Charmed Re-Watch: The Wedding From Hell (Season 1 Episode 6)
Charmed Season 1 Episode 6, “The Wedding From Hell,” gives us all the Death Becomes Her vibes possible. It’s campy, it’s youth-obsessed, and it’s a fertile format for some truly terrible acting.
The Charmed Ones bring a needed balance and grounding to the episode, saving it from going over the bridezilla-demon edge.
Charmed
“The Wedding From Hell” really goes for it. I am charmed by the verve showcased by the ambitious story-lines, effects, and demon baby.
Yes, you read that correctly. Just six episodes into Charmed Season 1, and we have visions of Piper’s demon baby. This show doesn’t waste any time, and I am completely charmed by it.
Death Becomes Her is one of my favorite films of the nineties. “The Wedding From Hell” features callbacks to the Meryl Streep and Goldie Hawn feature. Two women who rival for power and youth via over the top effects and lines.
I would have loved to see the demon-bridezilla shot through the tummy with a cannonball, only to regenerate at the altar.
While Charmed doesn’t come close to matching the intense dark comedy that Death Becomes Her achieves (the rowdy demon-attended bachelorette party comes closest), the thematic and visual echoes take “The Wedding From Hell” to new heights.
The dynamic between Piper, Prue, and Phoebe continues to be the strongest aspect of Charmed. On “The Wedding From Hell,” the sisters relax into their characters and embrace some of the interactions that were forcefully presented on earlier episodes.
For example, when Prue assumes that Phoebe is the one with the pregnancy, Phoebe calls her out saying:
FYI, you have another sister who has had sex.
Phoebe is calling Prue out for making assumptions about Phoebe being irresponsible.
It isn’t the first time, but here Phoebe is more subtle about it. She’s less heated and angry and more relational. The slight change in tone, that comes from the actors rather than the writing, helps to make the relationships more authentic and warm.
Such authenticity is vital on an episode that also features a magic dagger-wielding priest and a demon baby.
Chagrined
The casting and acting on “The Wedding From Hell” gives much reason to be chagrined.
The lead ensemble remains excellent, which highlights the stale and nearly unwatchable efforts of the bride and groom. The mother-of-the-groom stand out as capable. But the other guest stars, it’s just bad acting.
Additionally, the casting choices on “The Wedding From Hell” make me chagrined.
The admirable bride and the unsuspecting groom are supposed to be in their early to mid-twenties. Yet, the actors, who are given the up-close camera treatment Charmed favors, appear to be in their thirties. It could be make-up and other costuming choices. Regardless, it is darn confusing.
The age mismatch of the characters and actors is not the most egregious aspect of the episode. It is also a common practice of this time on television.
But, still.
The strange casting and terrible acting make the fantasy portion of the episode less engaging. It fails to cast its spell. On the other hand, it does make the episode much funnier!
Changed
“The Wedding From Hell” reflects how much the wedding industry has changed since the late nineties. The episode pre-dates the term “bridezilla” and all the reality shows that helped to make that term a thing.
The wedding on “The Wedding From Hell” is absent all the trappings of wedding planning we viewers have come to expect. In fact, the bride and bridesmaids are entirely replaced two days before the wedding, and we don’t even meet the usurped bridesmaids!
It is a reminder of how much has changed in the land of weddings since 1998.
Charmed is, once again, ahead of its time in how it treats the sisters’ feelings about marriage.
None of them use the wedding as a proxy for their own longings. Even with a pregnancy scare afoot, Piper and Phoebe don’t engage in the wedding fantasizing that would be expected from women in their twenties.
Piper is at the wedding because of her career. That is really the heart of her interest and attachment to the event.
Although it is subtly presented (no one specifically calls out that the women don’t really care about getting married), the message is delightfully clear. The Charmed Ones need each other, not a romance, to be whole and happy people.
I didn’t notice that emphasis on my first time watching, and now I appreciate it deeply.
What did you think of Charmed Season 1 Episode 6, “The Wedding From Hell?” Join me on my re-watch and share your thoughts in the comments below!
All seasons of Charmed are available to stream on Netflix.
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Janelle Ureta
Janelle Ureta is equal parts Veronica Mars, Raven Reyes, and Rebecca Bunch, but she aspires to add some Tammy Taylor to the mix. An attorney turned teacher, Janelle believes in the power of a well-told story. She is currently exploring how to tell short stories, 140 characters or less, on twitter. She loves to talk about TV, and right now she can't shut up about Timeless, Dear White People, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, The 100, or Younger.