Charmed (1998 - 2006): Review By Vamp

Now, I'm sure you've all heard me talk about how much I loved this show, so I thought that for my first ever TV/Episode review I've ever done, I would review my favorite episode of it. This episode is called, "Bite Me," and as you've probably already guessed, it's about vampires. I've always loved this show, after I finally sat down and watched it with my Mom one night. I was hooked from then on. That's right. This is yet another thing that my Mom helped me become obsessed with, and while I would like to sit here and review every episode from all eight seasons, I don't think I have the words in me to write so many reviews, so I'll probably just be reviewing my favorite episodes, here and again. This one I love above all the others because, and you probably already guessed it: It's about vampires! I can't remember the first time that I saw this particular episode, but I do remember saying, "Now that's the best episode I've seen so far," and that thought never changed. This is one of my favorite shows ever, as I've said, and probably my all time favorite show. It's just awesome, and if you've never seen an episode, you're missing out big time.

Now the director of THIS particular episode is John T. Kretchmer, who has directed a total of twelve of the Charmed episodes, he seems to be only a TV director though, but that's fine as he does a great job with this, and the other one's he did, which I know he did good because the entire sereis, every last episode, was awesome. This episode would most likely be his best, in my opinion because it's my favorite, but i also say it's probably his best because it's just an awesome episode, and it just makes for a great story. Speaking of story, the writers of this movie are Constance M. Burge, who created the show, and then Curtis Kheel, who wrote the episode, along with thirty eight other episodes of Charmed, he develops a great way to incorporate one of my all time favorite things, probably THE all time favorite thing of mine, vampires, into my all time favorite show, Charmed. The two of these guys work out the best episode of the series, and a really fun one to watch, as well.

The visuals in this episode, as are the case with every other episode in the series, are absolutely amazing. The things and demons that they come up with for the Charmed Ones to fight are just spectacular, and they have interesting ways of reinventing the different types of beings they bring into episodes in our mind. However, the Vampires are done just as I like them: Human-like, but enough to notice that there's something wrong with them. Another thing that's worth mentioning pon the vampires, is how the transformation into Bat is shown. It's done greatly because it looks like she's ACTUALLY changing into a bat in real life, and that's pretty neat, especially for a TV show, but this one just does great. There are also a bunch of other demons in this episode, and they're all done very well. Like the harpies, and the grimlocks. Those're interesting to see, and you'll understand when you see this episode. The visuals of just this one episode are in and of themselves awesome, and just cool to watch, which is always the case with visuals in all the episodes of this series.

The storyline of this episode is one that is actually very cool as well. There are so many things going on at once, but it doesn't seem to erratic, though you might want to watch a few of the episodes before this one in the fourth season because it'll explain some things, like what "The Source" is, and what's so bad about Phoebe not living in The Manor any more. I'll probably inadvertently explain them in this review anyway, but it'll still help understand more things if you've seen all the episodes in the fourth season before this one. This episode kicks off with a bang too, starting with a Harpie attack. The sisters fend off a Harpie, but soon get word that there's an incredible surge of demonic activity in San Francisco, and begin to fear that there's a new Source coming to power. Soon however, they get thrust into an entirely new realm of evil, as Paige is turned into a vampire. Now Piper and Phoebe have to save Paige, and stop the vampires. This episode really gets your attention right away, and keeps you interested. It's definitely a great episode, and one I'll never get tired of watching, and that's a fact. The writers of this movie definitely did a great job with it.

Starring of course as the now Oldest sister, Piper Halliwell, is Holly Marie Combs. Piper has been having some issues lately. First, her, uh, period was missed, and she thought she was finally going to have a baby, but soon she finds out that it was a false alarm, and that she is NOT pregnant. Now that Phoebe is out of the house though, she really has no one to talk with about these kind of things, and she's not exactly used to having Paige living in the Manor either, since that's a new thing. Now she finds out that there's a demonic convention in town, and is led to suspect that there is a new source being selected, or taking power, whatever it is. Then, to top it all off, Paige is bitten by a swarm of bats, and is changed into a Vampire. Now Piper puts away all of her other worries, and doubts, and tries to find a way to stop the vampires, and save Paige before she has to die along with them. Holly Marie Combs does an excellent job, as always, in this role. Having gone through three seasons, and some-odd episodes, Holly Marie Combs has definitely become used to playing this character, and plays it down to a "T." The character's emotions, and problems are brought out so well by her that there is no one else who could play this role. Holly Marie Combs delivers a performance that can be totally relateable, if of course, you're a woman in this episode's case. She delivers an excellently convincing and believable performance, and was definitely a perfect casting choice when they put this show together, and no one could argue with that.

Alyssa Milano of course returns to her role of Phoebe Halliwell. Phoebe has now moved out of the Manor, and into her new husband, Cole's, penthouse, and though she is extremely happy to be on her own, and with her husband, whom she loves eminantly, she is still having trouble living away from the Manor, and her sisters. She follows Cole's wishes, seeing them as just, and not totally uncalled for, like the no orbing in deal, and such, and she just loves him to pieces. At the beginning of the episode though, while helping Piper to vanquish that Harpie that was attacking her, she suffered a scratch from the harpie, and has since been feeling a little off, and at first she thought it was a cold, and that she'd be fine after a while, then she thought it might have something to do with the Harpie Scratch, and so she has Leo heal it for her, but he tells her that there shouldn't be anything wrong with a scratch from a Harpie. So she begins to think that she might be pregnant. What's more, is that now Paige has been turned into a vampire, and rescuing her, which they have to destroy the Queen BEFORE Paige feeds, to do, has been added to the top of Phoebe's worry list, but she still troops on, not worrying about anything. Alyssa Milano, like Holly Marie Combs, has become most accustomed to playing this character, and every little twitch or glitch in Phoebe was brought out by Alyssa Milano, and no one else could play her at all. She brings out all of Phoebe's emotions and little quirks wonderfully, making her another great, interesting, and relateable character. She delivers us yet another incredibly convincing and believable performance, and was another great casting choice for this show when it was being put together.

Rose McGowan of course returns to her role as Paige Matthews, the newest sister in the family. Paige is still getting used to the fact that she suddenly found her long lost family, not to mention two long lost sisters, the fact that suddenly she was a witch with supernatural powers, and that suddenly she's living with these new found sisters, and battling demons at all hours of the day. As those who watch this show know, Paige has been having susp*cions about Cole all the time, and never trusts him, especially now that Phoebe is living with him, and that he's enforced a no orbing policy. However, after Piper confides in Paige about the hope of a baby that was there for a while, Paige realizes that Piper misses having Phoebe to talk to, and so she orbs over to Phoebe's, unfortunately she orbs in to find Cole discussing things with a strange man with all the shades pulled down, and the room near dead dark. Cole yells at her, as she tries to explain, and then she decides to leave, and gets on the elevator. Soon she hits it off with the man that was talking with Cole and heads to Piper's club, P3, and waits for him there, but when she is stood up, she leaves, and is soon attacked by a horde of bats. She then discovers that she's been turned into a vampire, and turns on the sisters, trying to make them her first kill, so that she will become a full vampire. Rose McGowan does an excellent job in this, and though, unlike the other two main actresses, she hasn't been in this series too long, she's doing wonderfully, and I'm glad to say that there's not a one who could replace her. She gets all of Paige's own quirks and emotions, and the feel of adjusting to things down really well, giving us yet another great and relatable character. She delivers an awesome, believable, and convincing performance, and was definitely yet another great casting choice for this show when they picked her.

Starring as Cole, Phoebe's husband, in this show is of course Julian McMahon, whom many know from the newer series, Nip Tuck. Cole is of course Phoebe's husband, as I pointed out, and he hides many things from his wife. As many who watch this show will know, The Source, the one ruler of the demon underworld, had finally been defeated by The Charmed Ones, and now the Demons were all in disarray without a leader, but somehow, Cole gained the source of power, and became The Source, and as many know, who, again, have seen the show, Cole was once a demon, named Balthazar, and a powerful one at that, and it was because of his sudden love for Phoebe that he converted, but now he's The Source, and is trying to bring all the factions and races of the Demon world together, a feat which has never before been attempted, and he's doing well, at least until the Vampires, a race which had been exiled from the underworld for betraying the previous Source, came wanting to join the alliance. He turned them away, and their response was to turn his wife's sister, a Charmed One, into a vampire, so that they'd have the strength to take down the underworld, and rule it on their own. Now Cole must side with Phoebe and Piper, whom he cares for, to save Paige, whom never liked him, and he never really liked her. He's taken it as an insult, and continues to help the sisters save Paige. Julian McMahon has been in the character of Cole since the third season, and he's definitely gotten a hang of playing the character, a character who you'll find out throughout the course of the show, can't decide which side he's on, and he plays it so well! No one could replace him either! He brings out all of Cole's untrustworthiness, ruthlessness, and all the other demonic personas of the character in this episode, making it a character that you can really feel for. He does a great job, delivering an exceptionally convincing and believable performance for this episode. Whoever was casting this character, definitely picked the right man to do it.

Starring again of course, is another actor whose been with the series since season one, is Brian Krause, who plays, of course, Leo. Leo is Piper's husband, and what's called a whitelighter. For those of you who aren't familiar with this show, a Whitelighter is like an angel. They watch over a witch, and protect her, healing her and such, and those who watch the show know how much of a struggle it was for Piper and him to get married, being that there are certain rules set out by the Elders, who are like the lead Whitelighters, against marriage between a Witch and her Whitelighter. Anyhow, I stray from the path of this episode. Leo has been sort of leary around his wife, and he knows that she wants to have a baby, and he tries as hard as he can to lift her spirits after the false alarm, and that's when things start to go wrong. He relays that the demonic factions have been increasing all over San Francisco, and then relays the news of a possible new source to The Elders. That's when Paige is attacked by the bats, and he can't find any supernatural reason, until Cole relates that when he was a demon(They stripped him of his powers) he dealt with vampires, and this was them. Now Leo helps them to obtain the objects that they need to help stop them, and save Paige, whom had been turned from the bites. Brian Krause, like I said, has been with the series since Season 1, and has become as much accustomed and respected as Holly Marie Combs and Alyssa Milano, and he definitely has this role down, no one else could pass as Leo in my eyes. If they tried, it wouldn't work. Brian Krause just gets all of Leo's emotions, worries and helpfulness down, and makes the character so relateable and awesome. He delivers an awesome, believable, and convincing performance, and he was definitely ANOTHER great casting choice for this show when the producers and everyone were putting it together.

Starring in this show, is the only character that I'll mention that HASN'T been with the show since the start, or at least for a lot of episodes, and that's Elizabeth Gracen, who plays The Vampire Queen(Before you ask, she doesn't have a name, they refer to her as the Queen throughout the whole thing because that's what she is.) The Queen had been exiled from the underworld hundreds of years ago by the old Source, for selling him out to his enemies. The only reason he didn't kill her is because Vampires multiply too quickly, and there would be too many. However, her ranks have been growing and growing, and the Vampires have become their own kingdom in the world, hunting for blood, and doing all the other vampire things that they love. That's when The Queen hears that there is a new Source in town, and she wants to extend friendship because she's heard about the whole faction thing going on, where everyone's joining together. However the new Source refuses her offer, and sends her away with a threat, but her right hand vampire had spotted the new Source's sister-in-law, and this hatched a plan in The Queen's mind. She would turn Paige into a vampire, and then have her feed on her sisters, putting The Charmed Ones on her side, enough force to overtake the underworld and kill all the demons, and so Paige is turned into a vampire, but soon The Queen realizes that Paige's sisters are far more persistent than she imagined. Elizabeth Gracen, whom I'm not familiar with at all, does an excellent job playing The Vampire Queen, she just has that Vampire essence to her, and she's definitely a good lookin' woman! She portrays the Queen's lust for blood, as well as her traitorous sense of mind extremely well, and makes a character that you can really feel for. She delivers an incredibly convincing and believable performance, and she was definitely a great casting choice for this episode.

All in all this was one hell of an episode, if you couldn't tell, and it's definitely my favorite episode of my favorite series. The director definitely knew what he was doing and so did the writers, for they give us a fantastic thrill ride, with laughs, chills, and tears(Maybe if you're REALLY emotional, LOLZ!). The director and the writer are only helped by the fact that the visuals are intense and incredible, and the storyline is amazing, and really easy to get into. The actors only help the show even more, making it the believable and convincing performance that it is. This is just such an awesome episode, for such an awesome show. Everything about the episode(And the show) are captivating, and loved by me, as well as most others that are into paranormal things, and vampires of course. It's an excellent blend of thrills, comedy, and all the other elements of the show, that make such an awesome episode/show. This is definitely, as I've said repeatedly, my most favorite episode, of my favorite show!!!!!