Pilot

### **Writer(s)**

**Story by**: Jessica O'Toole & Amy Rardin & Jennie Snyder Urman and Constance M. Burge
 **Teleplay by**: Jessica O'Toole & Amy Rardin

### **Viewers**

1.57 million

**Pilot** is the first episode of the first season of *Charmed* and the first episode of the series overall. It premiered on October 14th, 2018.

## Synopsis

After the tragic death of Mel (Melonie Diaz) and Maggie's (Sarah Jeffery) mother, the sisters struggle with moving forward but face another huge shock when they learn they have an older sister, Macy (Madeleine Mantock). With the emotions of all three sisters running high, each of the girls suddenly exhibits impossible new abilities: Mel can freeze time, Maggie starts hearing others' thoughts and Macy has telekinetic powers.

While trying to understand their new powers, Harry Greenwood (Rupert Evans), gathers the sisters and reveals they're actually powerful witches, as was their mother. He also lets them in on a little secret, he's not really a professor, he's their "Whitelighter," a witch's advisor and guide. The sisters must make the decision to accept their new destiny as the Charmed Ones... and their new duty to protect humankind from the demons that walk among us... one of whom killed their mother. Ellen Tamaki and Ser'Darius Blain also star.

## Plot

The episode begins with showing Mel and Maggie Vera trying to sneak out of the house. Mel is an outspoken feminist and graduate student, while Maggie is a incoming freshman in college who is hanging with sorority girls which has an Iraq War-themed rush party. Their mother, Marisol Vera, a women’s studies professor at the local university, is troubled because the school may reinstate a professor who had been suspended after being accused of sexual assault from a comatose student.     Marisol sits down with her daughters and gives a speech saying how the two are special young women; reminding them that even though they are special in their own ways, they are better together, their differences are their strengths, and nothing is stronger than their sisterhood, and they need to nurture that.
The two sisters ignore what she said and just think it is her usual self and leave the house to go out. Mel goes to meet with her girlfriend. Maggie’s on-and-off again-boyfriend, Brian offers to give her a ride, but she tells Brian that they are apart because she wanted some space.

Later that night, Marisol is doing a spell to unbind her daughters' powers after a crow flew into the house. Suddenly, Mel gets a message from their mom, telling them to come home. Mel picks up her sister from the party. Meanwhile, at the house, Marisol lights some candles and chants as crows fly around her, she finally screams that she has most likely unbound her daughters' powers. She manages to cast the spell before she plunges to her death outside the house. Mel and Maggie come home to find their mother dead.

Three months later. Mel has become obsessed with her mother’s death and is finishing the work she started, hoping to raise public awareness with a protest against the accused professor who is now back working at his old job. Mel and her girlfriend have split up. Maggie is so desperate to join her sorority.

Macy Vaughn, their unknown half-sister, is a scientist who recently moved to town to work at the same university her sisters attend. When Macy steps in front of the sisters' home with Galvin Burdette, her colleague and only friend in town, she recognizes it. Galvin tells her about the news story. As she is reading about it on her laptop, Professor Warner Thaine startles her, saying he has been cleared of harassment and looks forward to working with her.

Mel is stopped by Harry Greenwood, who she really doesn't like at all. He says this isn’t about her article, but him checking on how she is doing. She punches a student, who questions the posters she is putting up, which Harry watches.

Later that night, Mel's now-ex-girlfriend and partner talk to Mel about her assault and agree to talk the student out of pressing charges. Macy goes to confront the sisters with the shocking truth that she may be their half-sister, showing a picture of herself as a baby with their mother in front of the house. At that exact moment, Macy steps through the doorway, a lightning strike kills the electricity—a sign that their powers have been activated. Macy, Mel, and Maggie have trouble accepting this possible truth, get angry, and all go their separate ways.

Each of the sisters then discovers their powers. Macy gets upset with Galvin for encouraging her to try with the Vera sisters again, accidentally sending a beer bottle flying across the bar; the next day, Maggie goes to a sorority tour, where she hears people's thoughts when she touches them. And finally, Mel is meeting with Niko at the local café and learns she can freeze time when she stops a barista from dropping coffee on her, then freezes time two more times. Freaked out by transpired, she heads out and is immediately kidnapped.

All three sisters wake up and find themselves tied up in the attic of their house, where Harry, the new Women’s Studies professor, informs them they are witches who are destined to save the world as the Charmed Ones. He unbinds the ropes from them. He explains that he is a Whitelighter: an advisor for witches, and that their mother was a very powerful witch, who died on the night she was in the process of unbinding their powers. He hands them the Book of Shadows and tells them to decide whether or not to accept their Wiccan fate within the next forty eight hours.

The sisters are left to ponder their decision. Mel is more than ready to accept her fate, but Macy and Maggie are reluctant. Niko visits Mel at the house, where Mel finally learns to master her power. Macy reads about telekinesis back at the lab. Maggie gets a text for inviting her to go back to the Kappa house. Brian sends a message to Maggie saying he misses her (as a friend). While in the woods, Maggie runs into a demon in dog form and makes a run back to the house, looking for Mel. Mel tells her to be quiet as she is with Niko, and Maggie quickly makes a lie.

Later, Macy comes over and they test the specimen from Maggie's face from the demon's attack. Mel really wants to go out and hunt the demon down. But before anyone can do so, Harry teleports and heals Maggie's face. He tells them the demon dog is associated with a master, typically a possessed human. He believes that someone in the Underworld knows they have their powers now.

Believing it to be Lucy, Mel suggests taking out the demon when Macy suggests using baking soda to destroy it. Maggie is concerned about wanting a life outside of being a witch, and runs out of the house, and is unexpectedly taken from the front porch.

The hood is removed and she finds herself in the main hall of the Kappa house, along with all the sorority pledges. Lucy, the president of the sorority tells her they have a surprise for her upstairs. She manages to text Mel where she is and they rush to the house. Mel throws baking soda at Lucy, who is revealed to be just a normal human being. Brian comes to the party and brings Maggie to a private room and asks for one last kiss. She agrees in a moment of vulnerability but changes her mind when she discovers he is the one possessed. She manages to fend him off until Macy comes into the room and throws baking soda at him, destroying the demon inside. Maggie then kisses the freed and confused Brian in relief.

On their way home, Macy asks them how their mother was like. So, that evening, the sisters bond by watching videos of their mother. When Maggie touches Macy, she accidentally reads her thoughts, revealing that Macy grew up alone and lonely. Mel and Maggie comfort Macy that she's got them now. After the emotional scene, Mel tells that that she is leaning towards accepting the Charmed destiny and she hopes they would say yes too because it was their mother's wish. After that, Maggie and Mel fall asleep next to Macy. However, Macy is unable to fall asleep because she's overwhelmed by everything. So, she starts going through the Book of Shadows.

Macy tells Maggie that after her research all night, she has a theory on the demon who killed their mother. After hearing that Mel went to the rally to protest Professor Thaine's reinstatement, Macy becomes very worried. According to her research, Professor Thaine is the demon. His real name is Taydeus. He's an upper-level demon who has lived for centuries feeding off of strong women, draining their strength.

When Mel goes to confront Professor Thaine, it turns very cold as the professor morphs into his pure, icy demon form. Taydeus is just about to drain Mel's energy when Maggie and Macy arrive. Cameron tries to stop them but the demon shoots him with an icicle. Maggie calls for Harry who comes quickly and heals Cameron. He also asks the sister to confirm that they want to be the Charmed Ones in order to channel the Power of Three needed to defeat the demon.

The sisters officially accept their destiny as the Charmed Ones.

Using their powers and a spell, the sisters defeat Taydeus. They say it's for killing their mother but Taydeus reveals that he didn't kill her. In a very cryptic tone, he says "now, it's begun" before exploding a few seconds later. When a confused Cameron asks what just happened, Harry is ready to wipe his memory but the sisters ask him not to. After all, no one will believe Cameron.

Macy moves into the house with her new sisters but questions their decision of letting her stay, but Maggie reassures her she doesn't need to be alone anymore because they are sisters. Mel finds the Spirit Board and they take it out and try to see if it works, right away wanting to try to contact with their mother, asking if she is there. It straightaway responds by saying not to trust Harry. He comes out of the corner, as the sisters look in shock.

## Cast

* Madeleine Mantock as Macy Vaughn
* Sarah Jeffery as Maggie Vera
* Ser'Darius Blain as Galvin Burdette
* Ellen Tamaki as Niko Hamada
* and Rupert Evans as Harry Greenwood
* Charlie Gillespie as Brian/Possessor Demon
* Natalie Hall as Lucy
* Robert Pine as Professor Warner Thaine/Taydeus

Co-Starring* Ben Beauchemin as Cameron Russo
* Tedra Rogers as Vi
* Brendon Zub as Detective Bailey
* Tarun Keram as Barista
* Michell Pascual as Another Rushee
* Cecilia Grace Deacon as Dylan

## Magical Notes

### Book of Shadows

* *Melinda Warren*
	+ Shown when Maggie opens the book.

* *Organ Smoothie Demon*
	+ According to Maggie, there is an entry on a demon that harvests organs for smoothies.

* *Taydeus Vanquishing Spell*
	+ The vanquishing spell in the Book of Shadows that channeled the Power of Three in order to vanquish the demon, Taydeus. During this spell, the Vera-Vaughn Charmed Ones activated the Power of Three for the first time.

### Spells

* *Power Unbinding Spell*
	+ Marisol Vera used this spell on the night that she was murdered to unbind the powers of her daughters. Most of the spell is spoken in Latin but the end says, "Hear this! I have three!".

### Powers

* **Conjuration:** Used by Harry to vanish the rope he conjured to tie the Charmed Ones to chairs.
* **Cryokinesis:** Used by the demon Taydeus in the final confrontation with the Charmed Ones.
* **Empathic Telepathy:** Maggie's primary power. Used to hear the thoughts of her sorority sisters. Used to hear the thoughts of several women as she bumps into them when trying to get out of the sorority house. Used to learns that May grew up feeling alone when she touches her. Used to hear possessed Brian's thoughts when she touches him right before he attacks her.
* **Healing:** Used by Harry to heal Maggie's face from a demon dog attack. Used to heal Cameron who was impaled by Taydeus.
* **Limited Shapeshifting:** Used by the three demons to reveal their demonic forms.
* **Mediumship:** Used by Charmed Ones with the help of a spirit board.
* **Orbing:** Used by Harry several times when the Charmed Ones call him.
* **Possession:** Used by the Possessor Demon to possess Brian.
* **Remote Hearing:** Used by Harry to hear Maggie's call.
* **Telekinesis:** Macy's primary power. Used accidentally when sending a beer bottle flying across the bar. Used intentionally to throw the globe at Harry. Used to bring her sisters to her hands. Also used by Harry to stop Macy's thrown globe, and by Taydeus to pull Mel toward him.
* **Teleportation:** Used by the possessed Brian to get in front of Maggie when she tried to run away.
* **Temporal Stasis:** Mel's primary power. Used to prevent a barista from dropping coffee on her. Used to stop time two more times in the cafe. Used to stop time two more times on Niko at the manor. Used to freeze the demon Taydeus.
* **Zoopathy:** Used by Marisol on the crows to send messages and to protect against the unknown murderer.

### Artifacts

* **Book of Shadows:** Harry gave the Vera sisters the Book of Shadows when their powers activated.
* **Spirit Board:** Mel finds it in the attic of the house. The use of a spirit board is a branch of divination known as "*Ouija*".

## Trivia

* This is the reboot premiere.
	+ The series started one week after the original series celebrated its 20th anniversary, on October 7th, 2018, exactly 20 years since "Something Wicca This Way Comes" first aired.
* This episode screened at San Diego Comic-Con on July 19, 2018.
	+ Some scenes from the pilot episode were reshot. It's unclear what from the San Diego Comic-Con screening was changed or if it was just special effects changing and or additional scenes.
* We learn Macy was raised by her father.
	+ Macy was told Marisol died when she was two by her father only to learn as an adult that Marisol left her.
* This episode marks the constitution of the Vera-Vaughn Charmed Ones.
* President Donald Trump was alluded to in this episode.

## Unanswered Questions

* Why does Marisol's spirit warn her daughters that Harry can't be trusted?
* Is Melinda Warren an ancestor of the new Charmed Ones?
* Who or what killed Marisol?

## References to the Original Charmed

* The first execution of the two eldest sisters' powers is quite similar to those of the original series. Macy was upset with Galvin's insistence to have her go to the manor again while Prue was upset with Roger's decision. Mel, on the other hand, freaked out when the passing customer almost spilled a jug of coffee while Piper freaked out when Chef Moore didn't give her a chance to properly finish her cooking. The situation is a bit different for Maggie since she, at this time, strictly needs to touch her subject to read minds while Phoebe did not directly touch someone when she got her first premonition.
* There is a page containing information on Melinda Warren, the founder of the Warren/Halliwell line in the Vera Book of Shadows.
* Mel's first attempt to deliberately freeze time with her hands is referenced to Piper's hand gestures.
* In the original Charmed, the manor's chandelier glowed in magical light as the Halliwell sisters' powers awoke; in the reboot, lightning filled the sky and the lights in the house blew a fuse as a sign of their powers awakening.
	+ This will later be repeated in the season four premiere when they meet Kaela Danso.
* Maggie is the first sister to touch the Book of Shadows. The same went for Phoebe when she found it the night she and her sisters' powers unbound.
* Macy is wearing an orange jacket when she introduces herself to her sisters. Paige is also wearing one when she introduces herself to Phoebe and Piper.
* After Harry's introduction on the craft, he explained that the sisters have 48 hours to decide whether to accept their destiny as the Charmed Ones or not. In the original series, there was a 48-hour Window of Opportunity for the new witches to decide whether they wanted to use their magic for good or evil.
* Harry asks the sisters if they had ever seen a superhero movie. In the original, the Charmed Ones were transformed into superheroes in one episode.

## Production Notes

* The pilot episode was filmed from March 19 to April 7, 2018, in Vancouver, British Columbia.
* The episode was watched by 1.57 million U.S. viewers.
* Despite Melonie Diaz portraying the middle sister, she received the first billing. Also, despite her character, Mel Vera, being younger than Madeleine Mantock's character, Macy Vaughn, in the series, Melonie is actually older than Madeleine by six years in real life.

## Gallery

* Promotional Images
* Screencaps
* Behind the Scenes

## Videos

* Promos
* Interviews/Sneak Peeks

### Promos

Charmed Upfronts 2018 (First Trailer)Charmed CW Trailer 2Charmed CW Trailer 3Charmed CW Trailer 4Charmed Charmed, We're Sure The CW

### Interviews/Sneak Peeks

Charmed (The CW) "the Charmed Ones" Sneak Peek - Madeleine Mantock seriesCharmed First Look Sneak PeekCharmed Sarah Jeffery Interview Maggie the Mind Reader The CWCharmed (The CW) "Hunt" Promo HD - 2018 RebootCharmed Madeleine Mantock Interview Mind Over Matter The CWCharm Reboot - Powers (Pilot)
## Soundtrack

* ***She Loves Control*** *by Camila Cabello*
* ***Bulletproof*** *by Mutemath*
* ***Don’t Take Your Love*** *by Mirror People*
* ***Feels So Good*** *by Mad Circuit & Nyzzy Nice*
* ***Feel So Good*** *by Mr. Robotic feat. Shay Marie*
* ***Havana*** *by Camila Cabello*
* ***Undercovers*** *by GGOOLLDD*

## References

1. ↑ Deadline
2. ↑ Listings - CHARMED on the CW