Ambush

**Ambush** is the twentieth episode of the first season of *Charmed* and the twentieth episode of the series overall. It premiered on May 5, 2019.

## Synopsis

GLITCHES - With the Elders feeling that their lives are still in danger, the sisters and Harry (Rupert Evans) band together to try and stop the evil that is happening. Mel (Melonie Diaz) and Maggie (Sarah Jeffery) become concerned when Macy (Madeleine Mantock) starts to tap more easily into her demon side. Meanwhile, Niko (Ellen Tamaki) and Mel seem to be in a good place until Mel messes it up. Ser'Darius Blain also stars.

## Plot

Given everything magic's governing body has put the Charmed Ones and their Whitelighter through as of late, it takes a lot of nerve for the Elders to show up at their doorstep looking for help. However, as the Elders are, once more, being picked off one by one, that is exactly what happens during the opening minutes of “Ambush.”

With the most recent Elder assassination taking place at a federal courthouse in broad daylight, Elder Silver turns up in Hilltowne asking for assistance. Given the Elders only *just* sentenced him to death, Harry is rightfully reluctant to help but Elder Silver wants to put aside their past differences for the sake of preventing the apocalypse.

Revisiting the prophecy — this time, with illustrations — Elder Silver reveals that before the Source of All Evil can bring the apocalypse, a series of events must occur, including the deaths of all Elders. While naturally, Alistair/Alastor is their prime suspect, Maggie offers up Fiona as someone who might also be targeting Elders, especially if the Source and Sacred Flame are the same as the sisters suspect.

Unfortunately, an apocalyptic demon isn't the only demon wreaking havoc on the lives of the Vera sisters. While Macy is convinced she has her demon powers under control, they've been creeping into her everyday life, much to the concern of Harry and her sisters. After her demonic side surfaces without her even noticing — while ranting about the lack of almond milk in the house, no less — Mel and Maggie worry Macy's continued use of her evil sight is to blame.

Kappa president Lucy is also back and remembering Maggie's out-of-this-world skinny marg's from Halloween, she needs the recipe for Kappa's Cinco de Mayo party. But even the most basic Charmed character has ulterior motives as Lucy, mesmerized by Alistair, is on a mission to retrieve a page from the Book of Shadows and does so with considerable ease. Seriously, you would think the Vera sisters would at least hide their magical spellbook before allowing people to wander around their house unaccompanied.

Harry gives Macy a watch that once belonged to Fiona in the hopes of tracking her, revealing he knows a process to strip a person of their immortality. The only catch: it has to be self-inflicted. On the hunt for Parker, Mel and Maggie consult with the Book of Shadows for a demon-tracking spell. Instead, the spellbook reveals a page has been torn out and thanks to her distinctive cocoa butter, the sisters realize the thief is Lucy and she may know where to find Parker.

Meanwhile, Harry Potter isn't the only magical being with a darkness-induced special skill. While sifting through Galvin's grandmother's artifacts, Harry and Macy stumble across a book written in a language known as Illevaihcam, a.k.a. the Devil's Tongue. Harry is shocked to find Macy reading aloud from it with ease as it's apparently a language only demons can understand. The book contains instructions for a Voodoo ritual, which Macy and Harry decide to use to draw out Fiona.

Once in the Vortex Viribus, Macy reveals the ritual will effectively turn her into the Voodoo doll. While Harry is clearly uneasy about the plan, the sight of Elder Bari's needle is a definite red flag. However, when he tries to intervene to ask her about it, Macy puts up a force field, blocking the Whitelighter from entering the circle.

Macy performs the painful ritual, rendering Fiona mortal. However, the dark ritual has some demonic side effects on Macy and despite Harry's pleas, she awakens her evil sight to view the aftermath. Macy sees Alistair enter the crypt the weakened Fiona is hiding in, bragging about finding the Origin Dagger. However, the tables turn when the witch reveals she's the steward from the prophecies, who is meant to activate the Source of All Evil on his behalf. And that, my friends, is the sound of our two Big Bads teaming up...but likely secretly planning to double-cross the other in time.

When Macy removes Elder Bari's needle from her forehead, her demonic powers continue to fight for control over her body and she loses consciousness.

Finally realizing Lucy is way too invested in her and Parker's relationship — especially for an ex — for something not to be up, Maggie and Mel go to Kappa to investigate. Maggie thinks Lucy has been mesmerized by Alistair but doesn't know how they're communicating. While Mel freezes the room, the pair sift through Lucy's phone and discover a number of calls made by an international number.

Back at home, Macy is resting and Harry is properly freaked out by Macy's uncontrolled demon powers as her friend and her Whitelighter, who is keenly aware the Power of Three doesn't work when one sister is a demon. He tells Mel and Maggie that her use of Evil Sight has to cease immediately. Unfortunately, Macy enters at this precise moment — in a distressingly calm manner — and defends her use of the needle by pointing out all the information they've learned through it.

Before things can escalate any further, a tearful Niko arrives. She tells Mel she's getting married in two days but things with her fiancée are on shaky ground because of her feelings for Mel and the two kiss...which Maggie walks in on. But ever the dutiful little sister, she promptly backs out of the room and makes a lot of noise in the hallway, alerting Niko and Mel of her impending arrival.

Maggie asks Niko for help tracing the international number calling Lucy but after she leaves, Mags confronts Mel about the kiss. Despite the lengths she went through to keep Niko safe and out of her life, Mel admits she's still in love with Niko. Citing Elder Silver's apocalyptic picture book, Maggie implores Mel to tell Niko the truth about her rewritten timeline before it's too late.

Elder Silver returns to report that after another string of Elder murders, only six remain. Macy suggests they stop hiding and prepare for a fight. Giving Lucy false information, they attempt to draw out Alistair and Fiona and transport them into the Council's chambers, where the remaining Elders, Charmed Ones, and Harry are ready for a fight.

As they prepare for battle, the final unaccounted for Elder arrives, quickly revealing herself to be Hunter in disguise, killing one of the nearby Elders. However, his time in Tartarus has somehow strengthened his powers and the plan quickly falls apart. The demon kills most of the remaining Elders, wounding Elder Silver before Harry is able to orb them all back to safety.

Macy wants to use her Evil Sight to learn how Hunter got so powerful and find out what he's after. However, Mel and Maggie caution her against it, citing their very reasonable concerns about her continued use of her demon powers. After an angry, increasingly tense exchange, Macy's demonic side surfaces and she attacks Mel.

Seeing Mel and Maggie genuinely terrified of her is enough to snap Macy out of the demon fog she's been under lately and she breaks Elder Bari's needle, permanently putting her Evil Sight to rest. As the sisters make up in their mom's old book nook, Maggie discovers a symbol on a book similar to one she's been doodling. Hoping to find a secret passageway, Maggie rotates the book...and nothing happens. Seeing another book on the shelf, Mel gives it a go, also to no avail. However, third time's the charm; when Macy rotates the third book, a hidden door opens.

In the hidden room, the sisters each find a cabinet adorned with their name, containing gifts from their mom, who appears through a magical holographic message. Maggie receives a staff that’ll help her focus her emotional energy, while Mel is given a bracelet that’ll help her manipulate time to her advantage. While Macy's cabinet is empty, Marisol explains that the yin and yang pendant she wears, a gift from her father, will keep her connected to her sisters during her darkest moments.

Upon returning from the secret room, Maggie gets a video call from Hunter, using Lucy's phone. The demon threatens to kill the Kappa president if the Charmed Ones don't make an appearance with the last remaining Elder in the next 20 minutes. Having apparently forgotten his animosity towards the Elders for the sake of greater good, Harry is not on board with Elder Silver being used to bait Hunter, but she reminds him that the rest of the council is dead, leaving them with no other choice.

With their newly upgraded weapons in tow, the Charmed Ones arrive at The Haunt ready for a fight. This time, the sisters fare much better against the demon, but as he fades away — whether he's actually dead, we'll likely learn next week — he's able to kill Elder Silver by throwing a blade into her chest.

Back at the Vera household, Harry brings out the tequila and they drink to the Elders. With all the sages dead, Maggie is worried it means Alistair is closer to putting the Source in Parker. While Mel defiantly tells Maggie they'll find and save Parker before that happens, Harry reminds her that if it's too late, they're going to have no choice but to kill him.

At Alistair's lair, a healed Fiona encounters Charity, who, given their last encounter, is surprisingly happy to see her younger sister. While Charity poses they team up to take Alistair down, Fiona reveals her own master plan: she's going to kill Parker after he's filled with the raw power from the Source and destroy magic. Fiona ominously adds that when Alistair set out to kill all the Elders he made a critical miscalculation, allowing Charity to put the pieces together. Realizing she's the last remaining sage preventing the prophecy from taking place, Charity is able to escape before Fiona can kill her.

Meanwhile, Niko returns with the information Maggie needs to track the calls sent to Lucy. With Maggie's encouragement, Mel tells Niko the truth about their relationship and how she was the one who created the changes in Niko's life. However, Niko is devastated and betrayed that Mel used magic to alter her life and storms out. Having overheard the entire thing from the kitchen, Macy brings out fresh-baked cookies for Mel and the two properly make up.

Just when Team Charmed is finally catching on to Alistair's plans, another demonic curveball comes their way. At The Haunt, bartenders cleaning up from Lucy's Cinco de Mayo party begin bleeding from their noses and eyes before passing out. Even worse, Niko barely makes it through her front door before losing consciousness, her nose bleeding badly.

Alistair may have forgotten about the final Elder but the apocalypse is officially one step closer.

## Cast

* Madeleine Mantock as Macy Vaughn
* Sarah Jeffery as Maggie Vera
* Ser'Darius Blain as Galvin Burdette (Credit Only)
* Ellen Tamaki as Niko Hamada
* and Rupert Evans as Harry Greenwood

Recurring Cast* Valerie Cruz as Marisol Vera's hologram
* Natalie Hall as Lucy
* Leah Pipes as Fiona Callahan
* Virginia Williams as Charity Callahan
* Craig Parker as Alastor
* Constantine Rousouli as Hunter Caine
* Karin Konoval as Elder Robinson / Hunter Caine

Co-Starring* Michelle C. Smith as Elder Zaragoza
* Kelsi Chartand as Elder Wade
* Andrea Ross as Elder Connor
* Jonsook Ko as Elder Chen
* Jen Oleksiuk as Cate Monroe
* Chiara Guzzo as Trishelle
* Aliesha Pearson as Blonde Woman / Hunter Caine
* Meghan Drew as Barback #1
* Dan Ginnane as Barback #2

## Magical Notes

### Book of Shadows

* *Cicada Demons* and *The Hurt Blocker*
	+ These pages are visible when Lucy flipped through the book.

### Spells

* *Contortion Field*
	+ Used by Elder Silver to move Hunter from Vera Manor to their trap.
* *Demonic Voodoo Ritual*
	+ Used by Macy to turn herself into Fiona's voodoo doll in order to cast the Immortality Stripping Spell on her.
* *Immortality Stripping Ritual*
	+ Used by Macy combined with a tracking spell and a voodoo doll ritual to strip Fiona's immortality.
* *Password Spell*
	+ Used by Maggie to unlock Lucy's phone.
* *Solar Charm*
	+ The Elders used a solar charm during battle with Hunter, allowing them to project the spell in the form of energy beams.
* *Witch Tracking Spell*
	+ Used by Macy combined with an Immortality Stripping Spell to locate Fiona.

### Powers

* **Bibliomancy:** Used by the Book of Shadows twice, first to shut itself after Lucy stole a page, and next to tell Mel and Maggie that it had been tampered with.
* **Conjuration:** Used by Projection Canvas to conjure images whilst in discussion about the prophecy.
* **Deflection:** Used by Hunter to deflect the Elders' attack.
* **Demonic Translation:** Used by Macy to read *Illevaihcam*.
* **Energy Beams:** Used by the Elders through a solar charm.
* **Enhanced Durability:** Used by Hunter to withstand the effects of the Elders' energy beams and Mel's blades.
* **Healing:** Used by Harry in an attempt to heal Elder Silver.
* **Orbing:** Used by Harry to teleport.
* **Photokinesis:** Used by the Charmed Ones to project beams of light to see in the Elders’ headquarters, presumably through the Power of Three or the Light of Theia spell.
* **Pocket Dimension Creation:** Used by Deborah Silver to create a pocket dimension of the Haunt to give the Charmed Ones enough space to engage in battle with Hunter Caine.
* **Remote Teleportation:** Used by Deborah Silver several times.
* **Shapeshifting:** Used by Hunter to shapeshift into a blonde woman and Elder Robinson.
* **Smoke Form:** Used by Hunter in an attempt to disorient Macy.
* **Smoking:** Used by Hunter during his Elder massacre.
* **Supernatural Strength:** Used by Hunter to break an Elder's neck, and hurl Mel across a room with a single punch.
* **Telekinesis:** Used by Macy to move a chair, shove Harry away, throw Hunter, to pull Mel towards her, throw Mel across the room, pick up Priyanka's needle, and force Hunter to condense back into his human form from his smoke form.
* **Temporal Stasis:** Used by Mel to freeze Lucy's bedroom, and The Haunt during the Cinco de Mayo party.
* **The Evil Sight:** Used by Macy twice to see Fiona being stripped of her immortality, and to witness Alastor's conversation with Fiona after.

### Artifacts

* **Book of Shadows:** The book was used in the episode.
* **Empathic Staff:** Used by Maggie while battling Hunter.
* **Elder Silver's Staff:** Used by Elder Silver to track the worked spell.
* **Double Blades:** Used by Mel while battling Hunter.
* **Hellflame:** Used by Charity in order to escape Fiona.
* **Priyanka Bari's Needle:** Used by Macy to view the aftermath of her zoodoo deimmortalizing ritual on Fiona and then Fiona's conversation with Alastor. Macy later breaks the needle when she loses control and attacks Mel.
* **Projection Canvas:** Used by Elder Silver, the Charmed Ones and Harry whilst in discussion about the prophecy. This thing had the power of conjuration to display images to exemplify its contents.
* **Time Bracelet:** Used by Mel while battling Hunter.

## Trivia

* This is the third holiday episode of the season one.
	+ The other two same episodes are "*Sweet Tooth*" and "*Jingle Hell*".
* During this episode the holiday "Cinco de Mayo" was celebrated.
* Hunter said the phrase "*Happy Cinco De Drinko, betches.*" "Cinco De Drinko" is the celebration period of "Cinco de Mayo". Drinking on or around or for the holiday.
* Dexter Vaughn was mentioned. He was last seen in a flashback in "*You're Dead to Me*".
* Despite being credited, Ser'Darius Blain was absent in this episode.

### Continuity Errors

* When Hunter hits Mel in the face, she should have flown off by inertia in the direction of his hand, that is, to the left. Instead, for some reason, she flies back towards the sofa.
	+ Also, when the video track slows down, it is too noticeable that the actor's hand does not touch the actress's face at all.

## Answered Questions from Previous Episode(s)

* How will the Charmed Ones face against Alastor and Hunter?
	+ So far the Charmed Ones have managed to vanquish Hunter.
* How will Fiona retaliate?
	+ By conspiring with Alastor.
* Will Macy give in to her demon side?
	+ She nearly did, but found a way to balance herself in the end.
* How will the Elders react to the Charmed Ones' disobedience?
	+ They decide to overlook this in order to join together in their fight against Hunter.

## Unanswered Questions

* How will the Charmed Ones prevent the prophecy now that most of the Elders are dead?
* Will Charity survive?
* Has the Harbinger been released?

## References to the Original Charmed

* The sisters discover a secret passage to the basement under the house. In the original show, the basement was located under the kitchen with an obvious door.
* Hunter coming back from Tartarus, being more powerful reminds of how Cole in the *OG Charmed* got many powers when he came back from the Demonic Wasteland.

## Production Notes

* The episode was watched by 0.60 million U.S. viewers.
* The episode was released on May 5, the day of "Cinco de Mayo." It's an annual celebration to commemorate the Mexican Army's victory over the French Empire at the Battle of Puebla, on May 5, 1862, under the leadership of General Ignacio Zaragoza. In the United States, Cinco de Mayo has taken on a significance beyond that in Mexico. More popularly celebrated in the United States than Mexico, the date has become associated with the celebration of Mexican-American culture.

## Quotes

**Hunter:** *"Happy Cinco De Drinko, betches."*

**Lucy:** *"What up, amigo? I need your face in my life, like, yesterday."*
**Maggie:** *"Lucy..."*
**Lucy:** *"Also, I don't know who your friend is, but one, is he single? And C, should I make out with him?"*
## Gallery

* Promotional Images
* Screencaps
* Behind the Scenes

## Videos

* Videos

Charmed 1x20 Promo "Ambush" (HD)Charmed Ambush Trailer The CWCharmed 1x20 Sneak Peek AmbushCharm Reboot - Powers (1x20)