I feel like this episode should be rated much higher than it already is. It is a phenomenal episode that showcases the splendor and everything wonderful about Charmed. This episode strays from the show's somewhat formulaic premise of the show by focusing more on the characters and their attributes rather than their powers and battles. A peeved Piper explains that she stepped in her neighbor's dog poop despite she and her sisters informing their neighbor about this issue. Phoebe then persuades Prue to use her powers to fling the dog's feces on the neighbor's shoes. This is an abuse of their powers, but it's just a small misdemeanor, they reasoned, it didn't matter, or at least so they thought. Convinced that she committed a good deed, Phoebe rewards herself by watching television. When flipping through channels, she stops at Cal Greene, a fictitious baseball player, and then she gets a horrifying premonition of herself being executed, modern Salem Witch Trials style, ten years into the future. Then, the sisters hatch a plan to travel to the future to learn why Phoebe was ordered to be executed. However, the spell goes awry: firstly, they were meant to travel two weeks prior to the execution; they travelled about eight hours before it. Secondly, time travel into the future doesn't work like it does into the past, for instead of spectating events of the future, they assume the corporeal forms of their future selves. Prue becomes a wildly successful and rich workaholic, plus she's blonde. Piper is a divorced mother. And Phoebe is about to die. After a few mishaps and learning about what they had missed for ten years and Prue blowing up half the attic with a small hand gesture, Prue and Piper devise a plan to bust Phoebe out of prison, and run into Leo, catching him up on the events that transpired. A confused Phoebe then learns of what she had done to warrant her execution when Leo orbs in to inform her of what happened the last ten years, even with the help of the Elders giving her a premonition of what she did. She murdered Cal Greene, the baseball player, with her powers because he killed someone she loved. Oh, by the way, each of the sister's powers greatly augmented in the ten years: Prue, through a small gesticulation, effortlessly blew up half the attic. Piper's freezing ability now affected people and objects in a far greater radius. Phoebe could levitate and used some unnamed ability to "electrocute" or overload Greene's brain with feelings or memories, which is how she killed him. After some events, the sisters arrive in the nick of time to save their sister. However, Phoebe convinced them to let her be executed, because this is how things were meant to be. After Phoebe dies, she and her sisters return to their time and learn about the consequences of using their powers for their own interests.
In addition to the captivating and refreshing plot, this episode was superb for a number of other reasons.
1) Prue blowing up the attic was so much fun to watch. Just wow.
2) The tangents of each sister serve as a reflection of their personalities and traits- Prue becoming a workaholic based on her industriousness and borderline obsession with her line of work; Phoebe being a executed for murdering Cal Greene being tied to her impulsiveness and willingness to take action, Piper's failed marriage and child being based on her romance with Leo and her being the most grounded out of the three sisters.
3) The sisters leading separate lives depicts how they lost their connection not only with their destiny but their bond with each other as years carried on was a nice touch to the story. It deepened the underlying story and reinforced the sense of each of the sisters changing not necessarily for the better.
4) This episode teaches only the sisters that abusing powers can be a very slippery slope. This episode also teaches the audience of the dangers of falling down a rabbit hole and losing yourself and how one seemingly harmless thing could eventually lead to calamitous consequences if you are not careful.
Overall, if I could, I'd rate this episode 1000/10!
In addition to the captivating and refreshing plot, this episode was superb for a number of other reasons.
1) Prue blowing up the attic was so much fun to watch. Just wow.
2) The tangents of each sister serve as a reflection of their personalities and traits- Prue becoming a workaholic based on her industriousness and borderline obsession with her line of work; Phoebe being a executed for murdering Cal Greene being tied to her impulsiveness and willingness to take action, Piper's failed marriage and child being based on her romance with Leo and her being the most grounded out of the three sisters.
3) The sisters leading separate lives depicts how they lost their connection not only with their destiny but their bond with each other as years carried on was a nice touch to the story. It deepened the underlying story and reinforced the sense of each of the sisters changing not necessarily for the better.
4) This episode teaches only the sisters that abusing powers can be a very slippery slope. This episode also teaches the audience of the dangers of falling down a rabbit hole and losing yourself and how one seemingly harmless thing could eventually lead to calamitous consequences if you are not careful.
Overall, if I could, I'd rate this episode 1000/10!