A Witch's Tail, Part 1

A Witch's Tail Part 1 is the 89th episode of Charmed.

Episode Information

 * Season          5
 * Episode No.     01
 * Original Airdate September 22, 2002

Guest stars

 * Jaime Pressly as Mylie
 * Diane Salinger as the Sea Hag
 * Dan Gauthier as Craig
 * Fred Koehler as Necron's lackey
 * Charles Walker as the judge
 * Judson Scott as Necron
 * David Reivers as Bob Cowan

Episode guide
Mylie is a mermaid in love with a mortal man. She has failed to get her beloved, Craig, to say he loves her and now the thirty days of her bargain with the Sea Hag are up and the Sea Hag is trying to obligate her to place a shell over her heart, which will take away her immortality. Mylie escapes and swims away. Necron is pressuring the Sea Hag to deliver Mylie's immortality; he will devour the Sea Hag if she doesn't. The Sea Hag casts a spell to hunt down Mylie.

Mylie has assumed human form and is on land in San Francisco. She meets with Craig and demands to know how he really feels about her. He's about to fly to New York. A storm brews and a drop touches Mylie's thigh, revealing her scales. Unwilling to let Craig know she's a mermaid, she runs away. She sees the billboard for the Ask Phoebe column. She meets with Phoebe in the garage and says she knows Phoebe is a Charmed One. A splash of water from a passing car reveals her tail and draws the attention of the Sea Hag. Phoebe and Mylie flee.

Paige is promoted to social worker but her boss is less than happy with her frequent disappearances.

At the manor, Mylie is dried off and returns to human form. Mylie explains that the Sea Hag had given her legs and she has fallen in love, but that the deadline has passed and the Sea Hag is after her. Phoebe and Piper are unwilling to face the Sea Hag because their mother had been killed by a water demon.

Necron appears and threatens the Sea Hag. She too is up against a deadline. The Sea Hag promises an even more powerful storm to find Mylie. Necron kills his flunky instead and threatens the Sea Hag.

Paige tracks down Craig and tries to talk him into talking to Mylie. He refuses. Paige says Mylie's life is in danger. He comes to the manor but still refuses to take the situation seriously. Mylie wets her feet and turns into full mermaid form. A horrified Craig leaves and the Sea Hag tracks Mylie to the manor. She traps Paige in a column of water and abducts Mylie. Piper panics and fails to come to the aid of Paige and Mylie.

Phoebe and Darryl are before a judge, who is just about to grant Phoebe a default divorce when Cole shows up. Phoebe wants Cole out of her life. Cole has many demonic powers but claims to be good.

The sisters cast a spell to find the Sea Hag and it works in an unexpected way: Phoebe turns into a mermaid. Phoebe reluctantly enters the ocean but soon finds she enjoys being a mermaid. She finds Mylie and the Sea Hag just in time and calls for Leo. Paige comes with him but Piper panics and lets go his hand. Paige orbs the shell away from Mylie and when the Sea Hag attacks, drops it in the water. Phoebe throws it upon the Sea Hag's heart. The shell kills the Sea Hag.

Mylie is near death, and Leo can't heal a mermaid. Leo orbs Craig off of his plane and convinces him to tell Mylie that he loves her. Mylie is now fully human, and Leo can heal her.

Phoebe, however, is still a mermaid, and refuses to return to land.

Quotes

 * Craig: What are you Poeple?
 * Paige: Witch.
 * Leo: Angel.
 * Phoebe: Mermaid.
 * Paige: Don't you mean witch?

Trivia

 * Paige is seen with red, short hair, claiming it came from a spell gone awry
 * Alyssa Milano would later go on to work with Jaime Pressly in My Name is Earl.