Charmed: Apocalypse Not (2.21)

It features a wailing performance from Paula Cole, as well as the worst running in the world ever, but Apocalypse Not is in fact a tightly-scripted detour down dramatic avenue. Hot on the heels of Astral Monkey, the show once again explores darker territory, with dialogue about the evils of the world, and the selflessness sometimes required to do the right thing. Charmed rarely delves into serious storytelling, but when it does, it's pretty memorable. Again, the show is exploring the sisters' actions themselves, and the cause and effect of the powers they wield.

Prue is absent for a lot of the episode (Shannen directs the next episode, which explains why she's incognito), leaving Piper and Phoebe to agonize over whether to save her and by turn threaten the lives of the world's entire population, or sacrifice her for the good of mankind. It's a decent dramatic device, paralleled with that cute self-help question about saving 'five strangers or one sibling' in a theoretical fire.

The characterization of the Four Horsemen is ridiculous, but also a lot of fun. They're cast as sleazy businessmen, with those weird color-coded ties, orchestrating evil in some fancy-pants office somewhere. It's all pretty dumb, but I admire the show's attempt to make their villains a little more interesting than simply 'cave-dwelling scenery-chewers'. Great work by Geoffrey Blake, too (if you excuse the running), especially in his scenes with Phoebe. Both he and Alyssa convey the seductive power of evil, a neat flourish casually explored in one or two scenes.

Apocalypse Not isn't perfect, but it's an admirable attempt at exploring serious issues. I always like when the show explores the bond between the three sisters, and how that can be manipulated to produce positive results... like averting an apocalypse. Fun episode. B+

Crimes of Fashion To be perfectly honest, Prue deserved to get banished to whereversville for wearing that annoying geisha-girl ensemble. What is it with her and kimono patterns? Yeesh.

Credits
Guest stars Geoffrey Blake (Strife); Patrick Kilpatrick (Death); Jeff Ricketts (Famine); Brian Thompson (War); Paula Cole Band (Themselves)
Teleplay Sheryl J. Anderson Story Sanford Golden Director Michael Zinberg