Something Wicca This Way Comes

"Something Wicca This Way Comes"

"Something Wicca This Way Comes" is the first episode of The WB drama series, Charmed. This is the series premiere of Charmed and the second pilot for the series. The original pilot never aired. The unaired pilot was shot in the actual manor that is shown on the show. After replacing Lori Rom, the show moved to a sound studio. Lori Rom left Charmed because of personal reasons. Executive producer Aaron Spelling asked Alyssa Milano, whom he knew from Melrose Place, to replace Rom as Phoebe and she accepted. Alyssa Milano has played Phoebe ever since.

The name of this episode is a play on words from Shakespeare's Macbeth. There are three witches, known as the Charmed Ones. The line is: "By the pricking of my thumbs, something wicked this way comes."

This is the highest rated episode of Charmed in the entire series.

Plot summary

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A photograph of the three Halliwell sisters magically changes, pushing the women closer together inside the frame, after they become the Charmed Ones.

The show opens with a witch sitting at an altar and lighting candles with the tips of her fingers. She then turns around and is startled by someone who is not identified to us. She acts as if she knows him and there is nothing to fear around him but then she screams.

Phoebe Halliwell returns to the Manor of her childhood in San Francisco after living in New York for six months. The manor is where her two sisters, Piper Halliwell and Prue Halliwell, currently live. There is some friction between Prue and Phoebe. Prue does not know about Phoebe moving back in until moments before she arrives. It is pouring with rain outside and the power fails. Prue and Piper go to fix the fuse while Phoebe ventures up to the attic sometime later after mysteriously receiving a message from the family Spirit board with the inscription on the back "The light will lead you to find the Shadows, the power of three will set you free, love mom". In the attic, she finds a huge book in a chest that the moon light streamed down onto entitled "The Book of Shadows" She reads an incantation from it, giving her and her sisters their destined powers; Phoebe with premonitions, Piper can freeze matter, and Prue has telekinesis.

Later on, Prue quits her job due to the fact that Roger, her boss and ex-fiancé, is giving her a very hard time. Although she is not aware of it she uses her power to tighten his tie until it chokes him around his neck, and she makes a pen explode in his pocket. Piper learns of her power when she gets frustrated and accidentally freezes the chef of the restaurant she is trying out for; although she is surprised, she quickly puts the last ingredient into her tryout recipe. Phoebe is riding her bike when she has her first premonition of two boys on skates getting hit by a car. She yells out when she sees them and skids her bike in front of them to stop them and she falls off. While Phoebe is in the hospital because of her accident, Prue meets up an old friend, Andy, who is now a police detective. Phoebe and Prue go out together and talk, after finishing up at the hospital, about being witches. Prue is having difficulty swallowing the idea of being a witch, but when she keeps accidentally using her power it gets harder to ignore. Meanwhile, Piper is on a date with Jeremy, who is actually a warlock, an evil witch who steals the powers of good witches. Just before he stabs her with an athame, Piper freezes Jeremy and runs home. Although together the sisters cast a spell to get rid of Jeremy, he has not yet been defeated and bursts into the house, the sisters realized that they must recite an incantation 'The power of three will set us free', they repeat this until Jeremy is gone. The next day, the three sisters realize that they won't be able to get rid of their destiny, but have to embrace it.

Book of Shadows

Enemies

• Jeremy Burns: A warlock who romances female witches to get their powers and kill them. Jeremy posed as a reporter, tricking women into dating him. Jeremy was capable of changing the shape of his face, ignite flames from his fingers, telekinesis, disintegrate objects, and project energy bolts from an athame. He is also capable of adjusting. He is after the Charmed Ones' powers and knows that they will be released after the charmed ones Grandmother dies. He dated Piper Halliwell in order keep an eye on the sisters. Once their Grams dies and Phoebe returns, Jeremy makes his move but is vanquished by the Halliwell Sisters.

Spells

• Dominus Trinus: Hear now the words of the witches. The secrets we hid in the night. The oldest of gods are invoked here. The great work of magic is sought. In this night and in this hour. We call upon the Ancient Power. Bring your powers to us sisters three! We want the power! Give us the power.
• To Break The Bond of Love: Use a basket, poppet, nine candles anointed with oils and spices, and a rose given from the lover. Put basket and poppet on a table, encircled by the candles. To make it stronger, bind rose to poppet and press thorns into it. Place poppet in the basket and burn while saying the spell. Your love will wither and depart From my life and my heart Let me be, (name) And go away forever.
  Note: this spell did not vanquish Jeremy Burns, as intended, instead causing him to erupt in thorns. He was not properly vanquished until the Charmed Ones recited the Power of Three Spell.
• Power of Three Spell: The power of three will set us free. This spell was repeated until Jeremy was vanquished.

Production Details

Cast

• Shannen Doherty as Prue Halliwell
• Holly Marie Combs as Piper Halliwell
• Alyssa Milano as Phoebe Halliwell

Note: Lori Rom was originally set to play Pheobe Haliwell but she quit before the show was picked up.

Co-Stars

• T.W. King as Andy Trudeau
• Dorian Gregory as Darryl Morris
• Lonnie Partridge as Woman
• Charmaine Cruz as Admitting Nurse
• Hugh Holub as Pharmacist
• Francesca Cappucci as News Reporter
• Eric Scott Woods as Jeremy Burns

Arc Significance

• This episode establishes the strained relationship between Prue and Phoebe. Piper, as the middle sister, is also established as a peace keeper. This role will later be filled by Phoebe when she becomes the middle sister.
• Kit (the cat) is adopted by the Charmed Ones, although her background story is later changed.

International Titles

• French: Le livre des ombres (The Book of Shadows)
• German: Das Buch der Schatten (The Book of Shadows)
• Italian: Il Libro delle Ombre (The Book of Shadows)
• Spanish: Por aquí llega algo mágico (Something Magical This Way Comes) Algo Extraño se Aproxima (Something Strange Approaches) - Latin America
• Macedonia: Knigata na Senkite (The Book of Shadows)
• Polish: Księga cieni (The Book of Shadows)