MovieChat Forums > Charmed (1998) Discussion > Pun titles

Pun titles

posted 8 years ago by jasonknoll
9 replies | jump to latest

Which episodes do you think had the most clever titles and which ones do you think had the worst (whether they be forced, lazy or generally cringey)?

For the best I would say "Size Matters". Its simple, effective and not forced. "Charmed and Dangerous" and "Charmageddon" are also cool.

The worst I would say goes to anything to the tune of "Be Careful What You Witch for" or "Someone to Witch Over Me". They just sound lazy and feel like "her her, get it?. its becoz they're witches".

[–] Stab-El 8 years ago

I liked 'A Witches Tail' as a name.

'Charmed and Dangerous' and 'Womb Raider' also cool.

'Hulkus pocus' is crook to hear and I also didn't like the title 'Hyde school reunion'

Some of the marketing names for episodes we're even worse though Charmed "I slept with a zombie" LOL

The unexpected is the new cliche ~

[–] gzv969 8 years ago

This post is interesting. There have been a number of episodes I've had issues with their names. Where to start...

Season 1
Really Like: "that 70s Episode" , "Deja Vu All Over again"
Dislike: "When Bad Warlocks Turn Good" - Felt like they came up with the title last minute just before airing.
"The Truth is Out There and it Hurts" - Never understood that title

Season 2
Really Like: Everything was really good and on point except 2 episodes
Dislike: "How To Make A Quilt Out of Americans" - Never made sense to me what that meant

"The Devils Music" - What music?

Season 3
Liked all the names

Season 4
Liked all the names

Season 5
Really Like: "The Importance Of Being Phoebe", "A Witches Tail"
Dislike: "Baby's first Demon" - As in Demon friend?

Season 6
Really Like: "I Dream Of Phoebe", "It's a Bad, Bad, Bad, Bad World"
Dislike: "Prince charmed" - Conjuring a Guy for Piper and dealing with the Order. The name makes no sense. Unless they meant to call it Prince Wyatt or something.

Season 7
Also Liked all the names in this season

Season 8
This is an interesting season for names. All the names kind of worked except a few seemed out of place and needed to be renamed.

First of all we have the two Kill Billie titles which I know were supposed to be Kill bill references. Calling one episode "Kill Billie Vol 1" and the other "Kill Billie Vol 2" doesn't make sense as Vol2 has no relation to Vol 1 on the desire to Kill Billie index especially if you were to watch each one one after the other. In fact in my opinion all episodes could well have been called Kill Bille Vol 1 to 22 if it was about wanting to kill billie. But that would be too easy. The first one Kill Billie Vol 1 wasn't even the most annoying billie episode. The sisters were more nice to her in this episode, trying to help her with her fear and phobia. "Kill Billie Vol 2 is the more appropriate Kill billie title as that was just before the epic battle but it just wasn't about billie it was also about killing Christy.

"Rewitched" - Should have been called Kill billie instead as she was really annoying in this episode with the backfired Phoebe/Dex marriage spell and all

"Kill billie vol 1" - As i mentioned not an episode where bilie was really that annoying. Maybe call this one "Rewitched" instead of the prior episode or "Rewitched and Repressed" with all the depression they were each experiencing and the oppression from the media on Halloween

"Kill bille vol 2" - both Billie and Christy were the problem so Instead call it "To Kill a Jenkins" Like To Kill a Mockingbird.

[–] MarkAnthony1990 8 years ago

"When Bad Warlocks Turn Good" - Felt like they came up with the title last minute just before airing.

A play on the phrase "when bad things turn good" I think.

"The Truth is Out There and it Hurts" - Never understood that title

I think this one is an X Files reference - The Truth is Out There was that show's tagline.

"How To Make A Quilt Out of Americans" - Never made sense to me what that meant

The demon Cryto was made corporeal by the coven because they stole flesh from bodies (the circumstances which they used to lure the Charmed Ones to the house to steal their powers), they stitched them together to make a skin for Cryto to house. So they almost literally stitched a quilt out of Americans.

The Devils Music" - What music?

The music of the band being used as a cover up for a demon killing innocents. So it becomes the Devil's Music. Lol
The Devil's Music is also a popular nickname for rock music which tended to be controversial and seen as offensive by religious groups.

"Baby's first Demon" - As in Demon friend?

Many "firsts" are marked with newborn babies. (Baby's First Birthday, Baby's First Christmas etc etc).
The title refers to this being the first demon that baby Wyatt is faced with since being born.

"Prince charmed" - Conjuring a Guy for Piper and dealing with the Order. The name makes no sense. Unless they meant to call it Prince Wyatt or something.

I always assumed this was referring to the "perfect man" or the "Prince Charming" Paige and Phoebe attempted to conjure. Only in this instance using the title of the show as a pun it became - Prince Charmed.

Babies kill TV shows!

[–] gzv969 8 years ago

Ok. These titles make a bit more sense with these explanations. Knowing the phrases they used to come up with the names helps to understand them better.

I never really liked the "How To Make A Quilt Out Of Americans" episode so I only watched it a couple of times a long time ago and always skipped when re watching. Plus Pipers wining about not wanting to be a witch anymore annoyed me. But after you explained it I realized I forgot that Gail and her two friends were actually in the beginning killing people and making a quilt from their skin for Cryto to resurrect him. The only thing I kept remembering about this episode was Gail stealing the spell from the BOS to get the girls powers to give cryto in exchange for youth.

[–] JustEs 8 years ago

Which episodes do you think had the most clever titles and which ones do you think had the worst (whether they be forced, lazy or generally cringey)?

For the best I would say "Size Matters". Its simple, effective and not forced. "Charmed and Dangerous" and "Charmageddon" are also cool.

The worst I would say goes to anything to the tune of "Be Careful What You Witch for" or "Someone to Witch Over Me". They just sound lazy and feel like "her her, get it?. its becoz they're witches".

I actually liked all of those due to both the pun and the fact that it described the episode. Like GZV said, the ones that bothered me were the ones where the title didn't seem to describe the episode that well.

But for clever, well, I've got the Book of Three Vol 1 (Season 1-5 - no way I'd get Vol 2 which is Season 6-8) and it explains the puns. Here's the ones I like the best mainly because I didn't get the title until I read it in the book:

"The Truth is Out There...and It Hurts": Combination of the tagline of the TV series X-Files and the cliche "The Truth hurts".

"The Witch is Back": A play on words of a phrase with a similar-sounding word announcing the return of a strong woman. Also a play on an Elton John song.

"Witch Envy" (the very next episode, by the way): "Penis envy", from Freudian psychoanalytic theory, describes a perceived inferiority certain women have in regards to men.

"The Wendigo" (had never heard of this before, so I liked this explanation): A malevolent spirit from Native American folklore.

"Secrets and Guys": Secrets and Lies is the title of a film from 1996, as well as a phrase commonly used to note untrustworthy situations (I'd never heard of that film before I read this)

"Which Prue is It Anyway?": Whose Line is It Anyway? is an improvisational comedy TV series hosted by Drew Carey, based on a British series of the same name (I've heard of that show, but never realized that this is what that title was based on)

"She's a Man, Baby, a Man": "She's not your mother, it's a man, baby" is a phrase used by Austin Powers in his first film, Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery Never saw the movie, so had no idea this is what it was from.

"Ms. Hellfire": Mrs. Doubtfire is a film starring Robin Williams (I LOVE that movie, but never once put two and two together.

"How to Make An American Out of a Quilt": How To Make an American Quilt is a 1995 film starring Winona Ryder.

There's a ton more, but it gives you the idea. If there are any other anyone want me to look up, I can.

Of course I know that Kill Bill, Vol 1, "Kill Bill, Vol 2, and The Last Temptation of Christ were popular movies at the time Season 8 came out - and is how Billie and Christy got their names.

[–] gzv969 8 years ago

Cool. Here's one to look up. That Old Black Magic

[–] persen1 8 years ago

Cool. Here's one to look up. That Old Black Magic

Some thinking outside of the box, which funny enough has ties:

That Old Feeling, a movie from 1997 starring Bette Midler.
Bette Midler has also played the oldest sister of 3 witch sisters in the Disney movie Hocus Pocus in 1993.
Now you also know where the episode title Hulcus Pocus comes from :-)

[–] MarkAnthony1990 8 years ago

The Last Temptation of Christ were popular movies at the time Season 8 came out - and is how Billie and Christy got their names.

No, it wasn't. Are you confusing it with "The Passion of the Christ" which came out in 2004?

The movie "The Last Temptation of Christ" was from the late 80s and the novel it comes from dates back to the 50s.

Babies kill TV shows!

[–] JustEs 8 years ago

I was thinking of "The Passion of the Christ" but with the Charmed title being "The Last Temptation of Christy", I have a hunch that was based on the old movie. As I said, since I don't have The Book of Three, Vol 2, I don't know for sure.

As for "That Old Black Magic", I guessed properly before I got the book, so I didn't find it that clever, but here's from the book:

"That Old Black Magic": Song written by Johnny Mercer and Harold Arnold and performed by many artists"

It was one of my mom's favorite songs. Here's what it sounds like by the one I know it best (since it was the one Mom had on an old album - back when each song was on its own large record with an "album" being like a photo album with the pages individual record holders):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lcq0zA0INVY

Although here's my favorite version, by Sammy Davis, Jr:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LypRPRy3tuE

Any others?