share of continuity errors (only affects on person now?). Its previous incarnation had a lot of weight, and it had a strong amount of arc significance, but here it’s just a flimsy excuse for some cheap comedy. This blatant manipulation of Wiccan rules happens time and time again over the next few seasons, all just to suit the writers need for a quick story.
I did enjoy some of what this episode stood for, and some more time with Grams was welcome, I just wish there had been more depth to everything.
6/10
You analyzed this episode far more deeper than I did, heh. I wrote about this already, but I always struggle with this one. I don't know if its the tone, or the dialogue-heavy feel of the script, or maybe just a lack of interest on my part, but it's one of those few episodes that just leaves me entirely numb.
ReplyDeleteGreat comments about gender and history/present-day similarities, Panda.