Weekly TV Reviews: Charmed s3 ep7

 

The episode begins with Maggie continuing to have visions of a shirtless Antonio which she's determined to keep from happening. She then finds the whole house empty with only water dripping and the emptiness continues when she goes to Safe Space to find it entirely deserted. The first impression feels that the sisters have ended up in a sort of dreamscape trap as Macy is next to find herself from her bedroom to an empty Safe Space. 

The last thing Macy remembers is searching for a monster person and her logical personality is fully embraced as she's recording notes on her phone about what she's experiencing. The little touches to their individual personalities have been fully embraced this season and we're enjoying the character-driven story development. Mel is also part of the weird empty they seem to be trapped in with a few strange clues added such as her discovery of a framed photo belonging to someone she doesn't recognize. The empty place seems to be trying to keep the sisters in a mental trip in a trap that appears to be sending them from room to room like a labyrinth. Leading questions for the episode are where are they and how do they get out? And why doesn't Maggie seem to remember them?

1.) Mind Games

We always enjoy trippy storylines that are a little strange and so we're excited to see the sisters trapped in a dreamscape-like place that takes them between Safe Space and their house. This is a clever closed room type of storyline that limits the characters to a location where the entire story takes place. This is a common element found in storytelling and was seen in Legends of Tomorrow with the legends trapped on the ship for the whole episode. Mel and Macy manage to find each other, both seem to have their wits about them, while Maggie seems to have no memory and has given into the insanity of the place. Which leads to the question, why doesn't Maggie remember anything and how long has she been within this world? She counts there being forty-two sleeps and it leads to the conclusion that the longer they're there, the crazier you become. Though, we have to wonder if this is the same Maggie or an illusion Maggie to mess with them. The allergy being intact seems to imply this is the real Maggie.

Maggie's memory seems to be tied to the place and plays out before them thus creating a transition into scenes outside of the empty while keeping within the location. This also shows Maggie and Jordan delivering food to Macy who delivers the news that her recent endeavor for Safe Space was rejected. The scene also delivers the news that Mel had discovered a way into the monster prison which leads to the conclusion that they're currently within the prison. The sisters conclude that their memories are what built their prison and by being together, Maggie's memories start to return. The mind games continue when the sisters are split up just as they discover a clue and Mel learns that there's a possibility of guards. The role of the sisterhood is strong in this episode, with the focus on the three of them working together to try and keep their sanity while searching for a way out.

The sisters are trapped in separate locations with Mel at the house (stuck in the floor like the scene from Jumanji), Macy was back at the Command Center, and Maggie is stuck in her room. Maggie discovers the second aspect of the prison that the world got wrong with a photo of Antonio and Maggie clearly something that had no occurred within her memories. This leads to another scene of her memory playing out and gets a clue as to how to work her way through the prison. Maggie uses this to discover that the glitches in the world are what triggers their memories by showing them that something isn't right. Together they help drag Mel out of the floor just before her hand went under. 

The sisters go on a glitch hunt to find things that are wrong since the world doesn't seem to understand the difference between love and hate, or emotions in general. This allows the sisters' keys to get out of the trap which helps them play through their memories and Mel remembers being put under observation after the dean wasn't happy about her not wanting to teach the dean's book. Speaker's Corner is an aspect of the university where Mel remembers speaking out (probably too much) about the dean's actions and what could have cost her the job she loved. The speech ends up being posted online and this leads to a minor argument between sisters but does unlock the memory of how Maggie ended up in the prison first.

Psych. The sisters think they found a way out of the prison only for Mel to discover a mistake that proves that they actually didn't get out at all. The mind games turn into a leap of faith as the sisters face a monster they were sure they defeated and sure enough they go straight through and are spit out at a construction site. They're then greeted by Harry. The sisters come out recharged and ready to fight with Mel having won against the dean, Macy finding a loophole to get the free clinic, and Maggie blocks the vision of Antonio out. Harry, meanwhile, discovers that more monsters have gotten out which is confirmed by Jordan who runs into the house for help. 

Quotes:

"On the positive side, I'm not alone. On the negative side, I'm not alone." - Macy (when she sees a trail of blood)

"This funhouse is not fun!" - Mel 

"Sexy jock man in towel." - Maggie (her notes from when she started to forget)

"Tofu wrap. Hard pass." - Jordan

"Stay calm, whatever my name is." - Mel

"Come on, we're going on a glitch hunt." - Maggie 

"Whoever designed the tomb of chaos deserves a Nobel Prize." - Macy