Curse Words is the tenth episode of the second season of Charmed and the thirty-second episode of the series overall. It aired on January 24, 2020.
Synopsis[]
ALTERED FATES – Maggie (Sarah Jeffery) and Mel (Melonie Diaz) fear Jordan's (Jordan Donica) curse is alive and well. Macy (Madeleine Mantock) and Harry (Rupert Evans) confront unspoken feelings. Poppy Drayton also stars.
Plot[]
SafeSpace is hopping with Jordan's birthday bash. Swan even brought him a sugar-free, gluten-free and dairy-free cake that's shaped like a boxing ring. It’s cute, but Jordan looks like he might prefer to look at it instead of eat it.
Maggie has been staring at Jordan staring at her all night, and it’s not because they have adorable crushes on each other. She's watching him because she’s trying to keep him alive until midnight, when he officially turns 26, since all of the men in his family die at age 25 due to a witch's curse. He's staring at her because he knows she faked her own death and is curious, but we won't be talking about that until later.
Maggie has to get Jordan through the next 2 hours and 9 minutes, but who’s counting. Macy is confused- wasn't saving Jordan from Parker enough to beat the curse? Maggie doesn’t think so.
She has a thing for damsels in distress boys in need and she knows when her man still has trouble hanging over his head.
Ray shows up at the party, having gotten bored alone up in the house. Mel, worried that he'll blow their cover with the normals, suggests it's time for him to resume his own life, such as it was. Ray is thinking he’s got a pretty sweet deal hiding out with his daughters.
Mel insists that he contact the buyers he sold the talisman to, like he said he would, so they can figure out their connection to Harry's Darklighter. Ray insists that the buyers are dangerous. Ray and Mel are almost exactly as stubborn as each other, but Mel has the upper hand on this one, since it’s her house.
Macy gets a text from Julian Shea, the billionaire from last week, suggesting she meet him in Aspen, with a plane ticket included. Before she can decide, Harry finds her and they look into each other’s eyes for a minute. Then Abigael stumbles in, collapses dramatically into Harry's arms, and begs him for help.
Mel tells Maggie that they need to go with Ray to contact his buyers, but Maggie won’t leave the party until she knows Jordan is safe. Mel says it'll be fine, then the lights go out- it’s just time to sing Happy Birthday. While everyone is singing, Maggie has a premonition of the heavy sign that’s hanging over Jordan falling on him.
When she opens her eyes, she notices the sign is wobbly and runs to shove him out of the way just before it falls. Jordan is shocked and considers going home, but Maggie convinces him to stay and share some beer and hummus. Jordan agrees, but clearly wonders how his party ended up with such tragic food. He thanks her for saving his life.
Mel has to go alone with Ray on their field trip. For a second, the girls hope he's changed, but then they notice him flirting with a much younger woman.
Harry determines that Abigael was poisoned with a hellebore venom. The only antidote is a lavender witch hazel injection. Abby has no idea who poisoned her. Harry offers to take Abby's home, but Macy won't let him go alone. She doesn't trust Abby, but he thinks it's important that they keep the demon overlord close.
Ray is thrilled with the Command Center's potential, both financially and archeologically. Mel picks out an item he can sell to his buyers, and puts a tracking spell on it, while he assesses items for future sales. Mel tells him to leave the vial of black amber alone, then says it's worthless. He pockets it a minute later.
The buyers want to meet in Reno. Ray is in for another surprise when Mel introduces him to the portal system.
Jordan tells Maggie that it seems like his family is cursed, since the men all die at 25. His dad died of a brain aneurysm, his uncle died in a car crash and his grandfather died in Vietnam. He was sort of expecting something to happen to him as well. That's why he's already tried to live as much life as possible.
Maggie says that she understands living with fear. Jordan says he isn't surprised, since she's already dead. He points out that it's hard to fake your own death these days, with social media documenting everything. Maggie tries to explain, but he says that it's none of his business. Parker seemed dangerous, so he assumes it had something to do with that.
He does want to know what happened when Maggie went into the switch room and disappeared, though. She just went "poof". Maggie suggests that between the curse and the "poof" maybe he should lay off the edibles, which he nods to acknowledge could be it.
Then a cold draft blows through the room and he runs upstairs to check the thermostat. Maggie hears the crackle of frost forming and turns to see writing forming on the fog of a cold door. It says, "He is mine." A female ghost appears in the shadowed hallway.
The ghost is wearing an old fashioned nightgown and has burn scars on her face. She screams and flies toward and past Maggie. Maggie runs into Kat's store to find the ingredients for a spell to capture her. The witch appears behind Jordan, but Maggie quickly casts her spell and traps the ghost in a mirror in the store.
Mel and Ray wait in a cafe for the buyers. They make and stir their tea in exactly the same way. Ray asks about her love life. She complains that he was a bad role model. Ray contends that he and Marisol loved each other and shared everything. Mel points out that they lied about the most important things in their lives, then he left.
They're interrupted by the buyers. He tells her to stay in the cafe while he meets them, so she’ll be safe. She pretends she's letting him go alone.
Macy and Harry take Abby back to the sleek new apartment she's rented in Seattle. Abby plays helpless with Harry and baits Macy.
On her way to the bathroom, Macy discovers that Abby had already brewed the antidote injection for the poison.
Maggie tries to reason with the ghost, but she's too traumatized to negotiate peace. Jordan’s witchfinder ancestor killed 25 women who lived in the previous version of SafeSpace, and she can't forgive or forget.
Ray's buyer, Nadia, calls him a dead man walking, referring to the fact that he faked his death and went into hiding. He shows her the Cintamani prism he brought to settle his debts and tells her he got it in India. Her companion runs a scanner over it. It initially passes, but as they walk away, an alarm goes off. Nadia accuses him of placing a tracker on it and pulls a gun on him.
She knocks him down and threatens him. He pulls out the black amber and tells her it's from the same source as the talisman. Nadia wants him to be more specific about his source, but her gun becomes too hot to hold. Mel comes out of the shadows and forces them to drive away.
Ray noticed a tattoo on Nadia's wrist while she was threatening him. Mel and Ray yell at each other for lying to each other and almost getting killed.
Abby flirts with Harry while he tries to figure out who poisoned her. Macy confronts Abby alone and says she knows Abby poisoned herself. Abby says that she was just trying to get some alone time with Harry. She appreciates his goodness in a way Macy doesn't.
Maggie frantically searches for a spell to permanently send the ghost on her way, but before she can find one the ghost breaks free from the mirror. An uncrossing ritual would send her back to the spirit realm, but it takes three people to do it.
The ghost sends Jordan flying then possesses Swan. She makes Swan's head do a 180 degree Exorcist turn before attacking Maggie. Maggie beats her up, then drags Jordan to the switch room. Swan loudly tries to get in, so Maggie is forced to tell Jordan the curse is real.
Ray apologizes for stealing the black amber. He explains that he needed a Plan B. They realize they can get the car's license plate from a nearby surveillance camera and track Nadia that way.
Harry is surprised that Abby would poison herself for attention. Macy reveals that she saw them kiss in the Command Center. He agrees that he and Macy should go home, but first he wants to talk to Abby for a minute.
Back in the Command Center, Ray draws Nadia’s tattoo to give Mel another clue to track.
She asks him why he and Marisol really split up. He tells her that when he and Marisol met, they were both university professors. They were young and fell wildly and passionately in love. But he was devoted to his work, which took him all over the world and she was raising Mel alone. She fell back in love with Macy’s father and soon Maggie was born. He always knew Maggie wasn’t his biological child.
After that, he and Marisol tried to make it work, but he knew that her heart belonged to someone else. It broke his heart and he began drinking more. Eventually, he cheated on her as well, then left.
While Ray is coming clean downstairs, Maggie is telling the truth to Jordan upstairs- 130 years ago, his great great great grandfather, Lawrence Mortimer Chase, burnt down the Tulipe Asylum, which once stood on the spot of SafeSpace, because it was a sanctuary for witches. As she lay dying, one of the witches put a curse on Lawrence Mortimer Chase and his entire lineage, so that they would all die at the age of 25.
But if Jordan can survive the next 17 minutes and reach the age of 26, the curse will be broken. Jordan thinks it all sounds crazy but is also the only thing that makes sense. He asks how she knows about his family's history.
She’s about to confess her secret when the lights blow out. Swan has found a way into the room. Maggie yells the incantation to open the door to the Command Center and rushes Jordan in.
Harry tries to let Abby down gently. He could never date a demon, after all. She reminds him that she’s only a half demon, and she’s half witch. he brings out the best in her. And, forget about the Darklighter- she sees him as whole.
Macy rushes in to tell Harry they have to get back to the Command Center to help Maggie.
Ray initiates Jordan into the joys of sitting on the sidelines while the ladies work. Maggie borrows Jordan's ring to help with the ritual, then Mel and Maggie go back upstairs to face Swan. Harry and Macy orb in to meet them. Maggie explains that they need to do the uncrossing ritual on Swan.
After a bit of cat and mouse, Swan captures Maggie and holds a clawed finger to her throat. She threatens to Kill Maggie and burn SafeSpace to the ground unless they bring Jordan to her. Maggie reminds the witch that if she does that, she'll become just like the man she hates. She begs the witch to remember what she is, and let Jordan go, on the grounds that he’s a decent man who’s nothing like his ancestor. Maggie tells the witch that Jordan wants her to have her ring back. The witch/Swan lets Maggie go and takes the ring.
The ghost witch tells the Charmed Ones that she's ready to be sent to the spirit realm. They each repeat the incantation to set her free. Before she leaves, the witch appears as a ghost in her uninjured human form. Maggie thanks her for sparing Jordan. The witch says that witches' curses aren’t broken so easily. Jordan isn’t free yet. She whispers in Maggie's ear, then disappears.
Later, Maggie and Jordan finally have that beer and she tells him the curse isn't broken until he balances the scales of justice. Neither of them knows what that means. Jordan asks her to clear up some myths about witches. She tells him that witches and humans rarely work out, but they can be friends. Swan wakes up with a sore neck. Jordan thanks Maggie again, then drives Swan home.
Harry tells Macy that he's going to go back and check up on Abby, since they left her so quickly. Macy can't understand why he cares about Abby, when she's evil and manipulated him. He says that they need Abby on their side and it’s none of Macy's business, anyway, since he just caught her mooning over her texts with Julian. He says he'll take care of himself and she can take care of herself. Macy denies having feelings for Julian, and acts like she’s hurt that Harry could even suggest such a thing.
Macy texts Julian, then dials up Aspen on the portal, all with tears in her eyes.
Ray gives Mel the phone number of his friend Choochi, a discrete retired cop who can help track down the owner of the car with the license plate. Mel asks him to stay, but he insists that it’s too dangerous, since they'll be searching for him. He has to leave, before they connect him to the daughter they’ve already seen him with, just like he had to leave when she was little, even though he wanted to stay.
Nadia is in a lab with a man who doses a dead rodent with black amber. It comes back to life. Nadia is excited that the magic worked.
Cast[]
Main Cast[] |
Recurring Cast[]Guest Cast[]
Co-Starring[]
|
Magical Notes[]
Spells[]
- Desenmascarar Spell
- Maggie used it to open the door to the Command Center to escape a possessed Swan with Jordan.
- Spirit Capture
- Maggie used it to temporarily trap Florence's spirit in a mirror.
- Tracker Spell
- Used by Mel to place a magical tracker system on an item.
- Uncrossing Ritual
- Used by Mel, Macy, and Maggie to free Swan from Florence and send her back to the spirit realm.
Powers[]
- Cryokinesis: Used by Florence's vengeful spirit to decrease the temperature in SafeSpace, Seattle and frost over the windows.
- Flight: Used by the vengeful spirit of Florence to fly in her spirit form.
- Foresight: Used by Maggie to see Jordan in danger.
- Healing: Used by Harry in an attempt to heal Abigael. However, his attempt is unsuccessful.
- Molecular Acceleration: Used by Mel to heat up a gun held by a black market dealer threatening her father, causing her to drop the gun.
- Orbing: Used by Harry to teleport himself and Macy.
- Portal Creation: Used by Mel and Ray through the system at the Command Center to go to and from Reno, Nevada. Also used by Macy at the end of the episode to seemingly go to Aspen, Colorado.
- Possession: Used by the vengeful spirit of Florence to possess Swan.
- Resurrection: Used by the scientists through the use of black amber to resurrect a rabbit.
Artifacts[]
- Black Amber: Given by Ray Vera to a black market dealer so she wouldn't shoot him.
- Chase Family Ring: Given to Maggie by Jordan, and eventually returned to the its original owner, Florence.
- Cintamani Prism: Ray gave this prism to the Faction in order to settle his debt to them. Mel secretly put a tracker on it, but it was quickly discovered.
Trivia[]
- Jordan Chase celebrates his birthday in this episode.
- Julian Shea is not in this episode, but is seen in a picture sent to Macy Vaughn via text, in Aspen.
- Ray Vera is shown to recall Mel's relationship with Niko Hamada in this episode, even though the sisters were forced to rewrite history so that Mel and Niko never met in Other Women.
- Macy and Harry Greenwood are shown to know that Abigael Jameson-Caine manipulated them while gaining back the title of Demon Overlord, even though this whole process was kept secret in The Rules of Engagement.
- Jordan finds out the Vera-Vaughn sisters are witches.
- It is revealed that Macy has been using the surname Flores.
Answered Questions from Previous Episodes[]
- Who are the mysterious customers who bought Marisol's talisman from Ray Vera?
- An underground organization who is aware of magic.
- Would Jordan Chase learn of the existence of magic?
- Jordan finds out about his family curse and the Vera sisters' identities.
- What is Ray Vera hiding about his past?
- Ray told Mel that he always knew Maggie wasn't his biological daughter. For 5 years he tried to establish a relationship with their mother Marisol, but eventually gave up and decided to leave. He didn't dare tell Maggie about it.
Unanswered Questions[]
- How will Jordan break the family curse?
- What will Ray's enemies do?
References to the Original Charmed[]
- Maggie tried to prevent Jordan's death, which had been predetermined. In the original series episode, "A Witch in Time", Phoebe tried to prevent the death of her boyfriend Miles, though was unsuccessful.
- Florence is a dead witch who returns as a ghost to target different generations in a familial line. In the original series episode, "Love's a Witch", Olivia Callaway was also a witch who returned as spirit and targetted members of the Montana family. By the end of the episode, both threats were neutralized.
Production Notes[]
- The episode was watched by 0.59 million U.S. viewers.
Quotes[]
Harry: Remember when I used to protect you?
Macy: Now, we protect each other.
Jordan: I'm feeling all kinds of weird and not in a good way.
Harry: Abigael, you and I can never be. For all the reasons you already know. You're a demon.
Abigael: Half-demon. But the other part of me, the witch, is very real. You bring out the best in me. I see you for who you are. Screw the darklighter. In my eyes, you are whole.
Gallery[]
Videos[]
See Also[]
| Season 2 Episodes | |
| "Safe Space" ▪ "Things to Do in Seattle When You're Dead" ▪ "Careful What You Witch For" ▪ "Deconstructing Harry" ▪ "The Truth about Kat and Dogs" ▪ "When Sparks Fly" ▪ "Past is Present" ▪ "The Rules of Engagement" ▪ "Guess Who's Coming to SafeSpace Seattle" ▪ "Curse Words" ▪ "Dance Like No One is Witching" ▪ "Needs to Know" ▪ "Breaking the Cycle" ▪ "Sudden Death" ▪ "Third Time's the Charm" ▪ "The Enemy of My Frenemy" ▪ "Search Party" ▪ "Don't Look Back in Anger" ▪ "Unsafe Space" |