Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Jun 25, 2016 14:16:29 GMT -5
As much as fans say that they wish the show had ended with Season 4, few realize that the season owes much of its popularity to the existence of Seasons 5-8.
Back when it originally aired, Season 4 was actually a divisive, unpopular season. A lot of fans hated losing Prue and revolted at the idea of this long lost half-sister coming out of nowhere and reconstituting the Power of Three, and many also hated the changes in Piper and (especially) Phoebe's characters as they got thrown into the roles of eldest and middle sister, respectively. The Phoebe/Cole storyline also turned off many fans, including even those who enjoyed the couple in Season 3 and hated seeing them get destroyed by the Source and Seer.
By the middle of the season, the show's ratings sank to the lowest they had ever been at the time. "A Paige From The Past" was actually considered the show's lowest rated episode ever until Season 6's "Witch Wars." Fans saw Season 4 as the show's Jump the Shark moment, the point where the show had strayed from its original premise, and the ratings reflected that. The show came very close to being canceled, and the season finale, "Witch Way Now," was written as a potential series finale just in case.
So, how did Charmed's least popular season eventually become one of its most popular?
Answer: Season 5. As much as fans complained about the direction Season 4 took the show in, Season 5 was such a gigantic nosedive in quality that it overshadowed Season 4's flaws and suddenly made the season seem just as good as the Prue years. The skimpy costumes and fairytale creatures made fans better appreciate Season 4's darker storylines, and the continued descent of Piper and Phoebe's characters into completely unlikable selfish hags helped fans accept Paige better. Paige's own transformation into a Ditzy Valley Girl in Seasons 5 and 6 helped vindicate the character we first met in Season 4, and no longer was she seen as a poor Prue substitute but instead a great character in her own right.
If Seasons 5-8 never existed and Season 4 was the show's last season, one has to wonder if Season 4 would still be as popular as it is, or would it be seen as the Jump the Shark season it was when it originally aired. What do you think?
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Jun 25, 2016 23:40:33 GMT -5
I know, but what else could they do? They made the whole premise around this "Power Of Three". I guess it never occurred to them that they would lose one of their stars.
At least they had a backstory about where Paige came from, the Patty/Sam affair revealed in P3H20. So she didn't come completely out of left field.
Yeah, that is what started the decline in their characters, although it didn't kick into high gear until Season Five.
This is a storyline that should have been scrapped when Shannen was fired. Season Four should have been more devoted to fleshing out Paige.
If only Witch Way Now had been the series finale...
In her Charmed Reviews, Obscurus Lupa said that many considered Season Four to be the last good season. Of course, the seasons that came after churned out so much rubbish that Season Four could only look better by comparison.
Season Four Paige was a college graduate with a good job in Social Services. Later seasons Paige was a ditz who forgot she could orb things, forgot that she was present when the Source was vanquished (both times), and seemed like she graduated from Clown College rather than Berkeley. A definite decline in the character.
I honesty couldn't tell you. When I originally watched Season Four, I liked the Paige bits. Phoebe/Cole didn't do much for me, however.
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Jun 26, 2016 0:24:29 GMT -5
I know, but what else could they do? They made the whole premise around this "Power Of Three". I guess it never occurred to them that they would lose one of their stars. At least they had a backstory about where Paige came from, the Patty/Sam affair revealed in P3H20. So she didn't come completely out of left field. Well, Kern could've actually handled the situation as an adult and tried to work things out with Shannen instead of throwing a tantrum and firing her. She only had one more year left on her contract, and being the professional that she is, she was willing to stick with it all the way through. Why couldn't Kern?  In her Charmed Reviews, Obscurus Lupa said that many considered Season Four to be the last good season. Of course, the seasons that came after churned out so much rubbish that Season Four could only look better by comparison. Season Four Paige was a college graduate with a good job in Social Services. Later seasons Paige was a ditz who forgot she could orb things, forgot that she was present when the Source was vanquished (both times), and seemed like she graduated from Clown College rather than Berkeley. A definite decline in the character. Fans who complained about Season 4 when it first aired truly didn't realize how bad the show could get, did they? I wonder if anyone could've foreseen Season 5's disastrous turn into light and fluffy? |
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Jun 26, 2016 11:16:16 GMT -5
Yeah, he could have. Shannen had only one year left, surely he could have toughed it out.
Of course, in the eyes of Kern (and probably his sugar daddy, Aaron Spelling), he was justified in firing Shannen, because she spoke up about the direction of the show and her character. To Kern, that was against his male ego. He's a man, she's a woman, she has to obey, end of discussion.
Someone really needed to tell Kern and Spelling that it was 2001, not 1951.
They sure had no idea how well off they were.
Of course, the problem comes back to the idea that the main storyline of Charmed had effectively ended with Season Four. The Big Bad, the Source, that had driven things since the start of the show, was now gone. Usually when the primary villain is defeated, the story is over.
Season Five and those that came after showed what happened when you continue a finished story. Heck, it would not be until the emergence of Zankou, more than two years later, that Charmed would get a villain one could take seriously again.
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Jun 26, 2016 12:45:25 GMT -5
Yeah, he could have. Shannen had only one year left, surely he could have toughed it out. Of course, in the eyes of Kern (and probably his sugar daddy, Aaron Spelling), he was justified in firing Shannen, because she spoke up about the direction of the show and her character. To Kern, that was against his male ego. He's a man, she's a woman, she has to obey, end of discussion. Someone really needed to tell Kern and Spelling that it was 2001, not 1951. Well, maybe if Kern had put more effort into the scripts, Shannen wouldn't have complained to begin with. Ever noticed how the issues began with Season 3, the year Kern took over the show from Burge? Of course, the problem comes back to the idea that the main storyline of Charmed had effectively ended with Season Four. The Big Bad, the Source, that had driven things since the start of the show, was now gone. Usually when the primary villain is defeated, the story is over. Season Five and those that came after showed what happened when you continue a finished story. Heck, it would not be until the emergence of Zankou, more than two years later, that Charmed would get a villain one could take seriously again. Which wasn't entirely the fault of the show, to be fair. The ratings collapsed in Season 4, so the season was written as if it were the final season just in case. This left Kern without a clear direction to take the show in after Season 4. Notice how the show didn't even have anything resembling a solid story arc again until Chris showed up, and that was still inconsistent and poorly-handled. I'd have no problem with Charmed continuing past Season 4 if we went straight to Chris/Wyatt and Zankou and had two more seasons centered around that storyline (which would be properly planned out). Season 5's biggest crime is that it was pretty much an entire season of filler. You can literally remove the entire season from the show, and very little would be missed. |
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Jun 26, 2016 16:26:12 GMT -5
Hardly a coincidence. Clearly Shannen had no issues with Constance Burge. Of course, Burge is a modern thinking woman, not a man who operated like it was still the 1950's.
Only two major evens happened in the debacle called Season Five. Wyatt's birth and Chris's introduction (which only happened at the end). You could destroy the rest, (except I would keep Cat House) and nothing significant would be missing.
|
|
|
|
Post by Chrisaholic on Jun 27, 2016 9:06:20 GMT -5
I think that with S5 the long-term storylines went away, though BK should be famous for that. Anyway, if Chris' arc was better plotted throughout S6, many fans could have warmed up to him more. Along with evil Wyatt and Zankou in the following S7. Again, the potential was there but not used.
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Jun 27, 2016 10:18:32 GMT -5
You've done a great job, Jana, in showing how Chris's story could have continued on into Seasons 7 and 8. They didn't have to drop his story like a hot coal once Season 6 ended.
|
|
Aaeiyn
Elder
✨The Amazing Phoebe✨
Posts: 5,554
|
Post by Aaeiyn on Aug 22, 2021 9:14:44 GMT -5
I didn't mind S6 nor S7, but I do enjoy how S8 ended. S4 is not that great of season, IMO. I tolerate it more than S2, that's for sure. For the most part, I tend to only re-watch S4, when I'm bored of re-watching S1, S3, S5, S6 and S7. S4 gets watched alongside S8. S2, I just can't stand because of Dan Gordon.
|
|
