8:02 Malice in Wonderland
Demonic control. Innocent's Lost. Billie's life in danger and near death Charmed exposure.
Premiere Airdate: 10 February 2006, 19:30 SABC 3
Repeat Airdate: 01 April 2006, 01:15 SABC 3
Episode Sypnopsis: While attempting to take over the Underworld, a young demon plots to lure the Charmed Ones out of hiding, but when Billie stumbles onto his plot, she becomes one of his victims instead.
Cast & Crew:
Writer: Brad Kern
Director: Mel Damski
Star: Rose McGowan (Paige Matthews (Season 4+)), Kaley Cuoco (Billie (Season 8+)), Holly Marie Combs (Piper Halliwell), Brian Krause (Leo Wyatt (Season 2+)), Alyssa Milano (Phoebe Halliwell)
Recurring Role: Jason Lewis (Dex Lawson)
Guest Star: Ted Sutton (Recruitment Officer), Michael Dempsey (New Leo), Brittany Eldridge (Alexis), Heidi Heller (Manicurist), Greg Carlson (Businessman), Andrew McGinnis (Louis), Mykel Shannon Jenkins (Haas), Christina Ulloa (Jo Bennett), Michael Trevino (Alistair), Noa Tishby (Black Heart), Beatrice Rosen (Jenny Bennett), Michael McLafferty (Training Instructor), Marisa Lauren (Taylor), Crystal Kwon (Officer Maron), Annie Burgstede (Alicia), Monica Allgeier (Julie Bennett)
Notes: At the beginning, Phoebe and Piper talk of Dex in references to the show "Sex and the City" - an inside joke of course, since Jason Lewis appeared several times on that show as Smith, Samantha's actor boyfriend.
Quotes:
Billie: Oh, yeah?! Actually my problem is, is that you're just killing my buzz! Paige (laughs): Buzz. That's what you call fighting demons?
Billie: Beats the hell out of video games!
Piper: Not now, I'm not in the mood!
Leo: Oh, come on! Like that's what I want.
Leo: I think the point is that we need to take it slow, be patient.
Phoebe: Tell that to my premonition!
Trvia:
Paige's reflection, instead of her alias', was seen as she was going up the stairs before Phoebe began the narrating.
In the fifteen minutes that Paige was gone, Billie somehow tracked the demons, changed back into her wig and costume, and drove over to where the demons were? Not very plausible.
What happened to Billie's sunglasses when she fell? Her wig slid off and Paige picked it up but her sunglasses seemed to disappear.
Billie's wig didn't fall off when she was doing cartwheels and flips in the air, so why would it easily fall off when Paige punched her and knocked her to the ground?
TRIVIA: The cop that Paige ends up with is the same actor (Michael McLafferty), who played Prue's (Shannen Doherty) boyfriend in the episode, "She's a Man, Baby, a Man".
Allusions:
Re: Phoebe's Voiceover
As mentioned at the beginning of the episode, they're riffing on Sarah Jessica Parker's voiceovers in the TV series "Sex in the City".
Title: Malice in Wonderland
This is a reference to the classic novel, "Alice in Wonderland", and it's Disney film adaptions, animated and live-action.
Review:
"The Good, The Bad, The Charmed." This show's episode has taken many different avenues. Some of which were brilliant, others of considerable taste. How do you put a rate on his particular storyline, which is trying to establish and declare many things in 60 minutes or less. The writers needed to explain and sanction a direction for the characters to travel.
Is it a must to have to cram so much information into a bi-line that causes
a story to seem to the point of ridicules? That is my question for this
week.
When I previewed this second show of the eighth season, I must say I was a
little bit disappointed and at the same time understanding of its methods
and motives. I waited a week in eagerness to see what the writers had in
store for us, but to my dismay, it was not to be what I had hoped for.
The characters had to accomplish a lot of things to be able to move to the
next installment of this season. I understand the need for perseverance in
a character's complicated bio, with all of the necessary changes that need
to be made to make a story work, but (and I use this word literally) on
this particular episode this was in question.
I really enjoyed this show's intro, with Paige, Piper, Phoebe and Leo all
getting ready to begin the day's events. I smiled with joy over Leo's
comment of himself, "I should have made myself taller" and Paige, Piper and
Phoebe all having a discussion of there personal lives trying to top one
another as to who has the worst problem. (It brought back memories of me
and my sisters fighting over the bathroom, which made this scene, feel very
real and family oriented-like sisters should be.)
Further fun with this scene was having Piper call a family meeting and then watching her as she became frustrated as she desperately attempted to control the topics at hand and stop her husband and sisters from having side conversations. So what does Piper do, she whistles at the top of her lungs to get their attention (What able body person would not have done the same?).
The follies of this episode that needed further clarification were such
as:
Haas and his pact of demons getting into Magic School. It took Zankou a
great deal of time, effort and magic to figure out a way to be able to
penetrate the school, while Haas easily obtained entry. Is this because
the school was no longer protected even though Haas stated "The magic is
still there, but it is all theirs now"? What happen to all of the good
magic that was keeping this sacred school concealed and it's contents
protected? I understand that the school was abandoned, but I would like to
comprehend what the writers were trying to accomplish.
The other astonishing factor was having Paige make the assumption that she wanted to be a police officer. It was quick and very painful to watch how
her character was pulled over, considered a new career change, then was in
uniform, and then decided all at once this was not for her. Then we see Paige on a very hot date with the one and only perfect choice, her training
officer. My theory of having to make a quick full statement of activity to set the mood for the next event is defiantly working in this episode.
The oddest addition, was having Phoebe/Julie working at the Bay Mirror.
Unfortunately, this was too obvious to the fans. This segment of the show
had to be established in order for the future story lines to work together,
but surely there could have been a easier more interesting way then having
Julie cover the column because she understood Phoebe the most. Who is
hired on credentials such as that?
The brilliant aspects of this story line was:
This new approach that the writers are going for in showing the Charmed
ones as normal everyday people is a nice change and great for the budget.
Even having an acknowledgement of another favorite show "Sex in the City"
and imbedding it into the show was a nice touch. Bravo writes bravo.
One of my favorite scenes was seeing Leo and Piper sharing a moment
together. Even if it was of Leo trying to persuade Piper to come out from
under the covers. It has been a long time since we have viewed the loving
tenderness that these two characters have for one another. It lets the
audience know that there is still romance in the air.
There was real genius in how Billie was able to scry with her laptop. It sure saves space in the attic. The writers should find other ways to incorporated such items into future plots.
I truly enjoyed how Paige found Billie and confronted her on her fashion
fighting selection and her ability at being a witch. It was a nice change
to see how Paige was scolding Billie for her antics when Paige only a few
seasons ago was having her own difficulties from going astray. How she has grown!
The final opinions that remain our, how the story line of "Malice in Wonderland" was some how lost. The plot of the story was overlooked and
forgotten due to so many factors and sub stories. I lost interest in what the demons were trying to accomplish, but enjoyed the fighting scene were Haas was finally vanquished. The sub story of demons luring children into
the rabbit hole was actually a good plot and deserved more time to develop.
Leaving you with my final and absolute thought is that whether Charmed has
one, three or even ten shows of questionable taste, it would matter not. For I am a fan through and through and this show can do no wrong in my eyes. They have my fullest respect and everlasting thanks for allowing us to enjoy a few hours of entertainment and in helping us in forgetting about the real horrors of the world for a short time.
For in the end, this show with its creditable cast and amazing crew is most definitely without a doubt "CHARMED".