After some unusual seismic activity, Harry informs the sisters that Hilltowne is a portal to hell. The sisters must band together to fight off a shadowy demon that is trying to obtain a collection of powerful magical artifacts. Macy is given an exciting opportunity at work which comes with unexpected complications. Maggie has a conflict of conscience over her relationship with Parker.
In 2018, it has become very difficult to keep up with every television show out there. It's even more difficult to provide adequate coverage on this site about the episodes that air every week. Not every show can get full coverage because of my busy and hectic viewing schedule. As such, some reviews will now be condensed to give only some summary thoughts. But it also affords a space for me to jot down my thoughts on the various episodes. And so, here are my thoughts on this week's episode of The CW's Charmed.
"Out of Scythe" was written by Sarah Goldfinger and directed by Jamie Travis
The season so far has been very episodic in nature with each episode featuring some monster that the Charmed Ones would have to defeat. There have only been a few hints at the overall story being developed for the season at large. There were also ongoing threads with the personal lives for all three sisters. However, "Out of Scythe" is mostly devoted to further fleshing out the conflict that will be overwhelming to the story as the season progresses. There have been mysteries attached to Marisol's death and the arrival of the harbinger. And now, the show just dumps all of the information about what the Charmed Ones will be facing this season. Their enemies are trying to reattach a scythe that can unlock a prison that houses the worst of the demons throughout the world. It's very dangerous and could represent a significant shift in power. It's a device that Alastair is eager to obtain. He has become the physical representative of the evil forces at play this season so far. Of course, his motivation is still shrouded in mystery. Only now is it confirmed that he is also a father to two demons who he is forcing to do his will as well. The shapeshifter previously seen is one of them. The other is Parker, who emerges as a half-demon shadow creature here. That's bound to create even more tension with Maggie. She wanted to believe that the universe was blessing them moving forward with a relationship. There is nothing standing in their way. But now, his true heritage is revealed and proves that he will remain a major player in this overall conflict as well. Maggie can sense that he is conflicted. She doesn't know the shadow creature she is facing off with is her new boyfriend. But it's in that moment when she realizes that she should pursue a psych major because it would help her understand the human mind especially as it pertains to the thoughts that she hears whenever she touches someone. She believed she uncovered Parker's largest secret with his autoimmune disorder. Instead, things are only going to get much worse for her. The same is also true for Mel because she decides to drop out of academia altogether. This career was only taken from her after her time reversing spell that ended her relationship with Niko. And now, she's realizing that she pursued it only to appease her mother. There are new ways to honor her now that she knows that she was a powerful witch who kept many secrets from the family. Of course, there has to be a better way than holding onto a real lightning burn on her body. That has to be painful and Harry could easily fix it for her. However, it mostly just intrigues the audience with this surprising newcomer. She flirts with Mel at the bar and then steals the scythe in order to control its powers for herself. The lightning powers mean she may be involved in the deaths of the elders. Or it could be one big coincidence. Right now, it seems like the show is mostly just doing the heavy lifting to set everything up for what's about to come. That's not really satisfying or entertaining in the moment though. In fact, Macy's entire story here is completely disposable. There is no reason to care about whether or not she will fire Galvin from the lab. Nor is the reveal of the secrets that the sisters kept from each other as shocking or revealing as they were clearly designed to be. As such, that makes this a much more lackluster episode than has been the norm for the season so far.
