Show Ghouls

Show Ghouls is the 149th episode of The WB's Charmed.

Summary
When Darryl's friend is possessed by the spirit of an innocent killed in a fire in 1899, Phoebe and Drake transport themselves back in time to the cabaret where it happened. However things go from bad to worse, when they find they cannot travel back to their own time. Meanwhile, Piper convinces Leo they need to take a family vacation.

Plot
A security guard, Mike, has gone crazy, and is desperately seeking help for a nonexistent fire. The police arrest him and Darryl goes to the Charmed Ones. Darryl and Paige visit Mike in the hospital. He calls himself George and tells Paige that there's a fire at the Cabaret Fantome. They conclude that Mike is possessed.

Paige, Phoebe and Drake research at Magic School. Paige finds a newspaper article and Drake finds a book with information on lost souls. He tells the sisters that lost souls are those that died violently together, and that bad souls can hold the good ones back. The three go to the site of the cabaret; Drake says a spell and he and Phoebe find themselves in the cabaret.

The owner of the cabaret is Count Roget, who notices Phoebe and Drake. He is aware of the full situation: the souls will endlessly relive the fire, but only he knows about this situation. He thinks that Phoebe and Drake might be his way to escape. He meets with Phoebe and Drake. After a conversation, several explosions rock the club, and all exits slam shut. The Count calmly sits while everyone else tries in vain to escape, and notices Phoebe and Drake fading out. Phoebe and Drake return to their bodies.

Phoebe, Drake and Darryl go to Mike and ask him about the count. Mike, apparently possessed by George (but later revealed to be the Count himself), tells them that the count signs some paper every time the night of the fire repeats. Phoebe and Drake suspect it's a pact with a demon.

Back in the Manor, Leo is writing a page in the Book of Shadows to his sons on how to be a whitelighter. Piper comes in, and reassures him he will be fine when the Elders punish him and he will be able to teach them himself. Piper then asks if Leo found anything in the book. Leo turns to a page and reveals he found a demon named Sargon could possibly be the reason for the fire since he makes pacts and can be found in bordellos, bars and the like. Piper is not all to glad 'cause she, Phoebe and Prue had already vanquished him 5 years ago. Meanwhile, Paige is at the Bay Mirror and glamoured into Phoebe, doing the interview for her. Paige's answer makes it sound that Paige was the whole reason behind Phoebe taking the job at the Bay Mirror. In the manor, Phoebe and Drake have joined Piper and Leo. Piper informs Phoebe that they already vanquished the demon they are after so Phoebe and Drake decide to go back to the cabaret hoping to catch the demon there whole the pact is being made, but find the Count waiting for them. He reveals that the demon was long gone by that point and shoots Drake just as the explosions begin and escapes into Drake's body. Phoebe uses a fortune-teller's book to find an incantation and return to her body which is how George and the Count possessed Mike.

Phoebe finds the Count at the site of the cabaret. She throws a potion and evicts him from Drake's body; he is dragged into Hell. All the lost souls escape, including Drake's. Mike comes to his senses.

Glitches

 * At the beginning, Drake says the troll has come to help with the magical composition class, and although not seen, it is implied the troll is very large, considering the room shakes when it walks and it is able to pick up several students. Yet when trolls were first introduced in the series they were very small.
 * Drake talks about visting the 1890s, but he wasn't in the room to hear Phoebe when she explained about how they determined that Mike was possessed by someone from the 1890s, and she never told him once he came in.
 * When Piper and Leo orb in, they are holding Wyatt's hand. In the next shot, Wyatt is holding a bag of goodies before Piper and Leo go into the Conservatory.

References to other movies, books, etc
Reference to the play A Midsummer Night's Dream, written by William Shakespeare somewhere in the 1590s and turned into a few film versions.
 * Drake:But with eager minds, and the power of magic, it is Midsummer Madness all the time.

A subtle reference to the classic Jules Verne novel "Around the World in Eighty Days"
 * Piper:Is that why you didn't want to go around the world in eighty orbs?


 * The title is is a reference to the movie "Show Girls" starring Elizabeth Berkley
 * In this episode Billy Zane sang the song "Everything's Kind of Good", co-written by his sister, actress Lisa Zane and Andrew T. Tuckerman.

Quotes

 * Leo: It's not the shopping. It's this whole world vacation thing. I just think we should stay here and wait for the Elders' decision on me.
 * Piper: Absolutely not. That's precisely why we should be going. Look, we're all together, we deserve a vacation. And we're not gonna sit around and wait for the other pattini to drop, so that's that. We're going.
 * Leo: But what about the travel and the cost? (Leo grins from ear to ear)
 * Piper: Oh, for god sakes, Leo. We're orbing.
 * Leo: Okay, well, what about Phoebe and Paige?
 * Piper: What about them?
 * Leo: Well, they made us this big send-off dinner last night.
 * Piper: Oh, please. They ordered pizza.
 * Leo: Right. And we're not helping with the clean up.
 * Piper: Wow, if that's the best you got, you really do need a vacation.
 * Leo: But...
 * Piper: Arresto! Look, Phoebe and Paige just remade the world. I think they can handle the kitchen. Now, unless you have any more objections... (They pick up Wyatt and Chris and their bags.) Leaning Tower of Pisa, here we come.
 * (Leo orbs them all out of the room.)




 * Drake: Listen, odds are, the Count--he's possessed my body right? And until he's evicted, I got no where to go. Only you can get out...into your body. Even though I'm into your body, I still can't get out.
 * Phoebe: I'll come back for you.
 * Drake: And listen, if he puts up to big of a fight, all right, you just vanquish my sorry ass! I don't care.
 * Phoebe: Okay.
 * Drake: But only as a last resort.
 * Phoebe (raising both hands to stop Drake from continuing): Okay!

International Titles

 * French: Les Ames Perdues (The Lost Souls)
 * Czech: Démon z kabaretu (Demon from the Cabaret)