A Witch in Time

"Listen to me, Miles has got to die. It's his time, it's his destiny, and if Phoebe saves him today she'll be killed by a warlock along with Paige."

- Future Piper to her past self.

A Witch In Time is the 8th episode of the fifth season and the 96th overall episode of Charmed.

Summary
Phoebe has a Premonition of Miles being shot. She and Piper were able to stop it from happening, but she keeps getting Premonitions of Miles getting killed so keeps saving him again. Cole gets visited by Bacarra, a Warlock. Cole's future self sent Bacarra back in time to warn Cole that if Phoebe keeps saving Miles, she'll die herself. While Cole is doing everything he can to stop Phoebe from saving Miles, Future Bacarra helps his past self to steal the Book of Shadows with some tricks from the future.

Main Cast

 * Alyssa Milano as Phoebe Halliwell
 * Rose McGowan as Paige Matthews
 * Holly Marie Combs as Piper Halliwell
 * Brian Krause as Leo Wyatt
 * Julian McMahon as Cole Turner

Guest Stars

 * Ken Marino as Miles
 * Jason Brooks as Bacarra

Co-Stars

 * Joseph Paneno as Max
 * Maurice Smith as Driver
 * L. Sidney as Police Officer
 * Tosh Ayers as Youth

Uncredited

 * Unknown actress as Bacarra's Victim

To Disempower a Witch

 * A Red Ribbon Tie
 * Round a Fresh Human Heart.
 * The Witch's Powers
 * Will Then Depart.
 * Enchant the Following:
 * Before The Passing of
 * This hour
 * Take away
 * All Their Powers.

Future Bacarra's Spells
When he arrived in our present, Bacarra mostly used Spell Casting as his main power. He used it to replicate other powers, such as Sleep Induction and Fireballs.

To Cover an Entry


After he arrived from the future, Future Bacarra cast this spell to cover up the Time Ripple he used to get in this time. It moved a bush in front of the ripple, but it was still possible to find the Ripple, as Piper later was able to find it and use it to go back in time to save her sisters, who were killed by Bacarra.


 * Consilio!

To Deflect a Witch's Power
Future Bacarra cast this spell to deflect Piper's power of Molecular Combustion. He 'held' the power and blasted Piper against a cabinet in the dining room and blew up a part of the chandelier, causing it to fall. Phoebe later used the fallen chandelier as an excuse to tell Miles that the falling chandelier was the reason she pulled him down on the ground. This spell has a similar effect to Deflection.


 * Murus Adigo!

To Reveal an Invisible Witch


Future Bacarra cast this spell to help his present self find his intended victim. It was a witch who was hiding, using her power of Invisibility. After she became visible, she still tried to run, but future Bacarra grabbed her and put her to sleep. This spell has a similar effect to Power Negation.


 * Aspectus Invisus!



To Put Someone To Sleep
Future Bacarra cast this spell to put his present self's intended victim to sleep. While she was asleep, the future Bacarra told present Bacarra about his plans. When they succeeded in stealing The Book of Shadows, they used the witch's heart for a spell to Disempower the Charmed Ones. This To Sleep spell has a similar effect to Sleep Induction.


 * Sopio!



To Break a Magic Freeze
Future Bacarra cast this spell to break Piper's freeze. She froze an athame before it could hit her, but due to the spell it impaled her. Bacarra needed the blood from the athame as it was from the blood line of Good Witch owners of The Book of Shadows, to use it for his potion to cloak himself in goodness. This spell shows a similar effect to Power Negation.


 * Glacies Imber!



To Apport an Object
Present Bacarra cast this spell to apport the athame with Piper's blood on it. He then used Piper's blood from the athame for his potion to cloak himself in goodness. This spell shows a similar effect to the power of Apportation.


 * Teleportato!



To Create Fireballs
Both present and future Bacarra used this spell to each create a Fireball. They first killed Paige and Phoebe with the first Fireballs they created, and Future Bacarra then non-verbally cast the spell again to create another for Piper, but Leo could orb her out before it would hit her. This spells has a similer effects to the power to throw Fireballs.


 * Incendiares Globus!



Spell with Unknown Effect
When he saw Piper entering the Time Ripple, future Bacarra cast this spell. While casting it, Leo jumped him. Its effects are unknown, but it's probably used for weakening. The spell didn't do any damage though, as Piper was able to travel to the Past without any troubles.


 * Debilito!

To Create Obscure Fog
Phoebe created this spell after Bacarra stole the Book of Shadows. She only said she created it and never cast it, so the spell itself is unknown.

Petrification Spell
Phoebe also created this spell after Bacarra stole The Book of Shadows. After Bacarra disempowered her, Phoebe still tried to cast it, but since she didn't have any powers now, it didn't work. His two occasions then killed her and Paige with a Fireball each.
 * We call upon Medusa's bones,
 * Turn their flesh into stone.

To Cloak Oneself in Goodness
This is a yellowish-green potion that requires the blood of a Good Witch, in this case, from the blood line of owners of The Book of Shadows. Once the blood is added, the potion will smoke and is ready to be drunk. Bacarra used Piper's blood for his potion. After present Bacarra drank it, they both were able to touch the Book of Shadows.

Powers

 * Premonition: Phoebe has several Premonitions of Miles's death before each time she saves him. She also has a Premonition of Cole entering Miles's room while she and Miles were asleep.
 * Molecular Immobilization: Used by Piper to freeze the walkway. Piper later tried to freeze Bacarra, but he wouldn't freeze. She later froze an athame.
 * Telekinetic Orbing: Used by Paige to orb an athame to her.
 * Time Travel (through Time Ripple): Used by Bacarra to travel from the future to our present. Piper used the same Time Ripple to travel back in time to save her sisters.
 * Blinking: Type of Teleportation used by Bacarra.
 * Fireballs: Used by Cole to attack Bacarra, but he teleported out. Both present and future Bacarra used a spell to create a fireball to attack the Charmed Ones. They killed Phoebe and Paige with them, but Leo orbed out with Piper before the third fireball hit her.
 * Fading: Type of Teleportation used by Cole. Although future Piper faded, this was not magic, as she no longer exists.
 * Molecular Combustion: Used by Pipier when trying to blow up Bacarra, but he absorbed her power.
 * Deviation (through Spell): Bacarra deviated Piper's power to blast Piper and the chandelier.
 * Orbing: Type of Teleportation used by Leo. Paige tried to, but could not.
 * Invisibility: Used by a witch to hide from Bacarra and by Cole at Miles's.
 * Power Negation (through Spell): Used by future Bacarra to negates the Invisibility of his present self's victim. He also used a spell to unfreeze an athame Piper froze.
 * Sleep Induction (through Spell): Used by future Bacarra to put his present self's victim to sleep.
 * Healing: Used by Piper's baby to heal Piper.
 * Apportation (through Spell): Used by present Bacarra to apport the athame with Piper's blood.
 * Transmogrification: Used by Cole to turn himself from a CD rack back into his human form.
 * Power Stripping: Used by both occasions of Baccara to strip the Charmed Ones of their powers.
 * Super Strength: Used by future Baccara to rip out his victim's heart

Magical Beings

 * Bacarra - A Warlock who was sent back in time by future Cole. In that future, Phoebe kept saving Miles until she died herself. Future Cole sent Bacarra to tell present Cole to kill Miles, but while in our present, future Bacarra helps his present self with stealing The Book of Shadows, and killing two of the Charmed Ones.
 *  Bacarra's Victim (A Witch With The Power of Invisibility)  - was to be present Bacarra's victim, but then made visible and magically put to sleep by future Bacarra, he ripped her heart out for the Disempower a Witch Spell.

Mortals

 * Miles - Phoebe's love interest. In Bacarra's future Phoebe continually saves Miles for six months and is finally killed in the process. Future Cole sent Bacarra to our present to kill Miles, but Phoebe every time managed to save him. When her sisters are killed by Bacarra, Piper went back in time to warn her past self that she must let Miles die.
 * Max - Paige's potential love interest who is wickedly smart, perversely funny and has just enough of a weird style to be perfect for Paige.

Notes and Trivia

 * The title of this episode is a play on the phrase "A Stitch in Time Saves Nine" referring to the numerous times Miles is saved as opposed to just dying in the first place.
 * The WB nickname title for this episode is "Firestarters" (the trailer mentions 'passions flames' which is presumably why the episode is nicknamed "Firestarters"). The trailer doesn't mention Baccara.
 * Strangely, the trailer also contained a premonition about The Source, though he doesn't appear in the actual episode.
 * This is the ninth episode to have the word witch in the title.
 * Phoebe has four premonitions in this episode. This is the highest number of individual premonitions she has had in any one episode. Although in "Charmageddon", she saw several past events in one premonition.
 * Leo states that Phoebe's ability to have visions of non-supernatural events is a recent advancement of her power. However she has had such premonitions previously in "I've Got You Under My Skin", "Feats of Clay" and "The Power of Two". But Phoebe does seem to develop a psychic link with a person for the first time as she gets a premonition nearly everytime she touches Miles, which is a new aspect of her power.
 * Paige wears a cream-coloured leather blazer that she's worn before in "Charmed and Dangerous" and in "The Fifth Halliwheel".
 * The spell the two occasions of Bacarra used to disempower witches, which needs a fresh human heart, was previously used by Tuatha in "That Old Black Magic".
 * Paige dies for a third time in this episode.
 * Phoebe dies for a third time in this episode.
 * Piper loses her powers for a tenth time.
 * Phoebe loses her powers for an eight time.
 * Paige loses her powers for a third time.
 * The plot of the episode is similar to the 2000 horror film Final Destination, in that a death being prevented by a character having a vision they "weren't supposed to" causes the personification of death to try and kill the intended victim through what appear to be freak accidents.

Glitches

 * In the final scene, as Phoebe leans over Miles's dead body, crying sounds are heard. However, it is clearly seen that Phoebe isn't crying (she's not shaking, her mouth isn't moving). Piper's eyes are teary, but she's not sobbing loudly or shaking either.
 * When Leo orbs Piper to save her from the fireball, both of them have no jackets on. When they're in the ally, both of them now are wearing jackets.
 * In the scene where Piper speaks with her past self, past Piper's hair alternated from curly to straight as the scene changes.
 * When Piper and Phoebe are running to save Miles at the end, Phoebe has on brown Ugg boots but when she gets to Miles she is wearing dressier brown or black boots.

International Titles

 * French: Le maudit (The Damned)
 * Czech: Co se má stát, stane se (What's Meant to Happen, Will Happen)
 * Slovak: Čarodejnica v čase (A Witch in Time)
 * Russian: Ved'ma vo vremeny (A Witch in Time)
 * Spanish (Spain): Una bruja a tiempo (A Witch in Time)
 * Spanish (Latin America): Una bruja en el tiempo (A Witch in Time)
 * Serbian: Vestica u vremenu (A Witch in Time)
 * German: Tödliche Visionen (Deadly Visions)
 * Italian: Il tunnel del tempo (Time's Tunnel)
 * Hungarian: Időutazás (Time Travel)