Parallel Season 3 and a Compelling Character Arc for Prue

[davem]

First, let me state that none of this is actually true, just ideas of mine. This is basically what I thought was going on beneath the surface of Season 3. Season 3 just seemed a little foreboding to me. Hoepfully you guys will find this interesting.

In the first scene of the first episode, we see Prue reading the book of shadows. It’s an ominous scene, as there are creepy closeups of dolls, and teddy bears. It’s quiet and we zone in on her reading the book. We are focusing on her, but why? She is startled by a coocoo clock, something has unhinged her, but what? (maybe her time is running out?) She even flings Phoebe across the room because she walks in unexpectedly. From all this, it just feels like Prue got the sense that something was lingering on her back. Maybe death? Now, I KNOW this isn’t what the writers intended because they hadn’t written Shannon out of the show yet, but still…

Secondly, in the very same episode. There is a missing sister. Piper. No one knows where she is and Phoebe even feels that she may never be coming back. This has never happened before. She’s been gone for a month. Phoebe says something about piper not being able to come back, etc. And I think this just parallels with the season 4 premiere, when Prue is gone and she’s the “missing” sister.

Throughout the season there are MANY more instances like this with Prue, little hints in dialogue and character action that stuck out to me, especially when Prue literally meets death.

Season 3, if played right, could have showed Prue as a tragic hero.

Throughout the season, her distrust and lack of faith in humanity grows. Her constant relationship disappointments are products of this. There were four people who played pivotal roles in this time of her life.

Abbey -- marks Prue having lost faith in humanity. Prue was given a rude awakening when it was revealed to be the human who was the demon.
Shawn and Justin -- marks her Relationship disappointments.
Cole -- Her relationship with Cole represents Irony. She sees humanity in the one place where she shouldn't. A demon. (On a side note, wouldn't it have been interesting if, for this very reason, Prue fell in love with Cole?) She saw humanity in COLE at the very last minute (It was very UNCLEAR but Prue was warming up to Cole towards the very end of the season) and this restores her faith in humanity, which makes her sacrifice for the doctor all the more meaningful.

AGAIN, this ISN’T what happened underneath it all, but I feel like if the writers made a
few more plot changes they could have had really strong themes and an interesting character
arc for Prue.

Over the course of the season it is extremely evident that Prue was on her own personal vendetta to fight demons. One episode focuses on the fact that she practically has no life because she’s too busy fighting demons. This was later declared to be Prue's hammartia, but how and why exactly? There was not enough evidence for me. Prue's vendettas never really endangered herself or anyone else, with the exception of "Sight Unseen" and "Sin City". Even then her vendetta or "hunch" was correct, or she wasn't herself. If ANYTHING, her flaw was doing things a little too hastily.

"We never should have followed Shax into the street" -- Piper


I hope this isn't too confusing

[cyma]

First of all welcome

I definitely find the concept of Prue slowly losing faith in humanity before regaining it due to Cole interesting. I also think thanks to Cole, Prue may also start to realize the concept of good and evil aren’t so simple. Even humans can be evil maybe even more than demons. Yet it’s okay to annihilate a whole species of demons who may or may not have even killed yet, but doing it to an evil human is considered wrong enough to burn at stake. I’m pretty sure learning about having a half-whitelighter sister who was given up to protect from the Elders and not demons would’ve send Prue to revise everything she knew and learned about good and evil. She actually worked with a bounty hunter to help track Belthazor so they could vanquish him. So instead of kill-them-all-policy, I can actually see Prue being okay with working with other demons to help defeat the Source once and for all.

Alas, Prue was killed. While foreboding about her death was fun, I would’ve liked her death to be interesting, impactful and meaningful. Piper’s death in All Hell Breaks Loose was interesting and impactful. Phoebe’s death in Morality Bites had meaning also, seeing that if she escaped, Pratt would’ve gone after her sisters and niece. And if she used magic to escape and murder Pratt, well things would have gotten worst for her family and other witches.

But realistically speaking, I don’t see things magically getting better and the witch trails ending after Phoebe is burned at stake as Leo claimed. I mean that’s like saying the genocide and persecution of your race will end, if you just let one of your own burn at stake for her crime. Her crime being using her secret special talents to kill a guy who brutalized and murdered her loved one and then walked away  It’s one of the most ridiculous things about Morality Bites. I can bet a million dollars if Phoebe had been mortal and killed Cal, there would be ‘save Phoebe campaigns’ and Pratt would be actually defending Phoebe.

But enough of that, my point, I want Prue’s death to have some kind of large meaning behind it. Being blasted through the wall in the very first and last scene just seems….meh. Especially when she didn’t even put up a fight against Shax.

[davem]

Hi! And thanks!

That's also an interesting concept (Prue realizing good/evil aren't black and white) and totally agree with your point on Morality Bites, that's my same issue with why they attribute Prue's death to her vendetta.

Yeah there wasn’t really meaning to her death, other than the reason the writers simply tossed in there, which was “Fate”. I think that one of the reasons why there is no meaning to her death is because right after she saves Dr. Griffiths, he dies. Her sacrifice seemed like it was for nothing. It’s not like she knew by reversing time she would die instead of Piper, so you can’t really say she sacrificed herself for Piper (though that would have been noble). It was all just a mishap.

Also there are gaping plot holes in the season 3 finale, which is another reason why her death seemed futile. But again, it’s not like her Character’s death was intentionally written in the show to further the plot or theme.

I would have handled season 4 differently as well. I mean, Evil wins at the end of season 3. A charmed one dies. A charmed one. The tone should have shifted completely. Gritty, dark, desperate, clinging to life. I think the writers should have written themselves out a different way instead of using the half sister ploy (or at least using it so soon. They should have gradually introduced it). I honestly didn't feel comfortable around Paige until... just until.

[cyma]

Just until....after re-watching it a couple of times? Well that’s how I warmed up to Paige. When season 4 first aired I was excited at the concept of half-whitelighter half-sister, but I had no idea Shannen had left the show and was actually expecting to see Prue back and all four sisters together.

Though I’m still trying to figure out how exactly Paige should’ve been introduced. When I realized Rose McGowan was playing her, I honestly thought Paige would be the mean girl rebellious type like in Jaw Breaker. Unfortunately they gave that role to her when Paige was a teen. I wouldn’t have minded if we saw Paige’s transition from bad girl to good girl when she was an adult and discovers her Charmed destiny. Her parents being alive would’ve also been a plus. But still hoping to find another better way for Paige's introduction in season 4. Maybe if they had shown a flashback of the past with Patty and Sam giving up their newborn. Maybe if Sam(who's a whitelighter again)had been more involved in the season 4 premiere, learns about Prue's death and is afraid that Paige will be discovered by demons so sets out to does something about it. Perhaps even keeps her away from Piper and Phoebe, not wanting Paige to be a part of Charmed destiny and end up like Prue and Patty. Maybe if reconstitution neither vanquishing Shax took place in the very first episode, I can then totally see the newbie version of me to S4 warmed up to Paige's introduction.

[Astral Vision]

I will reply to the main topic of this thread properly when I have the chance to word something worthwhile. It's a great topic by the way, Dave!

I just wanted to go a little off-topic and reply to this part of Cyma's post:

Aug 1, 2014 13:50:41 GMT -5 cyma said:

Maybe if Sam(who's a whitelighter again)had been more involved in the season 4 premiere, learns about Prue's death and is afraid that Paige will be discovered by demons so sets out to does something about it.

I always like to think that the point when the Elders find out about Paige in the season four premiere is when they decide to tear Sam away from his happy afterlife with Patty to become a whitelighter again. To me, that's the best explanation as to why Sam is a whitelighter again by his next onscreen appearance in season five. The Elders are angry that they didn't know about Paige's existence, so they punish the couple that broke the no whitelighter/witch relationships rule (even if it is void by the time this season has come by because of Piper and Leo) all that time ago by splitting them up - and the only way to split them up is to bring Sam back as a whitelighter again.

[davem]

Aug 1, 2014 13:50:41 GMT -5 cyma said:

Just until....after re-watching it a couple of times?

Even to this day her character feels awkward to me. I am a bit more comfortable with her in season 7 and somewhat in season 4. To me, intimate scenes with the three sisters, Paige just didn't fit in for some reason. Like when Phoebe vanquished Cole for the first time, Piper and Paige came to comfort her, a very nice scene, but it just seemed awkward for Paige to be there. Not saying that she shouldn't have, though.

I think it was because she was just so suddenly apart of the family. I wish there were more episodes focusing on their sisterly bonds. When we learn about Paige's past, Piper and Phoebe aren't even the ones who go with her on the journey, it's Leo.

What if instead of Leo going, Piper and Phoebe went into the past with Paige and they all learned about each other's past. The main storyline would still have been to learn about Paige, but they also see Phoebe and Piper's past as well as Prue's when they were younger.

[Esmeralda]

And that's why they couldn't. Unless you went WAY back in their past when they were young, you couldn't show Piper and Phoebe, because you would also have to show Prue and at that point, Shannen wasn't going to be part of it.

But like so many other things that got messed up thanks to what was happening in real life, it would've been nice.

I do agree that it would've been nice if we could've seen the bond form a bit better. It's why I'll always wish that Shannen had stayed just one more year, and then left under better circumstances, so it would be okay to see both Prue and Paige on the same screen. Use Season Four to take care of the Phoebe/Cole story (giving more time to get into that), have Prue die at the end of THAT season (with possibility of saving an innocent and that "innocent" being Paige - with her being introduced in Season Five and slowly be integrated into the Halliwell family, giving Piper and Phoebe (and the fans) a chance to grieve - with Piper being pregnant right away (with Prudence Melinda, not Wyatt Matthew...) and that helping her go beyond the grief - not get over it, but accept it enough that Prue could be seen as a ghost later on.

Unfortunately, as I said, Real Life got in the way....

[davem]

Aug 1, 2014 23:07:29 GMT -5 Esmeralda said:

And that's why they couldn't. Unless you went WAY back in their past when they were young, you couldn't show Piper and Phoebe, because you would also have to show Prue and at that point, Shannen wasn't going to be part of it.

They could have cheated it somehow haha Prue wasn't in every second of their lives. All they needed was a little tale/snippet from one single day in Piper and Phoebe's young life that somehow ties into the theme of the episode. They were in different grades, so maybe Prue was in another class, sneaking out with a boy at the time, etc. They could even mention something like "When is Prue getting back from..." Or "Have you seen Prue around?" "Yeah she's off with some..." Maybe Prue could always be on the verge of coming in the scene, and then we switch back to the present with Cole and Leo with whatever they'd be doing. lol

It's a stretch I'll admit haha Things probably weren't this clear back then when the writers were scrambling to write an hour long tv show and compensating for the death of a main character.

[Esmeralda]

Prue sneak out with a boy??? You'd have to do better than that - that was more likely Phoebe.

But I understand what you mean and it would be a good way of doing it.

Who knows? Maybe at some time when Prue was actually working (after graduating), Piper and Phoebe ran into Paige without knowing that she was indeed Paige - maybe she even saved their lives or they saved hers, something to give them something to bond over.

I don't know - I'm sure someone else will come up with something better.

But you're right - something like that (and something that gives Paige a reason for moving in besides being a member of the Power of Three) would've worked much better.

[cyma]

Aug 1, 2014 14:13:34 GMT -5 Astral Vision said:

I always like to think that the point when the Elders find out about Paige in the season four premiere is when they decide to tear Sam away from his happy afterlife with Patty to become a whitelighter again. To me, that's the best explanation as to why Sam is a whitelighter again by his next onscreen appearance in season five. The Elders are angry that they didn't know about Paige's existence, so they punish the couple that broke the no whitelighter/witch relationships rule (even if it is void by the time this season has come by because of Piper and Leo) all that time ago by splitting them up - and the only way to split them up is to bring Sam back as a whitelighter again.

That’s a very interesting theory

But the thing is in Magic Hour episode, Grams mentioned she was beyond the Elders and secretly helped Piper get married to Leo. If Cole hadn’t intervened, Piper and Leo would’ve been married. Also when Leo was dragged away, the way Grams assured a devastated Piper seemed like she knew Leo and Piper were destined to be married no matter what. Seems to me like the bosses of the Elders(Angel of Destiny?) are responsible for afterlife part of Up There, but unlike the Elders they don’t interfere unless in extraordinary circumstances as mentioned by an AOD in Witch Way Now. Leo also mentioned something about a holy union was something that would go beyond the Elders and they won't be able to break it apart.

It could be Sam was punished for having an affair with Patty. Did the Elders know they were having an affair? In season 5, I got the impression Sam was intercepted by the Elders before he could set foot into the afterlife with Patty. Because if he moved on, the Elders won't be able to make him a whitelighter. And Sam, unsurprisingly, screwed up again because of being denied peace.

[cyma]

Aug 1, 2014 21:09:20 GMT -5 davem said:

What if instead of Leo going, Piper and Phoebe went into the past with Paige and they all learned about each other's past. The main storyline would still have been to learn about Paige, but they also see Phoebe and Piper's past as well as Prue's when they were younger.

Kind of like a Cat House episode? But because of its over-focus on Piper and Leo and ofcourse no Prue, it’s not one of my favorite episodes. Without Shannen as Prue, the only option seems to be to play out only Paige’s past. If Paige’s past journey also involves witnessing Patty and Sam giving her up when she was a baby, Little Prue could easily be a part of it. And Paige could also secretly interact with her.

[Esmeralda]

That I would've liked to have seen.

[Deleted]

Wow! Nice topic. I'll try to keep on track.

I like the idea that Prue was going through some sort of inner turmoil during Season 3 and I, too, definitely see echoes of that during the entire season, especially during her encounter with Death and her pig-headed insistence of saving Tom from Kellman. That particular plot made no sense to me and I think Piper had a point when she reminded Prue that her previous S.O.S project, Brendan Rowe, actually wanted to be saved. But, if we really look at it Prue has always had a certain, surprisingly reckless side of her that forces itself out in quite shocking ways (e.g. the 'bad' clone, posing as Ms Hellfire, helping Bane). So, to me, it made sense that her death in AHBL was kind of... meh, because it proved just how precarious a situation the sisters were constantly in, just as Penny and Patty were (who also both had unremarkable deaths). I mean, I HATED Patty's death, because it was at the hands of a stupid, cartoony-looking demon that diminished the impact of horrific death.

So, Prue's death was significant in the sense that it wasn't really significant. It was a run-of-the-mill demon attack that, because of a few bad decisions and bad timing, cost her her life. Of course, I, like all us fans, HATED that Shannen never returned and Prue's entire existence was sidelined post-death. It's would've been interested to see where the writers took Prue's character in Season Four because I always did have this sense that she made herself an easy target because she had become too engrossed in the world of demons. Almost as if she over-played her hand. Both Phoebe and Piper took their own gambles with the love lives and, similarly, Phoebe lost her love to evil, just like Prue lost her life.

As for Paige, I too wish she'd put up more resistance to her new sisters, especially with moving in with them. Episodes like Size Matters and Knight to Remember happened too early in Season Four for my liking and Paige just blended into her new sisters, almost begrudgingly.

For more thing, touching on the whole good-evil, grey area debate. Did anyone else find it annoying that Piper and Leo decided in Black as Cole that 'Cole' had nothing to do with 'Belthazor's' evil actions, as if it was inconceivable that his human side could be evil as well? I always agreed with Paige that they were 'splitting hairs' all for the sake of Phoebe's boyfriend.

[davem]

Aug 2, 2014 22:07:00 GMT -5 @deano said:

Did anyone else find it annoying that Piper and Leo decided in Black as Cole that 'Cole' had nothing to do with 'Belthazor's' evil actions, as if it was inconceivable that his human side could be evil as well? I always agreed with Paige that they were 'splitting hairs' all for the sake of Phoebe's boyfriend.

Yep yep. I especially thought it was ridiculous when they "Vanquished his demon half" and he was apparently no longer the person who did any of his past crimes. I guess switching into demon form has a certain lure to it? lol And when he became the source which apparently "turned him evil" again, I always cringe. It's just... he was suddenly evil again and it didn't make sense.

If they explained how the power went to your head when you were the source, then I would've bought that, but it's like he got possessed or something.

I think Cole should have had a very bad craving for power. One that Phoebe desperately tried to save him from in Season 3. And he should have had a constant struggle between this Love and Power: Phoebe and Belthazar. He loves her, but he craves power.

And I think this craving is shown in various episodes but I think the theme is just kind of butchered because they really did a number on Cole's character.

[Deleted]

Aug 2, 2014 23:15:20 GMT -5 davem said:

Yep yep. I especially thought it was ridiculous when they "Vanquished his demon half" and he was apparently no longer the person who did any of his past crimes. I guess switching into demon form has a certain lure to it? lol And when he became the source which apparently "turned him evil" again, I always cringe. It's just... he was suddenly evil again and it didn't make sense.

If they explained how the power went to your head when you were the source, then I would've bought that, but it's like he got possessed or something.

I think Cole should have had a very bad craving for power. One that Phoebe desperately tried to save him from in Season 3. And he should have had a constant struggle between this Love and Power: Phoebe and Belthazar. He loves her, but he craves power.

And I think this craving is shown in various episodes but I think the theme is just kind of butchered because they really did a number on Cole's character.

Agreed - it was simply an excuse to absolve Cole's character of his past crimes. How ridiculous, do human murderers and rapists get off so easily? I don't think so. It was a horrible cliched example of human-good, demon-evil, something the show constantly kept playing around with. By Cole's return in Season Five, the sisters had once again decided Cole was inherently evil and would never be able escape it. That wasn't technically true though because, at that point, he was basically a human soul with demonic powers. In fact, how he was able to control all those powers is beyond me. 

You're so right about the Source possession. It would've been SO much more interesting if Cole had to succumbed to the Seer's persuasion and naturally took the Source's place. That would've actually made sense. THAT would've proved that his demonic and human form were inextricably linked, just as the sisters were humans, but also witches. I mean, can you imagine how ridiculous it would've been if someone had vanquished Phoebe's 'witch-half'? 

[cyma]

Aug 3, 2014 10:50:48 GMT -5 @deano said:

I mean, can you imagine how ridiculous it would've been if someone had vanquished Phoebe's 'witch-half'? 

Or Paige's white-lighter half or the rogue Astral Prue.

[Deleted]

Aug 3, 2014 11:27:20 GMT -5 cyma said:

Aug 3, 2014 10:50:48 GMT -5 @deano said:

I mean, can you imagine how ridiculous it would've been if someone had vanquished Phoebe's 'witch-half'? 

Or Paige's white-lighter half or the rogue Astral Prue.

LOL! So true!

[West]

Aug 1, 2014 23:29:49 GMT -5 davem said:

Aug 1, 2014 23:07:29 GMT -5 Esmeralda said:

And that's why they couldn't. Unless you went WAY back in their past when they were young, you couldn't show Piper and Phoebe, because you would also have to show Prue and at that point, Shannen wasn't going to be part of it.

They could have cheated it somehow haha Prue wasn't in every second of their lives. All they needed was a little tale/snippet from one single day in Piper and Phoebe's young life that somehow ties into the theme of the episode. They were in different grades, so maybe Prue was in another class, sneaking out with a boy at the time, etc. They could even mention something like "When is Prue getting back from..." Or "Have you seen Prue around?" "Yeah she's off with some..." Maybe Prue could always be on the verge of coming in the scene, and then we switch back to the present with Cole and Leo with whatever they'd be doing. lol

It's a stretch I'll admit haha Things probably weren't this clear back then when the writers were scrambling to write an hour long tv show and compensating for the death of a main character.

Yes one more season of Prue. Let Prue's destiny be to defeat the source, then Paige can be introduced for the second half of the series. Maybe if Shannen left on good terms, then she can appear in the first episode of season 5 for closure, and then return for the 100th episode, which would be an alternate universe where  Paige gets stuck in and meets Prue.

But they dont need Shannen to bring back young Prue for flashbacks, with a young actress.

I hated forever charmed for not even showing a young Prue, like couldn't have Piper seen little Prue and Grams and not herself and Grams. I'd have even accepted that as a honor to Prue, not the mention Kern did.

[Deleted]

Jul 10, 2015 21:06:05 GMT -5 West said:

But they dont need Shannen to bring back young Prue for flashbacks, with a young actress.

I hated forever charmed for not even showing a young Prue, like couldn't have Piper seen little Prue and Grams and not herself and Grams. I'd have even accepted that as a honor to Prue, not the mention Kern did.

Yeah, it absolutely disgusted me how Kern's idea of "honoring" Prue in the very last episode ever was just some throwaway line about how Prue was "destined" to die so they could meet Paige.  What an insult to both Shannen and her character.

Obviously, showing a picture of Shannen was out of the question, but like you said, nothing was stopping them from showing young Prue in the flashbacks.  Heck, even just a picture of this girl from "That 70s Episode" would've been enough.

[Deleted]

Yeah, it absolutely disgusted me how Kern's idea of "honoring" Prue in the very last episode ever was just some throwaway line about how Prue was "destined" to die so they could meet Paige. What an insult to both Shannen and her character.

This was no doubt Kern's final f*ck you to Shannen Doherty.