Episode Report Card Demian: B+ | 1 USERS: A+ YOU GRADE IT That Plot Hole Episode
By Demian | Season 1 | Episode 17 | Aired on 04.06.1999
A short time later, Phoebe's stationed beneath a marquee advertising daily matinees of The Stepford Wives as Prue and Piper enter a festive diner called Buddy's across the street. Despite its name and location, Buddy's does not appear to be a gay bar slash restaurant like Hamburger Mary's in San Diego or, well, Buddies in Chicago. What this Buddy's does have in common with its Chicago namesake, however, is an all-Cher, all-the-time soundtrack, for as Prue and Piper ease unobtrusively through the front door and squeeze into a booth, the timeless diva herself wails out "Gypsies, Tramps, and Thieves." Heh. The production staff used to have a sense of humor, didn't they? Though I swear to God, Cher pops up in so many of these damn recaps -- either through her actual appearance on the show or through a series of Satanic associations -- she should be paying a promotional fee. Anyway, Prue and Piper run through their plan while Little Orphan Phoebe crosses the street to lurk just outside, peering plaintively through the window. Piper scans the restaurant, then softly whimpers, "Prue?" The camera cuts to a Prue-and-Piper POV of the restaurant interior for a thirty-second slow-motion glamour shot of Finola Hughes drifting through the swinging kitchen door in a brown-and-yellow polyester uniform, toting three glasses of Coke in an expertly casual waitress carry. Methinks Finola has some service industry experience under her belt.
Prue waxes nostalgic for the nights after their father had abandoned the family and the debt-laden Finola, reeking of kitchen grease, would drag herself back to the Manor after another grinding, thankless, endless shift to kiss Prue goodnight. Only Prue romanticizes it considerably more than I just did there. Prue and Piper blather about Phoebe's lack of Mom memories as Finola ambles over, brightly asking if they're ready to order. Piper and Prue gawp. Finola, clearly misinterpreting their glazed, slack-jawed expressions as the aftereffects of years of wicked marijuana abuse, smiles and tells them to take their time while she handles another order. Piper finally yelps, calling Finola back to the table. There's some endless stammering and dithering from the gals, during which they do not introduce themselves to their mother and Finola grows increasingly wary of the blithering potheads in her station. Piper eventually flicks out her manipulative jazz hands. Nothing happens. Piper flicks them once more with greater vigor. Again, nothing. Piper tries a few more times before ordering Prue to squint at the water glasses. Prue complies, but her powers have also skipped out for a smoke break. They foolishly settle on blurting something about Finola's percolating infant. Finola shoots them a blistering side-eye, wondering just who in the hell they think they are. Prue natters that they're long-lost Halliwell cousins from out of town, and they have important news regarding Finola's fetus. Finola fixes them with an icy glare and states, "Not that this is any of your business, but I can't get pregnant anymore. It's medically. Impossible." She spins on her sensibly shod heel and flounces off to accept a phone call. Prue and Piper beat themselves up over their abject stupidity for a moment before attempting to puzzle out their mutual power failure. Piper guesses that only one version of Charmed Ones possesses the associated powers at any given point in time. What the hell, huh? Makes as much sense as anything else on this show.