Charmed review: Social life distracts sisters from their witch duties

Our Charmed girls host a party in order to find and vanquish a demon, whilst also dealing with personal issues of their own.

It seems that the new series of Charmed is continuing to highlight the romance, friendship and university culture over the supernatural elements on the show, likely in an attempt to keep the characters relatable and genuine. By the third episode, you may be making a decision on whether this show is for you. Have you come to be transported to another world and to escape reality, or have you come to see three sisters deal with their social and love lives? Which aspect do you feel adequately hooks you in?

In this Halloween episode, “Sweet Tooth” the Charmed sisters, Mel, Maggie and Macy, must seek out the Harbinger of Hell, a demon destined to release the Source of all Evil, feeding off power from the blood of virgins as it goes. Although, all sisters seem to be slightly distracted. Whilst Mel continues to be the most strong-willed and focused out of the three sisters, most eager to use her powers and conquer demons, she struggles in this episode to balance her witch destiny, and stay connected with her girlfriend. Whilst trying to be open and honest with Niko, Mel must also keep her powers a secret, something that clearly causes stress and anxiety.

Whitelighter Harry is there for support but also strives to teach Mel the value and severity of her powers by tracking her usage. Eventually, Mel realizes, through almost hurting Macy whilst fighting the demon, that she needs to be more careful and less reckless, no matter how determined she is to fulfill her destiny. It is nice to see Harry and Mel becoming closer and influencing one another; Harry showing Mel the importance of being objective and protective, and Mel showing Harry how restrictive their secret powers can be, resulting in the two of them reaching a mutual understanding and respect for each other.

Whilst Mel and Macy are mostly focused on the demonic task in hand, Maggie spends the episode impressing her sorority friends by hosting a Halloween party in the family house, using her magic instead to glamorize her decorations and costumes. Maggie even feels a sisterly responsibility to help Macy with her social life as well, and invites her love interest to the party, making sure Macy is dressed to impress, using magic again to create a costume for her. All this magic for personal gain takes its toll on Maggie and she is weaker in the final fight against the Harbinger of Hell, learning the consequences of her selfishness.

Her plan to bring Macy closer to Galvin worked though because Macy gets her long-awaited kiss, and even manages to open up to Maggie about why she is so reserved and quiet. Maggie has definitely taken on the role of the helpful and sociable younger sister in this show and will clearly be the main support and inspiration for her older two sisters that they can fight demons and lead normal lives as well. This is especially influenced by the fact that Maggie is a telepath and knows instantly when her sisters are under pressure or upset and what problems they are dealing with.

Harry may disapprove of all Maggie’s texting during witch training. Nonetheless, she understands and values the importance of having that social life as well, and how that will ultimately create cool-headed and content witches, which will impact the strength of their powers.

However, Maggie may be driving into trouble regarding her own love life as the captain of her sorority introduces her boyfriend, a guy who previously flirted with Maggie and hinted at taking her out on a date. Will this awkward situation distract Maggie from her witch duties even more? The obstacles surrounding sustaining romantic relationships and friendships whilst being a witch have definitely not disappeared and we are bound to see more of them in the episodes to come.

The demon itself was spooky and well-designed, and the plot centering around trying to locate it at a Halloween party was intriguing. “It felt natural,” said the Harbinger of Hell as Mel complimented its pale, cracked face and dark features, not yet realizing it was actually a real monster.

What did you think of “Sweet Tooth”? Let us know in the comments!