"All Hell Breaks Loose" | |
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Charmed episode | |
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Episode no. | Season 3 Episode 22 |
Directed by | Shannen Doherty |
Written by | Brad Kern |
Production code | 4300066 |
Original air date | May 17, 2001 |
Guest appearances | |
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"All Hell Breaks Loose" is the twenty-second episode and season finale of the third season of the American television series Charmed ; it is also the 66th overall episode in the series. The episode was originally broadcast in the United States on May 17, 2001, on The WB. It was written by Brad Kern and directed by Shannen Doherty. As well as being Doherty's last episode as director, it was also her last appearance on the show as the character Prue Halliwell, [1] although the character would later return in the comic book series. In the episode, The Charmed Ones deal with their secret of being witches going global and all of the news reporters swarming them.
"All Hell Breaks Loose" received positive reviews from critics, often being cited as among the show's best episodes. Discussions have often focused on the episode marking Doherty's final appearance in Charmed and Prue's death, which critics have described as shocking.
Charmed focuses on the three Halliwell sisters, Prue (Shannen Doherty), Piper (Holly Marie Combs) and Phoebe (Alyssa Milano), who are known as the most powerful good witches of all time in the supernatural community. They live their everyday lives battling demons and warlocks in modern-day San Francisco, while still trying to have a normal life. This episode focuses on their secret of being witches coming out into the public, when Prue and Piper are caught on tape vanquishing the demon Shax (Michael Bailey Smith). [2]
Prue, Piper and Phoebe rush into the manor with Dr. Griffiths (Matt Malloy), and they argue that Phoebe did not give them enough time to figure out why Shax, the personal assassin of The Source of All Evil, is after Dr. Griffiths. Phoebe goes up to the attic to the Book of Shadows to find out more information about Shax, and Piper tells her not to get side tracked by saving her demon boyfriend Cole (Julian McMahon). While Prue is explaining what is happening to Dr. Griffiths, she feels a slight breeze, and Shax rushes in the form of a tornado. Just as he is about to attack Dr. Griffiths, Prue jumps in the way and is thrown into a wall by a gust of wind. When Piper gets up, she is then thrown into the same wall, and Phoebe comes rushing down the stairs and says the vanquishing spell which wounds Shax. She then calls for Leo who orbs in and heals Prue and Piper just in time. Prue and Piper then go into the streets to figure out where Shax went. While talking in the middle of the street, Shax appears and attacks the two of them, but Piper blows him up. Thinking he is dead, both Prue and Piper are confused because if there is a spell in the book, they normally need it. But what Prue and Piper do not realize is that there was a camera crew, filming for the news, and they caught it all on tape. Back at the manor, Prue and Phoebe explain everything to Dr. Griffiths about magic, and why he needs to keep their secret, and he promises that he will keep it safe, since they saved his life. Prue is still very suspicious about how Shax died, though Piper tells her that he went poof and screamed which is how most demons die. Since Prue still worries, she sends Leo (Brian Krause) to The Elders to find out if they vanquished Shax for good. Phoebe then confesses that she is going to The Underworld to save Cole. When she arrives, Cole tells her that she should not have come and puts his hands around her neck. [2]
At the news station, Elana (Mercedes Colón) shows her crew what she caught on tape, of Prue and Piper vanquishing Shax, and some of her co-workers shoot down her idea that it was not real, though she convinces them to air it. Prue and Piper go back to the street where they vanquished Shax, and Prue tells her that she has a bad feeling about how they vanquished him. When Darryl (Dorian Gregory) brings a suspect into the station, his Captain (Redmond Hicks) shows him the news feed, and he calls Piper and Prue to tell them that they have been exposed. Darryl arrives at the manor, and tells them that they could be arrested because they killed someone on live television. Piper admits that she knew they should not have followed Shax into the street, and Darryl tells Prue and Piper that his Captain wants them down at the station. Leo then orbs in telling them The Elders do not know how to fix magic being exposed. When Prue asks Leo to take them to the hospital, he tells her that The Elders are not allowing Whitelighters to orb because they could be exposed too. Down in The Underworld, Cole confesses to Phoebe that he is now evil, and that she needs to go, but Phoebe tells him that she can save him and their love can conquer anything. When Phoebe smashes a potion on Cole's back, he kisses her, showing that the spell he was put under has broken. Phoebe then asks Cole to come back to the manor, but he says that if he were to go back there, demons would always go after him. Back at the hospital, Prue and Piper arrive to take Dr. Griffiths back to the manor for his safety. Shax then appears in a tornado, knocking Dr. Griffiths out of the car, and Prue and Piper say the vanquishing spell which wounds Shax. However, they did not know that the news crew followed them to the hospital and taped them vanquishing Shax again. [2]
"Evil wind that blows that which forms below. No longer may you dwell death takes you with this spell."
—Spell to vanquish Shax
The manor is then swarmed by helicopters, police officers, protesters, and news reporters. When Prue turns on the television, she finds Dr. Griffiths on the news telling reporters everything that happened when they first saved him. Prue and Piper then call Leo for help, and Leo tells them that they need to contact the demon Tempus to reverse time. Piper says that they vanquished Tempus, but Leo tells her that he was never vanquished and was just defeated. In the middle of their conversation, a crazed Wiccan fanatic named Alice (Marianna Elliott) breaks into the manor, telling Prue and Piper that she wants to join their coven; however, Prue throws her out of the manor. Leo then goes to The Underworld to tell Cole and Phoebe what has happened above ground and asks Cole if he can get Tempus to reverse time. When Cole tells Leo that he cannot summon Tempus, Phoebe says that he should ask The Source (Michael Bailey Smith), since the demonic side of magic has been exposed too. The Source then tells Cole that if Tempus was to reverse time, it would destroy him, but The Source says that he will do it if Phoebe agrees to join the dark side because it is the only way to save one of her sisters from dying. [2]
Back at the manor, Prue and Piper barricade the doors, and Prue confesses to Piper that she is scared. When Prue tells Piper about what could happen, she hears a gunshot. When she looks down at Piper, she sees that Piper has been shot from a rifle used by the crazed Wiccan fanatic Alice. Prue then rushes to her car with Piper in her arms and cries out for Leo. She realizes that she has to drive to the hospital because Leo is in The Underworld and he cannot hear her calling. When several people block the driveway, Prue telekinetically sends them flying through the air. When she arrives at the hospital, Dr. Griffiths and his team race to save Piper's life. Despite all their efforts, Piper dies and a grief-stricken Prue orders all of the doctors to get out of the room. In The Underworld, Cole comes back from seeing The Source and tells Leo and Phoebe about the proposal because it is the only way to save one of her sisters. Back at the hospital, the SWAT team arrive, and Prue still furious about losing Piper, uses her powers and fighting skills against them, and locks herself in the room, just as Leo orbs in to see his wife has died. He then orbs back to The Underworld to confirm that Piper was the sister that died, and Phoebe agrees to stay in The Underworld to save Piper's life. Cole then tells The Source, but when he leaves, The Source tells his hit-man to kill Phoebe and detain Cole. Just as the SWAT team is about to shoot Prue, time is reversed to the sisters' first encounter with Shax at the manor. With Phoebe trapped in The Underworld, Shax is able to kill Dr. Griffiths by sending him through a window, and Prue and Piper are left for dead. [2]
"All Hell Breaks Loose" was first broadcast on The WB on May 17, 2001. [3] The original broadcast was watched by 5.26 million viewers, making it the 82nd most-watched prime time network television program for the week of May 14 to 20, 2001. [4] "All Hell Breaks Loose" also received a Nielsen rating share of 3.4/5. [5] This means that 3.4 percent of all households with a television viewed the episode, while among those households watching TV during this time period, 5 percent of them were actively watching the program. [6]
"All Hell Breaks Loose" has often been cited as one of Charmed's best episodes. [lower-alpha 1] Writing for The Guardian , Isabelle Oderberg referred to "All Hell Breaks Loose" as the "best episode of the whole show". [7] Gay Times ' Sam Damshenas described the episode not only as the best one of Charmed but also as "one of the best episodes of any fantasy drama ever". [9]
Collider 's Jay Snow similarly described it as one of the show's best episodes, singling out Doherty's performance and calling it "an impressive final outing for Prue". [8] Comic Book Resources ' Vera Vargas cites "All Hell Breaks Loose" as the second most-rewatchable episode of Charmed and describes Prue's death as having shocked fans of the series. [11] In a retrospective review, Paste 's Lacy Baugher Milas also described the episode as the show's best. Concerning Prue's death, which she described as a "shocking choice", Baugher Milas lamented that it resulted in the show's declining quality and argued that a Phoebe should have died instead. [10]
Besides Prue's death, Baugher Milas praised the episode's plot focusing on magic and the Halliwell sisters getting exposed as witches, arguing that "All Hell Breaks Loose" showcased Charmed's greatest strength being in showing the "more uncomfortable aspects of what being a witch could mean, both from a personal and professional perspective". [10]
Charmed is an American fantasy drama television series created by Constance M. Burge and produced by Aaron Spelling and his production company Spelling Television, with Brad Kern serving as showrunner. The series was originally broadcast by The WB from October 7, 1998, until May 21, 2006. The series narrative follows a trio of sisters, known as The Charmed Ones, the most powerful good witches of all time, who use their combined "Power of Three" to protect innocent lives from evil beings such as demons and warlocks. Each sister possesses unique magical powers that grow and evolve, while they attempt to maintain normal lives in modern-day San Francisco. Keeping their supernatural identities separate and secret from their ordinary lives often becomes a challenge for them, with the exposure of magic having far-reaching consequences on their various relationships and resulting in a number of police and FBI investigations throughout the series. The series initially focuses on the three Halliwell sisters, Prue, Piper, and Phoebe.
Piper Halliwell is a fictional character from the American television series Charmed, played by Holly Marie Combs from October 7, 1998, until May 21, 2006. The character was created by Constance M. Burge, who based Piper on her second-oldest sister. Piper is introduced into the series as the middle sister to Prue and Phoebe Halliwell. She is one of the original featured leads and, more specifically, a Charmed One – one of the most powerful witches of all time. Piper's power was initially described as the ability to stop time in her surrounding environment. As the series progresses, Leo reveals that her power actually works by slowing down molecules to the point that they stop. She also receives the power to cause evil beings or objects to explode using her hands, by instead speeding up molecules to the point of combustion.
Phoebe Halliwell is a fictional character from the American television series Charmed, played by Alyssa Milano from October 7, 1998, until May 21, 2006. The character was originally played by Lori Rom in the unaired pilot episode. However, Rom quit the series, and a new pilot was filmed with Milano in the role of Phoebe. The character was created by Constance M. Burge and is based on Burge herself. Phoebe is introduced into Charmed as the youngest sister to Prue and Piper Halliwell. She is one of the original featured leads and, more specifically, a Charmed One – one of the most powerful witches of all time. Phoebe initially possesses the power of premonition, which enables her to see into the future and the past. To make up for initially only having a passive power, Phoebe develops martial arts skills in order to better assist her sisters when they fight evil beings. As the series progresses, she also gains the active powers of levitation and empathy.
Paige Matthews is a fictional character from the American television series Charmed, played by Rose McGowan from October 4, 2001, until May 21, 2006. The character was created by executive producer Brad Kern as a replacement for lead character Prue Halliwell, following the departure of actress Shannen Doherty. Paige is introduced into season four as the fiercely independent younger half-sister of the female leads, Prue, Piper and Phoebe Halliwell. Like her sisters, Paige is a witch, and more specifically, a Charmed One—one of the most powerful witches of all time. Paige is introduced as the secret love child of the Halliwell sisters' mother Patty and her whitelighter Sam Wilder, making Paige both a witch and whitelighter. She was given up at birth and raised by her adoptive parents, Mr. and Mrs. Matthews.
Prudence Halliwell is a fictional character from the American television series Charmed, played by Shannen Doherty from October 7, 1998, until May 17, 2001. She is the eldest daughter of Patty Halliwell and Victor Bennett. The character was created by Constance M. Burge, who based Prue on her older sister. Prue is introduced into the series as the eldest sister to Piper Halliwell and Phoebe Halliwell. She is one of the first original featured leads and, more specifically, a Charmed One – one of the most powerful witches of all time. Prue initially possesses the power to move objects with her mind by channeling telekinesis through her eyes. As the series progresses, she learns how to channel her telekinesis through her hands and gains the power of astral projection, the ability to be in two places at once. Prue also develops martial arts skills and becomes an effective hand-to-hand fighter like Phoebe.
Kyra, also known by her title the Seer, is a fictional character from the American television supernatural drama Charmed, which aired on The WB Television Network from 1998 to 2006. Kyra was created by executive producer Brad Kern and portrayed by actress Charisma Carpenter. Her original contract was a recurring role that included three episodes in the show's season seven. TV Guide reported the WB had considered promoting her to a series regular.
"Something Wicca This Way Comes" is the first episode of the television series Charmed. Written by series creator and executive producer Constance M. Burge and directed by John T. Kretchmer, it was first broadcast in the United States on The WB on October 7, 1998. "Something Wicca This Way Comes" was the highest-rated episode of Charmed in the entire series. It was watched by 7.7 million viewers and broke the record for the highest-rated premiere episode in The WB's history, being later surpassed by the pilot episode of Smallville.
The Book of Shadows, or simply the Book, is a book of witchcraft from the TV series Charmed. In the beginning, the book was created by Melinda Warren and was passed down the family to the Charmed Ones. This book contains spells, incantations, potions and information of the evil beings that their ancestors have once faced. They first find out that they were witches when Phoebe finds the Book of Shadows in their attic, at midnight on a full moon, and reads an incantation aloud. The Book of Shadows is enchanted. It can protect itself from any evil being who dares to touch it.
Billie Jenkins is a fictional character who appeared in the American television supernatural drama Charmed, which aired on The WB from 1998 to 2006. The character was created by executive producer Brad Kern and was portrayed by Kaley Cuoco. Billie was developed in response to The WB's request for a new character, and was intended to expand the show in a new direction for a possible ninth season or a spin-off series, leading to mixed opinions of media outlets.
Christy Jenkins is a fictional character from the American television supernatural drama Charmed, which aired on The WB Television Network from 1998 to 2006. The character was created by executive producer Brad Kern and was portrayed by actress Marnette Patterson. Developed in response to the WB's request for a new character, Christy was originally planned to expand the show in a new direction for a possible ninth season or spin-off. It was later confirmed that all future plans for the show were cancelled following the WB's closure to launch The CW.
"Forever Charmed" is the last episode of the American supernatural-drama television series Charmed, and the 178th overall. It is the second part of the double-episode series finale of the show's eighth season. The episode was written by Brad Kern and directed by James L. Conway. It was originally broadcast in the United States on May 21, 2006 on The WB. "Forever Charmed" involves time travel, nostalgic family visitations and a reprise of various important historical background situations, as well as a glimpse of the future to other progeny of The Charmed Ones. It was watched by 4.5 million American viewers, becoming the highest-rated episode of the season.
The second season of Charmed, an American supernatural drama television series created by Constance M. Burge, originally aired in the United States on The WB from September 30, 1999, through May 18, 2000. Airing on Thursdays at 9:00 pm. Paramount Home Entertainment released the complete second season in a six-disc box set on September 6, 2005.
The first season of Charmed, an American supernatural drama television series created by Constance M. Burge, originally aired in the United States on The WB from October 7, 1998, through May 26, 1999. Paramount Home Entertainment released the complete first season in a six-disc DVD box set on February 1, 2005, and was released as a high-definition blu-ray on October 30, 2018.
The third season of Charmed, an American supernatural drama television series created by Constance M. Burge, originally aired in the United States on The WB from October 5, 2000 through May 17, 2001. Paramount Home Entertainment released the complete third season in a six-disc box set on November 15, 2005.
The fourth season of Charmed, an American supernatural drama television series created by Constance M. Burge, originally aired in the United States on The WB from October 4, 2001, through May 16, 2002. Airs on Thursdays at 9:00 pm. Paramount Home Entertainment released the complete fourth season in a six-disc boxed set on February 28, 2006. This season also saw the introduction of Rose McGowan as Paige Matthews half-sister to Prue, Piper and Phoebe and a slight alteration of the opening credits, due to the third season departure of Shannen Doherty as Prue.
The term "Power of Three" in the original Charmed television series (1998–2006) and its reboot series of the same name (2018–2022), refers to the bond and connection between three sisters, known as The Charmed Ones, who are said to be the most powerful trio of witches. The term is represented by the triquetra symbol, which is placed on the cover of the sisters' Book of Shadows in both shows. Each sister has individual magical powers, which is noticeably stronger when they are combined as the "Power of Three". The sisters use their powers to protect innocent lives and vanquish demons and warlocks, often invoking their joint "Power of Three" to defeat their enemies.
Charmed comics were officially licensed continuations of the popular television series of the same name, which ended its eight-year run in 2006. The comic books were published monthly by Zenescope Entertainment. Charmed: Season 9 served as a continuation set eighteen months after the events of the televised show's final episode and was first released on June 16, 2010. After concluding in 2012, it was succeeded by Charmed: Season 10 which debuted on October 8, 2014 and ended on September 14, 2016. Each season comprises 22-24 issues and one story arc spans between five and seven issues which is reprinted in graphic novel form.
Charmed: Season 9 is a comic book series that was published monthly between June 2010 and October 2012 by Zenescope Entertainment, which owns the publishing rights to the Charmed comic book series. Written by Paul Ruditis and Raven Gregory, the series is an officially licensed continuation of the popular television series of the same name, which ended its eight-year run in 2006. Charmed: Season 9 is set eighteen months after the events of the television show's final episode. The first issue was released on July 21, 2010, and made its premiere at San Diego Comic-Con. The series concluded with the season finale issue, "The Power of 300", and was succeeded by the novel The War on Witches (2015), also written by Ruditis, and Season 10 (2014–2016).