Season Five Reviews

[Yep]

I will say that one of the best episodes of season 5 was The Eyes Have It. That was more like a classic Charmed episode. I actually also really like The Importance of Being Phoebe and Centennial Charmed wasn't bad compared to the rest of the season.

I think we should have seen Phoebe and Piper talk about and remember Prue more in season 5. Would have made sense as it would show the sisters being able to grieve now they had vanquished the Source.

Also I would have had Paige's old life be included in the series. Would have been cool to have a brother (not blood, adopted) join the series. Maybe make him evil or something. Someone who could potentially try to steal the sisters powers or something. Its sad that the writers were going more for the teen/Buffy crowd at that point though. Charmed lost its spark after season 5. You would have thought Rose McGowan would add a little edge to the show as an actress. She didn't.

[hermes]

Ah Season 5. Ask me a few years ago, I would have told you I hated it. But now, I've actually warmed up to Season 5 and it's actually my favorite Post Season 4 season, right after Season 7.

Season 5
Episodes 1-4

I feel like that from this point on in Charmed history (following Season 5 at least), the first four episodes are usually pretty bad.
Now bear in mind, I have nothing against Mermaids, Sirens, or Fairytales (which are usually associated with Mermaids in general), but the execution of them was just bad. The Sea Hag lady wasn't all that scary or menacing, though she was a tad creepy, The Wicked Witch Thing was just bleh, and I was do busy staring at the Twins on the Siren. The Necron guy was pretty cool though, and his blue skin reminded me a bit of Shax, so bonus points there. (Also, I liked a Witch's Tale Part 2, more than Part 1, the effects in the episode were nice, and there was still a conflict after they vanquished the demon.)
However, some more cons are:
-Phoebe and Cole, are getting to be very annoying. Phoebe with her, "Get away from me Cole, I don't want you anymore, you're evil even though you aren't" routine. And Cole with his "Phoebe please, I'm not evil, all I want to do is fall in love again", schtick.
-Leo calling Patty "reckless".
-Paige giving up her Social Worker Career, to become a Superwitch like Prue. Part of the reason of me not liking this, is because I don't like Prue and I love Paige, so to see her try to be like Prue, makes it seem as though the writers want Paige to be more of Prue's replacement than her own character. (Even though Paige in the Power of Three, is Prue's replacement, in a sense).

Episodes 5-10

Aside from that godawful, but fun (especially if you're a comic book fan, like me) Witches in Tights episode, I feel as though episode 6-10 were the good string of episodes in Season 5, with more down the road. I haven't seen "The Eyes Have It" in a long time, but the idea of Gypsies, and some of your posts above, let me know it's a great episode. Cole battling insanity in Sympathy for the Demon, was also nice to see and with the return of Barbas (who's always been one of the best demons the show has to offer), plus the greatest fear of the sisters, this was an amazing episode. The great string of episodes continue in A Witch in Time. This episode was a breath of fresh air, as it didn't try to shove the who "Phoebe vs Cole" conflict down our throats (at least from what I can remember), and the main villain was actually a warlock. I can't even remember the last time a warlock was actually relevant. The scene with Miles' death and Phoebe's reaction was very well done, and showed both the sisters and the audience, that sometimes happy endings aren't always going to happen. (It sorted of reminded me of Andy's death, a lost loved one. Though without much of the impact as Andy was more prominent in the show and he's a childhood friend of the sisters.) Seeing Paige reconnect with her dad in Sam I am, was also a treat, but this episode made me dislike Cole.....well....a lot. It's one thing to have issues with Phoebe, whom won't reciprocate his love (they never did explain why she hated him with such a passion when he returned, even if she said she loved him), but to try to kill Paige, Leo, and Sam, just so they will kill him, was just wrong. I get that he is sick of living, without Phoebe, but he has to realize that there are other reasons he is going insane (like the fact that his mortal body is not meant to handle demonic powers), or that he never really told Phoebe the truth about how he became the Source. (Note: I'm not taking her side, I'm just seeing it from her point of view). :Y Tu Mummy Tambien, was a pretty okay episode. The only thing I actually liked was the small-scale Piper vs Cole battle and the fact that Piper wasn't ready to sacrifice Paige, just because she knew Phoebe longer.

Episode 11-16

And the annoying Phoebe vs Cole thing returns, sadly in "The Importance of Being Phoebe". Along with that irritating, but pretty funny demonic stripper Kiya, Piper always feeling the need to freeze rats, and Cole wanting Phoebe, this episode was pretty bad.

"Centennial Charmed", while I'm sad that Cole is gone, I'm glad that the whole conflict is over. That's all I really have to say about this episode. Oh yeah and badass Piper.

"House Call" Funny little episode, but not much really going for it, besides Phoebe trying to kill the turkey.

"Sand Fransisco Dreaming", was an episode that I thought I would like but I wound up not liking it. The premise of the episode was great, because dreams & sleep do help us get over our issues and without them, we can get pretty nasty. But the problems the sisters were dealing with weren't all that interesting. At least not Piper's or Phoebe's (even though I loved the whole Horror movie vibe, her dreams had).

"The Day the Magic Died" was THE episode of Season 5 in my opinion. It's relatively light tone, proved that a Charmed episode didn't need to have dark tone to be considered good. (Especially since, in this day and age, most fans of any series think dark automatically equals good). Though the whole Wyatt, being more powerful than the Charmed Ones thing, still kind of irks me (but I think that's been done away with in the Comics so it's all good). Also, seeing Phoebe and Paige take out that whole restaurant full of demons and warlocks, without their powers was awesome (fighting skills and homemade weapons FTW!!)

The episode where I think I started to like Phoebe both more and less, was "Baby's First Demon". More, because she got off the "It's all about me" train, but less when she hopped on the "Aunt Phoebe train". Piper vanquishing some demons and making a statement to them, showed me that she's not only a "Superwitch", but also a "Supermom" (cheesy I know). And here was me fearing, that she would just be sitting back and feeding her kid bottles.

"Lucky Charmed" No comment.

"Cat House", much better than the last episode, for sure, and a great way for Paige to get a glimpse of her sister's lives before she met them. While some may say, that Leo and Piper's marital problems came out of nowhere, I can disagree in that there offscreen moments that aren't included in every episode, that build up their issues. Coupled with the fact, that a new baby in a house, full of tensions and the "occasional" demon (one that tried to kidnap their son two episodes ago), are going to cause some problems. Also, Piper isn't always the nicest person around, add that to her temper and Leo's sometimes condescending and lengthy "You can do it, I believe in you speeches", problems were bound to come anyway.

Nymphs Just Wanna Have Fun- Cute Title. Bad Episode. I can't remember how awkward that scene was with Paige dancing with the band, as a nymph. And that Son of Hades guy, who drank from the eternal river, was he actually acting. I did like Piper and Paige's buddy cop routine. They've always had a special relationship.

Sense and Sense Ability- Fantastic episode, that is also very funny. It's nothing really noteworthy, but it doesn't really have any problems, aside from that D-Bag guy that Paige was dating.

Necromancing the Stone- It was great to see Grams return, but I hate how sexist she can be sometimes. "Men are just silverware, once you've used them, just toss them aside". I find it ridiculous how people call it sexist that Wyatt turned out to be male, but not for the fact that Grams has made sexist remarks such as that one, and has been called a manhater by her grandchildren nonetheless. Then for her to say that something went wrong with Piper child, that was cold. If I were Piper I would have blown her up, but I'm not sure if good witches blow up.

Oh My Goddess Part 1 and Part 2
I'm a big fan of Greek Mythology. I'm not an expert in the field, or anything like that, but I know somethings and love lots of things related to greek myths (Percy Jackson and Wonder Woman), but man were these episodes bad. I liked the concept about how the Greek Gods came into existence in the Charmed verse, but the execution was terrible. Plus, it introduced Chris, a character I find myself disliking (probably due to Fuller's acting, or lack thereof, I mean him no offense). And, Leo and Piper, my favorite couple separating for an entire season.

So all in all, this season had some ups and it had some downs like any other. Some episodes could have been a lot better, and some episodes shouldn't have been made at all. However, that stuff is in the past now, and even the episodes that were bad, at least entertained me, so that's all that matters in the end I suppose.

[ljones]

I get that he is sick of living, without Phoebe, but he has to realize that there are other reasons he is going insane (like the fact that his mortal body is not meant to handle demonic powers), or that he never really told Phoebe the truth about how he became the Source.

Cole went insane, because he lost Phoebe. That's it. People do not handle loss very well. Look at Piper. She is a shining example of this. She went into a snit when the Elders prevented Leo from marrying her. And she went off her rocker after Prue's death, and when Leo became an Elder.

Two, Cole did not have a mortal body, when he lost his powers. Physically, he was part mortal, part demonic. He was born that way. Losing his powers did not change that. Which is why the Seer commented on him having a void, due to the loss of his powers.

And three, he tried to tell Phoebe about the Source possessing his body. The Source's essence or spirit stopped him. And this does not excuse the Halliwells' failure to learn the truth about how he became the Source. They simply did not want to make the effort.

[hermes]

Jan 7, 2013 14:13:16 GMT -5 ljones said:

I get that he is sick of living, without Phoebe, but he has to realize that there are other reasons he is going insane (like the fact that his mortal body is not meant to handle demonic powers), or that he never really told Phoebe the truth about how he became the Source.

Cole went insane, because he lost Phoebe. That's it. People do not handle loss very well. Look at Piper. She is a shining example of this. She went into a snit when the Elders prevented Leo from marrying her. And she went off her rocker after Prue's death, and when Leo became an Elder.

Two, Cole did not have a mortal body, when he lost his powers. Physically, he was part mortal, part demonic. He was born that way. Losing his powers did not change that. Which is why the Seer commented on him having a void, due to the loss of his powers.

And three, he tried to tell Phoebe about the Source possessing his body. The Source's essence or spirit stopped him. And this does not excuse the Halliwells' failure to learn the truth about how he became the Source. They simply did not want to make the effort.

Why would he only go insane over losing Phoebe? I mean I get it, he loves her to death, but seriously? He should have just moved on. Though that's easier said than done. I'm not disagreeing with you on that aspect of him going insane over losing Phoebe, I'm just wondering why would she alone send him over the edge like that? I guess it was a combination of many things like her distrust of him, her sisters hating his guts, etc.

I always assumed that since his powers were stripped (or did that lady, who's husband he killed, use the Belthazor vanquishing potion) Belthazor seized to exist and so the demonic half of him was dead like Phoebe said, leaving only his mortal half. I guess I was wrong though. Thanks for clarifying that.

Also, what episode did he try to tell Phoebe he was possessed by the essence of the Source? Was it the episode right after "Charmed & Dangerous"? As for them not making the effort, I agree with you on that. However, if the essence of the Source was stopping him from telling the sisters then maybe he should have tried after he came back from The Wasteland. He may have not gotten the results he would like (Phoebe jumping into his arms), but I think some clarification on the whole matter, would at least be better. Though, I'm not saying that they would accept him into their lives again.

I suppose that's why he didn't bother telling them. Well, I guess I answered my own question xD

[Fran]

Oct 19, 2012 13:11:48 GMT -5 ljones said:

The only downside is Cole should have stayed dead after "Long Live The Queen". His return in "Witch Way Now?" begins to drag his/Phoebe's story to the ground and only promises a tiresome recycling of what we've seen the both of them go through next season. Sigh

He should have stayed dead? In other words, are you saying that the sisters were right to kill him without prejudice or even bothering to find out what happened to him, despite the fact that he became a victim of the Source and the Seer? You find nothing wrong with that? I did. Which is why I dislike the way the Source storyline ended.


That is why in my AU stories, the sisters eventually discover the truth and learn a valuable lesson from the entire situation.

I always hated the fact that the sisters never realized that Cole was a victim.
I really would like to read your stories, where can I find them?

[Esmeralda]

There's a newbie at another site who is watching Charmed for the first time via the cable channels. He reviewed Season Five and I found his reactions interesting...

For a few weeks there I was overdosing on Charmed: TNT is showing two episodes in the morning (from Season 1) and WeTV was doing two episodes in the evening (Seasons 5-6). So four hours a day of Charmed + work + working out + life = craziness. Then for some bizarre reason, WeTV stopped airing Charmed about halfway through Season 6. No explanation, finito. Now it’s all Bridezillas and Bridezillas–Boot Camp, non-stop. Someone please shoot me. Just kidding…

So now that I’m back to re-watching the early episodes (only two a day), I thought I’d try my hand at some type of episode-by-episode review beginning with Season 5. Please keep in mind that I’m not the literary type, numbers being my profession. So to keep things simple I’m using a rating system from +3 to -3:

+3 = terrific
+2 = very good
+1 = good
0 = meh
-1 = bad
-2 = very bad
-3 = terrible

As usual: SPOILER ALERT for those of you who haven’t memorized each and every episode. Also, I’m too exhausted to provide synopses and besides, I’m sure most of you have already printed out a listing of all the shows for each season.

01. A Witch’s Tail: Part 1 = 0

02. A Witch’s Tail: Part 2 = +2

03. Happily Ever After = +1

04. Siren’s Song = +3
Loved it! I’m really warming up to Paige.

05. Witches in Tights = +3
Very cute episode with witty, snappy dialogue – Charmed at its best.

06. The Eyes Have It = +2

07. Sympathy for the Demon = +1

08. A Witch in Time = +2

09. Sam I Am = +2 Very good vehicle for Paige. Rose really shines.

10. Y Tu Mummu Tambien = +2

11. The Importance of Being Phoebe = +3
It’s official: I adore Paige.

12. Centennial Charmed = +2
I’m not sure, but I think this was the episode where Cole is finally vanquished, thus eliminating one of the best characters on the show.

13. House Call = +2

14. Sand Francisco Dreamin’ = +2

15. The Day the Magic Died = 0
Birth of Wyatt – a real buzz kill, Piper’s child should have been a girl.

16. Baby’s First Demon = 0
Wyatt definitely not working for me, but the Crone was a cool character.

17. Lucky Charmed = +1

18. Cat House = +3
Loved the Piper/Leo marriage counseling storyline.

19. Nymphs Just Wanna Have Fun = +1
Silly plot was made up for by the witty, clever dialogue – never took itself too seriously.

20. Sense and Sense Ability = +2
Grim, tense episode; the Crone was an excellent adversary.

21. Necromancing the Stone = +1

22. Oh My Goddess! Part 1 = +1
I found it weird that the demon used Latin for the incantation to revive the Greek-inspired Titans, especially considering that Greek mythology preceded Latin (Roman) culture by many, many centuries. Okay, so maybe I’m just picking nits.

We are also introduced to one of the most annoying characters ever to grace the small screen – Chris (Drew Fuller) the white lighter from the future.

23. Oh My Goddess! Part 2 = -3
Pardon the pun, but this episode was god-awful. Some random words I scribbled while I was watching: OMG! Why!? Blech! Train wreck! Hindenburg crashes into the Titanic! Who green-lighted this script!?

Summation: adding up all the scores comes to 33, divided by 23 episodes ~ 1.4. That’s about half way between Good and Very Good.

This would’ve been an excellent season but Wyatt, Chris, the death of Cole, and the final episode (which as a season finale should’ve been exciting) really brought this season down a few notches.

Not to beat a dead horse but the introduction of Chris – seriously? I almost hit my head against the wall in frustration. To paraphrase the Comic Book Guy from “The Simpsons”: worst.character.ever.

Oh, and the birth of Piper’s baby – it’s a boy, Wyatt! I can’t tell you how disappointed I am that the Halliwell line (after many centuries of matriarchal descent) now has a male carrying the Halliwell heritage. Was this due to Political Correctness? So bummed… 

[Chrisaholic]

Ouch. Lucky me that I just started S5 again (three episodes so far) but I live up to my screen name, don't I? Es knows about it. lol

[CharmedFaith]

Season 5 was just to wacky and went way to much into fairytale characters. Every time you turned around it was like they were getting turned into something. Not to mention that they gave us Wyatt just so that we would be surprised, they made him way to powerful. If anything, S5 was like one big tribute season to old tv shows and movies.

[Deleted]

05. Witches in Tights = +3
Very cute episode with witty, snappy dialogue – Charmed at its best.

I might sound a bit immature, but Witches in Tights = "Charmed at its best" lmao ok

[Esmeralda]

I agree. What he counted as Charmed at its best definitely isn't what I count as Charmed at its best. For me, that's episodes like "Dead Man Dating", "The Witch is Back", "Wicca Envy", "That Seventies Episode", "Secrets and Guys", "Love Hurts", "Deja vu All Over Again", "Morality Bites", "They're Everywhere", "P3 H20", "Show Me a Sign", "Murphy's Luck", "All Halliwell's Eve" and "Charmed Again, Part One", the only episodes I'd rate as +3.

[Deleted]

If you had to pick "The Best of Charmed" from season 5, what episodes what that be?
I think I'll just list the episodes and score them to what I think they deserve. I'm not going to give explanations or comments either. But if anyone is curious as to why I scored a particular episode a certain way feel free to ask. Scoring 1-5

1 = Awful
2 = Bad
3 = Good
4= Great
5 = Amazing

A Witches Tail Part 1 = 3

A Witches Tail Part 2 = 2

Happily Ever After = 2

Siren Song = 3

Witches In Tights = 1

The Eyes Have It = 3

Sympathy for the Demon = 2

A Witch In Time = 3

Sam I Am = 3

Y Tu Mummy Tambien = 1

The Importance of Being Phoebe = 1

Centennial Charmed = 2

House Call = 1

Sand Fransisco Dreamin = 1

The Day Magic Died = 3

Baby's First Demon = 3

Lucky Charmed = 1

Cat House = 2

Nymphs Just Wanna Have Fun = 1

Sense and Sense Ability = 4

Necromancing the Stone = 1

Oh My Goddess Part 1 = 1

Oh My Goddess Part 2 = 1

Season 5 overall score = 2/BAD

[Esmeralda]

I agree with most of these. The only one I'd probably give a different grade would be Cat House. Except for no flashbacks to Prue (except as a dog...or her back...), why so low? That one would be a 4 for me.

[Deleted]

My main issue with Cat House is the way its acted out. I was expecting much more in terms of emotion and drama. The episode as a whole came off as a huge joke. Paige talked about wanting to meet Prue earlier that episode and when she looks right at her ruining Piper's wedding, her face was completely emotionless. I'm not sure what the actress was trying to incorporate into her performance in that particular scene, but I couldn't tell what was going throw her mind. Phoebe acted as if she could've cared less. I assume it was due to the flashbacks not being centered around her and Cole. This is also the episode where I started growing tired of Piper. I liked her for a majority of season 5, but after Wyatt was born its as if she had nothing better to do than complain to Leo. Everything pretty much became all about herself, her wants, and her needs. To hell with Leo actually helping people and doing good because none of that matters or compares to what Piper *wanted and expected from Leo. For once I grew respect for Leo for sticking up for himself, but none of that mattered anyway because in the finale Piper reverted back to her selfish self anyway with more complaining. Then theres the issue of one of the most bizarre statements in the episode, when Prue is a dog and Phoebe is smiling or laughing whatever, and she tells Paige "You always said you wanted to meet Prue" Wow really. You tell Paige that when shes a dog? Why not when you both were staring at Prue on the motorcycle. I couldn't stand anyone this episode.
And familiars, I'm not exactly sure how Kit or familiars in general help to protect and guide witches. Kit did absolutely nothing throughout the course of the 3 seasons other than appear in and out of rooms. I can count 2x Kit did something useful. Wicca Envy when she hissed at Rex's Astral form snapping Prue out of his control and in Magic Hour when Kit brought the cursed innocent to the manner. I'm still not sure how Kit had such a major influence on the Charmed One's. Its a topic that wasn't explained or handled well.

[Darkhorse Christian]

I'm tempted to say "Centennial Charmed" should've gotten a 1 based on the first 5-10 minutes or so alone for introducing MurderousBloodKnight!Paige to the world, but I agree with the 2 because everything else that took place afterward would've been enough for it.

[Deleted]

Speaking of Centennial Charmed maybe you guys can help me out on this. 

-Cole had no interest in becoming an Avatar in the real reality unless Phoebe was his, something they couldn't give him
-In the alternate reality, Cole no longer had his unlimited supply of powers and reverted back into Belthazor. They never even made him an Avatar after the change happened. 

Seriously what was the point? Why did they make the alternate reality for Cole if he wasn't going to be an Avatar anyway in either reality? it just doesn't make sense to me.

[Darkhorse Christian]

I don't think the other Avatars did give it to him. I think he tapped into the Collective power and did it himself against their will. Cue irony.

[Deleted]

But did they even make him an Avatar allowing him to tap into their power? I don't remember. All I remember is him not wanting to join and telling them about changing time.

[Darkhorse Christian]

Yeah, they did. And he never told them what he wanted to do with the power until AFTER they made him one. Again, cue irony.

[Chrisaholic]

I think he wanted the Avatar's powers to change reality, hence himself as a result. After the change he lost those powers again as the Avatar had pointed out if I remember correctly.

[Deleted]

Thanks guys. Totally forgot about that.