thepowerofnicki
Familiar
My favourite character Paige! Yet I am a firm fan of the Original Power of Three
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Post by thepowerofnicki on Aug 16, 2014 22:38:04 GMT -5
Season one will always be my favourite. It had a special vibe to it that was uniquely Charmed not Buffy like in season three. From season one I miss the soundtrack of chimes etc. which added to it's feel. I also missed the clothes Prue actually would wear a suit to Bucklands, and it just seemed like normal clothes for normal people unlike the bizarre Elish created outfits, the ritualistic practice of magic it seemed more labour intensive then just a potion and a spell, and most of all the sweet innocent Piper, who was vulnerable and neurotic. Maybe I hated the change in Piper's personality the most because I strongly identify with her personality and would not want to become has cold as she did later on. Lastly I loved the plot twists. I was totally shocked when Rex was vanquished and Hannah threw herself on him I was thrown off by the timing. I remember first watching and thinking "Oh here's this season's big bad just like Buffy" however the storyline was more complicated and story arcs did not end when an arbitrary season did like in Buffy. When the Hannah/Rex saga ended the girls got a break for a few episodes and then they revealed Rodriguez who was worse and showed how embedded the demons were becoming in their lives not to mention their reach and influence. Season three was like this as well in that there was an arc but it was not here is the big bad and we defeat him in the end. Instead Cole opens the door to how the underworld worked. I loved this after being so accustomed to the Buffy style season arcs.
On an unrelated note, I can not enjoy season four because I felt it was too rushed. Killing the Source should have taken all season. Then in season five the Queen of the Underworld plot could take place. That way there could be more of a build up, like they originally planned. Also the comedic elements might of season five might have balanced the dark plot.
I also Sorry for this rambling, and convoluted post but I just feel that season one had the vibe that Charmed should have kept. Although I do believe that the show needed to grow and evolve certain elements should have been preserved because the series was unrecognizable in the end.
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Esmeralda
Charmed
S2 "What If...?"
Fan Fic Winner
Twenty Years Gone....But Never Forgotten.
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Post by Esmeralda on Aug 17, 2014 9:55:11 GMT -5
Oh, I agree with this so very much! When the show at the end was totally unrecognizable from the show at the beginning, something is definitely wrong. Only the names of the characters, the actors and the fact that two of them are still witches (when they should've been warlocks) is the same.
Speaking of warlocks, I love what Deano is doing in a different thread, and I think if that had been stuck to, I would've enjoyed the entire series more.
Do it just with warlocks who are witches who have not followed the wiccan rede: "Harm none, do what ye will," meaning the 20's cousins are warlocks and if it goes that far while staying similar, so are Paige and Phoebe in "Hyde Park Reunion" and so are all three in Season 8 due to the harm they do to Rick and the Jenkises (who, of course, also become warlocks AFTER they murder the Charmed Ones, but not before)..
In the same way, a warlock who saves a life can become a witch again.
There are true consequences while the sisters can have fun with their magic without worrying about personal gain as long as they use the magic to help others and themselves, not hurt others. Do that and even Piper might have enjoyed being a witch.
And that - a warlock who falls in love with Phoebe and through her love becomes a witch again - is what I'd want Cole to be rather than a half-breed. Do that and Season Four would still be Charmed, not Buffy-lite.
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thepowerofnicki
Familiar
My favourite character Paige! Yet I am a firm fan of the Original Power of Three
Posts: 164
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Post by thepowerofnicki on Aug 19, 2014 18:23:14 GMT -5
Oh I really like your ideas Esmerelda! Especially the one about Warlocks being able to become witches again after saving a life.
I always hated how they tacked on the personal gain rule. I guess they wanted to try and limit their power. However the Wiccan Rede should have been sufficient.
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Esmeralda
Charmed
S2 "What If...?"
Fan Fic Winner
Twenty Years Gone....But Never Forgotten.
Posts: 21,920
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Post by Esmeralda on Aug 19, 2014 20:14:41 GMT -5
I can't take credit for the idea of a warlock being able to become a witch again - that's all Deano's - but I totally wish that it could've been part of the series.
In the same way, I wish the Wiccan Rede had remained part of the show and not that "let's decide what the personal gain rules means this week after seeing what we need to make the plotline work."
Consistency and consequences, the two "C's" that would've turned Harmed back to Charmed.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Aug 24, 2014 19:11:53 GMT -5
I can't take credit for the idea of a warlock being able to become a witch again - that's all Deano's - but I totally wish that it could've been part of the series. In the same way, I wish the Wiccan Rede had remained part of the show and not that "let's decide what the personal gain rules means this week after seeing what we need to make the plotline work." Consistency and consequences, the two "C's" that would've turned Harmed back to Charmed. Actually, I think we co-created the Warlock-Witches division LOL! I definitely agree with you both that the personal gain rule should've been tossed out and instead they should've stuck with the 'harm none' rule, who really cared when Piper froze someone annoying her, when Phoebe got a vision of her latest screw, when Paige orbed ice-cream to herself or when Prue raided her closet telekinetically. |
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Aug 24, 2014 23:49:39 GMT -5
I picked "Dark," but I don't think the divide's as simple as "1-4 = dark/5-8 = light."
I'll give you Seasons 3 and 4 for being dark, but I don't know about 1 and especially, 2. Season 1 had a dramatic, more "serious" tone (for lack of a better word), but it wasn't really "dark" like 3 and 4. The main focus of the show wasn't vanquishing the Source, or saving a sister from being evil (aside from the one-off "Is There a Woogy in the House"), or some Demon Brotherhood, but instead, the sisters discovering witchcraft and learning about their destiny.
And, aside from a few outliers like "Morality Bites," Season 2 was actually pretty light (almost as much as Season 5, dare I say). The season was loaded with all sorts of cheesy one-offs like Dishwalla, man!Prue, Tuatha, Ms. Hellfire, and "Animal Pragmatism," and the only real "story arc" of any kind was a love triangle.
That being said, I mostly prefer Seasons 1 and 2 to 3 and 4. While I usually like story arcs on TV shows, Charmed's writers seemed to be incapable of writing them without contradicting something or destroying a character or two. Plus, many of the one-offs from 1 and 2 were very enjoyable, which is what really matters in the end.
As for the later seasons, while 5 was definitely light, 6 and 8 were more mixed, and 7 was actually pretty dark. Seasons 6 and 8 were plagued with wildly inconsistent writing, so they often zig-zagged between light and dark (see "Chris-Crossed" being followed by "Witchstock"), and the Chris and Billie storylines, while supposedly exploring darker themes, were never given the depth they deserved and ended up coming off as horrible jokes. (Drew and Kaley's bad acting certainly didn't help matters.)
With Season 7, we saw a return to longer, Big Bad-centered arcs like the Avatars and Zankou that were more reminiscent of Season 4. Granted, the Avatar stuff was boring, drawn-out, and horribly anticlimactic, but I admit to enjoying the latter half of the season, especially the finale. I thought Zankou made a better Big Bad than the Source (who was both a moron and a complete joke, sans "All Hell Breaks Loose").
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Esmeralda
Charmed
S2 "What If...?"
Fan Fic Winner
Twenty Years Gone....But Never Forgotten.
Posts: 21,920
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Post by Esmeralda on Aug 25, 2014 8:09:39 GMT -5
I can agree with all of this, which is why I still haven't voted and can't. Even the first half of Season Five with the story of crazy Cole can hardly be called light. Ridiculous, but not light. The only season that I would count as either dark or light was Season Four which was dark - much too dark for Charmed. Season Three, much as I disliked it (didn't hate it like most of Four, Six and Eight) was just right with its mixture, which is why most fans liked it. Had they not started changing the Charmed Ones' characters into the horrible characters we would see later in the season (and showing that Prue would've been annoyingly obsessed as Superwitch/Superb!tch the rest of the way had she lived- thank you for killing her off, Brad Kern!), I would too. That being said, I mostly prefer Seasons 1 and 2 to 3 and 4. While I usually like story arcs on TV shows, Charmed's writers seemed to be incapable of writing them without contradicting something or destroying a character or two. Plus, many of the one-offs from 1 and 2 were very enjoyable, which is what really matters in the end. Agreed, completely totally.
Again agreed totally. Had you been able to skip from 3x16: "Death Takes a Halliwell" to the plotlines of Season Seven starting with 7x17: "Scry Hard" adapted to fit Season Three:
and you have the version of Charmed that I would vote for as the best - neither dark or light because I didn't like Charmed when it was too much of either (but always preferred light over dark), but mostly enjoyable along with just the correct amount of seasons, so not giving the writers the chance to "contradict something or destroy a character or two," and not forcing Charmed to be something it wasn't just because Buffy had jumped ship to The UPN - how I wish that show had stayed on The WB so Charmed hadn't been forced to try to replace it! That is the worst thing that happened to Charmed, much more than just about anything else. |
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Aug 25, 2014 12:35:01 GMT -5
I can agree with all of this, which is why I still haven't voted and can't. Even the first half of Season Five with the story of crazy Cole can hardly be called light. Ridiculous, but not light. The only season that I would count as either dark or light was Season Four which was dark - much too dark for Charmed. Season Three, much as I disliked it (didn't hate it like most of Four, Six and Eight) was just right with its mixture, which is why most fans liked it. Had they not started changing the Charmed Ones' characters into the horrible characters we would see later in the season (and showing that Prue would've been annoyingly obsessed as Superwitch/Superb!tch the rest of the way had she lived- thank you for killing her off, Brad Kern!), I would too. You're probably one of the only people who dislikes Season 3, but I see your point. You could already see Kern's influence seeping into the show, and not in a good way. While I still like Season 3 for the most part, I hated the direction Piper and Phoebe's characters started going in, and I loathed that boring "Demon Brotherhood" storyline from the end of the season (TWoP called the episode "Demon Who Came in From the Zzzzz" for a reason). That's not what Charmed was supposed to be about. Had you been able to skip from 3x16: "Death Takes a Halliwell" to the plotlines of Season Seven starting with 7x17: "Scry Hard" adapted to fit Season Three: [/p] [/quote] Oh, I *love* that idea!  That would make a great fanfic. forcing Charmed to be something it wasn't just because Buffy had jumped ship to The UPN - how I wish that show had stayed on The WB so Charmed hadn't been forced to try to replace it! That is the worst thing that happened to Charmed, much more than just about anything else. Truthfully, I think the WB only wanted Charmed to replace Buffy during Season 4, hence the darker themes and "Bite Me." After the show's ratings nearly collapsed that year (the show finished 7th on the network; only the last 2 seasons got lower), they turned their attention to other shows for filling that "girl power" void. One of those shows was Birds of Prey, which bombed after less than a full season, and another was the planned Billie spinoff. |
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Esmeralda
Charmed
S2 "What If...?"
Fan Fic Winner
Twenty Years Gone....But Never Forgotten.
Posts: 21,920
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Post by Esmeralda on Aug 25, 2014 21:33:12 GMT -5
I can agree with all of this, which is why I still haven't voted and can't. Even the first half of Season Five with the story of crazy Cole can hardly be called light. Ridiculous, but not light. The only season that I would count as either dark or light was Season Four which was dark - much too dark for Charmed. Season Three, much as I disliked it (didn't hate it like most of Four, Six and Eight) was just right with its mixture, which is why most fans liked it. Had they not started changing the Charmed Ones' characters into the horrible characters we would see later in the season (and showing that Prue would've been annoyingly obsessed as Superwitch/Superb!tch the rest of the way had she lived- thank you for killing her off, Brad Kern!), I would too. You're probably one of the only people who dislikes Season 3, but I see your point. You could already see Kern's influence seeping into the show, and not in a good way. While I still like Season 3 for the most part, I hated the direction Piper and Phoebe's characters started going in, and I loathed that boring "Demon Brotherhood" storyline from the end of the season (TWoP called the episode "Demon Who Came in From the Zzzzz" for a reason). That's not what Charmed was supposed to be about. Amen! You're right - it would. I just wish I was better at original fics so that I could figure out how to do it. Don't know if you ever write fanfics, but if you do and want to try (or if anyone else does), go for it! You're probably right about that - that's the season when Charmed was Buffy-lite. Didn't know that - thanks for the info! Which is a shame, since I really liked Birds of Prey, although I didn't see it until it was in reruns. When exactly did it run? It's too bad it couldn't have taken over the "girl power" part of The WB and let Charmed die when it should've, after Season Three or Season Four. |
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Post by priscillahalliwell on Oct 15, 2014 8:06:48 GMT -5
I think season 2 was the best season. It had one of the best episodes of the entire series. I also think season 5 was a good season, but some things bothered me. Like Cole going crazy. But season 2 is defenitely the best season for me.
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Nimue
Familiar
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Post by Nimue on Nov 5, 2014 11:40:28 GMT -5
I prefer the first four seasons, and even some episodes of season 5. The rest of the series had some good episodes, good ideas that were badly executed, but it was much too light and silly and nonsensical. When you have a show that deals with magic and fantasy, you have to make things dark, not completely dark but dark enough to challenge the characters and make them grow, change and learn something about themselves, dark enough to create tension and suspense.
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ljones
Whitelighter
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Post by ljones on Nov 8, 2014 15:02:55 GMT -5
In my opinion, the best Season Six episode was "Chris-Crossed". In fact, I think it's the best episode from the post-Prue seasons.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Feb 20, 2015 18:11:52 GMT -5
Well, here's how I see it.
Season 1+2- Not really dark or light, just... a mix I suppose.
Season 3- Pretty dark, but I didn't find it too dark, still a decent balance IMO.
Season 4- Split in two. First half much like s3, second half a bit too dark.
Season 5- I'm blind.
Season 6- I still consider this quite light. Episodes like Chris Crossed and the finale were darker, but mostly it was still very fairy tale-esque.
Season 7- Darker generally. Best of the post-s4 years IMO
Season 8- Tone wise I actually think this season is more balanced than 5 or 6... but it's just so crap anyway.
I prefer it darker I suppose. But as someone already said, it's more a question of the writing. If it's well written, I'm not usually all that bothered. I personally think s1-4 were the best writing.
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Post by adzpower on Mar 2, 2015 18:51:48 GMT -5
I actually don't think Seasons 3 and 4 are that dark, they just had better storylines, arcs and character development.
Not to mention the scripts seemed well written and the show was well produced, the characters were likeable and very familiar at this point.
Then season 5 came...and ruined what up until that point had been a fantastic show. If Kern had kept it the way it was in seasons 3-4 then imo it would have been so amazing, the titans could have been cooler, Chris' storyline could have been better executed, the avatars could have seemed more threatening, sigh. Oh how it should have been so much better.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Mar 5, 2015 10:28:43 GMT -5
I can agree with this a lot.
Also I think when I say a season is darker, I don't just mean more grim/threatening etc. I also think there's more of a sense of mystery to the magic.
Like the way they dealt with fairy tale creatures. In season 3, they were hidden. They needed to use magic to see them. Because of that, I saw the episode as darker than later fairy tale episodes, because the magical world still had its unseen mysteries to it.
Compare that to nymphs dancing in P3, all manner of stoopid magical creatures showing up at the house constantly, valkyrie biker gang, s dragon flying around the city and leprechauns at their god damn funeral. Gah! No wonder they introduced the cleaners, the entire magical community just didn't seem to give a hoot about exposure after season 4.
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Esmeralda
Charmed
S2 "What If...?"
Fan Fic Winner
Twenty Years Gone....But Never Forgotten.
Posts: 21,920
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Post by Esmeralda on Mar 5, 2015 11:21:06 GMT -5
Also I think when I say a season is darker, I don't just mean more grim/threatening etc. I also think there's more of a sense of mystery to the magic. Thanks for making that distinction. That definitely helps divide 1-4 from 5-8 and shows why the first four were better. I wouldn't use the words dark and light to describe them - I'd use those words for grim/threatening, which I really didn't find anything in S5-8 to be. Which again is why I wouldn't call it Dark/Light. I'd call it drama vs dramedy, taking itself seriously as compared to laughing at itself. The only time I truly thought the sisters were in danger during those last four seasons was when I found out they cheated during "Something Wicca This Way Goes?" I mean, even Piper knew that Phoebe wouldn't stay dead during "Kill Billie, Vol 2." *YAWN!* And the addition of the magical creatures during "Oh, My Goddess!" *roll eyes* ESPECIALLY when the actual vanquish of the Titans was so anticlimatic. Just very good ideas very horribly done. |
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ljones
Whitelighter
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Post by ljones on Mar 6, 2015 1:15:28 GMT -5
What do you mean, exactly?
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Post by Chrisaholic on Mar 8, 2015 9:06:39 GMT -5
That they had a good storyline once but whatever the background was, was not told. We could only make guesses but what the authors might have told us was never seen on screen. I'd love to have seen more Wyatt/Chris stories after S6, slowly growing up next generation of Charmed if you want. But that's me!!
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Aaeiyn
Elder
✨The Amazing Phoebe✨
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Post by Aaeiyn on Aug 22, 2021 5:59:39 GMT -5
I'm definitely the sole vote on Light Charmed. While I enjoy S1 and S3, I find myself re-watching a lot of S6 and S7, with S5 and S8, on the side.
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Post by CharmedFaith on Mar 5, 2022 1:45:29 GMT -5
I vastly prefer the darker tone of the show and earlier seasons but it doesnt help that once they lightend up the show they also lightend up on the writing and so much became comedic and vastly inconsistent. Its like they forgot how to write a decent show.
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That would make a great fanfic.
