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primal-slayer · 9 months ago

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Brian Krause talks Charmed career

In today's Sci-Fi Blast From the Past, actor Brian Krause looks back at his work on the long-running WB supernatural TV series Charmed and playing Leo Wyatt.

It was back in April that filming on the hit supernatural series Charmedcame to its natural conclusion after eight years, but for actor Brian Krause, who played Leo Wyatt, his involvement in the series isn’t quite over yet. He spent this Monday morning in late August in a studio recording commentary for the eighth season Charmed DVD release, in particular his character’s penultimate episode, Vaya Con Leos.

“Me, Brad Kern [executive producer] and Cameron Litvak, the writer of that episode, have provided background commentary for the 45 minutes of that story,” explains Krause. “It’s basically the three of us recapping the show’s eight years on the air as well as talking about Vaya Con Leos**, the birth of the episode, what it was about, the emotions that went along with making it, and how it could have been the last time we saw Leo. It was wonderful to see Brad and Cameron again and be able to share our thoughts about the whole experience.”**

“What probably sticks out most in my mind about my first time stepping onto the Charmed set was the nervous energy I had of being around Shannen, Alyssa and Holly in a professional venue,” recalls Krause. “I’d known them for a couple of years, but we had never worked together. So I just remember being very nervous because they knew me as their friend Brian, but had never seen me act in person. There I was now having to kind of step up to the plate and wanting to impress them and yet get the job done and not have to worry so much about what the girls might think.

“I’ll never forget that day, though, and the look in Shannen’s eyes of, ‘Now don’t mess up.’ That’s what I remember most; how professional she was about it all and how good she wanted the series to be. She put the ‘pressure’ on to make it a success because she took a great deal of pride in Charmed and the work. Shannen just had a different way of going about things than Alyssa and Holly. It was a positive one, though, and it stuck with me for the whole run of the series, so I give kudos to Shannen for her professionalism.

“When it came to playing Leo in those early episodes, I guess one of the first things I had to get used to was working in the Sci-Fi realm. I mean, I’d done [the feature film] Sleepwalkers a few years before, but that was the extent of my experience in that genre. Also, I had the challenge of playing a real guy who was not quite a real guy. On top of that there was the great unknown. Was Leo going to stick around, or was he just a fleeting love interest for one of the girls? So the trick was to try to be likable enough for the audience to want me to stay and also be a good enough actor for the show’s leads to want to keep me around.

“The dynamic that I especially liked early on was that my character had this secret that no one really knew about. As the story went on, Leo was magical and then he wasn’t for a while. At one point, I wasn’t even sure if he was good or bad. If you were bad on Charmed you got killed, but if you were good that was a good sign. In the beginning, though, no one really knew what Leo was, so for me the question was do I play him as dark, light or slightly ambivalent? In the end we went for ambivalent, and that seemed to work,” he chuckles.

After three years of Charmed, Shannen Doherty decided to leave the series. Her character of Prue was killed off, and in season four, the Halliwell’s half-sister/half-Whitelighter Paige Matthews (Rose McGowan) was welcomed into the Charmed One’s fold. “The show’s dynamic changed quite a bit in year four,” says Krause. “I’ve talked with a lot of fans about it, some of whom stopped watching, while others started watching for the first time.

“Shannen’s character was a straightforward, demon butt-kicker and she and her sisters were hardcore witches in the first three seasons. When Rose joined the show, everything kind of lightened up a bit. The Paige character was very quirky and fun-loving, and I think by virtue of bringing her in to replace Prue, it did change Holly’s and Alyssa’s characters and dialed up their emotional levels on the show. So we went from being this purely demon butt-kicking show to one where it allowed us to show a more personal side of these girls’ lives.

“As far as Leo was concerned, he didn’t interact much with Prue, but he did with Paige, especially at the beginning. Being that she was part Whitelighter, my character sort of showed her the ropes. I was pleased about that because it involved me more in the storyline as well as brought out more of Leo’s big brother attitude with the girls.”

“Overall I was happy with how the Leo/Piper relationship was written, but I also think it developed somewhat quickly,” says Krause. “They were dating and then all of a sudden they were married and before you knew it they had two kids. In real life I suppose that eight years is long enough for all that to happen, but in the TV world it seemed like there was some stuff we missed. Events happened off-screen and not in front of the audience, and we would have to explain what people missed in the way of dialogue in the episodes.

“As an actor I always wanted to show more of Leo and Piper together with their family, but after all it was a series about the girls. I was just pleased to have the part I had in the program.”

At the end of season five of Charmed, Leo made the difficult choice to sacrifice his life with Piper and their son Wyatt and became an Elder in order to better help humankind. A couple of years later another omnipotent group called the Avatars showed Leo that they had a better way to change the world into the ultimate utopia, so he joined their ranks. Unfortunately, their plan had one major flaw and it took the The Charmed Ones to set things right. For a while, Leo was able to hide his association with the Avatars, but the Elders eventually found out and he was stripped of his magical powers. How did Krause have to alter his performance to keep up with all these changes in his character’s life?

“There were different emotions I had to play based on Leo’s situation,” notes the actor. “As an Elder, he was like, ‘OK, I’m a pure being. Everything is great. I love life and am in control.’ When Leo went to the other side as an Avatar, it was out of the same core belief, which was his desire for wanting the best for his family and the world. Then when he was made mortal, Leo was bitter at first, but then felt he had finally been set free. So the through-line for my character never changed, but how he reacted was based on his been wronged or righted by the Elders, Avatars, demons, witches, etc.”

When the eighth and final year of Charmed finally rolled around, the WB Network cut back on the show’s budget, which meant that Krause’s work on the series would be limited to half the season. “That was a big shock and it changed my attitude a little bit as well as my passion for the series,” he admits. “However, when I began work on season eight I realized that negativity wasn’t good for me, the audience or the show. So I quickly got over that and decided, ‘Hey, I need to do my best work, whether I’m here for one episode or 22.’

“Season eight was a very emotional one for Leo. There was the ongoing adjustment to being mortal, dealing with his new role as Mr. Mom, and not being able to help out Piper and her sisters as much. Leo felt all those things and perhaps I felt them, too, based on my reduced involvement in the making of the show. So it was all right there and easy for me to play. That was all due to Brad Kern, who was very in-tune with me and the rest of the cast and wrote for our personal emotional levels and how they fit into the show.

“Brad always kept a close eye on all of us and was a big brother or father figure. He never asked us to do anything on the show if he didn’t feel we couldn’t emotionally handle it at certain periods in our lives. Brad made the right call each time and I thank him for every opportunity he afforded me in season eight to be as natural and believable as possible when playing Leo.”

Thanks to some clever cost-cutting moves on Brad Kern’s part, he was able to bring the Leo character back for the Charmed finale Forever Charmed. “Eight years of a series is a long time and there was a lot of reflection going on and plenty of emotions, especially on the final day of shooting when the Halliwell Manor was blown up,” says Krause. “I think everyone took a moment to stare at the burnt rubble and just couldn’t believe it. It was hard to swallow. The cast and crew really banded together and supported one another in order to get the work done without totally breaking down.”

Krause has no idea what the future holds for him either personally or professionally, but wherever life takes him next, he’ll be bringing with him a part of Charmed. “There are so many things that I learnt from many different people on that show,” he says**. “I grew both as a person and an actor and I’ll always be grateful for that**. We’ll see where I’m at eight years from now. Hopefully I’ll take away some positive elements from that span of time, too.”

#Charmed #brian krause #leo wyatt #piper halliwell #holly marie combs #shannen doherty #alyssa milano #prue halliwell #phoebe halliwell #rose mcgowan #charmed season 2 #charmed season 1 #charmed season 3 #charmed season 4 #charmed season 5 #charmed season 6 #charmed season 7 #charmed season 8

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ceasedtimeold · 3 years ago

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DYNAMIC TAGS

☆.。 halliwells › dynamic . ☆.。 siblings › dynamic . ☆.。 cousins › dynamic . ☆.。 parents › dynamic . ☆.。 piper & chris › dynamic . ☆.。 leo & chris › dynamic . ☆.。 wyatt & chris › dynamic . ☆.。 mel & chris › dynamic . ☆.。 phoebe & chris › dynamic . ☆.。 paige & chris › dynamic . ☆.。 prue & chris › dynamic .

#( tag drop. )#☆.。 halliwells › dynamic .#☆.。 siblings › dynamic .#☆.。 cousins › dynamic .#☆.。 parents › dynamic .#☆.。 piper & chris › dynamic .#☆.。 leo & chris › dynamic .#☆.。 wyatt & chris › dynamic .#☆.。 mel & chris › dynamic .#☆.。 phoebe & chris › dynamic .#☆.。 paige & chris › dynamic .#☆.。 prue & chris › dynamic .

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paigemathews · 3 years ago

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I think everyone pretty much agrees that there’s a streak of overprotectiveness or just concern that the sisters and Leo have about Chris in the next generation period. But here’s (some of) my thoughts about it.

I don’t think that the kids know about the unchanged future, Wyatt turning evil, Chris coming back, or anything like that. Hell, none of them even know who Gideon is, so they don’t have any knowledge there to guess around that unless something else happens.

So I think that all of the kids see the difference in the response to Chris. They’re protective about all of them and all, obviously, but when it comes to Chris, there’s a very distinctive edge of worry bordering panic and fear bordering terror, especially with Leo, Piper, and Paige. (No hate to Phoebe, but parents and aunt that watched him die just. has a different vibe to it.)

And I mean, there has to be a reason to it, right? It’s not a non-prophesied witch thing either, because Mel is right there and the protectiveness is different. So what’s the situation here?

And if you look at everything from their perspective, I think that it’s because of Prue. Because based off of the stories and the pictures, Chris is the most like Prue. Physically, they both have dark hair and green eyes. They have telekinesis and are both skilled witches. They’re fixated on hunting demons. They’re both incredibly intelligent, stubborn, incredibly loyal to their family, and overly independent. Both of them continually put themselves in danger to save innocents or their family.

That ultimately cost Prue her life, and I think that the next gen think that there’s a concern that Chris is going to be the one to die young because of that similarity. And to an extent, I think that the kids themselves kind of have that worry, because I mean. Have you met him? Along with that, I think that Chris himself is also... kind of convinced that he’s gonna be the one to die? There’s always at least one Halliwell that seems to die young, and I think Chris has resigned himself to it being him, but that’s a different post if anyone’s interested.

And honestly? The kids are right to an extent, because I do think that sometimes Piper or someone will look at Chris and just be caught off-guard by how. Prue something is, and if the unchanged future hadn’t been a thing, I do think that there would have been a level of anxiety about specifically Chris because of his similarities to Prue, even if the dynamics were different. (Phoebe would have some guilt and Paige would have been someone he could bitch to about it, off the top of my head.)

But since they already met an adult version of Chris, saw that disregard for his own life and the eventual result of that, that’s what they see instead of Prue. It doesn’t help that the show didn’t. Actually have them get over his death. It kind of skipped over everyone’s but Piper and Leo’s grief, except Piper just. got over it at the end of the episode while Leo never actually did? They used it as a jumping point for the Avatar arc, and then never actually went back and resolved it, so definitely still an issue in the changed future.

It’s definitely a source of tension with Chris and the sisters/Leo, especially because it’s something he views as unfair. If he knew that it was his alternate self, I think he’d have a different response to it, but just thinking it’s the fact that he’s a lot like Prue? Chris can’t really help that, and it’s not fair for him to be the one always being singled out because of it.

#charmed #chris halliwell #charmed meta #abi speaks #next gen #im not gonna tag prue or anyone else in this bc its really more about their response to chris instead of like them specifically #but yeah like. i think that in the absence of knowing about gideon the only conclusion that the kids can come to is prue #bc what else would it be? it's not like oh well he's not as powerful as wyatt and concern about that bc mel is there #and they don't do that to her or to any of the kids even baby patience so its specifically chris #and its not as if he's the only demon hunter either bc they're halliwells so that's just kind of the only answer they got #but yeah that's also tied into why chris is absolutely convinced he's gonna die young but that is its own v long post so

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shannen-writes · 5 years ago

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Ranking the Halliwell sisters from least to most favourite

Charmed is one of my all time favourite shows and the sisters 4 of my favourite characters. Prue, Piper, Phoebe and Paige are so complex and dynamic. They’re written as real women that are flawed and relatable and that’s why the show continues to have so many loyal fans to this day. Since I’ve grown up watching the show, my ranking of the sisters has changed a lot over the years. As I’ve gone through various stages of my life I’ve related to different aspects of the sisters’ lives and personalities, and even today I’m constantly finding a new appreciation and admiration for the sisters. However, my ranking has stayed pretty much the same now for the last few years, so I wanted to share it with you all. So without further ado here is my ranking of the Halliwell sisters starting with my least favourite and ending with my most favourite.

Warning: There’s no hate featured in this post towards any of the sisters, but it is a critical analysis, so be warned that you may dislike some parts, particularly if you’re deeply attached to any of the characters.

4. Piper

I love Piper’s strength and compassion. Her transformation into the Goddness of Earth in Oh My Goddess perfectly embodied Piper’s character for me; how down to earth she was and how her power came from her motherhood and care-giving spirit. In the early seasons, Piper was driven by a desire to please others and was conflict adverse. I deeply related to Piper as someone that struggled to be heard and to strike a balance between her desire to avoid conflict and being assertive, which we saw in Coyote Piper. Piper knew what she wanted but didn’t always know how to get it. Piper’s place as the middle sister in seasons 1-3 was a defining aspect of her character and shaped her passive nature in the early seasons. She was the mediator between Prue and Phoebe, and this meant that she was often more open-minded and less stubborn than her sisters. She was able to see both sides of a story and approach situations with empathy and understanding. Piper felt stifled by the big, bold personalities of her sisters and compared herself to them. She felt that she wasn’t as brave, pretty, charismatic, smart, powerful or talented as Prue and Phoebe; that she was ordinary. This lack of confidence she had in herself and her abilities led her to subconsciously become passive in a lot of situations and to also resent her powers throughout the series. Her ordinary-ness made her feel like she belonged in an ordinary world and therefore, she struggled to accept her magic and the extraordinary-ness that went with it.

However, Piper developed over the series and changed a lot. Her love life was a significant aspect of her development. In seasons 1 and 2, Leo and Dan choosing Piper over her sisters boosted Piper’s confidence and made her realise that she wasn’t inferior to her sisters. Whilst she was generally passive in seasons 1 and 2, when she finally made the choice to be with Leo, it was the first step of her finding her true voice and not being afraid to use it. Despite it being a forbidden love, she loved Leo so much that she believed he was worth fighting for. Losing him at the start of season 3, altered her passive nature signficantly. She became angry and bitter and was determined to fight for the man she loved. Piper reacted to this loss in a much different way than she would’ve in season 1, and even after getting Leo back, she was forever changed by it. It was a turning point for her through which she learned that being a nice, good little girl and playing by the rules didn’t always bring rewards. Generally, Piper’s relationship with Leo also helped Piper to become more determined and confident. Leo had a deep understanding of Piper and knew how to support and nurture her so that she continued to grow in confidence and see her strengths.

After season 3, Piper went through a string of life-changing events which took her character down an entirely new path. She lost Prue, became the eldest sister, lost Phoebe to evil, became a mother and lost Leo (again!). These 5 events impacted Piper’s character significantly transforming her from the Piper of seasons 1-3 into a very different Piper. Whilst the core of Piper’s character remained, the trauma associated with these events and the huge changes she underwent led her to become more hardened, cynical, untrusting, callous and bitter. Her perception of the world and of right and wrong became much more black and white, she became more stubborn, less sensitive and more determined. Her passiveness with traded for assertiveness, her aversion to conflict for combativeness, her lack of confidence for arrogance, her open-mindedness for closed-mindedness and her apparent lack of power to ultimate power.

Piper is a brilliant character with organic and authentic development. The trauma she endured was marked by the signifiant changes in her character and personality in the later seasons, but the core of her character was maintained no matter how much she changed. The reason Piper is at the bottom of this ranking is because I have a few small issues with her character. Firstly, I feel like she was sometimes pushed too much into Prue territory. As the eldest sister, the writers forced Piper to adopt similar characteristics to Prue and it didn’t always fit. It was to be expected that she’d change, and that her insecurity about her ability to take on the role as the eldest sister would lead her to behave more like Prue. But ultimately, Piper was her own person and there was a way for her to become the eldest sister without becoming Prue 2.0. Secondly, Piper’s character was over-shadowed by Leo, Wyatt and Chris. Whilst I liked her relationship with Leo and appreciated the exploration of motherhood that we got in seasons 4-8, it sometimes stifled Piper’s character and the focus on Leo, Wyatt and Chris forced Piper to be a supporting character in her own story. Thirdly, her arc in the later seasons became repetitive with the same issues with parenting, Leo and her desire to “be normal” arising time and time again, despite them having already been resolved in previous episodes and seasons. Finally, certain traits were amplified at her detriment. I’m as much a fan of Piper’s sarcasm and wit as anybody, but after a while it became spiteful and mean. Repeatedly blowing up Leo, telling Billie she’d vanquish her and straight up disrespecting the Elders because she wasn’t “not a fan” of their rules are just few examples that come to mind.

Overall, I love Piper and appreciate how much she developed across the series, but I love the other sisters so much, that these few issues that I have with her character are enough to place her at the bottom of my ranking. I think that serves as a testament to how much love I have for the Halliwell sisters!

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3. Phoebe

I absolutely adore Phoebe and the amount of hate that she seems to get from the fandom feels like such a huge injustice to the incredible woman that she is. I love Phoebe’s passionate, free-spirit; the way she wore her heart on her sleeve, was always true to herself, fiercely loyal, devoted and passionate. She had a wild side, but was also deeply grounded and I believe, was the heart of the show (despite Piper being commonly regarded as such). Of all the sisters she undoubtedly underwent the most growth and Phoebe’s story was by far the most inspiring to me. She faced a lot of judgement and doubt in the early seasons (particularly from Prue), but she never let that dampen her spirit. She found the courage and strength to go back to college and find her path in life, she lost herself to one of the darkest loves that existed and found a way back from it and generally endured a lot of trauma, but somehow always found the strength to go on. What’s even more incredible about that, is that she always maintained her core self. Even when she was at her lowest, she had a strong sense of who she was and was true to herself. That’s not to say that she didn’t change because she did, but considering how dark a path she trod at certain points in the series, the fact that she remained the optimistic, big-hearted and compassionate soul that she’d always been was a huge testament to her character.

It’d be impossible to talk about Phoebe without touching upon her relationship with Cole and her arc in seasons 3-5. Falling in love with Cole was a huge turning point for Phoebe’s character, and over the years I’ve repeatedly seen her get slammed for it by fans. However, Phoebe’s relationship with Cole encompassed everything that Phoebe was and made sense for her character. It showed her recklessness, impulsivity and naivety when it came to love, but also allowed her to develop a maturity and fresh perspective that she perhaps wouldn’t have if she hadn’t met Cole. She threw herself unreservedly into her relationship with Cole because Phoebe was a romantic and she believed wholeheartedly in love. The relationship was far from perfect; Phoebe developed blinkers and was often too wrapped in Cole at the detriment of other aspects of her life, but the relationship was pivotal for Phoebe. As the youngest sister, she started the series as much more naive and immature than her sisters, but her relationship with Cole and the life experience it gave her set her on a new path. She learned to guard her heart and be more cautious when it came to love, she also took the time after her break-up with Cole to focus on herself and her career and to find new loves that weren’t necessarily romantic. Her job as an advice columnist allowed her to find an outlet and expression for her love of love by helping others to find love. And despite the hurt she endured at Cole’s hands, she never truly gave up on finding love herself and her pursuit of love remained at the center of Phoebe’s arc throughout the series. This is why Coop being Phoebe’s final love interest made so much sense - they were both driven by finding love, whether for themselves or others.

In addition to her pursuit of love, a desire for a family and children was also central to Phoebe’s arc, particularly in the later seasons. On a personal level, I disliked this development because I couldn’t relate to it as someone that doesn’t want to marry or have children. However, appreciate that for Phoebe it made sense. From the start of the series, she was depicted as someone that was good with children and had a maternal instinct, which we saw in episodes such as Reckless Abandon and Awakened. Furthermore, the loss of her child at the end of season 4 undoubtedly left behind a pain that was the catalyst for Phoebe’s fixation on having children in the later seasons. In season 5, we saw her fawn over Wyatt and act as a motherly figure, which was likely a projection of her grief from the loss of her own child. After seeing a premonition of her future child, Phoebe became obsessed with finding the father of her future child to ensure her child would be born. I strongly disliked this arc, but it was understandable given the fact that Phoebe had lost a child previously. Just as Piper went on a journey to becoming a mother in seasons 4 and 5, Phoebe went on her own journey. It wasn’t a well-written or developed journey, but a journey nonetheless, and I appreciated it as part of Phoebe’s story.

The reason Phoebe is only third in this ranking, is because as much as I can objectively appreciate her arc and development, I didn’t like it and I think that it was an injustice to the incredible things that could’ve been done with her character. Many would claim that Cole destroyed Phoebe, and I disagree with that, because it’s much more complex. It’s an oxymoron of sorts; the relationship developed her growth but also hindered it. Whilst the experiences she had provided her with perspective and wisdom, Phoebe’s inability to deal with the aftermath of the events in season 4 hindered her from truly moving forward from Cole or the trauma of becoming Queen of the Underworld and her miscarriage. Phoebe never faced up to what had happened or tried to get closure, choosing instead to runaway, as we saw in A Witch’s Tail. This meant that her relationship with Cole in season 5 became even more dysfunctional and added further to her existing trauma from season 4. Outwardly, during this time Phoebe was building herself back up and developing her career, but ultimately, Cole was always hanging over her head and by the time it was finished with she was exhausted and just wanted to shut it away and pretend it never happened. This is understandable, but as I said at the start of this paragraph, it prevented her from healing. Consequently, every part of Phoebe’s journey post season 5 was still dictated by her history with Cole. In seasons 6-8 everything Phoebe went into became an obsession - whether it was finding love, her romantic relationships, having children or her career - and those obsessions can all be explained by her experiences in season 4 and 5.

Overall, Phoebe’s external development was more significant than her internal development. Externally, her development across the seasons was the most tangible - she started the series as an unemployed “wild child” with only a bicycle and backpack of clothes and ended with a highly successful career, loving partner and the family that she longed for. However, internally, she never truly developed because of the poor way the aftermath of her relationship with Cole was handled in season 5. Despite this, I appreciated that as a modern woman, Phoebe was portrayed as wanting a husband and children whilst still being a powerful, independent woman with a successful career. I also love Phoebe for who she was as a person. I love her vibrancy, charisma, passion and energy. She was a colourful character and anybody that met her couldn’t do anything but adore her.

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2. Paige

What I love most about Paige is that she feels like the most unique of the sisters, which was most likely because she was adopted and wasn’t raised with the other sisters. Paige was so quirky, individual, stylish, independent, witty, intelligent, talented, driven and conscientious. I’ve always felt that out of all the sisters she’s the most underrated and was given less opportunity to shine throughout the series. Paige underwent genuine growth that’s understated but beautiful. Every flaw or issue that Paige had was explored, addressed and resolved. Some examples of her growth include:

Her fear of magic and reluctance to become a witch transformed into a genuine passion and flair for witchcraft which she perceived to be a blessing

Her resistance to her biological family members (e.g. Penny and Sam) because she felt it was a betrayal to her adopted family eventually softened to give way to open-mindedness and acceptance

Her denial of her whitelighter half grew to become her greatest calling and a core part of her identity and heritage which she took pride in

Her struggle to fit into the Halliwell clan ended with her becoming an integral part of the family and the reason that they were able to survive after Prue’s death

Paige consistently confronted her issues head on and grew as a consequence. She embraced every aspect of herself, her life and her past, and saw them as opportunities to grow. This quote from Paige in Sam I Am (which is one of my favourites), really shows this:

“When you gave me up, you made a choice that gave me the most amazing gift. See, I got to have these tremendous parents and we loved each other fiercely. And now I have this whole new life with my sisters. I choose to be a witch. I could’ve walked away but I didn’t. And now I’m a Whitelighter to boot.”

In comparison to the other sisters, I found the nuances of Paige’s character so interesting. When she was introduced in season 4 there was so much to learn about her, and episodes like A Paige from the Past showed how much potential Paige had in those early days. She brought a fresh perspective and dynamic to the show which stemmed from the fact that she was raised in a completely different environment from her sisters. She wasn’t afraid to challenge the sisters pre-conceived notions or to propose new ways of doing things - a Haiku spell is one of many instances that show Paige’s innovative mind and creative flair - and strongly believed in her ideas and judgement. She was self-assured and confident in a way that enabled her to be efficient and which motivated her in everything that she did. Despite her differences from the sisters that stemmed from being raised with the Matthews, she still had incredible instincts as a witch and had an innate Halliwell-ness which solidified her as a Charmed One. This too added to the nuances of Paige’s character because she was always straddling a duality - Halliwell and Matthews, witch and whitelighter. At various points throughout the series she felt like she had to choose between these aspects of her personality and commit to just one - Halliwell or Matthews; witch or whitelighter - but over time, she realised that this duality was part of her and was a blessing rather than a curse.

All of the sisters were dedicated, but Paige stood out to me as always being wholly dedicated to everything she did. She didn’t always know her path but whatever she tried, she threw herself into completely. Her dedication to her witchcraft, in particular, was inspiring. Paige went further than any of the other sisters (except Prue) in perfecting her craft and trying to be the best witch she could possibly be. She studied the craft, wrote new spells, practised perfecting spells that she couldn’t do (e.g. the conjuring spell), devoted herself to innocents and took her role as a witch very serious. Paige was resistant to her magic in the first few episodes of season 4, but fully embraced it later on. She was the only sister that genuinely loved being a witch consistently. Even when things got tough, she never wished away her powers, because she found purpose and joy in them. Perhaps this stemmed from the fact that Paige had a more challenging life than the sisters. Although Prue, Piper and Phoebe weren’t raised by their parents, they had a strong parental figure in Grams into their 20s and always had each other. In comparison, Paige lost her parents when she was still a teenager and seemed to have nobody else to support her. She also blamed herself for her parents death, which means that emotionally she was not only dealing with grief and loneliness when they died but also blame, regret and self-loathing. I believe that this is why Paige viewed her magic as a gift rather than a burden, and why she continued to flourish as a witch throughout the seasons.

Paige’s arc and development, overall, was not necessarily the best of the sisters, but in terms of her development in particular episodes or seasons, it was brilliant. Her centric episodes are some of my favourites from the series - A Knight to Remember, A Paige from the Past, Sam I Am and Centennial Charmed - and each execute fantastic plots and character development for Paige. Her arc in season 5 was incredible. In my opinion, there is no other character arc across the eight seasons that was executed as well as this one. Giving up her job and devoting herself to being a full-time witch was the beginning of a new chapter of her journey. Not only did she grow as a witch in her abilities, skills and instincts, but she solidified herself within the Halliwell fold and showed how integral she was, particularly in Centennial Charmed and Y Tu Mummy Tabien. She supported her sisters - Piper in becoming a mother and Phoebe in her separation from Cole - and various aspects of her character were explored such as her inferiority complex with Prue, her relationship with Sam, her whitelighter half, her difficulty in overcoming her natural independence to work together with her sisters and finding her place in the world. Season 5 did an excellent job at building on what we’d learned about Paige in season 4 whilst also developing her organically. She was the new sister in season 4, but in season 5 it felt like it’d be impossible to imagine Charmed without her.

Despite this great development Paige underwent in seasons 4 and 5, she was unfortunate enough that half of her time on the show was during the weakest seasons, and she suffered for that. After season 5 there was no further exploration of her past which massively disappointed me (I’ll still never get over the fact that in Charmed Again she mentioned that she had a problem with alcoholism that was never explored), and she got trapped in a cycle of the same arcs. Whilst Piper got stuck with “I want a normal life” arc and Phoebe got stuck with the “I want to find love” arc, Paige got stuck with the “I don’t know what to do with my life” arc. In season 6, it made sense that she’d resort to working temp jobs. After having spent season 5 as a full-time witch, she realised that she needed more in her life and temp jobs were a way for her to explore that and get a variety of experiences outside of magic. However, it seemed that Paige didn’t ever break out of that cycle and continued stumbling through life trying to find the right path. She was thrust into Magic School, which wasn’t particularly the best choice for her character and then her whitelighter arc was haphazardly thrown in towards the end of the series. It always frustrated me, because Paige dedicating more of her time to being a whitelighter made perfect sense for her character, but it wasn’t developed properly and felt like a disservice to her. I also felt that Paige had already found a great career in season 4 as a social worker, so it didn’t make sense to me that she never returned to that. Furthermore, I didn’t like how Paige’s journey ended in season 8 with her being married and having children. Paige was great with kids - we saw proof of this with Wyatt and Chris - but having kids was something that Paige never particularly wanted from her life. She was the one sister that didn’t express any desire to have children and didn’t seem particularly maternal. Also on a personal level, it would’ve been nice if at least one of the sisters’ happy ending hadn’t been the usual cliche of being married with kids. That aside, it didn’t necessarily feel true to Paige’s character for her to be a mother. I felt that she would’ve been contented to be married to Henry, dedicated to her duties as a witch and whitelighter and babysitting her nieces and nephews as their cool Aunt Paige.

Although I don’t like the way Paige’s story ended and feel that her character was let down, I still think she’s an incredible character that underwent immense growth. Despite being the sister that got the least amount of focus throughout the series, she always stood out to me in terms of her characterisation and development. It was so strong in seasons 4 and 5 that it’s almost irrelevant that I dislike the path she went down in seasons 6-8. Her season 5 arc alone is enough to give her the second spot in this ranking. But the reason I love Paige is so much more than that. I relate to her in terms of her independence, search for purpose in her life and desire to help others, and I admire her dedication and motivation in everything she did. Paige is the sort of character that I not only relate to, but also find inspirational.

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1. Prue

Now we come to my favourite sister (and one of my favourite characters of all time period): Prue Halliwell. Anybody that follows my main will know that I’m in love with Prue, so it’s going to be hard to analyse her character properly and not just gush about how much I love her. I think Prue is a phenomenal character with a well-executed arc which comes full circle, despite ending prematurely. I love Prue’s strength, determination, confidence, drive, ambition and courage. Her characterisation was consistent and strong throughout seasons 1-3 and she was lucky enough to have lots of great centric episodes which explored her character in-depth. In the pilot I felt that Prue was established as the most unlikeable sister - the older, domineering, bossy, cold, hardened sister that always took charge and berated her younger sisters for their mistakes. That legacy remains today and I still see fans often discussing how much they dislike Prue or how they were glad she died. But Prue was so. much. more. than. that. Every flaw that Prue had was explored to provide a full understanding of why she was the way she was. She was traumatised by the death of her mother (From Fear to Eternity, P3 H2O and Death Takes a Halliwell), had severe abandonment issues because of her father (Thank You for Not Morphing and We All Scream for Ice Cream) and was forced to adopt a parental role as the eldest sister in the absence of her parents. Her seriousness, critical nature and stiff-upper lip mentality all stemmed from this and was not a natural part of who she was, as we saw in Which Prue is it Anyway? and Just Harried. It was what she had to become to deal with her trauma and fulfil the role that was thrust on her shoulders at such a young age. Prue’s journey was about breaking free from that role that she’d become trapped in and discovering her true self outside of being the eldest sister and protector.

In season 1, the nuances of Prue’s character were immediately explored. In Thank You For Not Morphing, her resentment towards Victor for abandoning her and her sisters was explored, and the armour she wore as a protective shield became clear. Prue was naturally guarded because she felt that was what was necessary to protect herself and her sisters. Later on in the season, Prue’s experience with Barbas in From Fear to Eternity tapped into Prue’s trauma about Patty’s death which caused her to emotionally distance herself from her sisters and prevented here from being able to say “I love you”. Throughout season 1, Prue’s strained relationship with Phoebe addressed the aspects of Prue’s personality that could be regarded as unlikeable. Phoebe acted as the direct voice of many viewers, perceiving Prue to be over-bearing, judgemental, critical and rigid. By repeatedly confronting and challenging Prue on her behaviours, certain barriers were broken down and by The Power of Two, Prue and Phoebe’s relationship finally became one of sisters rather than mother and daughter. Her relationship with Andy was the polar of her relationship with Phoebe and showed her more vulnerable side and capacity to love. Although the relationship wasn’t plain sailing, her vulnerability was clear and showed a new side to Prue. Andy’s death at the end of the season was a huge turning point for her character. Losing the man she loved, particularly when she still carried the trauma of Patty’s death, was significant for Prue and once again shattered the stereotype that Prue was cold and unfeeling.

By the time season 2 rolled around, Prue was still reeling from Andy’s death and struggling to continue her duties as a witch, believing that their magic only brought death to their loved ones. It would’ve been easy for Prue to give up, but she found the courage and strength to continue on. Not only that, but she devoted herself heart and soul to being a witch, despite feeling that it was what had killed Andy. This was the season where the lighter, fun side of Prue began to show more. When she decided to quit her job at Bucklands and pursue a career in photography, an entirely new part of Prue’s journey began. Prue decided it was time to let go of her old life - the life she’d been living when she was forced to be the big sister - and live a life for herself. Despite her desire to live more freely and indulge herself more, the core of Prue’s character remained and she was in constant battle between her head and heart (or id and ego, as Just Harried showed). This innate battle between who she felt she should be and who she truly was, was central to Prue’s character. She wanted to let go of the past and the person she had been forced to become after Patty’s death and Victor’s abandonment, but she didn’t know how. Prue had been defined for so long by her role as the eldest sister that she didn’t know who she was outside of that. Some intrinsic part of her also believed that it was her solemn duty to protect Piper and Phoebe, and that to ensure their safety she had to sacrifice her happiness. Prue was essentially trapped in a self-inflicted prison of sorts as a result of her trauma, and seasons 2 and 3 were about her trying to break free from that prison.

One of the things I love most about Prue was her dedication to being a witch. Prue was by far the most devoted and talented witch out of the sisters. Whilst Paige’s inferiority complex towards her wasn’t necessary, it wasn’t unfounded. It made sense for Paige to feel inferior considering how much Prue was able to accomplish as a witch whilst also holding down a full-time job at Bucklands and later launching a new career in photography. Prue was fiercely hard-working and devoted in everything she did, and being a witch was no different. Like Paige, she never questioned being a witch, the exception being when Andy died. Prue didn’t agonise over the reasons why, she accepted being a witch and embraced it. She took her duty to protect the innocent very seriously and never strayed from that core principle. Prue set the precedence for her sisters when it came to being a witch and was committed to ensuring that they never strayed from the correct path. This is why it was very fitting that she died protecting an innocent. It was the only way for Prue to die, since that was her ultimate calling in life, even above her dream to be a photographer or position as the eldest sister.

This doesn’t even cover half of Prue’s development or arcs across the three seasons she was on the show, but to cover it in full would take a lifetime. The overall message here is that Prue’s development was by far the most superior and consistent of all the sisters. Prue had the luxury of having more focus in seasons 1-3 than Piper or Phoebe and this resulted in her being the most fleshed out and complex character, not only in terms of her characterisation and arcs, but also her powers and magical abilities. Although Piper and Phoebe were the longest standing sisters, Prue’s character still out-shines them for the three seasons that she was on the show. Furthermore, whilst I can pick fault with the direction Piper, Phoebe and Paige went in or elements of their story or power development that I disliked, I can’t with Prue. I’m fully onboard with everything that was done with her character and how she was written. She was flawed but every single flaw was justified and understandable, and every aspect of her characterisation was beautifully explored and provided absolute clarity on who Prue was. Even her death, although shocking and sudden, made perfect sense and encompassed the tragedy of Prue’s life, which was that she was always destined to follow in her mother’s footsteps.

“Every single day, I feel like I'm becoming more and more like her and everyday it terrifies me. I mean, don't you guys see it? Look at what happened to her and then look what's happening to me. No successful relationship with guys, being responsible for a family, now because of being this charmed thing, the very real possibility of dying young. It's like history is repeating itself.”

Overall, I love Prue with every fibre of my being. I acknowledge that she was a flawed character, but in regards to her development, I can’t fault it. It was wonderfully written and her characterisation was consistent and authentic. I love Prue because I relate to how she’s emotionally closed and struggles to overcome that, her responsibility as the eldest sister, the abandonment of her father, her struggle to let go and have fun and the way she finds comfort and security in responsibility and sensibleness. Of all the sisters, she’s the one that feels the most real to me. Since I was a little girl, I have been inspired by Prue and have looked up to her. She’s the only sister whose story was never about love - even when she was with Andy - it was always about her journey. I appreciate the ways in which the traumas she endured shaped who she became as an adult, how she struggled to accept that and tried to heal from it to become a better, happier and healthier version of herself. I admire her determination, devotion, courage and absolute fierceness. I also admire how she always strived to protect her family and strived to do better and be better. All in all I love pretty much everything about Prue.

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That concludes my ranking of the Halliwell sisters. I could’ve wrote more about each of the sisters because they’re all such well-written and complex characters, but the purpose of this post was to explore the facets of their characterisation and development that I like and dislike to explain the reasoning for my ranking. In the end, regardless of which sister is ranked first or last, I love each of them and they will forever hold a place in my heart as the first inspirational female role models I saw on TV.

Thank you for reading!

If you enjoyed reading this, I’d love to know how you’d rank the Halliwell sisters and why?

#charmed #prue halliwell #piper halliwell #phoebe halliwell #paige matthews #charmed meta #meta #tv #tv meta #mine #mine: charmed #mine: meta #mine: tv

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whitewolfofwinterfell · 5 years ago

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Ranking game---Charmed edition :) Rank all four charmed ones (Prue, Piper, Phoebe, Paige) in order of your favorite to least favorite. I'm cruel, so no ties allowed ;) Rank these Charmed ships: Piper/Leo, Phoebe/Cole, Prue/Andy, Paige/Henry. Rank the sisterly relationships: Prue/Piper, Prue/Phoebe, Piper/Phoebe, Piper/Paige, Phoebe/Paige. And, finally, rank the eight seasons from your favorite to least favorite. Have fun!

The sisters

1. Prue - She owns my heart. She’s not just my favourite sister but my favourite all time character. There’s nothing more I can say than that.

2. Paige - I love Paige’s arc and journey. I love her uniqueness, dedication to being a witch, independence and I relate to her a lot.

3. Phoebe - I adore Phoebe’s free-spirit and fun-loving personality, but don’t like how fixated she became on finding a husband and having a baby in the later seasons.

4. Piper - I love Piper’s growth throughout the seasons and how grounded she is, but her pessimism could get to be a little too much sometimes as could her sarcasm (honestly, I just found it to be bitchy at times).

I love all of the sisters so much so this was hard!

Ships

1. Phoebe and Cole - They’re far from perfect and there are a lot of aspects of their relationship that I would write differently, but overall, no other ship on the show captured me like Phoebe and Cole. They’re passionate, they have great chemistry and the although parts of their story are dragged out, I was intruiged in watching the obstacles they faced having a witch-demon relationship. I also feel like I learned a lot from watching their love growing up.

2. Prue and Andy - They’re such an underrated pairing built on friendship, mutual respect and history. Prue and Andy were so compatible and deeply connected. Their premature deaths are a tragedy and it’s sad that we never got to see what they could’ve become if they’d been given enough time to really be together and build a future together.

3. Paige and Henry - Despite how rushed they were, I love Henry and Paige. In fact, they remind me a lot of Prue and Andy. They just work together and are such a great team. Paige is able to be completely honest with Henry and he accepts her being a witch, and even wants to help in anyway he can. Paige couldn’t have found a better partner for her.

4. Piper and Leo - I like Piper and Leo, there’s no denying the power of their love and the fact that they were soulmates. However, their relationship lacked development in the first two seasons and I don’t particularly like the direction their relationship took after season 5.

Sister relationships

1. Prue and Piper - They’re not just sisters, they’re best friends. They grew up together, Prue was always Piper’s mentor and role model, their differing personalities complimented each other and they have a natural affection and bond that makes them so special.

2. Piper and Paige - I never would’ve ranked Piper and Paige this high, but recently I’ve come to appreciate this sister relationship in an entirely different way. Of all of the sister relationships, Piper and Paige (closely followed by Prue and Phoebe) went on the longest journey. Piper started out being resistant to Paige and the two found it difficult to connect as sisters because of Piper’s grief over losing Prue and Paige’s fear that she would never be as good as Prue, particularly in Piper’s eyes. But Paige becomes Piper’s rock as the seasons progress; she supports Piper and keeps the family together through Phoebe becoming Queen of the Underworld; she’s there when Piper’s struggling to concieve; she takes on more responsibility as a witch to free Piper up to focus on the club and her family; she constantly babysits Wyatt and Chris to support Piper. I love seeing how far the two come from where they start.

3. Piper and Phoebe - They’re probably the only sister relationship that doesn’t have conflict at all throughout the series and they’re also the longest sister relationship we see on-screen. Piper and Phoebe get on so well and have a very loving and supportive relationship. Unlike the other sister relationships, they always feel like they’re on the same level. Even though Piper is older there isn’t that big sister-little sister dynamic that we see with Prue/Piper, Piper/Paige and Prue/Phoebe. Piper isn’t really over-protective of Phoebe or belittling or condescending, and as a result they can be completely themselves around each other.

4. Prue and Phoebe - I love the conflict between Prue and Phoebe throughout the seasons but how despite that they completely love one another. They two of them go on a journey from season 1 to season 3, where Prue has to learn to trust Phoebe and accept that she’s changed from the rebellious and reckless young teenager she used to be. Likewise, Phoebe has to learn not to be so defensive and automatically assume that Prue thinks the worst of her. Their dynamic is complex and it’s never plain sailing. They have very different opinions and ways of working, but that actually means that whenever they put their differences aside and come together they’re possibly the most powerful sister duo out of all of them.

5. Phoebe and Paige - Phoebe and Paige have a lovely relationship. Just like Piper and Phoebe, they have a very equal relationship where they can be completely open and honest with each other. Because they had similiar personalities when they were younger, they’re able to relate to each other a lot and I think Paige particularly looks up to Phoebe and admires her. Phoebe embraced Paige from the moment she met her and made Paige feel like part of the family. Paige always believed in Phoebe, even when she went over to the dark side she never stopped fighting for her and believing she’d come back to the family. Likewise, Phoebe didn’t give up on trying to save Paige and bringing her into the Halliwell fold.

Seasons

1. Season 4 - A brilliant season that has great arcs for all of the characters and features some of the best episodes from the entire series.

2. Season 3 - I love this season because it’s so great but also because it’s the last season to have Prue in it. Once again the sisters have strong arcs in this season, the dynamics between the sisters are fleshed out even more and episodes like All Halliwells Eve are all time fan favourites.

3. Season 5 - I freaking love Paige’s arc in this season and the camp vibe that’s present in the season (despite the fact that most fans hate it). Some of the episodes from this season are without a doubt the best written episodes from the season and it builds on perfectly from a strong season 4.

4. Season 1 - I love the nostalgia of season 1; the 90s fashion, Quake and Andy. I like seeing the sisters at the beginning of having their powers. It’s so fun watching them learn and experiment with the craft, come to terms with what their powers mean and actually enjoy and appreciate the magical world.

5. Season 2 - This season has some great episodes, but also a lot of pretty bad ones. Like I’d say there are 7-8 episodes from this season I really enjoy watching and the others are meh. When I was younger, I’d watch the DVDs over and over, but I’d skip so many parts of season 2 because I didn’t like them. Putting that aside, I there aren’t any particularly engaging character arcs or plots in this season that stick in my mind.

6. Season 7 - An inconsistent season with a bunch of bad episodes, but I love Drake and think the Avatar plot had a lot of promise. Zankou is also a great villain.

7. Season 6 - This is the first season that seems to break away from the development and arcs that the characters have been going through in previous seasons. Paige and Phoebe’s arcs are a complete rehash of what they had in season 5 and Piper doesn’t really have an arc. Too much time is wasted on Chris who is a poorly written character and the whole evil future Wyatt storyline is equally poor.

8. Season 8 - A poor season that should’ve never been written, plain and simple.

Thanks for asking, my friend :)

#answered #meant-to-be-waiting-for-me #charmed #my meta #charmed meta

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bakudomaster · 5 years ago

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Charmed (1998 - Part 2)

[continued from Part 1]

STRUCTURE, WRITING & DEVELOPMENT

Charmed, like most of its supernatural contemporaries, mostly followed a villain of the week plot, with the sisters using their powers, spells or potions to overcome a demon or warlock. At the time, it was a very trendy theme to follow: thanks to media like The Craft, audiences were starting to shake of the moralistic panic that boomed in the 80s and explored the occult through familiar lenses, such as that of high school girls or modern working women.

The showrunners at the time (Constance M. Burge, who was the one had developed the idea and Brad Kern, who would head up the show over its 8 year run) were very aware that the supernatural theme was trendy at the time. Both Buffy and Sabrina had their premieres in 1996 and had developed a loyal following by then. The vampire slayer aimed for very dark and mature themes, whilst the teenage witch went for a lighter and airier approach. The Halliwell sisters struck it straight down the middle between the two - though the show would incorporate themes of death and frequent danger, it would also make use of heartwarming family moments and a dry sense of humor.

The writers used a very clear motto when coming up with scripts - these were sisters that happened to be witches, not the other way around, something mentioned in season 8′s bonus featurette. As important as magic was, it was not allowed to completely overshadow the various hurdles the Halliwells faced away from the cauldron - careers, boyfriends and family issues all had a significant hand in developing their characters.

Seasons 1 & 2 had a very simplistic formula, though it was a bit shaky. It can be forgiven when you consider that the show was doing trial and error in its own way, seeing what worked and what didn’t. Many of the memorable episodes come from these seasons as the writers laid down the history and mythology of the Halliwells.

Season 3 is where the real action began. Swinging in a much darker direction and taking the risk of an overarching plot, viewers were introduced to Cole Turner and his plot to kill the sisters whilst falling in love with Phoebe, Leo and Piper getting married and Prue continuing to power through life like the badass she was; all of which culminated in the season finale where the eldest witch was killed off. Many of the episodes stand out for their consistently solid writing, the outstanding acting and the dead on sarcastic humor.

After this, it was understandable that many fans and even the network was worried that the show would lose its momentum. Shannen Doherty was arguably the most famous person on the show - would the role of Prue be recast or would Phoebe and Piper carry on as a twosome? Would the show even come back?

All fears were allayed when the fourth season aired. Paige was no Prue, but her presence sent Charmed in a new, more offbeat direction. The same presence from the previous season continued, with the sisters battling the Source of All Evil for their very lives whilst having to deal with a new family members and burgeoning loves. Rose McGowan was refreshing and her being on the show caused the dynamic to change before it got too stale.

Charmed officially jumped the shark in season 5. The season long plot was eschewed in favor of episodic plots again, though they weren’t on the same level as the early seasons. The show also started to steer away from the traditional Wiccan feel. I feel the word ‘stereotype’ is inadequate here but I’m not sure of what else to use - leprechauns, genies, wood nymphs, mermaids; you name it, it was made into an episode. In essence, it became sillier and a parody of what the show had initially wanted to be.

The last three seasons were relatively mediocre. Though there are some good episodes here and there, it did not live up to the pinnacle of seasons 3 and 4. Overarching stories were back, but they didn’t mesh well with the lighter approach the show was going for. Character decay set in and ratings soon started to drop. Upon the renewal of the show for an eighth season, the lead actresses made it clear that this would be their last and did not want to continue further as the Power of Three. It was a decision that I imagine was hard, but fair. Charmed was no longer magical and in an age of rising reality TV (The Hills) and fascination with the obscenely rich (The O.C.), no spell in the Book could help.

Here are a list of episodes I recommend watching for various reasons:

The Witch Is Back - Melinda Warren, the witch who started it all, makes her first and last appearance on the show

Which Prue Is It Anyways? - watch for a different take on the Power of Three

Chick Flick - hilariously funny

Coyote Piper - a filler episode done right

Bride & Gloom - watch what happens when good girls go bad

Sin City - another filler done right

All Hell Breaks Loose - arguably, the best episode of the series & Shannen’s best performance

Hell Hath No Fury - Holly’s best performance

Charmed & Dangerous - the second best episode

Long Live The Queen - Alyssa’s best performance

Sympathy For The Demon - Rose’s best performance

The Power of Three Blondes - a very funny filler

Forever Charmed - the series finale

BULLSEYES & IMPROVEMENTS

What it got right:

The sense that no matter what you did or who you wanted to be, your family would always have your back

Darryl and his passive-aggressive snark at being dragged into the magical world time and again

The original spin on Wiccan principles & mythology in the first four seasons

The Book of Shadows & its artwork

Penny Halliwell - the grandma you always wanted

The awkward but fast connection Paige made with her sisters

Prue & Jack - proof that opposites attract

Cole’s arc during seasons 3 & 4

What it got wrong:

Wyatt - overpowered and seemingly out of nowhere, he was a bit unnecessary. Apparently, the writers made him this way to justify a baby being in the house with demons about to the network, but there are much better ways to get around this without giving him every single power

Future Chris - whiny, snotty and way too controlling. Also, Drew Perry is a very poor actor compared to the rest of the cast

Phoebe’s love life - apart from Cole, take any two of Phoebe’s love interests and tell me how they differ, I dare you

I’ve already mentioned the general silliness, but Seasons 5 & 6 takes the cake in this

Zankou - what could have been the smartest villain on the show was wasted due to too many storylines running about in season 7

Leo’s arc in season 7 - he doesn’t do brooding as well as Cole and it doesn’t make sense for his character

Darryl eventually turning against the sisters - it made no sense and it undid so many years of trust and friendship

Magic School - had this come in earlier seasons or just for an episode or two, it would have been a fun setting. The fact that it was a very focal point post season 6 made it seem like a Hogwarts knockoff

Piper & Leo post season 4 - a very strong & loving relationship was marred by unnecessary trials. Really, he was made into an Elder in season 5 and had to leave home, but in season 6, he basically stuck around anyways, so what was the point? Just leave them together FFS!

CULTURAL IMPACT

Like many shows on the WB in the 90s, Charmed was very popular with the younger demographic even though its characters were about five years older than they were. Many resonated with the messages of family and female empowerment to the point of making a show a cult classic, even though it wasn’t as critically acclaimed as Buffy or Angel. Up until

Unfortunately, the environment on set was not ideal. Rumors of feuds between Shannen and Alyssa were plenty abound, causing the gossip machine to speculate that the latter’s rise in popularity was the result of the former leaving. Recently, Brad Kern was also exposed for being responsible for a very toxic & misogynistic work atmosphere. It’s a cruel irony, given the feminist tones the show cultivated.

Up until Desperate Housewives, Charmed had the honor of being the longest running TV show with all female leads. It was a truly imaginative show that made its own identity known. I haven’t watched the remake nor do I plan to - I have nothing against the new show and I’m sure it has it’s own highlights, but there’s only one Power of Three for me...

[... and that’s why we’ve truly been Charmed]

WHERE TO WATCH IT

Charmed is available for streaming on Netflix

#charmed #prue halliwell #piper halliwell #phoebe and cole #paige matthews #literary analysis

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douxreviews · 6 years ago

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Charmed - Season Five Review

"My sister, the demon magnet."

A clear departure from the dark, mature tone of the previous two years, Season Five is where Charmed starts to go downhill. Following some network meddling to avoid the apparent doom and gloom of the previous season, there's a massive shift towards a lighter, and subsequently more banal form of writing. I do feel like I have to defend the first half the season to many, which features a few of Charmed's better hours, but the second half...not so much. Spoilers and, unfortunately, leprechaun discussion ahead.

You can kind of get why there would be an attempt to back track to the light-hearted tone of the early episodes of the series. Season Four was by all rights a bitter pill to swallow. With Prue's untimely death, and the Halliwells’ hard battle to rid themselves of The Source for good, things got pretty dark. Why not change tack and have a bit more fun? Sadly, for Brad Kern et. al, more fun means squeezing Alyssa Milano into the skimpiest costumes possible, and breaking the record for the highest number of irritating magical creatures in a single episode of television. Ugh.

Initially, the dress-up games aren't all that terrible. Sure, the Mermaid fiasco in the two-part premiere was questionable, but the decision to tie it back to Phoebe's pain and desire to escape the toxicity of her relationship with Cole was oddly affecting. Even the fairy tale absurdity of 'Happily Ever After' feels rooted in similar personal struggles. By episode 5, though, we get our first taste of the tackless dreck that will become signature in the series' later seasons. The results are a mixed bag, to say the least. 'Witches in Tights' is a great title for an hour that serves very little purpose other than to get the girls in a "theme of the week" get-up to liven up the WB promos. This tastelessness carries through to the end of the season with Rose McGowan's pain coming through in spades during 'Nymphs Just Wanna Have Fun', where she spends two thirds of the episode prancing around in rags like some brainless dodo. The costume party even runs into the season finale, where a potentially great idea is squandered by a need to ham up every single angle of the girls' transformation into Greek Goddesses.

The first half of the season does shine in a lot of ways. Julian McMahon's presence is still welcome, though Cole's return feels little redundant in light of the rather conclusive ending his vanquish gave us in Season Four's 'Long Live the Queen'. Regardless, we get some great character beats throughout the first 12 episodes before Cole's humanity is eventually lost and he has to be vanquished for the final time in the 100th episode 'Centennial Charmed'. Despite an unnecessarily extended arc, Cole was still an integral part of the show's growth and maturity and Julian McMahon will be remembered fondly.

There are some clear high-points elsewhere, too. A great guest spot from Melinda Clarke in 'Siren Song' helps to buoy yet another episode dedicated to the never-ending push and pull of Phoebe and Cole's now defunct marriage. 'A Witch in Time' is one of my personal favorites. With a fun time-travel element at its core, and one hell of a twist mid-way through the hour, it’s one of the rare examples of how smart the writing team could still be this late in the game. The 100th episode toys with the idea of an alternate reality without Paige around to save the Power of Three. It's played well for the most part, and effectively ties a nice bow around Julian McMahon's time of the series. 'Sense and Sense Ability' is also a bright spot in the otherwise depressing haze of nymphs and leprechauns in the second half of the season. Its full of fun gags and is home to a clever idea that ties neatly back to the strength of The Power of Three, an element that's oddly rare at this point.

For the most part, though, Season Five is a big disappointment with some really low lows. 'Lucky Charmed' is one the worst hours of the series, drawing on cliched leprechaun tropes, and tired demon drama. 'The Importance of Being phoebe' is a tacky mess, and is one of those episodes where you question how good the girls are at spotting when there's something clearly wrong with each other. What's so sad about episodes like these is that you have to endure them knowing there's material that’s just as heinous coming up later in the series.

In the face of some dreadful episodic content, you would usually be able to turn to the sibling dynamics that were almost always well crafted. Unfortunately, Season Five marks a point in the show where the writers begin to favor a more segregated approach to the girls' individual arcs, with lifeless love interests and silly new jobs taking precedent over genuinely effecting drama. Phoebe's time is spent floating from guy to guy and building her career as the city's biggest advice columnist, a career development that makes Prue's quick hire at 415 Magazine seem like a completely feasible move. It's great to see her mature, though. Paige makes a rather questionable choice to leave her job as a social worker, one that causes her to drift for most of the season with very little purpose. Piper's role is probably the better one this season, with her pregnancy, and the subsequent birth of her first child Wyatt, taking up most of her screen time. Unfortunately, her journey this year ends with one of the biggest mistakes the show ever made; the dissolution of her marriage to Leo.

For reasons that stem from lazy writing more than anything else, Piper and Leo are pulled apart in the finale in order to allow Leo to take up a bigger role "up there" with the Elders, and to make room for the time-travelling Chris, who pops up in the season finale and will continue to plague the series next season. It's a move that's just as frustrating as it is contrived, and almost appropriately messy as we enter Charmed's problematic sixth season. There were some attempts to shoe-horn in some martial discord before the finale, notably in clip-show episode 'Cat House', but those small scenes do little to shake the feeling that the writers are now driven more by major story beats, and are far less concerned with the characters that were so well drawn when we started this journey five seasons earlier.

Potions and Notions

Sam makes his first re-appears here since season two, and it marks the first time he comes face-to-face with his daughter, Paige.

There was a lot of build up to Wyatt's birth. The moment itself is actually rather sweet, but the show doesn't really use his abilities to their fullest extent right away.

Phoebe's premonitions start to become more vivid this season, which basically means they're less blurry.

Spells and Chants

Cole: "What happened to us, Phoebe? How'd we get here? We used to be so in love! Even without your sisters, it's not working... Why?" Phoebe: "I don't know... Maybe it just wasn't meant to be."

Piper: "Even if he can handle the demons, he must sense the tension, which means at the very best we end up with a neurotic infant." Leo: "Look on the bright side. Growing up with your sisters, he was bound to be neurotic anyway."

Best Episode: A Witch in Time.

Honorable Mentions: Siren Song, The Eyes Have It, Sympathy for the Demon, Centennial Charmed, Sense and Sense Ability.

Worst Episode: Lucky Charmed.

There are some admittedly strong elements this season, but it's mostly a disappointing year that feels like a disservice to the well written drama that came before it.

5 out of 10 leprechauns.

Panda

#Charmed #Piper Halliwell #Phoebe Halliwell #Paige Matthews #Charmed Reviews #Doux Reviews #TV Reviews #something from the archive

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chris-crossed · 7 years ago

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@seethem-dancing replied to your post “@seethem-dancing replied to your post “@bluestar22x replied to your...”

To be frank, my experience with Western serialized media (particularly mainstream/popular shows) has always been decidedly negative. I had to eliminate them from my life entirely as of right now because TV medium generally operates on cheap attention seeking twists & pseudo-edgy storylines based around character assassination & false moral equivalency between heroes & villains. What sets Charmed apart is the admirable lack of such equivalency & the fact that the series' steady focus were characters' experiences & emotional struggles (rather than convoluted "shocking" turns. Even Prue's death allowed a possibility for a powerful change in the emotional dynamic between the sisters which came with Paige's insertion). It was a show about flawed heroes who were also human beings trying to make it through the day. Chris' arc in particular stands out because the narrative made it markedly clear at one point that HE was the flawed hero of the story. And we were encouraged to take his side when it came to his determination to save Wyatt from turning into tyrannical sociopath even BEFORE the reveal of his identity as a Halliwell/Piper & Leo's other child. It was one of the most revolutionary approaches towards such an arc imo - because for all we knew at the point when Chris Crossed aired Chris was a shady untrustworthy neurotic whom the family of protagonists was wary of. We didn't know it was HIS family that mistreated him while Chris risked everything to save them. The show made it clear he was fighting the right cause (despite having every chance not to) because taking a difficult route, not enabling evil Wyatt & trying to save him vs kill the baby was the right thing to do. And likewise - it's been a pleasure having this conversation with you. I wholly agree on the labels part - it's a very troubling concept which in many cases (as you note) causes people to be marginalized even further and be excluded from the group they identify with. Labels stem heavily from Western system of values & First World social justice which mainly caters to the most privileged groups anyway.

Yeah, nowadays tv shows seem to be all about killing everything and everyone in the most shocking way possible. Like they can’t come up with other ways to make people sad. It’s so pointless and not something I’m interested in watching.

And I totally get what you mean about Chris’ arc. I think they really wrote his story very well. What he had to sacrifice, the struggles he faced, decisions he had to make etc. The way the story progressed during the season, the more we found out about Chris and the more we sympatised with him. I found it very intriguing to watch.

#reply

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sulietsexual · 7 years ago

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your opinion on cats especially black cats! your opinion on charmed post season 4? your opinion on how they dealt with the theme of death in the show?

I FREAKIN’ LOVE CATS AND BLACKCATS ARE ADORABLE LITTLE BALLS OF BLACK BLISS WHICH SHOULD BE PROTECTED AT ALLCOSTS! Honestly, I really hate how much people hate on cats, especially blackcats, like there is so much violence against cats, and it’s so acceptable to hate cats, which bafflesme. Like, if you told a person that you hate dogs they’d react as if you’re thescum of the earth, but you mention that you hate cats and everyone’s all like “Ohyeah, cats are the worst”. Which is ridiculous, because cats are literally thebest, they have little triangle ears, and they wind around your ankles and fallasleep on your stomach, and they purr and making tiny adorable noises, andthey have such distinct personalities and attitudes. I would own a hundred catsif I had the space.

As everyone knows, I am not a massive fan of Charmed’s later seasons.I think that Season 4 is a really strong season and does a fantastic job ofeasing the girls (and the audience) into the new dynamic of Piper/Phoebe/Paige.They also deal really well with Prue’s death, and the girls’ grief is neitherignored nor glossed over. But everything after Season 4 just unravels at analarming rate, and the show ends up in such a different place to where itstarted.

First off, the absence of ConstanceM Burgess from Season 5 onwards is extremelynoticeable, as the story starts to shift its focus from the girls as sistersand their relationships with one another, personal struggles and balancingtheir magical and real-world lives to the many fantasy creatures introduced,villain-of-the-week storylines, sexier outfits and the many, many transformations the girls gothrough. The show starts to lose its heart and its depth, Season 5 inparticular being quite a shallow and frivolous season. The Cole storyline dragsout for far too long in Season 5, andthe many break ups of Piper and Leo become tiring and annoying, and only endsup making Piper look ridiculously co-dependent and selfish and Leo too willing to sacrifice his family for the greater good. Phoebe’s overnightsuccess is grating and doesn’t allow for the audience to watch her grow andchange. And Paige’s complete lack of direction is just annoying and does her character no favours.

The addition of Chris to Season 6was, in my opinion, a big mistake, especially since they didn’t seem to knowexactly what to do with his characterisation,having him swing from evil to good, with no consequences to his actions. Hisangsty daddy-issues were annoying, and the Evil!Wyatt storyline was convoluted anddrawn-out, without a satisfying conclusion. The introduction of Magic Schoolwas so obviously meant to cash in on the Harry Potter craze, and the way it wasso suddenly introduced with no build up or mention felt so jarring andcheap. Then Season 7 happened, and that was a complete disaster, with theconfusing Avatar storyline, the annoying FBI agent Kyle and the general weirdnessof the season. Season 8 slightly improves,but the introduction of Billie was unnecessary and clearly only there to enticeyounger viewers, and then having her and Christy be the BIG BAD ULTIMATE EVILfell so flat, because the sisters have previously faced much, much worse than them. At least we got apretty good (if somewhat cheesy) finale, but I still wish Shannen had returned(she has gone on the record as saying that had she known how much it would havemeant to the fans, she would have done so).

As for the theme of death, Charmedis a show which I feel actually handles death quite well, at least in the earlyseasons when death still meant something (the girls dying and coming back sooften in the later season lessens the effect). But in the early seasons I feel that the show explores this theme well, especially with episodes such as P3H20, which explores the girls’ grief over their mother’s passing, Pre-Witched, which touches on the girls’ grief over Grams, Morality Bites, which explores what it means to go to one’s death without fear, and especially Death Takes A Halliwell, which brilliantly explores the concept of Death not as an enemy, but as a natural way of life, and shows Prue having to accept and embrace death, rather than fight against it. All up, death is pretty well-handled on Charmed, despite the show’s perceived shallowness.

#candicepatton #answered #still charmed #charmed

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ao3feed-brucewayne · 7 years ago

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Twisted worlds

read it on the AO3 at http://ift.tt/2EuzNCr

by Rash_jaya

Guinevere born during the 5th centuries. grow up in the Camelot alongside prince. Never met my father, he was more than just wizard he was a Knight, he dies protecting me and Arthur one during our annual travels. Arthur was only a few months old, the Queen promised my dying father had I would always have Camelot Knight to protect me. Not that I need any....

Words: 924, Chapters: 1/?, Language: English

Fandoms: Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1992), Angel: the Series, DC Comics, Stargate Atlantis, Stargate SG-1, Grimm (TV), Charmed (TV), mythology gods and Goddess, Sci Fi - Fandom, Merlin - Fandom

Rating: Explicit

Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply

Categories: F/M, M/M

Characters: Angel, Buffy - Character, Willow, Xander, Rupert Giles, Cordelia Chase, Allen Francis Doyle, Wesley Wyndam-Pryce, Daniel Jackson, Jack O'Neill, Samantha "Sam" Carter, Teal'c, John Sheppard, Rodney McKay, Teyla Emmagan, Ronon Dex, Paige Matthews, Piper Halliwell, Phoebe Halliwell, Prue Halliwell, Leo Wyatt, Nick Burkhardt, Hank Griffin, Oliver Queen, Diana (Wonder Woman), Clark Kent, Stephen Curry, Bruce Wayne, Barry Allen, Princess Guinevere - Character

Additional Tags: Dom/sub, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics

read it on the AO3 at http://ift.tt/2EuzNCr

#IFTTT #ao3feed #bruce wayne #batman #the dark knight #gotham

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whitewolfofwinterfell · 5 years ago

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My favourite Charmed episodes - season 6

This is the sixth part of my Favourite Charmed Episodes meta series all posts in the series will be tagged as #favecharmedeps.

Season 6 is a strange season because for some fans it’s their most favourite season and for others it’s their least favourite. For me, I’m afraid it’s the latter. Whilst season 5 saw a change in the vibe of the show, season 6 felt like a much more dramatic change that simply didn’t work for me. The characterisation of the main character seemed to become inconsistent and their development flopped, the strong sister relationships were neglected more than any other previous season and despite the potential of Chris’ character and plot, the indecisveness around what to do with his character led to a bunch of plot holes and a character that simply didn’t fit or make sense within the Halliwell family or Charmed as a whole. Nonetheless, the season wasn’t all bad. I still like some episodes from the season and there are some that provide some good characterisation that’s consistent with previous arcs and episodes. I’ve chosen 4 episodes from season 6 - Little Monsters, The Courtship of Wyatt’s Father, Hyde School Reunion and It’s a Bad, Bad, Bad World.

Little Monsters (6x09)

Overall, I think this episode is very underrated and slips under the radar. The plot with the manticores, the baby and his father (Derek) is one of my favourites involving innocents from across the series. Charmed tackles the greyness of morality multiple times, but the shows emphasis at times is generally black and white in its representation of good and evil, so this episode is great because it’s a particularly effective exploration the greyness involved in good versus evil.

By having a demon baby, it immediately forces the sisters to question everything they feel and believe about demons. Usually their approach is simple - demons are evil and they kill them. However, the baby is not only a baby, but he also looks human and develops a bond with Wyatt. This causes conflict for the sisters who obviously cannot justify or bring themselves to kill a baby, regardless of the demonic powers he seems to posses. He may have evil powers, but he’s not evil yet and they know that evil is made not born. And the fact that Wyatt takes such a shine to him causes further conflict since Wyatt’s instincts from a very young age have always been very good. He knows when he’s in the presence of evil or if someone is untrustworthy and wants to harm him or his family, and he demonstrates that by having his force-field up. So the fact that he never puts his force-field up around the baby means that Wyatt doesn’t sense anything amiss from him.

For Piper this is a particularly interesting episode because it taps into her feelings and instincts as a mother. By meeting Derek and seeing his desperation to be with his son, she’s able to sympathise as a mother who would also do anything for her child. There’s something that I just love about the fact that a suspected bad guy and demon who the sisters believe wants to kidnap the baby to do him harm actually turns out to be a human man who simply wants to save his son and voluntarily transformed into a demon so he could do exactly that. It’s one of the most emotive and touching stories of any innocent on the show, in my opinion. And I love how Piper was able to connect so easily to Derek, even when he was in his demon form and she was still unsure about his intentions. Just like Wyatt, her instincts didn’t let her down and she quickly realised that she wasn’t in the presence of evil.

It still makes me sad that Derek and his son only appeared in this episode, because the chemistry between Derek and Piper and the little friendship Wyatt and the baby developed was incredibly sweet and I think there was potential there for a friendship to continue and for Piper and Derek to go on play dates together with the kids.

Overall, this episode isn’t stand-out brilliant or amazing. The side-plots with Darryl being made invincible by Paige’s spell and Phoebe and Jason’s struggles in their relationship are forgettable and lacklustre, but there’s something about Derek’s plot that I find very compelling and endearing. It’s one of the few stories of the many, many, many innocents on the show that always sticks in my mind.

The Courtship of Wyatt’s Father (6x16)

There’s only one reason this episode makes it onto my list and I’m sure you can guess what it is. It’s Piper and Leo.

Generally, I’m not a huge shipper of Piper and Leo, but I still have a strong attachment to them and always rooted for them to be together. After the turmoil they go through in season 6, this episode is much needed. There’s so much left unsaid and unresolved between Piper and Leo, and the way he leaves at the end of season 5 and how he’s kidnapped by Chris and placed in Valhalla is just two of many issues they don’t address in regards to how their relationship ended.

This episode is simply an emotional, heart-wrenching and authentic glimpse at two people who have a long, complex and deep history re-connecting in the moments which they believe could potentially be their last. Finally hearing those words, “I never stopped loving you” is so gratifying, because we all knew that but neither of them had openly voiced their feelings. Piper and Leo overcame so much to be together and they were cruelly ripped apart by Leo becoming an Elder, and everything about what happens between them in this episode is earned.

The fact that Chris’ very existence is dependent upon Piper and Leo having sex and conceiving him on the very same day only thickens the plot. What’s so beautiful about it, is that all through season 6 you wonder how Chris is possibly going to be conceived since Piper and Leo are split and for a long time I started to think it was going to be done magically. So the fact that Chris is conceived naturally and out of nothing but pure love is so beautiful and it’s exactly what he needed. He feels inferior to Wyatt and knows that Wyatt was planned and wanted, and although he may not have been planned in the same way he was born out of Piper and Leo’s love in exactly the same way Wyatt was. If anything, the moment Chris was conceived was even more romantic and special than Wyatt since we as fans got to see that experience and the emotion between Piper and Leo in that moment.

There’s really nothing more that I can say about this episode, other than to say that the way the episode ends with Piper finally learning that Chris is her son is a huge cliff hanger and just adds to the gratification of the episode.

Hyde School Reunion (6x17)

There are a lot of aspects of this episode that are cringey as hell, but what I like about this episode is how consistent it is with Phoebe’s characterisation (which is particularly important to me, since I feel like the writers lost sight of Phoebe a lot in seasons 6-8). I also enjoy the fact that it slightly parallels with Coyote Piper where Piper had her high school reunion and had to confront her past and the ways in which she’d changed but also the ways that she’d stayed the same. Coyote Piper also showed the dynamic between Prue and Piper, whilst Hyde School Reunion shows the dynamic between Phoebe and Paige.

As I’ve mentioned multiple time throughout this meta series, Phoebe has always been characterised as being the sister with the darkest nature. We know that she got into trouble when she was younger and she was somewhat rebellious, but this episode allows us to literally see that younger version of Phoebe as she becomes her. The opening scene between Phoebe and Paige is cute because we see them bonding and Paige expressing that Phoebe’s a lot to live up to as a big sister. It’s these kind of sister moments that are so important to me and they’re particularly precious at this point since they don’t happen as often in season 6. It’s also nice that Phoebe invites Paige to attend her high school reunion with them since Paige has expressed in the past how she sometimes feel a little out of the loop since she never had the opportunity to know Piper and Phoebe when they were younger. By allowing Paige to be part of her high school reunion, Phoebe enables Paige to journey back to her past and see the sides of Phoebe and aspects of her life that she didn’t know about. This is also important because seeing the flip side to Phoebe enables Paige to realise that as much as she may look up to Phoebe as her older sister, Phoebe isn’t perfect either, which is always a valuable lesson to learn about our role models no matter how old we are.

Phoebe has come up against her dark side multiple times in the previous seasons, but what’s significant about this episode is that she isn’t under the influence of magic or evil, it’s just her. The young Phoebe we see is exactly who she was when she was that age and a spell brings her to fruition, but it’s completely authentic and true to the person she was. What this episode does by connecting Phoebe to her past and her younger self, is to allow her to remember the person she was, how she’s changed and to take responsibility for the terrible things she did and prove that she’s no longer that person. It’s one of the most effective episodes at demonstrating how far Phoebe has come because she’s a million miles away from the young Phoebe we see in this episode.

In addition to Phoebe’s arc, seeing Piper trying to work through the fact that Chris is her son, Chris revealing that Piper is dead in his future and Chris and Victor meeting is all very moving and emotional. Piper can clearly see that Chris is closed off and she wants to remedy that, and we see that already she’s having those motherly instincts towards Chris. Since the family finally know the truth about who Chris is, he’s forced to confront his demons more so than before and him admitting that Piper is dead in his future explains a lot of his behaviours and attitudes throughout the season. As for Victor, although he made amends for being an absentee father all the way back in seasons 2 and 3, knowing that he develops such a strong bond with Chris and is so involved in his and Wyatt’s life is so lovely to know. This little sub-plot with the three of them works very well and despite it being in the background rather than the forefront of the episode, it provides a lovely bit of development for all three characters and their relationships.

When you look beyond Alyssa’s somewhat cringe portrayal of young Phoebe and the fact that the criminal plot with her old high school friends is a complete miss, this episode provides some very good characterisation and development for the sisters, Chris and Victor and builds upon some of those important familial relationships with Phoebe and Paige, Victor and Chris, Piper and Victor and Piper and Chris.

It’s a Bad, Bad, Bad World (6x22+23)

A lot of my enjoyment of this episode lies purely in the fact that we get to see a parallel world where we get to see the sisters’, Leo and Chris’ evil counterparts and the Demon of Hope. It’s also a memorable episode in terms of Chris’ death and birth, Leo’s turn to the dark side and the general moral message that the episode contains.

I have a lot of issues with Chris’ plot throughout season 6 and how inconsistent it was and how many plot holes there were, but in this episode he’s very sympathetic and his death is heartbreaking. He sacrifices himself saving Wyatt’s life, which was his main goal from the beginning. It’s good to see that he’s finally developed bonds with the family, and that he dies with Leo by his side given the turbulent nature of their relationship in Chris’ reality.

As for Leo, him murdering Gideon is one of the most interesting things that ever happens to his character. Leo’s goodness can only extend so far and let’s be honest in season 5 and 6 he was screwed over majorly. After working his ass off just to be able to be with the woman he loved and earning that right from the Elders, he was ripped away from his wife and newborn son by a higher calling, he was isolated by Piper he didn’t even tell him she was pregnant and he had to endure the wrath of Chris who hated him for something that he hadn’t even done (Chris’ anger was with the Leo of his reality, not our Leo). After finding out that the very people that had caused most of the issues in his family - the Elders - were also responsible for trying to kill Wyatt and murdering Chris, is it any wonder it sent him over the edge? What I love about this aspect of Leo’s arc is how embedded it is in fatherhood. In fiction there’s always so much emphasis on motherhood and mother-child bonds, and father’s are often cast into the background and those relationships and bonds aren’t explored as much. But Leo’s arc in season 6 is one of fatherhood and I admire that so much, because few male characters have the opportunity to have that kind of storyline. Leo loved his children every bit as much as Piper and was consumed with their safety and happiness to the point that it pushed him to act completely against his morals and commit murder. You often hear how parents will do anything for their children including murder, and Leo goes that far. He proves that when it comes to the love of your children there are no limits on what you’ll do. And honestly, this plot is probably one of my favourites from season 6, it’s just a shame that it wasn’t handled properly in season 7 and was very inconsistent and then kinda randomly dropped to revert him back to the exact same pure, “good” character he was in seasons 1-4.

Obviously throughout the episode there’s a clear moral message regarding the importance of striking a balance between good and evil. It’s a message that’s been conveyed on the show before and that’s symbolised by characters like the Angel of Death and the Cleaners (despite how inconsistent they are with the mythology of the show, but that’s a separate topic). Although the sisters fight on the side of good and kill evil demons, it’s never the end goal to eradicate all evil. There’s an understanding within the Charmed universe and from the sisters themselves that good cannot exist without evil and vice versa. We’ve also seen this within the characters themselves as they struggle with the light and dark inside themselves and the valuable lessons they’ve learned along the way about the interconnectedness of the two. Having evil in the world is how one is good; because they choose to act on their better instincts and morals to promote good. The completely “good” world that the sisters find themselves trapped in is actually awful. Phoebe is shot in the street for parking her car in the way of her neighbours drive, people can be physically harmed and even killed for cursing or simply expressing pessimism. It might seem comical on the surface, but it carries a deep and important message that pure “good” doesn’t exist. If you go to the extreme on either side of the good-evil scale the consequences and results will be disastrous.

Likewise this episode contains a similar message about life and death, which Chris really symbolises. That message is simply that there is no life without death. And although death is unfair and it’s tragic and it’s heartbreaking, for every life lost there is another life being brought into the world.

Overall, season 6 is the first season of Charmed that I can categorically say has more aspects/episodes that I dislike than I like. Like all of these posts, it’s completely subjective, but I don’t really get this season in terms of it’s overall message or the character arcs. Although Charmed always follows a monster-of-the-week format season 6 feels more disjointed than usual and a lack of continuity. You can read more about my thoughts on season 6 and why it’s one of my least favourite seasons here. But I don’t want to end this post on a negative note, so what I will say is that season 6 definitely isn’t all bad. I admire the writers for taking on such a huge challenge with Chris’ plot, I appreciate the exploration of Phoebe’s relationship with Jason as the first “real” mature relationship she had without the interference of magic and just like season 5, this season has a much more “campish” vibe with a ton of light-hearted episodes like The Power of Three Blondes and Witchstock. But in between that there’s exploration of complex issues such as Leo’s absence from his family, Piper’s continuing dilemmas and struggles as a mother, Phoebe’s efforts to strike a balance between work, being a witch and having a social life, Paige’s dedication and perhaps over-investment in being a witch at the detriment of other aspects of her life, Leo’s darkness which is awoken by his fierce love as a father and Chris’ pent up resentment, rage, grief and sadness due to decades of complex family history.

#charmed #mine #my meta #charmed meta #favecharmedeps #text post

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