Charmed Polls and Surveys

[GreenScreenFX]

Orbing would be awesome. To skip the airport and cab rides everywhere would be the best. While  Pipers Ability to blow shit up, or freeze time might be fun.... How often would you really use that? 

[GreenScreenFX]

I mean... I have NEVER wanted to make anyone explode... And freezing time seems pointless.

[GreenScreenFX]

Caveat... I have wanted my boss in Theory to explode... But I never wanted her to EXPLODE.

[amensisterfriend]

Which of the season finales do you guys like most and least?! I just rewatched the series finale for only the second time and sobbed my way through the entire thing :) 

[amensisterfriend]

Bringing these over from Tumblr in case anyone wants to challenge themselves to answer! 

 

1) The one sister you admire most?

2) The one sister you’re most similar to?

3) The sister you’d most want to be close friends with in real life?

4) The sister whose job you’d most want to have?

5) The male Charmed character who you’d most want to date?

6) Your favorite sister relationship if you had to pick just one?

7) Your favorite romantic relationship if you had to pick just one?

8) Your top three episodes of the entire series?

9) Your very favorite season if you had to pick just one?

10) Your least favorite season?

[Katelyn]

1. 2 favorite sisters easy Piper who I thought was by far the funniest and Phoebe who I just loved. 

2. Favorite romantic pairings Piper/Dan,  Phoebe/Coop and Paige/Glen 

3. Least favorite Piper/Leo, Phoebe/Cole, Paige/Henry 

I couldn't stand Leo and I hate Cole I was so glad when he finally died. I refuse to watch the seven year itch episode because he is in it and also because well it's not a good episode. 

4. Favorite seasons 5,6,7

6 being my all time favorite because I absolutely love Chris 

5. Top five episodes is hard because there are so many good ones but I would have to say

Long live the queen

Sense and sensibility

Imaginary Friends

Witch wars

It's a bad bad world part 1&2

I would most want to posses paiges power to orb. You can anywhere you want in the world and you can kick demon ass with it.  I wouldn't want to levitate I thought that was phoebes most pointless and useless power

[helenamonster]

On 10/19/2016 at 0:19 PM, amensisterfriend said:

Bringing these over from Tumblr in case anyone wants to challenge themselves to answer! 

 

1) The one sister you admire most?

2) The one sister you’re most similar to?

3) The sister you’d most want to be close friends with in real life?

4) The sister whose job you’d most want to have?

5) The male Charmed character who you’d most want to date?

6) Your favorite sister relationship if you had to pick just one?

7) Your favorite romantic relationship if you had to pick just one?

8) Your top three episodes of the entire series?

9) Your very favorite season if you had to pick just one?

10) Your least favorite season?

1. Prue. Her level of confidence in herself was incredible (to the point where she was infected with pride and for a while there was no difference in her personality).

2. Paige. We're offbeat only children who were folded into a new family as adults and struggle to be a part of the new family while also maintaining our own individual identities.

3. Piper. She'd keep it real with me, make me laugh, and maybe cook for me sometimes? Also free drinks at her club!

4. Paige's magic school job.

5. Henry.

6. Piper and Paige. They're very different people and don't always see eye-to-eye, but it's obvious that Piper loves Paige and feels extremely protective of her, and Paige is always trying to impress Piper and live up to her expectations.

7. I know it was messy, but I kind of loved Phoebe and Cole. I thought the storylines it generated were really great. I wasn't bummed when it all ended though; it was the natural conclusion.

8. "The Fifth Halliwheel," "Sense and Sense Ability," and "Long Live The Queen."

9. Season Four.

10. Season Eight.

[amensisterfriend]

Ugh, this is the point where I realize how impossible it is to answer my own questions ;) 

1) The one sister you admire most?

I'll echo Helena and go with Prue. She possesses so many strengths that I happen to really lack ;) She's just so amazingly strong, confident, ambitious, super competent and responsible, kickass, fierce, etc. 

2) The one sister you’re most similar to?

I'm least like Prue (see above!) and kind of a weird combination of Piper (in that I'm more introverted, snarky and over sensitive/touchy, made anxious by change), Phoebe (see below) and Paige. Overall, I might actually say Phoebe, though she is roughly a trillion times more sociable, extroverted, into guys/dating and cheerful than I am ;)  But, like Phoebe, I'm really enthusiastic and passionate, kind of a restless spirit, tend to be too impulsive, I watch the same movies zillions of times and fall in love with fictional characters, tend to fall quickly and deeply in love with some of the wrong people and then kind of swing to the "ugh, done, just get out of my life forever!" extreme, get gooey over kids and animals, am sort of messy, show a lot of what I'm feeling, am animated/dramatic at times, have a similar sense of humor, look for purpose and meaning, and love both writing and psychology, which would make her job right up my proverbial alley :) 

3) The sister you’d most want to be close friends with in real life?

ALL OF THEM. Let's be honest, all four of these women should totally take out a restraining order on me because I will stalk that manor until they let me hang out with them, or at least until Piper lets me try some of her cooking ;) If pressed to pick, I might say sweet, warm, infectiously fun loving Phoebe so that we can bond over movies and bad men-related choices, but really...all of them!  

4) The sister whose job you’d most want to have?

Phoebe's---see above for the explanation :) I'd love being a whitelighter like Paige...aside from that whole constantly-risking-your-life thing. Piper's job would be an utter nightmare for me: I have absolutely no business savvy (or interest!) and never even liked spending time in loud nightclubs, let alone owning and running one :)

5) The male Charmed character who you’d most want to date?

Henry---he's quietly kind and loving, brave and a little bit of a badass but very steady and loyal, calm and kind of self-contained but with a wry sense of humor, has a strong sense of justice and fairness but also compassion, etc. Plus, he wasn't around enough for the writers to make me dislike him ;) 

6) Your favorite sister relationship if you had to pick just one?

Phoebe/Prue is my special favorite for reasons I've already rambled about in many threads, but I think Piper/Paige has become a surprisingly close second. 

7) Your favorite romantic relationship if you had to pick just one?

Henry/Paige---they're a great blend of compatible similarities and complementary differences, I like how they're both people who searched for their identity and found stability in each other, and, again, they were around just enough to make me fall for them but not around long enough for the writers to ruin them or for their dynamic to start to feel really tiresome for me like, say, Piper/Leo :)  

8) Your top three episodes of the entire series?

Hahaha---three?! Have we not already established that I have trouble picking fewer than 50?! I think All Halliwell's Eve, Sin Fransisco, and Long Live the Queen may be the three I've watched most, but I could very easily mention tons of others as well (From Fear to Eternity, That 70s Episode, Morality Bites, They're Everywhere, Pardon My Past, Murphy's Luck, Chick Flick, Astral Monkey, Pre-Witched, Brain Drain, Lost and Bound, Sympathy for the Demon, Centennial Charmed, Sense and Sense Ability, Forever Charmed...etc.!)

9) Your very favorite season if you had to pick just one?

Argh. Right now I'll go with S4 just because it might have the greatest number of episodes that I find really rewatchable, but other times it could just as easily be S3. Or even S2. or S1. Or S5... :) 

10) Your least favorite season?

Season 6 or 7...? I'll go against S7. S8 obviously had its share of issues and I'm not a Billie and Christy fan [/understatement], but at least S8 gave us Paige/Henry, who I really like, and I just love the series finale. A surprising number of other episodes are decent as well...especially when I conveniently fast forward through pretty much every single Billie and Christy scene :) 

Another one...

If you had to pick just one favorite season for each sister, which would it be? This is just the season where they come across as the most lovable, compelling, easy to root for, interesting etc. to you :) Here are my selections, all of which are obviously just my own random opinions and not ones I expect anyone to agree with! 

Prue: S3—She’s still the fierce, tough, kickass, protective, super strong, responsible witch we know and love, but through most of S3 she’s a little more in touch with her softer emotions and better able to relinquish control. In episodes like Primrose Empath, we see once again just how deeply caring and driven to help she is underneath her tough exterior. Death Takes a Halliwell allows her to finally acknowledge the sadness and grief she’d previously stowed away, giving her a sense of peace and helping her accept that she can’t help and save everyone. Sin Fransisco allows her to poke fun at her own sense of pride while simultaneously realizing that said pride is part of why her sisters adore her. Oh, and her S3 hair is absolutely fantastic ;) 

 Phoebe: S2-—She’s just so eminently lovable this season, you know?! I mean, to me she’s lovable EVERY season, but especially this one :) She’s so warm, vibrant, caring, funny, sweet, enthusiastic, brave, and generally happy. She still has very human, relatable flaws—she’s impulsive, easily distracted, can sometimes ignore what’s smartest and safest in favor of following her heart, etc—but overall she’s more settled and stable than she was in S1 while still more energetic, spirited and optimistic than she sometimes was in later seasons. A very interesting layer to her character that’s touched on in S2: she confronts the fact that she was evil in the past (Pardon My Past) and has the potential to give in to darkness in the future (Morality Bites) while still determinedly choosing to do good in the present. I love her decision to attend college—not because she feels she should, but because she sincerely wants to. Plus, I like her hair a lot more this season than I do in S1 or S3 ;) 

Paige: S5—In some ways she actually touches me most in S4 as we watch her trying to grapple with the revelations thrown her way and form relationships with her newly discovered sisters, but I feel like in S5 the writers had a much firmer grasp of her character overall. She’s such a great mixture of snarky cynicism and energetic hopefulness, of stubborn independence and a powerful need to connect, of keen intelligence and amusing kookiness. 

Piper: S1 I saved this one for last because it was the hardest for me to choose. Try not to hate me for arriving at such a highly unpopular choice :)  The thing is, I fully get why most people praise Piper’s growth and how she became more kickass throughout the series, but for me the writers sometimes seemed to think that Piper becoming stronger meant making her a little too cranky, critical, snippy, jaded, unhappy, negative etc. There’s something so touching and relatable about the more unabashedly sweet, introverted yet earnest, guarded yet more hopeful S1 Piper for me. Even back then, she was snarky and so much stronger and more powerful than she believes herself to be. She was relatably, adorably neurotic and funny, but with less of a ‘bite’ than later seasons somehow. I think I’m explaining this horribly, so please forgive me for typing this out before I’ve had enough caffeine. And as you all know, I've grown to really like and appreciate later seasons Piper as well–there’s just something about S1 Piper that somehow delights and resonates with me most :)   

[magicdog]

On 5/31/2016 at 8:17 AM, amensisterfriend said:

You have the power to change three things about the series! Erase a character/relationship/storyline you wish hadn't existed, add something you wish HAD existed, etc. Which three changes do you magically make to the series?! 

Tough one but I'll give it my best shot:

1. I'd have kept Prue alive and kept the original recipe of The Power Of Three.  I don't hate the character of Paige, but I think it would have been better for Prue to have remained with her sisters.  I wouldn't be averse to Paige turning up later in a future storyline.

     2. I would have had a storyline bringing back Nathanial Pratt as the new D.A. when Cole left.  He could have been another mortal thorn in the sisters' sides as he investigates Cole's disappearance and the strange goings on that are connected to the Halliwells.  I also would have brought back Cal Greene and having Phoebe try to keep from falling to temptation to kill him.  As a bonus, Paige could be the girl he brutalizes and sets her off.

     3. I'd have liked to see the sisters' powers grow properly!  Connie Burge had a plan for them to have three powers each (one active, one passive, one signature).  We really needed to see how powerful the sisters were intended to be and really test their abilities.  Phoebe should have had better control of her premonitions and empathy, Piper should have been able to reverse time (limited to a few minutes - enough to get the drop on a baddie), Prue should have been able to fight like in Primrose Empath and better develop her bilocation power.  What we ended up was three afterthoughts, who seemed to get dumber about using magic, not wiser.

 

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Of all the sisters' powers, which one(s) would you most want to possess?! Which ones would you least want to possess? And are there any powers you wish the sisters had had that they didn't? 

I'd ideally love to have all of them since they all serve balanced functions (Premonitions to see the danger, freezing to halt it, and TK to slap the s**t out of it!).  Failing that, I'd love to have Phoebe's premonitions.  I'd be able to get answers to some questions by touching the object or person.  

However, Paige's orbing and glamouring are very attractive options.

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So, thinking about the what could have been Next Generation spinoff, I guess I have a couple of questions pertaining to that.

 

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2) What kind of major storylines would you include in the theoretical spinoff? 

First would be a new [Charmed] prophecy - and the boys role in it.  I'd also build up the brothers' relationship and personalities, as well as being witches who were raised with magic all their lives, unlike their mom and aunts.    Like their predecessors, they would have to balance magic with daily life and dealing with the usual sturm und drang that comes with it.  

 

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3) If you could bring back any previous cast member in a major recurring role, who would it be? Excluding the sisters and their husbands, of course. 

Perhaps little sis, Melinda.  She's much younger than her brothers and she wants to get a breather from her over protective family back home and figures living with her brothers across the country (I like the idea of the boys living in Boston) would be a great start.

[amensisterfriend]

Another random but hopefully fun one: Which Hogwarts house would you sort each of our four beloved Halliwell sisters into?! After way too much deliberation, I’d go with…

 Prue as Slytherin (one of the many fundamentally kindhearted Slytherins, of course! She’s cunning, resourceful, clever, determined, ambitious as both a professional and a witch, willing to do whatever it takes to protect those she loves) 

Piper as a Hufflepuff (hard working, intensely loyal, generous and selfless despite her often prickly and snarky exterior, strong sense of fairness, shuns individual attention, doesn’t like to shake things up (or when life shakes things up for her!), eager to nurture and care for others, calmly deliberates before acting, someone who plans and likes things to be organized, ultimately considers the good of many over her individual desires) 

Phoebe as Gryffindor (brave, adventurous, open, impulsive, vibrant, spirited, often acts on instinct rather than taking the time to ponder options) 

Paige as a Ravenclaw (individualistic, creative, questions things rather than just going along with them, likes to think about how things work and often devises her own solutions, extremely curious, annoyed when people are very illogical, loves to learn everything about the topics she finds interesting)

[Kohola3]

Can't weigh in, not a Hogwart kind of woman.

[amensisterfriend]

Have we done a basic 'do you prefer Prue or Paige as the third sister' poll? Kohola, you don't have to be a Harry Potter fan to participate in this one, my friend! I don't think there's ever a clear consensus on whether most fans prefer Prue or Paige---fans usually seem pretty evenly divided. But I'd love to see people's votes and the reasons for loving one more than the other :)

[4evaQuez]

1) The one sister you admire most?

At first, I thought this would be an easy question. I immediately thought of Prue for all the reasons you stated, but I realized the thing I liked most about Prue was her strength at changing careers. She was successful and great at Bucklands, but she wasn't fulfilled, so she tried a new and less secure and lucrative career in photography. Then, I realized Phoebe did something similar by deciding to go back to school twice to get her psychology degree. While trying to decide between those two, I realized Piper did the same thing by leaving her job at Quake to open P3 and later by finally opening her own restaurant. Lastly, Paige was constantly changing jobs/careers to find self fulfillment. I hope this isn't cheating, but I admire the sisters' collective strength at not settling and being comfortable in life to go after their dreams even when they face detours like Piper and Paige. 

 

2) The one sister you’re most similar to? 

I'm easily most similar to Paige. I grew up an only child most of my life and then my mother got married to a man with kids and I had to learn to live in a family. It was hard, I still struggle for my independence while also wanting to be a part of the group. I had a wacky sense of humor and a unique way of looking at the world like Paige. I think that's why whenever a remake of Charmed is ever discussed I always want Paige included in some fashion - even if a magical 1st cousin.

3) The sister you’d most want to be close friends with in real life?

Piper. Piper is the only one I can see myself having genuine conversations with. I like her laid back nature and she seems like the one who would most want a genuine, equal friendship. 

4) The sister whose job you’d most want to have?

Paige's job as headmaster of a school

5) The male Charmed character who you’d most want to date?

As I'm a male, I'll say the one I'll most want to be is Cole. Him and Henry are the only two that leave an impression.

6) Your favorite sister relationship if you had to pick just one?

Piper/Paige. These two seemed the most like equals. Yes, they argued and fussed, but they have equal power and ownership in their relationship without any signs of hero worship or obligation. The two seemed like the two who would get along the least - and for a while they did- but I loved how the show developed their relationship.

7) Your favorite romantic relationship if you had to pick just one?

Phoebe/Cole - I know they were toxic and doomed to failure, but that's one of the things I love about this relationship. They had genuine chemistry and they worked like Hell - sometimes literally - to stay together, but the show smartly showed that sometimes love isn't enough to make a relationship work. I believe Phoebe even tells Cole this almost verbatim. So many times, shows tell us love conquers all, and it was refreshing to see that often love isn't enough to make a relationship built on the wrong foundation last.

8) Your top three episodes of the entire series?

This is off the top of my head, and I reserve the right to change this list at any time, lol:

1. All Hell Breaks Loose

2. Long Live the Queen

3. It's a Bad x 4 World parts 1 & 2

9) Your very favorite season if you had to pick just one?

10) Your least favorite season?

It's an even tie between the 6th and 8th seasons. I truly despise Chris and Billy equally. I'll say I'll give 6 the slight edge since Chris isn't featured in every episode.

[Kohola3]

Well, my personal issue is that if I don't like an actress in "real life" then I tend to dislike them in any roles.  It's a burden I have to bear!!  I was never a Shannon fan so that colors my perception of her as Prue.

[4evaQuez]

I forgot to answer number 9:

 

Season 4 is easily my favorite season. Everything about that season is flawless, except for Saving Private Leo, but even that episode has things I like.

[amensisterfriend]

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like her laid back nature and she seems like the one who would most want a genuine, equal friendship.

You just brought up such an interesting facet of Piper IMO---she's very calm, soothing and even keel in some ways, but super neurotic, anxious, emotional, easily upset, not able to easily change/let go etc.  underneath! 

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3. It's a Bad x 4 World parts 1 & 2

I just finished rewatching S6 and had forgotten how much I really, really love this finale. 

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 So many times, shows tell us love conquers all, and it was refreshing to see that often love isn't enough to make a relationship built on the wrong foundation last.

Exactly! I don't know whether the show intended to send that message all along or whether they kind of fell into it based on the actor who plays Cole not wanting to be a regular on the show or whatever, but either way they were and remain one of the only 'epic', powerfully passionate but borderline toxic TV romances where one of the characters is eventually like 'look, just because my feelings and attraction to you are strong doesn't mean we can can or should actually be together anymore. It's just not healthy.' It's sad how rare that is in fiction! 

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t was hard, I still struggle for my independence while also wanting to be a part of the group.

THIS. This is the aspect of Paige that I relate to all too well :) 

Edited October 31, 2016 by amensisterfriend

[amensisterfriend]

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I forgot to answer number 9:

Season 4 is easily my favorite season.

I've changed my list of favorites so many times that I'm giving myself whiplash, but even though my rankings change with annoying frequency, S4 is always at or near the very top :) I've surprised myself by how high S2 has moved on my list despite the insufferable Dan/Piper/Leo stuff and the mercifully short-lived Jack Sheridan. And how S3 is no longer QUITE the #1 favorite it used to be for reasons that I can't even explain. And how I've finally seen why so many people love S5 and have grown to like it a lot as well, though it's still not quite a top two season for me. And how I liked S6 SO much more with this recent rewatch. And S1 can be clunky and dated and doesn't feature too many of my all-time favorite episodes but is also such a treat. And...anyway, I won't even attempt another ranking. Therein lies madness :) 

4eva and kohola, I'm guessing from your above posts that you both vote for Paige over Prue? Or am I totally off base?! 

I can't decide between them but will come back as soon as I do :) 

Edited October 31, 2016 by amensisterfriend

[4evaQuez]

I easily vote for Paige. I love both, and I originally started watching this show because I love Shannon Doherty. However, there's something about Paige that clicks with me more. I think it was a consistent sense of searching for herself. I also like that as much as Paige tried; she never quite reached superwitch status. And her relationships with Phoebe and Piper seem more equal than the relationships Prue had with them. (Prue always had a tad bit more power in those relationships as she was their sister/pseudo mom.) I also love her tk orbing and orbing abilities. I just love Paige which is shocking as I was not a Rose McGowan fan before Charmed at all.

 

I have a question for everyone. Over on the Everything Else topic of this forum, people are talking about moments that would have broken the internet in the 1980s had it been around. While Charmed was popular during the internet - I remember discussing it on message boards and AOL - it obviously peaked before social media truly became the phenomenon it is now. My question is, what moments of Charmed do you think would have broken the internet?

1. Prue's death definitely would have been a hot topic.

2. Phoebe grabbing the Grimoire and choosing evil/Cole over her sisters seems tailor made for one of those Scandal seasons 2 and 3"O M G" commercials that would have people arguing with the showrunners on Twitter afterward.

3. Amen, in light of your question, I actually think the Paige vs. Prue wars would be quite contentious had the show been on the air after social media. As you said, most people seem to be pretty down the middle and respectful of differing opinions; however, had social media been around, I see memes, long arguments and maybe even hate websites dedicated to bashing one sister - and sadly, maybe even the actress, too.

 

Oddly, Charmed actually wasn't very big on love triangles; the thing that seems to get people the most angry on social media. I mean there is the Piper/Leo/Dan triangle, but I doubt anyone would care enough to even turn on their computer let alone actually create a message to share with millions on the internet to discuss.

However, I think if social media was around, the show would have gone with the Phoebe/Cole/Paige triangle that they proposed in both the fourth season and fifth season. Showrunners want their show talked about, and if social media was popular, I definitely see this triangle being approved, destroying all three characters, and creating tons of warring ships that would probably still be fighting to this day.

[amensisterfriend]

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I have a question for everyone. Over on the Everything Else topic of this forum, people are talking about moments that would have broken the internet in the 1980s had it been around. While Charmed was popular during the internet - I remember discussing it on message boards and AOL - it obviously peaked before social media truly became the phenomenon it is now. My question is, what moments of Charmed do you think would have broken the internet?

1. Prue's death definitely would have been a hot topic.

2. Phoebe grabbing the Grimoire and choosing evil/Cole over her sisters seems tailor made for one of those Scandal seasons 2 and 3"O M G" commercials that would have people arguing with the showrunners on Twitter afterward.

3. Amen, in light of your question, I actually think the Paige vs. Prue wars would be quite contentious had the show been on the air after social media. As you said, most people seem to be pretty down the middle and respectful of differing opinions; however, had social media been around, I see memes, long arguments and maybe even hate websites dedicated to bashing one sister - and sadly, maybe even the actress, too.

 

It's funny, because I swear that I was just thinking earlier tonight about how wonderful this fandom is---people seem to discuss things with enthusiasm and amusing snark but show complete and total respect for differing opinions. I agree that Charmed having been off the air for awhile now certainly makes for a calmer (read: saner!) fanbase who's had time and perspective to marinate over the show and accept what did and didn't happen on screen, but I also like to think that this show just seems to attract some especially awesome people :)  I completely agree with your three picks for things that could have blown up social media. I'm sure the speculation over exactly why Shannen Doherty left the show would have been even more rampant than it was back then.

I think Phoebe being so eager to rid herself of Cole in S5 would have been a point of contention as well; even now, I see some people on places like Tumblr writing about how that made them think less of Phoebe, that they don't understand how she could ever be cold to him, that Cole/Phoebe were clearly meant to be and how dare Phoebe and the writers not get that, etc. (To be clear, I'm sure some people here might feel that way too, and I totally get that---I'm just saying it's still an issue that elicits a lot of strong feelings from fans!) 

I'm also guessing that a lot of angry tweets and 'please kill off Billie and Christie immediately and focus on OUR Charmed ones for the last season' internet petitions might have been created during S8. And, let's be real, I'd have been among the people to sign them :) 

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Oddly, Charmed actually wasn't very big on love triangles; the thing that seems to get people the most angry on social media.

I need to add this to the long list of reasons why I adore this show beyond pretty much any another despite getting why it won't exactly top most critics' lists of high quality programming :) 

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I mean there is the Piper/Leo/Dan triangle, but I doubt anyone would care enough to even turn on their computer let alone actually create a message to share with millions on the internet to discuss.

HA! 

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However, I think if social media was around, the show would have gone with the Phoebe/Cole/Paige triangle that they proposed in both the fourth season and fifth season.

Oh dear lord, this was actually a thing that might have happened?! Thank the TV Gods it didn't! I remember hearing something about them entertaining the idea of having Paige and Cole hook up once while under a spell or possessed or something, which would have been bad enough, but an ongoing love triangle with two of our sisters as rivals might be literally the worst storyline they could have ever thrown our way. I'm hopelessly hooked on this show for life and even rewatch the later seasons that a lot of fans dislike, but a Phobe/Cole/Paige triangle might have been enough to turn even me off to the show permanently. 

Edited October 31, 2016 by amensisterfriend

[helenamonster]

5 hours ago, amensisterfriend said:

Another random but hopefully fun one: Which Hogwarts house would you sort each of our four beloved Halliwell sisters into?! After way too much deliberation, I’d go with…

 Prue as Slytherin (one of the many fundamentally kindhearted Slytherins, of course! She’s cunning, resourceful, clever, determined, ambitious as both a professional and a witch, willing to do whatever it takes to protect those she loves) 

Piper as a Hufflepuff (hard working, intensely loyal, generous and selfless despite her often prickly and snarky exterior, strong sense of fairness, shuns individual attention, doesn’t like to shake things up (or when life shakes things up for her!), eager to nurture and care for others, calmly deliberates before acting, someone who plans and likes things to be organized, ultimately considers the good of many over her individual desires) 

Phoebe as Gryffindor (brave, adventurous, open, impulsive, vibrant, spirited, often acts on instinct rather than taking the time to ponder options) 

Paige as a Ravenclaw (individualistic, creative, questions things rather than just going along with them, likes to think about how things work and often devises her own solutions, extremely curious, annoyed when people are very illogical, loves to learn everything about the topics she finds interesting)

I love this question and was all ready to get into an in-depth discussion, but I pretty much just cosign this whole post! I love how each sister fits neatly into a separate house.

3 hours ago, amensisterfriend said:

Have we done a basic 'do you prefer Prue or Paige as the third sister' poll? Kohola, you don't have to be a Harry Potter fan to participate in this one, my friend! I don't think there's ever a clear consensus on whether most fans prefer Prue or Paige---fans usually seem pretty evenly divided. But I'd love to see people's votes and the reasons for loving one more than the other :)

I prefer Paige for a lot of reasons. One is that when I started watching, she was already on the show (and I got hella confused watching reruns from seasons one to three) so I was more predisposed to her presence. And even having seen the whole series through multiple times now, I just relate to her more than Prue. She's quirky and sarcastic, and there's the whole "only child folded into a new family as an adult and having to navigate maintaining independence while also being part of the group" thing that I mentioned above.

That being said, I have come to develop a fondness for Prue. Early on she was a little too perfect and therefore boring to me, but once they started fleshing out her flaws she became a much more compelling character. Season three is great stuff in the Prue department, and each time I get to "All Hell Breaks Loose" and remember it's her last episode, I get really bummed.

I must say, though, for all the problems this show had, swapping out Prue and replacing her with Paige was not even remotely on the list. They really handled the transition well and Paige's existence sort of helped the show freshen up a bit and opened up a ton of new storyline possibilities. If there ever is a reboot, I hope Paige still makes her way in somehow. Perhaps when the original P3 reach their big battle with The Source, instead of Phoebe coming up with the spell that calls on the Halliwell ancestors, Grams and Patty end up disclosing Paige's existence to the other three, believing that the Power of Four would be sure to defeat The Source and that the Elders would forget their silly rules for the sake of good winning out. Then Paige could stick around as a regular. If anything, I'd love to see what kind of relationship she and Prue would have. Tbh I think Prue would really like her.

1 hour ago, 4evaQuez said:

I have a question for everyone. Over on the Everything Else topic of this forum, people are talking about moments that would have broken the internet in the 1980s had it been around. While Charmed was popular during the internet - I remember discussing it on message boards and AOL - it obviously peaked before social media truly became the phenomenon it is now. My question is, what moments of Charmed do you think would have broken the internet?

I like this question a lot. It is interesting how a lot of shows these days are catered to the social media landscape, and who knows if a lot of shows from days past would survive if they didn't have a Shonda Rhimes-esque "OMG" moment before every commercial break?

I definitely agree that the end of "We're Off To See The Wizard" would crash Twitter. I've seen that episode a million times and I still have a "she did not...she did NOT" reaction to Phoebe taking the Grimoire and going with Cole. I think the manor blowing up at the end of "Kill Billie Vol. 2" would also qualify.

As for how things would go with other random internet phenomena...I must say, I'm glad this show seems to be immune from the generally awful ships that plague so many other internet-predominant fandoms. (Or maybe it doesn't and there's a whole underbelly of terrible fanart out there that I'm blissfully unaware of.) Like something tells me there'd be people shipping the sisters together like they do with the Winchesters on Supernatural. Actually nah, the Wyatt/Chris ship would be in full force...people only seem to be into incest when it involves two dudes. Also I feel like the endless Alyssa/Shannen battle would somehow become even more endless. Even though those two appear to have mended fences, I could see it cropping up and starting flame wars up and down Tumblr on a regular basis.

[Kohola3]

Yes, Paige.  I fumbling at the beginning was more realistic (and lasted longer) than Prue finding her way just after discovering her powers.  Paige overcame a lot of denial and doubt.

[amensisterfriend]

I shouldn't even ask us to try to list all four sisters from our personal favorite to least favorite, right? That would be too painful and difficult a task...?!  

I still haven't even quite decided whether to cast my vote for Paige or Prue, but I'm leaning towards Paige, in large part because of the compelling points you guys have made. 

[4evaQuez]

That's pretty easy for me:

1. Pagie

2. Piper

3. Prue

4. Phoebe (I must admit, Amen, your analysis of Phoebe does encourage me to like her more, and I'm even watchingg her scenes with a new eye. Sadly, she's still my least favorite, but I think if I watch a few season 6 episodes (the season I like her the least) with a new perspective, then it may bump her up a notch.

[amensisterfriend]

4eva, you are a braver Charmed fan than I! I hope other people take the challenge and try to submit their own ratings....but I just keep ending up with a three or four-way tie :) 

I have, however, finally decided to cast my vote for Paige over Prue. And it's hard, because I really admire Prue---arguably even more than I admire any other sister, in large part because she has so many strengths that I don't happen to possess :) And I even think objectively that she's a more sharply and consistently defined character than Paige, whose characterization could be kind of all over the place due to either the writers' sloppiness or the fact that she happens to have a lot of complex, seemingly contradictory traits and tendencies (like the oft-mentioned need to be independent, do things her own way and without other people's input, defiant stubbornness etc but ALSO an equally powerful need to fit in, bond, connect, become a loved and needed member of the family, etc.) Finally, I think there's an argument to be made that the show's sisterly roles and dynamics were more distinct and clearly delineated during the Prue years and that Piper and Phoebe were, coincidentally or otherwise, easier to love during those years as well.

But despite all that, I think I just feel more emotionally attached to Paige, and it's due partly to some of the terrific insights here about her character, which I had trouble getting a firm grasp on for an embarrassingly long time :)  I've grown to find her such a wonderfully complex, I-so-GET-her blend of extroversion and introversion, vulnerable insecurity and sassy confidence, eager hopefulness and self-protectively snarky cynicism, logical pragmatism and imaginative creativity. Like we've talked about, I love how she’s constantly struggling between dueling forces: a need to carve out her own path and live life her own way but an equally strong desire to be enmeshed in her family. I totally relate to how she cares deeply about people and wants very much to help them but also gets impatient when she actually has to interacts with people too much along the way :) In other words, she’s a vibrant, layered mass of contradictions…and that’s what makes her so fascinatingly, relatably HUMAN! I'm way older than she was on the show, but I still relate all too well to her ongoing quest for meaning, identity and purpose as she strove to figure out her role in her newfound family and who she was meant to become as a witch and as a woman. (Okay, fine, so I don't quite relate to the witch part, but you know what I mean!) I like to think that her frequently changing hair color symbolized her desire to continuously reinvent herself and her refusal to be conform to people’s expectations of how she should look and who she’s supposed to be. Oh, and I’m kind of in love with her husband Henry, but don’t tell her because, let’s face it, Paige could totally kick my ass ;)  

[forevercharmed]

I found this place after doing a goggle search and had to register immediately to talk about this show! I grew up on it and still love it so much. When I'm sick or sad, this is the show I go to. I hope it's not too late to answer old questions?

1. If you had to pick just two favorite sisters of the four, they would be____

Paige and Piper. I tried to explain why but other people have said it better already!  

2. Your three favorite romantic pairings of the series are ___

Paige and Henry, Prue and Bane, Piper and the cute fireman from later seasons or Mark Chao from that one episode in the first season. I know the fireman, whose name is Greg or Craig I think, is a strange choice! But it seemed like Piper was so smiley and happy around him compared to how she was around other guys. I don't love most of the romances on this show so it was hard to pick. 

3. Your three LEAST favorite romantic pairings of the series are _____

Phoebe and almost everyone she dated, Paige and Kyle, Prue and Jack Sheridan 

4. Your three favorite seasons were ____

This is the hardest one! I will pick season 4, season 5 and season 2 and season 6 tied. 

 

Quote

 

Prue as Slytherin (one of the many fundamentally kindhearted Slytherins, of course! She’s cunning, resourceful, clever, determined, ambitious as both a professional and a witch, willing to do whatever it takes to protect those she loves) 

Piper as a Hufflepuff (hard working, intensely loyal, generous and selfless despite her often prickly and snarky exterior, strong sense of fairness, shuns individual attention, doesn’t like to shake things up (or when life shakes things up for her!), eager to nurture and care for others, calmly deliberates before acting, someone who plans and likes things to be organized, ultimately considers the good of many over her individual desires) 

Phoebe as Gryffindor (brave, adventurous, open, impulsive, vibrant, spirited, often acts on instinct rather than taking the time to ponder options) 

Paige as a Ravenclaw (individualistic, creative, questions things rather than just going along with them, likes to think about how things work and often devises her own solutions, extremely curious, annoyed when people are very illogical, loves to learn everything about the topics she finds interesting)

 

Wow these are perfect assessments to be honest. Are you writing a crossover Charmed/Harry Potter fic? I think you would do an amazing job! I have seen a similar question elsewhere and saw people saying Paige is a Slytherin because she was made the goddess of war and will do what she thinks needs to be done and how Phoebe is a Hufflepuff but I like your explanations a lot more. 

Your least favorite season?

I want to pick season 8 because of the nightmares that were Billie and Christie, but I think I love season 7 less. Season 8 has a few episodes that I love, but I could skip all of season 7 on my next re-watch and not miss it too much. I also just love Paige and Henry a lot so that gives season 8 the advantage over season 7. 

I don't know if you talked about unpopular opinions and confessions here already but I haven't seen them. So if I'm allowed to add a question, what are your most unpopular opinions about Charmed?

One of mine is that Leo and Piper tired me out. I don't hate Leo at all but wish their relationship had either been more peaceful and happy or ended a lot earlier on.

Another is that I didn't like Andy and Prue as a couple. Actually I didn't like Prue much until the second season. 

I wish Phoebe had been single for almost the whole show. I love her so much more when she's not obsessing about a guy. 

I definitely like the Paige seasons more than the Prue seasons in general and not just because Paige is my favorite character. Maybe it's because I saw those seasons first, before going back to watch the whole series, so the Paige years is the Charmed that I fell in love with. Someone said something about them having an energy and sense of adventure and fun even when there's angst and I feel the same. 

I don't think Piper changed that much? She was always snarky and pessimistic to an extent and I think she always still had so much heart. Like other people said she's comforting and down to earth but also neurotic. I get that it was annoying when she goes on too much about wanting a normal life but I think the show had to have that. That's probably how most real people would react to being a Charmed one.

I thought Phoebe changed a lot more, by the end she had gone from the sister who cared the most about helping innocents and being grateful for their powers to the one who was most detached from being a witch and just obsessed with guys and having kids. I also thought it was funny that she was this celebrity all of a sudden? How many of your local newspaper columnists would most of us even recognize on the street? She's funny and sweet and I still love her, but by season 6 she seemed like a different person. 

I tried to read everything before using this site for the first time but am sorry if I messed anything up! Charmed fans are the best and I am excited to be here with you all. 

[amensisterfriend]

Welcome, forevercharmed!

Charmed fans are the best

I know, right?! Lots of gentle snark, insight, and enthusiasm and little to no tension, ship wars, hostility, etc. :) I feel lucky to have you guys. 

Paige and Piper.

One fun surprise of this thread is how much love Paige gets. Before coming to this site, I'd always been under the impression that she was by far the least liked sister. It's nice to see so much pro-Paige appreciation, and the comments here led me to love her far more than ever before.  

Paige and Henry, Prue and Bane, Piper and the cute fireman from later seasons or Mark Chao from that one episode in the first season. I know the fireman, whose name is Greg or Craig I think, is a strange choice! But it seemed like Piper was so smiley and happy around him compared to how she was around other guys. I don't love most of the romances on this show so it was hard to pick.

I was recently saying on another thread that I loved Prue's connection and chemistry with Bane! I even went as far as to say that when it comes to relationships between our sisters and a semi-reformed bad guy, I'd rather have seen more of Bane/Prue than what ultimately happened between Phoebe/Cole. Hmmm...that must have been in the unpopular opinions thread, because that one is out there even by my standards ;)

And I too like Greg---he just seems so genuinely NICE and he and Piper had a natural connection. I agreed she seemed happier around him, though obviously we didn't see much of them. Honestly, as much as I hate to say it, she even seemed happier with Dan than with Leo more often than not. And while being with a mortal would have brought its own share of problems, weren't the problems related to Leo's supernatural callings, the elders etc. ultimately much more detrimental to their relationship?! Speaking of which...

One of mine is that Leo and Piper tired me out. I don't hate Leo at all but wish their relationship had either been more peaceful and happy or ended a lot earlier on.

Yes. This. 

Wow these are perfect assessments to be honest. Are you writing a crossover Charmed/Harry Potter fic? I think you would do an amazing job! I

*blushes*  Thank you so much. That really means a lot. I'm a disaster when it comes to writing fanfiction, in large part because as much as I love analyzing characters and themes, it turns out that I can't ever actually, like, come up with a PLOT :) 

I also just love Paige and Henry a lot so that gives season 8 the advantage over season 7.

I, too, love Paige/Henry more than is probably rational :)

I don't think Piper changed that much? She was always snarky and pessimistic to an extent and I think she always still had so much heart. Like other people said she's comforting and down to earth but also neurotic. I get that it was annoying when she goes on too much about wanting a normal life but I think the show had to have that. That's probably how most real people would react to being a Charmed one

Great point about how Piper's feelings about being a witch and having to put their lives in jeopardy were probably reflective of how most 'normal' people would react to having that destiny thrust upon them!

So if I'm allowed to add a question, what are your most unpopular opinions about Charmed?

We do have a UO thread in our Charmed forums, but since I'm never short of UOs, I'm happy to come up with some to put here as well :)

[helenamonster]

On 10/31/2016 at 7:39 PM, amensisterfriend said:

4eva, you are a braver Charmed fan than I! I hope other people take the challenge and try to submit their own ratings....but I just keep ending up with a three or four-way tie :) 

I will take this challenge!

1. Piper and Paige. I'm sorry but I cannot choose. I liked Paige best growing up, but in subsequent rewatches I preferred Piper. Now I just enjoy them both equally. Any Paige- or Piper-centric episode is an automatic favorite for me, and I love the episodes where their stories intertwine or they're part of the same plot.

2. Prue. As I mentioned before, Prue was tough for me to like at first because she was just too perfect and I couldn't relate. I can't necessarily relate to her flaws either, but they fleshed her out and made her more interesting. Season three is great all around, but the Prue stuff is some of the best in that season.

3. Phoebe. Oh, poor Phoebe. To be honest, I just always found her kind of boring, especially in later seasons when it felt like she spent most of each episode dealing with her own problems that were usually non-magical and rarely involved her sisters. Maybe that's why I liked her with Cole so much. It put her right in the middle of the magical storylines and I cared more about her. I will say that I think Alyssa is great with the comedic stuff (and is always charming as hell whenever I've seen her on a talk show), so I'm always here for a Phoebe-centric plot that's on the lighter, funnier side.

Okay, I'll submit a question here because I feel like I rarely (never?) do:

If you had to pick one favorite season premiere and one favorite season finale, which ones would you pick? As a refresher...

Season premieres: "Something Wicca This Way Comes" "Witch Trial" "The Honeymoon's Over" "Charmed Again" "A Witch's Tail" "Valhalley of the Dolls" "A Call to Arms" "Still Charmed and Kicking

Season finales: "Deja Vu All Over Again" "Be Careful What You Witch For" "All Hell Breaks Loose" "Witch Way Now?" "Oh My Goddess" "It's a Bad, Bad, Bad, Bad World" "Something Wicca This Way Goes" "Forever Charmed"

Looking at it all laid out like that, I realized that this show generally excels at season finales but is kinda weak sauce regarding premieres.

My favorite premiere is definitely "Charmed Again." I mentioned before that Paige's introduction could have been the messiest, shark-jumping thing this show ever did, and yet it was done so well. This whole episode could almost be a standalone movie, it just covers all the emotional bases and is really wonderful. I have a soft spot for "Valhalley of the Dolls" as well.

It's hard to choose a favorite finale, but I looooove "It's a Bad, Bad, Bad, Bad World." Idk why exactly. It just hits that exact right chord for me. "Forever Charmed" is also obviously a classic, but I evaluate it more as a series finale than a season finale, since I'm pedantic like that.

[amensisterfriend]

Great question! I totally agree that the finales tend to be excellent overall and far better than the decent but generally lackluster premieres. 

Like helenamonster, Charmed Again is my definite favorite of the premieres. It's sad and poignant but has some humor, warmth and hope as well. The only one that even comes close for me is Something Wicca This Way Comes, which I love for sentimental reasons. I do like S5's as well, but it's not a special favorite. Still Charmed and Kicking was probably my least favorite of the premieres. 

It's much harder to pick a favorite season finale because I really do love pretty much all of them. I love helenamonster's idea of putting Forever Charmed in a separate 'series finale' category so that I can just debate among which of the others to pick instead :) S2's is a really enjoyable episode for me but not really resonant and epic enough to compare with most of the other season finales.  I think I'd have to go with either that one or----no, I'll go with S7's as my least favorite. But I don't dislike it in the least, just love it a little bit less :)

I'll echo helena yet again in going for It's a Bad Bad Bad World as my favorite, though that might be because I recently rewatched it and its awesomeness is so fresh in my mind. It's pretty much everything a perfect Charmed finale should be IMO---some interesting themes and ideas that wrap up the season we just saw and hint at what the next season might bring, memorable scenes and moments (love the sisters battling their evil counterparts! Oh, and Chris's death stuck with me too, of course :))and just a great blend of humor, drama, suspense and fun. All Hell Breaks Loose is probably an even more stellar episode, but it makes me too sad to rewatch as much. 

Edited November 2, 2016 by amensisterfriend

[4evaQuez]

I'll have to echo you two. The season finales are much better than the premieres. My favorite premieres - in no particular order - are All Hell Breaks Loose, It's a Bad x 4 World and Deja Vu. As I said in another thread, the first two are two of the best episodes of Charmed in my humble opinion. They both just click because of the emotional resonance and because Charmed did an amazing job getting me to truly love their characters.

For premieres, Charmed Again and Witch's Tale are the only two I love. I know, I know. I know no one ever puts Witch's Tale in their love category, but everything about it is just amazing to me. I love the both the water demons, and I loved how the first water demon trapped people in water. I still think that has to be one of the scariest and most horrifying ways to die. To be trapped in this bubble and drown on solid land, gah! I also liked how the episode brought eveything full circle with Piper, her mom, motherhood and death. I remember when this episode originally aired people complained that Piper had never shown a fear of water before and that Charmed was retreading Prue's old story lines. However, I actually thought it made perfect sense. Two of the most important women in Piper's life died young - her mom and sister. Piper herself had died several times at this point. Prue and Patty died while things were still unfinished: Patty being the mom of 3 (4) young daughters and Prue died before she could even have kids or get married. They both left people behind who loved and still severely love them - one of those people being Piper. This fear didn't spring out of nowhere, but Leo planted the seed into Piper's mind. After that, I thought everything Piper did- including the fearless spell - was perfectly in character and thralling. I also loved that it was water specific demons we got to see because not only did it tie back to Patty's death, but it was nice to see effects other than fireballs and energy balls.

Also, I liked Phoebe's story line. I won't speak for others, but there have definitely been times in my life where I just did not want to feel anything. I didn't want to die; I just didn't want to feel. I thought it made perfect sense for a woman who was the Queen of All Evil, had to vanquish the love of her life and their demonic spawn - although that's oddly not mentioned - and just when she's trying to move on from the trauma of her past it literally returns from the grave to show her she can never escape her past. Phoebe becoming a mermaid to escape that people was oddly human and her choosing to become mortal again to deal and heal from that pain was painfully beautiful.

I even liked Jaime Pressley and the love interest. I'm not sure what Paige did this episode except debut her red hair, but it was a terrific season opener for me and one of my favorites.

[blueray]

1) The one sister you admire most?

Piper, as she kicks ass and protects her family.

2) The one sister you’re most similar to?

Cross between Piper (earlier seasons) and Paige. I'm toward the quite end and lack confidence sometimes. I am also a social worker (so that's where Paige comes in ;) ).

3) The sister you’d most want to be close friends with in real life?

Piper

4) The sister whose job you’d most want to have?

Paige's social work job. Since I already do something similar :).

5) The male Charmed character who you’d most want to date?

Chris, and my high school self would agreed. I totally had a crush on him.

6) Your favorite sister relationship if you had to pick just one?

I liked all of them.

7) Your favorite romantic relationship if you had to pick just one?

Piper and Leo

8) Your top three episodes of the entire series?

Wow that is really hard. I like way to many.

1.  morality bites

2. that's 70's episode

3. charmed again

9) Your very favorite season if you had to pick just one?

season 6

10) Your least favorite season?

season 8 (honestly I've only seen it once)

[Blandings]

Fun! 

1. If you had to pick just two favorite sisters of the four, they would be____

Piper and Prue. I loved Phoebe during the first two seasons, but not so much the final six. 

2. Your three favorite romantic pairings of the series are ___

Leo/Piper. That's the only romance I care a lot about, but I will try to follow the rules and pick two more!

I wish Prue had gotten together with the guy she met in All Halliwell's Eve because they seemed to have an instant spark it would have been so interesting to see one of the Halliwell sisters try to date a guy from another era and lifestyle. It would have been an excuse to do more time travel too, which as other folks here have said is a major strength of the show. 

I'll pick Prue with Andy as my third. I believe they did care about each other a lot, though I don't feel that strongly about them. Henry and Paige were nice to watch too, but I wasn't very attached to them; maybe because they happen in Season 8, which I don't like overall and haven't watched as often. 

3. Your three LEAST favorite romantic pairings of the series are _____

I don't think I hate any of them, but mostly because I don't care enough to hate them. I barely remember most of this show's romances and I've seen most episodes at least a few times. Romance was a big part of this show in the sense that it was shown and talked about a lot but also an unimportant one to me, except for Piper and Leo. I sometimes had the sense the writers felt obligated to give the sisters romantic partners and give the audience attractive actors to look at but weren't actually invested in writing the male characters or their romances with the Halliwells. 

4. Your three favorite seasons were ____

Season 2, Season 4 and Season 1. Season 1 is sometimes replaced by Season 3, but I love Phoebe and her connection with her sisters much more in the first season.

5. Which of the sisters' relationships was your very favorite? 

Piper and Prue, but Prue and Phoebe is my second choice. If we could pick a third, I'd choose Piper/Paige. I think someone else remarked on this, but it's interesting that even though Piper and Phoebe were the only two sisters who spent all eight seasons together, their relationship didn't really stand out to me as much as the others. 

6. The one sister you admire most?

Piper and Prue. I can't choose! 

7. The one sister you’re most similar to?

Piper, even though now if you read the above answer it looks like I admire myself, which I don't! 

8. The sister you’d most want to be close friends with in real life?

Piper. All of them in a way, but if we have to pick one, Piper.  

9. The sister whose job you’d most want to have?

This is the way I'm least like Piper; I hate clubs and would probably run any sort of business into the ground within a matter of months. I also can't really cook. I love to write but don't think I'd enjoy spending all day dispensing advice or be particularly good at it. I don't understand nearly enough about art or photography to do Prue's job. If I can teach at the magic school like Paige and Leo, I'll leap at the chance, but I have the sense I'm not qualified! 

10) Your least favorite season?

It's hard to choose between season 7 and season 8. I still can't believe they allowed the last season taken over by the worst characters of the whole series, Christy and Billie, but I loved the series finale, Piper/Leo had better moments in the eighth season than the seventh even though he wasn't around for parts of it, and I liked Henry more than Paige's love interest from season 7, Brody.   

Is there a sister you used to love but don't like as much now that you've re-watched the show? A sister that you used to have mixed feelings about but now love more than you used to?

[amensisterfriend]

 A sister that you used to have mixed feelings about but now love more than you used to?

Definitely Paige! I can honestly say that the discussion and analysis on the threads here helped me to understand and appreciate her so much more than ever before, and now it's even to the point where I find myself missing her during the Prue seasons (and this is coming from someone who loves Prue as well!) 

I've recently come to appreciate Piper more. Her snippiness, complaining and negativity still grate on me sometimes, but she's a much better and more multi-dimensional character than I've sometimes given her credit for. I especially enjoy her as a sister and a mom---for me her relationship with Leo is tiresome and brings out the least likable sides of the character, but that's kind of a UO :) 

To broaden Blandings' great question a bit: Which seasons do you now love either more or less than you used to? I'm kind of stunned by just how much I enjoyed S6 during my most recent rewatch. I dislike S8 less than I used to---fast forwarding through all things Billie and Christie works wonders :) 

I used to think of S3 as my my very favorite and now maybe love it a little less than I used to...? Maybe my expectations of it or too high or, more likely, I just have to be in a certain mood to enjoy Cole and the Phoebe/Cole storyline. S1 is a season I'll always think of as a sentimental favorite and I do really like it, but I have to admit that VERY few of my all-time favorite episodes are in that first season, and it always feel a little clunkier and more dated than I expect it to be. 

[Lady Calypso]

On 11/17/2016 at 7:57 PM, Blandings said:

Is there a sister you used to love but don't like as much now that you've re-watched the show? A sister that you used to have mixed feelings about but now love more than you used to?

Piper, surprisingly. I loved Piper when I first watched. But now, rewatching from time to time, there are little things that bug me about her. 

As for the second part of it, Prue. She's one I had mixed feelings about when I first watched. Now, I really found that I loved her. 

My opinions about Paige/Phoebe haven't changed much. 

[4evaQuez]

The only sister I have mixed feelings about is Phoebe. I like seasons 1-5 Phoebe,  but it's season 6 where I start to find her truly grating and season 7 is the worst portrayal of Phoebe for me.  Making Phoebe totally obsessed with a husband and a baby was definitely the wrong route to go with the character, and in season 6 when she started using premonitions to see if she had a future with a man - even though she could never seem to control her powers when it came to innocents - just killed the character for me. I liked her a little more in the 8th season, but I think it's because I had very low expectations for the character by then.

[Blandings]

Have you all talked about funniest episodes yet? I think I'd pick Chick Flick and Sin Fransisco. I thought I would love Sense and Sensability but didn't find it as funny as I expected to. Lost and Bound is very funny as well; there are some serious parts involving the young boy with powers, but the B-plot with Phoebe turning into a traditional '50s housewife may be the funniest Phoebe has ever been.

A lot of episodes are hilarious because of the wigs and costumes the sisters end up wearing, but I don't know if that's intentional!  

[amensisterfriend]

Your question about funniest episodes is so perfectly timed! I've been feeling down about the GG revival and stuff in general, and this show usually does an unexpectedly amazing job at cheering me up, so I'm psyched to think about (and then rewatch!) some of the funniest feel good episodes. 

Quote

Lost and Bound is very funny as well; there are some serious parts involving the young boy with powers, but the B-plot with Phoebe turning into a traditional '50s housewife may be the funniest Phoebe has ever been.[/quote[

 

I love this episode so much! I can't recall if we've done a 'favorite underrated episodes that aren't usually mentioned among people's favorites' category, but this would definitely be one of mine :) 

I agree about Chick Flick and especially Sin Fransisco. Witchstock is actually funny to me as well. It's a tough question, because this is one of those shows where, while there are very few entirely comedic episodes without any attempt to inject some more serious material, etc. even the most serious episodes have humorous lines and moments. I rarely laugh out loud (that's me, not the show!), but almost every single episode has moments that make me smile.

Let's see, a few others...Look Who's Barking has some funny moments. Leo's fear of Prue as a dog--and probably often as a human---is really amusing. Brain Drain has some very funny scenes (and some interesting darker scenes as well!) I often find S5's Crazy Cole funny, but then I'm weird and warped sometimes ;) Nymphs Just Wanna Have Fun is funny and fun to watch in a 'wow, parts of this are objectively really bad but in a way that's actually amusing!' way. Same with Power of Three Blondes---the youngest, extraordinarily dumb sister amuses me way more than she should :) Witch Wars takes some fun jabs at reality TV. 

 I feel like I'm forgetting some of the funnier episodes---hopefully someone else will jump in! 

Edited November 28, 2016 by amensisterfriend

[Kohola3]

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I often find S5's Crazy Cole funny...

Lord, me too.  I liked him best in S5.  

Quote

 

Phoebe: Next time? What happened to you, Cole?

Cole: Me? I've gone mad.

 

His delivery is perfect.

(Isn't GG just the worst?)

[amensisterfriend]

Lord, me too.  I liked him best in S5.  

Absolutely! This is probably a major UO, but Crazy Cole is my favorite incarnation of the character :) 

Quote

 

Phoebe: Next time? What happened to you, Cole?

Cole: Me? I've gone mad.

 

Ha! I also love how gleefully he tries to take his own life over and over despite knowing he's currently invincible while Piper and Paige look on in horror and disgust. Like I said, I'm sometimes very warped ;) 

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(Isn't GG just the worst?)

Oh, my friend, I'm so much more disappointed than I should be! The revival somehow made me retrospectively like the original series and its characters a lit less. (I never claimed to be rational!) I now officially never want a Charmed revival. I want to be able to keep enjoying this show as much as I do now despite its many flaws and missteps :) 

Here's a fun new question: what is your very favorite Charmed time travel episode of the series? I'm partial to That 70s Episode, but of course Morality Bites, Pardon My Past, All Halliwell's Eve, Paige from the Past and Forever Charmed are all favorites too, and then there's my aforementioned fondness for Witchstock...clearly I have to mull this one over before deciding :) 

[4evaQuez]

I've always found Season 4's Trial By Magic to be hilarious. When Piper compares herself to Nancy Drew cracks me up. I also love the Phoebe stalling the jury scenes especially the look on Piper's face when Phoebe says she needs a plunger. 

You all my throw rotten tomatoes at me, but I've been rewatching season 7, and I find the Bare Witch Project hilarious. Something about the way Piper says flogging makes me laugh eveytime. I also love her telling Godiva this is a family show, but somehow doing it in a way that Piper doesn't break the fourth wall. (I've always hated when characters break the fourth wall)

Also, someone up thread talked about how Charmed could balance comedy and drama well, and I would like to agree. I was watching Cheaper by the Coven yesterday, and while the episode is primarily written to be comedy, there was some much more grounded moments, too. Like Grams and Piper's conversation about Prue's death, the Victor/Patty moment where they lament about loosing out on raising their daughters or even the moment between Patty/Grams when Patty tells Grams she's not the girls mother and Grams spirits away in a huff. There were actually several other small moments in the episode that showed the various complex and caring relationships among the characters that I'd never noticed before. It made me like the episode a lot more than I remember originally liking it.

[amensisterfriend]

Okay, so you're banished to an island for the rest of your life---but, lucky for you, it's one that happens to be equipped with a DVD player :) You're allowed to bring just SEVEN episodes of this show with you. Which do you pick?! 

[Lady Calypso]

7 minutes ago, amensisterfriend said:

Okay, so you're banished to an island for the rest of your life---but, lucky for you, it's one that happens to be equipped with a DVD player :) You're allowed to bring just SEVEN episodes of this show with you. Which do you pick?! 

Oh! That's a tough one! Just seven? Damn!

Well, I'd most likely leave out season 1 and season 7 episodes, because there aren't any in there that I'd desperately watch over and over. That 70s Episode from season 1 is the only close one that I might rewatch, but there are more important episodes for me to watch. And season 7? No. There's a couple of ok episodes, but none I'd ever rewatch on a deserted island. 

1. Mortality Bites (S2). 
2. Chick Flick (S2). I'd want a really funny episode to get me through the loneliness of the island! And as much as I enjoy Sin Francisco, I think Chick Flick might win out because I've seen it less times, but I remember enjoying it a lot. 
3. Primrose Empath (S3). I really think it's my favourite episode of the series because no matter how many times I watch it, I still love it as much as I did the first time. 
4. Charmed Again Pt 1 or 2 (S4). I'm undecided on which part I'd choose to bring, if I had to.
5. Centennial Charmed (S5). I thought about this one or Sense and Sensibility, but I think the nostalgia hits harder with the 100th episode.
6. Chris Crossed (S6). I needed to include one Chris episode (I wish I could have included several) but I do enjoy this one the most. 
7. Payback's a Witch (S8). Yes, I included a season 8 episode in my final slot! And it's not the finale! So sue me! 

You don't even understand how hard this choice was. 

[amensisterfriend]

7. Payback's a Witch (S8). Yes, I included a season 8 episode in my final slot! And it's not the finale! So sue me!

I actually really like this episode a lot, so they'll be no suing from me ;) I'm so impressed that you were able to pick just seven! I struggle to narrow my list of favorites to fewer than 25, but I'm trying. 

[amensisterfriend]

Dead Man Dating (my current obsession!), The Painted World (I seriously can't even explain my love for this one---I just find it eminently rewatchable for some reason, and it seems to contain so much of what I love most about the show at its best), Chick Flick, Sin Fransisco, Lost and Bound, Long Live the Queen, Centennial Charmed

These are just the ones I think of as 'go to' episodes that I watch most, but if you asked me 10 minutes from now, I could very easily pick all new ones except for Long Live the Queen, which is pretty much my perennial favorite :)

Runners up: That 70's Episode, Morality Bites, P3H20, Astral Monkey, All Halliwell's Eve, Pre-Witched, Brain Drain, We're Off to See the Wizard, Sympathy for the Demon, The Day the Magic Died, Forget Me...Not, The Power of Three Blondes (yes, you may feel free to mock!), Chris-Crossed, Witchstock, It's a Bad Bad Bad Bad World, Payback's a Witch and Forever Charmed...and this is the edited list of my runners up; I could have named many, many, many more :)

It's funny, because I really do like s1 A LOT as a whole and think Piper and Phoebe are both more likable for me that first season than almost any other (except maybe S2 for Phoebe and parts of S6 for Piper for me), but whenever we do these lists it reminds me that I have surprisingly few all-time favorite, standout episodes from S1.  Conversely, I have issues with S2 as a whole, but it has a disproportionate number of my special favorites. S3 seems to have come down in my estimaion overall---it was once my very favorite, and now it's somewhere in the middle of the pack. S4, meanwhile, seems to be my favorite---it always has the greatest number of episodes that I love. And kudos to S6--after my most recent rewatch, I love it far more than I used to and was surprised by how many S6 episodes I would have taken to my desert island if we'd been allowed 15-20 episodes overall :) 

[Kohola3]

I readily admit that I have Charmed on in the background most mornings as I putter around.  But I don't have the really in depth knowledge enough to analyze or pick favorites.  I couldn't even pick a favorite season!

[Lady Calypso]

It took me a while to narrow it down to seven episodes, believe me! I had so many options to choose from! 

19 minutes ago, amensisterfriend said:

The Power of Three Blondes (yes, you may feel free to mock!)

I can't mock you this time around. Your love for this episode made me rewatch it in the last few months and I ended up disliking it less. And, you know, female witches that aren't just the Charmed Ones is always welcome now in my book! Now I only have one or two episodes from season six that I don't like at all (Used Karma is one I've only watched once and probably won't watch again for a while, and I can personally do without A Wrong Day's Journey). 

21 minutes ago, amensisterfriend said:

It's funny, because I really do like s1 A LOT as a whole and think Piper and Phoebe are both more likable for me that first season than almost any other (except maybe S2 for Phoebe and parts of S6 for Piper for me), but whenever we do these lists it reminds me that I have surprisingly few all-time favorite, standout episodes from S1.  Conversely, I have issues with S2 as a whole, but it has a disproportionate number of my special favorites. S3 seems to have come down in my estimaion overall---it was once my very favorite, and now it's somewhere in the middle of the pack. S4, meanwhile, seems to be my favorite---it always has the greatest number of episodes that I love. And kudos to S6--after my most recent rewatch, I love it far more than I used to and was surprised by how many S6 episodes I would have taken to my desert island if we'd been allowed 15-20 episodes overall :) 

Season 1 is one that I like, but I don't love. I'm not sure why, but I can only find a select few that I enjoy watching. The rest of them seem boring to me or something. 

I still maintain that my top three favourite seasons are S6-S4-S3, and that's mostly on how many episode I can gladly rewatch. I would have gladly included more S6 episodes to take to my deserted island if I could have more than seven! 

I do agree that Phoebe was easily her most likable in S1, when they had more lenience on where her character would go. Allowing her to flutter from job to job before deciding to go back to school in season 2 is something that I currently relate to (mostly the fluttering around, trying to figure my own life out). Hmm...Maybe it's time to rewatch the first two seasons. 

[helenamonster]

To jump on the embarrassing "Power of the Three Blondes" confessions bandwagon...it's actually the first episode I ever saw and therefore was one that wanted to make me watch more of the show. In my defense, I was 9, and all I saw were 3 badass witch ladies being badass and this was at the height of my Harry Potter obsession as well so I was very amenable to all things magical. I will say it's a very confusing episode to start the series with but I figured it all out eventually.

[whateverhappened]

I've been watching again, and it's already changed some of my opinions. Can I declare a three-way tie for Piper, Phoebe and Paige as my favorite sister? I can't pick! I love them all very much and occasionally am annoyed with them all too. 

I can't quote well yet but am trying to answer as many of these fun qustions as I can remember - 

Sister I'm most similar to: A combination of Piper, Phoebe an Paige. Probably Paige if I had to pick just one. Like others, I relate to her feeling like she doesn't quite fit in and the battle between wanting to be close with people and wanting to remain an individual who's not beholden to anyone 

Sister I'm most different from: Prue. I'm not very confident or ambitious and my demeanor is just very different from hers 

Favorite seasons: 4 and 5 

Least favorite: 7 and 8

Favorite romantic relationships: I'm neutral on most of them. Piper x Leo have some lovely moments but aren't too interesting to me in general. I love Cole the most when he's dark or crazy, not when we're supposed to believe he's a good guy.  Andy, Jason, and most of Paige's suitors are all just there for me. They don't make the show either better or worse for the most part. I'm all about the sisters!  

Favorite episodes: So many! The majority seem to be from S4 and S5. From rewatching and reading the episode descriptions, I tried to pick 10 standouts: Morality Bites, Chick Flick, All Halliwell's Eve, Sin Fransisco, We're Off to See the Wizard, Long Live the Queen, Witch Way Now, Sympathy for the Demon, Centennial Charmed, Sand Fransisco Dreamin, The Day the Magic Died, Sense and Sensability 

So much for picking just 10! I had enough trouble sticking to just 12. 

Least favorite characters: Billie and Christy. I love how none of us have the exact same opinions except for this one! 

Most unpopular opinions: That I'm a lot more in love with the fourth and fifth seasons than with any of the Prue seasons, that I can't help loving Phoebe even while seeing why most people don't, and that when I was picking favorite episodes it occurred to me that I don't like the first season as much as I thought I did. :) 

It is so much fun to see what other people think, so I hope people keep posting here! 

[Esmeralda]

As my first post in this thread, I've tried to answer as many of the questions as I could.

1) If I had to pick just two favorite sisters of the four, they would be Season 1-2 Phoebs and Season 4 Paige.

2) My three favorite romantic pairings of the series are Piper and Mark the Ghost, Prue and Bane, and Paige and Henry (fourth is Phoebe and Drake).  

3) My three LEAST favorite romantic pairings of the series are Piper and Leo, Phoebe and Cole, Phoebe and Coop.

4) My three favorite seasons were Season 1-3. For me, that's "Charmed".  The other are its alternate-universe spin-off, "The Perils of Poor, Poor Pitiful Piper" aka "PhoeME and Her Fantasy Men" aka "Two Witches Plus One Living Whitelighter Equals the Power of Three?"

5) It's impossible to say what my five favorite episodes are. During a recent rewatch, I gave the following episodes an A and can't really narrow it down any more than that. So in order of airing:

Quote

Something Wicca This Way Comes
Dead Man Dating
The Fourth Sister
The Truth is Out There...And it Hurts
The Witch is Back
Wicca Envy
From Fear to Eternity
Secrets and Guys
That 70's Episode
When Bad Warlocks Turn Good
The Power of Two
Out of Sight
Love Hurts
Deja vu All Over Again

Morality Bites (My A++ Episode)
They're Everywhere
P3 H20
Heartbreak City
Reckless Abandon
Show Me a Sign
Murphy's Luck
Chick Flick
Ex Libris
Apocalypse Not

Once Upon a Time
All Halliwell's Eve
The Good, The Bad and the Cursed
Pre-Witched
Sin Francisco

Charmed Again, Part One
A Knight to Remember
Brain Drain
A Paige From the Past
Lost and Bound
Saving Private Leo

The Eyes Have It
The Day the Magic Died
Baby's First Demon
Cat House
Sense and Sense Ability

Forget Me Not
The Power of Three Blondes
Little Monster
I Dream of Phoebe

Styx Feet Under
Carpe Demon
Show Ghouls
Scry Hard
Little Box of Horrors
Something Wicca This Way Goes

 

6) I'm stranded on a desert island with just 10 Charmed episodes to watch over and over forever, I'd pick the ones penned by my favorite writer, Sheryl J. Anderson: "The Witch is Back", "Wicca Envy", "That Seventies Episode" "They're Everywhere", "Show Me a Sign" and "All Halliwell's Eve" along with my three favorite comedic ones: "Chick Flick", "Sin Francisco" and "Sense and Sense-Ability" and my all-time favorite episode "Morality Bites".  I'd miss all of my other A's, but these, I could watch forever and never get sick of, and can't say the same of the others.

7) I have the power to change three things about the series! Erase a character/relationship/storyline you wish hadn't existed, add something you wish HAD existed, etc. First I take the word "whitelighter" out of its vocabulary (which also means taking out witchlighter and Elder). Next I take the word "demon" out of the vocabulary, keeping warlocks as the antagonists.  Next I get rid of the Source so it's not the sisters' destiny; protecting innocents is.  That would fix the entire series for me.

8) The scenes that stand out to me as the most touching in no specific order are Phoebe convincing her sisters to let her burn;  Piper finding out that Leo's trigger is love; Prue, Piper and Phoebe telling Sam to tell Patty hi for them (I used that to tell my mom to say hi to my grandparents for me); Phoebe running into Patty; Patty hugging her daughters before Piper's wedding; Piper and Phoebe watching Patty welcome Paige into the family, Phoebe flying across the moon; Piper and Paige comforting Phoebe (much as I wish it was Piper and Prue...), Phoebe watching "Kill it Before it Dies", Leo comforting Piper at the end of "Astral Monkey" and the original Charmed Ones dancing to the Cranberries. The funniest is Piper saying, "I am being stalked by psycho killers and I hide in the shower." The most romantic is Leo comforting Piper at the end of "Astral Monkey", closely followed by Henry proposing to Paige.

9) If I could have a Charmed power, it would be healing.  I'd be too afraid of abusing the others like the Charmed Ones did.

10). I would rank the seasons as: 2>1>first half of 3>7>5>last half of 3>4>8>6

11) I would rank the sisters per season as:

S1. Phoebs, Piper, Prue

S2. Phoebs, Prue, Piper

S3.. Prue, Piper, PhoeME

S4. Paige, PhoeME, Poor, Poor Pitiful Piper

S5. Piper, Ditzy Paige, PhoeME

S6. Ditzy Paige, Poor, Poor, Pitiful Piper, PhoeME

S7. Paige, Piper, PhoeME

S8 Paige, PhoeME, Poor, Poor Pitiful Piper
 

If I missed any, let me know.  

Edited February 11, 2017 by Esmeralda

[whateverhappened]

It's such a relief to see that I'm not the only one who loves Phoebe those first couple of seasons. She really is my favorite then. I love Paige, but I partly agree with people who have said that Paige sometimes felt like Phoebe 2.0: The Slightly Inferior Retread, and that it felt as if they took some of Phoebe's positive characteristics away to "give them" to Paige. 

Many people here struggle with Piper's self pity, incessant complaining and general sourness, so you are in good company, @Esmeralda! I'd be very curious to hear why you would name Leo x Piper as a least favorite pairing, especially since they seem to be featured in some of your favorite scenes. I'm mostly indifferent to them. I can understand why many ship them and also why others feel they made each other unhappy too much of the time without enough sparkle, chemistry and fun to make up for the dreary, dull aspects of their relationship. I also agree with the people who said that they never had a grasp on Leo's personality - or even if he had one!

 

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My three favorite romantic pairings of the series are Piper and Mark the Ghost, Prue and Bane, and Paige and Henry

One of the best parts about finding this thread has been seeing how popular these couples are! 

Edited February 10, 2017 by whateverhappened

[Esmeralda]

LOL, you can tell that I haven't read this thread yet - I'm amazed to find that a lot of my unpopular opinions aren't.

Even though Leo and Piper *are* in some of my favorite scenes, they're one of my least-favorite couples because they ruined each other, the way Phoebe and Cole ruined each other.  As I've said elsewhere, if Leo had stayed away after Season One, his and Piper's love story would be my favorite, especially if Dr. Williamson could've been part of S1, but the way Piper in treated Leo in Season Two after deciding he was the one...*shudder*  and even more how she ruined him after Prue died and she made him feel so guilty for it, so he became their magical doctor/taxicab rather than their guide, eventually turning my favorite male character into her little errand boy and letting me end up hating him for not having the balls to take his sons and walk out on his shrew of a wife!  The way she mourned him when he was frozen after the way she treated him was disgusting!   Ditto for how she used Dan.  It's why I wish she'd stayed dead in "Awakened". The way Phoebe loved the lawyer and not the demon Cole truly was, Piper loved the errand boy and not the angel Leo truly was.

You are also very correct re: Paige as Phoebe 2.0.  I HATED them turning the Only Child into the Baby, just like I hated them turning the Middle Child into the Oldest and the Baby into the Middle Child.  It's one of the main reasons I wish that Phoebe had died rather than Prue - then Prue could remain the leader, Piper could remain the heart of the family and they wouldn't turn the youngest into the Baby because it would be too much of a comparison to Phoebs, so she could remain the Only Child and butt heads with Prue in a totally different way than Phoebs did while Piper would still have to play mediator.

But I really can't choose between early-season Piper and early-season Phoebs, while of the second set, Paige was the best when compared to the other two, and I liked her best in S4. So that's why I chose her.