The Good, The Bad, and The Cursed of Season 5

[Deleted]

Season 5 of Charmed, Oh where to begin. The season that went from"Sisters who happen to be witches" to "A sister who happens to have nice boobs" (Brads infatuation with Alyssa's cleavage)
This is also the season that didn't do any good for any of the characters on the show.

I thought it would be a good idea to break down season 5 in 3 parts.

The GOOD
What was it about season 5 you deemed good? It could be anything, from an episode, to character development. Since season 5 gets a lot of flack, I thought it would be refreshing to point out the good aspects of the season. Whether it be few.

The BAD
Obviously this implies to list the bad aspects of the season. It could be ideas integrated, story-lines, etc.

The CURSED
What was it about this season you deemed to be a complete abomination to series. Of course, I'm thinking leprechauns and nymphs.

[Esmeralda]

GOOD topic! We should do it for the four seasons we've already discussed!

The GOOD

"Sense and Sense-ability"! Absolutely the funniest part of the whole series!

Also "Cat House". LOVED the flashbacks - just wish Shannen had let Prue be part of them.

The BAD

Piper feelings sorry for herself and almost destroying San Francisco during "Oh, My Goddess".

The whole crap with Cole - he should not have been part of this season!


The CURSED

Prudence Melinda being a boy and Twice Blessed - more powerful on his own than the Charmed Ones combined. It's when the show permanently jumped the shark (it had jumped before, but usually jumped back) and was no longer the series it once was.

Also Chris showing up and putting all the emphasis on Piper's family, making Paige and Phoebe as much of an extra as Darryl.

[Deleted]

THE GOOD
-Like mentioned by Esmeralda, "Sense and Sensibility". This episode was fantastic, highly enjoyable, and had a great buildup and plot with the Croan. This is the only episode of season 5 where I enjoyed Phoebe for once.
-"Sympathy for the Demon". While I'm iffy with the episode itself, I find the ending rather beautiful. Paige had been placed on a pedestal ever since her arrival as a Charmed One and Sister. Piper's constant praise of how Prue did this and that, this episode proved that Paige had a huge potential to be just as powerful, if not more powerful than Prue. Seeing her with the BOS in the attic finally able to master Prue's spell was something great to see. Add the wonderful music added, it was a very touching moment. Especially since at that point the only sister I cared for was Paige.

THE BAD
-Paige
Her poor sub plots. It seemed she quit her dream job to do nothing more than hook up with random men in every other episode. It became ridiculous and just a downright insult to her character. Having Glenn hook up with Jess was a huge mistake as-well.
They also should've left her in her job as a social worker. It made no sense that she quits her job to study the craft, but yet complains about how she has no life only a few episodes later.
-Phoebe
She became very self centered this season. Add the fact she becomes a celebrity for doing nothing. I don't understand how a local newspaper advice columnist could reach that peak of fame. I couldn't help but roll my eyes at the concept. Her constant mistreatment of Cole and blaming him for decisions she clearly made all on her own was ridiculous.
-The Avatars
There was absolutely no reason for them to be included in this season. The only valuable thing they added to the season was recruiting Cole and altering reality. Once Cole is vanquished, they disappear and don't emerge until 2 years later. Seriously what was the point? The sisters don't even learn that the Avatars created the alternate reality in Centennial Charmed or that Cole became an Avatar. Stupid!

THE CURSED
-LEPRECHAUNS, NYMPHS, SEA HAGS, MERMAIDS, DISNEY RIPOFF"S. ENOUGH SAID lol
-Psycho Cole
How dare the writer's do what they did to his character. There were so many other avenues they couldn't ventured into with him and instead create the most infuriating story-lines I've ever seen. Julian did what he could with material and I commend him for his acting but they honestly should've left him dead in Season 4.
-Piper's Pregnancy
It wasn't necessarily Piper being pregnant I had a problem with, it was with how it was handled. I understand that a baby's power can be tapped into, but this was ridiculous. Burping magical bubbles, creating flowers, having fireworks appear, swapping people's soul's (?) essence? I hated every aspect of her pregnancy. This was when I completely started to jump off Charmed's bandwagon.
-Twice Blessed Child
AWFUL. One of the worst concepts to be included on Charmed. A being more powerful than the Charmed Ones? Please. And to add insult to injury they make Piper's baby a boy. Unicorns and magical geese to be present during the child's birth? wtf were they thinking?
-"Centennial Charmed"
While this episode might be a Charmed fan favorite, I consider it one of the worst. This episode proves just how incompetent Brad Kern is when he couldn't even get Paige's birth year right. A episode that should've been dark and emotionally charged, it came off as something severely lackluster. Compare this to Long Live the Queen. It also seemed that "POTIONS" was always the vanquishing solution. No longer did they need crystals or actual rituals. Just make a potion and throw it. Problem solved. I would've preferred and appearance by Shax instead. Julian's true departure should've been in season 4. There also seemed to be a lack of acting capability in both Alyssa and Rose in this episode.
-Brad Kern
I'm not entirely sure what went on behind the scenes, but season 5 seems to be year of Phoebe. Her clothes got shorter and shorter and her story-lines with love and nonsense became redundant. Its also evident Brad had an entirely different view of what Charmed should've been since he completely left the shows original core concept within the first 4 seasons. The addition of magical creatures didn't help Charmed in any way, shape or form yet this man loved
"Lucky Charmed"

[Esmeralda]

Shows you how long it's been since I watched S5 or S6 (and can't/won't, since I don't have the DVDs and won't get them) - I wasn't sure if Paige's job change occured during Season 5 or Season 6! But that was definitely both bad and cursed!

[Deleted]

Jul 24, 2012 11:29:41 GMT -5 Esmeralda said:

Shows you how long it's been since I watched S5 or S6 (and can't/won't, since I don't have the DVDs and won't get them) - I wasn't sure if Paige's job change occured during Season 5 or Season 6! But that was definitely both bad and cursed!

Yes I totally agree with you on that!

Paige got promoted to social worker in a Witch's Tail part 1, she quits her job in part 2 . I must say it was one of the most disappointing moments of the show. I forgot to include Chris and the titans on my cursed list

[SEERofCHAOS]

I'm in the minority who likes the magical creatures in Charmed. I thought they were fun, though I always wonder where they all hang out where no one finds them.

[cyma]

I think I might've enjoyed them had the stories and atmosphere of the episodes been something like Once Upon a Time episode in season 3.

[Astral Echo]

This season tends to slip off my radar. I prefer to pretend that it never aired at all.

[Chrisaholic]

Okay, I may stand alone here but that's me. ;D

The GOOD
Introducing Chris and that a male witch can exist, despite all prejudices! And all magical creatures. Nice that something out of fairy tales does exist! lol

The BAD
An young man becoming an Elder with a special wiccan power and new faces which we never saw again. Could have handled better, except the Avatars. They shouldn't have returned again - in S7!

The CURSED
Cole's craziness or obsession with wanting to have Phoebe at his side anywhere. Hence, his final end could have done better. And the Twice-Blessed son? A baby stronger than the original Power of Three?? Nice.

[Esmeralda]

You're right. Most of us think your good was actually a bad. Sorry! Most of the Chris-fans have gone on to other stuff and aren't around the boards any more. I think you're one of the few ones I've seen saying good things about him recently.

[Chrisaholic]

Why should I not? You know how I stand to him and we've discussed this long before and came to an agreement. It's just the way it is.

[~B@MeLiSsA30@B~]

Im not a Chris Fan, but I don't dislike/hate him. I like him, and I don't mind him being in S6.

[Esmeralda]

I said most - I didn't say all.

And Chrisaholic was the one who said that she might stand alone - I was just agreeing with her. I'm sure she's glad to find out that she's not *totally* alone.

[SEERofCHAOS]

I totally despise Chris. Just wait until we get to season 6! If Chris and Billie were in a bad acting contest, I'd make sure not to attend unless I hated myself.

[Deleted]

Wow so much Chris hate lol.

Good
Piper's growing relationship and development with Paige.

Bad
No further exploration into Paige's past or adoptive family.

Cursed
Crazy Cole Arc.

[Astral Vision]

The Good
Cat House - Probably the first and only clip show episode in any television show that I don't mind sitting down to watch.
The fact that the still dwindling Cole/Phoebe relationship (if you can still call it that) finally ends (See The Cursed).
Sense and Sensability - I loved this episode before I realised that it was written by Brian Krause. He really did come up with a great episode.

The Bad
Necromancing the Stone - Such a boring episode; I don't want to see Grams reunited with the Necromancer; and if the writers don't want to make Prue/Paige comparisons, they should not have Paige using a varied version of the truth spell for the exact same reason as Prue.
House call - Okay, I liked this episode, but... It broke up any possibilities of Paige and Glen ever becoming more than friends.
The Charmed Ones turn into too many different things this season.
The two part season opener. Season four needed to be a two parter, because of the important cast change. Season five did not need to be a two part season opener.
The introduction of Chris at the end (Sorry Chris fans!).
xD This last bad point is mostly just for the fun of pointing it out - The change in the job role of a social worker in the Charmedverse:

The Three Faces of Phoebe
Paige: I know I was late this morning, I won't be anymore. In fact, I've found out a way to get here in a blink of an eye.
Mr. Cowan: I'm gonna miss you as an assistant. Because I'm promoting you to social worker.
Paige: Thank you so much. That's so amazing. I, I am sticking to that not being late thing by the way.
Mr. Cowan: Oh, you don't have to worry, you have a flexible work schedule now.


A Witch's Tail Part 1
Mr. Cowan: You've been gone an hour.
Paige: Yeah, well, there's a freak rainstorm. The entire city's flooded.
Mr. Cowan: Well, you should've let someone know where you were headed. You have this habit of coming and going as you please.
Paige: As I please? No, I come and go as other people please. That's what assistants do, they run errands. I'll tell you a little secret. They don't like it.
Mr. Cowan: Well, your behaviour's got to change.
Paige: Maybe it'll change if you promote me to social worker.
Mr. Cowan: I already did. You start tomorrow.

Despite the fact she turned it down due to the personal gain issue in season four, and then quit in season five, she would have been better off with the season four roles of a social worker. xD Apparently she'd get a lot more time off.


The Cursed
The Cole/Phoebe hatred is so horrible to watch. :S What happened to all that was good in season three? (and the fact that they seemed to be on mutual terms by the end of season four after Cole's initial vanquish?)
Nymphs Just Wanna Have Fun - Doesn't need an explanation.
Possession/Sister switching! - This just gets worse and worse each time! It may only happen once in this season (The Importance of Being Phoebe where Kaia pretends to be Phoebe), but the sisters (or at least just Piper and Phoebe) should know each other well enough by now to notice when something's up!

[Deleted]

The Bad
Necromancing the Stone - Such a boring episode

I agree. Not only was it boring, it was a complete waste of Jennifer Rhodes' talent. She deserved better.

[Chris]

The GOOD
Necromancing The Stone - I loved learning how Penny fell in love with a demon, and thought it was pretty interesting and cool
A Witch's Tail - Only because it was the Season Premiere and back then I didn't know what else to expect from the Season...
Sympathy For the Demon - It had Barbas in it. Enough said.
The introduction of Chris.

The BAD
Witches in Tights. Hated that episode.
I feel like Cole's time was up in Season 4, and he honestly wasn't needed back.



The CURSED
Sand Francisco Dreamin' - I could have done without the episode...
Leprechauns - Hate them with a passion
Nymphs - They just angered me to a whole level

[Deleted]

The Good

- Some clever metaphors and themes for the sisters' lives: Phoebe's 'coldness' expressed by her Mermaid transformation, Piper's fear of motherhood/Patty's death by drowning.
- A run of episodes with good plots/demons, even if the sisters personalities continued to deteriorate. 'The Eyes Have It', 'Sympathy for the Demon' 'A Witch in Time', 'Sam, I Am', 'Cat House' and 'Sense and Sense Ability' stick out in my mind.  
- the improved special effects and cinematic look of the show. 
- Barbas and the Crone. 

The Bad

- Paige quitting her dream job after complaining about not being promoted. Then she decides to take the Craft seriously AFTER they've already vanquished the Source. 
- Cole's return and Phoebe's, frankly, disgusting behaviour towards him.
- 'The Dress-Up Episodes': Fairytales, Superheroes, Nymphs and Titans.
- Inclusion of Disney creatures for no reason whatsoever: Fairies, Elves, Dwarves, Leprechauns, Unicorns. 
- Wyatt's underwhelming birth episode.    
- Phoebe forgetting she had magical powers.
- Phoebe becoming a celebrity. 
- Chris: prefer him in S6, the Titan plot was so bad that Drew didn't even know what to do with it. 
 
The Cursed

- Super Womb: even at 'an inch long' it can swap powers, heal wounds, summon the dead, produce forcefields, change magical powers into something else.  
- Wyatt Matthew Halliwell: And then when he was born the show changed from Charmed to Twice-Blessed.
- The sisters' personality transplants which were cemented in this season: Piper the Shrew, Phoebe the Tramp and Paige the Airhead. They may as well have been remained Anger, Lust and Sloth.
- Leo becoming Piper's whipping boy, then abandoning her to raise their kid alone in the finale. 
- No Prue, not even many mentions of her.
- The lack of sisterly bonding, the 100th episode being about Phoebe's ultimate slampiece and not her sisters.
- Jason Dean: another season of this idiot? 

[Deleted]

The Good
* The Eyes Have It, Sand Francisco Dreamin', Sense and Sense Ability.
* I think Grace Zabriskie made a great villain, even if I think they could have done more with her.

The Bad
* Cole. They pooped on everything done well in season 4 by bringing him back.
* Phoebe's rapidly increasing sense of self-importance and pettiness.
* Piper in "Oh My Goddess" especially
* Actually "Oh My Goddess" in general. It was a lousy finale to me and the whole "We're useless without Leo" thing was pathetic.
* The show shifting it's focus to Wyatt.

The Cursed
*Paige quitting her job. From this point on they can never seem to make their minds up about what to do with her. If they just had her get back into social work in season 6, maybe it would have been okay, but as is, this was a terrible move for her IMO.
*Fairy tale creatures.
*I suppose this is really a season 6 curse, but the cliffhanger of Leo being blown up leading to the Valhalla episode. Oh sorry, episodes. Urgh.

As for Chris, I've always been quite apathetic about him.