Throwback Thursday - Charmed - Morality Bites: Fighting the future

When we were signing up for this cycle of TBT articles I was firmly determined to cover an episode of The Big C, an outstanding comedy I highly recommend to everyone. But things changed the other day while I was pitching Charmed to Joy and proposed him Morality Bites as a standalone episode to realize how amazing and how deep Charmed is. So here we are revisiting one of the best and most emotional outings of Charmed, Season 2 Episode 2 - Morality Bites. The episode directed by John Behring was written by Chris Levinson and Zach Estrin.

The beauty of this episode is the perfect build up, emotional resolution and message the episode sends that echoes throughout the shows remaining 7 season run. After pulling a prank on an annoying dog owner who lets his dog do the number 2 on the Halliwell's lawn without taking care of it Phoebe gets a vision, seeing herself being burned at the stake 10 years in the future while her sisters watch it happen from just a couple of feet away. The sisters then decide to see what it is all about and with some help from their Whitelighter Leo they encounter a spell that would bring them to the future.

Unexpecdately the spell send their spirits into the futureselves bodies instead taking their hole bodies there like in That '70s Episode, when the girs traveled to the past. I loved how they balanced out a dark and heavy episode with some funny elements while Prue and Piper were shocked by their future lives. Prue with her allienated life and Piper with her daughter with magical powers and not to mention their power upgrade. Prue destroying the whole attic with a twitch of her hand was so bada*s. Later when Piper accidentally uses her powers in the future, a frustrated and dark Leo reaches out shaming them for using their powers in public and risking more discovering.

An excellent use of Leo in this episode as well. It was a great comparison between the light and optimistic Leo we saw in the present timeline and the dark and grungy Leo who was scared by Phoebe's actions which hurt the whole magical community.

And while Prue and Piper were making a plan to rescue Phoebe, Leo visited Phoebe who found herself in a prison cell unable to escape. Leo talked to Phoebe and tried to make her realize that she is guilty and that the witch hunt has to end with her demise at the stake. Phoebe couldn't believe what she was hearing till the moment Leo gave her a news article about the murder she committed which triggered a vision, making her relive her crime. Alyssa Milano really grew as an actress throughout the series and her really great work comes in later stages of Charmed but her performance in this episode was truly remarkable.

Especially as the episode reached its inevitable climax and Phoebe's execution. Her speech to her sisters was emotional and heartbreaking. Letting go of your life for the greater good is such a selfless act, especially knowing that she would be able to get away with it. The tears the sisters cried felt so real and evoked real tears in my eyes as well.

Seeing the sisters hug it out at the end as the spell fulfilled its purpose and brought them back to the present time was just heartwarming. Piper and Prue rushing towards repeating their magic abuse by punishing the awful neighbor felt so on point. The change in tone in Phoebe's voice as she warned her sisters from committing the same crime was so insightful. Phoebe was the one to start the abuse and she learned her lesson the hard way. It was a great way to send a message not only for the show's future but to all those in a position of power.

Phoebe: I think this is why we were sent back here to this moment in time. This is where it all started. The first we used our magic for revenge.
Piper: This is just a little thing it is harmless.
Phoebe: First you break the small rules, it is just a matter of time when you break the big ones.
Pure: A very smart girl once told me once, we are supposed to protect the innocent and not punish the guilty.

Another highlight of this episode was the small B-story surrounding Piper, Leo and their daughter. Piper's struggle to strip her daughter's powers was handled with so much delicacy and Holly delivered a great performance. Piper had to swallow so much in such short time and despite not knowing her daughter she knew she had to take care of her and save her from being hunted as a witch. The chemistry between Piper and Leo was amazing as always and Holly and Brian always gave so much to their scenes. Simply amazing.

Almost 18 years have passed since the episode aired, did your impressions changed from back in the day? Did the episode entertain and move you as much as it did me? Scroll down a little bit and share your thoughts on this in my opinion phenomenal outing of Charmed, an eternal classic.