Charmed 6.11 Witchstock

As a vain attempt to utilise one of the solid go-to formulas that has only ever produced quality episodes in the past Witchstock fails to make much of an impact. Previous time travel episodes all seem to have some sort of an emotional or narrative payoff. That 70’s episode giving the sisters the chance to see their mother again, and All Halliwell’s Eve being a huge part of Cole’s introductory arc. There’s very little here of substance, even if the flashiness sucks you in a little.

Among other things, continuity gets bashed in the face repeatedly here, with Grams’s youthful appearance making very little sense alongside the clearly much older lady we met in the 70s. Either her hippie lifestyle caught up with her in the following few years, or the writers of this episode didn’t do their homework. That latter seems more likely.

I did appreciate some backstory for Grams. As a semi-recurring character, she’s actually got a lot going for her, and she’s never been unlikable, even when she’s at her sexist worst. The sister’s grandfather doesn’t have much link to their witchy heritage, but as a piece of their family, her packs quite a lot of punch emotionally. I enjoyed the link between his death and Grams’s eventual transformation into a demon-vanquishing badass, too.

The separation, as I’ve said, is a little bogus, even if there was a huge emphasis placed on their separating lives. It’s pretty great that Grams sees just how stupid an idea it is as well, though she did eventually cave. I like the idea of them focusing on themselves, and the fact that they’ve given the separation of the core sisterhood some attention is surprising, but enough already.

There’s fun to be had here, but it all feels like it was in the name of superficiality. And those hippies were well annoying.

5/10