The Charmed Ones face a new foe in the newest Charmed episode

After a week hiatus, The CW’s Charmed returned with a new episode, marking the halfway point with season 4 episode 7, “Cats and Camels and Elephants, Oh My…” After witnessing the self-destruction of the Tallyman in episode 6, the Charmed Ones were on a race to stop a ritual that would finish the Tallyman’s evil plan.

This episode of Charmed season 4 might be my favorite episode yet. Each character on the show got their proper time to shine in this episode, and the different pairings made for a fun split-plot that all came together in the end.

With Harry finally back from his sabbatical to the land of the dead, Maggie and Mel tie him up in a fun callback to the pilot episode. Throughout the rest of the episode, Maggie and Harry spend some quality time together, each working through their Macy-related grief while trying to uncover exactly what the Tallyman had planned.

Eventually, when they both end up in the Veil between the land of the living and the land of the dead, Maggie finally convinces Harry that he belongs with the Charmed Ones on Earth, and that it’s time he stops chasing ghosts.

I’ll be honest, I wasn’t convinced about Harry’s role this season, as he seemed to flounder without Macy around, but this episode brought Harry back to the mentorship role he was always meant to have, and it allowed the series to become balanced once again.

Maggie’s newfound powers manifested in this episode as well, evolving her empath abilities to now allow her to mimic the powers of those around her. She was able to mimic Harry’s Necrolighter ability as well as Sunny the bartender’s claws. It’s incredibly satisfying to watch as Charmed continues to level up the Charmed Ones, allowing their magical abilities to be a continued learning and growing experience.

While Maggie and Harry looked for leads on the Tallyman, Mel and Jordan teamed up to track down a bowl related to the ritual they were hoping to stop. At the end of the last episode, we learned that Ray, Mel and Maggie’s dad, was cursed, and he asked for Jordan’s help, on the condition that he leave his daughters out of it.

In this episode, Jordan tries his best to keep Ray’s secret, but Mel quickly catches on and becomes overwhelmed by the number of things she has to stop and the people she has to help. Jordan’s ability to have a level head and offer incredible advice rival’s Maggie’s in this episode, especially as he tells Mel to take everything one step at a time.

While Mel and Jordan dealt with the ritual, Kaela and Dev, interrupted from their morning-after bliss, found themselves dealing with who they believed to be Kaela’s adoptive mother in Seattle for a visit. Though, it’s quickly revealed that it’s Sunny impersonating Kaela’s mother, cutting Kaela’s thumb off for the ritual.

The dynamic between Dev and Kaela in this episode feels more balanced, pumping the breaks a bit after the quick escalation of their relationship at the end of episode 6. The mutual decision to slow down and take this newfound relationship one day at a time is a welcome decision, as it allows both characters to grow outside of the relationship while still leaving the door open for a slow burn on the horizon.

At the end of the episode, the Charmed Ones manage to stop Sunny’s ritual, with Maggie using her mimicked claws to stab Sunny in the heart, and Mel and Kaela working together to knock over the extremely over-the-top bubbling cauldron.

In the episode’s final minutes, we learn that the villain Sunny was looking to resurrect is called The Lost One. According to the Guardian, one of the original Charmed Ones, the Lost One started the cycle of the Destruction of the Sisterhood for every trio of Charmed Ones.

To theorize, it seems that the Lost One may have been the original Charmed Ones’ fourth member, a lost Charmed One. In a similar way to Kaela’s unknown connection to Mel and Maggie, it’s possible that she too is a Lost One, disconnected from the Charmed Ones until Macy’s death caused their connection to finally form.

It’s possible that every trio of Charmed Ones had a missing fourth, one to fill in when the sisterhood was ultimately destroyed, but something made Kaela be the one to finally solidify the connection between the two remaining Charmed Ones and herself.

With seven episodes still left in this season of Charmed, it’s clear that we won’t be getting all our answers anytime soon. Though, it’s a joy to watch as this mystery unfolds one by one, especially as we see more growth and progress than ever for our beloved Charmed Ones and their magical crew.

Charmed airs Fridays at 8/7c on The CW, and streams the next day free, the only on The CW App.