Kaela officially becomes a Charmed One in the latest episode of Charmed

The CW’s Charmed reboot continues its good streak with another fun episode this week, titled “You Can’t Go Home Again.” After setting up both a new villain and a new hero in the season premiere, episode 2 solidifies why Kaela is an essential piece of the puzzle as well as ups the ante on the mysterious Tallyman.

Picking up not long after the premiere left off, Mel tries to get in touch with Kaela, even though she implored the Charmed Ones to never contact her again. Mel’s persistence in this episode is a bright spot, one that showcases the stark difference between how she’s handling Macy’s death versus how Maggie is handling it. While Mel is quickly letting go of her vices, even blowing off “Hot Elf Girl,” multiple times throughout the episode, Maggie is leaning into them even further.

Maggie’s journey for the season is starting to become extremely interesting, and something that I’m beyond excited to watch play out. In this episode, she is shown to not only resent having to bring another person into the same lifestyle that got her sister killed just six months ago but also the idea of it not being Kaela’s choice. She emphasizes respecting Kaela’s boundaries and wishes, while also trying to keep her as safe as possible.

When Kaela chooses to stay with the Charmed Ones, Maggie has a flashback to Macy’s death. Seeing her flashback to her last moments with Macy, immediately followed by her suiting up for another night of demon hunting, shows that Maggie is punching through her feelings instead of truly feeling them.

I have to wonder when, or if, Maggie’s psychology studies will come into play in her coping, or if someone will have to eventually step in before she becomes even more self-destructive in the name of mourning her sister.

Jordan and Harry’s relationship was also a high spot during this episode. Jordan has seen Maggie’s unhealthy coping mechanisms first hand, and his gentle approach to a still-mourning Harry was so nice to watch. It’s hard to watch Harry walk around as almost a husk of who he once was, but seeing him finally accept Kaela’s status as a Charmed One and finally allow Jordan to help him seemed like a great first step.

Lucy Barrett’s Kaela continues to be the best part of these new season 4 episodes, as it’s incredible to watch her step into the world that we’ve watched be built for the past three seasons. She has the heart of a hero, and choosing to leave her family behind to stay in Seattle to protect a world she knows very little about shows that perfectly.

Her manifestation power also comes in quite handy, and the in-field mechanics aren’t as clunky as I feared they might be. Her quick doodle on the back of Maggie’s jacket allowed her to save Jordan and Harry, finally opening her heart up to the magic that’s always been there.

In addition to great character moments, this episode also felt like it re-opened the witching world of Charmed, especially with the various magical creatures seen throughout the episode. From a leprechaun to a reappearance from Chloe the Pixie to a witch-hunting old lady, this episode continued the refreshing season 4 trend of spotlighting different parts of the magical world beyond just the threat of demons.

The show’s newest set-piece, The Blue Camellia, acts as the perfect neutral ground for the Charmed Ones to encounter all types of magical creatures, as well as get some help from the owner of the club: Roxie. While she has acted as a powerful ally during the first two episodes, it remains to be seen how long the Charmed Ones will stay within her good graces.

Overall, while this episode wasn’t as punchy as the season opener, it did a lot of heavy lifting in bringing the characters closer together and finally getting the Power of Three all under one roof again.

With such a short season ahead, only 12 episodes remaining, it’ll be interesting to see how quickly the Charmed Ones can master their connection before they have to face the full wrath of the Tallyman and anyone else who threatens the magical world.

Charmed airs Fridays at 8/7c, only on The CW. Stream next day for free on The CW App.