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Charmed: Memento Mori

“The Charmed Ones are needed now.”

A tremendous sense of foreboding and an understanding of the compelling side of this supernatural world helped to elevate ‘Memento Mori’, an hour that was laden with overwhelming exposition and some questionable motivations.

At the close of ‘Switches and Stones,’ Macy’s demonic vision allowed her to catch a glimpse of Charity at Vera manor, standing at the window where Marisol fell to her death. My initial suspicion was that there may have been more to this than meets the eye, but this episode didn’t give me much reason to suspect anyone else other than this Elder who apparently abided far too strictly by the rules of the magical world.

I’m a little flummoxed that Charity’s reason for killing Marisol, someone she cared deeply about, was to stop her from bringing a potentially dangerous witch into the world – in the form of the darkness-tinged Macy. But this episode would have you believe that this is all it took for her to turn on one of her closest friends. It’s a rather extreme choice to make, even considering what was at stake. Maybe there’s still more to learn, but a lot of the flashbacks here felt rather concrete, as did Charity’s mind-set. She did give us a few vague references to things the sisters didn’t fully understand. Maybe when we get the full picture later on Charity’s actions will make more sense.

After Charity was stopped by the sisters and Harry, she was banished to Tartarus, but before she arrived she was saved by a jailbreaking Alastair. Was there some familiarity between them that hints at a pre-existing relationship? It may simply be down to their elevator run in early on in the season, but maybe Alastair has worked his magic on Charity more than once. It’s definitely something to think about.

I did enjoy the general direction of this episode, in spite of my above reservations on the Charity front. There were some fantastic visuals throughout, notably one shot of Macy finding that trunk where Elder Priyanka’s body was stashed after Charity killed her. It really reminded me of that OG Charmed moment when Phoebe walked into the Halliwell attic for the first time. I wonder if it was intentional.

I also loved Macy this week. Though it was a tad cliché to watch Charity manipulate those around her into believing Macy may be the evil one, Madeline Mantock actually sold the hell out of it. There was just the right blend of panic and genuine darkness to her performance that would certainly give her family pause when considering all the facts. Thankfully the hour didn’t dwell too long on these suspicious, and it wasn’t long before Mel and Maggie figured it all out.

With Charity outed, we finally got that massive reunion moment between the Callahan sisters. I’ve mentioned before how much I adore Leah Pipes and though she was not a big feature during this episode, she was a total scene stealer when she finally did appear. With Charity still out there somewhere, there’s potential for the series to fully explore the dynamic between these two witches, notably Fiona’s defiance of Charity’s belief that she was always the good, rule abiding sibling. Fiona hinted at her own potential to go further in light of her sister’s downfall, so she may not be all that innocent either. I’m excited to see how what she grows into either way, and I’m even more excited to see how Charity falls into this new power dynamic.

Potions and Notions

The Vera sisters had a wonderful Power of Three moment, with Macy’s vision revealing Marisol’s bravery in unbinding their powers, and using her final moments to finish the spell. They have much more purpose now in knowing that their mother died for them to finally be together.

I didn’t realise how much I liked Marisol until she reappeared this week. The show hasn’t fully explored the Vera family history so I hope there are plans to dive into it next season, and to keep Marisol a major part of that exploration.

Fiona seems to have similar transportation powers to her sister.

Parker was spiked by his father via Lucy. I'm not into the whole Parker thing, but I'm kind of loving the stupidity of Lucy being the go-between for Alastair's plans.

Spells and Chants

Marisol: “The Charmed Ones are needed now.”
Charity: “But a Charmed One compromised by blood magic, Marisol. Nothing could be more dangerous.”

Marisol: “Macy is good. She's kind. She's brilliant, and I believe in her.”

Fiona: “I'm the one destined for greatness, sis. You'll always have our memories. Scorpions will make sure of that.”

A lot of this season has felt overwhelmingly silly at times, with the writers opting to forgo the captivating magical elements in favour of cheap gags, but recent episodes have turned that approach on its head. ‘Memento Mori’ was a tad frustrating at times, but it certainly sucked me in thanks to its dark but self-aware approach, and it set the stage for some enticing power plays further down the line.

7 out of 10 magical tracking devices.

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