Apocalypse Not

Season 2, Episode 21, Aired
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Episode Summary

When a vanquishing spell goes awry while the Halliwells try to destroy the 4 Horsemen of the Apocalypse, Prue and one of the Horsemen become trapped in a vortex. Piper and Phoebe enlist the help of the three remaining Horsemen to free Prue and the fourth Horseman before the vortex closes, and both are killed.moreless
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Fan Episode Reviews (13)

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  • Apocalypse Not Good...

    7.0
    "Good"
    By iltarion, Jun 28, 2011 Report Abuse
    This is the famous, or infamous, episode with the running clock. Remember the MASH episode with the running clock? That was really good. This, unfortunately, is not.

    I give credit here that nearly everything in this episode is done dramatically. In many ways, it has the budget and feel of a season finale. That makes sense since the fate of the entire world is at stake here. First of all, the 4 Horsemen, for being the very bringers of doom foretold in Revelations, are completely unimpressive and inspire zero dread, and it isn't the actors' fault, as they are actually pretty good, especially Strife. No, the problem is the characters themselves. What was with the War Room with the 4 pictures of the Horsemen posted up on a board? Hahaha... That was ridiculous. And was the world anywhere NEAR the actual apocalypse? It sure didn't appear so. If the apocalypse was supposed to happen at 7pm, then it didn't appear that the world got the memo. Frankly, an end of the world type of conflict needed more than an hour to get set up. They might have been able to pull it off in a 2 part episode. Maybe, but not here.

    I really appreciate that Brian Krause got more to do here, but Leo was completely out of character this entire episode. He comes back from the Elders to pass along the advice that the sisters work with evil, and then he spends the rest of the episode trying to convince the sisters that they shouldn't follow that very advice. Leo and the sisters work with evil several times later on. No problem. He also punches out a mortal to steal his outfit. Hahaha... I did like that part though. Yes, in the end Leo was just representing the underlying theme to the episode: that the sisters had grown so close that they were losing sight of the greater good. It isn't about THEM. It is bigger than them. All in all, this is just a flawed rehash of Awakening, where once again the sisters have to choose between a sister and innocents. Really, this is no real decision at all considering everyone would die in the apocalypse; so what would be the point of saving Prue then?

    Perhaps the best part of the episode is the foreshadowing of Phoebe's attraction to demons, similar to what we saw in Pardon My Past. It is getting pretty obvious that writers already have Cole in mind by this point.moreless

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    2 0

  • Apocalypse Why?

    0.8
    "None"
    By maxpower03, Apr 19, 2011 Report Abuse
    Easily one of the worst episodes from the Shannen seasons, Apocalypse Not is a case of a basic idea which could have become an entertaining episode, but gets ruined by predictable story developments and a poor script.

    Apocalypse Not has the sisters battling the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. When one of the horsemen and Prue are sucked into a vortex, Piper and Phoebe must team up with the three remaining horsemen to save their sister.

    This is one of only a few Charmed episodes that I have never fully sat through. It remains today an extremely boring hour with the writers trying to be all creative and adult when they're really about as good as your average Sabrina, The Teenage Witch writer. The lair of the Horsemen is also lame, with them operating hundreds of world disasters from this office space in a skyscraper. Very stupid.

    Shannen Doherty hardly appears in the episode and her lack of presence definitely hurts the episode. If the writing was good and the script was actually changed a little, Holly and Alyssa could easily keep the episode afloat. Sadly, Apocalypse Not suffers from a script which would find it hard to compete with a snail in a race. Everything is dragged out so slowly and the Horsemen look extremely lame dressed in their "wacky" robes and riding on their horses in San Francisco.

    This is an extremely boring episode which could have easily been a classic with a very apocalyptic storyline. Ignore the eye-catching title, avoid this hour.

    Rating: Fmoreless

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    1 4

  • The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse are on the scene to bring about the end of the world. Can Leo and the girls stop them before it's too late?

    7.5
    "Good"
    By Lady_Lancaster, Feb 26, 2011 Report Abuse
    This should, theoretically, have been the ultimate stand-off between Good and Evil as the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse go up against The Charmed Ones and their ever-present Whitelighter in a battle for victory.

    When Prue and one of the horsemen get caught in an evil vortex, Leo has to go undercover to see what he can find out while Piper and Phoebe try and find a way to save their sister before 7pm comes and the world ends.

    Of course, the outcome is predictable, Prue is saved and the evil doers are vanished. On another note, it was good to see Leo actually having something to do in this one rather than behaving like a piece of the furniture. Not a bad episode, even if it was a tiny bit predictable in places. Certainly worth a look.moreless

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    2 0

  • Saving Prue

    7.6
    "Good"
    By lenzinoH20, Jun 10, 2008 Report Abuse
    Apocalypse, Not-When a vanquishing spell goes awry while the Halliwells try to destroy the 4 Horsemen of the Apocalypse, Prue and one of the Horsemen become trapped in a vortex. Piper and Phoebe enlist the help of the three remaining Horsemen to free Prue and the fourth Horseman before the vortex closes, and both are killed. Although not as epic as it ambitious title, "Apocalyse, Not" is still an okay(ish) episode that brings a great dilemma for Piper and Phoebe as well as the writers trying to re-invent the 4 Horsemen of the Apocalypse mythology. I love that Piper and Phoebe were left with such a burden as they must make one of the most diffcult choices a human person can be asked to do: save their sibling or save the world. It brings some great drama for the 2 sisters and both Holly and Alyssa do a great job of conveying that. I liked them working with the horsemen as the idea of good and evil working together has never been explored up to this point in the series:

    Piper: This is where we were supposed to come, right?
    Phoebe: Right.
    Piper: And it's not a trap, right, please tell me we're doing the right thing.
    (The horsemen appear)
    Phoebe: Or we're making the biggest mistake in the world.
    Strife: Thank you for coming. And you are?
    Piper: Anxious to get this over with, let's go.
    Strife: Are you in a hurry?
    Phoebe: You stalling?
    Strife: You want your sister back?
    Piper: Do you want your friend back?
    Strife: Let's do business.

    While the horsemen plot could have been better developed and their actions could have been more epic, I love that Piper and Phoebe ultimately chose the world. It's great development as both sisters are developed and realize in the end that saving other lives are more important than saving your loved sometimes. Of course Prue comes back, but not at the expense of realizing that her sisters had to do what they had to do and it actually brings all 3 of them closer in the end. "Apocalypse, Not" isn't the most flashy and darkest episode, but it has enough well written morality to make for a decent episode.moreless

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    0 0

  • Thats more like it.

    9.0
    "Superb"
    By farscapefanuk, Jan 12, 2008 Report Abuse
    Why can't more episodes of Charmed be like this? The story to this episode was well set out and interesting which marks a change to some of the earlier episodes this season. The main story in this episode is Prue getting trapped in another world with a horseman of the appocalyse. However the only problem is there is no way that the sisters can see as to how they can rescue Prue...unless they decide to world with evil, which Leo trys to stop. Eventually Prue is rescued but the girls cut it close. Overall i have to say that i did fairly enjoy this episode.moreless

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Trivia, Notes, Quotes and Allusions

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  • Trivia

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    • When Leo orbs out in front of the Horsemen, one of them asks what is he. Isn't it odd that considering how high up on the chain of evil they are, they wouldn't know what a Whitelighter is? The following season all Cole had to do was shake Leo's hand and he knew who he was! Edit
    • Doesn't it seem unlikely, that since the Horsemen were so high up on the chain of evil hierarchy, that they wouldn't know who the Charmed Ones were? Edit
    • The four Horsemen are immune to the sisters powers and this is explained that it is because they are the annointed ones of the source and only he can kill him. However as we see in season 4 the sisters' powers do work against the Source so wouldn't that make the Horsemen more powerful than the Source? Edit

  • Notes

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    • International Episode Titles: Czech Republic: Ne Apokalypsu (Not Apocalypse) France: Les cavaliers de l'Apocalypse (The Horsemen of the Apocalypse) Edit

  • Quotes

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    • Piper: She's gone. Phoebe: We don't know that. Piper: Phoebe, we killed Prue. Phoebe: Piper, stop it, OK? I don't want to hear that. Piper: You think I want to say it? I'm the one who made the potion, Phoebe. It's my fault. Phoebe: OK, how about having a little faith? All right, our magic has never let us down before. Piper: Well there's a first time for everything, isn't there? Phoebe: She's not dead. Piper: How do you know that? Phoebe: Because, Piper, I have no choice but to believe … in us. And in our magic. Edit
    • Prue (about Phoebe's Sociology class): The big question is how did you stay awake through his class? Phoebe: Not only did I stay awake, but I actually enjoyed it. Which is why I bought this book. It's filled with really deep, profound questions. It would actually make a good bar game at P3. Piper: Oh, great, solve the problems of the world while doing Jell-O shots. Edit
    • Piper: This is where we were supposed to come, right? Phoebe: Right. Piper: And it's not a trap, right, please tell me we're doing the right thing. (The horsemen appear) Phoebe: Or we're making the biggest mistake in the world. Strife: Thank you for coming. And you are? Piper: Anxious to get this over with, let's go. Strife: Are you in a hurry? Phoebe: You stalling? Strife: You want your sister back? Piper: Do you want your friend back? Strife: Let's do business. (He holds out his hand. Piper hesitates for a moment but then shakes his hand. A crack of thunder is heard) Edit

  • Allusions

    ADD ALLUSIONS
    • Title: Apocalypse Not
      This is a reference to the 1979 movie: Apocalypse Now starring Marlon Brando, Martin Sheen, and Robert Duvall. Edit

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