Bug a Boo

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Bug a Boo

Season 1

Episode 8

Air date

December 2, 2018

Production

Prod. code

108

Writer(s)

Zoe Marshall

Director

Vanessa Parise

Viewers

0.93 million

Episode Guide
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Out of Scythe	Jingle Hell

“	I feel so terrible. Even if Aptitude hadn't turned out to be a totally bogus app run by bugs, I've decided I'm not going anywhere this summer.	”
	— Maggie Vera

Bug a Boo is the eighth episode of the first season of Charmed and the eighth episode of the series overall.

Synopsis[]

A STICKY SITUATION — While on the hunt for Jada (guest star Aleyse Shannon), Mel (Melonie Diaz) scours The Book of Shadows as Harry (Rupert Evans) and Charity (guest star Virginia Williams) cross-reference them to find any clues that might lead them to this new demon. As if that isn't enough, they discover that there is a Changeling Demon on the loose that puts one of the sisters in danger. Elsewhere, Maggie (Sarah Jeffery) signs up for a job helping to market a new dating app which could land her a summer internship. Macy (Madeleine Mantock) decides to go outside her comfort zone after a little encouragement from Maggie. Meanwhile, Mel is given a task by the Elders that she was not expecting. Ser'Darius Blain and Nick Hargrove also star.

Plot[]

The episode kicks off with the sisters facing the mysterious, electricity-wielding scythe thief from the previous episode. They may have the Power of Three but their burgeoning magic is no match for the thief, whose ability to teleport and perform magic leaves them completely off-guard. The sisters retreat, but not before the demon uses the scythe to open the portal to Tartarus, releasing one of its evil residents.

With the scythe out of their hands and a mysterious demon on the loose, the sisters do something completely out of character thus far and call upon the Elders for back-up. However, Maggie and Macy have real-world business to attend to, leaving Mel, Harry, and resident Elder liaison Charity to get to the bottom of this scythe-theft business.

Having finally chosen a major, Maggie is now scouting out internship possibilities, volunteering as a recruiter for a dating app start-up in the hopes of landing an internship in Chicago. While Parker attempts to woo her into interning with him at his father’s company in Chicago instead, Maggie turns down his offer of unlimited summer makeout sessions, wanting to earn an internship on her own.

However, Maggie’s rejection of nepotism proves to be a major foil for Alastair’s nefarious plans. An exposition dump in the form of a big bad meet-up between Alastair and his sons gives us a little bit of background on Parker’s mysterious illness — and exactly what his demon father’s biogenetic plans are. Half-demon, half-human, it seems Parker’s demonic side is killing his human side and Alastair is working on a serum that would cure, or at least help, Parker with this bonkers and probably painful situation. Unfortunately, they need Maggie’s plasma to make the serum and Alastair implores him to find another way to get it as company drug tests are now off the table. It remains to be seen how the Harbinger of Hell plays into all of this, but I’m sure we’ll find out soon enough.

Mel, Harry, and Charity don’t get far in their investigation into the electric demon before their police scanner picks up a missing persons report. The trio investigate and upon seeing evidence of demonic activity, and with no other demons on their radar, they become wary of their mysterious foe.

Mel is taking out the trash at The Haunt when she’s approached by the electric demon, Jada, who reveals she’s not a demon after all but rather is half-witch, half-Whitelighter. Jada informs Mel that she’s part of the Sisters of Arcana — also known as Sarcana — a rogue group of witches who don’t follow the Elders’ orders. She shares that despite being an Elder, Mel’s mom was an ally to the group, adding that Mel is just the type of person they’re looking for. As a peace offering, Jada gives Mel a shard of the scythe and reveals she already used it to release a powerful witch from Tartarus.

Back at the house, Mel confronts Charity about the Sarcana. The mention of the group clearly rattles Charity, who tells Mel they’re a group of terrorists originally founded by an Elder. Later, Harry joins a still-shaken Charity on the back steps. Sarcana resurfacing is clearly a touchy subject for both as they mourn a mysterious “her” and very nearly have a moment.

After essentially being informed by the priestess that she and Galvin can never be together due to the protection spell on him, Macy has resigned herself to being married to her work. However, even her boss thinks she needs to get a life outside the lab and Maggie couldn’t agree more, pushing for Mace to get on the dating app she’s been promoting. Meanwhile, Galvin has been having a rough week in the lab, snapping at Macy like she’s not his friend and, more importantly, his boss. After she calls out his behavior, he apologizes, revealing that he and Summer broke up and Dr. Warner also cut funding on his long-running research project. So he’s feeling a bit down — but more importantly, Galvin is single again!

During a date with Maggie, Parker’s not looking too great and Maggie is very concerned for her new boyfriend, who, as far as she is concerned, has a rare autoimmune disease. Hunter confronts him in the bathroom, reminding his little brother of his mission, which is not to fall for one of the Charmed Ones. Parker ensures his brother that he’s got a plan all worked out and upon returning to the table, he tells Maggie that he needs a plasma transfusion. When he asks if she’ll get tested as a potential match, she enthusiastically agrees.

Meanwhile, the lovey-dovey college couple sitting at the table next to them walk through the parking lot, where the woman can’t help but point out what a perfect match they appear to be. But as they begin kissing, the man reveals himself to be an insect-like demon and kidnaps her. It’s all pretty horrifying.

Remember Fiona, Harry’s former charge whose recklessness ultimately led to her death? It turns out we didn’t get the full story from the Whitelighter on Halloween and it comes with a pretty interesting twist. In the attic, Harry warns Mel about the Sacana, revealing that Fiona was actually the younger sister of Charity — and presumably the mysterious “her” — who was encouraged by the Sacana to use her magic publicly. However, when things went south for her and she was deemed criminally insane and locked up, the group did nothing to help her. After some prodding by Mel, Harry also admits that the fallout led to his and Charity’s break-up, but more importantly, he urges Mel not to fall into the outlaw group’s trap.

Interrupting their heart to heart, Maggie bursts in suggests they get back to business. They’re able to work out quickly that the demons kidnapping students are insects looking for their perfect human mate — and that Maggie’s app is leading them to their targets. Horrified, Maggie reveals that Macy is on a date…with someone from the app.

Macy is clearly having a lovely time — until her date reveals himself to be an insect-like creature and kidnaps her mid-kiss. Flanked by Mel and Harry, Maggie bursts into the Aptitude headquarters, where the trio find Macy and the rest of the demons’ victims in a basement-turned-human breeding ground. They free Macy, who uses her telekinetic powers to kill the queen and free the rest of the victims.

While her harrowing experience would be enough to deter anyone from ever going on another date, Macy admits that she needs to find a work-life balance…but not with a dating app. Instead, she confesses that she still likes Galvin and protection spell or no, she wants to go for it.

Maggie, meanwhile, goes to see Parker, telling him that not only did she donate plasma, she also got Mel to do so, playing even further into Alastair’s evil plans. Mel and Jada have another encounter outside The Haunt and it appears Jada hasn’t given up trying to recruit Mel to join the Sacana, telling her to find her when she’s ready.

Rattled by Jada’s persistence, Mel summons Charity, who invites her through a portal to a different dimension to meet the other Elders. Even though their faces are obscured for security reasons, being in the presence of the entire Elder Council feels like a pretty big deal within Charmed’s magical realm. Charity reveals that the Elders think the Sacana killed her mother along with the other murdered Elders and the council wants Mel to infiltrate the rogue group. Mel goes to a tattoo shop to seek out Jada but she’s almost immediately knocked out by another sister, who tells her that she nearly saw Fiona! Either Harry hasn’t told the full story or this about to take another major turn.

At The Haunt, Macy shoots her shot with Galvin and invites him out for drinks. But just as he’s heading out to meet her, Galvin gets hit by a car — his protection mark glowing brightly. It seems it’s going to take more than Macy’s persistence to beat the spell.

Cast[]

Main Cast[]

Recurring Cast[]

Guest Cast[]

Anna Maria Perez de Tagle as Lainey
Abraham Lim as Chip

Co-Starring[]

Brad Bergeron as Adorable Guy
Ryan Jinn as Wes
Nathan Ozee as Sam Arnold
Charlie Nesbitt as Sam's Date
Allison Klause as Adorable Girl
Sheila Tyson as Waitress / Hunter Caine
Khamisa Wilsher as Aliya

Uncredited[]

Amanda Voll as Woman

Magical Notes[]

Book of Shadows[]

Cicada Demons
- Mel found this entry about Cicada demons.

Spells[]

Cloaking Spell
- Used by the Elders to mask their faces.
Desenmascarar Spell
- Mel used this spell to find lair of Sarcana in the tattoo parlor.
Fumigation Spell
- The Charmed Ones cast this spell to vanquish Lainey.
Kinetic Blast Spell
- Used by Mel Vera to attack Jada Shields but was unable to land a hit.
Tartarus Summoning Spell
- Jada used this spell to activate the Scythe of Tartarus to release one special witch trapped in Tartarus.

Powers[]

Electrokinesis: Used by Jada to send a ball of electricity at Mel and later electrify a criminal.
Electrokinetic Orbing: Used by Jada to move around space.
Empathic Telepathy: Maggie's primary power. Used to read Parker's mind while on their date. Used to read Aptitude employee mind.
Heat Generation: Lainey was able to overheat her body, and the tissue connected to it, to an extreme degree (similar to a bee).
Memory Erasure: Used by Jada to erase the memories of a woman.
Portal Creation: Used by Charity to leave the Vera Manor and later bring Mel to an alternate dimension.
Shapeshifting: Used by Hunter to disguise himself as a waitress. Also used by Lainey and her cicada demons to disguise as humans.
Supernatural Agility: The power to perform inhuman physical feats. Used by Lainey to leap down from her hiding place.
Telekinesis: Macy's primary power. Used to throw a control panel to crush and vanquish Lainey.
Temporal Stasis: Mel's primary power. Used to freeze the crime scene. Used to freeze Jada's ball of electricity. Used to freeze Aptitude employees.
Venom Secretion: The ability to release venom from the user's body. Used by Cicadas to sedate their victims.
Web Generation: The power to generate webs. Used by Lainey and Chip to contain their victims.

Artifacts[]

Book of Shadows: Used by Vera sisters and Harry to find information about Cicada demons.
Scythe of Tartarus: Used by Jada to release a witch from Tartarus.

Trivia[]

Harry and Charity were lovers in the past.
Throughout the episode, it's strongly hinted that Fiona was never really institutionalized, but actually imprisoned into Tartarus by the Elders for her affiliation with the Sarcana, until Jada released her with the Scythe of Tartarus.
In this Charmed series, Sam Arnold is the first LGBTQ male character.
In the previous episode, Mel was struck by lightning, leaving a large scar on her shoulder, but in this episode, it is not seen, despite the fact that she was wearing a shirt that could clearly reveal the scar.

Unanswered Questions[]

What do the Sisters of Arcana want with Mel?
Who was released from Tartarus?
Did Galvin have an accident because of the mark on him?

Answered Questions from the Previous Episode(s)[]

What does Jada Shields want with the Scythe of Tartarus?
- She wants to release a witch trapped in Tartarus.
What does the Caine family want with witch blood?
- They want to create a serum to cure Parker's illness.

References to the Original Charmed[]

Jada Shields was half-witch and half-whitelighter, a reference to Paige Matthews, the fourth Charmed One from the original.
Until Jada's identity was established, Harry, Charity, and Mel believed that one of the electric demons had stolen the scythe. In the original, the Charmed Ones once encountered a demon consisting of pure pure electricity.
The birthing chamber for the Cicada Demons was located on level P3 of the AptitudeMatch Headquarters. P3 was the name of the club owned by the Charmed One, Piper Halliwell, in the original series.
Charity and Harry's forbidden love references Patty Halliwell and Sam Wilder's relationship, as well as Piper Halliwell and Leo Wyatt's.
Macy was encased in a cocoon, similar to how Piper was put inside one when she was targeted by a Spider Demon.
Maggie works for a dating app; in the original Phoebe wrote a column in which she gave love advice and later she also wrote a book about it.