Molecular Immobilization

Molecular Immobilization, more commonly known as freezing or, incorrectly, stopping time , is the magical ability to slow down the molecules of an object to the point where they completely stop moving.

Piper Halliwell, a Charmed One, developed this power as a child. When she first used this power after Penny Halliwell's binding spell broke, it could only be activated by her panicking or her being scared of something, during which she either flicked her hands and "froze" the target".

Gaining Control
Originally Piper could only freeze objects in the same room as her or that were in her direct line of sight within a certain range, regardless of what room they were in, and the freeze would only last for seconds at a time. When she was outdoors, it was unknown the range of effect that her powers had, but it can be noted that she was able to freeze a truck and a baby stroller moving on the otherside of the street from her front door step, giving her a considerable range.



Over time, Piper was able to freeze people and objects on command. She was initially scared of her power, considering that she was a jumpy person and could accidentally freeze someone, but as she grew more skilled at using her ability, she could freeze without needing panic as a trigger, could unfreeze a target, could freeze someone for longer, and could freeze or unfreeze desired objects or parts of an enemy without affecting the rest of her surroundings. This power advanced for Piper so much that she was able to almost completely freeze a Triad member. She also learned how to freeze good witches.

In a fight against Dr. Curtis Williamson, it was revealed that Piper was able to make her Molecular Immobilization power stay active as long as she focused. She was able to keep a metal disc frozen by keeping her hands up and mentally focusing.

Becoming more Advanced
Aside from the obvious limits of range the type of being that is to be frozen may also affect how well this power works. For example, initially Piper was not able to freeze good witches or upper level demons. Still, over time and as her powers developed, she overcame one of these limitations. Piper was able to freeze Billie Jenkins, but possibly only because Billie had been partially transformed into a demon. Piper also froze a member of the Triad, whose powers surpass many if not all upper level demons.

By season 4, this power advanced to where Piper did not need to directly see an object to freeze it. She has shown this ability when she only stuck her hand through the door the freeze the jury, and after having a long look at the jury, she did it again when she, Leo, and Paige left after helping Phoebe summon the spirit Angela in Trial By Magic. She also displayed this again in season 6, when Phoebe was possessed by Mata Hari and tried to walk away from Piper and Paige. As Phoebe/Mata Hari walked towards the stairs, Piper froze her without being able to see her. This is substantiated by the fact that after she froze Phoebe, she and Paige walked around the corner to stop her before she went up the stairs (Used Karma).

In season 8, Piper uses this more offensively sometimes, usually in conjunction with her combustion power or demonic attacks. For example, in Still Charmed and Kicking, while disguised as Wyatt, she froze an energy ball in mid-air and then blasted the demon that threw it into the frozen energy ball, which vanquished him. Later, she froze two Triad members and a fireball however, Piper said that she couldn't freeze them for long and the Triad was clearly starting to unfreeze slightly, and after Paige orbed one in front of the fireball, she unfroze them, vanquishing one and allowing her to vanquish the second one with her Molecular Combustion power.

By 2009, Piper powers were so advanced that she froze an entire city hall. During Brittany Reynolds funeral she froze all the guests and even the rain to see inside Brittany's coffin

Correct Term
This is sometimes incorrectly called Temporal Stasis, which means "stopping or balancing the flow of time", although Temporal Stasis is sometimes confused as the actual name for the power (which it is not) it just describes what it does. In the Season 3 episode "Exit Strategy," it was revealed that this power works on a molecular level by taking away kinetic energy from molecules ("slowing them down") to the point where they become motionless and was hence correctly termed "molecular immobilization".

Selective Freezing
This an ability within Molecular Immobilization. This alows the user to unfreeze certain things, within the frozen area. For example: Piper was able to only unfreeze Krell's head, and then before this she was able to only unfreeze Bane Jessup. This ability also entitles the user to freeze another section of things; this would mean if another person entered the room during the freeze, the user could freeze them without unfreezing the entire room, and freezing it again. For example: Piper was able to freeze Jack, and then when Jeff walked she was able to freeze him also, without unfreezing the room.

Personal Gain
In a broad sense throughout the series we see Piper attempt to use this power a number of times for personal gain. When at a beverage supply store, Josh takes the last bottle of Calera Jensen which Piper needs for a coq au vin recipe. She freezes him and is tempted to take it but then decides it's the wrong thing to do. (Is There A Woogy In The House?) Piper used the power to freeze a noisy restaurant when she was on a date with Leo (Chick Flick). She also froze a hallway full of people, because they kept touch her stomach, Paige even chastise her for it. (Spin City) Piper also uses the power to freeze regular humans a few times throughout the course of the series rather than for magical threats, but most of the time it is so she think things through or prevent accidents, thus it can't be considered personal gain. She also uses this power for sexual purposes mentioned by Leo in Blinded by the Whitelighter and Hell Hate No Fury.