Charmed recap: The Tale of Cyd and Knansie
From the get-go, the Charmed reboot has thrown a lot of information at viewers, often too much at once. However, after dozens of questions, twists, and reveals, the show is finally starting to give us some answers — and proper answers at that! But as Macy tries to learn more about her resurrection, she and Maggie find themselves involved with a toxic pair of witches named Cyd and Knansie…yes really.
The episode opens on the night of Macy’s resurrection, as a distraught Marisol, having broken a necromancer out of Tartarus, begs her to bring an infant Macy back from the dead. The necromancer warns of a sacrifice in exchange for the resurrection but Marisol is willing to do anything to bring Macy back. The necromancer’s spell works and Marisol and Dexter are relieved to hear Macy crying. However, as the couple reunites with their daughter, the necromancer reveals the terms of the sacrifice: the young family has two years of happiness, and then Marisol can never see Macy again or she’ll die.
In the present, the sisters are reeling from the news that Macy was resurrected. So much so that Harry’s attempts to tell them about his own predicament are interrupted by Maggie and Mel letting him in on the unsettling news. When she enters the kitchen, the trio tries to play it cool but Macy makes it clear she’s not interested in a pep talk or reassurance. She’s crushed that she can’t shake this darkness, especially as so many things in her life are finally going well.
Speaking of getting answers, now that she’s officially become acquainted with a memory-wiped Niko, Mel is desperate to know what her former girlfriend was up to during the two years of their relationship Mel undid, namely why Niko is no longer a cop. Having seen Mel go down this rabbit hole, Maggie warns her she can’t get involved again.
The power of a capella quelled any lingering hard feelings between Lucy and Maggie and it seems this friendship is officially back on track. The Kappa president invites Maggie to a Phi Delta stoplight party, officially getting her back in the dating game, adding that she hopes to have Maggie return to Kappa by spring rush.
Back at the house, Macy uses the resurrection book to summon the necromancer, who arrives looking very normal and not at all like someone who could resurrect the dead. Lamenting her broken concealment charm, she asks Macy if she’s working with a witch named Cyd, who is hunting her down. When Macy reveals who she is, the necromancer agrees to provide answers as long as Macy helps her brew another concealment spell.
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Naturally, Mel blatantly ignores her sister’s advice and meets Niko for coffee at the spot they visited in the pilot, where Mel’s powers first revealed themselves to her. The two quickly slip into a natural rapport and Niko opens up to Mel about her decision to leave the police force and begin life as a private detective. However, the mood during their coffee date changes when the waiter drops a napkin and Mel accidentally exposes the grisly magical scar on her shoulder when reaching to pick it up. Niko notes that she’s feeling a sense of déjà vu and while Mel tries to play her lightening scar off casually, something tells me Niko isn’t going to just let this go.
While preparing the concealment charm with Macy, the necromancer opens up about her time in Tartarus, revealing she was locked up not because she deserved it but because the Elders fear witches like her. She claims that after refusing to resurrect a demon, Cyd, the witch hunting her, reported her to the Elders. Just then, Maggie walks in and recognizes the necromancer as a woman named, “Knansie with a K,” who’s been living as a cashier at a nearby convenience store. The introductions are interrupted by the arrival of Cyd, wielding fiery blue balls of power.
Mel’s summoned into Harry’s office by the Whitelighter, working up the courage to tell the sisters he can no longer be their guide. However, Mel thinks this is about her coffee date with Niko, thus derailing his difficult conversation once more. Under attack by Cyd, Macy and Maggie call Harry and Mel for backup, but as his powers continue to fail him, the Whitelighter’s attempt to orb himself and Mel to the house fails and the pair lands in Manchester, England.
With Cyd wildly throwing bursts of power around the house, Maggie and Knansie make a run for it but are quickly cornered by the witch. Macy is able to rescue them, showing off a new side to her telekinetic power by using it to throw Cyd out the window. While the necromancer chains Cyd up, Maggie expresses doubts over whether she can be trusted. But as Macy is desperate for answers and buying into Knansie’s story, she reassures Mags of her trustworthiness. Maggie heads off to the stoplight party at Macy’s behest while she and Knansie figure out what to do with the unconscious witch. Knansie wants to kill Cyd, encouraging Macy’s newfound use of her telekinetic powers, but a steadfast Macy refuses, instead looking to get the Elders and Harry involved. She promises she’ll speak to the Elders on Knansie’s behalf.
Stranded in England without passports and his regular powers, Harry reveals the truth to Mel over a pint. He tells her that his loyalty is split between the sisters and wanting to know more about his son, causing his powers to go haywire and his ability to be their Whitelighter in jeopardy. Since they’re already stuck in Manchester, Mel suggests they go looking for his son, hoping that’ll lead to some answers. They just have one problem, other than his location, Harry knows nothing about his son, not even his name.
At the party, Maggie is having a hard time connecting with any of the guys she’s meeting, especially with Parker lurking behind the bar. She finally comes face to face with him and tells him how their relationship and his betrayal has ruined dating for her. He wants to talk, very much downplaying his role in his dad’s evil plans — sure, he ended up betraying his evil dad and brother in the end, but still — but Maggie is not interested in semantics.
Macy and Knansie return to the shed with the Book of Shadows and look for a spell to temporarily contain Cyd, only to discover she’s broken free of the chains. Instead, Maggie, in the Phi Delta bathroom retaining her composure following her confrontation with Parker, comes face to face with a very angry Cyd. Now holding Maggie captive, Cyd gives Macy 15 minutes to turn Knansie over to her.
Harry and Mel walk the streets of Manchester at a loss as to where to start their search. Mel encourages him to look for a place he feels drawn to — much like Niko revealed to feeling over coffee. While he has a lot of thoughts about this Niko situation, he follows her advice and it leads the pair to a church. While rifling through christening records, he finds a page containing a photo of him in his former life with his wife and son, celebrating his son’s christening. He learns that he used to be James Westwell, he was married to a woman named Clara, and his son was named Carter.
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Macy rushes to the Phi Delta, where she and Parker find Maggie in the bathroom, trapped in a magical tank-like contraption, with water quickly rising to the top. Knansie encourages Macy to give in to her darkness and kill Cyd with her telekinesis, even after the witch releases Maggie from the tank. However, Parker, who has become very adept at fighting his darkness, and Maggie, using her empath abilities, are able to stop Macy from killing Cyd, much to Knansie’s disappointment.
Cyd reveals the truth about why she’s been after Knansie for all these years. In exchange for eternal youth, Knansie uses demon blood in her resurrections, turning everyone she resurrects into a demon. Hearing the truth come to light, the necromancer attempts to flee but is tackled by Parker. She tries to fight him off but makes a crucial mistake in not knowing what he truly is. Having attacked a demon (or half-demon), Knansie broke the terms of her pact and she turns to dust.
The next morning, Maggie and Mel bring Macy coffee, hoping to cheer her up following the incident at the Phi Delta bathroom with Cyd and Knansie. Macy is happy to finally have some answers as to why she was abandoned by her mother but is worried about succumbing to the darkness in her if she ever loses control. She later seeks out Julia and opts to make a deal: she’ll help Julia get rid of the demon inside Parker if the scientist gets the demon out of Macy.
At Hilltowne University, Maggie runs into Parker, who wants to check in on her following the Cyd and Knansie ordeal. Maggie thanks him for helping with Macy and admits she doesn’t actually hate him but that her not hating him has to be enough…for now. A potential reconciliation could be on the horizon but Maggie’s still a long way off from being ready for it.
However, Parker’s not the only person hoping for a reconciliation with Maggie. It seems Alastair still needs her to fall in love with Parker for his evil plan to work. Luckily he has a person on the inside, a seemingly enchanted Lucy, who is tasked with speeding the former couple back together on an Alastair-approved timeline.
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