The Wendigo

Season 1, Episode 12, Aired
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Episode Summary

When Piper is attacked by a vicious beast, Andy goes on a stakeout with an FBI agent who is hunting the creature. Meanwhile, Prue hires Phoebe to work at the auction house, but Phoebe's vision of a terrible car crash immediately sends her off on a mission to find a long-lost child.moreless
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Fan Episode Reviews (25)

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  • Piper gets into a hairy mess...

    7.0
    "Good"
    By iltarion, Jun 11, 2011 Report Abuse
    Charmed would feature horror elements throughout its run, and this is the kind of dark material here we haven't seen since the premier. I do not hold this episode in as high regard as most reviewers. The plot involves an oft-repeated storyline: a sister gets attacked by a creature and wounded. The sister then ignores her deteriorating condition until she turns into said creature. I do give this episode credit in that it is the first of its kind. The main issue I have with the episode is the utterly predictable nature of it all. Since Billy and Agent Fallon are the only newly introduced characters, it is obvious that Agent Fallon is the Wendigo. It is also obvious from the get go that Piper is going to become a Wendigo herself. Though there is only a brief attempt at it, there is no chemistry between Billy and Piper, and the show could have used a more emotive actor for Billy, whose quick demise is perhaps the one surprise of the show. The strong part of this episode is the comedy milked from Piper's slow transformation to the Wendigo. As usual, Holly is sensational whenever comedy is in the script for her. Especially great is Piper's sudden onset of evil and the resulting outbursts. Great deadpan threat at the end as well. Good stuff.moreless

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  • Piper makes a strange transformation when she is attacked by a werewolf like creature

    10
    "Perfect"
    By GCT89, Apr 17, 2011 Report Abuse
    The first episode to feature one of the sisters transforming into something. The Wendigo is definatley a seriesclassic featuring shocking twists, creepy scenes and convincing performances from all of the cast especially Holly who clearly shows Piper's didtressed emotions as her situation gets worse. The special effects were also quite sophisticated for 1999 and the vanquish of the original wendigo looked very unique and real

    The subplot involving Phoebe working with Prue at Bucklands contains a lot of interacting between the two characters Alyssa and Shannen obviously work well together (shame it didn't last)Thanks to a premonition Phoebe recieved from a bracelet she was able to reunite a mother with her missing now teenaged daughter. Very warm and effective scene, which shows that Phoebe's power can be both very useful and rewarding

    Overall a rather dark and chilling episode featuring shocking scenes and a consistant storymoreless

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  • Piper gets attacked by a Wendigo after a flat tire finds her alone in the dark but there is a lot more to it than that, as the sisters soon find out.moreless

    8.5
    "Great"
    By Lady_Lancaster, Apr 17, 2011 Report Abuse
    As the seasons of 'Charmed' wore on, particularly after the departure of Shannen Doherty, I found Piper's character to be extremely dull and boring at times but in these earlier episodes, she was far more interesting and at times, very humourous.

    In this episode, we see her as very vulnerable in the sense that she has a flat tire whilst driving alone late at night and ends up being attacked by a vicious beast which leaves her with a nasty wound.

    Inspector Andy, with the assistance of a female FBI agent are on the job of tracking the beast but there are more things than that to worry about for Piper as she herself begins to turn into one! As if that isn't enough, the FBI agent isn't exactly what she appears to be either.

    This was a very good episode with some great acting by Holly Marie Combs and some excellent makeup as well. There were a couple of points during which the outcome was predictable but not enough to detract from the overall plot which was very well executed.moreless

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  • Am I Suddenly Watching Touched By An Angel?

    7.5
    "Good"
    By maxpower03, Jan 09, 2011 Report Abuse
    A neat spin on the werewolf story, this episode is the first in many which features a sister being turned into some sort of monster.

    The episode starts very exciting, with Piper alone in the woods with a flat tire. She is attacked by some wolf-like beast, who is then chased off by a young man. Piper is scratched by the beast, later discovered to be a "Wendigo", and soon begins to morph into one.

    It's an extremely exciting storyline and the finale, where we discover that FBI Agent Fallon is in fact the original Wendigo, and Prue and Phoebe have to kill the right Wendigo to save Piper, is edge-of-your-seat stuff.

    The subplot is slightly dull. Phoebe gets a job at Bucklands and helps a mother find her missing daughter, who was injured in a car crash. I found this really boring and the resolution is a bit too 7th Heaven for my liking. The only thing of interest is that the daughter is played by Christina Milian, who went on to have a successful signing career and appeared in the movies Be Cool and Love Don't Cost a Thing. She's hardly in the episode but it was kinda funny seeing her.

    The Wendigo is a decent episode with a brilliant performance by Holly and some good scares (the dream of Piper killing Andy). Worth seeing.

    Rating: B+moreless

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  • Piper has a flat near a park and gets attacked by a Wendigo. A man comes along and fires a flare scarring the Wendigo up before it does any more damage than the scratches to Piper's arm. An FBI Agent and Andy get together to track the killer beast.moreless

    9.5
    "Superb"
    By jyarter, Nov 03, 2010 Report Abuse
    The fourth really good episodes out of the last five. That's pretty good meaning the consistency is getting better to the show. This may be a little better than Wicca Envy but loses a half point for predictability. You knew the Wendigo was the FBI Agent the first time you met the character. A really good story and interesting conclusion that is somewhat satisfying. Even the secondary story was good about Phoebe and the locket.

    We meet Billy Waters played by Billy Jayne who saved Piper from the Wendigo. It turns out that he has been chasing the Wendigo since it killed his fiance. He knows FBI Agent Ashley Fallon played by Jocelyn Seagrave because she was already "tracking" the Wendigo for sometime. When Piper tells Billy about it being a Wendigo and he says he'll tell the FBI Agent I cringed. You were hoping Piper would mention it to Andy when she called, but Billy was dead meat when he revealed what he knew to the Agent and she suggested they go somewhere quiet to discuss it.

    The AB Negative Blood type was interesting. I wonder if that was a factor having to do with the Wendigo's original blood type or some other reason?

    Prue and Phoebe come through in the end and with Piper turning into a Wendigo it was clever for Prue to say to Phoebe just pick one and shoot it with the flare gun. Either way the shot should find its mark with it either being frozen by Piper and moved by Prue or basically just hitting the right Wendigo. Overall their powers seem to be stronger.

    A really good episode with a good storyline. A little predictable but very entertaining. This show's quality is getting better and the characters are great. One thing I also like is the feeling that everyone is in danger. They generally have a pretty big body count compared to other similar shows but in general the deaths are integral to the story being told. Thanks for reading...moreless

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Trivia, Notes, Quotes and Allusions

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  • Trivia

    ADD TRIVIA
    • In the scene the morning after the attack on Piper, why did Prue use her power to turn off the stove if she was just going to walk there in anyways? Also, isn't she the one that tells her sisters not to use unnecessary magic? Edit
    • After Agent Fallon kills Billy, he is clearly seen blinking as the scene fades out. Edit
    • When the wound on Andy's chest is healing (after the Wendigo attacks him)his chest hair is gone while it is healing, but when fully healed his chest hair has magically grown back. Edit

  • Notes

    ADD NOTES
    • International Episode Titles: Czech Republic: Wendigo (Wendigo) France: Métamorphoses (Metamorphoses) Edit
    • This episode scored 5.7 million viewers. Edit

  • Quotes

    ADD QUOTES
    • Piper: On the house, for saving my hide. Phoebe: Literally, you Wendigo, you. (Piper sits down.) Prue: Are you okay to work? Piper: Yeah, I'm fine. It's like nothing ever happened. Except for Billy. Prue: No, well, there was no way that you could've known about Agent Fallon. Piper: I know. It's just I'm not used to losing an innocent we're supposed to protect. Phoebe: He wanted to help stop her so she couldn't hurt anybody else and that's exactly what he did. Prue: I'm just grateful that you're safe. Piper: And Andy. By the way, what did you tell him about why we were all there. Prue: I told him the truth. Phoebe: Get out. Prue: I did. I said what he saw happened was true, that Agent Fallon really was the Wendigo and that had we not vanquished her, that both he and Piper would've been killed. I couldn't think of anything else to say. Piper: Well, what did he say? Prue: Not much. He was either too stunned to speak or he actually believed me on some level. It was the closest that we've ever come to having an honest conversation. Phoebe: So maybe Andy's more open to you being a witch than you think. Prue: Hmm. All right, back to work. Phoebe: Actually, I need to talk to you about something and please don't be mad but I quit. Prue: What? Phoebe: It's not that I don't appreciate the opportunity, because I do. It's just that every time I touch something at Bucklands I risk having a premonition and it's just too emotional for me. Besides that's your world. I need to find one of my own. Prue: You will. Piper: Just stay out of my world or I'll kill you. (Prue and Phoebe look worried and confused. Piper gets up and starts to walk away. She turns around.) Kidding! It's just a joke (She walks away.) Prue: Ooh! Edit
    • Piper: Of course I know what a jack is, Phoebe. I just don't know how to use it. It's not like I've ever got a flat tire before. I mean, this doesn't happen to me everyday. Phoebe: Piper, relax. I used to date a mechanic. I will walk you through it. Okay, you put the jack under the jeep and then you put the handle in the base and ratchet it up and down. Okay, it's very easy. Piper: Handle... I don't think I've got a handle. Wait, there's a long wooden spoon in the back. Edit
    • Prue: But we might have to confine you until we get back. So tie you down, I guess. Piper: No! Go to hell! Prue: Do we have any chains? Phoebe: I actually think I have something. (Phoebe walks in with handcuffs) Prue: Where did you get the--? Never mind. Edit

  • Allusions

    ADD ALLUSIONS
    • Prue turns to Phoebe with a frustrated look and puts two fingers together, just inches apart and Phoebe puts four fingers together and makes a motion of breaking.
      An action that is used in order to break a jinx or a curse of bad luck. Edit
    • Piper: Big, scary, strong. Kind of like a cross between a werewolf and Charles Manson.
      Charles Manson became the leader of a group known as "The Family" and masterminded several brutal murders. Manson's name and image have been integrated into American pop culture generally as a symbol of ultimate evil. Edit
    • Title: The Wendigo
      A wendigo is a malevolent being from Native American mythology, and is the monster Piper was attacked by and turned into in this episode. Edit

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