magicdog April 13, 2015 Share April 13, 2015 (edited) The rest: Season 2: Morality Bites - The premise of modern day witch trials in one of the most liberal cities in the US was silly, but it worked! Plus there was the promise of how powerful the sisters COULD have been has Kern & Company bothered to develop their powers properly. P3H2O - A call back to how Patty died, her parallels to Prue and Piper, and an unintentional out for Paige to exist. Emotions were really strong here. Pardon My Past - More info about the Halliwell's ancestors, reincarnation and how past acts can haunt you. Murphy's Luck - Seeing Prue take action to protect Maggie (Amy Adams in an early role) from a Darklighter that pushes its victims to commit suicide. Also a bit of insight into Prue's state of mind earlier in her life the DL tried to exploit. Plus, Arnold Vosloo! Chick Flick - Not only a send up of horror movie tropes, but a jab or two at Charmed itself! Season 3: The Honeymoon's Over - Introduction to Cole and learning he was more than what he seemed. All Halliwell's Eve - More on the Warrens and time travel make for fun times. Sight Unseen - Cole working to destroy the sisters and having demonic rivals. Plus Abby goes psycho! Primrose Empath - a look at the responsibility of Empaths and an unstoppable demon who could only be destroyed by pure emotion. Best of all, we got to see Prue's potential power growth had she lived. Power Outage - Cole succeeds in depowering the sisters and could have killed Phoebe without a problem - except he began to have those darn feelings of love. Sleuthing With The Enemy - The first time we see Phoebe of her own free will lie to her sisters to save Cole's life. We All Scream For Ice Cream - Victor returns (as Victor 2.0) and it was amusing to me to see the girls battle kiddie demons and getting them into the truck. All Hell Breaks Loose - The stakes so high, Prue dies and nothing will ever be the same again. Season 4: Charmed Again - The introduction of Paige. Hell Hath No Fury - A well done episode overall. Brain Drain - Derivative but I liked the idea of Piper possibly imagining the whole Charmed experience. They should have worked harder to keep viewers guessing what the truth was. Black As Cole - Cole loses his powers, and we had the potential for him to find a new path - unfortunately, this would be the beginning of a rollercoaster ride for him and Phoebe. Trial By Magic - My main issue was that Phoebe could have just held out and caused a hung jury, but it was still an enjoyable episode. Plus, we get a bit more background on Paige. Lost & Bound - I liked the kid and part of me wanted him to stick around. It would have made sense for him to have been Piper's and Leo's foster son. Still, Season 5: Siren's Song - interesting premise and give's truth to the old axiom, you always hurt the one you love. Y Tu Mummy Tambien - The presence of Adrian Paul alone makes this a fun watch Sense & Sensibility - Well done all around even if there was no violence against the monkey. Sand Francisco Dreamin' - a look at the girl's dreams, and Henry Gibson as The Sandman! Season 6: Chris Crossed - Seeing Chris' mission and what happened to Wyatt. Spin City - Chris' turn as a spider demon and his anger issues with Leo. Season 7: Imaginary Fiends - Seeing a good Wyatt and a Bad Wyatt. I may be reading too much into this, but I think this episode was a veiled warning about sexual abuse. Season 8: Forever Charmed - The end, and the beginning of a new Charmed line decades into the future. Plus Billie gets a beating! Edited April 13, 2015 by magicdog 4 Link to comment
amensisterfriend April 13, 2015 Share April 13, 2015 Lost & Bound - I liked the kid and part of me wanted him to stick around. It would have made sense for him to have been Piper's and Leo's foster son. I normally dislike 'main character instantly bonds with cute kid' stuff---it just feels cloying and a lazy way for writers to show us how good a person our character is---but for some reason I LOVE this episode. The debate about whether to bind a kid's power was really interesting, and I could genuinely understand both sides of Leo and Piper's argument. Piper's connection with Tyler felt authentic to me. And, say what you will about Alyssa Milano, but I thought she nailed the Stepford-y Housewife/Bewitched stuff. I was actually laughing out loud during some of those scenes, and I'm not usually a big LOL-er :) Brain Drain - Derivative but I liked the idea of Piper possibly imagining the whole Charmed experience. They should have worked harder to keep viewers guessing what the truth was. Heh---I agree it's an overused plot on all supernaturally-themed shows, but it's one I'm a total sucker for, so this is one of my favorites :) Holly Marie Combs is brilliant here IMO, and I loved all the little touches. It was an effectively tense episode but also one that worked in just enough humor and cleverness for me. Sand Francisco Dreamin' - a look at the girl's dreams, and Henry Gibson as The Sandman! This is one of my all-time favorites as well. Have I mentioned that I'm also a sucker for dream episodes?! Link to comment
4evaQuez April 13, 2015 Share April 13, 2015 The rest: Season 2: P3H2O - A call back to how Patty died, her parallels to Prue and Piper, and an unintentional out for Paige to exist. Emotions were really strong here.Season 5: Sand Francisco Dreamin' - a look at the girl's dreams, and Henry Gibson as The Sandman! I never really thought about it until you mentioned it, Magicdog, but P3H2O ended up being an extremely important and world building episode for Charmed. I'll have to rewatch it now. Sand Francisco Dremin' - I found my people! I didn't realize others liked this episode, too! I thought the demon's plan was clever, original and highly effective. I also like how it allowed us to get more into the heads of Paige and Phoebe. I really liked how it explained Paige trying to vicariously live through Wyatt's baby shower since her birth had to be a secret and I liked that Piper asked Paige if it was okay for them to still have a party for Wyatt. Then to see the three sleeping at P3 during the party. Awwww, those small moments do so much to make relationships feel real and meaningful. I also like Phoebe being the killer behind the mask. I don't know if I agree with her reasoning that she self sabotages, but I do think she was still scared about whether she could trust herself to make the right decisions after becoming Queen of the Underworld. 2 Link to comment
helenamonster April 13, 2015 Share April 13, 2015 Aw man, I forgot about "Brain Drain," I totally have a soft spot for that episode. I thought it struck just the right balance between ridiculous and heartfelt. Dream!Phoebe coming in with the broom always made me laugh. It's been so long since I've done a rewatch that I'm ashamed to admit I can't remember all of my favorite episodes anymore, or even a lot of the names (off the top of my head, at least, but when I see them here I can usually match the title to the plot). Also, I started watching the series in middle school so my favorites have probably changed since then. This show is definitely the next one I'm going to binge. 1 Link to comment
amensisterfriend April 13, 2015 Share April 13, 2015 Helenamonster, your timing is perfect--we just started a rewatch thread! 1 Link to comment
helenamonster April 13, 2015 Share April 13, 2015 Helenamonster, your timing is perfect--we just started a rewatch thread! Lol and I just saw it and commented there! 1 Link to comment
kiddo82 April 15, 2015 Share April 15, 2015 Fav 3-4 episodes seasons 5-8 Season 5: Siren Song: "I am absolutely entitled to do the crying thing." Enough said. Sympathy For the Demon: I'm a sucker for the house of horrors premise. Plus, HMC gets some nice emotional scenes, of which I am always a fan. House Call: A somewhat lesser version of Sin Francisco but the Charmed Ones getting to play out their obsessions is pretty fun. The lighter episodes typically worked best on this show. Sense and Sense Ability: "PAIGE IS PROPOSING VIOLENCE AGAINST THE MONKEY." Again, enough said. Season 6: Honestly, I could have done without the Chris storyline in season 6. And Gideon. For me, the only episode that I actively like out of the bunch is Forget Me...Not Season 7: Extreme Makeover World Edition/Charmageddon: Nice payoff to the Avatar/Utopia set up and the yin/yang concept of humanity. Carpe Demon: I loved Billy Zane's Drake. Little Box of Horrors: fun little stand alone episode and Michelle Hurd is pretty bad ass. Season 8: Kill Billie Vol. 2: the last 15 minutes of the episode are fantastic on so many levels. Too bad everything leading up to it (including the season as a whole) was so lackluster. Forever Charmed: not the best of series finales but it was a nice love letter to the fans and a sweet way to wrap things up. 1 Link to comment
amensisterfriend April 19, 2015 Share April 19, 2015 So I rewatched a ton of S7 over the past few days, and I'm almost ashamed to admit just how much I enjoyed it. The Avatar/utopia stuff was actually really interesting to me, all the Charmed Ones were surprisingly likable, I still like the blatantly-ripped-off-from-Harry-Potter magic school stuff more than pretty much any other Charmed fan ever, I think Paige had more chemistry with Kyle Brody than most of her other love interests and actually liked his storyline, I enjoy Zankou, Paige getting more in touch with her whitelighter side delights me to no end, we get some of the best Leo scenes of the whole series (I'm a Leo liker in general!), Charisma Carpenter is in this season, and, lord help me, not even freaking Leslie really bugged me this time around. Oh, and there's a fabulously cheesy pirate and a 'noir' episode! Maybe I'm just too pro-Charmed lately to be as snarky and critical as usual, but I was so happily surprised by how much I adored S7 this time around. Maybe even S8 will improve for me with rewatch, though I'm not holding my breath on that one :) 2 Link to comment
t7686 April 21, 2015 Share April 21, 2015 (edited) Show me the Charmed fan who likes Billie and her sister and I will show you someone I do not want to talk to. Until they go to a re-education facility to cure them of their obvious brainwashing or trauma. Sometime before or after that season all the groups seemed meaningless. Avatars, Elders, The Triad. I did not give a shit. It was more like... where the heck is Leo. He's frozen or something... What? I love this quote so much. I hated Billie and Christy. Kaley Coco is a decent actress just... not on this. She should really stick to comedy. There are some decent momemets in the 8th season here and there (Henry, Piper and Leo being together again, "Vaya Con Leos") but overall when it's replaying on TNT I don't even watch. I watched the show because I like watching them be witches. The whole plot where they say they're over it and try to be their "cousins" bugs me. Then we get Billie who's a pain and then Christy who's insufferable. The first half of season 7 isn't bad but I hated Zankou and that whole plot. I really liked Chris and that storyline. I could watch season 6 over and over again and would say that season is my favorite. I will say though that Chris and his identity had a lot more potential then what they did with it. Once everyone knows who he is, the storylines go a tiny bit over the rails and fade into nothing. I like the Prue seasons as well, especially seasons 1 and 3. I liked Cole (and Phoebe) when he's first introduced but thought his storyline went on too long and he took Phoebe's best traits along with him. Edited April 21, 2015 by t7686 1 Link to comment
magicdog April 22, 2015 Share April 22, 2015 I will say though that Chris and his identity had a lot more potential then what they did with it. Once everyone knows who he is, the storylines go a tiny bit over the rails and fade into nothing. The problem was Chris had a different storyline altogether, but it was changed hastily when it seemed unpopular. Initially he was going to be Prue's reincarnated self. That was tossed when it was realized they could receive backlash from Prue fans since it would have meant SD would NEVER have been able to return even in ghost form. Then he became something else potentially evil (since little Wyatt put up that forcefield when they first met) with an agenda we had yet to see. Then HMC got pregnant and insisted Chris be her second son with Leo. That's why there seemed little reason for the character to jeopardize his very existence (like sending Leo to Valhalla) or kill that Valkyrie early in Season 6. I liked Cole (and Phoebe) when he's first introduced but thought his storyline went on too long and he took Phoebe's best traits along with him. Agreed. Cole had lots of potential but it was squandered with the "is he good or evil now?" storylines. He deserved better - especially since the storyline about his father's soul was dropped with nary a word! We needed to know why he was targeted by his demon mother or why his soul was kept captive all that time. It could have lead Cole to a special destiny all his own. I rooted for him and Phoebe to make things work, but the writers messed it up. 1 Link to comment
t7686 April 22, 2015 Share April 22, 2015 The phone app won't let me quote you but thanks for the reply magicdog! I didn't know about the original idea for Chris. Did HMC insist because she liked Drew Fuller or just because she was pregnant? I agree about Cole. I think the thing about his dad's soul was interesting and concur with everything you said about that dropped storyline. Link to comment
magicdog April 23, 2015 Share April 23, 2015 Did HMC insist because she liked Drew Fuller or just because she was pregnant? Largely it was due to the meandering clues and red herrings. By the time HMC was pregnant, the writers were still not sure what to do with him and then said they would make Chris the product of Piper's affair with the firefighter. HMC finally put her foot down and insisted that Chris be Leo's child. Link to comment
helenamonster April 23, 2015 Share April 23, 2015 Chris being the firefighter's son wouldn't have made any sense...where would his whitelighter powers have come from? (Though I've always maintained that him being half whitelighter doesn't make such sense either. Technically, he should be half elder.) Link to comment
magicdog April 23, 2015 Share April 23, 2015 Chris being the firefighter's son wouldn't have made any sense...where would his whitelighter powers have come from? Which goes back to his actions early in Season 6. He killed a Valkyrie to get access to Valhalla, he was treated with suspicion by baby Wyatt (who seemed to have a bit more sense than his mother and aunts!), sent Leo to Valhalla to get him away from the sisters, went to a demon to keep the sisters distracted with their own fantasies (putting their lives at risk), and had a potion made up to purposely block Phoebe's empathy power so she couldn't get any clues off of him. It never made sense for him to go through all that, risk his existence and "make a surgical strike" to save Wyatt from becoming evil in the alternate future. If he was evil (or at least morally gray), he could have obtained the powers via another WL, or he wasn't originally going to be Piper's son at all (perhaps another WL half breed). Link to comment
amensisterfriend June 6, 2015 Share June 6, 2015 As much as I miss Prue in post-S3 seasons, that last stretch of S4---the simultaneously gleefully funny camp and genuine drama of Phoebe becoming Queen of the Underworld---may be my very favorite stretch of the series. Maybe this should have gone in the Unpopular Opinions thread instead ;) Link to comment
helenamonster June 7, 2015 Share June 7, 2015 It might be unpopular, but I 100% agree. I know that Charmed isn't exactly the highest-quality show to ever air on television, but that back half of S4 ("Charmed and Dangerous" through "Long Live The Queen," "Womb Raider" a little too though it doesn't stand up as well with "LLTQ" right before it) is some damn good stuff. 1 Link to comment
amensisterfriend June 7, 2015 Share June 7, 2015 I'm glad I'm not alone! I'm thinking S3 might be the most consistently great (especially when I'm craving a dose of Original recipe Power of Three!), but nothing affects and engages me quite like that last third of S4. As I rewatch, I'm realizing that every season has stuff I love it about it---and stuff I don't :) S1 is so awesomely sweet and warm, features all three characters at their most lovable, allows us to watch the women coming to terms with their powers for the very first time, has almost no episodes that I dislike and feel compelled to skip, etc. On the downside, there are surprisingly few of the series' "best" standout episodes in this season IMO, I'm finding Andy and his chemistry with Prue really lacking, and there's a heavyhanded, clunky, awkward feel to a lot of the episodes, as is common with first seasons...oh, and I prefer Prue's hair a bit longer ;) S2 has more standout episodes than I had recalled, is actually a nice blend of humor and fun with slightly 'deeper', more ethically provocative issues, is our last dose of Phoebe at her most lovable, etc. On the downside, I couldn't care less about P3 and never buy the Piper we were introduced to as someone who dreams of running a trendy nightclub, find the Jenny scenes irksome, and absolutely can't stand the endless Leo/Piper/Dan love triangle. S3 is, as noted above, so consistently awesome. The show just feels like it's grown into what it was meant to be and IMO blends the dramatic and humorous elements more seamlessly than any other season. And there are some all-time greats this season---as I've probably said elsewhere, Sin Francsico might be my favorite or at least most rewatched episode of the entire series. I could watch that on constant loop! I don't really agree with the very common criticism that this season is when the series started focusing excessively on the women's love lives, since in my (unpopular?!) opinion, that was a problem with the first two seasons as well. On the downside, as compelling as I find Cole and the actor who plays him, his presence pretty much marks a big downturn in Phoebe's likability for me. Oh, and on a deeper note, I just CAN'T with Phoebe's hair for large stretches of this season ;) S4 is amazing as well---the back part of the season is quite possibly the pinnacle of the entire series for reasons we covered in the above posts, and even before then there are episodes like Brain Drain and A Paige from the Past that rank up there among my very favorites. The downside is that Charmed is one of my fun mood-boosting shows, and Prue's death makes parts of this season inescapably dark and depressing for me. And as much as I grew to like Paige, there's something about the original three Halliwells and their relationships with one another that will always have my heart. S5 is generally lighter than S4 and has a couple of the series' funniest episodes. There's also the sense that Paige is a little more consistently written and better integrated this season. On the downside, I'll never quite forgive the show for not ending the Cole arc in S4! Phoebe is pretty awful this season IMO. And, I don't know, there's just a certain amount of poignancy and heart that's a bit missing from these post-Prue seasons for me. And 'm ambivalent about Piper's pregnancy, which forever altered the show in ways that overall were probably slightly more negative than positive for me. S6 is arguably the funniest/campiest season, and I'm in the tiny minority who really enjoys much of the Chris stuff despite agreeing that the actor is generally awful (hey, that's part of the campy fun!) On the downside, the Leo/Piper angst is exhausting and annoying for me, and sometimes the humor can cross into annoying silliness...it's a thin line! S7---I'm actually liking the episodes I've seen from this season a lot more than I'd remembered. The stuff about a deceptive utopia is actually quite interesting, I'm in that understandably small minority who likes the 'magic school' stuff they so shamelessly ripped off from Harry Potter, and it just feels like this season is the best of the show's post-S4 era at balancing drama and humor and more surprisingly interesting ideas/themes. On the downside---MORE Leo-related angst?! Really? He just works best as a comfortable staple of the women's lives IMO. And some of the 'Avatar' stuff was just not as well done as it could have been. S8---I'm sure there are great things about this season. I just haven't found them yet! Link to comment
magicdog June 8, 2015 Share June 8, 2015 On the downside---MORE Leo-related angst?! Really? He just works best as a comfortable staple of the women's lives IMO. And some of the 'Avatar' stuff was just not as well done as it could have been. Probably because the Avatar stuff was initially meant for Cole not Leo. It was hinted at by producers the Cole as Avatar storyline was the alternate way Phoebe and he would make their love relationship work. It fell flat not only because it became Leo's storyline leftovers, but because it took almost 2 years to return to it. By then the Avatars were all but forgotten. Something like that should have been used back in Season 4 or 5. 3 Link to comment
bettername2come October 1, 2015 Share October 1, 2015 I'm rewatching on Netflix. I'm on season 2 which has always been my favorite because that's when I started watching it back in middle school. Great sisterly bonding, they have a good sense of their powers, the outfits weren't totally ridiculous, Phoebe's still likable, time travel shenanigans. In general the Prue seasons are the best to me, although I like Paige more most of the time. After the Prue seasons, I really like season 6 a lot. I admit to having a mad Drew Fuller crush back in the day, and my love of Back to the Future plays a big part in it. But I do enjoy the twists in the family dynamics. 1 Link to comment
amensisterfriend October 1, 2015 Share October 1, 2015 (edited) S2 should probably be my favorite---it's less clunky than S1 and Phoebe is still lovable here, a trend that starts to reverse as early as S3---but the Leo-Piper-Dan love triangle and all that goes with it is so simultaneously dull and irritating to me that I find myself skipping large parts of many episodes :) I'm with you on liking S6, though! I, too, am a sucker for Back to the Future-esque plotlines, the far-more-gorgeous-than-he-is-talented Drew Fuller, and the season's overall campy fun mixed in with a few surpisingly thought-provoking ideas. I'm also that one viewer who enjoyed the magic school :) My major strike against S6 is the Leo/Piper angst, but that wasn't enough to ruin the season for me. Overall, I'm pretty sure S3, S4 and S1 are my current favorites (in that order), but it's so hard to choose since every season has its share of assets and not-so-minor flaws :) Edited October 1, 2015 by amensisterfriend Link to comment
bettername2come October 1, 2015 Share October 1, 2015 As much as I get tired of the angst, I do like Piper and Leo as a couple. Their reunion is one of the points in season 6's favor for me. I always feel like season 4 should be liked more than 6 (I do think it's a stronger season), but the adjustment period I needed to truly accept Paige took awhile. 1 Link to comment
4evaQuez October 3, 2015 Share October 3, 2015 I remember loving Season 2 when it originally aired. but similar to, Amensisterfriend, I find the Dan-Piper-Leo triangle hampers my enjoyment a lot. Season 2 kinda reminds me of Season 5. Both seasons have episodes I immensely enjoy on their own, but both have one feature that makes the episodes must less enjoyable. In Season 5's case, it is the inclusion of the returned from the Wasteland Cole and the near retread of the Source storyline. Luckily, that's gone halfway into the season. So, I've been rewarching a lot of my Charmed DVDs because I just moved and have not set up cable or internet yet. Rewatching Season 4 has reminded me why it is one of my FAVORITES - and if I seriously had to choose, it would be my favorite season just by a hair from Season 3. 1. I actually really love how several storylines blended into one season for 4. I know others have said they felt that Season 4 was trying to do too many things - and I respect those opinions. However, for me, I actually loved how they wrapped up Prue's death, introduced Paige, defeated the Source, had Phoebe become the Queen of the Underworld, and vanquished Cole at the end. It made Season 4 suspenseful in a way that I think only Season 6 was able to compete with. IMHO. 2. This may belong in the unpopular opinions thread, but I actually think Season 4 had the best direction and writing of Charmed. I say this because the Charmed ones don't come off as dumbed down for storyline purposes, which sadly happen a lot in later seasons. The moment Cole is possessed by the Source, the very next episode has Phoebe questioning the changes she sees in Cole. She even tells Piper how she feels like there's a premonition in her that refuses to come out regarding Cole. There is also a good amount of foreshadowing in the episode. Future Phoebe explains that she vanquishes Cole in her timeline. However, she wants to change the past and give them another chance at happiness. She forsakes her very beliefs that the past should not be tampered with because of her love of Cole. This is great foreshadowing for later in the season when Phoebe chooses Cole and evil over her sisters. She forsakes her very beliefs and her own family to give her and Cole a chance at happiness. In the episode, Future Phoebe dies protecting Cole, and she tells Phoebe, "There's your answer." Phoebe decides she'll marry Cole, even though she obviously is still not comfortable with her decision. Beside from this, we see several times the camera pan to Piper or Phoebe when something strange happens regarding Cole before they immediately brush it aside. While Paige is the only one verbal and active in her suspicion, there is enough non-verbal indication from the other sisters that they realize something is not right with Cole. 3. The introduction of Paige is handled extremely well, IMO. It felt that the show tried to slowly incorporate her into the canvas. I liked her relationship with Leo in the 4th Season and how the show handled her telekinetic orbing ability. It allowed Paige to have Prue's ability but in a way that made Paige unique and her own character. In my interpretation of the show, it seems that Piper was supposed to represent the audience. At first somewhat angry and resentful of Paige for, "replacing," Prue. Then wanting Paige to move into the manor solely because it makes sense demon fighting wise, but Paige is hesitant because she doesn't want to have to live up to the idea of Prue if she's living there. The two are pitted against each other but by the end of the season, after Phoebe moves out of the manor, Piper begins to soften to Paige and begins to turn to Paige much more often in Phoebe's absence. Finally, in Long Live The Queen, it is Paige who helps bring the family back together. "A Paige from the Past" is also one of the stronger episodes of Season 4, IMO, and I wish the show had done more to develop the Paige character after Season 4. 4. Phoebe becomes the Queen of the Underworld was one of the most shocking moments of Charmed for me. I still remember Paige saying, "I thought only evil could touch that book," and Phoebe retorts with, "That's right." This resulting in , "Long Live The Queen," where I honestly had no idea who Phoebe would choose between Cole and the sisters. At this point, Phoebe had chosen Cole over her sisters so many times - beginning in the 3rd season - that her choosing Cole would have been perfectly in character. Some random musings on Season 4: 1. After more than a decade of the original airing of Season 4, I'm finally accepting of Phoebe's late season 4 bangs. 2. It's ironic that they have Future Phoebe so bitter and how Future Phoebe was supposed to be so drastically different than Season 4 Phoebe because I can easily see Season 8 Phoebe growing into the bitter Future Phoebe. 3. This is odd, but I always hated that Paige never discovered that it was Cole and not Leo she was talking to in The Fifth Haliwheel. Especially because the show didn't really develop Paige and Leo's relationship after that, so I'm left to believe that caused some type of subconscience distancing from Paige to Leo. 4. Speaking of subconscience distancing, while I don't think Piper and Phoebe ever really had a strong relationship - I think the show focused on Prue's relationship with her two sisters to the detriment of the Piper/Phoebe relationship - I hate that Piper and Phoebe never really have a discussion about Phoebe choosing evil over her sisters. Their relationship seems to be damaged after Season 4 since we see Piper with Paige a lot more than Piper with Phoebe in later seasons. Hell Chris and Wyatt talk about Paige being their favorite aunt and/or the things Paige taught them about witchcraft, while neither seem particularly close to Phoebe. 5. I love the Seer being the actual Big Bad of Season 4. The actress is phenomenal and her manipulations and machinations for her own gain is incredible to behold. The only thing I dislike about the Seer is that it shows how Phoebe never truly advances in her Premonition ability. I mean the Seer single-handedly sets up most of the late Season 4 events, so Phoebe can get pregnant with the Sources baby, so the Seer can steal him. She is able to manipulate the Source, the Charmed ones and other high level demons based solely on her visions. I wish we could have seen Phoebe demonstrate that level of ability with her premonitions. 2 Link to comment
helenamonster October 25, 2015 Share October 25, 2015 4. Phoebe becomes the Queen of the Underworld was one of the most shocking moments of Charmed for me. I still remember Paige saying, "I thought only evil could touch that book," and Phoebe retorts with, "That's right." This resulting in , "Long Live The Queen," where I honestly had no idea who Phoebe would choose between Cole and the sisters. At this point, Phoebe had chosen Cole over her sisters so many times - beginning in the 3rd season - that her choosing Cole would have been perfectly in character. I've seen "Long Live the Queen" approximately 234082340 times (I'd argue it's objectively the best episode of the entire series, even though "The Fifth Halliwheel" is my weird, personal favorite), and I can still feel the suspense of "is she gonna choose Cole or her sisters OH MY GOD WHO IS SHE GOING TO CHOOSE" every time I watch it.There are very few TV moments that maintain that level of suspense for me after multiple viewings, and most of those other ones are on objectively better shows. 1 Link to comment
amensisterfriend February 23, 2016 Share February 23, 2016 Anyone up for naming your favorites and least favorite seasons, episodes, couples, etc.?! I'm missing this show a ton lately and am having so much fun rewatching it! Link to comment
amensisterfriend February 23, 2016 Share February 23, 2016 (edited) Posted in our other thread instead :) Edited February 26, 2016 by amensisterfriend Link to comment
nightwing877 February 10, 2017 Share February 10, 2017 Favorite Seasons; Season 1 and 2 Least Favorite Season; Season 6 Was loved but now on the fence about season; Season 4 Was disliked but grown to like season; Season 7 Mixed Feelings season; Season 3 As for my best episodes, well I can't just pick 1, 2 or even 10. So that will have to wait for now to figure out a proper list. Link to comment
Kohola3 February 10, 2017 Share February 10, 2017 Least favorite: Any season or episode with the shiny-lipped, poorly-acted, vapid Billy and Christy. Hate them both with the heat of a thousand suns. 3 Link to comment
whateverhappened February 10, 2017 Share February 10, 2017 (edited) Quote Was disliked but grown to like season; Season 7 I am grateful to all of you - and the reminder of Drake - for encouraging me to give Season 7 another chance! As I said somewhere else, I think I love the first two seasons a little less than almost everyone else does because they were often more earnest and serious, which IMO is not what Charmed does best. Prue being the most serious sister contributes to that. I definitely understand why so many of you preferred the more grounded Charmed and agree that I liked the focus on helping innocents. I just think the show is better when it lets itself be fluffy, funnier, campy and a little insane. That's what it does best! But my favorite character, Phoebe, is definitely at her best those first two seasons and I love the sisters' bond then, so S1 and S2 are high on my list - just not the very highest. I also have this thing about hating S2's love triangle with Piper taking forever to choose between boring Dan and boring Leo, complaining nonstop along the way. We all knew who she'd pick eventually which made it even duller and more annoying, and then the writers compunded the problems by making Piper still obsessing about how Dan was doing after she chose Leo and not seeming happy with Leo anyway and zzzzzzzz .... I think Season 5 is my top favorite and Season 4 is probably second, but after that it's hard for me to put them in an exact order. I'll come back after I've rewatched. After watching the Drake parts and Imaginary Friends, I feel like Season 7 might be higher in my rankings than I had remembered it. Season 3 might be lower. Season 8 had a finale I loved but other than that is probably not something I'll ever be watching again. Edited February 10, 2017 by whateverhappened 1 Link to comment
Esmeralda February 11, 2017 Share February 11, 2017 (edited) Decided to go ahead and post my reactions towards the eight seasons that I wrote shortly after the series ended. Despite numerous re-watches, my reaction hasn't changed much: Quote SEASON ONE: Finding their Destiny The more I watch this season on DVD, the more I enjoy it. I remember coming into it excited to see Alyssa, who I knew from "Who's the Boss?" and Holly, who I knew from "Picket Fences." I'd never watched "Beverly Hills 90201" and everything I'd heard about Shannen was negative, so I wasn't looking forward to seeing her, but Prue had me caught before the end of the season, just because she was so much like me, another Oldest who is very protective of her younger siblings. I liked the relationship Prue had with Andy, and with Darryl, too and still cry when I watch the last episode of that season, when Andy dies. So much of this season reminds me of what Charmed was and what I wish it remained: I wish that whitelighters and Elders (darklighters, too,) remained more the way Leo described them back then - messengers and guardian angels who they only needed for their first year as witches, not supernatural taxicabs and doctors. I wish that when the sisters used magic for personal gain that it would just fade away like Phoebe's lottery ticket. I wish that saving innocents remained more important than personal desires. I wish that Piper could still want a normal life without constantly whining about it. I wish Phoebe was still our Phoebs rather than PhoeME/Freebie--more interested in magic than sex. I miss my Phoebs, my favorite sister, so very much. Favorite eppis includes all the ones that include Leo, least-favorites include all the ones that don't, except for "That Seventies Episode", which is my favorite of that season with "Love Hurts" just a little bit behind it--I LOVE the sacrifice Piper is willing to make in that one; a sacrifice she won't make in S6-8--she SOOO should've given up her powers before she had kids! A-// 8 out of 10 stars // Very Good! SEASON TWO: Living their Destiny This is my favorite season of Charmed. Unlike so many other fans, I liked the "Demon of the Week" format because it allowed the show to concentrate on relationships, much more important to me than the next demon. I loved the fact that Prue continued to mourn Andy and the fact that she found someone she could just have fun with--I got a kick out of Jack! No other Charmed One has grieved for the one who was supposed to be *her* guy beyond the episode following that one's death. Prue was still mourning Andy halfway through the season in "Murphy's Luck" and I don't think she ever truly got over him. I loved the whole bit with Piper choosing between Leo & Dan. Personally I still think she should've chosen Dan, especially if Leo could've learned to love Prue or Phoebe or, best, Paige. To me, Dan represented the normal life Piper craves so much. If Piper had married Dan, Leo would still be a whitelighter, his calling, what he's destined to be. Leo represented the wiccan life that Piper doesn't want. For the one who wants to be a witch the least to end up with a magical guy and to stay with him, be happy with him, just doesn't make sense. Unfortunately, Dan ended up being a creep, but only after 'Awakened', when he discovered Piper's true feelings, even before Piper did. And Piper & Leo *are* soulmates, no matter if they should be or not. In the latter seasons I missed Leo my angel *so* much. I loved Phoebe going back to school and the way she cared about the innocents and her sisters *so* much. As I said in my S1 review, I miss Phoebs dreadfully, even more than Leo my angel. She was still a bit of a PhoeME, but in a lovable way, since she's the baby, a way that didn't translate once she was forced to become the middle sister. We also discovered that her soulmate is a demon--Anton. No wonder she was attracted to Cole! He reminded me *so* much of Anton. All of Phoebe's guys were tall, dark and dangerous-looking--just like her soulmate, Anton. Some of my favorite innocents were part of this season and so were some of my favorite antagonists. And my all-time favorite eppi, "Morality Bites", was part of it. Each time the sisters (or Piper's younger son) forget that the wrong thing done for the right reason is still the wrong thing, and they're supposed to protect the innocent, not punish the guilty, I cringe. There were a few eppis that were very simply bad, but even they always helped push the season along, like "Animal Pragmatism" (I LOVED Leo's Valentine for Piper!) and "How to Make an American out of a Quilt"--the first time Piper made it clear how little she wanted to be a witch and why she should've chosen Dan and not Leo, or better - not choose anyone at all. A/ 9 out of 10 stars/ EXCELLENT! SEASON THREE: Losing part of their Destiny Although this wasn't my favorite season, it came close. The characters were more developed--the Halliwells were both witches and sisters--the closeness between the sisters was there until Phoebe lied about vanquishing Cole, the moment the Power of Three should've been broken and never repaired. But the idea of Phoebe falling in love with a demon, especially after us finding out that a demon, Anton, is her soulmate, made for a ton of suspense. No doubt Cole was the best male character on the show, He truly had so many different sides, and Julian played them all so very well, especially in this season. There was constant foreboding about Prue, ending up with her dying saving an innocent; to my knowledge the only one who has--saving a family member doesn't count. And Piper & Leo and their marriage and her getting her new power (undoubtedly setting them up so that the Charmed Ones still had a way to take care of demons once Prue died) was perfect, even though I wish they could've found a different one. Once a single Charmed Ones could destroy demons just by using her own power, she no longer needed her sisters, the way Prue still needed hers, since her TK didn't kill. Originally Piper could only push people away with it, not actually kill them. That would've been much better, because personally I think that changing Piper's power from time manipulation to molecular manipulation is the worst mistake made on the series--it set up Piper to be much too powerful and allowed her to take over the show, so the show was all about her and her husband and her sons, and, oh, yes, didn't she have a couple of sisters, too, and didn't they also have powers? I also think that everyone looked their best in this season. I loved the blonde in Phoebe's longer, fluffier hair. I loved Piper getting rid of her bangs and letting her hair grow, and I loved Prue's longer and fluffier, too. Leo looked his best (until S8!) and so did Cole and Darryl, who became a closer friend. What prevented this from being my favorite season was the way Phoebe changed from my Phoebs - my favorite sister - into PhoeME - my least-favorite sister - when she kept putting Cole in front of her sisters and the Power of Three. As I said, when she lied about vanquishing Cole, just like during 'Power Outage,"the sisters should've lost the Power of Three, but unlike 'Power Outage', they never should've gotten it back; the way Prue kept getting too full of herself, setting herself up to either die or become Poor, Poor Pitiful Prue if she didn't,, and Piper whining about a normal life much too much. Despite these problems, for me, the first three seasons make the perfect trilogy. It has nothing to do with Prue vs Paige, who became my favorite sister of the second set of Charmed Ones, but just the way it's set up, with S1 being Prue's love story, with her guy a mortal; S2 being Piper's with her guy an angel; and S3 being Phoebe's. with her guy a devil. Finding out about their destiny in S1, living it in S2, losing part of it in S3. When Shax turns and says, "The end", I truly thought it was and a lot of times think it should be. It's why I stopped buying DVDs after I got S3, and don't ever plan on buying any others. B /7 out of 10/Good SEASON FOUR: Screwing up the Birth Order This used to be one of my least-favorite seasons until 6, 7 & 8 came along. Now it's just so-so. For me, it's much too dark and doesn't have the humor that I love so much about Charmed. I also felt like Paige was shoved at us, the way Billie and Christy were in S8, and being a huge Prue-fan, I didn't appreciate it, the same way I wouldn't have had Piper or Phoebe been the one who died,. I'll admit I howled over Paige's huge boobs (best bit of the season and the last time there was a backlash for using magic for personal gain) and felt bad for her when she went into the past, but that was about it. Piper was never meant to be the Oldest and it shows. She's so busy with her own life with Leo, she can't keep her sisters out of trouble or under control, the way Prue could. But Holly's portrayal of the Fury was one of her best acting jobs, especially when she was mourning at Prue's gravestone, which makes sense since Holly was using that to mourn the loss of her best friend who got her the job on Charmed just as much as Piper was mourning Prue. As an Only Child and a social worker, Paige should've started caring for and taking care of her new sisters. Even though the youngest, she could've done that, letting Piper and Phoebe still be themselves rather than forced into molds where neither fit. And she could've/should've done it in a totally different way than Prue - treating them as women and equals, not as children as Prue did, allowing all three sisters to grow, not backtrack as they did. Speaking of, I thought it would've been a lot better if Phoebe had realized what was happening with Cole and helped him beat it. Her becoming evil by choosing him over her sisters was way too much for me. And the fact that Alyssa looked her ugliest during Phoebe's wedding still makes me howl to this day! That dark hair with those spiky bangs! UGH! But the season *did* include the best mourning scene of the entire series, that of Phoebe's after vanquishing Cole/the Source when the sisters comforted her - if only it had been Prue and Piper comforting her rather than Piper and Paige, it could've been one of my favorite scenes.. Bringing Cole back in S5 was a HUGE mistake--they should've let him stay dead after this!! The worst part of this season was showing the original Source's face. He was *so* much scarier as just a hooded character with a deep resonant voice, who could possess anyone--something I felt they should've taken more advantage of. Never knowing who was possessed by him could've been terrifying! Once we saw his face, he was just another actor with a bad makeup job. C-/4 out of 10 Stars/Mediocre SEASON FIVE: Meeting the rest of the Magical Community Along with S4, this one was one of my least favorites until S6, 7 & 8 came along. Now it's just mediocre. S4 was much too dark; S5 was much too light. Funny, but during S4, a lot of fans were writing on the boards that we should get a chance to meet other peoples in the magical world. I guess this proves to beware of what you wish for--you may get it!! I liked all the fairy tales and everything better than the darkness of S4, but not by much. By far, the best part of the season was Wyatt, both while Piper was carrying him (and we thought she was Melinda, who he should've been, and he *definitely* should not have had a prophecy of his own; one that no one had even heard about until then) and his birth and his first demon. Remembering that unicorn as the sign of purity still hurts when I think what they did to his character in S6. He so should've been the Good Son with Chris as the jealous Evil Son - which is what I believe he was originally meant to be until Holly became pregnant and the producers found out that all the teenaged girls were going batty over cutie-pie Drew Fuller, so rather than 8 episodes as previously planned, they kept him for the whole season, the reason he separated his parents, almost negating his own existence and setting up an everlasting time loop. This season includes two of my favorite eppis--"Cat House" (although I want to kill Kern for the way he fired Shannen, so she ended up not allowing scenes of Prue to be shown!) and "Sense & Sense Ability"--that *had* to be the funniest episode ever!! But I hate what they did to Cole. It's almost as if they were trying to make us hate his character so we wouldn't mind when they got rid of him in the 100th eppi--and that that--so he could be part of that eppi was the only reason for hanging on. Oh, did THAT backfire! That eppi just made me (and a lot of others) miss Cole and abhor Phoebe! This season was when Piper seemed to whine every other episode, Phoebe became Freebie/PhoeME and Paige became a dumb Valley Girl rather than the gal who went to college and should've been a social worker. The deterioration of their characters from potential whitelighters to selfish bitches began. C-/5 out of 10/Okay SEASON SIX: Upstaged by a couple of cute upstarts I HATE CHRIS! I think he's the worst thing that could've happened to the series (I consider HIM the true Big Bad of Charmed for how badly he screwed up his mother and her sisters) and as such, I consider S6 my least-favorite of all the seasons. The *only* saving moment was in Spin City when Paige said, "Bug spray! We should've used bug spray!" Amen! Then Chris would've been gone. Why do I hate Chris? Because he was a lying, whining, murdering brat who never apologized for his lies and who I thought was going to kill Wyatt up until the moment *he* died (I cheered!) and who turned my favorite male character (Leo) from my wonderful pacifist angel into a murdering Elder by vanquishing him to Valhalla, where Leo was forced to hate and kill. And why does Chris hate Leo? Because he wasn't around for him! OH, POOR BABY!! Leo is out saving the world and his son is pouting and whining coz he doesn't have time for him! To top it off, thanks to his obvious belief that ends justify the means, he taught his family to feel the same way besides getting them to stop worrying about innocents and just concentrate on their family--they became self-centered, selfish bitches from then until the end of the series--and as proven in 'Imaginary Friends', he didn't really save Wyatt--Wyatt's still just as prone to becoming evil since, like Phoebe, he was born in the Manor, so Chris did all that for nothing, as far as the series is concerned. By the end of S7, I was certain there was no doubt the Wyatt in *this* world was going to hate his mother, coz *she wasn't* around for him thanks to Big Chris making them concentrate on themselves rather than innocents, like they're supposed to. Let's just worry about ourselves and our own desires to live a normal life (he learned how to whine from his mother) and not others. Was there anything more stomach-turning than the S7 finale? Let's walk off into the sunset and have fun living our own life (Piper's normal life) and who cares that poor Victor is going to have to try to raise two magic kids, including one who was ULTRA-powerful? I was certain that thanks to Future Chris making his mother and aunts totally self-centered, just like him, it would be FUTURE CHRIS who would make our sweetie Baby Wyatt turn evil, not Gideon! Obviously S8 showed that I was wrong, and I was glad, but since Chris came into their lives, Piper constantly whined, Phoebe was more PhoeME than ever and Paige was a dummy. I always thought the peroxide she used went straight to her brain - the blonder she became, the dumber she became, finally becoming likable when she went back to her original hair color, the color that made her look like a Warren like her half-sisters. The other worst part of S6 was Phoebe going on that vision quest, where from then on, finding the father of her child (to hell with love!) is all that she was interested in. And I actually liked that part at that time. Even Chris saving Wyatt didn't do anything--after all, it was his coming back that ended up with Wyatt almost dying, since Wyatt was still alive in Chris-Crossed, so obviously that never happened in the original timeline. I read somewhere that this season Kern wanted to show Piper as a single mom, trying to raise a magical kid. Well, Wyatt never did much magic after the first couple eppis (when they switched from this storyline to "What turned Wyatt evil?") and Piper dating so soon after Leo left was totally disgusting and showed no respect for the man she professes to love so much. Not that I blamed her--thanks to Chris, that wasn't the Leo she & I love. In this season, Phoebe became a combination of Freebie/PhoeME, disgusting. Paige became a totally dumb klutzy Valley Girl--just as disgusting. Piper became as whiny as her son. There was no longer a Charmed One to like or admire. And Leo was totally disgusting, looking fat and ugly and was nothing like the angel I loved and missed. The Elders were more demonic than the demons and the demons were just there for the comedy. And not once did the Charmed Ones try to save an innocent who wasn't family, except when Chris wasn't around--my favorite eppis. No wonder they tried to make Chris be the hero. Too bad just being cute and being a member of the family didn't cut it. Introducing Magic School was also a horrible mistake--trying to steal too much from Harry Potter and not doing a good job at it. The writers obviously agree since it became the headquarters for the demons in S8, even if they put Leo in charge of it at the end - more proof that this is all just Piper's delusion, since all of those kids would've used their magical powers to walk all over him now that he didn't have any powers. And since Chris dominates the season so much, I hate the whole season! The only good episodes are ones that don't include him. The bad ones are the ones that do. F-/0 out of 10 stars/ATROCIOUS! SEASON SEVEN: What should've been the last season What tells you the most about my feelings towards S7 is the fact that my favorite characters are the demons!! I LOVE KYRA, DRAKE & ZANKOU! The whole bit with the Avatars was dumb. Enough said. Kyle could've been so perfect if it wasn't for the fact that he was so obsessed, just like Cole was. That Kyle was turned into a whitelighter and Leo punished when Leo did more to save the world than Kyle ever did was totally disgusting! None of the actors did a good job except when everyone saw all the deaths, with the kids doing the best job. But the fact that THAT--family deaths and not what it was doing to the rest of the world, taking away their free will--was what convinced the sisters that Utopia isn't a good thing, was disgusting. So was the fact that Kern and Shannen still hadn't been reconciled so Shannen didn't let Prue be part of that montage. Except for that one scene, all the characters became a parody of themselves, so cardboard was the showing of their feelings. And except for Sandra, who I liked a lot, the Elders continue to be more demonic than angelic while except for Kyra, Drake and Zankou, the demons were simply comedic. The worst moment of the entire season was when Phoebe wanted to use the power-switching spell just so that Piper could see her vision of the future. If that wasn't personal gain, I'm not sure what was! Originally Piper did it to save Leo's life, but this? *shudder* Leo's fall was also disgusting, setting him up for Vayo con Leos and so Piper could have her mortal errand boy and live sappily ever after. If he was going to be mortal, he should've gone back to his own time--he was useless in this one. And if Piper truly loved him (which I don't think she ever did), she would've let him go--or better, bind her own powers, bind her sons' powers and go back to the 30's with Leo and them, where she could just be a mother and have the normal life she wanted so badly, see if she fit in his world better than he fit in hers.. THAT's how Charmed *should've* ended! Also fat ugly Baby Chris! Why couldn't they have found a cuter set of twins, like the ones who play Wyatt? What makes it hilarious is that Baby Chris was played by set of fugly GIRL twins! No wonder so many fans thought that Chris was gay, despite his relationship with Bianca, who was more of a mother figure than a girlfriend. THE WAY THE SHOW WAS SET UP, PRUE'S POWER OF ASTRAL PROJECTION IS A PART OF HER ABILITY TO MOVE THINGS WITH HER MIND, HER POWER AS PART OF THE POWER OF THREE!! IT WAS NOT SOMETHING THAT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE TAUGHT!! Maybe Paige could've done it, since her power is also to move things with her mind, including herself, but not Piper or Phoebe--those two, at least, should've died in the finale!! Had that been the finale--had they truly died saving the world, fully expecting to die and not cheat, it would've been great, just like Prue (and almost Piper) dying in "All Hell Breaks Loose". But as is, it stunk. Nothing was more disgusting than seeing them just walk away from their destiny, as if the Elders (or demons) couldn't see through those disguises! The best moment of the season was Drake! Although I rolled my eyes at the whole Robin Hood thing, I totally loved Show Ghouls! DRAKE TAUGHT THE CHARMED ONES HOW TO CARE FOR INNOCENTS! The first time in *how* long? He also showed them how to be happy and how to live. I hated seeing him go, because as soon as he did, the sisters went back to their self-centered ways, taught to them by Chris in S6. I also *love* Kyra!! I wish she was the one who learned to help the sisters in S8, not Billie! A spin-off about a demon who wants to be human would've been fantastic. Killing her off was a horrible mistake, I was also hoping Kyle would end up being a relative of Cole's--the names are similar and they look similar in certain poses. "Charmed Noir" is one of my favorite episodes. The guy who played Kyle could also act better than all of Phoebe's other slampieces through the series. Oh, speaking of, did I forget to mention Leslie? All-and-all, the bad guys truly saved the season, because the sisters and Leo sure didn't! D+/3 out of 10 stars/Bad, but not terrible SEASON EIGHT: What a horrible way to end what could've been such a great show! After watching S8, I truly wish that it had ended with S7 with the Charmed Ones and the Manor being blown to Kingdom Come, something like what happened in 'Kill Billie, Vol 2', but with no survivors. Season 8 very simply sucked! All those guest stars were SO unnecessary! I didn't see a single guest star who I recognized and I didn't think any of them acted very well. To not have the final season be based on the sisters and not include Leo, when he was part of the show from the very start, very simply sucked! Ditto for no Darryl! He SO should've been part of the last season; once you lost him, you lost that connection with reality which the FBI guy didn't do one single bit! The only guest star I liked wasn't a guest star but a new regular. I *loved* Henry, but his and Paige's romance was just SO rushed! I wish they could've introduced *him* in S7 rather than Kyle. And the idea of Paige becoming pure whitelighter even though she was still alive thanks to those !@#$%^ Elders and moreorless making her give up her destiny as a Charmed One, as a witch? GRRR @ Kern! I HATED Coop! Man, he was hot, but all he did was make Phoebe even more of a Freebie/PhoeME than she was before. A self-centered Cupid?? Oh, give me a break! I wish they could've brought back the one from "Heartbreak City"; either that or make Billy from "Chick Flick" real; with them was when I loved Phoebs best. No wonder I love S2 so much! And the idea that the ELDERS sent Coop to Phoebe because they thought they'd goof up her life? And that Phoebe had never known love until she met Coop? OH, GIVE ME A BREAK! I wish they could've brought back Drake. Even Anton would've been better than Coop! GRRR @ Kern! Like rushing Paige & Henry, it was just a way of being sure that all three sisters were married before the end of the series, with Phoebe still getting a fantasy man when what she truly needed was a hard slap of reality. I wish she'd ended up the way that Rebecca, the woman who wanted to marry a rich man on "Cheers", ended up. Rebecca ended up with a plumber. Phoebe should've ended up with a REAL non-magical handyman! Oh, speaking of handymen, then there was Piper. Using magic for personal gain right and left and never feeling any backlash--as long as it was funny, it was okay. Constantly shoving her kids, especially fugly Chris, off on her dad (and Wyatt was easily the show-stealer - I *love* little Wyatt!). Using Leo as her own personal errand boy rather than either helping him get his his wings back or sending him back to his own time. Then having the NERVE to cry when he's hurt and almost dies! GRRR @ Kern!!!!! Why couldn't Kern have shown them actually in love before that? And if not, why didn't he have Leo take his sons and walk out on his shrew of a wife? And worst of all, the only way that Piper would agree to fight evil was if they'd freeze her hubby! THAT'S SUPPOSED TO BE YOUR DESTINY--TO FIGHT EVIL, YOU SELFISH, SELF-CENTERED BITCH! You did one shitty job of leading the Charmed Ones! Prue would be SO disappointed in you! GRRRR @ Kern!!!! How the higher-ups at the WB (and they were the ones who suggested it to Kern, just like they wanted the mermaid spin-off) would possibly think that we could accept a dumb blonde who dressed in faux leather and had more powers than the Charmed Ones combined, totally voiding out Melinda Warren's prophecy and even the Twice Blessed Brat's prophecy, and then make the sisters treat her as if SHE was a sister? OOO! Piper and Phoebe actually accepting her better than they accepted Paige! That was enough to make me want to vomit. I actually liked the character Christy as an evil character. I liked the Stockholm Syndrome angle and the actress did a good job. So did Kaley when she worked with her--she overacted even more than Rose did before Marinette showed up! Very obviously, Kaley is a great comedic actress but not a great dramatic one. Thank GOD her spin-off never came to be, so she could be on '8 Ways' instead! I didn't like the return of the Triad--Cole vanquished them, for Pete's sake; they should've been a CINCH to vanquish so how the heck could they be the Big Bad? Ditto for only showing the original Source for a single episode. The TRUE Ultimate Evil should've been the self-centered, turn-away-from-their-destiny sisters themselves and they should've either been punished or changed (or we should've been shown the REAL Ultimate Evil--the Kernus Demon of Discontinuity and vanquish HIM in the last episode with the longest, slowest, most painful vanquish you can possibly think of!). The end of 'Kill Billie Vol 2' and 'Forever Crap', I mean 'Forever Piper', I mean 'Forever Charmed' truly sucked! It was SO unrealistic, especially because Paige is the one who should've survived thanks to panic-orbing, Piper should not have been able to use Coop's ring (he should've gone on the time-travel trip with her, not Leo), Leo should not have been returned until after the battle was *truly* won; and Wyatt and Chris had nothing to do with the plot and were just there to make their fans happy. And if they were going to do that, why didn't Chris hug Leo at the end! Also...where was Henry?? The worst part of "Forever Charmed" is that it didn't leave the door open for a spin-off or a movie or anything; we know that everyone (well, at least Piper and Leo!) will live sappily ever after (if Leo can live happily ever after as Piper's errand boy for the rest of his life! Or worse, be a teacher at Magic School where all of those kids could use their magic on him!), so even if they did do a movie or a spin-off, we'd know that they'd have to end up sappily ever after and there would be no suspense, just like a prequel. And don't even START me on the !@#$%^&*()_)(*&^%$#@! wall! I truly hope that if a Charmed movie ever does come out (I don't think there ever will, but IF..), we find out that either the full season or at least 'Forever Charmed' was simply Piper's delusion as she almost died and was instead in a 10-year coma, so not real. To take a show that was all about girl power and end it saying that the only way a woman can be happy and fulfilled is if she's married and has three children is very simply disgusting! Brad Kern did a "wonderful" job of taking three would-be whitelighters and turning them into three would-be darklighters who should be burnt at the stake! Thanks, Kern! Thanks a helluva heap! Just thank God for fanfic writers and Virtual Series writers who know how to do things better! F/1 out of 10 stars/A bit better than S6 but not by much! And as I said, despite re-watches, my reactions haven't really changed all that much. I just find it harder to watch Season Two knowing what Piper and Leo are going to turn into, and I like Season Seven a lot more if I skip all signs of Phoebe and Cole and Phoebe and Jason in Season Five, jump from 'Necromancing the Stone' to 'Carpe Demon' (pretending that we see a sign that says 'Two Years Later'), skipping 'Imaginary Fiends' (Good Wyatt is so goody-two-shoes he makes my teeth ache) and ending it when it was originally supposed to end...Phoebe saying, 'Here we go!" KABOOM! The sisters in the last part of Season Seven seem more like the ones in Season Four without Season Six getting in the way, and this gives better closure for Cole. For me, that's Charmed - still my all-time favorite show! Edited February 12, 2017 by Esmeralda 1 Link to comment
whateverhappened February 11, 2017 Share February 11, 2017 (edited) @Esmeralda , that was a fascinating read! Even when I disagree, I enjoyed hearing your thoughts. Someone asked this a long time ago, but I wasn't here and am catching up! What would you all pick as a few favorite episodes from each season and a few episodes you'd want to get rid of? I can't do as thorough a synopsis as esmeralda, but I'll try to identify a few things I like and don't about each season. I'm withholding final grades and rankings until I've rewatched. Season 1 Like - The sisters first figuring out who they are and how to use their powers. Piper's personality and how much more she smiles this season. Phoebe and Prue coming back together after years of resentment. Stories focusing on innocents and sometimes solving mysteries. The sisters hanging out at Quake instead of P3. Phoebe so excited about magic and eager to help people. Learning that Phoebe being born in the manor means she was more likely to give in to evil, which to me is an important dimension of Phoebe's character. Bucklands. Piper having such an instant connection with Mark Chao. Dislike - It feels awkward sometimes, as if it wasn't sure what type of show it wanted to be yet. There are elements that feel outdated now in 2017. It's hardest to warm up to Prue this season. Andy x Prue have a lot of conflicts in their very short time together, so I wasn't able to care that much about them or get a clear idea of what Andy was like. There isn't as much humor. Piper and Phoebe temporarily vying for Leo is ridiculous. There was no point in Josh - this show introduces too many boring, purposeless guys who just take up space! Three favorite episodes - Dead Man Dating, The Witch is Back, That '70s Episode Honorable mentions - Is there a Woogy in the House, From Fear to Eternity, Out of Sight Three episodes I'd ditch - When Bad Warlocks Turn Good, I've Got You Under My Skin, Thank You for Not Morphing Grade - TBD Season 2 Like - Some of the sweetest sisterly moments are in this season. Some of the best stories about innocents are in this season too. The time travel episodes are terrific. Prue is easier to warm up this season. The Prue x Bane scenes. The sisters' hair is better this season. As others have said I never love Phoebe more than during this season. There's a little more humor than last season and it feels like the show hits more of a groove. Dislike - I hate the love triangle to the point where it comes close to ruining the season for me. I think both Dan and Leo are boring and couldn't handle Piper whining about the situation nonstop and never being happy no matter what she chose. Love Piper as a sister but can't stand her when it comes to guys other than Mark Chao, who was with us for just one episode, and by this season I am already tired of hearing her complain about having to be a witch. In Ex Libris, Prue is going out of her way to help a grieving father, Phoebe is putting off the studying she needs to do to help bring peace to a ghost, and Piper is off finding about Leo's former marriage for her own purposes because she just cares so much more about herself and her love life than other people for most of this season. The season felt a little unfocused, like it might have wanted to have some connecting themes and ideas at first but then just gave up. I don't like P3 much and agree with the posters who said that it didn't seem in character for Piper to want to run a nightclub. I prefer Buckland over Prue's freelance photography career and she never seemed like that career was really what she would have dreamed about or been best at. I see her in a different field. Jenny. Dan. Leo. I already covered them lol. Three favorite episodes - Morality Bites, Pardon My Past, Chick Flick Honorable mentions - They're Everywhere, Apocalypse Not, Be Careful What You Witch For, many others Three episodes I'd ditch - Witch Trial, The Devil's Music, That Old Black Magic Grade - TBD I'll save the rest of my like and dislikes for another post and stick to naming favorite episodes from the remainder of the seasons. Season 3 Three favorite episodes - All Halliwell's Eve, Death Takes a Halliwell, Sin Fransisco Three episodes I'd ditch - Magic Hour, Once Upon a Time, Power Outage Season 4 Three favorite episodes - Lost and Bound, We're off to See the Wizard, Long Live the Queen Honorable mentions - The Three Faces of Phoebe, Womb Raider, Witch Way Now Three episodes I'd ditch - Enter the Demon, Trial By Magic, Saving Private Leo Season 5 Three favorite episodes - Sympathy for the Demon, Centennial Charmed, Sense and Sense Ability Honorable Mentions - The Importance of Being Phoebe, Sand Fransisco Dreaming, The Day the Magic Died Three episodes I'd ditch - Cat House, Oh My Goddess , because episodes that focus too much on Leo x Piper angst bore and annoy me Season 6 Three favorite episodes - Forget Me Not, Chris-Crossed, It's a Bad Bad Bad World Honorable mentions - Little Monsters, Hyde School Reunion, Witch Wars Three episodes I'd ditch - Prince Charmed, Crimes and Witch Demeanors, A Wrong Day's Journey Into Right Season 7 Three favorite episodes - Carpe Demon, Show Ghouls, Imaginary Friends Honorable Mentions - Witchness Protection, Charmageddon, Something Wicca This Way Goes Three episodes I'd ditch - There's Something About Leo, Ordinary Witches, Death Becomes Them Season 8 Three favorite episodes - Repo Manor, Forever Charmed and I can't come up with a third! Three episodes I'd ditch - All the rest If anyone is curious about why I love or dislike some of these episodes, please ask! Edited February 11, 2017 by whateverhappened Link to comment
Esmeralda February 11, 2017 Share February 11, 2017 @whatverhappened Oh! I was so thoroughly enjoying your summaries that when you switched to just naming episodes, I admit to being terribly disappointed. It sounds like you're starting a re-watch - I hope you do a summary at the end of each season. Like I've also said elsewhere, choosing favorite episodes is very hard for me in the early seasons while choosing least-favorites is very hard for me in the latter seasons. But directly off the top of my head, very subject to change, they'd be (and these are doing it without reading the rest of yours): SEASON ONE: Three favorite episodes (only three???): That Seventies Episode; The Witch is Back; Love Hurts and lots more Three episodes I'd ditch: I've Got You Under My Skin; Dream Sorcerer; The Wendigo SEASON TWO: Three favorite episodes (only three???): Morality Bites; Chick Flick; P3 H20; and lots more Three episodes I'd ditch: That Old Black Magic, Animal Pragmatism, How to Make a Quilt Out of an American SEASON THREE: Three favorite episodes: All Halliwell's Eve; The Good, The Bad and The Cursed; Sin Francisco and more Three episodes I'd ditch: The Honeymoon is Over: Sleuthing with the Enemy; All Hell Breaks Loose and more SEASON FOUR Three favorite episodes: Charmed Again, Part One; Brain Drain; Saving Private Leo and more Three episodes I'd ditch: Charmed Again, Part Two; Hell Hath No Fury; The Fifth Halliwheel and more SEASON FIVE: Three favorite episodes: The Day the Magic Died; Sense and Sense-Ability; Cat House and more Three episodes I'd ditch: A Witch's Tale (both parts); Centennial Charmed; Oh, My Goddess (both parts) and more SEASON SIX: Three favorite episodes: The Power of Three Blondes; Little Monster; I Dream of Phoebe Three episodes I'd ditch (only three????): Valhalley of the Dolls (both parts), ChrisCrossed; It's a Bad, Bad, Bad, Bad World (both parts) and LOTS more! SEASON SEVEN: Three favorite episodes: Show Ghouls; Little Box of Horrors; Something Wicca This Way Goes? (the question mark means the way it originally was set with the last line being Phoebe's "Here we go!") and a few more Three episodes I'd ditch: The Bare Witch Project; Once in a Blue Moon; Charmedaggedon and more SEASON EIGHT: Three favorite episodes: Mr. & Mrs. Witch; Payback's a Witch; The Jung and the Restless Three episodes I'd ditch (only three?): Vayos con Leos; Holkus Pokus; Forever Crap, I mean Forever Piper, I mean Forever Charmed and LOTS more! 1 Link to comment
blueray February 11, 2017 Share February 11, 2017 (edited) I like both of your reviews. And it looks fun so here are my choices for best and worst episodes. season 1: A pretty good season on rewatches and introduces everything. I'm in the group that misses this Piper (however she is still my favorite character). favorites: Dead Man dating, the 70's episode, deje vu all over again ditch: thank you for not morphing, feats of Clay, is there a woogy in the house (not the worst episode, but for some reason not a favorite). season 2: I liked a lot of elements of this season such as Phoebe going back to school and learning about their past. I got a bit tired of the love triangle as it was obvious she was going to pick Leo. favorites: Mortality bites, Awakened, Ex libris (honorable mentions Animal pragmatism, P3 H20) ditch: the devils music, heartbreak city, how to make a quilt of America season 3: Solid season for the most part and I like most of the episodes. I like Cole this season and that Piper & Leo got married. I also like the building relationship with their father which starts this season. favorites: All Halliwell's eve, pre-witched, all hell breaks loose ditch: power outrage, magic hour (can't name a third one) season 4: I like season 4 a lot actually. I like how Paige is introduced and the story of Cole becoming the source just not the ending (which I'll explain in season 5). favorites: Lost and Bound, A Paige from the Past, Charmed Again (both parts) Ditch: Brain Drain, I hate the trope of a main character thinking everything in the show is not reality, so I remember when this episode aired I watched it and hate it. I believe it is the only non season eight episode I've only seen once. It is also the only episode I don't like in season 4. season 5: I like season 5 for the most part, minus what they do with Cole. I feel like he was really treated unfairly as he didn't become evil on purpose. He was turned into the source when he killed him after saving them. I think that he should have went off to find himself and become a recurring character for the rest of the show, since he was a good character even if he wasn't with Phoebe. It seemed the writers didn't know what to do with him after season 4. Also Wyatt was to powerful but I generally did like the baby storyline. favorites: the eyes will have it, a witch in time, sense and senseability ditch: Happily ever after, house call, witches in tights season 6: I love season 6, always have. I love time travel stories, especially when they are a major plot point. I like Chris's storyline, and enjoy his scenes with Leo. I do wish they had more a plan when they started the story as there are lot of contradictions. I was happy when Piper and Leo got back together. Paige and Richard are good too. favorites: Chris-crossed, Hyde School reunion, Little monsters ditch: the power of three blonds, crimes and witch-demeanors, a wrong journey into right season 7: I like parts of season 7 mainly toward the middle of the season. Most of the episodes are okay, there are a few that stood out as suprising really good episodes and a few others that were on the weaker end. I liked Brody and the avatar storyline. I agree with many that it should have been the final season. favorites: Little box of horrors, styx feet under, charmed noir (honorable mention show ghoals) ditch: a call to arms, Charrmed, imaginary friends season 8: The only season I've only seen once while it was airing. The quality really drops this season. I couldn't stand Kristy and Billie and missed the show that I grew up on at this point. I have to say that I mostly pretend the show ends after season 7. favorite: Forever charmed ditch: the rest of the season! Edited February 11, 2017 by blueray 1 Link to comment
whateverhappened February 12, 2017 Share February 12, 2017 (edited) I'm having so much fun here! I love how we all have different opinions but are so friendly and respectful about it. This is the only place where I've felt comfortable admitting how much I still love Phoebe, who's disliked for reasons that I understand, so it's much appreciated. Of course some of that Phoebe love is contingent on my ability to pretend that even in later seasons she stays more similar to the Phoebe of the first couple of seasons, so my love is founded on a healthy amount of delusion, lol. I also love that we all seem to feel similarly about certain things, like how hard it is to come up with episodes to love from Season 8. :) Quote Oh! I was so thoroughly enjoying your summaries that when you switched to just naming episodes, I admit to being terribly disappointed. I'm really flattered and will continue if no one else minds me blathering on for so long. @blueray , I would love to know what order you would rank the seasons in and what grades you would give them. Continued from my other post - Season 4 Like - I'm in the group who finds Cole more entertaining and interesting when he's half-evil or more than half crazy, and the arc about Phoebe following his descent into evil before finally pulling herself out of it to help her sisters is still one of my favorite stretches of the series. I like how vulnerable Paige is this season. Even though I don't end up liking how they made Phoebe a celebrity and so obsessed with her career beginning in S5 and S6, I like that she finally finds a job she's passionate about this season and how it allows her to use her insight and love for psychology. Even though this season is considered the darkest, I thought it was a very good mix of humor and drama, heartache and hope. Dislike - How the sisterly dynamics have changed. I really like Paige, but as many of you have said, the Charmed ones as a unit never feel as authentically close and sisterly again and their roles and personalities are more fuzzy and inconsistent now that Prue is gone. I'm stealing the criticism someone wrote about how Paige feels like an uneven combo of Prue and Phoebe Lite, and as a result it makes Paige seem like a character who changes week to week and Phoebe is suddenly altered to let Paige be the one who's free spirited, excited about witchcraft, focused on helping people, impulsive and so on. I can't quote again in ths post so apologize to whoever I'm paraphrasing this from! Piper is both a like and dislike this season. I certainly feel more moved by her grief over her sister than I did when she was whining about the love triangle or wanting a better wedding. But this is also the season where she's forced to become the lead witch despite still always hating that they're witches in the first place, and it makes her bitter, bossy and resentful. There are always still flashes of the Piper I loved the first season, but less and less starting this season. Season 5 Like - A little lighter and more uplifting than Season 4 but still with some substance. Just a lot of episodes I really love - I counted more of my favorite episodes in this season than in any other. S2 has the second highest number of my favorites and S4 has the third, in case anyone is curious lol. I'm one of the few who enjoys Cole when he's insane and am impressed with how the show conveyed the idea that just because two people love each other doesn't mean their relationship is healthy or meant to last forever. I like Piper as a mom. Paige's character seems a little more consistent this season. Dislike - I was already over Piper x Leo by now and wish he had more of a life and personality outside of being Piper's nagged husband and the messenger boy between the witches and elders. By S5 he barely seemed to have any purpose. I don't like Jason. This is the season when the writers start to pull Phoebe away from her sisters and witchcraft, and the Phoebe who loved her sisters and helping innocents more than anything is suddenly all about boring, pushy Jason and her career. I agree that some of the magical creature stuff from this season is a little too out there. Season 6 Like - I enjoy Chris's sarcasm and the relationship he has with Piper even though I agree it wasn't very steadily developed. I like Paige's temp jobs - as others have said, it gave us backdrops other than just the manor and P3. I love Piper selflessly encouaging her sisters to move in with their boyfriends. As self-pitying, negative and unpleasant as Piper can be, I love the reminders of how generous and caring she is when it comes down to it. I also think Piper seems a little happier this season as a single mom and then with the fireman. We're supposed to think she was less happy without Leo, but sometimes it didn't come across that way to me. I'm one of the few people who enjoys the Harry Potter rip off, also known as The Magic School, lol. It's just a fun and interesting concept, though obviously not an original one. :) Dislike - The overall plotting, structure and pacing is really off this season. I like the idea of Chris but his story could have been handled much better. You know I love Phoebe, but I dislike her during most of this season, and I'm not saying that just because I hate her Season 6 haircut, lol. She seems consumed by career success and her status this season, her relationship with Jason is still boring and a waste of time until it finally ends, and she just doesn't seem like the caring, exuberant, passionate Phoebe I love. It feels like there's less sisterly bonding this season than in the first five. Season 7 Like - So much more of it than I thought I did! Phoebe still isn't back to the character I first picked as my favorite, but I like her and her hair a lot more than I do in Season 6. Like someone else said, there are some very interesting ideas this season. I still don't care much about Leo but at least there's an attempt to give him more interesting stories here. Kyle is a little annoying, but he's the first of Paige's boyfriends who I believed she felt very strongly about, and I liked some of their scenes. I absolutely love Drake and Kyra. I will now always think of how potentially great Phoebe x Drake could have been. I think the second half of this season is one of the show's best stretches. Dislike - ...But the first half of the season has some definite problems, lol. Some of the stories were theoretically interesting but not done well in reality. Leslie or whatever his name is was yet another male love interest we didn't need and who added nothing. I would say there's more sisterly bonding than last season, but still not as much as in the show's best years. Season 8 Like - The finale had its problems, but it hit most of the right emotional notes for me and made me cry over how sad I was to see our show go even though by now it was a shell of its former self. I like Henry, though I will confess that for some reason Paige seemed more deeply in love with Kyle to me. It was almost a relief not to have Leo around for parts of this season since the show usually doesn't know what to do with him, he was never given a personality, and his marriage to Piper seriously depresses me by now. Phoebe trying to be warm and welcoming to Billie and Christy at first reminded me of how she was the first to welcome Paige and how much I like that facet of her character. Dislike - Everything else! I hate Billie. I hate Christy. I resent that this final season revolved around them more than our sisters. I didn't especially like Coop or feel that Phoebe had a special connection with him. Season 7 at least attempted to take on some interesting themes and ideas - this season was just a haphazard mess. My rankings have already changed and will almost definitely change again, but at this moment - S5, S2 (but I'm skipping through the scenes that relate in any way to the love triangle!), S4, S1, S3, S7, S6, S8. I loved S7 much more than expected this time but still couldn't bring myself to rank it above the Prue seasons. Not because of Prue herself, but the sisterly bonding and how much I loved Phoebe's character and the focus on helping innocents back then. But since S7 is on my mind at the moment and it did give us Drake, I am strangely tempted to place it above S3, so you can consider them tied! Edited February 12, 2017 by whateverhappened 2 Link to comment
helenamonster February 12, 2017 Share February 12, 2017 I realized I never did the "favorite 3, ditch 3" for each season so here we go, off the top of my head... Season 1 Faves: Something Wicca This Way Comes, Dead Man Dating, The Witch is Back Ditch: Thank You For Not Morphing, The Wedding From Hell, The Fourth Sister Season 2 Faves: Morality Bites, The Painted World, Awakened Ditch: The Devil's Music, That Old Black Magic, Animal Pragmatism Season 3 Faves: All Halliwell's Eve, Primrose Empath, The Good the Bad and the Cursed Ditch: Coyote Piper, We All Scream For Ice Cream, Wrestling with Demons Season 4 Faves: Charmed Again, Charmed and Dangerous, Marry-Go-Round Ditch: A Knight to Remember, Trial By Magic, Lost and Bound Season 5 Faves: Siren's Song, Sympathy for the Demon, A Witch in Time Ditch: Lucky Charmed, Cat House, Nymphs Just Wanna Have Fun Season 6 Faves: My Three Witches, Chris-Crossed, I Dream of Phoebe Ditch: Witchstock, Prince Charmed, Hyde School Reunion Season 7 Faves: Charmed Noir, Witchness Protection, Death Becomes Them Ditch: A Call To Arms, The Bare Witch Project, Charrrmed! Season 8 Faves: Gone With the Witches, Kill Billie Vol. 2, Forever Charmed Ditch: Malice in Wonderland, Desperate Housewitches, Hulkus Pocus 1 Link to comment
whateverhappened February 12, 2017 Share February 12, 2017 @helenamonster, it makes me happy that we have similar love and ditch lists! Thanks for reminding me that I forgot to ditch Wedding from Hell and Coyote Piper. I'm still trying to pick just 10-15 series favorites. It's fun to realize how many of these I love and how attached I still am to the show in general. 3 Link to comment
Esmeralda February 12, 2017 Share February 12, 2017 (edited) I'm not sure if this is allowed, and if it's not, please remove it (remember, I'm a newbie who isn't sure of all of the rules), but after reading various reviews, I very simply have to included this, my all-time favorite Charmed story and how I wish Charmed had ended. It was written by Kalvana who is no longer part of Charmedom, but who gave me permission to share it. I count S6 the fluff version of Chris' story with Chris just a boy no matter what his age is. This is the dramatic version with Chris as a man. But it's not just a Chris-story; it's also a Charmed story, showing how I wish S6 Piper, S6 Leo, S6 Phoebe and S6 Paige had been written... I hope you guys enjoy it even half as much as I do. Quote Author's Notes: This is a story that answers the question: What if Bianca was right? Beginning with a rewrite of the end of "Chris-Crossed," this story follows the path of Chris in a battle to save his brother. He returns from the future as he did in "Chris-Crossed", but unlike "Chris-Crossed", by then his parents and aunts have discovered his true identity, which is just the first of the many secrets Chris hold. Others follow him from the future: a slew of assassins, once Chris's allies and followers, now Wyatt has them under a spell to eliminate Chris's very existence. How will the final battle between two powerful brothers occur (and, yes, we find out that Chris is powerful)? And what are the Future Consequences? FUTURE CONSEQUENCES written by Kalvana Note: This story was written during Season Six and Season Seven. It starts at the end of "Chris-Crossed" and ignores all episodes after that one. Disclaimer: I do not own anything Charmed, Chapter One Chris halted a moment, looking back one last time at his family. “Wait!” he choked out, tugging his hand from Bianca’s. “Please?” he asked, knowing she would understand. She bit her lip and nodded. The three sisters watched him turn to face them, seeing the drawn and defeated look in his eyes. Phoebe felt a piercing ache in her own heart as she watched him. He was in so much pain, so sad, so broken. She watched as he smiled weakly at herself and Paige. “I’ll miss you,” he said quietly. Phoebe felt that ache deepen when he turned his attention to Piper. He bit his lip to hold back tears and said nothing, only leaned down to take Piper in his arms, hugging her tightly for a long moment before releasing her, keeping only her hands in his. He laughed at the confused and shocked expression on her face. “I love you,” he whispered, bending to kiss her cheek. “Chris,” Bianca warned, almost sadly. She knew how much this was killing him inside. Chris dropped Piper’s gaze and nodded, looking at their entwined hands. “Let’s go,” he whispered, stepping away from the sisters. Bianca again took his hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze. He took a step towards the glowing portal, but Bianca held him still for a moment, giving him a moment to collect himself before allowing him to face what lay on the other side. “Wait!” Piper squeaked, finally managing to find her voice. “That’s it? You’re just going?” “I don’t have a choice,” Chris shrugged. “She’s stripped my powers.” “But—“ Paige argued. Chris smiled mischievously. “I guess Leo will have to fix that floorboard without me.” He grinned at the sisters one last time before facing Bianca, his face cleared of the impending tears. “I’m ready,” he said flatly. Together they disappeared through the portal, leaving the sisters confused and lost. Well, Piper and Paige were confused and lost, Phoebe, on the other hand, dropped to her knees at the relief his absence brought. “Phoebe,” Paige said worriedly, dropping beside her sister. “What is it?” “Chris,” Phoebe said, shaking her head. “If he felt like that the entire time he was here, I’m glad he could block my powers.” “What are you talking about?” Paige asked. Phoebe shook her head, “Not here. We don’t know when the Phoenix will return and I don’t think it’s a good idea to fight her. No telling what would happen to Future Bianca and no telling what will happen to Future Chris if something happens to her. Paige nodded and reached up to touch Piper’s elbow as Piper continued to stare at the triquetra drawn on the wall. “I don’t understand,” Paige said, shaking her head. “I could never sense his emotions,” Phoebe explained, repeating it again. “Until he was unconscious and I felt his love for Bianca. And then, today, she’d stripped his powers. I felt his emotions,” Phoebe’s voice cracked as she forced down tears at just the memory of his pain. “What did you feel?” Leo asked. “Fear, guilt, pain,” Phoebe whispered, staring out the colored glass of the window. “Not physical. It was all emotional.” “Well, yeah, his fiancée comes back in time to strip his powers and take him in for a bounty,” Paige reasoned. “No,” Phoebe argued, wiping a tear away. “It was more than that. Besides, she felt it was the only way to save his life. Chris understood that.” She stood up, running her fingers through her short-cropped hair. “It was this big, gaping hole in his heart that I felt. He knows loss. He knows it so well. It’s like he had nothing to go back to and it was like--It was like leaving us was ripping all of that open.” Paige bit her lip and stole a quick glance at Leo, who flipped through the Book of Shadows as he tried to formulate a plan. And then she glanced at Piper, who hadn’t spoken since they’d returned to the attic. “He told Piper that he loves her. Do you think maybe, in the future, our sister has a thing for younger guys?” she whispered. “No,” Phoebe assured her. “I think it’s stronger than that. Think about it, Paige,” Phoebe said, all of the fragments settling in her mind. “He’s half-whitelighter. He’s half-witch. He’s willing to go through all of this for Wyatt. He loves Piper.” Paige shook her head, catching on but disagreeing. “But he hates Leo.” “Not really,” Phoebe whispered, shaking her head. “He’s got more of a love/hate thing going on there. He relates to Leo a lot like Prue did to our dad.” “He’s my son,” Piper said flatly, her eyes never seeming to focus. Paige and Phoebe were startled as they hadn’t realized they’d been overheard. “I can feel it, somehow,” Piper continued, turning to face Leo, who stood in mid-flip of a page, his jaw dropping as he regarded his ex-wife. “He’s our son, Leo,” she repeated, watching his face for some sort of reaction. Leo stayed there in shock while Piper spun around to face her sisters. “We have to bring him back. We have to do something. Wherever, whenever he went, it can’t be good.” “He was resigned to it, Piper,” Phoebe said hastily. “He knew it meant his death. I don’t know how we can stop it from this time and he’s defenseless in his own.” “We have to do something!” Piper shouted, stomping her foot down angrily. Paige heard the squeak. “The floorboard!!” She shook her head at the confused looks of her sisters and her stunned ex-brother-in-law. “I have an idea.” ~~~ Leo closed the floorboard and re-covered it with the rug. Not a moment later, Chris flew out of a flash of light, tumbling roughly to the wooden floor. He groaned and rolled onto his back, looking up at the ceiling. “Are you all right?” Piper asked, moving to help him to his feet. “Yeah, fine,” he groaned, rotating his shoulder as if to make sure it was all right. “We need to talk,” Piper said sternly. “I know, I know,” Chris conceded. “I should have told you that I knew Bianca, should have told you what she was up to, but—“ “You should have told up that you’re our son,” Leo piped in. Chris’s eyes burst open, the look of shock evident to everyone around him. “Why didn’t you--?” Before Leo could finish his question, Chris had orbed out. ~~~ Chris stepped onto the Golden Gate Bridge, pacing the width of it. He always found this place oddly soothing, the hum of the traffic, the inescapable breeze. How did they know? How did they find out? It was his mistake. He shouldn’t have said good-bye to them, shouldn’t have let them see his emotions, let them know how much he loved them. It wasn’t supposed to happen this way. This wasn’t the plan. He heard the chiming as someone orbed in next to him. As he saw the form take the shape of his father, he tried to orb out. That was the last person he wanted to see right now, but a hand grabbed him before he could, holding him in place. Leo stared at him, his eyes seeming to memorize Chris’s own, as green as his own. Chris swallowed, tried to keep his expression from betraying him more as he stared at Leo, raising his chin a bit, as if in challenge. “Except for your eyes, you look like your mother,” Leo said softly. Chris shook Leo’s hand off him, resigning himself to remain emotionless. “No one seemed to notice before.” “We weren’t looking before,” Leo admitted. “As if you ever did,” Chris muttered to himself as he turned away from Leo. “What now?” he asked, clasping his hands behind his back as he stared down at the mist-covered waters. “Why didn’t you tell us?” Leo asked, trying to get through to his son. Chris shrugged. “Future consequences.” “I can understand not wanting to talk about future vanquishes, future deaths, but this?” Leo gasped. “How could—“ “You don’t like me very much,” Chris flatly stated. “I love you. You’re my son.” Chris laughed bitterly and shook his head. “Try to remember how you felt about me yesterday. You don’t like me very much.” “That’s not true, I—“ “I'm an empath, just like Aunt Phoebs, so you can't lie to me. You don’t like me. You find me irritating and arrogant, stubborn. You think I take too many risks and put the sisters in too much danger. You think I go off looking for trouble, that I’m reckless.” “I—“ “You’re jealous of the time I get to spend with Mom while you’re off being an Elder, of the time I get to spend with Baby Wyatt while you can only watch.” Leo nodded, biting his lip. “Yes, but—“ “But nothing,” Chris said coldly. “You’re my son,” Leo argued. “That changes things. That makes things different.” “No, it doesn’t. And I’m not your son. Your son hasn’t even been conceived. And, if I have my calculations right, you have a couple of weeks to decide if he is ever born.” “You think I dislike you so much as to stop your conception!” Leo cried, but Chris only shrugged. “How could you even think I—“ “I’ve thought about it myself,” Chris admitted quietly. “I’ve thought about finding a way to put a stop to it myself. Maybe I’m the reason Wyatt turns.” “You can’t believe that!” Chris shrugged. “It happens right around the time I’m born. Which means I play a factor, if only to distract the sisters from whatever gets to him. If I weren’t born, maybe the sisters could stop it before it happens.” “You’re being ridiculous," Leo gasped. "How can you even think that?” Chris laughed, hard, letting the irony in Leo’s statement flood him. “How could you?” he spat before Leo could question. He turned, finally, facing his father with tear-stained cheeks. “You’re the one who put that idea in my head.” “Me?” Leo asked. “When?” Chris shook his head, his bitter humor faltering, suddenly realizing that this wasn’t the same man he was used to arguing with, used to hating, not yet anyway. “In about fifteen years,” he shrugged, before taking a deep breath. “Look,” he conceded, shaking his head to clear his own emotions. “I wasn’t planning on this. You shouldn’t know. Aunt Phoebs, Aunt Paige and most certainly Mom shouldn’t know who I am.” “Why?” Leo asked. “Because it’s a distraction. They need to be focused on saving Wyatt and the future. If they know who I am, when I put myself in the risks that I need to take, they’re going to protect me because of who I am. I can’t let them.” Chris scratched at his upper arms nervously, trying to find the courage to get his last and biggest reason out. “Besides, this isn’t just some run-of-the-mill quest for me. This isn’t your run-of-the-mill demon of the week vanquish. This is my entire life and the life of everyone I care about. I will die for this if I need to and I don’t want Mom to have to watch her son die, knowing it's her son as he dies. I had to watch her die; I don't want her to watch me die.” Leo swallowed, wrapping his mind around his son’s words, wrap his mind around the fact he even had a grownup son. Chris was silent for a moment, trying to come up with a solution. Finally he turned to Leo. “Help me?” he asked. His words surprised Leo. “What can I do?” “Dust them?” “No!” Leo shouted. “After what happened with Piper, I will not take their memories of you away. It’ll—“ “Not of me," Chris amended. "Just of who I am.” Leo shook his head. “No.” “Look, you were never there for me. Never when I needed you. But I need you now. Please, do this for me?” he asked quietly. “Do it for them? Please, for everyone’s sake.” Leo nodded, biting his tongue. “I won’t dust myself. I’ll remember.” “But—“ “You say that in the future, I’m Up There,” he said, glancing up to the starry sky. “If that’s so, then I’m not involved in anything that is about to happen with the sisters, leaving me completely free to protect you.” “Can’t work like that,” Chris insisted, shaking his head. “You can’t know.” Leo shrugged. “Too bad. If assassins are being sent back after you, you need someone to watch your back. You need someone to help you. And you’ve got me.” Chris let loose a small smile as his face filled with tears. He shook that off quickly, however, and nodded his agreement. ~~~ The sisters waited not-so-patiently for Leo to return with their whitelighter. When the pair finally returned in a swirl of glowing orbs, the sisters breathed a sigh of relief, all three of them rushing to hug the young man they’d grown to care about. “I don’t understand,” Phoebe said. “If we put the spell in the attic, how did you get all the way to the bridge?” “I orbed,” Chris replied carelessly. “It doesn’t matter. I’m just glad everything is okay,” he added, catching Leo’s eye, silently thanking him. “Oh, my,” Piper shrieked, seeing Chris’s neck. “What is—“ Tentatively, she reached forward, touching the tender flesh. There was a handprint on her whitelighter’s throat, one of bruise as well as burn. “What happened?” she asked, gasping at the thought of the pain it must have caused. Chris touched his neck and shook his head, not wanting to inform the sisters that it was the darling little baby they cared for so much who was such a monster in the future. Not the specifics of it anyhow. But Leo knew, and Chris heard him let out a long sad sigh. “Let me heal that,” he said, reaching forward towards Chris. Chris stepped away as the hand began to glow. “No,” he said quietly. “I’m good.” Leo stared at him, confused. Chris only shook his head, willing Leo to just understand. “I’m a fast healer naturally, promise.” Then he stood awkwardly, shuffling his feet, not wanting to look up at his mother or aunts, not now after they no longer knew. “It’s getting late, and I’m kind of tired. I should go over to the club and get some sleep.” “It’s not that late,” Piper pointed out after a quick glance at her watch. “The club will still be packed and noisy. Why don’t I make up the couch for you?” Chris nodded, his eyes still lowered. “That’d be nice. Mind if I borrow your shower?” “Not at all,” Piper replied quickly, watching him nod quickly and jog down the stairs. She immediately turned on her ex-husband. “What happened?” “What do you mean?” Leo asked guiltily. Piper rolled her eyes. “I mean. He’s hurt and won’t let you heal him. Something obviously has him spooked because he won’t look any of us in the eye and I feel like—“ Piper stopped herself mid-sentence and shook her head. “I’m worried about him. I don’t understand why I’m so worried, but I am. And you know something.” Leo shook his head. “Future consequences,” was all he said, orbing out before she could protest. ~~~ Chris stripped out of his filthy black shirt to see the blood on it that he was thankful no one else had noticed. Bianca’s blood. How did things get so screwed up? He glanced in the mirror, seeing more clearly the handprint on his neck, felt each pinpricking nerve that it encompassed. He saw other bruises and scrapes, too, from being tossed around the future attic by his darling brother. He was startled out of studying his own injuries when a swirl of orbs appeared behind him in the mirror. “Why wouldn’t you let me heal you?” Leo asked, staring at the marks that littered Chris, scratches and bruises. Chris shook his head, leaning over the sink, propping himself there with two outstretched arms. “You can’t. And I didn’t want to have to explain that in front of the sisters.” “I’ve healed you before,” Leo argued. “That was different. You can’t heal the damage caused by your own blood,” Chris explained quickly before pushing himself off the sink and digging into the cabinet for something to put on the itching mark. “My own blood?” Leo asked quietly, dropping onto the toilet as he tried to wrap his head around it all. “You mean—“ “Yeah, that’s Wyatt’s handprint,” Chris replied nonchalantly, finding something that might at least cool the burn. “He just tried to strangle you with his bare hands?” Leo gasped. Chris laughed. “No. Wyatt doesn’t do much with his bare hands. Doesn’t like to get dirty, you know?" “Then—“ Chris took a step back and faced his father. “Like this,” he said quietly, reaching a hand up, curling it into a loose fist. Leo felt it on his throat, the pressure, though Chris was keeping it light. “Telekinesis,” he clarified before going back to tending his wounds. “And the burn?” Leo inquired. “Oh, you know. Everything Wyatt does packs a little extra punch.” Leo nodded. “So, what are your powers?” Chris shrugged. “Orbing, telekinesis, empathy, and variations of them. That’s it, really. Though they seem to be growing very quickly.” “Really?” Leo asked. “Since I came back to the past my empathy has gotten stronger, maybe if only because I’ve been giving it a workout blocking Aunt Phoebs. And I’ve developed sensing to go with the orbing. I never could do that before.” “Any other whitelighter powers? Healing, maybe?” Leo asked. “No,” Chris snapped, slamming the cabinet shut. “You know that.” Chris shook his head, admonishing himself for snapping on his father. “Sorry, it’s just that that is a bone of contention between us, in the future.” “How so?” “You think I can heal and say I just need to practice.” “Maybe you just need proper motivation.” Off Chris’s confused look, he continued. “Powers come from emotions. Healing comes from love. If the circumstances are right, if it is someone you love that needs—“ “No,” Chris insisted, shaking his head. “I’ve had motivation. More than you could possibly guess. No luck.” “But—“ “No!” Chris snapped, then immediately tried to calm himself. “Chris?” Piper asked as she knocked lightly on the door outside. “Are you all right in there?” “I’m fine,” he called out quickly. “Can I come in?” Piper asked. Chris glanced up at Leo, silently asking him to leave. Chris waited until the orbs had disappeared and this past version of his mother repeated the question before pulling the door open. “Oh, God,” Piper exclaimed, seeing the bruises and cuts that covered her whitelighter's bare torso. “Sit down,” she demanded, urging him over to the toilet. She reached into the medicine cabinet, grabbing for various things. "Why didn’t you have Leo heal you?” she demanded harshly. Chris leaned back a moment, smiling at the fact his mother was fussing over him. “I’m fine, really,” he said softly, reaching out to stop her hands. “I’m fine.” “You’re not fine!” Piper argued, taking a perch on the clothes hamper as she pulled away from his hand to work on putting antiseptic on some of the worst of the cuts that covered his back and shoulder. “What happened?” Again Chris shrugged. “I got thrown through a table. And a cabinet. And, I think, a wall,” Chris laughed. “It’s fine. I’ve been through worse.” “I can see that,” Piper muttered, noticing some scars tarnishing the smooth skin. “Why wouldn’t you let Leo heal you?” Chris bit his lip for only a moment while he formulated an answer. “Because one day I’ll have to go back to the future where I don’t have a healer and I still have to fight. Wouldn’t want to go soft by having stuff like this healed.” Piper looked at his haunting green eyes, seeing something there she’d never seen before: recognition. “Is the future really so horrible?” she asked. “Mine is,” he answered quickly, looking over Piper’s handiwork. “But, I’m working to change that.” “What about mine?” Piper asked. “What’s my future like?” she asked wistfully. Chris felt as if he was going to choke on the sob that wanted to escape. “I can’t answer that,” he managed to squeak out, standing up to pace away from Piper. “Future consequences?” Piper asked, watching as Chris seemed to stare at the wall. He seemed to nod roughly. “I’m sorry,” she said. “I know about the consequences. It was more of a rhetorical question anyway. I only ask because of Leo.” “What about him?” Chris croaked out, swallowing away his tears and doing everything he could to mask his emotions before turning back to the woman seeking his counsel. “It’s just-- I miss him. I understand why he has to be away, but I miss him. And everything is so different now. I’m a mother and Wyatt... He deserves a father, not the kind that shows up every once in a blue moon to say hi, but a real one. The kind that’s there for him when he wakes up from a nightmare in the middle of the night. The kind that’ll be there to teach him things like how to play catch and what do to when he meets a girl he likes. And the kind who just loves his family. And I want that to be Leo, but I know it can’t be. I don’t even know if he would want to be,” she confessed finally allowing herself to cry. Chris shook his head and enveloped his mother in his arms, letting her cry herself out against him. “Shh,” he soothed, not knowing how to calm her without saying too much. “If there is one thing I know about Leo, it’s that he loves you. He loves you, I promise. He loves you now and he loves you in the future,” Chris let out, hearing Piper’s breath hitch in her throat as she digested the new information. She pulled back, wiping away her tears. “Thanks.” “You’re welcome.” "You’re pretty good at this whole whitelighter thing.” “Actually, I’m not, but thank you anyway.” Piper gave him a crooked smile. “I’ll let you get cleaned up,” she said, ducking out the door. Before the door closed, Chris heard the crash, followed by a loud shout from Paige. “Demon!” she screamed, alerting the household to its presence. Chris rushed from the room just in time to see Piper knocked backward through the hall, crashing into a bedroom door. He stepped into the hallway, seeing the gray-skinned creature heading towards Piper’s prone body. He blocked the way, taking a position in front of Piper to protect her. Phoebe let out a shrill screech as she flew through the air, kicking the demon in the back of the head, but the attack didn’t seem to deter the beast. The demon seemed intent on Piper and only Piper. “Vase!” Paige shouted from the top of the stairs, hurling it at the demon, again with no effect. Instead it focused on Chris, the only obstruction between it and its target. Chris stared at it, catching its foggy eyes, seeing them gleam purple and recognition hit him. “Tasha?” he asked, resting his stance momentarily. Paige and Phoebe watched in wonder as the beast stopped, sniffing at the air. “Chris?” it asked, but the voice was not what they were expecting. Instead, the voice sounded like that of a young girl. Slowly, the beast began to morph into something that would match the voice, a young girl dressed in simple jeans and T-shirt. “Chris?” “It’s me, girlie-girl,” he greeted, reaching forward, resting a hand on her shoulder. The girl giggled at that and pulled Chris into a hug. Piper groaned as she rolled over, pushing herself off the floor. Chris released the girl and went immediately to his mother’s side, helping her to her feet, sweeping her up into his arms when weight on her leg forced her to collapse again. “Leo!” he shouted, knowing his father was nearby. Leo appeared, stepping immediately to Piper, who awoke slowly in Chris’s arms. “Can you stand?” Chris asked, moving to set her on her feet. “What happened?” Piper asked, looking at the damage in the hallway. “That’s what we’d like to know,” Paige said, crossing her arms over her chest. “Who’s your demon friend, Chris?” Chris pulled Tasha to the edge of the hallway, holding her in front of him, her back to his chest. “This is Tasha, and she’s not a demon. She’s a witch.” The three sisters finally got a better glimpse of the girl. She was younger than they initially thought, maybe only ten, eleven or twelve. Her hair was a deep muddy brown and hung in greasy wisps around her head, falling carelessly in her face. They gasped when they saw her face, gnarled and burned from the nose up, her eyes nothing but milky white pools. “Tasha, this is Paige, Piper and Phoebe Halliwell.” Tasha laughed. “Charmed, I’m sure,” she joked, and even Paige managed to find the humor in it. Tasha’s, however, quickly disappeared. “But, if these are the Charmed Ones--" She suddenly gasped in horror. "I attacked the Charmed Ones?” “You attacked Piper,” Chris pointed out. “Omigod!” Tasha gasped, tears coming to her eyes. “I’m sorry, Chris. I’m so sorry.” “Shh,” Chris whispered quickly. “We need to talk more in private,” and he tugged her into the still-open door to the bathroom, quickly closing and locking the door behind him. “They don’t know who I am,” he explained quickly and quietly. “Will you help me keep that secret?” and Tasha readily agreed. “Where are the sisters?” Chris asked when he reentered the hallway with Tasha. “Kitchen,” Leo answered quickly. “Figured there wasn’t going to be any sleep for awhile, so they’re making coffee.” Chris nodded. “Tasha, this is Leo Wyatt, my father.” “I thought they didn’t know who you are,” she whispered out of the side of her mouth. “Only Leo does and I intend to have it stay that way.” “Nice to meet you,” Leo said, reaching to take the blind girl’s hand. “It’s an honor, Mr. Wyatt,” Tasha said awkwardly. Leo laughed. “Just call me Leo. I don’t think anyone has ever called me Mr. Wyatt.” He turned to face Chris. “I heard what you said to Piper in there, about me. Thank you.” “I didn’t do it for you,” Chris said flatly. “I did it for me. If I discover that I'm not the one behind Wyatt's turning, I would still like to to be conceived, so I can’t let her hate you. Not yet. Doesn’t mean I think you’re any less of an asshole.” Leo led Tasha down the stairs while Chris found clothing to pull on. Her arrival couldn’t mean anything good. “So, Tasha?” Chris asked, getting right down to business as he entered the kitchen. “What brings you to 2003?” “Please, like you don’t know that one,” she scoffed. “He sent me.” Chris nodded. “I’m sorry, Chris,” she continued. “I didn’t know.” “It’s okay, girlie-girl,” he said, wrapping an arm around her. “Isn’t she a bit young for you?” Paige joked, seeing the obvious closeness between the two. “Eww!” Tasha protested, pushing Chris away, turning to face Paige with unseeing eyes. “That’s just gross! He’s practically my father!” “Your father?” Phoebe chimed in, a twinkle in her eyes. “Isn’t he a bit young for that?” Chris just groaned at his aunts' strange sense of humor. “He takes care of me. Takes care of all of us, really.” The sisters’ collective curiosity was piqued as they saw the newcomer as a way to finally shed some light on their mysterious whitelighter. “He’s the one who rescued me after my parents were killed. He saved my life.” “How so?” Piper asked. “Well,” the girl said excitedly. “We’d been running from demons for weeks, hiding out in some of the collapsed buildings by Center City. My mom was very powerful and the Lord wanted her killed. They finally had us trapped, cornered in an alleyway. We all fought, even though I was so small, but then I'd been fighting for years, even since the Lord took over. No big deal. Anyway, there were flashes of light: energy balls, fireballs and my parents’ own powers. My mom got run through with a spear of some kind and when my dad went to her side, he caught a wave of fireballs and got all burned up. So there I was, my parents dead on the ground and me all alone facing three giant demons!” The sisters all were silent, confused by the way the girl spoke so casually and excitedly about her parents’ deaths, as if deaths of loved ones were something that happened every day. “I shifted into a panther and hunched back," Tasha continued, "Ready to pounce. That’s when one of the demons fell and I saw Chris. He was standing there with this huge pipe in his hands and he just clubbed the sucker, right in the back of the head.” “Your whitelighter to the rescue, huh?” Piper asked, oddly proud of Chris. “What’s a whitelighter?” Tasha asked. “Nothing, sweetie,” Chris responded softly. “Don’t worry about it.” All three of the sisters looked at him with shock and concern painting their expressions, but Tasha went on with her story, not knowing there was anything wrong. “Anyway, there we were, toe-to-toe with the demons. Chris told me to run, screamed at me to go, but I wouldn’t. I lunged at one of the demons, scratching his eyes out with my claws. Chris threw the other one, tossing him out of the alley with a single hand. He went after him, impaling him with the pipe he’d used to knock the first one out, vanquishing him into flames. “The first one, he woke up and saw me, still scratching at the dead demon. He threw an energy ball before I realized it. Next thing I remember is hearing Chris’s voice tell me everything was going to be all right as he bandaged my face up.” “Why didn’t you get her a healer?” Piper asked “I told you,” Chris replied tiredly. “There are no healers in the future.” “Anyway,” Tasha said, bringing the attention back to her. “Chris took me to the Caverns. I’ve been living there since.” “What’s the Caverns?” Phoebe asked. “It’s where we all live, everyone who resists the Lord. It’s a sanctuary for witches and demons and other magical folk who don’t want to do what the Lord says. Chris is in charge. He takes care of us. He makes sure we get food and he makes sure the Lord can’t find us. And he goes out to find others, like he found me. Well, he did until he left a few months ago. Then we all got captured,” she shrugged as if that was no big deal. “You got anything to eat?” “Sure,” Piper responded. “What would you like?” “Whatever you have will be fine,” Tasha answered easily. Piper dug into the cabinet, finding a box of cookies. She put them out on a small plate and poured a glass of milk for the girl. Piper placed the glass in her hand first. Tasha took a sip. “Milk,” she sighed happily. "And it’s so cold.” She picked up a cookie off the plate and bit into it absently, spitting it out into her hand by surprise. The sisters watched her face go from surprise to a happy smile and she took it back into her mouth sloppily. “That’s so good,” she said. “What is it?” “Chocolate-chip cookie,” Piper answered flatly, still confused by the girl’s enthusiasm. “It’s good,” Tasha said around a mouthful of cookie. Chris shook away the tears he felt after seeing Tasha so awed by such simple pleasures. “Why are you here?” he had to ask her. “I told you. He sent me.” “Why?” Chris asked. “To kill the evil witch who's holding you hostage so you can't come home.” Chris shook his head sadly. “That’s what Bianca meant,” he said to himself. But Piper overheard him. “What she meant by what?” “She said that if I didn’t go back with her, others would be sent back, not to take me to him, but to kill me and those around me.” “What?” Leo asked, confused. “That’s silly. Why would he send allies back for you? As soon as they realize what they’re doing, they’ll be on our side. Soon we’ll have a little army back here in this time.” “No,” Chris said sadly. “They’ll be under a spell. He’ll make me kill off my own people one by one.” He rubbed tiredly at his eyes. “Then, why isn’t Tasha under a spell?” Phoebe asked. Tasha laughed. “I might have been. But, when I change forms, spells cast on me in one form disappear. Not many people know that.” “Bianca was the first to come back, but she obviously won’t be the last,” Chris said to himself. “Bianca’s here?” Tasha asked excitedly. “Where?” Chris stepped forward, resting a hand on the girl’s shoulder. “Sweetie, Bianca’s dead,,” he softly told her. Phoebe felt the pang in her chest that Chris let through his shield and the full-out despair from the girl in his arms. “I’m sorry, Chris,” Phoebe said. “I know how you felt about her.” Chris nodded mutely, then quickly changed the subject. “Did you make up the couch yet?” Piper nodded and watched how the young man swept the girl up into his arms, carrying her into the living room, tucking her tenderly beneath the thick blankets. “Sleep tight, girlie-girl.” Chris stepped back into the kitchen, going immediately to the coffee pot, pouring himself a huge cup, chugging like it were Gatorade and he’d just run a marathon. He poured himself a second cup and grabbed one of the abandoned cookies. “I’ll see you all in the morning,” he said dully. “I have work to do.” He headed back towards the staircase. “Wait a minute!” Piper called after him. “You have some explaining to do.” “I—“ “Don’t tell me you can’t because of future consequences!” Piper shouted. “Why are there no healers? Why doesn’t a young witch, obviously well versed in her powers, not know what a whitelighter is? Especially when she obviously knows you so well?” “I can’t answer that,” Chris said dully. “Chris,” Leo said softly. “You have to tell them something. Maybe not everything, but something.” Chris seemed to think about it for a long moment before nodding. “Whitelighters are the chief healers. They always have been. Well, in the future, they’re all dead. It took a year for them all to be hunted, but they were all killed. Next on his list were the Elders, but when I went into the past, he must've pushed me to the top of the list.” “All of the whitelighters are dead?” Piper asked, shocked by the new information. “All of them,” Chris confirmed. “At least all of the full-blooded ones. A few of us half-bloods have managed to survive.” “Us? I don’t—“ “Tasha doesn’t even know what a whitelighter is because I’m not really a whitelighter,” Chris sighed. “I’m a witch.” “But you orb,” Phoebe pointed out. “All right,” Chris conceded. “Half-witch, half-whitelighter. Like you, Paige. But I was raised as a witch. My mother taught me the Craft. There are very few with any whitelighter blood left, and even fewer who actually have the power to heal, something I can't do which might be why I've survived as long as I have. And those who do, well, they have their hands full or are imprisoned.” “Imprisoned?” Piper asked. “I think that’s enough information for today. Keep an eye on Tasha. There will be another sent here to attack when he realizes she failed.” “Who is ‘he’?” Paige asked. Chris shook his head, refusing to answer. “It’s Wyatt, isn’t it?” Piper asked, pleading with Chris for answers. “It’s Wyatt who’s doing all of this. Who’s turned the world into some MadMax movie, who’s—“ “Yes,” Chris affirmed quietly. “And I’m going to turn it back.” Before anyone could ask any more questions, he’d jogged up the stairs to the attic. No, I changed my mind. I'm just going to give that one chapter and wait to see if doing this is okay, and if it is, if anyone wants to read more. Edited February 12, 2017 by Esmeralda Link to comment
whateverhappened February 12, 2017 Share February 12, 2017 (edited) @Esmeralda, I haven't been posting here that long either, but I think the mods like to keep things on topic, so maybe you should start a Fanfiction Thread for the stories you've shared? Or just share the link instead of pasting whole chapters? I have a feeling fanfic doesn't go here. Just a suggestion! Edited February 12, 2017 by whateverhappened Link to comment
Esmeralda February 12, 2017 Share February 12, 2017 (edited) Thanks, I kinda thought so, too. I'll wait and make sure what the others say. This might make the story go away, I don't know - I still don't understand everything. Also as a newbie, I don't quite feel right in starting new threads, so again, I'll wait and see. By the way, how do you do the reply thing where it shows your name and you get a notification that shows I replied specifically to you or mentioned you? Edited February 12, 2017 by Esmeralda Link to comment
Lady Calypso February 12, 2017 Share February 12, 2017 Oh, I haven't done this in a while, so I am more than happy to contribute! Season 1 Likes: I also agree with others who said that this was one of the best versions of Piper, if not the best. I also think this was the best version of Phoebe. I think that this season was one of discovery for the show, but one that worked. There was more of a balance between demons and other types of evil supernatural beings, which is sorely lacking in every other season. They had so many witches and warlocks that I thought that it was perfect for the show's tone. Phoebe had her destiny set and I wish it stuck. Her eventually transitioning into psychology in season 2 was a perfect fit, but that's more on her for season two! This season had her really discover herself and realizing that she would have been around my age currently (I'm 23) makes me reflect even more on it. She was really the one gunning to save the innocents and embrace her powers, while Piper was so against it initially and Prue was a little more reluctant. I also think that this was the season of Prue being the main witch, seeing as she got her main focus with Andy, some of the magical stories were mostly about her, but it also didn't take away from Phoebe or Piper. I also loved Piper/Leo and thought their romance this season was at its sweetest and most innocent, even if he was lying about who he was. Dislikes: So, there are a few dislikes. The overall cases were not super great. This season, for me, kind of dates itself and it doesn't hold up as well as other seasons now. They also had some bumps when trying to discover the future of the show, so not all of it held up for me. Overall, though, it's not a bad season. I do have to rewatch at some point because this opinion could change. This "Keep 3, Ditch 3" is going to be very difficlt. Favs: Something Wicca This Way Comes, The Truth is Out There...And It Hurts, The Wendigo Ditch: Thank You For Not Morphing, Wedding From Hell, Feats of Clay So, overall: B+/A-. Season Two Likes: So, this is a season where I will definitely have to rewatch because I remember enjoying it a lot when I was younger but now it's harder to pinpoint why. They do have some terrific episodes about innocents, so that works in their favour. I enjoyed seeing Prue grow her power. Being the first official one to do it, it was fun to see her figure out her new power and this is when I truly think she starts to really be superwitch, and work toward it. They have a much better idea of where the show is going, so that's why they produce some very strong episodes (Mortality Bites, P3H20, Awakened). Again, there's such a disconnect with how dated season 1 looks that I can glance at season 2 episodes and not think it's easily from 1998. I mean, the fashion kind of sticks, but the hair styles are ten times better. Each sister got a really strong episode or two to work from, and they all seemed to still need each other to vanquish demons and other creatures. Dislikes: Yeah, the love triangle sucks. They never knew what to do with Dan and they didn't seem invested in him, so he flopped pretty hard. They flopped hard on his niece well, who then disappeared with barely a throwaway line. The love triangle was always going to end on Piper/Leo, especially with Piper not telling Dan about her being a witch. I mean, come on man! You live next door! Do you not hear random crashing and shouting every night from your home? Or do you only conjugate there once a month? It also didn't help that Dan was just....eh. He didn't really do anything or fight for Piper. And, his hair was hella greasy, so I didn't really find him appealing. Leo, for all of his faults, had something going for him. Dan was just there. It was exactly like how I questioned how Prue ever got together with Jack, of all people. Who is another part of my dislike. He was a poor excuse for a rebound after Andy, but since he had more personality than Dan and not in the good way, it was quite easy to hate him as well. I mean, I guess he was supposed to be funny and short term so in that regard, I could tolerate him. I was just very annoyed with his attitude by the end of his short run. Keep: Mortality Bites, P3H20, Pardon My PastDitch: The Devil's Music, That Old Black Magic, Animal Pragmatism Overall Grade: A- Season Three And here is where it starts to get quite tricky. Likes: Where to start with this season? It's easily on my top three favourite seasons and for some very good reasons. First off, the sisters' individual arcs worked extremely well. I ended up loving Cole for many reasons. I don't think there's a time in the series where I hate Cole. I remember defending him viciously, even when he became the Source in season 4 because the show often forgot to remind viewers that Cole was there, but the Source was its own being who took over Cole's body. But that I'll get into in season 4. For this season, he was perfect in his role as Cole, Phoebe's boyfriend, and Belthazor, the demon set to kill the Charmed Ones. Phoebe may have started her path to become PhoeMe in this season, but there was still a time during the season where she struggled with the choice (rather than her easily choosing herself over her sisters in later seasons). She really struggled with being with Cole and she made mistakes, but she did know it was wrong and she didn't want to disappoint her sisters. Thus, the Phoebe/Leo relationship grew a bit, which was nice. Leo got his own secret for a bit, and it's one of the rare times that Leo gets to interact with anyone but Piper or talking about Piper with the other sisters. Also, Prue is at her absolute best this season, which is good because it's her last season but I don't think they knew it until closer to the end of the season. Prue was the epitome of what the Charmed Ones should have been. She practiced her magic, she got stronger, she got better, she developed her powers, and she may not have had a love life, but she made sure she was still a kickass sister. She got some amazing moments for her last season. Also, I really did like Piper/Leo still in this season. I could totally understand why Piper was upset about not being able to marry Leo in the traditional way. All she wanted wa one normal thing in her life and she couldn't get a normal wedding because of the Elders. I can totally sympathize with her pain and anguish. Dislikes: That being said, this season didn't come without its problems. Honestly, the stuff with Cole and his demon friends by the end of the season didn't flow well for me. At the end of the day, I wasn't into his little arc by the end. It just kind of puttered out by the end. Also, despite my understanding here, Piper did start to get whiny. And...that's about it, actually. It's why it's second or third of my favourite seasons. Keep: Primrose Empath, Death Takes a Halliwell, Sin FranciscoDitch: Magic Hour, Once Upon a Time, Demon Who Came In From The Cold Overall Grade: A Season Four Likes: This one is easily either second or third, so it does switch with the previous season, depending on my mood when I rewatch. They're both so closely connected because they represent different things, but they overall strengthen the importance of the sisters, even with different sisters. Listen; I have a very deep love for Paige. I started watching this show live during the end of season 5 and I wasn't introduced to Prue until a bit later, so Paige was my favourite sister. I relate to her a lot so she'll always be great in my book. Plus, she really grew into her own. But this season had her with the outsider's perspective, the one that had to fit into the sister dynamic and the Charmed dynamic, but not willingly. She chose good, but she really had to start fresh on both ends. With Piper/Phoebe's dynamic as well as the loss of Prue, she had to step up and accept anything that was thrown at her. It's not easy to be thrown a new family and a new destiny, but Paige handled it as best as she could. Plus, my second favourite relationship in the series with the sister is Paige/Piper. They don't get a lot of scenes throughout the series, but their moments especially in this season are well worth watching. This season had some stumbles, but I chalked it up to the loss of Shannen Doherty to the show and them having to rearrange their whole show to make things fit. And overall, they really did manage to get a lot right. Cole was also a highlight of the season. Seeing him struggling to be good, taking on The Hollow and then becoming The Source, and then going half mad from it at the end of the season was very well done. Also, am I misremembering the circumstances of the Source/Cole? Was The Source somewhat of his own entity that crawled into Cole? Cole chose to take on the Hollow to kill the Source, but he didn't know that he would become the Source. He didn't have as much of a choice than the show makes it seem like he did. Which is why I could never hate Cole, even if this part is somewhat untrue. He always had amazing moments and it did give us one of the strongest arcs they've done in the series, especially with Phoebe. Who, again, is another highlight. They decided to actually explore the idea of her being evil, which was amazing. Listen; the whole marriage up to it was a disaster, but her being Queen for one episode was very, very well done. Dislikes: Alas, a few more dislikes which does make this season lean toward being my third favourite instead of second favourite, although you'll read in my next post why the dislikes don't really affect the overall ranking. The whole engagement with Phoebe/Cole got very annoying at times. I very much disliked the Bridezilla episode they gave Phoebe, especially when it came to Paige. It felt unnatural and unearned. It was the first major instance where I realized that maybe Phoebe was changing into a woman who I didn't like. She was just downright awful; Piper was not that bad during her engagement. And this is when Phoebe thinks she's marrying Cole, a mortal man at this point! Well, somewhat mortal. Mostly away from the evil side, at this point. It really started becoming all about her, and not in a good way. It gets worse later though, so Phoebe in this season is a bit more tolerable. Piper also got thrusted into the eldest sister role, which meant that her entire introverted personality was thrown out the window. We got bitchy, somewhat whiny Piper. Her grief was very well done, but she definitely hit a lot of stumbles after that because the show didn't seem to know who Piper was anymore. So this season was definitely more about Phoebe and a bit of Paige, with Piper stumbling behind. Keep: Charmed Again Pt 1, Hell Hath No Fury, Long Live The QueenDitch: Size Matters, The Three Faces of Phoebe, Womb Raider Overall Grade: A-/A So, I am going to stop here. At some point in the next few days, I will review seasons 5-8. 2 Link to comment
blueray February 12, 2017 Share February 12, 2017 I don't see why that wouldn't be okay unless there's a fanfic thread? Anyhow since @whateverhappened asked I would rank the seasons similar to how I said earlier in the thread but I don't think I finished it. season 6: I still find this is the season that I go too when I feel like watching a random episode. As a teen I totally had a crush on Chris. But as a married adult, I still find myself enjoying most of the episodes and loving the time travel element. There are good sister moments this season as well as good stories involving them separately as well. There are serious episodes as well as funny ones. So A+ would be my rating. season 4: After looking back at an episode list, I realized I forgot how much I love this season. There really is just the one episode I didn't like and that is mainly because of a trope that I don't like in any show. I'd give this season an A+ as well. season 2: I generally like this season. However there are a few I really didn't like. And mainly because of the never ending love triangle I'd give this season an A-. season 3: I love the stories involving the wedding, minus the part when Prue ruins the actual event. I liked the addition of Cole as he was an interesting character. I love the sister moments. I'd give this season an A- as well. season 1: great start to the show. I'd give it a A-. It does have great episodes, however there are a few that are kind of meh. Season 5: I'd give this season a B+ because it generally was pretty good with a few stories that I just didn't like (Cole's mainly). season 7: This season was kind of a meh season in my opinion. The season bad episodes or barely okay ones then the season does pick up toward the end. There are some episodes that I'd forgot about until a rewatch recently that were actually really good episodes that almost seemed like they could be in an earlier season. But mainly because of the bad ones I'd give it a C+. season 8: Seeing as I've only seen it once and only remember really liking the finally which isn't even that great of an episode. I'd have to give it an F. Anyhow, I'm interested to see what others think. 2 Link to comment
whateverhappened February 12, 2017 Share February 12, 2017 When I average out the grades that everyone assigns each season, and don't think for a second that I'm not nerdy enough to do that, I predict that poor S8 will finish dead last. :) 1 Link to comment
whateverhappened February 12, 2017 Share February 12, 2017 (edited) Quote Long Live The Queen Definitely in my top five! I've seen this episode A LOT and still get goosebumps during that scene where they vanquish Cole every single time. It's so perfectly done. I still feel this rush of sheer relief and devastation when Phoebe decides to join her sisters. I ended up not wanting Phoebe and Cole together forever, but I still get a lump in my throat when he looks at her during his last moments - at least what we all think back in Long Live the Queen are his last moments - and says he'll always love her. Parts of the episode are sneaky funny as well, like the demons having a very serious business meeting to decide who they need to kill next and Phoebe casually killing off demons who annoy her. LLtQ is coming with me to my desert island even if I can only take a handful of episodes! Edited February 12, 2017 by whateverhappened 1 Link to comment
iknowyouknow March 9, 2018 Share March 9, 2018 (edited) 1. Season 2 - I'm surprising myself by placing this one atop my rankings! Every season has its unique charms (forgive me, I couldn't resist) and flaws, so for me it's less about which seasons come together best as a cohesive whole (they don't, lol) and simply which ones have the greatest number of episodes that I love and find myself wanting to watch most often. S2 has a lot of my favorites, and even the worst episodes have parts that I enjoy. I'm in the camp who, despite liking Paige, thought the original power of three was by far the better trio whether we're evaluating them as witches or sisters. They have a lot of their best scenes in this season imo, as individual characters and as a bonded unit. This is definitely Phoebe's best season (imo), one of Piper's better seasons since despite the painfully terrible love triangle and signs she's already becoming too sour, harshly critical and pissed at everyone and everything she's still recognizably the Piper I loved in s1, and it's possibly Prue's best season too. S2 feels a little less awkward and outdated than S1 while still retaining a lot of what I loved about that season and missed in later seasons, the focus on the sisterly relationships and the sisters using their powers to help innocents...and the lack of Cole :-) Cons: The worst love triangle ever - endless, dull, not over even once Piper officially chose one over the other, an increasingly querulous, dour Piper choosing between two identically boring generic guys and never seeming pleased with either. Stop trying to make Prue/Jack a thing, show! P3 and the show wanting us to immediately buy that the Piper we met the first season would even love hanging out in nightclubs, let alone give up her one true passion---cooking---to run one. 2. Season 1 - No elders, strong focus on the sisters helping innocents and becoming closer to one another, by far my favorite season for Piper and second favorite for Phoebe, Quake and Buckland's are much better to me than P3 and Prue becoming a freelance photographer Cons: Already too strong a focus on random romantic issues, most involving guys with no personality and not a particularly strong or convincing connection with our sisters Like others have said, parts of s1 suffer from New Show-itis, feeling clunky and awkward and just generally outdated The pacing of the Piper/Leo is so off - they go from barely knowing or spending any time with each other to Leo disappearing for a long stretch of the season to melodramatic declarations of eternal love While I like nearly every episode, there are fewer that I really love as compared with s2 3. Season 5 - The show takes the brave and rare step of acknowledging Phoebe/Cole as too toxic to work while most shows then and now romanticize that dysfunction, I feel like this is Paige's best season and the season where Piper/Phoebe/Paige work best as a trio, I'm in the camp who enjoys this deranged Cole more than any previous version of his character, there are just a surprising number of episodes that I love - a greater number than in any other season other than S2 Cons: This is where Piper/Leo really start to exhaust and annoy me more than ever before, and it only gets worse from here! By this point Phoebe is unrecognizable to me. This isn't even her worst season, but as she becomes a local "celebrity" who's suddenly obsessed with career success and dates dull and smarmy rich boy Jason, I realize that she just no longer feels at all like the Phoebe of the first 2-3 seasons even now that Cole is gone. You can kind of feel the show floundering and going through an identity crisis. The Cole arc that, for better or worse, defined a lot of S3, S4 and the first half of S5 is wrapped up, and yet they can't or won't go back to the format, focus and feel of S1 and S2, so what does Charmed become now? I'm not sure they were ever able to fully answer this question, and some of the gimmicky, supposedly sexy costume-heavy episodes feel like a show that's desperately grasping. 4. Season 3 - This season contains a lot of Prue's best moments, a few of the series' best episodes and some of the sisters' greatest bonding moments Cons: Cole and how he affects the tone, focus and feel of the entire series for me. This is when I start to lose some love for Phoebe, and I loved to love Phoebe! Piper seems particularly whiny and self-pitying this season, and it's generally over comparatively petty nonsense. Like someone else said, at least when she's being miserable and peevish in later seasons, it's over more serious issues - the protection of her kids, losing Prue, the imminent end of the world. Here we see her complaining bitterly and constantly about things like not having the perfect wedding and not being able to travel to her honeymoon "like a normal couple" and it's like, you finally have Leo and your lame tacky club seems to be turning a profit and you and your sisters have still managed to stay alive and help a bunch of people along the way, so can't you just be a little bit happy and pleasant for even a few episodes?! 5. Season 4 - As much as I miss the original trio, there were aspects of Paige's introduction and the sisters' grieving over Prue that I found interesting and S4 has a lot of episodes that I love - maybe even a few more than S3 has, though S4 has lower lows too. Cons: Turns out I don't like or trust Cole any more as a human than I did while he was evil. As much as I enjoy the queen of the underworld arc, seeing Phoebe choose Cole over her sisters and her entire life does tarnish her and sets the stage for a Phoebe who's so crazily obsessed with romance for the rest of the series. Remember when Phoebe was the sister who most enjoyed being a good witch and cared most about the innocents? The writers sure didn't :) Phoebe's insta-success at her new job irks me, especially because it's a new job that takes her further and further away from being a witch, which, again, the original Phoebe loved! As others pointed out, Paige seems like a badly defined character for a lot of this season, too similar to the old Phoebe. And her presence brought out some highly unlikable sides of Piper. 6, 7 and 8 are all tied for me. There are a few things I love about each of those seasons and a lot that I don't! Despite the above complaining, I do love this show! No matter how many cons I listed, it doesn't change how much this show still entertains me and it will always have a lot of sentimental meaning to me. Edited March 9, 2018 by iknowyouknow 2 Link to comment
Guest March 11, 2018 Share March 11, 2018 On 13/04/2015 at 9:12 PM, magicdog said: Brain Drain - Derivative but I liked the idea of Piper possibly imagining the whole Charmed experience. They should have worked harder to keep viewers guessing what the truth was. I don't think that was ever the point otherwise the episode would have been written completely differently, since we saw all of the events leading to Piper being kidnapped and then being manipulated by the Source. The viewers were always in on what was actually happening. Link to comment
Guest March 11, 2018 Share March 11, 2018 (edited) On 09/03/2018 at 5:42 PM, iknowyouknow said: Phoebe's insta-success at her new job irks me, especially because it's a new job that takes her further and further away from being a witch, which, again, the original Phoebe loved! I suppose you could still say at this point it was at least controlled success. She was a popular writer and was writing a good column that her boss appreciated. They then bumped it far too much right within the first few seconds of season 5 with the billboards, TV interviews insinuating her celebrity status. And then even more so by season 6 when she was hosting TV chat shows and constantly having "meetings" as though she was Jennifer Aniston or something. Yet, strangely, was never seen sat down and actually writing anything. Lmao. Edited March 11, 2018 by Lost Link to comment
Eva Marie March 12, 2018 Share March 12, 2018 Deranged Turner is my favourite Turner as well. That whole arc was JM's strongest performance and he really went out with a bang in Centennial Charmed. Link to comment
iknowyouknow March 12, 2018 Share March 12, 2018 Eva Marie, you focus on the acting in all of your posts, so I'd love to hear how you feel about other aspects of the show: the characters, the sisters' relationships, the way that magic is (and isn't!) woven into the show, the general feel and tone, and so on! And especially relevant to the thread we're in: which seasons do you like most and least? Link to comment
Writing Wrongs March 14, 2018 Share March 14, 2018 On 2/10/2017 at 10:50 PM, Esmeralda said: And the idea that the ELDERS sent Coop to Phoebe because they thought they'd goof up her life? My theory: They were making up for trying to turn Phoebe into a caring person by giving her empathy powers. When they realized this made her an even more selfish bitch, they sent her another man to screw and idolize her because that's what she really cares about most. 1 Link to comment
Esmeralda March 14, 2018 Share March 14, 2018 7 hours ago, Writing Wrongs said: My theory: They were making up for trying to turn Phoebe into a caring person by giving her empathy powers. When they realized this made her an even more selfish bitch, they sent her another man to screw and idolize her because that's what she really cares about most. LOL, I do believe you're right, even if I believe the real reason is because that's what Alyssa wanted for Phoebe - the perfect fantasy man, the way she thought she'd changed Phoebe into the perfect fantasy woman. Shall I barf now or later? 2 Link to comment
Eva Marie March 15, 2018 Share March 15, 2018 (edited) I focus on the acting so much because I was fortunate to grow up during the cable TV revolution , when Bryan Cranston was the Laurence Olivier of the time - and he was better than anyone you'd find in US movies. To me that standard of TV acting is the norm, so I kinda forget that it's only a recent thing and wasn't normal during the time Charmed took off (certainly not on public channels). Overall, Charmed is so charming because it never has this post-modern coldness that I've seen in too many otherwise well-made shows. It has heart even during the worst of times (although I haven't seen the lowest ranked seasons yet - 6 & 8). The Halliwell manor feels like a real place and it's like you live there when you're watching. The original sisters feel like real women who live together. The dialogue is endlessly quotable. The supernatural stuff isn't really the point - it's just an excuse for the fun shenanigans, sister bonding and their individual lives unfolding. The stunts and effects are entertaining when they usually bore me senseless elsewhere. And the credit sequence is just the greatest - it has so much energy, a memorable song and it introduces actors one by one with names under faces (which I've only seen one other time - on Tudors). Also, thanks to the stringent free-to-air TV censorship I can completely relax while watching and not have to clutch the remote ready to skip any gore/degrading & unsexy sex scenes/senseless violence/very boring swearing (the English language swear vocabulary is just pitiful) that you're routinely bombarded with in Prestige TV today. Edited March 15, 2018 by Eva Marie Link to comment
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