Written by series creator and executive producer Constance M. Burge and directed by John T. Kretchmer, it was first broadcast in the United States on The WB on October 7, 1998.
In San Francisco, witch Serena Fredrick (Lonnie Partridge) is murdered in her apartment by an unidentified man.
Piper (Holly Marie Combs) arrives late at Halliwell Manor, which she and her sisters Prue (Shannen Doherty) and Phoebe (Alyssa Milano) inherited from their recently deceased grandmother.
Prue states that Piper's boyfriend Jeremy (Eric Scott Woods) has sent some flowers and a bottle of Port, the ingredient she needs for her showpiece recipe in the morning.
She turns it over to see the inscription on the back: "To my three beautiful girls, may this give you the light to find the shadows the power of three will set you free.
Prue suggests that they should rent out the spare room at a reduced rate in exchange for fixing things around the house.
Piper then sees the pointer move briefly and then the spirit board finally spells out the word "attic" as Phoebe writes it down.
Piper runs out of time and can't complete her dish until she accidentally freezes the chef of the restaurant, which allows her to finish the sauce and get the job.
An unaired pilot for the series was first shot, with some scenes filmed in the actual manor that is shown on the show, located at 1329 Carroll Avenue in Los Angeles.
After Lori Rom leaving Charmed, executive producer Aaron Spelling asked Alyssa Milano, whom he knew from Melrose Place, to be her replacement and the show moved to a sound studio.