Prue: The Beloved Older Sister

[barmyoncharmed]

Which would mean someone who could sway Mr Spelling into booting SD once and for all, talked him into pinkslipping her. I dislike some people who can't handle women having a voice in how things should run.

Prue was human first and for most witch second and of course always prone to mistakes, they all made them.

[vandergraafk]

Which clearly indicates that any attempt to interpret All Hell Breaks Loose after the fact, i.e., knowing that later Shannen got canned, is simply wrong-headed. By that I mean: any mistakes that Prue made were not because Shannen was departing. They were simply errors in judgement that anyone could make. And, given the intensity of this episode - from the very first moment, there is a supercharged intensity to the episode - errors in judgement can surely be expected!

[p3charm]

EVERYONE MAKES MISTAKES FOR CRYING OUT LOUD!!!!!!! DROP IT ALREADY UNLESS YOU CAN NAME ME ONE PERSON WHO IS PERFECT!!!!!!!!!!

[barmyoncharmed]

no need for shouting, there was no problem as there was no name calling or bad mouthing each other. Just a discussion about SD/Prue and the episode, if it was getting bitchy etc then we'd both have walked away from it.

[vandergraafk]

Yes, I agree. I think there was a complete misreading of the point. Prue's mistakes are to be expected, just as Piper's were, Paige's and Phoebe's. They were mortals in addition to being powerful witches. And, mortals make mistakes.

Now, it would be another matter if someone tried to abuse these mistakes and use them to denigrate Prue's character. Such was not my intention, nor the effect of my comments. Prue is and will always be a strong leader who paid a steep price for being the lead witch: the death of Andy and her own demise.

[barmyoncharmed]

I knew you were never having a go at Prue's character, we agree on this subject as Prue was a strong leader but also prone to mistakes.

[starr]

Absolutely she was prone to mistakes...she was human. All humans are prone to make mistakes. Not a single one is perfect.

[barmyoncharmed]

If she hadn't been human then it wouldn't have fitted right with them being witches hehe

[*Sammi!*]

lol, to point out the obvious eh??

Prue was a good leader, I am cautious with my words as I didnt actually like her that much, she struck me as being very moody and way too headstrong... when she didnt get what she wanted she would sulk until it was given. Hell yeah she was prone to mistakes, as were the other sisters, and when they were all together then they would be stronger. I think its wrong to actually pinpoint who was the strongest leader as they were all fantastic really each had their own talents in choosing what happened when etc... I think that Prue was seen as the leader because she was eldest, this makes her wiser and more responsible but not the best leader.

[barmyoncharmed]

Yeah she was head strong, because she had to help raise her sisters when her mum died. So she felt responsible to protect her sisters, but she learnt that she didn't need to hold such a tight reign on the others.

[vandergraafk]

The buck stopped with Prue. Argue all you want among yourselves - that is Piper and Phoebe - but when the time comes for action to be taken, Prue will take it whether you're on board or not. And, I (Prue) advise you to get aboard! Is that head strong? Maybe. It's is certainly descriptive of someone who felt obligated to stand up and be accountable for not only her actions, but the safety, well-being and actions of her sisters.

[MarAcev]

Yeah she was head strong, because she had to help raise her sisters when her mum died.

I never quite got that. Penny raised all three girls and she died when they were all well in their 20s. I don't see how Prue had to raise Phoebe and Piper when obviously Piper didn't really need that much supervision to begin with and Grams always ran a tight shift.

[vandergraafk]

I suspect that though Grams was responsible for running the manor and all of that, in terms of emotional parenting, Prue was probably the care-giver. Piper could look up to her older sister to take care of things: school, boyfriends, etc. Phoebe got the brunt end of Prue's "meddling", especially after, I suspect, Grams kind of through up her hands (as early as middle school?). Prue did not have to work to support the house. That's true. But there's more to parenting (I hope) than putting food on the table and maintaining shelter.

[MarAcev]

How could Prue be the caregiver when she was barely a few years older than both Piper and Phoebe? According to the flashbacks and conversations we've had on the show, Piper was always very close to Grams and I'm sure that at least her, was mostly raised by Grams. I really doubt that Grams would leave all three girls to fend off for themselves and Prue to be the "emotional caregiver". I know there's more to parenting than putting money on the table but I can't really think of Grams as a neglectful guardian.

[Triad]

Prue seems more of a guardian that a parent figure. However, people keep on thinking that the raising and protecting of a family was up to One person. Many people have said that Grams is pretty much the sole "guardian", but what about the fact that Prue could have helped out too. Face it, the raising of kids is not limited to the house or manor in this case. The sisters went to school together, and this is where Prue's role of the protecter and guardian takes place(I assume). Neither Prue or Grams was the "Guardian" 24/7. Grams seemed to have that role inside the manor and whenever she could protect the sisters. However, Prue was the Protector for when Grams coulld not be. In other words, Prue doesn't want to lose anyone, but she knows Grams will do anyhthing to take care of her and her sisters. But when Grams isn't around, Prue steps up as the eldest sister and becomes the sort of replacement Guardian for Piper and Phoebe, becuase she doesn't want to lose them.

[MarAcev]

Many people have said that Grams is pretty much the sole "guardian", but what about the fact that Prue could have helped out too.

See, but that's the thing. I never thought that Prue didn't help out. But helping Grams doesn't equate to "raising" Piper and Phoebe like a lot of people claim. We've seen through flashbacks that Piper was quite helpful around the house, even when she was very young, yet nobody ever claimed that she helped raise Prue and Phoebe.

[vandergraafk]

I'll pass on this. Let's agree on one thing however. In Something Wicca, it is Piper who starts (and Phoebe completes) "Prue practically had to raise us". That statement, at once both specific and vague, is never really developed in the series. It's mostly assumed throughout. If Prue had been six or seven years older perhaps, it would make sense. As Maracev points out, though, the age gap is not enough. It seems we are all kind of in agreement.

Let me ask one question, however. Suppose that Patty had lived. Would Prue still have played a role of, say, emotional care-giver of some sort to the other two? Is the age gap between Penny and Prue an important element in this?

[MarAcev]

But Piper is/was a doormat. Someone completely insecure who always thought she needed Prue to survive. We all know that wasn't really true. She said Prue "practically helped raise them". That practically there kind of negates the rest of the sentence.

[vandergraafk]

Negates is too strong a word. Practically does constrain the notion somewhat. But, I get your drift!

[*Sammi!*]

I dont think that Prue was the leader at all... they all had their own lil bits and helped each other when it was needed, Prue was the eldest not the best... though Piper seemed to think she was and several times in Season4 pointed out that all their powers were inferior now that Prue was dead and I quote "... thats because Prue was the best..." when they were trying to vanquish Shax... Prue just knew more magic and had skills... hardly leader qualities really... Maybe she intimidated the sisters into thinking that they were inferior to her?? ... thats a point...