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All Hell Breaks Loose (Charmed)

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"All Hell Breaks Loose"
Charmed episode
Promotional poster of the episode by The WB. The tagline hints at the end of the original Charmed Ones and Prue's death.
Episode no.Season 3
Episode 22
Directed byShannen Doherty
Written byBrad Kern
Production code4300066
Original air dateMay 17, 2001 (2001-05-17)
Guest appearances
  • Matt Malloy as Dr. Griffiths
  • Mercedes Colón as Elana Dominguez
Episode chronology
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"Look Who's Barking" 		Next →
"Charmed Again"
Charmed (season 3)
List of episodes

"All Hell Breaks Loose" is the twenty-second episode and season finale of the third season of the American fantasy drama television series Charmed. Written by Brad Kern and directed by Shannen Doherty, the episode was originally broadcast on The WB on May 17, 2001.

Charmed focuses on the three Halliwell sisters, Prue (Shannen Doherty), Piper (Holly Marie Combs) and Phoebe (Alyssa Milano), who are known as the Charmed Ones; the most powerful good witches in existence. They live their everyday lives battling demons and warlocks in San Francisco, while trying to lead normal lives. "All Hell Breaks Loose" focuses on their secret as witches getting exposed to the public, after Prue and Piper are caught on tape battling the demon Shax (Michael Bailey Smith), which proves to have deadly consequences.

Shortly before the episode aired, Doherty was fired from the series. The reason for Doherty's departure was due to an ongoing conflict with Milano, who had provided an ultimatum to the show's producers that one of them had to be let go, also threatening to sue them. Following Doherty's departure, Jennifer Love Hewitt and Tiffani Thiessen were offered the role of Prue but turned it down, at which point it was decided to kill the character off; this resulted in the episode's ending being recut. In a retrospective interview, Kern would clarify that he intentionally wrote the episode to end on a cliffhanger with all three sisters' lives being in jeopardy to accomodate any potential cast changes.

"All Hell Breaks Loose" was watched by 5.26 million viewers and received positive reviews from critics, often being cited as one of the show's best episodes. Discussions have often focused on the episode marking Doherty's final appearance in Charmed and Prue's death, which critics have described as shocking. The episode's main plot of magic being exposed to the mortal world and the dire ramifications this has for the Charmed Ones was also praised, noted for its connection to prior works with a similar theme.

Plot

Prue, Piper and Phoebe enter the manor with Dr. Griffiths (Matt Malloy), who is hunted by Shax, the Source of All Evil's assassin. After Phoebe goes to the attic to learn more about Shax in the Book of Shadows, he attacks. As Shax is about to kill Dr. Griffiths, Prue jumps in the way and is thrown into a wall, followed by Piper. Before he can kill Dr. Griffiths, Phoebe rushes down the stairs and performs a vanquishing spell, which wounds Shax. She calls for Leo (Brian Krause), who orbs in and heals Prue and Piper. Once healed, Prue and Piper go into the streets in search of Shax, who arrives attacks them, before Piper uses her power to blow him up. Thinking he is dead, they go back to the manor, unaware a news camera crew caught them on tape. Suspicious about how Shax disappeared, as they did not use the vanquishing spell, Prue sends Leo to the Elders to find out if they vanquished him for good. Phoebe then confesses she is going to the Underworld to save her half-demon boyfriend Cole (Julian McMahon).

At the news station, Elana (Mercedes Colón) shows her crew the footage of Prue and Piper vanquishing Shax, convincing them to air it. When Darryl (Dorian Gregory) sees the news feed, he calls Piper and Prue to tell them they have been exposed. He arrives at the manor and tells them they could be arrested because they killed someone on live television. Down in the Underworld, Phoebe finds Cole and asks him to come back to the manor, but he refuses, as demons would follow him. Arriving at the hospital, Prue and Piper try to take Dr. Griffiths back to the manor for his safety. Shax appears, forcing them to perform the vanquishing spell, which kills him, unaware the news crew followed them to the hospital and taped them vanquishing Shax again.

The manor is swarmed by police officers, news reporters, and protesters. Leo arrives and informs Prue and Piper they need the demon Tempus to reverse time. A Wiccan fanatic named Alice (Marianna Elliott) breaks into the manor, wanting to join their coven, only for Prue to throw her out. Leo goes to the Underworld, informing Phoebe and Cole about magic's exposure, and asks Cole's help in getting Tempus to reverse time. Cole ask the Source (Michael Bailey Smith) for help, as the existence of demons has also been exposed. The Source agrees to help, but under the condition Phoebe join the dark side, prophetically stating it will be the only way to save one of her sisters from dying.

Back at the manor, as she and Prue are barricading the doors, Piper is shot in the stomach with a rifle by Alice. Unable to call for Leo, who cannot hear them while in the Underworld, Prue rushes Piper to the hospital. Dr. Griffiths and his team race to save here life, but despite their efforts she dies. Back at the hospital, a SWAT team arrives, and Prue, still furious about losing Piper, uses her powers and fighting skills against them, locking herself in the room. Leo orbs in to see Piper has died, and immediately goes back to the Underworld, confirming that Piper was the sister that died, with Phoebe agreeing to stay in the Underworld to save her life. Cole informs the Source, who secretly tells his hit-man to kill Phoebe and detain Cole. Just as the SWAT team is about to shoot Prue, time is reversed to when the sisters first encountered Shax at the manor. With Phoebe trapped in the Underworld, Shax is able to kill Dr. Griffiths by sending him through a window and leave Prue and Piper for dead.

Production

"All Hell Breaks Loose" was directed by Shannen Doherty (pictured 2011) and marked her final appearance as Prue. She was fired from Charmed due to an ongoing feud with co-star Alyssa Milano a few days prior to the episode's airing, which resulted in her character being killed off.

The episode was written by Brad Kern and directed by Shannen Doherty.[1] Doherty acting as director was first announced in March 2001, with the filming taking place during April.[2] By May 1, production on the episode was still underway, with Bern stating he had seen "the rough cut" for the episode.[3]

On May 10, a week before "All Hell Breaks Loose" airdate, Doherty exited the series.[4] Doherty's departure was facilitated by her feud with Milano and her own "disenchantment with the show's storylines".[5] While it was often speculated that Doherty left the series of her own volition, in a 2023 interview with Combs, she revealed that she was fired directly because of her feud with Milano.[6] The feud was partly fuelled by Doherty being the highest-paid actress on Charmed.[6] According to Combs, one of the show's producers revealed to her that Milano had provided them with an ultimatum where they either had to fire her or Doherty, and that Milano had threatened to sue them for a hostile work environment.[6]

Following Doherty's departure, the producers initially considered replacing her with a different actress.[7] However, after both Jennifer Love Hewitt and Tiffani Thiessen turned down the role, it was decided in June 2001 to kill off Prue and replace her with a new Charmed One.[7] This necessitated the producers "recutting [the] season finale to explain the sudden disappearance of Doherty's Prue".[7] Kern revealed in 2016 that "All Hell Breaks Loose" ending on a cliffhanger was intentional.[8] Having the lives of Prue, Piper, and Phoebe be in jeopardy by the end of the episode ensured that regardless of any cast changes facilitated by either the actresses or the network "gave everyone options about what they were or were not going to do".[8] Kern clarified that had Doherty remained on the series, they would have resolved the cliffhanger differently in season 4.[8]

Reception

Ratings

"All Hell Breaks Loose" was first broadcast on The WB on May 17, 2001.[9] The original broadcast was watched by 5.26 million viewers, making it the 82nd most-watched prime time network television program for the week of May 14 to 20, 2001.[10] "All Hell Breaks Loose" also received a Nielsen rating share of 3.4/5.[11] This means that 3.4 percent of all households with a television viewed the episode, while among those households watching TV during this time period, 5 percent of them were actively watching the program.[12]

Critical response

"All Hell Breaks Loose" has often been cited as one of Charmed's best episodes.[13][14][15][16] Writing for The Guardian, Isabelle Oderberg referred to "All Hell Breaks Loose" as the "best episode of the whole show".[13] Gay Times' Sam Damshenas described the episode not only as the best one of Charmed but also as "one of the best episodes of any fantasy drama ever".[15] Ryan Keefer, in reviewing the season for DVD Verdict, described the ending as a "defining moment for [Charmed]".[17]

Collider's Jay Snow similarly described it as one of the show's best episodes, singling out Doherty's performance and calling it "an impressive final outing for Prue".[14] Comic Book Resources' Vera Vargas cites "All Hell Breaks Loose" as the second most-rewatchable episode of Charmed and describes Prue's death as having shocked fans of the series.[18] In a retrospective review, Paste's Lacy Baugher Milas also described the episode as the show's best. Concerning Prue's death, which she described as a "shocking choice", Baugher Milas lamented that it resulted in the show's declining quality and argued that Phoebe should have died instead.[16]

Besides Prue's death, Paste's Baugher Milas praised the episode's plot focusing on magic and the Halliwell sisters getting exposed as witches, arguing that "All Hell Breaks Loose" showcased Charmed's greatest strength being in showing the "more uncomfortable aspects of what being a witch could mean, both from a personal and professional perspective".[16] In his review of the third season, David Hofstede described the Halliwells' status as witches being exposed as the greatest moment from the season.[19] Anthropologist Willem de Blécourt argues that the Bewitched episode "I Confess" influenced "All Hell Breaks Loose"; alongside the film Escape to Witch Mountain and the Sabrina the Teenage Witch episode "To Tell a Mortal".[20] de Blécourt notes how all four works have the same central theme of "outsiders becoming aware of witches in a world that denies their existence, followed by the consequences of this revelation".[20]

References

  1. ^ Gallagher & Ruditis 2004, pp. 152–153.
  2. ^ "In charge". Kenosha News. Kenosha, Wisconsin, United States: Lee Enterprises. March 30, 2001. p. 28. Archived from the original on July 6, 2024. Retrieved August 28, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ^ "The WB is still Charmed". The Sun News. Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, United States: McClatchy. May 1, 2001. p. 32. Archived from the original on July 6, 2024. Retrieved August 28, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ^ "Shannen Doherty Leaves Charmed". ABC News. American Broadcasting Company. May 14, 2001. Archived from the original on August 25, 2024. Retrieved August 28, 2024.
  5. ^ Romanko 2019, p. 50.
  6. ^ a b c Saad, Nardine (December 19, 2023). "Not-so-Charmed: Shannen Doherty, Holly Marie Combs unpack tension with Alyssa Milano". Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles Times Communications LLC. Archived from the original on July 6, 2024. Retrieved August 28, 2024.
  7. ^ a b c Keck, William (June 12, 2001). "Spelling asked Tiffani Thiessen to join Charmed". Entertainment Weekly. Dotdash Meredith. Archived from the original on May 23, 2023. Retrieved August 28, 2024.
  8. ^ a b c Swift, Andy (May 20, 2016). "Charmed: An oral history". TVLine. TVLine Media, LLC. Archived from the original on July 6, 2024. Retrieved August 29, 2024.
  9. ^ "Charmed Season 3 Episodes". TV Guide. Fandom, Inc. Archived from the original on July 5, 2024. Retrieved July 5, 2024.
  10. ^ "National Nielsen Viewership (May 14–20)". The Los Angeles Times. May 23, 2001. Retrieved May 10, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.Free access icon
  11. ^ "TV Listings for - May 17, 2001". TV Tango. Archived from the original on May 16, 2023.
  12. ^ "Frequently Asked Questions About Nielsen Ratings". The Futon Critic. September 19, 2010. Archived from the original on September 5, 2017. Retrieved April 15, 2018.
  13. ^ a b Oderberg, Isabelle (August 22, 2021). "Charmed: sister witches juggle life and magic in this oddly relatable late-90s cult hit show". The Guardian. Archived from the original on June 21, 2024. Retrieved July 4, 2024.
  14. ^ a b Snow, Jay (October 6, 2021). "25 Essential Episodes of the Original Charmed". Collider. Valnet Inc. Archived from the original on August 17, 2023. Retrieved July 4, 2024.
  15. ^ a b Damshenas, Sam (December 4, 2018). "The 15 best episodes of Charmed ranked". Gay Times. Gay Times Ltd. Archived from the original on June 20, 2024. Retrieved July 4, 2024.
  16. ^ a b c Baugher Milas, Lucy (June 23, 2021). "It Still Stings: Justice for Prue, Who Deserved a Better Fate on Charmed". Paste. Paste Media Group. Archived from the original on June 25, 2024. Retrieved July 5, 2024.
  17. ^ Keefer, Ryan (December 14, 2005). "Charmed: The Complete Third Season". DVD Verdict. Archived from the original on December 17, 2005. Retrieved August 25, 2024.
  18. ^ Vargas, Vera (October 26, 2023). "10 Most Rewatchable Charmed Episodes". Comic Book Resources. Valnet Inc. Archived from the original on July 4, 2024. Retrieved July 4, 2024.
  19. ^ Hofstede 2011, p. 56.
  20. ^ a b de Blécourt 2023, p. 270.

Bibliography

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