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Post by adzpower on Mar 2, 2015 18:46:42 GMT -5
The Good:
Several of the single episodes I found really enjoyable, Sense and Sense Ability, Witch in Time, Sympathy For the Demon and Centennial Charmed spring to mind here.
Paige becoming more powerful and knowledgeable about witchcraft.
The Bad:
Wyatt
Phoebe closing herself off from her magic
The Cursed:
Cole
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Post by BettyN on Jun 25, 2015 20:37:57 GMT -5
Hoo boy, where do I begin?  The GOOD.- "Cat House." It might've technically been a clip show, but it was undoubtedly the best episode of this entire disaster of a season. It was nice to relive the earlier, better seasons (even if they could only show Prue as a dog and a stunt double's back), and getting closure on Kit was also good. And, it was great to finally see a warlock villain again instead of the generic demon in black leather shooting fireballs that 90% of the bad guys had become by then. - Piper was a little more bearable than she was in Season 4. Her pregnancy with Wyatt softened her a bit, but alas, it was not to last. - Chris. Despite "Oh, My Goddess" being an AWFUL episode and his introduction being riddled with a million inconsistencies and plot holes, I'm glad that he was brought onto the show. He would save the next season from being a complete disaster like this one was. The BAD.- The ruination of Cole. The way both the sisters and the writers treated Cole this season was just an abomination. Here, they took this once complex and interesting character and turned him into this psycho cartoon character who couldn't be kept consistent from one episode to the next. His finale in "Centennial Charmed" (more like "Centennial Crap") was a complete insult to the character. All I can say is THANK THE GODS "Seven Year Witch" happened. Tim wrote a very good article explaining the issues with Cole's story in Season 5 better than I ever could. - The decline of Phoebe and Paige. While Piper improved slightly this season, the same could not be said for her sisters. Phoebe went full-blown Freebie/PhoeMe this season, becoming this selfish, unlikable hag who only cared about herself, her (wildly unrealistic) job, and whatever slampiece she was banging that week, a very far cry from the kind-hearted person who loved helping innocents in Seasons 1 and 2. As for Paige, she quit her job and lost about 50 IQ points, slowly devolving into this dumb bimbo who constantly forgot she could orb when it was plot-convenient. - The "Twice-Blessed" crap. I had no problem with Wyatt being a boy, but I DID have a problem with him being this "Ultimate Power" who was stronger than the sisters. It was the beginning of the show being less about things like characterization and more about who had the "kewlest" powers. The CURSED.- The introduction of fairytale rubbish. The first appearance of the "Stoopid Majickal Kreatures" marked the point where it started to become impossible to even take the show seriously anymore. The elves, dwarves, leprechauns, fairies, nymphs, etc, were always portrayed in the fluffiest, most clichéd ways possible, and they NEVER added anything to any episode they ever appeared in. In fact, they usually ruined every episode they appeared in, even the otherwise good ones. - The cheap fanservice. This was the first season you could really tell that the WB was desperately trying to snag Horny Teenage Boys, from the mermaid, to the the trashy Cinderella "dress," to the skintight superhero outfits, to the Egyptian goddess outfit, to the Greek goddess outfits, and so on. Even when there wasn't an awful costume involved, Phoebe was usually running around in a skintight shirt that barely covered her cleavage or asscrack-level pants that barely covered her crotch, and we got bedroom scene after bedroom scene with Phoebe and Paige. And, none of this crap ever brought in new viewers but instead, alienated the old ones. - The lack of direction. This was, perhaps, the season's greatest problem, overall. With the Source gone, Kern had NO idea where to take the show after that, and the end result was a sloppy, disjointed season that was about 95% filler. Even though the next two seasons would improve on Season 5 somewhat, I don't think the show ever fully recovered from it. |
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Post by tim66 on Jun 25, 2015 22:18:44 GMT -5
That was the whole problem in a nutshell. The main storyline of Charmed effectively ended with the end of S4. The Source was gone, the Charmed Ones had fulfilled their destiny, Prue was avenged. Story's over, folks. In that context, continuing the show made no logical sense at all. I mean did The Fugitive continue after the One Armed Man was caught and Dr. Kimble cleared? Of course not. Did M*A*S*H* continue once the Korean War ended and everyone went home? Of course not (and before someone brings up AfterMASH, that was a spin off, not a continuation, and it was a flop at that)? Charmed was over with S4, they should have stopped there. However, they didn't, and S5 was the result, the season that turned many a fan away. That was when I stopped being the big fan I had been when Rex and Hannah walked the halls of Buckland Auction House.
Tim wrote a very good article explaining the issues with Cole's story in Season 5 better than I ever could.
Aw, thanks, Betty. I will now post that article here:
Cole Deserves Proper Closure (written by me after Centennial Charmed aired)
A couple of months ago, I, like many other Charmed fans, sat down to watch the 100th episode, Centennial Charmed. I knew that this would be the last episode in which the character of Cole Turner appeared, and I was curious just how they would end his character. After the episode had finished, it left a very bad taste in my mouth, and I am not alone. Many other Charmed fans also felt very disappointed that things were allowed to end the way they did with Cole. I feel that Coles departure, and the events leading up to it, were very badly handled. Cole deserves much better than to be tossed aside like your average demon-of-the-week.
Why, you may ask?
The answer is that for more than two years, we watched as the character of Cole was developed and explored. Many fans invested emotionally when Cole and Phoebe first got together and hoped that their love would conquer all. For the next two seasons, their love had its ups and downs, yet many never lost hope that they would finally be together when all was said and done, Phoebe even once called Cole her soul mate. At the end of Season Four, when Cole returned from the Wasteland, he told Phoebe that he wasn't giving up on them, and then departed. We were left wondering just how Phoebe was going to react to this. She didn't seem too keen on getting back together with him again, but on the other hand, she didn't reject him out of hand either.
Then we come to Season Five, and all I can ask is: What the heck happened?
Granted, the actor that plays Cole, Julian McMahon, decided to leave the series to pursue other projects. He informed the producers of Charmed of this decision, so it was obvious they had to write Cole out of the series. However, they did NOT have to handle the character as badly as they did.
From almost the moment Cole reappeared in the Charmed Ones lives in the Season Five premier, he was greeted with revulsion, spat upon, and treated with utter contempt. Phoebe was the worst of all. When once they was warmth and love, all Cole now found in Phoebe was hatred and vial. She insulted him, refused to even listen to him, and towards the end, said she hated him. Was this the same Phoebe that once called Cole her soul mate? Apparently not.
Like many fans of the show, I found myself really hating Phoebe at this point because of her actions towards Cole. In fact, all three Charmed Ones had changed, becoming vindictive and selfish. It seems they had changed their mandate. Now it was THEY who would decided who was innocent and who was evil. Sadly, they lumped Cole into the latter category.
No matter what Cole did, or how hard he tried to prove he was good, the Charmed Ones never cut him a break. It was always: You are evil, Cole. You always will be evil. I felt so sorry for him at that point, the people he cared for, the people he had saved time and time again, had now completely turned their backs on him. Its no wonder he went crazy in the end.
Here are some examples:
1. At the end of the fairy tale episode, Cole saves Phoebe when she was turned into a pumpkin and returns her to the Manor. At the end, it seems he is willing to step aside and let Phoebe move on. However, does he get any compassion from the Halliwells in this episode. Nope, he is treated with suspicion and mistrust.
2. At the end of Witches In Tights, Cole is forced to kill an evil slum lord, because said slum lord had a tape of the Charmed Ones in action and had threatened to expose them to the world. Maybe Cole did go a little too far this time, however, he was only cleaning up a mess that Phoebe herself had made in her carelessness. It seems that if you are a Charmed One, you are allowed to screw up, but if you are Cole, God help you.
3. At the end of Sympathy For The Demon (what a misleading title, Cole got NO sympathy whatsoever in this episode), Cole willingly took back his powers from Barbas, because said powers had to so somewhere. Once again, Cole gets no thanks from the Halliwells, in fact, they look at him with fear and contempt once again. If it came down to a choice between Cole having the powers and Barbas having the powers, you would think the Halliwells would be grateful, but they weren't. At one point in that episode, Cole was referred to as an innocent by the Halliwells, but that didn't last. Cole was only innocent as long as it was convenient to the Halliwells.
From that point on, it was all downhill for Cole, as his sanity began to slip away. At one point, he is ready to commit suicide and end his suffering, but Phoebe tells him that she will kill him on her terms! Excuse me!? Who the heck appointed Phoebe as Master Of Creation? Cole was suffering, and she too wrapped up in herself to even grant an end to his pain.
Finally, Cole becomes the obsessed stalker we see in The Importance Of Being Phoebe and Centennial Charmed, where he meets his pointless end. What a waste of a good character.
Many Charmed Fans were angered and upset over the way Cole was treated in Season Five, and I know of a few who stopped watching the show for good because of this. I cant blame them, in fact I myself have been more than public with my criticism of Charmed this season. Why the character of Cole was treated like this in Season Five has been hotly debated by fans for months now. Was it the writers? Was it the producers? Was it a combination of both? The debate over this is likely to continue for some time to come.
As for Cole, it was at this point that the fans took over. Many well written Fan Fictions have presented possibly theories on what happened to Cole after Centennial Charmed. Some present the idea that Cole is an Avatar now (Avatars are powerful beings, neither good nor evil, and they had approached Cole about joining their ranks. Cole did become an Avatar at the beginning of Centennial Charmed). If that is the case, he is experiencing a whole new plain of existence. Some have presented the idea that Cole did not really die at the end of Centennial Charmed, but is still lurking around somewhere. Some have even suggested that Cole is now a white lighter!
As for me, I think all the ideas in these Fan Fictions have merit, and I think that the shows writers should pursue one of them. Cole needs and deserves proper closure. A storyline needs to be written in which Cole makes peace with his past and the Halliwells and then leaves to find a new path. The character deserves that much.
Now I know that Julian McMahon has already landed a new series (Nip/Tuck), so getting him to come back to Charmed may be hard. However, other actors have managed to work on more than one show at the same time, so it is do-able. Besides, it wouldn't be a permanent thing, the Cole Departure storyline could be done in a three or four episode arc. With that, it would be a win-win situation for both sides. Julian McMahon would be able to move on to other projects, and Cole fans would see their favourite character exit Charmed in grace and dignity.
I don't think this is asking too much.
***UPDATE*** (added after Seven Year Witch aired in 2005)
In April of 2005, Cole fans finally got their wish. Julian McMahon returned and guest starred in the 150th episode, Seven Year Witch. This episode revealed that, following his vanquishment in Centennial Charmed, Cole ended up in a cosmic void between life and death for the sins of his evil past. The reason Cole appeared in this episode was to help Piper and Leo get back together (Leo having been taken away by the Elders and punished for becoming an Avatar). Cole also said that he wanted to help Phoebe not give up on love. Thankfully, Cole succeeded in both of these goals. While it was nice to see Cole again, this episode does raise some interesting question.
First of all, why did Cole end up here in this void, instead of the Demonic Wasteland (where he went after being vanquished as the Source)? I have a theory for this. Cole is part human, so it is entirely possible that the human part of Cole was the one who went into the cosmic void, while his Demonic half went to the Wasteland. When Piper asked Cole if he were a Demon, ghost, poltergeist, or nightmare, he replied that he was none of those beings, but did not specify further. It is possible that Cole could be a spiritual being of some kind now, but not a ghost, because he is unable to leave the void.
However, it is clear that Cole has not just been twiddling his thumbs in this void all this time. Somehow, he managed to accomplish the following:
1. He met Drake (Billy Zane) and learned of Drakes desire to be human.
2. He set up a meeting between Drake and the Demon that made Drake human (since Drake was human for one year, these events had to have happened sometime in Season Six).
3. He seemed to be up to speed on the events at Halliwell Manor, including the Piper/Leo situation (could Cole have popped in, unseen of course, from time to time, I wonder).
4. He arranged for Drake and Phoebe to meet.
5. He managed to send the thorn Demon at Piper, knowing that this would lead to bringing Leo back to help save her.
So this indicates that Cole has been up to a lot of stuff that we were just not told about. It is not clear just how much freedom Cole has in the void, but he still did quite a bit, considering that he told Piper he was trapped there for eternity.
From what I can tell, this episode has Cole fans divided. Some see this appearance as a welcome improvement over Centennial Charmed, while others say Julian McMahons talents were wasted in this episode. We have a is the glass half-full or half-empty situation here.
As for me, I prefer to see the glass as being half-full. Okay, they could have done more with Cole, but it still was nice to see him again. Considering the horrible way he was written off the show in Centennial Charmed, I'm just glad that this time he got a better send-off. Cole did a good deed and helped people he still cared about.
This episode showed what a good heart Cole has. Despite the horrible way Phoebe treated him in Season Five, he was still willing to help her find love again. Its clear that Cole still deeply loves Phoebe. Ironic that Cole, a former Demon, is shown to have a much bigger heart than Phoebe, a supposed good witch.
In conclusion let me say that I really enjoyed this episode. Julian McMahon brought Cole back with dignity and honour. If this is the last time we see Cole on the show, its fine with me. At least now the Cole fans can say that Cole got decent closure, which is what we've wanted all along. Too bad it took the writers over two years to realize this.
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Post by Melinda Halliwell on Jun 26, 2015 0:33:10 GMT -5
Brilliant post about Cole tim66 which sums up exactly how I felt about him season 5 and his one of guest appearance afterwards.
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Post by BettyN on Jun 26, 2015 9:41:29 GMT -5
Still a great article, Tim, even after all of these years.  You perfectly explained all of the issues with Cole's storyline in Season 5. One thing we do know is that when Julian agreed to return for "Seven Year Witch," he had it put in his contract that he wouldn't have any scenes with Alyssa, hence the reason why all of Cole's scenes were with Piper, instead. That he would do this seems to indicate that he didn't leave the show on good terms with Alyssa. Did a feud between Alyssa and Julian break out sometime between Seasons 4 and 5? And, was said feud carried over to their characters? I have to admit, some of Phoebe and Cole's scenes in Season 5 seem a little too "real," if you ask me. (And, it might also explain why Julian never renewed his contract after mid-Season 5. He wanted away from Alyssa.) |
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Post by Melinda Halliwell on Jun 26, 2015 12:49:00 GMT -5
Maybe he did Betty who knows.
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Post by BettyN on Jun 26, 2015 14:21:48 GMT -5
Maybe he did Betty who knows. It makes a lot of sense, although if that was the case, then what caused problems between the two in the first place? It's possible that Julian blamed Alyssa for getting Shannen (his girlfriend at the time) fired, and Alyssa may have taken issue with him and Shannen dating. Some of it may have also been related to Alyssa becoming a producer in Season 5 and getting more control over her character. (Notice that this was around the time that Phoebe, in general, started to become a completely insufferable bitch?) It's a shame that we've never gotten a full cast reunion, because I'd really love to know the story of what all went down behind the scenes. |
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Post by Darkhorse Christian on Jun 29, 2015 21:19:16 GMT -5
One thing we do know is that when Julian agreed to return for "Seven Year Witch," he had it put in his contract that he wouldn't have any scenes with Alyssa, hence the reason why all of Cole's scenes were with Piper, instead. That he would do this seems to indicate that he didn't leave the show on good terms with Alyssa. Did a feud between Alyssa and Julian break out sometime between Seasons 4 and 5? And, was said feud carried over to their characters? I have to admit, some of Phoebe and Cole's scenes in Season 5 seem a little too "real," if you ask me. (And, it might also explain why Julian never renewed his contract after mid-Season 5. He wanted away from Alyssa.) Hold on, so that's legit? I remember reading that somewhere before, so I always wondered about it and filed it as a maybe, but can you actually confirm that this is indeed what happened? That he specifically had it put in his contract that he's not working with her? As far as Tim's article, it's not only brilliant, it's giving me a huge sense of deja vu. I'm seriously beginning to wonder if I've actually read it before. Although, there's one thing that was missing from it: Cole's last straw in "Centennial Charmed" that got him to finally accept the Avatar deal. Y'know, the part where Paige decided it was a brilliant idea to try to kill Cole by exploding him from within, THOUGHT IT WAS A GOOD IDEA TO PRACTICE REPEATEDLY ON HER DECIDEDLY GOOD GUY BROTHER- IN- LAW FIRST, THEN SAW THE PLAN'S FAILURE TO KILL THE DEAD MAN OUT OF EXISTENCE AND DEDUCED THAT THIS WOULD BE A GREAT WAY TO TAKE OUT THE NIGH-INVINCIBLE MR. SUICIDAL WASTELAND THAT WAS COLE AT THAT POINT WHILE HE WAS WALLOWING IN HIS SORROWS. Yeah. That. Between that and Orb the Gun, Paige as a character fell apart as well around seasons 5 and 6. Granted, it wasn't as bad as Piper and Phoebe, because at least she still cared about people since Kern couldn't logically write her as being super-jaded by half a decade of demon hunting and losing a sister when she never knew Prue. But I gets the feeling that if Holly and Alyssa becoming producers really did have anything to do with their characters' decline, we should be thankful Rose never warranted or got the opportunity because "Kiss the hand of the Paige" would've been more than a one-off joke. |
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Post by tim66 on Jun 30, 2015 6:16:51 GMT -5
Aw thanks.
And you must have read it before. It was posted in the original Charmed Café (the old EZBoards one, remember them) many years ago.
Funny how the first season those two became Producers was the season that Charmed, to many, started sucking.
In my opinion, they were given jobs they hadn't earned. I mean neither had even directed an episode (unlike Shannen, who did three, including, ironically, her last one).
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Post by BettyN on Jun 30, 2015 12:18:23 GMT -5
Hold on, so that's legit? I remember reading that somewhere before, so I always wondered about it and filed it as a maybe, but can you actually confirm that this is indeed what happened? That he specifically had it put in his contract that he's not working with her? I can't find any articles anywhere right now, but I've heard it everywhere, and it makes sense. Why else would they bring Cole back, yet not give him any scenes with Phoebe? As far as Tim's article, it's not only brilliant, it's giving me a huge sense of deja vu. I'm seriously beginning to wonder if I've actually read it before. Although, there's one thing that was missing from it: Cole's last straw in "Centennial Charmed" that got him to finally accept the Avatar deal. Y'know, the part where Paige decided it was a brilliant idea to try to kill Cole by exploding him from within, THOUGHT IT WAS A GOOD IDEA TO PRACTICE REPEATEDLY ON HER DECIDEDLY GOOD GUY BROTHER-IN-LAW FIRST, THEN SAW THE PLAN'S FAILURE TO KILL THE DEAD MAN OUT OF EXISTENCE AND DEDUCED THAT THIS WOULD BE A GREAT WAY TO TAKE OUT THE NIGH-INVINCIBLE MR. SUICIDAL WASTELAND THAT WAS COLE AT THAT POINT WHILE HE WAS WALLOWING IN HIS SORROWS. Yeah. That. Tim's posted the article in many places over the years, so you've probably read it somewhere. The sisters really treated Cole like crap in Season 5, didn't they? That's what I hated the most about that storyline. Between that and Orb the Gun, Paige as a character fell apart as well around seasons 5 and 6. Granted, it wasn't as bad as Piper and Phoebe, because at least she still cared about people since Kern couldn't logically write her as being super-jaded by half a decade of demon hunting and losing a sister when she never knew Prue. But I gets the feeling that if Holly and Alyssa becoming producers really did have anything to do with their characters' decline, we should be thankful Rose never warranted or got the opportunity because "Kiss the hand of the Paige" would've been more than a one-off joke. It's obvious that the writers never saw her as anything more than a quick fill-in for Prue. She character was never developed much beyond Season 4 because they didn't care to. They just wanted to toss her in and pick up right where they left off with the original trio. |
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Post by Melinda Halliwell on Jun 30, 2015 14:19:03 GMT -5
Which's why vanquishing Shax episode 1 and the Source episode 13 of season 4 shouldn't have worked 'cause they didn't have the family bond then that the original 3 did which I think took them to get those 2 and access the P03 also that would've been more believable had Prue still been alive then.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 30, 2015 14:46:19 GMT -5
Considering that Julian went so far as to get that agreement that he would have no scenes with Alyssa in writing, there must have been some real bad blood between them. Don't know why.
However, he had no issues with Holly, hence all his scenes were with her.
Me too. Of course, Phoebe, being a Charmed One, gets a free pass.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 30, 2015 18:52:16 GMT -5
Which's why vanquishing Shax episode 1 and the Source episode 13 of season 4 shouldn't have worked 'cause they didn't have the family bond then that the original 3 did which I think took them to get those 2 and access the P03 also that would've been more believable had Prue still been alive then. Not sure about vanquishing Shax in the first episode, but I know that the only reason the Source was vanquished in 4x13 was because Kern wanted to condense the Source storyline and stuff the Dark Phoebe stuff into late Season 4. "Charmed and Dangerous" was originally going to be the season finale, and the Dark Phoebe story would've been early Season 5, with "Long Live the Queen" being Cole's big 100th episode send-off. However, the ratings took a nosedive in Season 4, and there was a chance that Season 5 wouldn't happen, so Kern wanted to tie up any loose ends before the end of the season. Considering that Julian went so far as to get that agreement that he would have no scenes with Alyssa in writing, there must have been some real bad blood between them. Don't know why. As I've said, it might be Shannen related. Julian was dating Shannen at the time (heck, he was actually filming a movie with her when she got the call), so it's possible that he got upset with Alyssa and blamed her for it. |
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Post by Deleted on Jun 30, 2015 23:22:22 GMT -5
Could be. One doesn't get such an agreement in writing unless they really mean business.
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Esmeralda
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Post by Esmeralda on Jul 2, 2015 12:48:51 GMT -5
Which's why vanquishing Shax episode 1 and the Source episode 13 of season 4 shouldn't have worked 'cause they didn't have the family bond then that the original 3 did which I think took them to get those 2 and access the P03 also that would've been more believable had Prue still been alive then. Not sure about vanquishing Shax in the first episode, but I know that the only reason the Source was vanquished in 4x13 was because Kern wanted to condense the Source storyline and stuff the Dark Phoebe stuff into late Season 4. "Charmed and Dangerous" was originally going to be the season finale, and the Dark Phoebe story would've been early Season 5, with "Long Live the Queen" being Cole's big 100th episode send-off. If you only knew how badly I wish this is what had happened! And hate to say it, but that makes sense. Of course, just like what happened with "Something Wicca This Way Goes?", the problem was that they continued with the storyline when they should've let it just die there. |
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Post by Deleted on Jul 2, 2015 19:03:28 GMT -5
If you only knew how badly I wish this is what had happened! I think most of us do. The Phoebe/Cole stuff stole screentime that could've otherwise gone to mourning Prue and introducing/developing Paige. Just look at "A Paige From the Past" and how the majority of that episode is actually devoted to a completely separate Phoebe/Cole plot. |
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Esmeralda
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Post by Esmeralda on Jul 2, 2015 21:14:39 GMT -5
If you only knew how badly I wish this is what had happened! I think most of us do. The Phoebe/Cole stuff stole screentime that could've otherwise gone to mourning Prue and introducing/developing Paige. Just look at "A Paige From the Past" and how the majority of that episode is actually devoted to a completely separate Phoebe/Cole plot. *sigh* Well, keep in mind that at that time, Alyssa was more of a media star than Phoebe later become. With the ratings sagging, it's not that surprising that TheWB wanted Alyssa to be the star of each episode, which I find hilarious since Holly was so very much more the star. The funny thing is that in most of her interviews, Alyssa *still* thinks that she was the star! |
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Post by Deleted on Jul 4, 2015 18:38:54 GMT -5
Although I've only been part of this Cafe since last Tuesday, I was a member of the original Charmed Cafe, many years ago. One of the reasons I finally left said Cafe was because I no longer enjoyed being a Charmed fan. Seems every post I made was critical of Charmed in one way or another. Someone one said to me: "Tim, if you hate Charmed so much, why are you watching it."
I never hated Charmed in of itself, I hated what was DONE to Charmed. I watched a show I loved turn into something that I could barely stand. And I wasn't alone.
There was this lady that worked for the old CharmedOnes.com site, Mary Hines. Every so often, she would write these articles called Reflections, in which she would talk about ideas and concepts on Charmed that inspired her. However, once Season Five started, she suddenly stopped writing Reflections. One day, I got in touch with her and asked why she'd hadn't written any new Reflections. She told me that because of the direction the show took in S5, especially what they had done to Cole, she was no longer a Charmed fan. Frankly, I couldn't blame her.
Another fan told me pretty much the same thing, that she wasn't a fan anymore because the S5 Charmed Ones had become selfish and vain creatures, far from the characters she had fallen in love with.
Once Kern took over, that's when the changes set in. Over time, he purged all the Burge era writers (Zack Estrin, Chris Levinson, Sheryl Anderson) and replaced them with his own. And these writers, not to be too harsh, really dropped the ball. They clearly had no idea what made Charmed work. At first they tried to turn it into Buffy Mark II. When that didn't work, judging by the fact that the ratings dropped like rock, they went too far the other way with that damned Magical Community. As I said, once those Disney rejects showed up, I could no longer take Charmed seriously.
The Chris storyline of S6 was, in my opinion, their last chance to regain the respect that the S5 debacle had cost the show, and they blew it. Despite many promising episodes, Chris took a back seat to more rubbish filler episodes.
No, Charmed never did regain the respect it had in the early seasons. Too bad, because it was great show in 1998.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 5, 2015 10:14:09 GMT -5
*sigh* Well, keep in mind that at that time, Alyssa was more of a media star than Phoebe later become. With the ratings sagging, it's not that surprising that TheWB wanted Alyssa to be the star of each episode, which I find hilarious since Holly was so very much more the star. The funny thing is that in most of her interviews, Alyssa *still* thinks that she was the star! Yeah, "Charmed" marked a pretty big comeback for Alyssa (who had spent most of the 6 years between that and the end of "Who's the Boss?" doing sleazy made-for-video movies), and she especially became popular during Seasons 3 and 4. No doubt that was why she was put first in the opening credits, despite Holly having been there longer. |
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Post by ljones on Sept 10, 2015 10:33:43 GMT -5
Kern took over two years before Season 5. And to be honest, I was not that impressed by how Burge handled Season 2.
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You perfectly explained all of the issues with Cole's storyline in Season 5.
