Molecular Immobilization
From Charmed
Molecular Immobilization, (simply referred to in the show as Freezing), is the magical ability to slow down the molecules of an object to the point where they stop moving completely, therefore 'freezing' the object. This is Piper Halliwell's first power beginning in Season 1.
Originally, this power was activated by Piper by fear or panic, during which she made a waving gesture with her hands and "froze" the target. Originally she could only freeze objects in the same room as her (if indoors) or that were in her direct line of sight within a certain range, regardless of what room they were in, and the freeze would only last for seconds at a time. When she was outdoors, it was unknown the range of effect that her powers had, but it can be noted that she was able to freeze a truck and a baby stroller moving on the otherside of the street from her front door step, giving her a considerable range. Over time Piper was able to freeze people and objects on command.
Piper was initially scared of her power, considering that she was a jumpy person and could accidentally freeze someone, but as she grew more skilled at using her ability, she could freeze without needing panic as a trigger, could unfreeze a target, could freeze someone for longer, and could freeze or unfreeze desired objects or parts of an enemy without affecting the rest of her surroundings.
This power advanced for Piper so much that she was able to almost completely freeze a Triad member. Piper also learned how to freeze good witches, something she couldn't do in the beginning of the show. In the future, Piper accidentally freezes an entire city block; if she tried we don't know how far she could have froze or for how long.
Aside from the obvious limits of range the type of being that is to be froze may also affect how well this power works. For example, from the start of the season Piper was not able to freeze good witches or upper level demons. Still over time and as her powers developed she overcame these limitations. Piper frose Billie at one point mid-way through Season 8 and she also frose a member of the Triad who's power surpasses many if not all upper level demons. The Triad can freeze people as well, it only seems to affect good magical creatures.
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[edit] Correct Term
This is sometimes incorrectly called Temporal Stasis, which means "stopping or balancing the flow of time", although Temporal Stasis is sometimes confused as the actual name for the power (which it is not) it just describes what it does. In the Season 3 episode "Exit Strategy," it was revealed that this power works on a molecular level by taking away kinetic energy from molecules ("slowing them down") to the point where they become motionless and was hence correctly termed "molecular immobilization".
[edit] Personal Gain
In a broad sense throughout the series we see Piper attempt to use this power once for personal gain. When at a beverage supply store, Josh takes the last bottle of Calera Jensen which Piper needs for a coq au vin recipe. She freezes him and is tempted to take it but then decides it's the wrong thing to do. (Is There A Woogy In The House?) Piper also uses the power to freeze regular humans a few times throughout the course of the series rather than for magical threats but most of the time it is so she think things through or prevent accidents, thus it can't be considered personal gain. She also uses this power for sexual purposes mentioned by Leo in Blinded by the Whitelighter .
 Piper freezing Belthazor's energy ball |
 Piper freezes camera, Power Outage |
 Piper Freezing an Athame |
 Piper uses power to prevent glasses from falling to the floor at Quake |
[edit] Users
[edit] Good Users
- Piper Halliwell
- Melinda Warren
- Patricia Halliwell
- Melinda Halliwell (probably)
- P. Baxter
- Avatars
- Gods
[edit] Evil Users
- Zankou
- The Triad (Very advanced form)
- Matthew Tate (Shared Piper Halliwell's power)
- Nigel
- Zahn (traded a human's soul for this power)
- The Source (Stolen from Piper Halliwell by the Hollow then Extracted it)
- Cole Turner
[edit] Notes
- P. Baxter, the great-grandmother of The Charmed Ones, had this power, or perhaps, a weakened form of it. When she was shown using her power, the warlock Anton was slowed, due to her weakened power or not completely frozen due to him being an upper level warlock.
- Another theory that exists is that P. Baxter possessed the power of Molecular Deceleration which slows down molecules or impending demonic threats; due to the evolution of the Charmed One's powers it only makes sense that a great grandmother of a Charmed One possessed an unevolved form of their powers. In other words, P. Baxter did not misuse her gift so over the years it evolved into Molecular Immobilization. Since P. Bowen and P. Russell possessed similar powers to their future ancestors, it only makes sense that P. Baxter would not possess the actual power of Molecular Immobilization but a devolved form of it. But then that theory is contradicted by how Penny and Patty possessed the same Telekinetic and Clairvoyant power as Prue and Phoebe; then again that makes sense because of their mother-daughter blood bonds (but it was said in That 70's Episode Patty only was able to receive Premonitions while pregnant with Phoebe).
[edit] Trivia
- Holly Marie Combs said on one of the bonus features that her oldest son, Finley, runs around the house making the same hand gestures as she did when potraying Piper. At the same time yelling "freeze!".
