Charmed: Show Ghouls (7.15)

This is just okay. Show Ghouls has an interesting central premise, with the time loop and the doomed victims and the Pardon My Past-style fashions and time period, but the show never really runs with any of it. Count Roget isn't at all interesting, and the story quickly devolves into annoying out-of-body hijinks soon enough. I did like the thing with the playing cards, and Phoebe's "uh... Surly?" line, but nothing else really stood out.

Elsewhere, there are a couple of 'blah' subplots for everybody else. Piper and Leo embark on a vacation, a story that doesn't really go anywhere, but presumably they were shooting two episodes at once, forcing them to write the two of them out for a couple of acts. There's also an annoyingly unfunny story in which Paige glamours into Phoebe for a Cosmo photo-shoot, and Alyssa once again proves to be the worst impersonator in the world. Maybe she isn't mean enough to do all of Rose's tics and mugging? Heh. The subplot blew, but I did sort of like the bit where Elise enters the Manor and sees Phoebe just sitting there unconscious, Paige coming up with some lame excuse on the spot. I'm easy like that.

I should also mention that the ending of Show Ghouls really bothered me. Charmed always had those clichéd 'this is what I learned this week' codas at P3, but what the hell is Paige talking about? She needs to "get a life in the real world" as she's been "too wrapped up with Magic School"? Seriously? I can't remember if this goes anywhere, but I'm real tired of the writers randomly making her so flaky at the drop of the hat. She's not a character anymore, just a collection of jitters and illogical career decisions. Gah. C

Credits
Guest stars David Anders (Count Roget); Rebecca Balding (Elise Rothman); Charlie Robinson (Mike); Lisa Arturo (Cameron); Billy Zane (Drake)
Writers Erica Messer, Debra J. Fisher, Rob Wright Director Mel Damski