The Power of Two

The Power of Two is the 20th episode of the first season and the 20th overall episode of Charmed.

Summary
For a complete plot of The Power of Two  go here.

While taking a tour of Alcatraz, Phoebe watches the ghost of a serial killer take possession of a guard’s body so he can cross the waters surrounding the prison. Once free from the infamous prison, the ghost targets those that played a part in his conviction to seek revenge. The sisters discover the only way to banish the ghost is for one of them to die and recite a spell while on the astral plane. Piper worries about leaving Prue and Phoebe alone as she leaves on a business trip to Hawaii.

Characters
Characters in bold appear for the first time in the series.

Plot
Piper is flying to a convention in Hawaii and is looking for her tickets. Phoebe finds the tickets and calls up a premonition: she sees Piper missing her flight. Prue leaves Phoebe alone in the house with a long to-do list. Phoebe, however, has plans to tour Alcatraz. In Alcatraz, the Soul Collector meets the ghost of Jackson Ward and promises revenge. She is after the souls of witches. A tour group enters and a guide enters Jackson's cell. The guard collapses and Jackson enters his body, his ride off the island.

Claire threatens to fire Prue if she continues to have so many emergencies. Right after this, Phoebe calls and tells what she's found out about the "Ghost of Alcatraz". Some ghosts, according to Phoebe, need a dead body to transport them across water and Phoebe fears that Jackson might be at large on the mainland.

Darryl and Andy receive evidence about a murder; he is stabbed thirteen times in a circular pattern. A fingerprint on the weapon matches Jackson Ward, but he was executed 36 years earlier. Andy goes to the Charmed Ones and Phoebe tells him of the ghost. The murder victim was the son of the D.A. who had prosecuted Jackson Ward.

Jackson appears in the office of Judge Renault, who had presided over his trial. He picks up objects of the judge's desk, spooking him. Jackson chokes and then stabs the judge.

Prue shows up late for a meeting with some Japanese investors. Andy pulls her aside and tells of the latest murder. Prue wants to keep her job and so goes back to the investors. Afterwards, she and Andy go to the Book of Shadows. Phoebe has found a spell, but only a ghost can say it. The Book flips to the truth spell and Prue admits having cast it on Andy ("The Truth Is Out There... and It Hurts"). He is upset with her.

Andy checks out the weapon from one the murder of Judge Renault. Darryl confronts Andy about his secretive ways. Inspector Rodriguez from Internal Affairs wants to ask Darryl about Andy. Andy takes the knife to Phoebe, who sees the next murder. They find the next victim with Jackson kneeling over her, but Andy sees only a knife floating in the air.

Phoebe argues with Prue about the excess work she does around the house. Phoebe thinks that Prue is angry with her for not having a job. Phoebe calms down as Piper calls from Hawaii.

Phoebe and Prue go to the Ward mausoleum to cast a luring spell. They quickly leave and Jackson finds a burn on his chest.

Internal Affairs confronts Andy about a large number of occult and unsolved cases. Andy is unwilling to expose the Halliwells. Finally Andy storms out of the room.

Prue has prepared a death potion; the one who takes it can be revived by CPR within four minutes. Jackson appears, Prue takes the potion and her spirit leaves her body. Prue says the spell and vanquishes Jackson; Andy appears at the door and tries to revive Prue, but Prue has not completed the spell. Jackson stabs at Andy, distracting him, and Prue is able to finish the spell. Andy finishes reviving Prue.

Claire is firing Prue, when Andy walks in and covers for her. Claire changes her mind about firing Prue. Andy decides that life with a witch is not for him.

At the end of the episode, Prue burns all the files that Andy had collected about them and Piper flies home early, as she worries that something is up with her sisters, but they deny it together.

To vanquish a ghost and return him to his rest

 * to fight the evil spirit on the astral
 * plane it is necessary to join him
 * in death.
 * mix the following:
 * a pinch of oleander
 * a pinch of jimsonweed
 * a pinch of bloodroot
 * a pinch of hollyhock seeds
 * grind to a fine powder and
 * take with the juice of
 * cranberries...


 * after battle is joined,
 * chant the following
 * "ashes to ashes
 * spirit to spirit
 * take his soul,
 * banish this evil."
 * continue chanting without ceasing
 * until the evil spirit disintegrates.
 * this spell must only be
 * attempted with a partner.
 * after not more than four minutes
 * the dead one must be awakened,
 * lest she too becomes
 * a spirit in fact.

Powers

 * Telekinesis
 * Premonition
 * Flaming
 * Soul Projection
 * Cloaking
 * Floating
 * Necrokinesis 
 * Possession 

Magical Beings

 * Charon
 * Jackson Ward
 * Inspector Rodriguez

Mortals

 * Inspector Anderson
 * Judge Renault
 * Claire Pryce
 * Monique
 * Inspector Blakely
 * Marianne
 * Mr. Yakihama

Featured Music
"Stolen Car" by Beth Orton

Notes and Trivia

 * This episode scored 5.7 million viewers.
 * This episode shows Phoebe's power advancing; she can call for premonitions and she can feel what innocents in her premonitions feel.
 * Piper mentioned that she felt something was wrong at home while on her business trip to Hawaii. She either meant that she was worried about leaving her two sisters alone, or she actually felt something was wrong. This marks the bond between the sisters growing, as they can feel each other.
 * Andy finds out about "The Truth Spell", which Prue cast last year, to find out how Andy would react when he knew Prue was a witch.
 * This is the first time Prue died, other than the two clone-Prues in Which Prue is It, Anyway?
 * This episode shows the first time that a sister dies temporary. In this case is Prue the one who dies.
 * During the filming of this episode, Holly Marie Combs had surgery for uterine fibroid, which is why Piper was sent on a business trip and the episode focused on Prue and Phoebe.
 * Cristine Rose is credited as Christine Rose in this episode.
 * Leo mentions this episode in Pre-Witched when he and Piper were going to move out.
 * This is the first episode in which Piper doesn't use her freezing power.
 * Prue and Andy's relationship is hinted as Andy was able to hear Prue's warning despite her being dead.

References to other movies, books, mythology, etc.
thumb|300px|right|The Power of Two WB Trailer
 * Phoebe makes a reference to "Buffy The Vampire Slayer" saying "Great, where is Buffy when we need her?" when she walks with Prue through the cemetery, looking for Jackson's grave. Buffy at that time was another hit tv show of The WB Television Network. Also, the actor who plays Jackson (jeff kober) has played various guest starring roles in Buffy.
 * Title: The Power of Two

This is a reference to the Charmed term "power of three", which is the magic that makes the Charmed Ones so powerful. Most of this episode only has Phoebe and Prue working together, with the power of two.
 * Phoebe: Welcome, to our little shop of horrors.

This is a reference to the 1960 movie, "Little Shop of Horrors", which is a musical that follows Seymour Krelbourn a flourist who makes a pact with a plant that he devised. This plant, however needs blood to survive and in the end the majority of the main characters have been devoured. This was also later remade into another film starring Steve Martin and Rick Moranis.

Quotes

 * Piper: Prue, have you seen my purse?
 * Prue: In the kitchen. Have you seen my keys?
 * Piper: They're by the T.V. I can't find my plane ticket. Did I give it to you?
 * Prue: Maybe you packed it.
 * Piper: I didn't just pack it, I just saw it.
 * (Phoebe holds Piper's plane ticket and tries to have a premonition. It works.)
 * Phoebe: I can't believe it.
 * Prue: (She snatches Piper's plane ticket off Phoebe.) Found it.


 * Phoebe: I've been practicing how to call a premonition, and I did it. I saw a future event on command. Oh, and that's the good news. The bad news is... I saw you missing your flight.
 * Piper: Oh, great.


 * (The doorbell rings. Prue answers it.)
 * Prue: Andy, hi.
 * Andy: Hi.
 * Prue: I was wondering whether I'd see you again. I thought you might be mad at me.
 * Andy: No, I just needed some space. It's one thing suspect what your secret was, it's another thing to actually see it with my own eyes.
 * Prue: So does that mean that you're okay with it?
 * Andy: Actually, I'm here on a case, a kind of case where frankly before, I probably would've been looking for a more logical explanation.
 * Prue: Well, come on in. (They go inside.) What's the case?


 * Phoebe: Coincidence? I think not. It's got to be the ghost that got off Alcatraz.
 * Prue: You know, speaking of coincidences. Don't you think it's an awfully big one that your friend saw this ghost?
 * Phoebe: Prue, if we've learned anything by now, it's that there aren't any coincidences, right?
 * Prue: Right. (Andy's staring out the window.) Andy, are you alright?
 * Andy: I don't know. Just getting used to the idea of demons and witches. I don't know if I'm ready for ghosts too.
 * Phoebe: You ain't seen nothing yet.
 * Prue: Pheebs.
 * Andy: But if you're right, if it is the ghost of Jackson Ward that is the killer, how do I stop him from killing again?


 * (At the cemetery)
 * Prue: Oh, I hate cemeteries at night.
 * Phoebe: I hate cemeteries at day. (They hear a noise.) What was that?
 * Prue: Ah, probably a zombie or vampire.
 * Phoebe: Great, where's Buffy when you need her?
 * Prue: Okay, perfect, there it is, Jackson Ward. Do you have the picture? (Prue looks at the picture and Phoebe's written on it.) Hey, Jackson, let's party?
 * Phoebe: Okay, well, I couldn't think of anything else to write. Can we just do this and hurry?


 * Phoebe: Is the ghost toast?

International Titles

 * French: Le Pouvoir des Deux (The Power of Two)
 * Czech: Síla dvou (The Power of Two)
 * Slovak: Sila dvoch (The Power of Two)
 * Italian: Il fantasma assassino (The Murderer Ghost)
 * Polish: Potęga dwójki (The Power of Two)
 * Spanish (Spain and Latin America): El poder de dos (The Power of Two)
 * Hungarian: Szellemek harca (The Spiritual Warfare)
 * Portuguese (Portugal and Brazil): O Poder das Duas (The Power of Two)
 * Russian: Sila dvuh (The Power of Two)
 * Finnish: Kahden voima (The Power of Two)
 * German: Ein Geist, zwei Schwestern (One Ghost, Two Sisters)