Out of Sight

Out Of Sight is the ninteenth episode of Charmed.

Episode Information

 * Season          1
 * Episode No.     19
 * Written By      Tony Blake and Paul Jackson
 * Directed By     Craig Zisk
 * Production No.  4398018
 * Original Airdate May 5, 1999

Summary
When a young boy is kidnapped in a park, Prue’s powers are seen by a reporter. As Phoebe and Piper learn that Grimlocks kidnapped the child to steal their eyesight, Prue is confronted by the reporter who tells her he is going to expose her secret with or without her help. Phoebe seeks out an old victim of the Grimlocks, a blind man, to try to figure out where the children are being held. Meanwhile, Piper learns that Josh is willing to pass up a job in Beverly Hills to stay in town with her. Andy finally learns about Prue’s powers.

Plot
The Charmed Ones are assisting at a birthday party for a boy named David. The children are playing with a ball when David throws it towards the woods. A demon comes out and grabs David. Prue tries to separate them by telekinesis, an an attack-dog reporter, Eric Lohman, witnesses this act. The demon opens a hole in the ground and disappears with David. The sisters learn of an abduction the prior day, and two more twenty years earlier, from the same spot.

The demon shoots lightning upon David's eyes and he can no longer see.

Phoebe learns of one of the kidnapping victims from twenty years ago, Brent Miller.

Eric Lohman appears at Prue's office. He claims to have seen her use magic and wants a story. Prue refuses to talk to him. He threatens to make her look bad in his story if she doesn't cooperate.

Phoebe tracks down Brent Miller. He is a successful software developer. He is unwilling to talk about his kidnapping until Phoebe tells of the recent ones. She believes his story about "monsters" abducting him. He mentions that the monsters said something about auras.

The demons peek out from the storm drain and see a glowing aura around a man. One gestures, and the man strangles to death.

Piper and Phoebe consult the Book of Shadows about auras and identify the demons as grimlocks. The man is identified as Jerry Cartwright, a wealthy philanthropist.

Eric Lohman goes to Andy and asks after Prue. Lohman claims that Prue has powers and keeps popping up in unsolved murder cases. Andy refuses to comment.

Josh shows Piper a map of the storm drain system. Josh tells Piper that he has a new job in Beverly Hills, but he'll stay in San Francisco if Piper wants. Piper freezes him and rants out loud, deciding she needs more time to decide.

Brent recounts to Phoebe his kidnapping. Phoebe takes his hand and has a vision. Phoebe asks of anything he might have heard that could locate the grimlocks. Brent has a map of the public works; it has raised lines so he can feel it. Between his memories and Phoebe's vision, they is able to locate where he was held.

Andy appears at Prue's office and wants to talk about the kidnapping, and what Lohman had told him of Prue's powers. He believes Prue is keeping a secret, but Prue is unsure of whether to reveal it.

Phoebe locates an entrance to the storm drain and goes to the manor. Piper meets Prue at the manor and a baby carriage rolls into the street. Piper freezes the scene. The neighbor doesn't have a baby, though, and there are only towels in the carriage. The two sisters find Lohman there and return to their former location before unfreezing. Piper's purse is on the opposite shoulder, and Lohman got this on tape. Phoebe comes in, followed by Lohman. He confronts them about the tape and Prue throws him out.

Phoebe and Piper gather maps and go to the storm drain instance while Prue distracts Lohman. When Phoebe and Piper drive off, Lohman tries to follow, but Prue flings a screwdriver into his tire. Andy goes to Brent and he tells her about Phoebe; Andy follows Piper and Phoebe to the storm drain. Piper falls into a deep hole, alerting the grimlocks. Phoebe calls Prue, who is mixing potions. She comes out and finds that Lohman has disabled her car. She at last agrees to talk and the two go to the storm drain.

Lohman follows Prue into the storm drain. A grimlock finds Piper and starts to strangle her; Prue flings a metal bar into its head. A grimlock kills Lohman. Prue uses her power to get Piper out of the hole, but she is injured and the others lead her up toward the street. Andy arrives and shoots a grimlock, but the bullets do no harm. Prue flings it off of him and now Andy knows that Prue has powers. The sisters hand Piper off to Andy, who returns to the street.

A grimlock confronts Phoebe and Prue. Prue throws a potion, melting it. Phoebe finds the children. The other grimlock appears and Prue drops her remaining potion. The grimlock tries to strangle Prue. Phoebe hits it in the head. It turns on Phoebe and now Prue flings the potion off the ground onto the grimlock, killing it. The boys' vision is restored, and so is Brent's.

Piper misses Leo, and decides to tell Josh to take his job in Beverly Hills.

Guest Stars

 * Shawn Christian as Josh
 * Scott Plank as Eric Lohman
 * Raphael Sbarge as Brent Miller
 * Scott Terra as David
 * Matt George as Grimlock

Co-Stars

 * Maureen Muldoon as Dee
 * Michael O’Connor as Jerry Cartwright
 * Dennis Keiffer as Grimlock
 * Lucy Rodriguez as Housekeeper

Quotes

 * Phoebe: What did you tell them?
 * Prue: That I saw a butcher with whirling eyes take David.
 * Phoebe: And what did he say?
 * Prue: What did you think he said? He thought I was nuts.
 * Phoebe: Yeah, well, it turns out David's not the first one to be taken. An inspector told me that another boy disappeared yesterday in the exact same spot.
 * Prue: A demon who steals kids. Does it get any worse?
 * Phoebe: Uh, yeah, apparently it also happened twenty years ago. Same park, two kids.
 * Prue: Did they ever find the kids?
 * Phoebe: I don't know.




 * Eric: Prue Halliwell?
 * Prue: Yes.
 * Eric: Hi. Eric Lohman. Bay Weekly alternative press. Have you heard of us?
 * Prue: Sorry.
 * Eric: Oh, well, you will. Listen, I was hoping might be able to help me with a story I'm working on.
 * Prue: On the auction business?
 * Eric: No, actually on magic.
 * Prue: Magic? Why would you come to me?
 * Eric: I don't know. Maybe because I saw you levitate two people in the park with just a wave of your hand. I take that as a no comment. So what are you anyway? Some kind of David Copperfield, Lance Burton, freak of nature? (He laughs.)




 * Prue: A reporter saw me use my powers in the park and he's threatening to write an article about it.
 * Phoebe: What? Does he have any proof?
 * Prue: Just what he saw.
 * Phoebe: So it's your word against his.
 * Prue: Yeah, the difference is, his word is delivered to a half a million homes each week.
 * Piper: Well, everything happens for a reason, maybe it's time we let the world know about us.
 * Prue: Piper, being outted would only make our lives worse.
 * Piper: We don't know that. At least I could tell Dee what we're doing and at least give her some hope.
 * Phoebe: No, Prue's right. If we're exposed we're gonna have every crazy hounding us day and night.
 * Prue: Not to mention the media circus on our front lawn. Remember E.T?