Charmed: A Witch's Tail (Part 1)

"A Witch's Tail (Part 1)" is the first episode of season five of the supernatural drama series Charmed and the eighty-ninth episode of the series overall. It was directed by James L. Conway with a teleplay written by Daniel Cerone. It first aired on the WB Network on Sunday, September 22nd, 2002 at 8:00 pm.

Notes & Trivia

 * This episode is included disc one of the Charmed: The Complete Fifth Season DVD collection, which was produced by Paramount Home Entertainment and first released in Region 1 format on June 6th, 2006. It is also included on disc twenty-five of the Charmed: The Complete Series boxset collection, which was released on November 18th, 2008.


 * This episode is production code number 4301089.


 * Actress Holly Marie Combs receives an "As Piper" credit in the main cast line-up.


 * Parts One and Two of the "A Witch's Tail" storyline both aired on the same night, back-to-back.


 * There are a total of thirteen credited cast members in this episode.


 * Actor Frederick Koehler is credited as Fred Koehler in this episode.


 * This is the fifth episode of Charmed directed by James L. Conway. It is his first episode from season five of the series. He directs sixteen episodes of the series overall. He last directed "A Paige from the Past" in season four. His next episode is "Centennial Charmed".


 * This is the ninth episode of Charmed written by Daniel Cerone. He writes fourteen episodes of the series in total. He previously wrote "Womb Raider" in season four. His next episode is "A Witch in Time".

Allusions

 * The title of this episode is a play on the phrase "A Witch's Tale". The word play of "tail" refers to the tail of a mermaid, which Phoebe Halliwell possesses in this episode.


 * The story of Mylie is very similar to that of the fairy tale The Little Mermaid by author Hans Christian Andersen, which was written in 1837. The tale was adapted in the 1989 animated movie The Little Mermaid, wherein the eponymous character was given the name Ariel. In both stories, the mermaid enters into a bargain with a sea witch to become human, which ultimately backfires due to the witch's machinations.


 * Piper Halliwell makes reference to the Discovery Channel in this episode. The Discovery Channel is an American pay television channel that is the flagship and namesake television property of Discovery, Inc., a publicly traded company.

Quotes

 * Phoebe Halliwell: It's official. Phoebe's on the run.
 * Leo Wyatt: On the swim, technically.

....
 * Leo Wyatt: Phoebe, take my hand, I'll orb you back.
 * Phoebe Halliwell: Nope. I'm staying in the ocean.
 * Paige Matthews: Okay. Just meet us back at the beach, you swim so fast you'll probably beat us there anyway.
 * Phoebe Halliwell: No. I'm staying in the ocean. I'm not going back.
 * Paige Matthews: I don't understand.
 * Phoebe Halliwell: Paige, it's everything that Myliesaid it was. It's complete freedom.
 * Mylie: The call of the sea. It'll turn her heart cold if she lets it.
 * Leo Wyatt: Phoebe, get out of the water.
 * Phoebe Halliwell: No.
 * Paige Matthews: Phoebe, take my hand.
 * Phoebe Halliwell: No!
 * Paige Matthews: Phoebe, fight it.
 * Phoebe Halliwell: I don't want to fight it. I just want to be free.
 * Paige Matthews: Phoebe!

....
 * Phoebe Halliwell: Nothin' perks up a girl's career like sending her ex-husband straight to hell.

....
 * Paige Matthews: I haven't seen her this happy since Cole died.
 * Leo Wyatt: Which time?
 * Paige Matthews: Good point.

....
 * Paige Matthews: What is going on with everybody? We're talking about the Sea Hag. The mysterious monster of the deep blue sea. The one whose name strikes fear into the hearts of sailors everywhere.
 * Piper Halliwell: Okay. Somebody's been watching way too much Discovery Channel.