Reckless Abandon

Reckless Abandon is the 33rd episode of Charmed.

Episode Information

 * Season 2
 * Episode No. 11
 * Written By Javier Grillo-Marxuach
 * Directed By Craig Zisk
 * Production No. 4399032
 * Original Airdate January 27, 2000

Summary
Detective Morris puts his job on the line when he allows Phoebe to take a seemingly abandoned baby home so the Charmed Ones can protect him from a vengeful ghost Phoebe has seen in a terrifying vision. When Prue and Piper discover that the ghost has systematically been killing off the men in the family, they ask the matriarch to help find the reason for the murders before the baby boy meets the same fate. Meanwhile, Jack tries to persuade Prue to accompany him on a business trip and Piper’s relationship with Dan takes an exciting turn.

Plot
Prue has worked on a presentation with Jack; the boss has promised to send one partnership to New York.Someone has abandoned a baby at the police station. Phoebe finds a small blanket giving the name Matthew. She picks him up and has a vision of a man running with the baby as a ghost shoots lightning at them. Phoebe takes the baby to the manor. Darryl says they have 24 hours before Social Services begins asking questions. Phoebe goes back to Darryl while Prue goes after diapers and such, leaving Piper with the baby. Prue, shopping, bumps into Jack, who promises her a lovely time in New York.

Dan assists Piper in caring for Matthew van Lewen. Meanwhile, Phoebe goes to a sketch artist and get the face of the man with the man carrying the baby. She faxes the sketch to Prue, who identifies Gilbert van Lewen. Prue says that his family had tried to sell an art collection through Buckland's, but backed out when Gilbert's father died the previous summer. His brother had died two days earlier.

The ghost of Elias Lundy appears to Gilbert van Lewen, his wife Alexandra and his mother Martha. Elias demands baby Matthew; Gilbert refuses, and Elias kills him with lightning. Elias wants to make Martha suffer by killing all the males in her family.

Darryl, Prue and Phoebe go the the van Lewen estate. Darryl meets with Martha, who claims that her grandson Matthew is with his aunt in Sonoma. Phoebe and Prue snoop into the estate and find Matthew's room. Alexandra finds them and they claim to be grief counselors. Alexandra wants nothing to do with them.

Phoebe researches the van Lewens, Piper tries to console a crying Matthew and Prue works on her presentation. Finally, Piper hands Matthew off to Phoebe. Phoebe tries burping Matthew, who spits up on Prue's presentation and goes right on crying.

Hours later, Matthew is finally quiet. Prue is holding him when he starts crying again. Prue lays him on a blanket and uses her power to make a mobile out of items in her purse.

Piper finds that Elias Lundy was the van Lewens' chauffeur and had disappeared just before Martha's husband died. Phoebe brings the Book of Shadows downstairs, figuring their mother and Grams might have left some advice there. The only advice she finds is "sometimes a baby just has to cry". Piper finally gets frustrated and freezes Matthew.

In the morning, Dan holds Matthew while the sisters catch a few minutes' sleep. He has to go to work and hands Matthew to Piper. Prue takes Matthew to work. Jack has finished the presentation and covers for Prue. Meanwhile, Piper and Phoebe go to the van Lewen estate. Martha answers the door, followed by Alexandra. Phoebe shows them the scrap of cloth with Matthew's name on it. Elias appears, wanting to know where Matthew is. Piper freezes his lightning bolt and the four duck. They flee, and Elias tries to follow but cannot leave the mansion.

Piper, Phoebe and Alexandra meet at P3, and Alexandra tells the sisters about Elias. Elias had been obsessed with Martha, even carving his and her initials on the largest oak on the grounds. One day, Elias attacked Martha, and her husband shot him in the back and buried him under the initials. Then the van Lewen men began to die.

Jack and Prue have won the trip to New York, but she has changed her mind.

Phoebe prepares a potion to vanquish Elias. It has to be spread on his bones. Darryl shows up and says Social Services has called. The sisters palm Matthew off on Darryl and head to the van Lewen estate with the potion.

Phoebe finds the oak and calls for Prue. Prue raises the bones with her power, but Elias senses the threat. Just as Prue and Phoebe are about to apply the potion, Elias zaps the bones, hiding them. The two run into the manor and go to Martha and Piper.

Phoebe says that a ghost can also be vanquished by destroying the object of its wrath -- Martha, in this case. The sisters are unwilling to do this, but Martha says she is no innocent. It was she, not her husband, who shot Elias. Elias appears again, and Martha resolves to protect Matthew. She throws herself off a railing. Her ghost rises from her body, and she says, "Go to Hell, Elias." A hole opens up and Elias disappears into hellfire.

The sisters bathe Matthew in the kitchen sink one last time, meet Alexandra at the police station, and hand Matthew to her.

At P3, the sisters talk of how many children they think they'll have. Piper thinks Dan is a little too perfect. Jack walks in and Prue meets him.

Guest Stars

 * Stephanie Beacham as Martha van Lewen
 * J. Kenneth Campbell as Elias Lundy
 * Hillary Danner as Alexandra van Lewen
 * Lochlyn Munro as Jack Sheridan

Co-Stars

 * Rolando Molina as Hernandez
 * Albert Stroth as Uniform Cop
 * Ric Coy as Gilbert van Lewen

Featured Music

 * "I Love You" by Martina McBride (Prue, Piper and Phoebe washing, drying and dressing baby Matthew)

On The Place of Magic In The Rearing of a Child

 * A child is the frailest and most innocent
 * of all innocents.It is therefore unlawful
 * and unnatural to use magic to change
 * what is in the nature of a child. Before
 * casting a spell that affects a child, the
 * witch must ask herself, "am I doing this
 * for the child or am I doing this for myself?


 * To the witch who is bothered by the noise
 * of a child and would seek to use magic to
 * bring forth peace and quiet, this tome
 * can only say one thing:
 * sometimes a baby just has to cry.

Quotes

 * Piper: What are you talking about?
 * Prue: You, Dan, little Dan.
 * Piper: Whoa, slow down. Dan is the one that has our relationship on the fast track, not me. But don’t get me wrong, he’s great, but that doesn’t mean I’m ready to move in with him or anything else of that nature.
 * Prue: (Sarcastically) You know, I just hate guys who aren’t afraid to commit, they are so atypical.
 * Piper: It’s not funny, Prue, it’s a problem.
 * Prue: Piper, I don’t really see what the problem is. I mean, you and Dan are great together and you think that you love him, right?
 * Piper: I think so, it’s just every time I feel I’m ready to commit to him, I flash back to our little trip to the future and seeing me with Leo and…
 * Prue: Piper, Dan is here now in the present. That’s all that matters.
 * Piper: I know, I know. But I’m not ready for a baby shower either.




 * (In the Manor. Living room. Phoebe, Piper and the baby are there. Piper’s holding Matthew.)
 * Phoebe: So I can’t figure out if the premonition was the future or the past. If it was the past, it would make sense that they would abandon him to try to save him.
 * Piper: Uh, you know, I’m not really good with these things.
 * Phoebe: They’re called babies. Just do the rocking walk. He loves the rocking walk.
 * Piper: Are you sure it was a ghost?
 * Phoebe: Yeah, I think I know ghosts by now. I just can’t figure out why a mean ghost would want to hurt that cute little baby.
 * Piper: And how did you talk Darryl into letting you take him home?
 * Phoebe: I just told him about the premonition. The only problem is, he said we have twenty-four hours before Social Services start asking questions.
 * Piper: So what are we supposed to do with him now? Raise him in the ways of witchcraft? Teach him how to fight ghosts? (Matthew starts crying.) Okay, maybe you should take him. (She gives Matthew to Phoebe.)




 * Prue: Alright, I got hyper-allergenic wipes, diaper rash cream and super absorbent diapers.
 * Piper: What are we supposed to do with the...
 * Prue: Just toss it.
 * Piper: Alright.
 * Dan: Hey, don’t forget to clean up under his…(Matthew pees. It squirts up and Piper freezes it just in time before it hits them. Dan freezes too.)
 * Prue: Okay, so maybe only one of us should change him.
 * Piper: Be my guest.
 * Prue: On the count of three. Ready? One, two, three. (Piper unfreezes it and Prue uses her power to move it and it misses them.)
 * Dan: Boys will be boys. (They continue changing Matthew. Prue tries to put the diaper on but it’s too small.)
 * Prue: Oh, it doesn’t fit, it doesn’t fit.
 * Dan: Probably the wrong size.
 * Prue: How was I supposed to know what size to get?
 * Dan: (Dan grabs a tea towel.) Look, I got it.
 * Prue: Oh, how nice.
 * Dan: There we go. (He turns the towel into a diaper.) How’s that?
 * Piper: Wow, you're like MacGyver with estrogen.
 * Dan: Thanks... I think. Actually, cloth diapers are more environmentally friendly but harder to use. There, such a good boy.
 * Prue: (to Piper) Yes he is.
 * Piper: Alright.
 * Dan: If you want, I can pick up the right size on the way home.
 * Piper: Thanks, that'd be great.
 * Dan: Not a problem. (Dan hands Matthew to Prue.)
 * Prue: Oh, hi.
 * Dan: (to Piper) See you tonight. (He leaves.)
 * Prue: You know what is so weird? (She hands Matthew to Piper.)
 * Piper: What?
 * Prue: Is that, um...
 * Piper: Why are you giving him to me?
 * Prue: 'Cos I gotta go. (She runs out the room.)
 * Piper: That's twice, I'm counting.