Other Women

**Other Women** is the fifth episode of the first season of *Charmed* and the fifth episode of the series overall. It premiered on November 11, 2018.

## Synopsis

GUILT — Mel (Melonie Diaz) is worried about Niko's (Ellen Tamaki) safety, so Mel and Harry (Rupert Evans) come up with a plan to protect her, but Mel will need her sisters' help. Maggie (Sarah Jeffery) notices that Macy (Madeleine Mantock) is upset about her situation with Galvin (Ser'Darius Blain), so she offers to do some recon with her, but they discover that things might not be exactly what they seem. Meanwhile, Maggie's sorority sister Lucy (guest star Natalie Hall) turns to her for some help, but Maggie struggles with telling her the truth because it could jeopardize her sorority future.

## Plot

Still devastated by the death of her partner Trip, Niko’s having a hard time believing he’s actually responsible for the murders being pinned on him. Mel, very reluctantly going along with the Elders’ "handling" of his death, is delicately encouraging Niko to move on. However, the detective can’t help but feel like something’s off and won’t let it go. She reveals to Mel that Trip was secretly investigating Marisol's death and apparently he was a pretty good detective as he’d managed to connect it to two other mysterious recent deaths. Just before his death, he left Niko a voicemail cluing her in on his investigation, and now she’s determined to pick up where he left off, hoping to clear his name in the process. However, the case files and his notes are all missing. Knowing Niko is playing with fire (and magic) by investigating the deaths of three Elder witches, Mel attempts to dissuade her from moving forward but inadvertently leads her to the notes.

After visiting Trip's grave, Niko and Mel leave the cemetery and do not notice that an unknown guy with flowers has come to their place. After waiting for Mel and Niko to go, the guy, grinning, threw the flowers away and, suddenly turning into smoke, turned the newly dug hill, making his way underground to Trip's coffin.

Meanwhile, Macy arrives at the Hilltowne University lab and immediately comes face to face with the demon we saw stealing the Harbinger of Hell from Elder Charity in the previous episode. Like witches, it seems demons also have day jobs as he reveals himself to be Alistair Caine, CEO of a major biotech company and the lab’s new major donor. However, as Macy isn’t aware that she’s in the presence of a demon, her most pressing concern is Galvin, who is head over heels for his new girlfriend, Summer, whom he met at the homecoming tailgate Macy declined to attend with him. In her defense, Macy was busy exorcizing a demon.

Parker dumps Lucy following his kiss with Maggie, and the Kappa president is highly suspicious that another woman came between them, enlisting Maggie to find this mystery woman. Maggie, working up the courage to tell Lucy that she may be the reason for the breakup, decides to channel her energy by helping Macy get the down low on Summer, who is not only gorgeous but is also very smart and has an award-winning podcast. Summer is so perfect Maggie quickly deduces that she must be a demon. Harry, their newest roommate while the Elders have their Book of Shadows confiscated, admits she could be a succubus and gives Maggie and Macy the signs to look out for when they purposely run into Summer and Galvin at a campus mixer.

While Maggie and Summer are grabbing a round of drinks at the mixer, Macy and Galvin awkwardly argue about their non-relationship. Macy chides Galvin for immediately moving on with someone else following their Halloween kiss but Galvin felt like he was getting mixed signals and tells Macy he was doing what he thought she wanted. Having spent a minute with Summer, Maggie’s no longer so sure she’s a demon, but after seeing a mysterious glowing symbol on Galvin, Macy is convinced, and she’s able to convince Maggie after the sisters spot one of Harry’s warning signs — traits of the monster’s true form hiding in plain sight — on Summer in the form of a lower back tattoo.

But it turns out not everyone in their lives is secretly a demon as the sisters confront Summer at her apartment and perform a spell, where they learn she’s just a very successful person with a tattoo. It’s all very awkward but Summer politely covers for a mortified Macy when Galvin appears. The messy situation is enough for Maggie to realize she’s letting the blame for Lucy and Parker’s breakup fall squarely on Parker and decides to come clean to her sorority sister.

At Trip’s secret fishing cabin, Niko finds all the notes she’s been looking for. However, unbeknownst to her, she’s being followed by the FBI agent she interviewed with earlier — who also happens to be a shapeshifting demon working with Alistair Caine. Shapeshifting into Trip, the demon confronts a very confused Niko, who hands over the DNA he’s been after. He knocks Niko out and sets the cabin on fire using hellflame, a green flame that Mel’s powers don’t work on. Luckily, she arrives in time and is still able to save Niko without magical intervention. Later, in the hospital, Mel and Harry thwart the demon when he makes a second attempt at Niko’s life.

Despite being the first sister to go all-in on being a witch, the consequences of their new lives seem to be hitting Mel the hardest. Feeling responsible for Trip’s death and putting Niko’s life danger, Mel is desperate to protect her…even if it means sacrificing their relationship. Noting Niko only transferred to Hilltowne for her, Mel asks Harry for a spell that’ll rewrite history so that she and Niko never met, erasing the sequence of events leading to the danger Niko currently faces.

A reluctant Harry is able to procure the Book of Shadows from the Elders, however, the powerful spell requires the Power of Three, prompting Mel to ask her sisters for their help. While the Whitelighter is the master of issuing grave warnings of the consequences to come, the altering of memories hits particularly close to home. Harry reveals to the sisters that he has no memory of his life as a human — not even what he did to become a Whitelighter. He had to sacrifice the memories associated with his old life when assuming his new role and he wants the sisters to be absolutely sure this is what they want to do.

Still desperate to save Niko at all costs, Mel pushes forward. While Macy and Maggie perform the spell, Mel says a tearful goodbye to Niko. I don’t love the idea of Niko’s memories of the relationship being erased.

The next morning Team Charmed reconvenes over a full English breakfast, courtesy of Harry, who has been formally inducted into the family by Maggie. A heartbroken Mel cyberstalks Niko, who in this new timeline, is still a detective in Lakeview. However, rewritten history has personal consequences for Mel as it costs her the TA job she had in the original timeline.

Galvin may not be under Summer’s spell but Macy can’t let go of that mysterious symbol she saw on him and she’s able to make a copy of it while apologizing. Maggie comes clean to Lucy, revealing she was the person Parker kissed. Despite attempting to explain herself, Lucy doesn’t want to hear it and it appears Maggie’s days as a Kappa sister are over.

Meanwhile, the rewritten timeline has interfered with Alistair Caine’s quest to steal Elder DNA for evil epigenetics-related business. However, his plans haven’t been fully thwarted as he and his shapeshifting demon son decide the Charmed Ones — specifically fellow scientist, Macy — may be the key they need to get ahold of the DNA.

With the Harbinger and lofty goals involving Elder DNA, Alistair Caine is clearly up to no good. However, as the Charmed Ones and the Elders are currently unaware that the Harbinger is out of their hands, it remains to be seen exactly how much damage Caines will be able to inflict before the sisters can stop them.

## 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

Recurring Cast* Natalie Hall as Lucy
* Nick Hargrove as Parker
* Constantine Rousouli as Hunter
* Meagan Tandy as Summer

Co-Starring* Brendon Zub as Hunter
* Jerome Yoo as Viktor
* Guilherme Babilônia as Kretz
* Shelene Yung as Nurse Cheryl/Hunter Caine

## Magical Notes

### Book of Shadows

* *Invoking the Moirai*
	+ The Charmed Ones cast this powerful spell to alter history, and to erase Mel's relationship with Niko in order to protect the latter from a demonic threat. This spell required the Power of Three.

### Spells

* *Succubus Vanquishing Spell*
	+ Used by Macy in an attempt to vanquish a girl named Summer that she mistook for a succubus.

### Powers

* **Empathic Telepathy:** Maggie’s primary power. Used to hear Lucy’s thoughts. Used to read Macy’s mind.
* **Enhanced Durability:** Hunter was capable of surviving a lethal injection, which was going to kill the mortal Niko.
* **Flight:** Used by Hunter to move through the air as a smoke.
* **Magic Sense:** Used by Hunter and Alistair to detect the 'temporal shift' of the Charmed Ones' spell to rewrite time - though not the details of the shift.
* **Orbing:** Used by Harry to teleport to the hospital.
* **Remote Hearing:** Used by Harry to hear Mel's call.
* **Resistance:** Used by Hunter to break out of Temporal Stasis.
* **Shapeshifting:** Used by Hunter to impersonate Trip and a nurse.
* **Smoke Form:** Used by Hunter to enter Trip's grave and transport using a smoke-like form.
* **Supernatural Strength:** Used by Hunter to hurl Niko across a room and render her unconscious (with one hand); and to throw Mel against the hospital room wall.
* **Telekinesis:** Macy’s primary power. Used to send Harry flying out of the bathroom, used to knock a picture off a wall in the science lab, used to break a beer bottle, and finally used to lift the back of Summer’s shirt.
* **Temporal Stasis:** Mel’s primary power. Tried to freeze Hellflame twice but failed due to its resistance. Used to freeze Hunter and Niko several times alongside a tray and a syringe in the hospital. Used to freeze Niko again at the Vera house.

### Artifacts

* **Book of Shadows:** The Elders took it back to their headquarters to inspect potential hidden spells. When Mel's girlfriend became the target of a powerful shapeshifting demon, they requested it back and used a powerful spell in it to alter history.
* **Hellflame:** Used by Hunter in an attempt to murder Niko Hamada.
* **Mystical mark:** The mysterious glowing red symbol, which Macy sees on Galvin's skin.

## Trivia

* This episode marks the first time the sisters meet a shapeshifter.
* This is the first episode to feature spells fully in English.
* Harry has moved into the Vera Manor as of this episode.
* This was the first episode of the series to not feature a demon vanquish of any kind.

## Unanswered Questions

* What kind of mark is on Galvin?
* What will Maggie do now that she is out of Kappa?
* What will happen to Niko?
* What will Mel do now that she loses her teaching assistant job due to time shift?
* What was Harry's previous life like?
* What is Alistair Caine scheming?

## Answered Questions From Previous Episode(s)

* Who was the mysterious man who took the Harbinger of Hell?
	+ The man is Alistair Caine, a demon who poses as the CEO of Morningstar Biotech and a benefactor to the Hilltowne University's Department of Genetics.
* Why did Charity frame Trip Bailey?
	+ She did it to hide the existence of the magic world from mortals.
* What will happen between Maggie, Parker and Lucy?
	+ Parker leaves Lucy because of his feelings for Maggie. Feeling guilty over ruining Lucy's relationship with Parker, Maggie tells her the truth and now Lucy hates them both.

## References to the Original Charmed

* Hunter Caine is the first shapeshifter demon to appear in the series. In the original series, the first shapeshifter was Marshall.
* In the original series, shapeshifters could take on the form of anyone they could imagine.
* In the original series, a succubus was a former witch who made a pact with darkness. Succubi give up all human emotions and become predators, seeking powerful men to feed off their testosterone. The Charmed Ones faced a succubus named Darla in the episode "*She's a Man, Baby, a Man!*".
* The Moirai are encountered as Fates in the short story, *Samhain*.

## Production Notes

* The episode was watched by 0.95 million U.S. viewers.
* Craig Parker's character was originally human name "Alastair Caine," but since this episode, it was changed to "Alistair Caine" for unknown reasons.

## Quotes

**Harry:** "They're a powerful class of demons that can mimic the forms of anyone they've touched. And are known for getting what they want."

## Gallery

* Promotional Images
* Screencaps
* Behind the Scenes

## Videos

* Videos

Charmed 1x05 Promo "Other Women" (HD)Charmed 1x05 Promo "Other Women"Charmed 1x05 Sneak Peek "Other Women"Charm Reboot - Powers (1x05)
## Soundtrack

* ***Fading Out*** *by Ivory Circle*
* ***Spell On Me*** *by VenessaMichaels (ft. Leslyn & Outlaw The Artist)*
* ***Mention*** *by Desta French*
* ***No Better*** *by Raveena*
* ***The Edge*** *by Anna Mae*
* ***La Favorita – L’ai-je Bien Entendu*** *by APM Studio Musicians and Singers*

## References

1. ↑ Charmed Casts Craig Parker as (Villainous?) CEO Alastair Caine.
2. ↑ As reported by TVLine, he will reportedly play Alastair Caine, the polished CEO of Morningstar Biotech.
3. ↑ Craig Parker cast as season 1 Big Bad.