Would Paige still have her power if Prue didn't die?

[Esmeralda]

Saw this at another site and found it interesting:

The Original Poster (OP) wrote:

If Prue hadn't died, and they still brought in Paige as the 4th sister would Paige still have had Telekinetic-orbing or would she had been given a second active power?

I replied:

First off, if no one died, Paige would never exist.

But IF she was brought in, since she couldn't be Charmed, (no such thing as the Power of Four) she'd probably only have her whitelighter powers, just like she did before she was Charmed. Since she was just the spare, she wouldn't get a Charmed power (probably orb-oriented and like her power, more whitelighter than witch) until one of the Charmed Ones died.

Another member replied:

The "whitelighter in her made it work differently". Which means were you to take her whitelighter abilities away from her then the telekinesis should work as normal, or if someone stole her witch power then it should work as normal as it was the whitelighter/witch abilities together that made the telekinetic orbing.

Not sure whether they actually followed this in the later seasons, can't remember a lot of it. Lol.

A third member replied:

No they didn't because in that Three Blondes episode, Macy can't steal Paige's powers via the "Call A Witch's Powers" spell because they are whitelighter powers. I think you are right though, she should have gotten Paige's telekinesis from that spell.

A fourth member replied:

I don't recall any potion used against the girls to strip them of their powers being specific to witches. The power stripping potions were used quite a few times (though the only one I can recall against Paige at the moment is the one the Source used in season 4) but were used against many different creatures and it was never stated that the potion had to be creature specific.

I replied:

Doesn't "The Power of Three Blondes" prove that Paige's version of it was truly pure whitelighterly (after all, it's not the power Chris, who's also half-witch/half-whitelighter, had) and not a witch-power at all? Maybe Piper was wrong and Paige didn't get Prue's power at all. Maybe it was one that she always had but just didn't know she had.

I always thought that Paige was much more whitelighter than witch, a terrible mistake on the part of the writers.

The fourth member replied:

That's exactly right. Paige never evolved as a witch, not physically. She studied the craft and devoted herself to it so she definitely became more knowledgeable but that's it. She did not have an active witch power like Wyatt and Chris did. All Paige ever had were whitelighter powers. She never had an active witch power. Based off what was shown, not said, she never developed physically as a witch. Even when her powers finally began to evolve, they evolved as a whitelighter.

She was basically a born-whitelighter who could cast Power of Three spells, probably due to the fact that her mother was also the mother of the Charmed Ones.

ETA: Just added my own response to that one:

Exactly so.

So to bring it back to the OP's question - yes, Paige *would've* had her telekinetic-orbing even if Prue died, because it wasn't Prue's power, it was all her own. It will always irritate me that suddenly being a whitelighter was more important than being a witch. The show should've been called "Angel" rather than "Charmed".

Oh, wait...that's been done...

Whatcha think?

[kriswyatthalliwell]

Well in reality, if Prue had never died I don't think Paige would even exist. But in the Charmedverse, if Prue had never died I don't think Paige would have her powers due to Melinda Warren's Prophesy saying that there are only 3 Charmed Ones. She probably would still have her Whitelighter powers though.

[ljones]

But in the Charmedverse, if Prue had never died I don't think Paige would have her powers due to Melinda Warren's Prophesy saying that there are only 3 Charmed Ones. She probably would still have her Whitelighter powers though.

Of course Paige would have her "witch" powers. She just wouldn't be part of the Power of Three. That's all.

[universalcharmed]

If people even paid an shred of attention to the show this wouldn't even be a question. Paige was born a witch charmed or not like every other Warren witch. Had Prue never died Paige would still have TKO the same way Penny had Telekinesis and every other warren witch received an active power. Her TKO doesn't come from her being charmed it comes from her being a witch/Whitelighter. Also saying the show focused more on her as a whitelighter than a witch is dumb. They only focused about five episodes on her being a whitelighter.

What people don't understand is that any of Melinda's direct descendants could receive one of her powers. Patty had Molecular Immobilization and Penny/Batrice had Telekinesis. It is sad how so many fans don't know this or conveniently forget so their narrative can be considered true. Considering how people on this forum claim to love Seasons 1-3 they forget important details established in them. Also I hate how people never talk about the prophecy in full but instead only the part revolving around the Charmed ones.

The full prophecy states that:

"You may kill me, but you cannot kill my kind. With each generation, the Warren line will grow stronger and stronger - culminating in the arrival of three sisters. Together, these three sisters will be the most powerful witches the world has ever known. They will be good witches and vanquish all kinds of evil. They will be known as the Charmed Ones"

Thus every every witch after Melinda would be Stronger than her. Thus every Warren witch should have at least developed 3 powers within their lifetime Charmed or not and those abilities should have surpassed Melinda's. This was established in Season 1/2. So rather Prue had died or not Paige still would be a Witch with powerful Active abilities. Prue existence should have no affect on how Paige's powers develop.

Also Wyatt nor does Billie and Christy existence contradicts Melinda's prophecy. The prophecy never says they would be the most powerful witches the world would ever know but rather Known as in past tense not future. Meaning they would be more powerful than the witches that came before them but says nothing about the witches that comes after them.

[gzv969]

So the topic on how their powers came back has always got me stumped. And I could never figure out why their powers only came back after phoebe read from the book in season 1 episode 1, and not immediately after Grams died 6 month prior. Between watching Something this Wicca comes, That 70s show and Pre-Witched, its still very confusing to figure out. Grams had bound/suspended their powers after phoebe was born to prevent Nicholas from collecting on his packed he made with patty. And as we know, when grams died 6 months prior to the first episode, it undid her spell. So technically they should have already gotten their basic powers back 6 months before phoebe read from the BOS. But for some reason their powers only manifested when phoebe read from the BOS. Phoebe reading from the BOS should have only been to give them the power of 3. So the big question was why were their powers still suspended up until that night?

My only thought is since the power of 3 was rooted in their sisterly bond, maybe their basic powers had been rooted together sort of in the same way. Maybe either they had to be back together, in the manor, under the nexus, for their powers to come back after they were unbound, or they had to get their sisterly bond and love for each other back first. We know they drew further apart after grams died and prue and phoebe moved out almost immediately. So that separation may have prevented their basic powers from re-manifesting. I lean toward it being their sisterly bond. Because if it wasn't, their powers would have returned right after Grams died and before her funeral, right before Phoebe and then prue moved out of the manor. So phoebe reading the spell and calling on the power of three must have magically forced it back into them since its part of the full package and prophesy of having the power of 3.

As for Paige. it's a tough question. But my thought is maybe whatever basic power she must have inherited from the halliwell line may have not been able to manifest since she was also away from her family and not growing up in the manor within the spiritual nexus. I'm not even sure if she was born in the manor. Or it could be she never inherited one. So the real question should have been, "If Paige grew up with her sisters as the 4th child and grams never bound their powers, would Paige have manifested any powers at a young age apart from being able to orb?"  

[Esmeralda]

I'll bet you're right. I'll bet if Phoebe hadn't gone to New York, their powers would've been unbound right away.

Although here's another idea: maybe the thing that was missing before was the Book of Shadows. Grams locked it in the chest and Phoebe had to find it. It's also why Paige wouldn't have to re-read the spell - the Book was already out of the trunk.

This would also explain why Paige already had her power in the church before the Power of Three was reconstituted - she'd already been near the Book and read a spell from it when they vanquished Shax.

I've also changed my mind regarding Paige being able to do that right away. Truly there was no sisterly bond between Prue and Phoebe when the Power of Three first came to be - it was through the Power of Three that they developed their bond. The same could definitely be true for Paige.

[Ruth Marie]

Jun 30, 2018 4:49:55 GMT -5 Esmeralda said:

I'll bet you're right. I'll bet if Phoebe hadn't gone to New York, their powers would've been unbound right away.

Although here's another idea: maybe the thing that was missing before was the Book of Shadows. Grams locked it in the chest and Phoebe had to find it. It's also why Paige wouldn't have to re-read the spell - the Book was already out of the trunk.

This would also explain why Paige already had her power in the church before the Power of Three was reconstituted - she'd already been near the Book and read a spell from it when they vanquished Shax.

I've also changed my mind regarding Paige being able to do that right away. Truly there was no sisterly bond between Prue and Phoebe when the Power of Three first came to be - it was through the Power of Three that they developed their bond. The same could definitely be true for Paige.

Wow Es! After all these years I never thought of this. But now my mind has changed. Your right.

Still from a story point of view keeping Shax around adds to the season.

But I guess you learn new things every day. Thanks for bringing that up. I know us fans thought differently in regards to Paige and the bond of the Power of Three.

[cyma]

Jun 30, 2018 4:49:55 GMT -5 Esmeralda said:

I'll bet you're right. I'll bet if Phoebe hadn't gone to New York, their powers would've been unbound right away.

Although here's another idea: maybe the thing that was missing before was the Book of Shadows. Grams locked it in the chest and Phoebe had to find it. It's also why Paige wouldn't have to re-read the spell - the Book was already out of the trunk.

This would also explain why Paige already had her power in the church before the Power of Three was reconstituted - she'd already been near the Book and read a spell from it when they vanquished Shax.

I've also changed my mind regarding Paige being able to do that right away. Truly there was no sisterly bond between Prue and Phoebe when the Power of Three first came to be - it was through the Power of Three that they developed their bond. The same could definitely be true for Paige.

That's a very interesting theory, especially about the bond thing. While Prue and Phoebe had a tense relationship, they still managed to vanquish Jeremy without going through a a long bonding process. So Paige should be able to vanquish evil with her newly discovered sisters too without positive emotional bonding needing to happen first. That makes sense.

But what I still have trouble accepting is that they didn't remotely struggle to vanquish Shax like with Jeremy. The spell had to be said multiple times before Jeremy exploded. But with Shax, it's just say one spell altogether and poof he's gone. And sure Piper and Phoebe's powers grew over three years, but Shax was supposed to be this really powerful demon and personal assassin of the Source.

The only reason he ended up killing Prue and the doctor was because circumstances made it possible. First was Phoebe not being able to locate the vanquishing spell fast enough which left Prue, Piper and doctor sitting ducks when Shax showed up. Not to mention Prue and Piper forgetting to use their powers on Shax. Second because of time reversal due to exposure, there was no Phoebe to search for the vanquishing spell. And Prue and Piper yet again not using their powers on Shax.

Circumstances were in Shax's favor, not power or his title. Honestly if Prue and Piper had waited for Shax to show up again at the Manor instead of leaving Phoebe and going outside, then he was as good as dead.

So what's silly is without those circumstances and without any kind of believable struggle, Shax comes across as an easy to vanquish everyday demon rather than a special one. Jeremy and Rodriguez felt more of a threat to the sisters and their struggle to figure out how to vanquish them reflected that.

The lack of struggle also made Piper, Phoebe and Paige's first vanquish felt super-crammed.

Imagine Phoebe coming back from New York, Prue accidentally happens to bump into her while Piper is touching both of their shoulders, they receive their powers, Jeremy shows up laughing threatening to kill them, they see their mother's spirit board pointing to the attic, they rush up there and open the trunk find the Book which conveniently flips to the vanquishing spell page and they say the spell and Jeremy is vanquished.

Phoebe runs off.

I don't think the first episode would've had any kind of impact on me if it did what was supposed to be an iconic vanquish in the very first scene when Phoebe didn't even have a chance to settle down.

[prudencehalliwell]

Jul 19, 2018 14:57:37 GMT -5 cyma said:

Jun 30, 2018 4:49:55 GMT -5 Esmeralda said:

I'll bet you're right. I'll bet if Phoebe hadn't gone to New York, their powers would've been unbound right away.

Although here's another idea: maybe the thing that was missing before was the Book of Shadows. Grams locked it in the chest and Phoebe had to find it. It's also why Paige wouldn't have to re-read the spell - the Book was already out of the trunk.

This would also explain why Paige already had her power in the church before the Power of Three was reconstituted - she'd already been near the Book and read a spell from it when they vanquished Shax.

I've also changed my mind regarding Paige being able to do that right away. Truly there was no sisterly bond between Prue and Phoebe when the Power of Three first came to be - it was through the Power of Three that they developed their bond. The same could definitely be true for Paige.

That's a very interesting theory, especially about the bond thing. While Prue and Phoebe had a tense relationship, they still managed to vanquish Jeremy without going through a a long bonding process. So Paige should be able to vanquish evil with her newly discovered sisters too without positive emotional bonding needing to happen first. That makes sense.

But what I still have trouble accepting is that they didn't remotely struggle to vanquish Shax like with Jeremy. The spell had to be said multiple times before Jeremy exploded. But with Shax, it's just say one spell altogether and poof he's gone. And sure Piper and Phoebe's powers grew over three years, but Shax was supposed to be this really powerful demon and personal assassin of the Source.

The only reason he ended up killing Prue and the doctor was because circumstances made it possible. First was Phoebe not being able to locate the vanquishing spell fast enough which left Prue, Piper and doctor sitting ducks when Shax showed up. Not to mention Prue and Piper forgetting to use their powers on Shax. Second because of time reversal due to exposure, there was no Phoebe to search for the vanquishing spell. And Prue and Piper yet again not using their powers on Shax.

Circumstances were in Shax's favor, not power or his title. Honestly if Prue and Piper had waited for Shax to show up again at the Manor instead of leaving Phoebe and going outside, then he was as good as dead.

So what's silly is without those circumstances and without any kind of believable struggle, Shax comes across as an easy to vanquish everyday demon rather than a special one. Jeremy and Rodriguez felt more of a threat to the sisters and their struggle to figure out how to vanquish them reflected that.

The lack of struggle also made Piper, Phoebe and Paige's first vanquish felt super-crammed.

Imagine Phoebe coming back from New York, Prue accidentally happens to bump into her while Piper is touching both of their shoulders, they receive their powers, Jeremy shows up laughing threatening to kill them, they see their mother's spirit board pointing to the attic, they rush up there and open the trunk find the Book which conveniently flips to the vanquishing spell page and they say the spell and Jeremy is vanquished.

Phoebe runs off.

I don't think the first episode would've had any kind of impact on me if it did what was supposed to be an iconic vanquish in the very first scene when Phoebe didn't even have a chance to settle down.

Yeah that's true Shax was upper level and Jeremy not so much. So still vanquishing him that easily. At least the spell should have taken more than one try.

A small struggle made sense. Paige just found out she was a Witch like 3 seconds ago. She should have been more conflicted.