Reckless Abandon

Reckless Abandon is the 11h episode of the second season and the 33th overall episode of Charmed.

Summary
Darryl 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.

Characters
Characters in bold appear for the first time in the series.
 * Prue Halliwell
 * Piper Halliwell
 * Phoebe Halliwell
 * Darryl Morris
 * Dan Gordon
 * Jack Sheridan
 * Martha van Lewen
 * Elias Lundy
 * Alexandra van Lewen
 * Gilbert van Lewen
 * Hernandez
 * Uniform Cop

Featured Music

 * "Human Touch" by Pocket Size (after the opening credits)
 * "I Love You" by Martina McBride (Prue, Piper and Phoebe washing, drying and dressing baby Matthew) - on the Netflix version of this episode, this song has been taken out and replaced with another due to copyright issues.

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?
 * For 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.

Powers

 * Premonition: Phoebe received a premonition of Gilbert van Lewen being killed by Elias Lundy.
 * Electrokinesis: In Phoebe's premonition, Elias Lundy killed Gilbert van Lewen with a lightning bolt. He later did it in real life and he also attacked Piper, Phoebe, Martha and Prue.
 * Telekinesis: Used by Prue to get stuff down from the store shelf and to redirect Matthew's pee into the sink. She later used it to lift things, making a baby mobile for Matthew and to move the showerhead. She also telekinetically brought up Elias' remains. Elias used it to close the door of the house and to float Mathew's blanket to himself.
 * Molecular Immobilization: Used by Piper to freeze Dan, Matthew, Martha, Alexandra and Elias' lightning bolt. She tried to freeze Elias but he was immune to her power.
 * Portal Creation or Apportation: Used by Elias Lundy to hide his bones from the Charmed Ones.
 * Wisping: Type of teleportation used by Martha (after she died and became a ghost).
 * Banishing: Elias was banished to Purgatory after Martha died.

Magical Beings

 * Elias Lundy

Mortals

 * Martha van Lewen
 * Alexandra van Lewen
 * Gilbert van Lewen
 * Hernandez

Notes and Trivia
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 * We find out in this episode that Darryl is a father, we'll meet his children in Oh My Goddess, Part 1.
 * This episode reunites Shannen Doherty and Stephanie Beacham (Martha), who played Iris McKay (Dylan’s mom) on Beverly Hills 90210.
 * This is the first episode where the sisters become temporary foster parents to a baby. They will do this again in the Season 6 episode Little Monsters and the Season 8 episode Hulkus Pocus.
 * The baby who the sisters care for is named Matthew. This is Wyatt's middle name, named after his aunt, Paige Matthews. This is also the name of Piper's oldest grandchild.
 * At the end of the episode, Prue says that she will make a good mother some day, however, Prue passes away before she can have a child.
 * Prue does not use her astral projection power in this episode.
 * We find out that Prue accidentally dropped Phoebe when she was a baby.
 * Piper wonders why the ghost of Lundy doesn't freeze, claiming that she's frozen ghosts before, yet the only ghost or ghost-like being she has ever frozen was Yama. 211.jpg then, she hasn't been able to freeze any ghosts.
 * In this episode Prue demonstrates that she can move multiple objects in an intricate path with lots of precision and can move Lundy's bones which she can't see but knows their location.
 * Prue uses her power of telekinesis for personal gain in the store when she is buying diapers and supplies for the baby. She uses her power to move the supplies from the shelves she can't reach into her cart. She uses her powers for personal gain again, when she creates the mobile to get Matthew to stop crying.
 * Twice more the sisters try to vanquish a ghost with the potion on their bones, but both times they fail. The next time, Piper is temporarily killed and vanquishes the ghosts with the Ghost Vanquishing Spell and the time after that, Paige convinces the ghost to move on peacefully with the sisters never using the potion either time, although they nearly do before Paige convinces the ghost to move on. The only time the potion is succesfully used is in the Charmed Novel Trickery Treat where they use it to vanquish the spirit of Sheldon Winters. They learn their lesson from this episode and distract him so that he doesn't realize what's happening until too late.
 * This episode scored 7.5 million viewers.
 * When Prue and Piper are changing Matthew and the camera focuses on them, the baby's foot is clearly from a doll.

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 typical.
 * 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: (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.


 * Prue: Um, here, take this, he really likes it (hands Morris a pacifier)
 * Phoebe: And, uh, don't wave things in his face cos he does not like that.
 * Piper: But he does like the jiggle, do you know the jiggle?
 * Darryl: Course I know the jiggle, I'm a father.
 * Prue: Okay, and if he starts to cry, just hold him really close, cos it comforts him. 'K. Bye. (kisses the baby)
 * Phoebe: Uhh, Prue, you're not going to wear that are you? Didn't think so, we'll meet you in the car, alright?

International Titles

 * French: L'Héritier (The Inheritor)
 * Polish: Bezmyślne Porzucenie (Reckless Abandon)
 * Czech: Opuštěné dítě (Abandoned Baby)
 * Slovak: Odložené dieťa (Abandoned Baby)
 * Italian: Istinto materno (Maternal Instinct)
 * Spanish: Abandono atropellado
 * Spanish (Latin America): Abandono imprudencial (Reckless Abandon)
 * Portuguese (Portugal): Abandono Atropelado
 * Brazilian Portuguese: Abandono Imprudente (Reckless Abandon)
 * Russian: Bezrassudnye postupki (Reckless Behavior)
 * Finnish: Löytölapsi (Foundling)
 * German: Drei Hexen und ein Baby (Three Witches and a Baby)
 * Hungarian: Gyereksírás (Baby Crying)
 * Serbian: Napuštena beba (Abandoned baby)