Best Written Season

[Esmeralda]

Nov 4, 2017 18:56:41 GMT -5 rebooted said:

Nov 3, 2017 22:07:30 GMT -5 Ruth Marie said:

I'll try mine now grading the seasons.

Season 1 - 9/10
Season 2 - 9/10
Season 3 - 8/10
Season 4 - 6/10

Season 5 - 6/10
Season 6 - 2/10
Season 7 - 6/10
Season 8 - 3/10

Actually I am going to rescale Season 4 down to 7/10 now, so for writing, it comes after Season 2.

Season 4 is my fave season but Phoebe's character degradation, not enough focus on Paige and the weakening of the Source plus Cole not actually being vanquished in LLTQ, after the realness of Prue's death at the beginning... It brings it down to 7.

However, I am torn to do the same with Season 2, bring it down a notch to 7.5, as the beginning episodes are not well written, episodes like That Old Black Magic, plus Jenny's starring role and wasted character, the love triangle with Leo and Dan making Piper look like a mess and there really being no overall focus of the Season, with inconsistencies beginning to emerge as well.

Fun idea to grade the various seasons. I'm going to do two lists - the first with how well they're written and second my feelings towards the season. That's going to be the same grades I gave them shortly after the show ended since my feelings haven't changed much over the years.

First, tho, for how well they were written:

Season 1 - 8/10 (Sisters written fantastically; Prue & Andy and Piper & Leo written fantastically; innocents and villains left plenty to be desired)
Season 2 - 8/10 (Sisters written fantastically; innocents written fantastically; villains written fantastically - Leo/Piper/Dan triangle left plenty to be desired)
Season 3 - 6/10 (Sisters written fantastically; villains written fantastically; Piper & Leo left something to be desired; Phoebe & Cole left plenty to be desired; no innocents to speak of)
Season 4 - 4/10 (Sisters no longer felt like sisters; rush to introduce Paige before saying good-bye to Prue; Phoebe/Cole/Source storyline most-poorly written storyline)

Season 5 - 4/10 (Phoebe and Cole horribly written; Piper and Leo best written since S2; Change from Charmed to King Wyatt; Fairytale creatures; how much of Alyssa's boobs can we see; worst-written episode: 'Oh, My Goddess!')
Season 6 - 1/10 (Demon-hunters not sisters who happen to be witches; Chris horribly written and overshadowing the sisters - second-most-poorly written storyline; second-worse-written episode, 'Valhalley of the Dolls' - suddenly it's okay to set up someone to be murdered or to steal someone's soul without permission - "Harm ye none, do what ye will" no longer means anything so the sisters are no longer witches, but warlocks)
Season 7 - 3/10 (Elders more demonic than the demons; demons well-written, especially Kyra, Drake and Zankou - all much better written than the sisters; misuse of powers, especially Phoebe's premonition power; Piper and Leo well written but too much time given to an actor who couldn't do a good job acting - Brian Krause)
Season 8 - 3/10 (Sisters horribly written except for Paige; Little Wyatt wonderfully written; Billie horribly written; Christy well written; guest stars horribly written)

As for which seasons I liked and which I didn't, here's from my review written shortly after the show ended:

SEASON ONE: Finding their Destiny: A-/ 8 out of 10 stars / Very Good!
SEASON TWO: Living their Destiny: A/ 9 out of 10 stars/ EXCELLENT!
SEASON THREE: Losing part of their Destiny: B+/7 out of 10/Good!
SEASON FOUR: Screwing up the Birth Order: C-/4 out of 10 Stars/Mediocre

SEASON FIVE: Meeting the rest of the Magical Community: C /5 out of 10/Okay
SEASON SIX: Upstaged by a Couple of Cute Upstarts: F-/0 out of 10 stars/ATROCIOUS!
SEASON SEVEN: What should've been the last season: D+/3 out of 10 stars/Bad, but not terrible
SEASON EIGHT: What a horrible way to end what could've been such a great show: F/1 out of 10 stars/A bit better than S6 but not by much!

[Granny Charmed]

Season 1 - 8/10 
Season 2 - 9/10
Season 3 - 6/10 
Season 4 - 4/10 
Season 5 - 5/10 
Season 6 - 1/10 
Season 7 - 3/10 
Season 8 - 3/10 

[rebooted]

So my overall writing score of Charmed is 48.5/80 = 60%

Reviewed ratings /10
Season 1 = 9
Season 2 = 8
Season 3 = 9
Season 4 = 7.5
Season 5 = 5
Season 6 = 2
Season 7 = 5
Season 8 = 3

It is kind of sad that I rate my own fave show's writing as 60%. lol

[askfreebie]

Season 1- 9/10
Season 2- 9/10
Season 3- 8/10
Season 4- 6/10
Season 5- 3/10
Season 6- 0/10
Season 7- 5/10
Season 8- 4/10

I'm really not a fan of Seasons 5 and 6.

[Olga Halliwell]

Season 1- 9/10
Season 2- 9/10
Season 3- 8/10
Season 4- 6/10
Season 5- 4/10
Season 6- 2/10
Season 7- 5/10
Season 8- 4/10

[fallingsnow6136]

I'm probably in the minority but I love Season 4. Charmed Again (both parts) is probably my favorite episode. Piper really came into her own this season and I loved that. Of course like everything else, it had it's flaws but much less than the other seasons. I really felt for Phoebe this season because throughout seasons 3 and 4, she put her whole heart into believing in Cole despite her sisters' disagreements and despite how tough everything was. Season 4 was tough on Phoebe. She lost her big sister, she became Queen of the Underworld, Cole betrayed her and she had to vanquish the love of her life plus give up her unborn child. People say Phoebe was much too hard on Cole in S5 but can you blame her? She went through hell (literally and figuratively) so it's understandable she doesn't want Cole back. I kinda wanted Piper being more protective over Phoebe in S5 when Cole returned but otherwise I like Season 5 too.

[rebooted]

Feb 25, 2018 18:41:24 GMT -5 fallingsnow6136 said:

I'm probably in the minority but I love Season 4. Charmed Again (both parts) is probably my favorite episode. Piper really came into her own this season and I loved that. Of course like everything else, it had it's flaws but much less than the other seasons. I really felt for Phoebe this season because throughout seasons 3 and 4, she put her whole heart into believing in Cole despite her sisters' disagreements and despite how tough everything was. Season 4 was tough on Phoebe. She lost her big sister, she became Queen of the Underworld, Cole betrayed her and she had to vanquish the love of her life plus give up her unborn child. People say Phoebe was much too hard on Cole in S5 but can you blame her? She went through hell (literally and figuratively) so it's understandable she doesn't want Cole back. I kinda wanted Piper being more protective over Phoebe in S5 when Cole returned but otherwise I like Season 5 too.

You are not the minority. There are a lot of Charmed Season 4 fans. Me being one of them, and I think West and a few others as well.

Charmed Again Part 1 is my favourite episode. 

I have compassion for what you've written about Phoebe and Cole. I always liked Charmed when it did contrast the forbidden love on Piper and Leo vs Phoebe and Cole one was destined and one was not.

Season 4 is my favourite, followed by Season 3 and then I would say Season 2 and 1 equally. 

However, this poll is about the best written season and you have to admit that although the acting is on point in Season 4, the chemistry is still there with the leads and the support cast, and the individual episodes are written well, overall the Season loses focus, off the sisterhood and has 3 seasons worth of writing in 1 season. 

I think that the first half is beautifully written but after Charmed and Dangerous, the show becomes about witches and demons instead of continuing on it's great first half of getting to know Paige e.g.: Paige from the Past and Knight to Remember.

Don't get me wrong, I love watching Three Faces, Saving Private Leo, WOTSTWizard, and especially LLTQueen and Womb Raidar.... they are great episodes, but the roots of PhoeMe start to show and Paige, a character who should have been the focus of Season 4 becomes a supplementary character. 

Season 4 is my favourite season to rewatch. It feels fresh and new and the special effects have certainly updated. It's so entertaining to watch, so much is happening but too much happens. 

Pro's - Paige in the first half, Cole throughout the season, THE SEER! The Hollow, Piper vs. Phoebe is LLtQueen, Alyssa Milano in LLTQ, HMC in Hell Hath No Fury and Rose in Paige from the Past, Leo in Saving Private Leo and Daryl when he appeared. 

But don't take this poll in thinking that Season 4 wasn't as popular. It is a fan fave of many! 

[fallingsnow6136]

I actually didn't like Season 3 that much but then again I'm not a huge fan of Prue. But I loved the sisterly chemistry in S4 especially in A Paige from the Past, Charmed again (both parts) and Bite Me had some amazing sisterly moments as did Womb Raider.

[rebooted]

Feb 26, 2018 6:02:26 GMT -5 fallingsnow6136 said:

I actually didn't like Season 3 that much but then again I'm not a huge fan of Prue. But I loved the sisterly chemistry in S4 especially in A Paige from the Past, Charmed again (both parts) and Bite Me had some amazing sisterly moments as did Womb Raider.

I think that if I had to pick a favourite bulk of 22 episodes in a row, crossing over Seasons, it would be
From Season 3's Good, Bad, Cursed to Season 4's Charmed and Dangerous. 

"The Good, the Bad and the Cursed"
"Just Harried"
"Death Takes a Halliwell"
"Pre-Witched"
"Sin Francisco"
"The Demon Who Came in from the Cold"
"Exit Strategy"
"Look Who's Barking"
"All Hell Breaks Loose"
Charmed Again Part 1
Charmed Again Part 2
"Hell Hath No Fury"
"Enter the Demon"
"Size Matters"
"A Knight to Remember"
"Brain Drain"
"Black as Cole"
"Muse to My Ears"
"A Paige from the Past"
"Trial by Magic"
"Lost and Bound"
"Charmed and Dangerous"

Then 2nd set of consecutive episodes would be

"P3 H2O"
"Ms. Hellfire"
"Heartbreak City"
"Reckless Abandon"
"Awakened"
"Animal Pragmatism"
"Pardon My Past"
"Give Me A Sign"
"Murphy's Luck"
"How to Make a Quilt Out of Americans"
"Chick Flick"
"Ex Libris"
"Astral Monkey"
"Apocalypse, Not"
"Be Careful What You Witch For"
"The Honeymoon's Over"
"Magic Hour"
"Once Upon a Time"
"All Halliwell's Eve"
"Sight Unseen"
"Primrose Empath"
"Power Outage"

That's if we didn't look at Seasons and saw them as a set of 22 episodes. 

Regardless, this poll is about the Best and not Favourites, so apologies for blabbing!

[Jean]

Was looking for this thread.

Now re-watching S1 with the board, for now, I think S1 was the best written season, especially for how fantastically they write the sisters, their relationship, the balance between stories, and none of the co-stars have taken over.

Have to be honest, that Charmed wasn't as great with story-arcs, I've found whenever they have a good idea or storyline or arc potential, they never end up paying off well and leave me more annoyed, and or they abandon ones that had potential or could have been fun seeing done more of, like the Brotherhood, Evil Charmed Ones, Cole and his Fathers Soul, Phoebe's son, Morality Bites and Nathaniel Pratt returning just to name a few off the top of my head.

I'll have to think about what was the best-written story-arc. When we keep going through the series, I might have a better idea of what it is. I do love the Piper/Leo arc of S1, and if Leo didn't return in S2, it might have been one of my favorites.

[rebooted]

Feb 25, 2018 18:41:24 GMT -5 fallingsnow6136 said:

I'm probably in the minority but I love Season 4. Charmed Again (both parts) is probably my favorite episode. Piper really came into her own this season and I loved that. Of course like everything else, it had it's flaws but much less than the other seasons. I really felt for Phoebe this season because throughout seasons 3 and 4, she put her whole heart into believing in Cole despite her sisters' disagreements and despite how tough everything was. Season 4 was tough on Phoebe. She lost her big sister, she became Queen of the Underworld, Cole betrayed her and she had to vanquish the love of her life plus give up her unborn child. People say Phoebe was much too hard on Cole in S5 but can you blame her? She went through hell (literally and figuratively) so it's understandable she doesn't want Cole back. I kinda wanted Piper being more protective over Phoebe in S5 when Cole returned but otherwise I like Season 5 too.

I am also a fan of Season 4 - at least the first half. 

I am one of the few that enjoys the last few episodes and that arc. 

I esp like it because on the tension between the sisters. All are tested and we never see Piper and Phoebe esp thrash it out like they do in LLTQ.

I don't like Marry Go Round too much. 

But other than that, I actually enjoy watching all the episodes. 

There are good nods to Prue and given that they though the series was ending, I thought they did a good job. 

I think the worst part was when Cole came back because I would have enjoyed Season 5 focusing on the sisters

[West]

Feb 26, 2018 2:43:55 GMT -5 rebooted said:

Feb 25, 2018 18:41:24 GMT -5 fallingsnow6136 said:

I'm probably in the minority but I love Season 4. Charmed Again (both parts) is probably my favorite episode. Piper really came into her own this season and I loved that. Of course like everything else, it had it's flaws but much less than the other seasons. I really felt for Phoebe this season because throughout seasons 3 and 4, she put her whole heart into believing in Cole despite her sisters' disagreements and despite how tough everything was. Season 4 was tough on Phoebe. She lost her big sister, she became Queen of the Underworld, Cole betrayed her and she had to vanquish the love of her life plus give up her unborn child. People say Phoebe was much too hard on Cole in S5 but can you blame her? She went through hell (literally and figuratively) so it's understandable she doesn't want Cole back. I kinda wanted Piper being more protective over Phoebe in S5 when Cole returned but otherwise I like Season 5 too.

You are not the minority. There are a lot of Charmed Season 4 fans. Me being one of them, and I think West and a few others as well.

Charmed Again Part 1 is my favourite episode. 

I have compassion for what you've written about Phoebe and Cole. I always liked Charmed when it did contrast the forbidden love on Piper and Leo vs Phoebe and Cole one was destined and one was not.

Season 4 is my favourite, followed by Season 3 and then I would say Season 2 and 1 equally. 

However, this poll is about the best written season and you have to admit that although the acting is on point in Season 4, the chemistry is still there with the leads and the support cast, and the individual episodes are written well, overall the Season loses focus, off the sisterhood and has 3 seasons worth of writing in 1 season. 

I think that the first half is beautifully written but after Charmed and Dangerous, the show becomes about witches and demons instead of continuing on it's great first half of getting to know Paige e.g.: Paige from the Past and Knight to Remember.

Don't get me wrong, I love watching Three Faces, Saving Private Leo, WOTSTWizard, and especially LLTQueen and Womb Raidar.... they are great episodes, but the roots of PhoeMe start to show and Paige, a character who should have been the focus of Season 4 becomes a supplementary character. 

Season 4 is my favourite season to rewatch. It feels fresh and new and the special effects have certainly updated. It's so entertaining to watch, so much is happening but too much happens. 

Pro's - Paige in the first half, Cole throughout the season, THE SEER! The Hollow, Piper vs. Phoebe is LLtQueen, Alyssa Milano in LLTQ, HMC in Hell Hath No Fury and Rose in Paige from the Past, Leo in Saving Private Leo and Daryl when he appeared. 

But don't take this poll in thinking that Season 4 wasn't as popular. It is a fan fave of many! 

That's correct. There are parts of this season I do enjoy. 

But parts I don't like. It has its flaws, but I have more episodes in S4 I like than other seasons that follow like S5 or S6.

I don't like Marry Go Round or Enter the Demon.

I wished the pacing was better. But of course this could have been the last season, so I get why it felt like the last 3 episodes were like closing the story when Phoebe and her unborn baby could and should have been a story into S5. 

Now the start of S4 bugs me because of how fast Prue's mourning was handled without throwing Paige in our faces. On my first watch, I was so offended. I'm wanting to mourn Prue, not see it done for the first 10 mins then shove Paige down my throat. But I loved the acting in it. 

But now, I love Paige in S4 and think it is one of her strongest seasons. Especially her as a social worker when I love her best, not whitelighter Paige or Paige and her temp jobs or taking over magic school.

Too bad. That if the rumours are true and S4 was supposed to end with Charmed and Dangerous with the Cole/Source arc as the first half of S5 ending with his death in the 100th episode. I'd love that. 

Still I can find things in S4 I enjoy. But I have a better appreciation for S1 and S2 than I did a decade ago. Those seasons are more my favourites today but I still love S3 followed by 4 after them. 

[codebox]

Seasons 2 & 3 are my favorite seasons because I feel they both introduce elements that had the show at its peak if stayed that way. However I feel Season 1 is the most perfect because it was the most free of executive writing, all the sisters are so well done (Prue may be my favorite, but I feel all of them are great) and it also does relationships decently without any of the insufferable context outside of them being perfect.

Piper/Mark, Piper/Leo, Prue/Andy all of these are great and feel like the most honest relationships in the show outside of Paige/Richard and Paige/Henry with no complaining, no harmful subtext and the sister's not having the Halliwell love curse. In fact watching Season 1 its hard to remember Piper and Leo were a healthy couple at one point. I still ship Piper and Mark though. Even Phoebe with Clay was good because it presented the flaws of Phoebe's character without the insufferable lovestruck she had when around Cole or future love interests.

I also liked Season 1 for having the main enemy theme centered around Warlocks, since I found Warlocks the most interesting of the villains they fight. Season 1 is a slow start, but really the most innocent season. Very 90's and I miss Mousy Piper with her bangs, Prue's short hair (hated that bobcut in the earlier episodes though) and Phoebe's hair getting longer later too, it has my favorite looks for each sister (minus Phoebe's look in Witch Trial)

[codebox]

Season 1: 8/10
Season 2: 8/10
Season 3: 7/10
Season 4: 6/10
Season 5: 3/10
Season 6: 1/10
Season 7: 4/10
Season 8: 1/10

[andytrasc]

Season 1 as most of you. The characters were really worked and it had kind of a sweet mystical vibe to it.
While season 3 had a great and more developped Source-Belthasor/Cole plotline, I'd go for season 1 because of its tenderness.

Season 1: 10/10*
Season 2: 7/10
Season 3: 9/10
Season 4: 8/10
Season 5: 5/10
Season 6: 1/10
Season 7: 3/10
Season 8: 4/10

*Obviously some things could have been handled better, but we're on Charmed standards.

[Emmett]

Season 1 or 3. Voted 1.

[Aaeiyn]

Best written with some continuity S1. Best written with funny "fluff" S6.

[rebooted]

I went for 3 (changed from 2).

Then I'd say Season 1, then Season 2 after doing my rewatch.

Season 4 isn't written bad really - its just really fast paced.

[Sandra]

Season 1 gets my vote.

[Aaeiyn]

I still stand by that S1 is the best. It's a good mix between "scary", "romance", "action", "funny", "sisterly", etc. It's all balanced out.