Was "Wicca Envy" the originally Season 1 finale?

[jdpm1991]

The ending of "Wicca Envy" has the ending of a season finale and with Leo orbing out and closing the door. Did they not originally plan a 22 episode season at first?

[Deleted]

It's possible that Wicca Envy ended the way it did because they thought that the show might not be picked for a full season.  It sure did look like a season (or series) finale to me.

Mind you, I'm just guessing here.

[West]

Aug 3, 2015 18:52:05 GMT -5 jdpm1991 said:

The ending of "Wicca Envy" has the ending of a season finale and with Leo orbing out and closing the door. Did they not originally plan a 22 episode season at first?

It might have been had it not picked up. But it was odd Rex and Hannah arc ended like that. Also wanting to give up their powers after 10 episodes, Wicca envy should of ended season 1 with Rex and Hannah.

[Deleted]

Then it might just be that they thought the show would not get a full season commitment, and didn't want to leave the fans hanging.

[Deleted]

I thought there was always a mid season MASSIVE Episode.

Season One's was Wicca Envy
Season Two's was Awakened
Season Three's was when Cole's ID is revealed / Just Married
4's = Charmed and Dangerous
5's = Day Magic Died
6's = Chris Crossed
7's = The Avatar Utopian episode
8's = When Paige learns to heal henry with the bank hold up.

But maybe they did only count on a few episodes and that this was the S1 ending.

[Deleted]

But maybe they did only count on a few episodes and that this was the S1 ending.

This is the most likely answer, they were still testing the waters at this point.

[Granny Charmed]

It did feel that way dears. Interesting if Charmed was a mid season series and got renewed. This may have became just the season finale. Although if that were the case, I think I'd look at S1 differently.

[pheebs]

Well, they might have ordered the standard 13, so I still like From Fear to Eternity as the finale if it were half a season. Prue finally saying I love you would have made the season end on a good note. It might have forced them to wrap up arcs quickly, would Andy have found out here, I'd hate it to continue into S2, if it were a half season.

But a series set-up like this might mean they would have Andy find out earlier into S2, even if they still killed him off. But maybe they wouldn't if the first season was half, then were thinking ideas for the second half of S1 and some of early S2 became part of a full second season. 

[rebooted]

Maybe the end of 1998 year episode "The Witch is Back" was supposed to serve as a Part 1 to the January 1999 return, "Wicca Envy" to keep viewers coming back in the following year after the xmas break.

[Sasha]

Maybe this was the episode they were going to use if S1 was only 13 episodes. If Charmed was a mid-season replacement show, then most certainly this would have been the ending to S1.

[prudencehalliwell]

I never thought about that. But if it did become a midseason series with 13. Then S2 would be some sort of combined second half of S1 and S2.

I'd also love if it means Andy finds out the secret sooner with a shortened S1 so not drag it into S2. Despite S1 being shorter in this case.

[Esmeralda]

Jul 17, 2018 20:09:21 GMT -5 pheebs said:

Well, they might have ordered the standard 13, so I still like From Fear to Eternity as the finale if it were half a season. Prue finally saying I love you would have made the season end on a good note. It might have forced them to wrap up arcs quickly, would Andy have found out here, I'd hate it to continue into S2, if it were a half season.

But a series set-up like this might mean they would have Andy find out earlier into S2, even if they still killed him off. But maybe they wouldn't if the first season was half, then were thinking ideas for the second half of S1 and some of early S2 became part of a full second season. 

Jul 18, 2018 1:06:13 GMT -5 rebooted said:

Maybe the end of 1998 year episode "The Witch is Back" was supposed to serve as a Part 1 to the January 1999 return, "Wicca Envy" to keep viewers coming back in the following year after the xmas break.

You nailed it, Rebooted! 'The Witch is Back' *was* the last episode aired before the Christmas break, airing on December 13, 1999, with 'Wicca Envy' as the first episode of 2000, aired on January 15, 1999, so it was never meant to be a finale at all, but the post-Christmas premiere instead.

The next break was 'Which Prue Is It?' which aired on April 7, 19999 with the next episode, 'That Seventies Episode' airing on April 7, 1999.

And, of course, the season finale was 'Deja vu All Over Again' which aired on May 26, 1999.

Source: www.imdb.com/title/tt0158552/episodes?season=1&ref_=tt_eps_sn_1

Of course, just because they were aired this way doesn't mean that this would've been their plan had it only ran for 13 episodes, but I tend to agree with Pheebs that more likely it would've been 'From Fear to Eternity' - having the 13th episode being about Friday the 13th can't just be a coincidence - with Prue (who was always supposed to be the star - it said so in Shannen's contract) saying she loved her sisters, being the way they would've ended it.

[pheebs]

Sept 8, 2018 8:05:27 GMT -5 Esmeralda said:

Jul 17, 2018 20:09:21 GMT -5 pheebs said:

Well, they might have ordered the standard 13, so I still like From Fear to Eternity as the finale if it were half a season. Prue finally saying I love you would have made the season end on a good note. It might have forced them to wrap up arcs quickly, would Andy have found out here, I'd hate it to continue into S2, if it were a half season.

But a series set-up like this might mean they would have Andy find out earlier into S2, even if they still killed him off. But maybe they wouldn't if the first season was half, then were thinking ideas for the second half of S1 and some of early S2 became part of a full second season. 

Jul 18, 2018 1:06:13 GMT -5 rebooted said:

Maybe the end of 1998 year episode "The Witch is Back" was supposed to serve as a Part 1 to the January 1999 return, "Wicca Envy" to keep viewers coming back in the following year after the xmas break.

You nailed it, Rebooted! 'The Witch is Back' *was* the last episode aired before the Christmas break, airing on December 13, 1999, with 'Wicca Envy' as the first episode of 2000, aired on January 15, 1999, so it was never meant to be a finale at all, but the post-Christmas premiere instead.

The next break was 'Which Prue Is It?' which aired on April 7, 19999 with the next episode, 'That Seventies Episode' airing on April 7, 1999.

And, of course, the season finale was 'Deja vu All Over Again' which aired on May 26, 1999.

Source: www.imdb.com/title/tt0158552/episodes?season=1&ref_=tt_eps_sn_1

Of course, just because they were aired this way doesn't mean that this would've been their plan had it only ran for 13 episodes, but I tend to agree with Pheebs that more likely it would've been 'From Fear to Eternity' - having the 13th episode being about Friday the 13th can't just be a coincidence - with Prue (who was always supposed to be the star - it said so in Shannen's contract) saying she loved her sisters, being the way they would've ended it.

It made sense for Prue's story and as you said Shannen being the star.

They wouldn't have given up a chance for the 13th episode to be about Friday the 13th. Now they might have adjusted the Wendigo and not had that episode being the penultimate episode of S1 if they had 13 episodes, maybe Secrets and Guys might have aired here instead. I just think they'd have left who Leo is and the mystery surrounding him a question answered in S2 instead. 

[rebooted]

Wicca Envy is an episode I look back on and kind of hate.

Its entertaining and a great episode but I hate how Leo actually saves the sisters by healing the book - like I feel like that is a cop out.

[gzv969]

Jan 28, 2019 18:52:39 GMT -5 rebooted said:

Wicca Envy is an episode I look back on and kind of hate.

Its entertaining and a great episode but I hate how Leo actually saves the sisters by healing the book - like I feel like that is a cop out.

Maybe the writers got to the end of that story and couldn’t find a way to write them out of their situation/dilemma so they took the easy route. They were powerless, Rex had their powers. No logical way out. Unless Rex somehow dropped the lantern and it broke and their powers ended up floating around enabling the sisters to step into them 😊

[summerreading]

Jan 28, 2019 20:11:36 GMT -5 gzv969 said:

Jan 28, 2019 18:52:39 GMT -5 rebooted said:

Wicca Envy is an episode I look back on and kind of hate.

Its entertaining and a great episode but I hate how Leo actually saves the sisters by healing the book - like I feel like that is a cop out.

Maybe the writers got to the end of that story and couldn’t find a way to write them out of their situation/dilemma so they took the easy route. They were powerless, Rex had their powers. No logical way out. Unless Rex somehow dropped the lantern and it broke and their powers ended up floating around enabling the sisters to step into them 😊

Yeah, I guess they did write themselves into a corner, it is too bad they didn't find another way to solve it, and I have my own ideas. They might have done that on purpose to keep the mystery of Leo going, so viewers wonder who is this man. This was the first episode we learned he wasn't non-magical, and they wanted to keep everyone guessing. 

[West]

I took it that it was done to keep the audience guessing on Leo, and a higher power is working behind the scenes.

I still feel they could have done so differently. The plot with them doing the spell to give up their powers, this felt like something that would happen much later or a series finale plot.

Now if the Lantern broke, well then their powers might go back to them if that was possible.

[Aaeiyn]

Aug 3, 2015 19:06:15 GMT -5 @Deleted said:

It's possible that Wicca Envy ended the way it did because they thought that the show might not be picked for a full season.  It sure did look like a season (or series) finale to me.

Mind you, I'm just guessing here.

I align myself with this statement.

It was a new show, so if it was going to end, Wicca Envy would tie up any "loose ends"-ish despite not figuring out WTH Leo was, but I digress.