Be Careful What You Witch For

Be Careful What You Witch For is the 44th episode of Charmed and the Season 2 Finale.

Summary
Tired of losing countless warlocks and demons to the powerful Charmed Ones, an Infernal Council sends a fast-talking genie to destroy the Power of Three by granting each sister a wish. Prue’s wish for the thrill of first love turns her into a rebellious 17-year-old; Phoebe’s wish for an active power gives her the ability to fly; while Piper’s wish that Dan get over her turns him into an old man.

Plot
A council of five robed demons, noting the large number of demons killed in San Francisco, speaks to a dragon warlock. The dragon warlock wants to take on the Charmed Ones; but force has proved useless against them. One of the councilors snaps his fingers and opens an ornate bottle. A genie comes out and suggests giving the sisters exactly what they want.

Piper wraps Phoebe's sprained ankle. Phoebe had been attacked by a beast. Dan is back in town and Piper doesn't know how to face him. Prue has a third date with Dick, even though he's the definition of boredom. She feels that she's had too much demon hunting and no play, and has become somewhat less picky about men. The sisters and Leo find a package with the bottle in it. Phoebe wipes a bit of dust off and releases the genie.

The Genie has offered each sister a wish. Phoebe wants to know who sent the bottle. The Genie claims not to know. Leo doesn't trust him; genies are known to do anything and everything to be freed. The Genie makes a pest of himself and says he's not leaving until the sisters wish. Leo says that a wish always carries a catch. Prue leaves to see Dick while Phoebe checks out the Book of Shadows.

Prue is at lunch with Dick, and is bored to tears. The Genie appears miniature, balancing on Dick's menu and possessing him. "Dick" says that Prue really knows that he's not the one for her. Prue wants to feel like she did the first time she fell in love--not knowing the Genie has rooked her into a wish.

The Genie pesters Phoebe as she flips through the Book of Shadows. She still refuses him.

Piper talks with Leo at P3 before opening. Dan comes in and sees the two together. The Genie hides nearby. Piper assures Dan that she knows who Leo really is. Dan goes away dejected. Piper wants Dan to be able to move on--not knowing the Genie is hiding nearby.

The Genie startles Phoebe in the attic. He continues to pester her, but then offers to help her sprained ankle. After some pain, she feels better -- "a little something a sultan taught me". The Genie would wish for the feeling of a suntan, the taste of ice cream, and such -- to be human. The Genie learns that Phoebe has no active power. Phoebe wants to have one. Three wishes made, the Genie finally leaves.

Piper and Leo pull up to find Dan has put his house up for sale. He has a job offer in Portland and is ready to move on. Prue roars up to the manor in bangs and braces. She doesn't recognize Leo, and mentions that Piper and Leo look "kinda -- old". Phoebe calls for help from the attic. The others go there and find Phoebe floating helplessly against the ceiling. Leo levitates up and brings her down. Prue claims to be 17 years old and has no memory of being older, or of being a witch. Phoebe remembers that Prue was almost impossible to handle at that age. This appears to be the bad consequence of a wish.

The dragon warlock kicks the door in and demands the return of his power; apparently the genie stole his flying power and gave it to Phoebe. Piper, Phoebe and Leo confront him. Prue comes down to watch; Piper urges Leo to get her back upstairs. The dragon warlock breathes fire and Piper freezes him. Phoebe, with little control of her new power, carries the dragon warlock out of the manor and dumps him at a farm.

Leo and Piper check out the page on the dragon warlock. They need the Power of Three to destroy him--and Prue is a powerless teenager. Phoebe flies around outside the manor and finally crashes through the window.

Phoebe cites the Book as saying that putting the Genie back in the bottle will undo the wishes. She notes that the Genie has a thing for food and that he might be at the cafe where he found Prue. Piper and Leo find him at the cafe stuffing his face. Piper freezes the scene, then unfreezes the genie so she and Leo can confront him. The genie is surprised that the dragon warlock is already after Phoebe. He admits that he's on a "gig"--but can't tell who he's working for. They drag him from the table, and suddenly he disappears.

The dragon warlock and the Genie are before the Council again. The dragon warlock accuses the Genie of using the sisters' wishes to free himself rather than destroy them. In time, the Genie says to go after the witch without any powers.

Prue rifles through her wallet, finding what at 17 must have been a large amount of money, and slips out the bedroom window.

Darryl calls Phoebe with a report of a young brunette flying--without a plane. Piper and Leo return without the Genie. Piper and Phoebe remember what a headache Prue was at 17. Piper recalls that Prue fell in love with a guy who attacked her. Leo and Phoebe go upstairs and find Prue missing. Dan comes to the door -- aged more than 50 years.

Prue drives down the street and the dragon warlock appears as a hitchhiker. Piper and Phoebe try to call her, and Prue doesn't answer. Phoebe tries to get a premonition, to no avail. Piper feels guilty about Dan. Prue is in Golden Gate Park; the dragon warlock turns her phone off. They start kissing, and he starts roughing her up. Prue screams and runs off into the night. The dragon warlock isn't worried; he thinks it'll be only a matter of time before Prue calls Piper and Phoebe for help. The Genie was hiding in the SUV all along, and has to do as he's told if he wants to be free.

Piper tells an ailing Dan the truth: the sisters are witches. This accounts for all the "family emergencies" she had. Leo says he is the same Leo Wyatt who died in 1942. Leo orbs to convince him. Phoebe has a premonition of the bottle being knocked under some furniture.

Prue has at last figured out how to use her cell phone; she calls the house and says the dragon warlock is after her. Piper tells her to go to a lake where they fished as kids and hide under the bridge. Suddenly, the phone goes dead. Piper and Phoebe reach the park and Phoebe flies ahead to spot the dragon warlock. Prue, panicking, runs out of the woods. The dragon warlock grabs Prue and the Genie grabs Piper. The dragon warlock stabs Prue as Phoebe crash-lands. The dragon warlock goes after Phoebe, but Piper escapes and freezes him. Phoebe goes for the car and she and Piper return Prue to the manor -- but Leo can't heal the dead.

Piper and Phoebe are crying uncontrollably when Leo walks in with the Genie. The Genie is remorseful for what has happened. He offers to go back into the bottle and undo the wishes, but isn't sure if Prue will revive. Piper and Phoebe agree. The Genie claps and returns to the bottle. Dan is restored, Phoebe can no longer fly, and Prue is an adult again; but Prue is still dead. With the Genie back in the bottle, though, the sisters can get three more wishes. Piper takes the bottle.

The dragon warlock attacks and tackles Piper, causing her to drop the bottle. Leo and Phoebe take cover, and Phoebe remembers her premonition which told her where the bottle was. Leo orbs behind the dragon warlock and distracts him. Phoebe opens the bottle, releasing the Genie, and wishes Prue alive. Prue joins the others, and chanting "the Power of Three will set us free", the three sisters vanquish the dragon warlock.

Piper visits Dan and he looks bedraggled. He has a wish of his own: to have never learned of magic. He tells Piper to go.

The Genie tells Leo, Phoebe and Prue about the Council. They have two more wishes. The first is to make the Genie human, and he has the sense not to grant that one yet. Piper rejoins them and her wish is for Dan to forget about magic and make a clean break, without consequences. The Genie walks away, free of the Council and the bottle. Leo gets a call from "Up There" and Piper asks to go with him. Prue and Phoebe aren't sure if they'll be back. They walk back in the house, and Prue telekinetically closes the door.

Featured Music

 * "Delicious Surprise" by Beth Hart
 * "I'm Not The Only One" by Filter
 * "I Melt With You" by Modern English

Glitches

 * Phoebe mentions that she can’t get a premonition when she wants, but in the Season 1 episode The Power Of Two, she learned to call her premonitions. However, it was never made clear that she learned it, she could have thought she called for one.
 * It is unclear as to why Piper and Phoebe don't just call for Leo whilst at Golden Gate Park to heal Prue, though it can be assumed that they needed him to take care of old man Dan.
 * Phoebe is more sad when Prue dies in this episode than when she actually dies in All Hell Breaks Loose.
 * The exterior of Cafe Le Blue is from Quake in Season 1.

Quotes

 * Leo: Phoebe...
 * Phoebe: What? We’ve had a great year, we’ve wiped out a ton of nasties. I just wanna know if we’ve tripped some supernatural alarm or anything. Owie! And are we ever gonna learn what it really means?
 * Leo: Well, not to sound all whitelightery but everything happens in its own time. You can’t rush what’s to be.
 * Piper: Okay, how about what already is. Dan is back in town.
 * Leo: So?
 * Piper: So what am I gonna tell him? The last time I saw him he handed me proof that you were killed in 1942. He’s gonna expect a reaction from me.
 * Phoebe: How about "Hey Dan, you're right, I am a necrophiliac."
 * Piper: Phoebe. (drops Phoebe's foot)
 * Phoebe: Ow! Why does everyone always Phoebe me?




 * Phoebe: I don’t get it. You’ve been stuck in that bottle for 200 years, someone finally sends you to us and you have no idea who licked the stamp? I kinda find that hard to believe.
 * Prue: What, and a genie man standing in our living room wearing that offering to each grant a wish isn't?
 * Genie: Well, I don't get it. You win the lotto and you're asking for explanations?
 * Piper: Actually, we'd just like to know who to send the thank you note to.




 * Dick/Genie: The question is what are you looking for? I mean come on, how did we make it to date three and you really know I'm not the guy.
 * Prue: I don't know, you know, I mean, at this point I feel like dating's kind of a job, you know. I mean, you get none but you feel like it's your duty to stay out there. I just want to feel excited by love again. I wish it was like it the first time.
 * Dick/Genie: (chuckles) Your wish, my command.
 * (He clicks his fingers and a chime is heard.)




 * Piper: Dan, I know who Leo is. I always have.
 * Dan: What?
 * Piper: It's not that I don't appreciate everything you...
 * Dan: Wait, I've spent all this time worrying about you, worrying about who he is and you've known all along?
 * Piper: Well, uh, it's very complicated.
 * Dan: Complicated. Complicated.
 * (He leaves. Leo comes back.)
 * Piper: He's right, he deserves to know but what am I gonna tell him, what am I gonna do? I wish there was somehow he could just move on with his life.
 * Genie: Your wish is my command.
 * (He clicks his fingers and disappears.)




 * Genie: So, uh, did you finish them off with your scary witchy power?
 * Phoebe: No, that, that is my power.
 * Genie: That's it?
 * Phoebe: That and premonitions.
 * Genie: You're a witch with no real powers? I mean, no, you know, premonitions, those are, those are great but...
 * Phoebe: I know, I know. I mean, I would love an active power but what can you do?
 * (The genie stands up.)
 * Genie: You just done it. (Phoebe throws down the book, stands up and covers her mouth.) And I know exactly where to get one.
 * Phoebe: Was that a...?
 * Genie: A wish? Yeah, yeah it was. (He clicks his fingers and a choker disappears from around his neck.) And that's three and I'm free.
 * Phoebe: Three? That wasn't even one.
 * Genie: That's three. I'm gone.




 * Phoebe: Hello?
 * Darryl: When I first got the call, I naturally dismissed as a crank. But I realized it was Deputy Marrow on the other end.
 * Phoebe: Okay, Darryl, can you speed this up because I'm kinda busy right now.
 * Darryl: What, flying? (There's silence.) Now, see I've learned to interpret those pauses as admission.
 * Phoebe: What did he see?
 * Darryl: Actually it was his wife. She swore she saw a brown hair, young woman fly over the house earlier... without a plane.
 * Phoebe: How about a broomstick?
 * Darryl: Phoebe, this isn't funny.




 * Piper: Prue where are you going?
 * Prue: I got a date with Dick (sound of dissatisfied in her voice).
 * Phoebe: Dull Dick, Prue you are too hot to duty date.
 * Prue: I need to find a way to but more balance in my life.
 * Piper: Yeah, but Prue you don't need Dick.
 * (Prue, Phoebe and Leo all start to giggle, and it dawns on Piper what she said)