Needs to Know

Season 2

Episode 12

Air date

February 7, 2020

Production

Prod. code

212

Writer(s)

Johanna Lee, Jessica O'Toole and Amy Rardin

Director

Jeff Byrd

Episode Guide
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Dance Like No One is Witching	Breaking the Cycle

Needs to Know is the twelfth episode of the second season of Charmed and the thirty-fourth episode of the series overall. It premiered on February 7, 2020.

Synopsis[]

WHAT THE HEART DESIRES – A mysterious SOS call from Whitelighter Helen (Azura Skye) draws Harry (Rupert Evans), Mel (Melonie Diaz), Macy (Madeleine Mantock) and Maggie (Sarah Jeffery) into a perilous conflict with Darklighter Helen. In an attempt to reignite the Power of Three, Macy resorts to drastic measures.

Plot[]

The Charmed Ones attempt to reclaim the Power of Three with a spell but fail. Harry has dinner with Abigael but rejects her attempts to flirt, noting that they can't be together because she is part demon.

Soon after, he receives a call from Helen asking for help and orbed to the Tulipe Institute. Meanwhile, Mel flirts with a bartender Ruby and seems to appreciate her interest in her, but refuses to hang out with her and her friends due to their failure to regain their power. Macy is saddened that the connection between her sisters didn't happen with her, while Maggie says she doesn't feel like dating Jordan after everything that happened with Parker.

Harry arrives and discovers that the institute staff have been killed by a man with a gun and that Helen's Darklighter killed the man with the gun and escaped.

Harry then takes Helen to the Command Center and explains what happened to Mel and Maggie, while Macy goes to ask Abigael to help her get rid of her demon side, and the other demon-witch agrees. Meanwhile, Helen explains that Darklighters cannot kill their Whitelighters and vice versa, so Harry deduces that his Darklighter is still alive.

Worried about what Helen's Darklighter might do, Harry quickly sets out to find her, but Helen has no idea where her evil half might have gone, so Maggie touches her to get a vision, and they discover that the Darklighter is in Plymouth. While Mel stays with Helen, Maggie and Harry go looking for her. Since the only one who can help Macy is Parker, Abigael takes her to him, where she discovers that he is alive. At the Command Center, Helen finds her papers, and she and Mel look through them and discover that Helen lived in Plymouth.

Parker refuses to tell the two demon-witches where the dagger is to be used, despite the torture of his half-sister, and Abigael orders him to be killed.

Harry and Maggie follow the Darklighter's trail and discover that she has claimed another victim, while Mel discovers that Helen had a lover because she was forced into an arranged marriage. Harry and Maggie follow the Darklighter's trail and discover she's claimed another victim.

The two call Mel to try to get more information, and after she tells them what she has discovered, they go to the grave of Daniel, Helen's lover. Macy tries to convince Abigael not to kill Parker, and he tries to convince her to help them. He finally agrees, but in exchange he wants Macy to give a letter from him to Maggie. Maggie and Harry manage to find the Darklighter and calm her down. Abigael then strips Macy of her demonic powers.

Macy receives a message from Maggie and returns to the Command Center, where Helen asks to be reunited with her Darklighter. Harry finds this too dangerous but eventually agrees. Unfortunately, Helen's Darklighter believes that the Charmed Ones are the Elders and attacks Macy, so to stop her, Helen commits suicide, killing her as well.

Macy later explains what she did but doesn't give Maggie the letter. Mel decides to give Ruby a chance, and Maggie gives Jordan a chance too. Macy doesn't get her powers back, and Harry consoles her. Meanwhile, Abigael shows Parker that she has absorbed Macy's powers.

Cast[]

Main Cast[]

Guest Cast[]

Azura Skye as Helen McGantry / Helen McGantry's Darklighter
Nick Hargrove as Parker Caine
Bethany Brown as Ruby

Co-Starring[]

June B. Wilde as Nurse
Paul Vos as Richard
Kalvin Olafson as Man
Chris Ang as Tulipe Guard

Magical Notes[]

Spells[]

Containment Spell
- Used by Maggie and Mel to contain Helen's Darklighter.
Containment Release Spell
- Used by Maggie to free Helen's Darklighter.
Button Revelation Spell
- Used by Abigael to reveal an elevator button leading to the subterranean dungeon.
Demonic Power Stripping Ritual
- Used by Abigael to strip Macy of her demonic powers.
Light Changing Spell
- Used by Abigael to turn off electric lights and light fire in the fireplace.
Power of Three Restoration Ritual
- Used by Macy, Mel and Maggie in attempt to restore the Power of Three. However, the Power of Three only lit up in a surge of electrical energy only in Mel and Maggie's hands, failing to reach for Macy.

Powers[]

Foresight: Used by Maggie to see Helen's Darklighter is Plymouth, Massachusetts at an intersection, and later to see Helen's Darklighter about to attack Harry Greenwood.
Healing: Used by Harry in an attempt to heal Helen.
Orbing: Used by Harry to travel.
Portal Creation: Used by Harry and Maggie through the use of the Command Center to travel.
Power Absorption: Used by Abigael through the use of a demonic power stripping ritual to steal Macy's demonic powers.
Pyrokinesis: Used by Abigael to burn a plate of food, and later to demonstrate to Parker Caine that she stole Macy's demonic powers for herself.
Telekinesis: Used by Abigael to levitate Parker and hold him against the roof of his cage.

Artifacts[]

Black Amber: Magical tree sap. Used by Macy in an attempt to reawaken her witch powers.
Book of Elders: The Elders' tome of magical knowledge. Macy attempted to look through it, but was interrupted by Darklighter Helen.
Power Cuffs: Cuffs that negate magical powers. Abigael had Parker wear one while in her captivity.
Ritual Dagger: A dagger/knife used for the Demonic Power Stripping Ritual. Used by Abigael to complete the ritual and remove Macy's demonic powers.

Trivia[]

Helen McGantry and her Darklighter return in this episode. They were last seen in Deconstructing Harry.
Parker Caine returns as a guest in this episode. He was last seen in The Rules of Engagement.
Jordan Chase does not appear in this episode, but he is shown to be texting Maggie throughout the episode.
Julian Shea was mentioned. He was last seen in Dance Like No One is Witching.
As of this episode, Harry Greenwood is the last remaining Whitelighter.
Harry and the sisters realize his Darklighter is still alive.
During the first season, when Mel had a bond with Niko Hamada, her signature drink was Pinot gris. However, in this episode, Ruby has indicated that a Dark 'n' Stormy is Mel's currently signature drink.

Unanswered Questions[]

Will Macy regain her witch powers?
Will Macy tell Maggie that Parker is still alive?

References to the Original Charmed[]

Macy learns Parker is alive, following his alleged death, and chooses to keep it a secret. In the original series, Phoebe helped fake Cole's death, and concealed the truth from her sisters.
Macy's powers are stolen by Abigael. In the original series, the Charmed Ones' powers were stolen on multiple occasions.
When Harry tries to heal Helen after she stabs herself to stop her Darklighter, he is unable to due to the wound being self-inflicted. In the original series, self-inflicted wounds were one of the few kinds of wounds Whitelighters were unable to heal.
Abigael tells Macy that pyrokinesis is a highly desirable power in the world of demons. This may be a nod to the Firestarter, a type of magical creature said to be extremely rare and coveted.

Production Notes[]

The episode was watched by 0.57 million U.S. viewers.
The title of this episode is a reference to "Need to Know", also known as NTK, a technology newsletter published from 1997 to 2007. This can also be a reference to the song of the same name by the British record producer Mark Wilkinson.