Unpopular Opinions

[amensisterfriend]

This is the place to safely confess the opinions you've found to be unpopular! 

 

1) Nearly everyone I know strongly prefers the first few seasons to any of the ones that came afterwards, but while I do like Prue, S4-S7 actually work better for me overall. There's something about the energy, tone and even storylines that I just prefer about the later seasons. 

 

2) You know how Phoebe is the sister who drives nearly every fan nuts (and often understandably so!)? For me, it's Piper. The Piper of S1 was down to earth, a little endearingly shy, sarcastic but sweet. Then she was in that annoying love triangle with Dan and Leo, and in every subsequent season she just seemed almost CONSTANTLY critical, irritable, angry, and at times even mean. I like the actress and certainly understand why the character wouldn't exactly be perky all the time, but it just kind of got tiresome for me. 

 

3) I love Leo. I get why people find him dull and/or dopey, but there's something about him that I just adore. 

 

4) I really like Cole and the actor who plays him, but I found his dysfnctional relationship with Phoebe more exhausting than entertaining. 

 

5) I didn't really like any of Paige's love interests much at all...except maybe Richard. 

 

6) I enjoy Chris tremendously. 

 

7) Scenes at P3 tended to annoy me. Stop trying unsuccessfully to be cool and trendy, show! Embrace your (and your characters') corny cheesiness! And I could never buy Piper as someone who would even love hanging out in nightclubs, let alone someone who owns and runs one.  

 

I'll look forward to hearing other people's UOs! 

[Vixenstud]

I watch the reruns with my mother, who loves the show. 

 

I didn't know Phoebe was so disliked, details please!

 

My UO is that I HATED Prue!  Hated her!  If Piper was always sarcastic then Prue always had a stick in her ass.  Damn, nothing ever pleased her...I know she had to be the responsible one when their mother died but c'mon!  And I'm of the firm belief that she killed Andy as if she slammed him against the wall herself.  Man, did she put him through hell.  I always look forward to watching All Hell Breaks Loose, because I know her ass gets slammed through the window to her death.

 

Another UO is I disliked Grams just as much...she was such a snippy bitch, always in everyone's business and not in a good way.

 

 

[amensisterfriend]

I didn't know Phoebe was so disliked, details please!

 

Vixen, as one of the few fans who loves Phoebe, I'm probably not the right one to answer your question :) Based on the hate she got on TWoP, I think others found her selfish, ridiculously boy crazy (though aren't they all too focused on their love lives?!), generally annoying, etc. And all that may be true, but I also find her so charmingly alive---warm, passionate, loving, funny, optimistic, spirited, etc. She adds so much energy to the show for me. And I think Alyssa Milano is a better actress than she's generally given credit for. 

 

Paige's character was so all over the place, IMO---she's desperate to fit in! No, wait, she's extremely independent and wants to do her own thing! She's so emotionally vulnerable and insecure. No, wait, she's super confident and sassy!-----but I generally enjoyed her anyway. 

 

And I've been watching S4 and don't find it nearly as depressing as most do---I actually find it a great blend of poignancy, humor, action, etc. It may even be the best one of the series! 

Edited April 8, 2015 by amensisterfriend

[amensisterfriend]

My UO is that I HATED Prue!  Hated her!  If Piper was always sarcastic then Prue always had a stick in her ass.  Damn, nothing ever pleased her...I know she had to be the responsible one when their mother died but c'mon!

 

LOL---yeah, she can be hard to warm up to. I think part of it is Shannen Doherty's delivery---she nearly always delivers lines in this clipped, semi-bitchy tone even when the scene doesn't call for it. And you know that I totally share your UO re the show actually getting more enjoyable once she was gone.

[kiddo82]

Season 5 is one of my favorite seasons. I think it's fun.

[amensisterfriend]

After rewatching more (it's embarrassing just how much I'm enjoying it!) I think maybe I'd rank the seasons from favorites to least favorites as S4, S3, S5, S6, S1, (or maybe I'd switch S and S6...?!), S7, S2, S8. It's hard, though, since every season has some clunkers and some episodes that I absolutely love.  

 

Was it unpopular to haaaaaate the Leo/Piper/Dan love triangle of S2? If so, consider me very unpopular :) 

 

I kind of loved Andy. 

 

And I continue to hold the very UO that this show is so much more awesome than it's given credit for! 

[Vixenstud]

Hmmm....I can see the boy crazy/annoying part of Phoebe, but not selfish. 

 

I didn't like the Leo/Piper/Dan triangle because I thought Piper was wrong to string Dan along.  She knew in her heart that she loved Leo so why be with Dan?

 

TNT is doing Season 8 now, so we should be getting Henry soon...loved him and Paige together!  Unfortunately, we have that damned Billie and soon her equally annoying sister Christie.

[magicdog]

I didn't like the Leo/Piper/Dan triangle because I thought Piper was wrong to string Dan along.  She knew in her heart that she loved Leo so why be with Dan?

 

This always drove me nuts!

 

Dan would have made a better romantic partner for Phoebe not Piper.  The triangle was so poorly written that everyone from a mile away knew Piper was going to ultimately choose Leo.  He and Jenny should NEVER have been introduced;  the only reason she was had to do with the initial idea of having her being a witch and to seek out guidance from the Halliwells.  When viewers voiced their displeasure over her presence, she was dropped after a few episodes.

[amensisterfriend]

I didn't like the Leo/Piper/Dan triangle because I thought Piper was wrong to string Dan along.  She knew in her heart that she loved Leo so why be with Dan?

 

 

This always drove me nuts!

Dan would have made a better romantic partner for Phoebe not Piper.  The triangle was so poorly written that everyone from a mile away knew Piper was going to ultimately choose Leo.  He and Jenny should NEVER have been introduced;  the only reason she was had to do with the initial idea of having her being a witch and to seek out guidance from the Halliwells.  

 

 

YES! This is one major reason why I hold the UO that S2 is by far the worst of the Prue seasons and actually one of the 2-3 least enjoyable seasons of the show overall. I never connected with Dan or his annoying niece at all, agree completely that the outcome of the triangle was never in doubt, and, like most love triangles, felt all three parties were made duller and less likable in the process. Plus, as I've said, S2's emphasis on starting up P3 annoyed me. It was such a lame excuse to shove in allegedly 'cool' music acts and, honestly, I far preferred Piper as a dedicated chef than so into the 'trendy' nightclub scene, which...no.

 

And I actually missed Andy in S2. I'm pathetic :) 

Edited April 12, 2015 by amensisterfriend

[4evaQuez]

Thank you so much for this thread, Amensisterfriend.

 

Here are some of my unpopular opinions:

 

1. I LOVE Charmed. Absolutely love. I've always thought it was a great show and would rank it in my top three. I loved the original chemistry between the first three sisters, and while different, I loved the chemistry with Piper, Phoebe and Paige just as much. I find the show is amazingly rewatchable to me, and I still find myself having Charmed marathons on Superbowl Sunday. (Does anyone else remember the TNT Superbowl Charmed marathons?) I also really loved the lore of Charmed and, unlike some other supernatural shows, it actually felt like the Charmed universe was around for centuries and would be around for centuries more after their death. I even love a lot of the ideas the Charmed universe introduced - the execution of those ideas, however, did not always work out - and I would be thrilled for a continued Netflix miniseries or even a reboot.

 

2. Piper and Paige are my favorite relationship on the show. Starting with Piper's reluctance of accepting Paige because it would also mean accepting Prue's death in her mind, Paige's fear of accepting the Halliwell's because she thought she'll always be in Prue's shadow and how Prue's death and Paige's arrival helped to make Piper a more assertive and stronger character, I truly loved their relationship because of how we saw them overcome those complications and hurdles. For me, I loved that the two actually seemed like equals more often than not. Piper and, to a lesser extent,Phoebe both had a somewhat heroic idea of Prue. As both their oldest sister and surrogate mother, I felt they often put her on a pedestal and were both looking for her approval. While realistic, I thought it somewhat stunted their relationships with her. I also never felt that Piper and Phoebe were very close. They just always gave me a "I love you because you're my sister, but we wouldn't be friends if we weren't sisters" type vibe. I say this because I always find it difficult to think of poignant or even memorable Piper/Phoebe scenes. 

 

However, I really liked Piper/Paige. Starting with the the end of the 4th season -after Phoebe get married and becomes Queen of the Underworld -, the two spend a lot time together. We see them bonding, fighting, talking and actually getting to know each other.(Two scenes that pop up in my head. 1. in "Bite Me" Piper tells Paige that her years of demon fighting will make conceiving a child difficult if not impossible for her. 2. "Long Live the Queen" Paige's picks up a drunken Piper and make hangover cures for Piper. She then gives Piper a pep talk and a plan to save Phoebe from evil.) An unpopular opinion within an unpopular opinion -One of my favorite episodes is Nymphs Just Wanna Have Fun solely for the Piper/Paige scenes and how they work together to defeat the demon. I really liked how they are both fighting to be the head "superwitch." I always interpreted it as them both trying to live up to Prue's ghost and then realizing they are both stronger together. I also loved Wyatt's middle name being Matthew and how both Wyatt and Chris call Paige their favorite aunt. Although the show always gave lip service to the Piper/Phoebe relationship, I thought Piper/Paige were actually shown to have a growing and strong relationship. My only regret for their relationship is that we never got to hear them say they love each other. A huge missed opportunity for me.

 

some shorter opinions

 

1. I only liked Piper/Leo during the 5th season. Something about them worked for me that season. Every other season, I agreed with the Elders that their relationship shouldn't be allowed.

 

2. I was indifferent to Andy and to Andy's death.

 

3. Paige was my favorite sister and if the show was to ever be rebooted - I would want her character incorporated somehow

 

4. I liked Christy in Season 8

 

5. The 4th Season is my favorite season. I find the 7th Season the most rewatchable.

 

6. I wish one of the sisters would have married a male witch.

 

7. I wanted Phoebe to end the show as an elder

 

8. Since I just finished watching this episode, in "Hyde School Reunion", I didn't mind Paige and Phoebe doing a shapeshifting spell on the bad guy to make him look like Chris, which got him an acid shower by the demons. I mean yes, Paige could have tele-orbed the gun, but I don't like her or Phoebe any less because of it. 

 

9. I like any episode were at least one or all the sisters turn evil. Banshee, Woogy Man, Vampire, Bride and Gloom, Wendigo, Long Live the Queen, the Furies.I really like any episode where a sister turns evil and the remaining sisters must stop the evil sister from spilling innocent blood and becoming forever evil.

[magicdog]

I didn't mind Paige and Phoebe doing a shapeshifting spell on the bad guy to make him look like Chris, which got him an acid shower by the demons. I mean yes, Paige could have tele-orbed the gun, but I don't like her or Phoebe any less because of it.

 



 

The problem most fans had with this scenario is that it went against everything the sisters stood for.  There were many eps in the past in which they either saved someone (like Prue's demon boyfriend from "Wrestling With Demons") or arranged to have the [mortal] bad guy punished by mortal means.  Not only could Paige have orbed the gun away from the baddie, they could have orbed him back to jail.  Having him dissolved by demonic acid was just out of character.

 

 

I wish one of the sisters would have married a male witch

 

 

Ditto.  Like attracts like and it would have made sense for them to have come to know more magical witches.  At the very least they could have better explored the Halliwell cousins who lived in the Manor in the 20s.

[amensisterfriend]

I wish one of the sisters would have married a male witch.

 

I love this idea as well! 

 

. I was indifferent to Andy and to Andy's death.

 

Ha---I actually thought my opinion of loving Andy and Andy/Prue was the unpopular one :) Then again, I tend to be a sucker for short-lived romances that aren't on screen quite long enough for the writers to screw up! I like that Andy was among the few people on this earth who could bring out a slightly softer side of Prue. 

 

This might also be the right time to confess that I would pay any amount of money to see a spinoff in which Prue and Andy, a witch and detective, solved crimes and mysteries in various other realms. 

 

I LOVE Charmed. Absolutely love. I've always thought it was a great show and would rank it in my top three. I loved the original chemistry between the first three sisters, and while different, I loved the chemistry with Piper, Phoebe and Paige just as much. I find the show is amazingly rewatchable to me, and I still find myself having Charmed marathons on Superbowl Sunday. (Does anyone else remember the TNT Superbowl Charmed marathons?) I also really loved the lore of Charmed and, unlike some other supernatural shows, it actually felt like the Charmed universe was around for centuries and would be around for centuries more after their death. I even love a lot of the ideas the Charmed universe introduced - the execution of those ideas, however, did not always work out - and I would be thrilled for a continued Netflix miniseries or even a reboot.

 

This comment made my day :) I think this series was (and still is) so sadly underrated. I agree that it's eminently rewatchable and a wonderful blend of drama, all types of comedy, supernatural adventure, sharp quips, heartwarming sweetness, romance and even some surprisingly thought-provoking ideas. It had its share of flaws, but I'm so attached to this show despite (maybe even because of...?!) them. It's funny that the other female-centric supernatural WB show I still love, Buffy, is so generally acclaimed as one of the best shows ever while this show is so often derided as sub-mediocre, as I actually see a surprising number of similarities between the two. And I find the fact that both shows can be corny, cheesy and campy part of their infectiously fun charm! 

[amensisterfriend]

So you know that S1 Wedding from Hell episode that pretty much everyone hates, and quite understandably so? I actually really enjoy it. I'm hopeless! 

 

As a general note, I know most don't care much about Phoebe or even dislike her from the outset, but I love her SO freaking much in that first season and am happily surprised by how much she's adding to the show for me.  

 

And despite knowing that Shannen D and Alyssa M didn't get along, I actually love their onscreen dynamic and find their relationship really interesting and believable. 

[Daisy]

ooho i have a lot. heh. 

 

I miss Prue, and I think the show really missed her a lot after she died.

This is funny because I love Piper and I loved how they made her more assertive and what not after Prue died, but i don't know. I missed Prue. and I missed what she brought to the show, and I just think there were a lot of instances that Prue was 'needed' I always felt when Prue died we got Piper and two "younger" sisters vs. a clear cut older/middle/younger sister. 

 

I hate Phoebe

Now, this is not unpopular  ;)  But these are the reasons why. I hate how she went from wanting to always help the innocent, to becoming ... Phoebe in the last seasons. I really hate how she kept choosing Cole over her sisters (even though she 'ultimately' chose her sisters in the end - but by then the consequences were always so dire). She lied to them in Sleuthing with the Enemy. Irrational Phoebe hate makes me think if she wasn't all chasing after Cole in Deja Vu All Over Again Piper wouldn't have died, because Leo would be there. (again. I know. irrational Phoebe hate)

 

But what really gets my goat - and it links into my next thought

Cole gets a raw deal link up

 

Cole Gets a Raw Deal because of Phoebe.

Basically. (yes I get because of love). Phoebe totally screws over Cole. First, she could have/should have vanquished him. But She doesn't. Then (yes, they get all hoodwinked by Ian Buchanan), Cole begs her for the power stripping position and she's like "Omg, you're all evil, I just saw you kill a witch!" and then smashes the potion. then Cole gets possessed (and ultimately killed) by the Source via the Hollow, and this is where i get 100 percent irritated at ALL the sisters and especially Phoebe

 

1: Cole did not  choose  to become Source. Everyone knew up to that point, that Cole took the Hollow to save the Sisters and no one thought that Cole taking the Source's fireball would = him being the Source.

 

2: Up until "Long Live the Queen" it was pretty much stated that the Source was taking over Cole. Cole was saving/helping the sisters in little bits. COLE himself was still/always the innocent and they just lumped everything together. (forgetting, again, that Cole ultimately became what he did to save heir lives). 

 

3: Phoebe doomed Cole to die and to become the Source. As stated by SourceCole and the Seer - Phoebe wasn't uber influenced by Evil Baby Spawn, or by Tonic or by anything else. It wasn't mentioned that losing Source Powers would kill Cole. Phoebe was seeing the exact same thing that we saw. The Wizard was pulling out the Sourceness, (so HE could become the new Source). Phoebe stopped him. Killed the Wizard. Took Cole's hand and made him take on ALL the powers of the source - then for seasons 5 through Avatar Cole (6?), everyone was all like WELL COLE RUINED PHOEBE'S LIFE, COLE WAS EVIL, COLE SHOULD LEAVE PHOEBE ALONE. No. Phoebe killed Cole and held his hand while he became Source. if Anyone shoulda been pissed it really should be Cole. 

back to why i hate Phoebe

 

I hate the way the Show became Phoebe-ized.
I always felt like the first 3 seasons, (even though it kinda focused on Prue), it ultimately balanced so it was one aspect of all the sisters and the ultimately came together. Phoebe was always the "focus" or the face, and everything (even wanting Utopia) was based on her (and let's not even ignore her whole Premotioning for Penis, because she wanted her little girl like instantly). I honestly truly felt, that the dynamic of Prue-Piper-Paige would have/could have worked out (because Paige was basically the new phoebe anyway), and probably would have had more gravitas to it (because no one said Piper couldn't/wouldn't act the same way she did losing Phoebe as she did Prue) vs. Phoebe being the one who lived.

 

I wish that Wyatt was Melinda

I really hated the hahaha you're a BOY! switch they made. 

 

I wish the "Ultimate Power" storyline would have been made different but not for the reasons you think

I think that having that storyline (having another set of powerful witches - one that were evil) made sense. everything that the show told us, is that there was always balance. meaning that as Powerful as the Charmed ones were - there was always going to be an evil-powerful source out there. What I don't like is that Billie and Christie were it. I think the show missed the boat (or actually vanquished a potential story in season 1) by having an Evil Power of Three. I get Good conquers all but there should have been sort of a balance/symmetry of having 3 siblings have ultimate powers, even have a magic uber baby if you must and they ultimately face off. 

 

I dunno. it sounded better in my head. and I didn't like Billie or Christie, but boy did i like their powers heh

 

 

there are more but i am on season 5 of a rewatch and I haven't seen this for AGES. so i'll add. 

[magicdog]

I love Piper and I loved how they made her more assertive and what not after Prue died, but i don't know. I missed Prue. and I missed what she brought to the show, and I just think there were a lot of instances that Prue was 'needed' I always felt when Prue died we got Piper and two "younger" sisters vs. a clear cut older/middle/younger sister.

 

 

Agreed.  I've been saying right along how we ended up with two Phoebes since Paige wasn't written consistently.  She should have been more Prue like and taken the reins of things.  So what if she was the youngest?  Lots of us on the old forums had mentioned whenever Phoebe did something stupid, how Prue would have reacted.  They definitely needed Prue.

 

I really hate how she kept choosing Cole over her sisters (even though she 'ultimately' chose her sisters in the end - but by then the consequences were always so dire). She lied to them in Sleuthing with the Enemy.

 

In the hands of better writers, this could have been a good ongoing storyline (Cole unintentionally being a bad influence).

 

Cole definitely got a raw deal - I blame the writers solely because they dropped the whole storyline about his father's soul and Cole initial motive for taking on the Charmed Ones in the first place.  Despite losing Prue, they still could have continued.

 

I honestly truly felt, that the dynamic of Prue-Piper-Paige would have/could have worked out (because Paige was basically the new phoebe anyway), and probably would have had more gravitas to it (because no one said Piper couldn't/wouldn't act the same way she did losing Phoebe as she did Prue) vs. Phoebe being the one who lived.

 

 

There were a lot of us who were intrigued by the thought of Paige replacing Phoebe rather than Prue.  I think it would have turned into a new storyline for Prue's character in which she would have had to deal with the guilt of her little sister dying, and perhaps trying to smother Paige with her protective nature once she became a witch.  If anything Paige and she would have clashed a bit since Paige was more independent and used to doing things her way as she was raised as an only child.

 

I wish that Wyatt was Melinda

 

 

 

I'm torn on this.  I was hoping at the time that Melinda was born (to match what we saw in "Morality Bites"), but then again, how much of that future came to pass anyway?  Besides, I grew to like Wes Ramsey as adult Wyatt.

 

I think that having that storyline (having another set of powerful witches - one that were evil) made sense. everything that the show told us, is that there was always balance. meaning that as Powerful as the Charmed ones were - there was always going to be an evil-powerful source out there. What I don't like is that Billie and Christie were it.

 

Ditto.  In fact, many times there were witches (usually the bad ones) who had much better powers and abilities than the Charmed Ones.  Even the Stillman Sisters had a few tricks the Halliwells didn't have nor use - and they were considered two bit chiselers!  I did like the idea of The Rowe coven still being active and each clan trying to undo the other's handiwork for a few more seasons - until they are vanquished for good.  The sisters seemed like an afterthought once "Magic School" became part of the show - and that was a mistake.  We never really got to see the Charmed Ones be the powerhouse they were show to be in Morality Bites. 

[helenamonster]

I'm torn on this.  I was hoping at the time that Melinda was born (to match what we saw in "Morality Bites"), but then again, how much of that future came to pass anyway?  Besides, I grew to like Wes Ramsey as adult Wyatt.

 

Not sure if this is unpopular or not, but not only did I love Wes Ramsey as Adult Wyatt, but I also loved the little boys who played Present Day Wyatt, especially when they actually started getting lines. Idk, I thought they were adorable. And pretty good at doing all the little hand waves and stuff that were needed for when Wyatt used his powers.

[Daisy]

Unpopular Opinions for Season 5 and 6. 

 

Hmm. I really don't have any issues that popped up, other than them expanding the magical universe. What irritated me, is that they were always so freaking surprised about it. they saw those trolls and fairies in season 3, they had a genie in season 2. they were interviewing magic nannies. So why would it be "oh my god, you're real?" "Oh my god? you exist?" like. seriously. grow clues. 

 

Season Six

My usual, "I hate Phoebe rant." I hated that Phoebe told Leo about Chris being his son. (because "we all felt better.") it doesn't have to be about you. But I think it would have meant more (storywise), if Leo never knew that Chris was his son, until he died in his arms. It would have allowed the "Imma insane and mad" arc in Season have more gravitas.  I think. anyway. 

 

I didn't like Darryl. 
I don't know if we were supposed to be sympathetic to his situation in regards to the Cleaners/Tribunal trying to kill him, and while I doubt they went "well we tried to give up our entire heritage to save you, because we love you." but he basically treated the girls like the dirt underneath his shoe, and ... it just drove me nuts because i just felt that old Darryl (no matter how much he was freaked out) would have sat down and at least talked to them, they would have come to an understanding, and everyone would have come to the conclusion that Darryl couldn't be involved with the freaky-deaky ;) without him and Sheila (ultimately) cutting them out of their lives. 

[amensisterfriend]

1) I've realized that I genuinely love Season 7 

 

2) Phoebe's non-Cole love interests were all pretty much forgettable and interchangeable to me, but of that group, I actually semi-like Leslie, aka Nick LaHoweverYouSpellHisName :) I dislike the actor normally, but I actually like the way he kind of challenged Phoebe and called her out on some of her nonsense rather than just blindly adoring her. (Can we count Billy Zane as a post-Cole love interest?! If so, that's the one I'd vote for!)  

 

3) I really like The Magic School and the storylines we got from it 

 

4) I know Piper is most people's favorite, and I go through stages where I like and admire her as well, but she's also hard for me to enjoy a lot of the time, especially past S3. She's just such a negative, perpetually put upon grump through a lot of those seasons. I really miss the sweeter Piper of earlier seasons, especially S1. 

 

5) Speaking of Piper, I never bought that she was the kind of person to be all psyched about owning and running a trendy nightclub. P3 scenes in general tended not to work very well for me. 

 

6) I would have loved to see Paige and Prue interact. If I had the discipline to actually finish any of the stories I start, I would totally write a zillion fanfics where that happened :) 

[pawneerangers]

I just saw asf mention this show in the GG Meet Market and am so happy to find out that posters still care about this show!!! I have it on DVD and still record most episodes on TNT anyway. I have so many opinions that I don't even know where to start so I apologize for jumping around a lot. 

 

- I love this show more than Buffy, The X-Files, Supernatural and other shows of its type that you're supposed to like much more than Charmed. Nothing against those shows but Charmed has always meant more to me and I connect with it more. 

 

- Paige is my very favorite sister. She is actually still one of my favorite TV characters. 

 

- I agree that the tone changed during the Paige years but the unpopular opinion is that I loved the change! This is nothing against Prue but I like that the show was more funny, high energy, campy and alive once she left. The more melodramatic, crazy and over the top stuff just works for a show like this one. It just became more fun for me to watch again and again. The Prue years feel more awkward, like the show was trying to be taken more seriously and just not sure how to balance everything it wanted to do. The first and second seasons are probably the lowest on my list even though I love some episodes. The last season ranks dead last and it's the only one I don't watch as much but that almost doesn't count since that seems true for almost every Charmed fan lol. 

 

- I am the only Charmed fan who didn't mind when Cole went insane in the fifth season. I thought parts of it made for great TV and wasn't that out of character. 

 

- Phoebe's other boyfriends were pointless like other people said but I agree with whoever said they love Billy Zane as Drake in the seventh season and wished he was around longer. I think it would have been great if Phoebe had ended up single but happy anyway since she was always the most boy crazy and the one who thought she needed a man to feel complete. 

 

- I hated Phoebe's short hair in the sixth season so much. I usually don't care that much about how they wore their hair or even the weird outfits but that haircut annoyed me even more than her dyed blond hair in the third season. 

 

- Piper and Leo's relationship was cute as the beginning but it became the only part of the show I didn't like! I just feel like they had the same issues again and again and made each other miserable too much of the time. Leo was nice but not interesting enough to be involved in so much conflict and drama and the actor was kind of bland. I just wanted the writers to keep him as a happy whitelighter and husband or have him and Piper split up for good. At least Phoebe's relationships didn't last too long but Piper and Leo just kept dragging on with those same issues about the elders and duty and it made Piper such a wet blanket sometimes. Like someone else wrote before, this show has enough battles and conflicts without that much angst having to come from your significant other. 

 

- I know Shannen Dougherty and Alyssa Milano didn't get along but the relationship between Prue and Phoebe was my favorite because they overcame conflict and balanced each other out. Paige is a funny combination of both characters so it would have been so great to see her with Prue. 

 

- I agree that Phoebe was much easier to love in the first half of the show but my unpopular opinion is that I still loved her anyway and think she added to the show. I will sometimes even take her over Piper, who like I said became such a wet blanket. I can understand why a lot of people love Piper the most and might agree that Holly Marie is the best actress but I just like the energy of the other sisters more. I think if the writers gave her fewer of those same issues with Leo and her sons and different types of plots instead that I would love her more. 

 

- If I could watch just two seasons of the series I would pick the fourth and the seventh. I warned you that I had some feelings about this show that were unpopular! 

[amensisterfriend]

I just saw asf mention this show in the GG Meet Market and am so happy to find out that posters still care about this show!!!

 

Ha---yes, I think there are more of us still happily obsessed with the show than we might think :) 

 

 

 

- Phoebe's other boyfriends were pointless like other people said but I agree with whoever said they love Billy Zane as Drake in the seventh season and wished he was around longer. I think it would have been great if Phoebe had ended up single but happy anyway since she was always the most boy crazy and the one who thought she needed a man to feel complete.

 

I would have loved for pretty much any and all of them to find happiness single! 

 

Of all of Phoebe's post-Cole love interests, I actually liked Miles, despite or maybe because we saw so little of him :) I like that he seemed charmingly geeky and sweet rather than her usual 'bad boy.' Then again, I'm always a fan of geekier guys and wish all my shows had more of them! 

 

 

 

I know Shannen Dougherty and Alyssa Milano didn't get along but the relationship between Prue and Phoebe was my favorite because they overcame conflict and balanced each other out. Paige is a funny combination of both characters so it would have been so great to see her with Prue.

 

You're not alone! They were probably my favorite---or at least most interesting---of all the sisters' relationships too. 

 

 

 

 

I agree that Phoebe was much easier to love in the first half of the show but my unpopular opinion is that I still loved her anyway and think she added to the show. I will sometimes even take her over Piper, who like I said became such a wet blanket. I can understand why a lot of people love Piper the most and might agree that Holly Marie is the best actress but I just like the energy of the other sisters more. I think if the writers gave her fewer of those same issues with Leo and her sons and different types of plots instead that I would love her more.

 

Co-signed! (See! We may not agree on everything regarding this show or GG, but we can always find common ground :)) Actually, Piper may be my least favorite of the four sisters overall. I liked Later Seasons Phoebe the least, but I hold the somewhat unpopular opinion of absolutely LOVING Early Seasons Phoebe (especially S1-S2 Phoebe), so it kind of balances out. HMC is good, but they made her character too much the grim, weary martyr for her to be very lovable and entertaining to me, and while I totally get that it's natural to complain about wanting a normal life, I feel like they made her too mopey and joyless in mid-to-late seasons. S1 Piper is such a sweetheart and more lovable and relatable to me, though I can certainly understand why some prefer the more snarky, more cynical and tough Piper we get after Prue's death and think that the change does make sense even though I didn't particularly enjoy it.  

 

 

 

If I could watch just two seasons of the series I would pick the fourth and the seventh. I warned you that I had some feelings about this show that were unpopular!

 

I really love both of those seasons too! I'd rank S3 as the best and am super partial to S1 (can you tell I'm a Prue fan and the general feel of the show back then?!), but S4 and S7 are right near the top for me as well. I do have the UOs of not liking S2 and S5 nearly as much as most seem to.

 

 It's so amazing to chat about this show again! 

Edited February 28, 2016 by amensisterfriend

[EternallyCharmed]

I'm usually a lurker but since these threads are active again I had to register to join the fun and give my own unpopular opinion. I think it's the most unpopular opinion I've seen here, so try not to be too harsh!

 

I hated Cole and the way the show changed when he came on. I didn't like Phoebe around Cole and all the lies she told to protect him. In a lot of episodes it felt like Prue, Paige and Piper's only roles were to react to whatever was going on with Phoebe and Cole. I hate him even more when he's fully human than when he's evil. For all those reasons I can't even watch most of Seasons 3 and 4 again even though those seem to be the most popular ones. Season 3 has a few episodes where Cole doesn't appear and those are my favorites.  I love Season 5 but mostly after Cole is gone. 

 

I like Paige but the first two seasons of the show are still my favorite. I didn't hate Dan as much as other Charmed fans do. It's easy for me to forget he's even around. He didn't change Piper, her relationships with her sisters or the show just by being there. *coughColecough* Dan is boring but so are most of the men on this show.

 

Prue gives me life. It seriously hurts me when people who watch the show hate her even though I try to understand why. I care about all the sisters but I never got over Prue's death. I still watch Shannen Doherty in every bad TV movie she ever makes. 

 

I edited this many times because English isn't my first language, but please forgive me if there are still some mistakes.  

[amensisterfriend]

I edited this many times because English isn't my first language, but please forgive me if there are still some mistakes.

 

Your English is absolutely perfect!!! 

 

I hated Cole and the way the show changed when he came on. I didn't like Phoebe around Cole and all the lies she told to protect him. In a lot of episodes it felt like Prue, Paige and Piper's only roles were to react to whatever was going on with Phoebe and Cole. I hate him even more when he's fully human than when he's evil. For all those reasons I can't even watch most of Seasons 3 and 4 again even though those seem to be the most popular ones.

 

You know, this is one of those UOs that I don't happen to share but can TOTALLY understand. Cole's presence does affect and alter the show more than any other love interest, and for those of us who loved the feel of Original Recipe Charmed, I completely see why it would be frustrating. I also agree that Phoebe is less lovable in S3-S4 (and, well, pretty much the rest of the series!) than she was in those first two seasons.  

 

Personally, I think she needed Prue to keep her more annoying and obnoxious tendencies in check, but that's just me :) 

 

Season 3 has a few episodes where Cole doesn't appear and those are my favorites.

 

One of those is the sublime Sin Fransisco! I actually love Just Harried too. In large part because...

 

Prue gives me life. It seriously hurts me when people who watch the show hate her even though I try to understand why. I care about all the sisters but I never got over Prue's death. I still watch Shannen Doherty in every bad TV movie she ever makes.

 

THIS! :) 

 

like Paige but the first two seasons of the show are still my favorite.I didn't hate Dan as much as other Charmed fans do. It's easy for me to forget he's even around.

 

I really should love S2 so much more than I do. I think I need to rewatch it again, fast forwarding through Dan if necessary ;) If nothing else, I'll always appreciate it for giving us Morality Bites, which I could watch on constant loop! 

[Kohola3]

My UO is that I liked Piper the best of the sisters including Prue.  And I was not that fond of Prue, either.  Piper just seemed more down to earth to me.  

 

However I do agree that she didn't really fit the role of hip club owner.  I wish they had put her in a restaurant but then they couldn't have all of the guest appearances of the music groups that showed up periodically.

[4evaQuez]

 

 

I really should love S2 so much more than I do. I think I need to rewatch it again, fast forwarding through Dan if necessary ;) If nothing else, I'll always appreciate it for giving us Morality Bites, which I could watch on constant loo

 

I love Morality Bites, Pardon My Best and Murphy's Luck. Those are three of my favorite episodes of the entire series. However, as a whole, I find Season 2 kinda uneven. It has some of the best and most rewatchable episodes of the series for me, but it also has quite a few I find very forgettable. I personally enjoy the season more once Jenny stops showing up. 

[amensisterfriend]

Piper just seemed more down to earth to me.

 

 

I loved Piper in the first season! And I agree that she was probably the most relatable and down to earth, so I do appreciate her presence on the show. I just found her such a negative, grumpy drag at various points of the seasons and got so sick of her angst with Leo and the elders.

 

But I know a ton of people who definitely love Piper the most, so you're not alone! And HMC is a really good actress :) I just hold the very UO that she actually changed as much as Phoebe did---and while I get that many would love how she became tougher, more snarky etc., I just missed the original incarnation of the character.

 

 

 

However I do agree that she didn't really fit the role of hip club owner.  I wish they had put her in a restaurant but then they couldn't have all of the guest appearances of the music groups that showed up periodically.

 

I wish this didn't annoy me, but it does! Couldn't there be some bar they hung out in that attracted these musical acts rather than have Piper run this allegedly trendy, 'cool' club?! Or maybe have her as head chef for a restaurant/club that happens to draw a lot of musical acts? I felt she was so much better suited as a chef and like how her focus on preparing delicious food symbolized how nurturing she is and how hard she tried to make other people happy.

 

(Another possible UO is that I don't even like most of the bands/music on this show and wouldn't have missed those scenes if they had disappeared!)

 

 

 

I personally enjoy the season more once Jenny stops showing up.

 

Argh---Jenny! Yet another reason I have an irrational aversion to Dan: I associate him with the awkward, forced waste of screentime that was Jenny :) I agree that S2 is way less consistent (to me) than S1, S3 and even S5 and S7, but that its best episodes were among the very best of the whole series.

 

Another UO: I actually don't love Sense and Sense Ability, which I often see listed on people's 'favorites' lists. It's exactly the kind of funny, clever, energetic,  fluffy-yet-delves-into-characterization Charmed episode that I usually adore, but somehow this one just didn't quite work for me.

 

 

 

 

Edited March 1, 2016 by amensisterfriend

[Kohola3]

Another UO: I actually don't love Sense and Sense Ability

 

Table for 2 on that one. I didn't like it at all.

[amensisterfriend]

I love Morality Bites, Pardon My Best and Murphy's Luck. Those are three of my favorite episodes of the entire series. However, as a whole, I find Season 2 kinda uneven.

 

So I already knew that I loved Pardon My Past and (especially!) Morality Bites, but your post made me realize that I barely remembered Murphy's Luck, so naturally I had to rectify that this afternoon by rewatching :) I really loved it too---(Maggie was played by Amy Adams, right?!)---and was especially impressed by SD's acting. And I really like how they touched on issues of depression and how Prue had experienced feelings of real despair and bleakness even years before we knew her. I've gone through depression often in my life, and parts of this episode really resonated with me. And I love that next time I can blame my depression on a demonic curse rather than neurochemistry ;) I also agree that it's fun to see Prue starting a new career in photography and how her interest in capturing certain raw human emotions through her lens gives another dimension to the character. 

 

And because I can never quite get over it...I just love revisiting how much I adore caring, sweet, funny, loving and loyal S1-S2 Phoebe! It's honestly almost like an entirely different character to me than she was by the fifth or sixth season. 

[amensisterfriend]

Oh, and while I'm here---the nonstop rewatching I've been doing reminded me that I hold the UO of liking the understandably disliked S6. I do completely understand why people hate it: this is arguably Phoebe's most insufferable season (and that's really say something!), the Leo/Piper stuff is kind of a tiresome drag, and the Chris stuff is uneven...at best :) But for some reason I really LOVE Paige this season---back when I first started watching the show, I remember first really loving and clicking with her during her various temp jobs. They gave us the opportunity to see varied settings/characters outside of the usual Manor/P3/Phoebe's newspaper office and set up some amusing situations. I just so relate to Paige searching for who she wants to be (outside of magic, of course.) And a lot of the Chris stuff actually veers into the 'so ridiculous that it's weirdly fun to watch' territory, at least to me! Plus, there's a lot of humor and energy this season.

 

I recall really liking S6 when it first aired, liking it a lot less when I watched the show for the second time---and apparently  I'm now  back to my original, admittedly irrational affection for it. I have bizarre taste in TV :) 

Edited March 4, 2016 by amensisterfriend

[Odelia]

Agreed in regards to hating Piper, ugh such a boring and stick-in-the-mud character, I never liked her after about the 1st season.

[blueray]

I never really like Prue. While I didn't hate her, I liked Piper, Phoebe and Paige a lot more. She always seemed to full of herself and to perfect. She had the most powers while she was alive and seemed to get a lot of the focus of the stories.

[amensisterfriend]

Agreed in regards to hating Piper, ugh such a boring and stick-in-the-mud character, I never liked her after about the 1st season

I've grown to appreciate her more than I used to but still want to love her so much more than I do! Nearly every Charmed fan I know of names her as their favorite, and I in many ways I can see why, but then I'll actually watch the show again---particularly the last several seasons---and it's just like, okay, Piper, I get why you feel put upon and your life is hard and all that, but can you just stop criticizing, complaining, and sniping at Leo and your sisters and anyone else you come across for more than a couple of minutes per episode?! She bitches about EVERYTHING! I used to think it started after Prue's death, but even through stretches of S2 and S3 she starts bemoaning pretty much every facet of her life: running the club, not being 'normal', everything and anything related to Leo, wanting desperately to get pregnant and then complaining about just how much being pregnant sucked as soon as that dream came true, etc. All the sisters do their share of complaining, and with their lives it's often understandable, but with post-S1 Piper it just feels so constant. There are things I do really like and relate to about Piper, and lord knows I'm not a constantly positive Pollyanna myself, but I just wish they'd toned down the relentless irritability and negativity. It became far too dominant a part of who she was, IMO, even before and long after Prue's death. Even a couple of the demons identify her immediately as the 'mean' and/or angry one :) And as much as I love HMC and generally think she's probably the best actress on the show, I feel like even smiling a bit while delivering more of her lines might have made her seem a little less snippy and softened her a bit in those later seasons. 

I never really like Prue

I adore Prue, but she's one of those characters who I can very easily understand people not being crazy about :) I actually admire how confident, assertive and direct she is---which are traits that still seem pretty rare among female characters and ones that I myself definite don't possess!---but I can see why that can also make her seem arrogant and harder to relate to. One saving grace for me is when the show would kind of acknowledge that she was too proud, bossy etc. The obvious example is Sin Fransisco, but there are lines in other episodes, snarky and otherwise, that show the other characters---and therefore the writers---are aware of those traits.  I also feel like Prue being overprotective, intensely worried about her sisters and, again, often bossy, stems naturally from 1) their circumstances (mom dying at a young age, grandmother no longer with them, father basically a non-factor and as the 'oldest' she somehow feels responsible, especially since they now have this serious gift/burden that makes them all vulnerable) and 2)  the younger sisters' personalities (Phoebe was super reckless, irresponsible etc, growing up and frankly, while I love Early Phoebe, often still seemed in need of some guidance! Meanwhile, S1 Piper, while incredibly sweet and kind and adorable---I still miss that sweeter version of Piper!---was also a little shy, unassertive, extremely reluctant to ever take charge or even make decisions, etc.) So, anyway, I think the show did a surprisingly good job of explaining how Prue developed some of the traits that made her admirable and a little tough to deal with at the same time :) But in general I think I have the major unpopular opinion of preferring Prue, Early Phoebe and even Paige to Piper (when I can figure out Paige's personality in any given episode, since it seems to change a lot!) in part because they're more apt to embrace their destiny as witches and even have some fun with it along the way. I know it's realistic to have at least one sister resisting that, but it gets tiresome for me to watch Piper being all snippy and discontent about the same issues for so many seasons!     

On another note, I think this came up somewhere else a while ago, but I recall loving Prue/Andy and wishing so much he had lived past the first season, but now when I rewatch S1 I just find him like most other Charmed significant others: dull and with no particular personality traits :) I'm also finding he doesn't have much chemistry and connection with Prue. It probably doesn't help that the actor is kind of stiff and flat! 

[snarktini]

On April 12, 2015 at 8:56 AM, 4evaQuez said:

4. I liked Christy in Season 8

 

Most of the time there isn't truly a definitively popular/unpopular opinion -- if there are lots of fans, you can always find many others who feel the same as you about almost anything. But, kudos, I think you've hit on a truly unpopular one! Good job!

On February 29, 2016 at 9:41 PM, EternallyCharmed said:

I hated Cole and the way the show changed when he came on. I didn't like Phoebe around Cole and all the lies she told to protect him. In a lot of episodes it felt like Prue, Paige and Piper's only roles were to react to whatever was going on with Phoebe and Cole. I hate him even more when he's fully human than when he's evil. For all those reasons I can't even watch most of Seasons 3 and 4 again even though those seem to be the most popular ones. Season 3 has a few episodes where Cole doesn't appear and those are my favorites.  I love Season 5 but mostly after Cole is gone. 

 

After years of rewatching Charmed on cable, I now find myself avoiding the Cole episodes. I didn't mind his arcs the first time around, but now that I know what happens I lack patience for his bullshit and all the angst that follows him. They just kept reinventing Cole over and over, he became an evil, whiny boomerang with nine lives.  He sucks the air out of the show for me.

[Chris Turner]

I prefered Pheobe and Cole over Piper and Leo. I loved Cole and I enjoyed his struggle to be good and win his wife back. And Pheobe was my favorite character S1 - S4 

I hated Pheobe during S5 though and S6. She was such a bitch to Cole. She basically forced him to be evil. Always running to him for help but then reminding him how evil he was as spon as they saved the day. The fact that they vanquished him on his birthday always makes me tear up a little. They really screwed him over. 

I didn't like Sam I am. I know a lot if people wete curious about Paige's father but I wasn't one of them. The only good part was Cole's suicide attempt because that explosion was awesome.
I still don't know how Pheobe knew about Cole killing those guys. The charmed ones sometimes had to kill evil mortals themselves. So why was Pheobe getting on his case about killing those two men who burst into a bar shooting. If cole was there then more than just two people would be dead.

Pheobe's pregnancy. I love Wyatt and all but I wanted to see the Half demon baby. Could you imagine the cousin rivalry with Pheobe's baby and Piper's living in the same house? Plus i don't like how it's never mentioned during Pheobe's baby crazy season. No memories of the child she almost had?

Hated Leo. I prefered Dan. I thought he was cute and I liked the way he was with her.

Wish Prue had lived and was around when they were dealing With Billie. I think she would have been better at guiding her. 

Loved the ultimate power and I hated that they killed Christy. It wasn't her fault she was evil. 

I think that Chris's storyline could have been handled better. I think it would have been more interesting if Paige figured it out or Darrell. All Pheobe did was mess things up and got in the way of Chris's plans to be conceived.

Wish that Seth, the fire starter, came back. I thought that him coming to have his powers unbound during one of the episodes when everyone was complaining about how much they wanted to be normal would have been cool.

I wish Pheobe had gotten that power she had in the future ehen she killed that baseball player. 

Paige should've stayed a social worker. 

Did it bother anyone else that demons never tried to kill the Charmed one in the middle of the night while they were asleep?

[slf]

I loved Prue, generally loved Piper (I feel like the actress made this character), never liked Phoebe and grew to almost hate her, and never liked Page because it felt like she was whatever the writers needed her to be at the time. 

Phoebe behaved like a child. There were times when Alyssa Milano actually understood how to portray a grown woman who was also free-spirited. But the rest of the time? Baby voice. Literal actual pouting. Often baby voice + pouting. Which, when you factor in her braless and erect nipples in 50% of her scenes, is really really disturbing. (Wasn't that one of the things Milano and Doherty fought over?)

Everything that happened after Prue's death was badly written and this show was never exactly high-brow. I appreciate that a lot of fans liked how corny the show was but I felt like it would have benefited from playing it straight. (Xena is a good example of a show that really did corny well.) Drop the chiming every time something magic happens, ditch the more cartoony villains and story lines, etc., and I think the show would've done much better in the long run. But it still had a lot going for it in the first few seasons. The tension between the sisters, them learning about their family's history, the time traveling (them having to let Phoebe burn was a great moment), the overall vibe of those seasons just really worked. (When it comes to vibe I mean that they show seemed to use great genre shows as inspiration; like there were bits in the series premiere that were very The Craft, and when the sisters went back and met their mom when she was waitressing some of those scenes were set up like the diner scenes in Terminator.) Though I do agree that Dan and Andy weren't interesting (though I didn't hate them).

[amensisterfriend]

After typing out the list for the S5 round of our episode elimination game, I realized I have the unpopular opinion that I really don't like S5 much. I know a lot of people here have named it as a favorite, but it just doesn't work for me. (It's actually the same with two more of my shows, BtVS and Gilmore Girls---a lot of fans really like the fifth seasons of those shows, and I just can't muster up the love for them.) At this point I actually like S7 a lot more than S5, which seems highly unpopular :) 

and never liked Page because it felt like she was whatever the writers needed her to be at the time.

Exactly! I wouldn't say I disliked her and at times actually DID enjoy her when I last rewatched, but it's mostly because I fanwank her to my liking. The advantage to an inconsistent, poorly defined character is that at least we all get to see her as we wish :) I would have loved to have been in the writers' room when they were creating the character of Paige. Did they aspire to make her a combination of Phoebe and Prue, which would make for a potentially intriguing but very contradictory character? Did they kind of shrug and say "eh, whatever, we'll figure out who she is as we go along"?!  

 Though I do agree that Dan and Andy weren't interesting

Ha---speaking of characters to who the writers forgot to give any sort of personality to :) The sad thing is that that's true of almost every male character on this show, including (IMUO!) Leo. 

[magicdog]

On 5/6/2016 at 8:35 AM, amensisterfriend said:

I would have loved to have been in the writers' room when they were creating the character of Paige. Did they aspire to make her a combination of Phoebe and Prue, which would make for a potentially intriguing but very contradictory character?

Initially Paige was supposed to be the second coming of Phoebe - free spirited youngest of the family.  Phoebe was supposed to become the new Piper - the mediator.  Piper was supposed to be the new Prue - leader and eldest.  I've posited many times that Paige should have been written to have more Prue like traits.  Despite circumstances, people don't change personalities overnight and I think it was wrong to force Piper and Phoebe to change.  Sure they would grow in experience and wisdom compared to the first season, but not turn into something they never were.  Given Paige's background, she should have acted more like a driven only child - someone who is similar to Prue, but also not a carbon copy.  Prue had to deal with compromise since she was the oldest and had two sisters.  Only children like Paige (her paradigm until The Halliwells found her), act differently.  Especially since she had her own struggles  to overcome. 

[Apprentice79]

On 5/7/2016 at 1:42 PM, magicdog said:

Initially Paige was supposed to be the second coming of Phoebe - free spirited youngest of the family.  Phoebe was supposed to become the new Piper - the mediator.  Piper was supposed to be the new Prue - leader and eldest.  I've posited many times that Paige should have been written to have more Prue like traits.  Despite circumstances, people don't change personalities overnight and I think it was wrong to force Piper and Phoebe to change.  Sure they would grow in experience and wisdom compared to the first season, but not turn into something they never were.  Given Paige's background, she should have acted more like a driven only child - someone who is similar to Prue, but also not a carbon copy.  Prue had to deal with compromise since she was the oldest and had two sisters.  Only children like Paige (her paradigm until The Halliwells found her), act differently.  Especially since she had her own struggles  to overcome. 

I always felt that the show should have had Phoebe and Paige be the one to have conflict, instead of Paige and Piper, when she came on the show. Piper interceding between Paige and Phoebe would have been a great way for Piper to transition as the oldest sister in an organic way. Instead of trying to recreate, the old dynamic of the original power of 3 with the new one, they should have created a new dynamic with the reconstituted power of 3...Piper being like Prue was the wrong thing to do, it made her too harsh and bitchy..Paige having qualities like Prue, while maintaining her lifelong independence could have been off-putting to Phoebe, leading to fights and arguments as they got to know one another as sisters...It could have been interesting to see..Phoebe as the new middle sister should have been more powerful than Paige...It is really sad how useless Phoebe became as the series continued; she had so much promise in the first 2 seasons...

I wish that the show had remained with the original power of 3..It still pisses me off that these actresses who were well paid could not put aside their fragile egos and give the fans what we richly deserve; which was a damn good show...

Edited May 9, 2016 by Apprentice79

[slf]

On 5/9/2016 at 11:47 PM, Apprentice79 said:

I wish that the show had remained with the original power of 3..It still pisses me off that these actresses who were well paid could not put aside their fragile egos and give the fans what we richly deserve; which was a damn good show...

To be fair, I can really see Doherty's issue. From what I recall, there was a lot of pressure from the network to sex up the show (one of the reasons for Phoebe's frankly ridiculous wardrobe and bralessness) and Milano was willing to go along with what the big bosses wanted but Doherty called bs. There was also a divide regarding the show's creative direction where Doherty wanted it to be a bit more serious, play it a little straighter, and the execs wanted...what the show eventually became. Combs got caught in the middle because while she agreed with Doherty she didn't have any kind of pull with the network and her career prospects had never been great (even tho she's the most talented out of the three of them)- she wanted to keep her job, which Doherty understood (they're still friends is my understanding), so she pretty much stayed out of it. Milano kind of became the boss' favorite after that. (IIRC something similar happened on Friends, which is why Rachel's nips are visible in 90% of her scenes after a certain point; Cox went along but Kudrow had issues with it.)

Edited May 10, 2016 by slf

[Apprentice79]

10 hours ago, slf said:

To be fair, I can really see Doherty's issue. From what I recall, there was a lot of pressure from the network to sex up the show (one of the reasons for Phoebe's frankly ridiculous wardrobe and bralessness) and Milano was willing to go along with what the big bosses wanted but Doherty called bs. There was also a divide regarding the show's creative direction where Doherty wanted it to be a bit more serious, play it a little straighter, and the execs wanted...what the show eventually became. Combs got caught in the middle because while she agreed with Doherty she didn't have any kind of pull with the network and her career prospects had never been great (even tho she's the most talented out of the three of them)- she wanted to keep her job, which Doherty understood (they're still friends is my understanding), so she pretty much stayed out of it. Milano kind of became the boss' favorite after that. (IIRC something similar happened on Friends, which is why Rachel's nips are visible in 90% of her scenes after a certain point; Cox went along but Kudrow had issues with it.)

The actresses should have banded together behind the scenes to keep the show the way that Constance Burge wanted it..I do think that her exit from the show led to what it eventually became....The show was trying to appeal to straight males and that was never going to happen...I do think that Doherty should have tried to get Milano on board..The show lost something once Shannen exited the show....

[slf]

10 hours ago, Apprentice79 said:

The actresses should have banded together behind the scenes to keep the show the way that Constance Burge wanted it..I do think that her exit from the show led to what it eventually became....The show was trying to appeal to straight males and that was never going to happen

Those execs were so stupid for prioritizing male viewers like that. Female viewership was more than enough so long as they wrote the show well. The first two episodes brought in an impressive 7 million viewers. I firmly believe the more campy aspects were what caused the show to lose a lot of those viewers. (No lie it's what I struggled with. At it's best this show reminded me of Practical Magic, which is one of the three best movies about witches I've seen. At its worst it reminded me of a lot of straight-to-video tween witch movies Disney or Nick Jr. used to churn out.)

[Apprentice79]

18 hours ago, slf said:

Those execs were so stupid for prioritizing male viewers like that. Female viewership was more than enough so long as they wrote the show well. The first two episodes brought in an impressive 7 million viewers. I firmly believe the more campy aspects were what caused the show to lose a lot of those viewers. (No lie it's what I struggled with. At it's best this show reminded me of Practical Magic, which is one of the three best movies about witches I've seen. At its worst it reminded me of a lot of straight-to-video tween witch movies Disney or Nick Jr. used to churn out.)

The chemistry between the original sisters were so good and believable...Prue, Piper and Phoebe were great. Every time that I see the episode Morality Bites, I get sad...I loved how powerful the 3 sisters were going to be..Constance got it right, when it came to that..Seeing Phoebe with an active power that can kill really made me smile...She was no longer a defenseless witch relying on her older sisters to protect her..She can do that on her own..I firmly believe that Constance would have given her an awesome active and defensive powers to cement her independence from her sisters..If the show had concentrated on advancing the sisters' original powers before giving them more. Perhaps, we would have been spared  the power kerfuffle that we had to endure in season 6, when Phoebe got baby rabies and lost her powers...

Edited May 11, 2016 by Apprentice79

[Writing Wrongs]

On 5/7/2016 at 0:42 PM, magicdog said:

Initially Paige was supposed to be the second coming of Phoebe - free spirited youngest of the family.

I was just re-watching the bonus features on the Season 8 dvd and Rose said at first they were having Paige with a different guy each week. And she kinda put a stop to it. She said "Paige is not a ho." 

[Rockstar99435]

On 5/5/2016 at 11:56 PM, slf said:

Phoebe behaved like a child. There were times when Alyssa Milano actually understood how to portray a grown woman who was also free-spirited. But the rest of the time? Baby voice. Literal actual pouting. Often baby voice + pouting.

OMG.. the baby voices. I did not remember that being a thing, but now that I'm rewatching the series, it's driving me crazy. Phoebe is the worst, but it's all of them. Even Prue. I think the writers weren't sure how to write women in their twenties. The sisters were too old for school-related storylines, especially after Phoebe graduated in a year. But they were too young to be as accomplished as they were so the writers had them use baby voices to remind the audience that they weren't in their forties. I noticed it most in the 3rd season when they had Prue go from running the auction house to learning to be a photographer. Her outfits all changed from business woman to woman in her late teens/early twenties. Her hair even went from business appropriate to pigtails.

[PepSinger]

I love Prue, but her work wardrobe after season 1 was absolutely ridiculous. Halter tops to the office? What?

[amensisterfriend]

To be fair, ALL of their wardrobes were pretty ridiculous, except maybe Piper's :) (Which is ironic given that Piper is the one who works in a nightclub---which, ugh, don't get me started again on how irrationally bugged I am by that very un-Piper-like career choice!) 

[Kohola3]

 I love Piper.  Maybe it's her gorgeous hair.  (Ducks head.)

[amensisterfriend]

 I guess my HIGHLY UO is that if I could keep just two sisters, I'd have definitely picked Prue and Phoebe. They're my favorites individually, and for some reason the fact that the actresses didn't get along behind the scenes hasn't affected my enjoyment of their sisterly relationship, which was always more interesting, layered and lively to me than the one that either has with Piper. (That's not to say that Phoebe doesn't sometimes drive me nuts in later seasons, but somehow I could never bring myself to hate her and just like the energy she brings to the show!)

 I can't remember if I mentioned this, but I love Charmed more than even the best of Supernatural and am finding that it many ways it holds up better than my beloved Buffy. How's that for unpopular? ;) 

Edited May 27, 2016 by amensisterfriend

[amensisterfriend]

ETA: The more I rewatch S4, the more I love it and think it may one day take S3's place as my favorite despite my love for Prue and my nostalgic fondness for those first few seasons. It's just such an engaging combination of...well, everything, and the last third of the season remains one of my favorite stretches of any TV show ever! 

[Charmedverse]

Unpopular opinions

1. I liked Billie. I thought she was fun and fresh and pretty entertaining. I didn't like however her Projection power, which was too powerful.

2. I thought Phoebe should have ended up with Jason because he seemed to be the best fit for her. He wasn't complicated and was someone who could give Phoebe the human life she always wanted. 

3. The Leo/Piper relationship was exhausting after they became married. Heck even before. It was exhausting for the show and the progression of the charmed ones.

4. I hated Chris with a passion. I thought the season he was featured in was the worst. I hated his snippy attitude and the way it was handled was horrible.

5. I wished they would have focused on Paiges whitelighter half earlier on in the series like around 4-5 season. I wish they would have gave a season dedicated to Paige like Piper and Phoebe got. 

[amensisterfriend]

The Leo/Piper relationship was exhausting after they became married. Heck even before. It was exhausting for the show and the progression of the charmed ones.

The more I rewatch, the more I agree with this UO! I just don't think the constant angst did Piper's character or the overall show any favors. It didn't help matters that Leo wasn't an interesting, well-defined character in his own right past S1 or so. In S1, I thought he was kind of 'adorkable', for lack of a better and less annoying word, and the conflicts between him and Piper felt more natural and better balanced out by moments of joy. Arguably as early as S2, though, the angst/joy ratio between them felt way too lopsided, and there just wasn't enough passion, happiness, connection and fun to make me feel like it was worthwhile. Leo himself became blander and flatter and Piper became a little more shrew-ish and perpetually discontent. I'm really struggling to enjoy them past S1. 

...And, speaking of which, my UO is that S1 doesn't get enough love, including from me :) It definitely suffers from some new series clunkiness, but the characters and their relationships are so lovable to me and I love the focus on coping with their newfound powers and their past and current family dynamics.