Murphy's Luck

Murphy’s Luck is the 38th episode of Charmed.

Summary
Prue lands her first professional assignment photographing “The unluckiest woman in San Francisco”, but the job quickly turns into a rescue when Prue finds the woman suicidal and desperate to escape the recent string of tragic incidents, which are being deliberately caused by a darklighter. When the darklighter takes revenge on Prue by sending her torturous telepathic messages, Phoebe and Piper race against time to save their sister from her own desperate suicide attempt, and Leo makes a selfless sacrifice in order to put an end to the darklighter’s powers.

Plot
Prue shows her portfolio of photos to a magazine editor, Gil Corso. He's willing to hire her, on condition that she do a shoot of Maggie Murphy, who three months ago suddenly became unlucky and accident-prone. She goes to Maggie's apartment building, and finds Maggie about to jump from the roof. Behind her, a Darklighter whispers that her recent string of accidents is her fault, and she can only end it by jumping. Just as she's about to jump, Prue astral-projects and appears behind Maggie (the Darklighter has gone) and tries to talk Maggie down. Her feet slip, and astral-Prue grabs her hand. Her fingers slip, and Prue returns to her body and swipes Maggie aside into an awning. She bounces off the awning and lands on the ground unharmed.

Piper wants to tell Dan that she has chosen Leo. At the police station, Maggie tells Darryl that an "angel" had saved her. Maggie describes the "angel" and Darryl suspects it's Prue. Darryl calls Prue and confirms his suspicion. Darryl tells her to stay away lest Maggie recognize her, but Prue thinks that Maggie is still in trouble. She and Phoebe go to the police station.

At P3, Piper and Leo are going through an over-shipment of swizzle sticks. Piper tells Leo that he's the one she really loves, and she can't find the way to tell Dan. Dan is out of town and Piper wants to tell him in person.

The Darklighter skulks into the police station and glamours into a cop. Prue and Phoebe enter unseen by Maggie, and see disasters happen to Maggie; she stretches her leg, tripping an officer, who spills a water cooler, and the water cooler shorts a power strip. Prue asks Phoebe's help in casting a spell to give Maggie good luck. Phoebe thinks Prue needs to do it from the heart. Prue casts the spell. Maggie feels different, and when Darryl slips on the water, Maggie catches him. The sisters leave, followed by the Darklighter. The Darklighter curses Prue. Outside the police station, Prue drives and backs the car into a police cruiser, knocking Phoebe unconscious.

Phoebe and Prue meet Piper and Leo at P3. Phoebe suffered a minor concussion. Prue feels clumsy and knocks over a box of swizzle sticks. Mr. Corso calls and does not want to hear about Maggie's suicide attempt. When leaving with Phoebe, Prue knocks over a tray full of glasses. She decides to let Phoebe drive this time. Leo knows about Maggie. He suspects that her accidents weren't accidents. Rather, he thinks a Darklighter was after her.

Prue and Phoebe find Maggie at the nursing home where she works. They meet with a "doctor" (really the Darklighter) who suggests that Maggie might still be in pain. As they leave, the Darklighter curses Prue's camera. Prue and Phoebe introduce themselves to Maggie and Prue starts taking pictures. Phoebe, for her psychology class, asks Maggie why she tried to jump. Maggie says she heard a voice in her head, and that she seemed to be cursed. Prue checks her pictures and leaves for the magazine while Phoebe stays with Maggie.

Piper and Leo are leafing through the Book of Shadows when the phone rings. Piper thinks it's Prue, but it's really Dan. He asks if she misses him. She lets a "no" slip out and then makes an excuse. He thinks Piper wanted to tell him something and didn't want to ruin his trip. He's right, of course, and that makes an awkward moment for Piper. Leo finds an entry for a Spirit Killer, a Darklighter that drives people to suicide.

Corso finds Prue's picture and it's grainy and unusable, no thanks to the cursed camera. He fires Prue and throws her out. As she leaves, the Darklighter appears and starts whispering to her.

Phoebe comes home and Leo tells her about the Darklighter. Piper tries to call Prue, but Prue's cell phone doesn't work well. Leo explains that Maggie has been identified as a future Whitelighter, and the Spirit Killer might be trying to drive her to suicide so she won't become a Whitelighter. He further explains that if the Darklighter kills Prue, then her good luck spell will be broken as well and he can go after Maggie again.

Phoebe picks up a film spool shot by Prue and has a vision of a young Prue leaning over a bridge, taking a picture. At that time, Prue had run a red light and caused an accident, badly injuring Phoebe. Grams was worried enough that she nixed Prue's original plans to study photojournalism out East.

Prue finally manages to call the house and Phoebe answers. Her car won't start. Her cell phone works badly, and after a further curse by the Spirit Killer, finally quits. Phoebe, Piper and Leo discuss their options and decide to try luck. Piper urges Leo to stay away, lest the Spirit Killer recognize him. The two take a map and go to Maggie.

Prue walks from her car, the Spirit Killer whispering behind her. She sees a boy on a skateboard. The Spirit Killer trips the boy up and he starts to stumble. He also hits a baby carriage when Prue swats him away, but he is almost hit by an SUV and his leg is injured.

Leo is walking through the manor, frustrated that he can't help. The Spirit Killer talks Prue into going to the bridge in Phoebe's vision, and convinces her that jumping is the only way to stop her from hurting people.

Piper and Phoebe meet Maggie at the nursing home. They ask her to point randomly at the map, as they need some of her luck to find Prue. She points, and the sisters thank her and leave.&nbsp

Prue is apprehensive about going on the bridge, but the Spirit Killer tells her that if she hadn't jumped eight years earlier, Andy might still be alive.

Leo, frustrated, flips through the Book. At last, he looks up and demands his power. He doesn't want to lose Piper, but doesn't want to see Prue die either. The Elders grant his request.

Piper and Phoebe reach the location where Maggie pointed and find the bridge from Phoebe's vision. Prue is near the ledge, with the Spirit Killer behind her, taunting her and impatiently insisting that she jump. Piper and Phoebe scramble up the hill, yelling at Prue in hopes of getting her attention. At last, Prue hears them and turns around, seeing the Spirit Killer. She snaps back to herself and angrily flings him across the road. Leo orbs in, to the sisters' surprise, and knocks the Spirit Killer down with a flying tackle. The two briefly argue before Leo orbs in, tackles him and orbs him away.

The sisters look upon an old photo of the bridge. Prue was in a "dark place" that time, but was not thinking of jumping. Prue tosses the photo on the fireplace and then produces the next issue of 415 -- with her name credited with Maggie's photo.

Leo tells Piper that becoming a Whitelighter again was something he felt he needed to do. Piper promises to try to find a way to be with him "somehow, some way."

Spells
Good Luck spell
 * From this moment on your pain is erased,
 * Your bad luck as well,
 * Enjoy your good luck [name],
 * You're free from this Hell.

Glitches

 * While the show takes place in San Francisco, Downtown Los Angeles is clearly seen in the background when Prue first sees the Darklighter.

Featured Music

 * "Lucky" by Bif Naked
 * "Higher" by Tara MacLean

Quotes

 * Phoebe: Oh, that. You’re not actually writing him a dear John letter are you?
 * Piper: No, of course not. He deserves more than that. A lot more but it’s just hard. I don’t wanna hurt him. Dan’s a great guy and he’s been really good to me and we’ve never really had any huge problems.
 * Phoebe: No, I mean the only huge problem is that you really love Leo and he loves you and he gave up his mortality for you.
 * Piper: I know. Which is obviously good for us but I don’t know, lately he’s just seems a bit restless.
 * Phoebe: You’re thinking too much again. Stop trying to predict the future, alright. That’s my job. Just follow your heart, honey. Good things’ll happen.
 * Piper: What would I do without you?
 * Phoebe: Oh, suffer endlessly, no doubt.


 * (Piper and Leo are at P3.)
 * Leo: Piper, I'm going crazy here.
 * Piper: We're almost done.
 * Leo: That's not what I mean. Look, you can't come in here and tell me what you just told me and act like nothing's changed. I mean, everything's changed.
 * Piper: I know, believe me, I know. But Dan is out of town and until he comes back...
 * Leo: When, when's he coming back?
 * Piper: Next Thursday.
 * Leo: A week? Can you call him or something? It's just, you know, I-I've been waiting for this, for us, for so long. I don't wanna wait any longer.


 * (Leo's searching through the Book Of Shadows in the attic.)
 * Leo: There's gotta be something in here. Damn it! I can't just sit back and do nothing. Think, think! (He looks up.) Give me my powers back. I want my powers back. I want my powers back, I want them back now! I can't keep being mortal if this is the cost. I don't wanna lose Piper, but not at the expense of losing one of her sisters. This is my calling. You have to let me help. You have to give me my wings back.
 * (Leo's hand starts glowing.)

International Titles

 * French: Mauvais Sort (Curse)
 * Polish: Szczęscie Murphy (Murphy's Luck)
 * Czech: Štěstí a smůla (Good Luck and Bad Luck)
 * Slovak: Magieno šťastie (Maggie's Luck)
 * Italian: L'angelo nero (The Darklighter)
 * Spanish (Spain and Latin America): La suerte de Murphy (Murphy's Luck)
 * Hungarian: Murphy törvénye (Murphy's Law)
 * Portuguese (Portugal and Brazil): A Sorte de Murphy (Murphy's Luck)
 * Russian: Udacha Merfi (Murphy's Luck)
 * Finnish: Murphyn lailla (With Murphy's Law / Like Murphy)
 * German: Vom Pech verfolgt (Followed by Bad Luck)
 * Serbian: Marfina sreća