Charmed Psych 101 Kate - Meg - Beth

[ShadowCat]

Okay, not so interesting intro here.


When I joined about a week ago I did so because I had been planning on revisiting the series. It has been sitting on the shelf for a spell and I thought I would dust it off. I thought about starting a journal from start to finish. I didn't know if I would bother to share. Then I came here. I thought hey maybe I could bring something to the table.


When I first looked over the forum and got in on the tail end of an unusual war I had to wonder if I was about to make a mistake. Being a person that believes you cannot have day without night, sun without moon perhaps I should just stick with a private journal. After all, who can I slap but myself? I decided to take a chance and if it takes flight fine. If not than maybe that is the way it should be.


I loved the show. I learned from it. I might have been disappointed at times, but so what? When the power goes out here we don't have running water. Think that isn't disappointing? You deal with it and fill old milk bottles so you can flush the twalet. No TV, read a book. No light, burn a candle.


I thought if I started at the very beginning perhaps we could chat about things in an orderly fashion. What did you like or dislike about that episode. Adding magic to the brew, what could be reasonable and what was not. If you put yourself in the shoes of one of the sister's and didn't like what they did, what would you change? If you corrected what you think was a mistake, take it to the limit ... what might that have brought about? Careful .... remember Star Trek's "Edge of Tomorrow".


Something I thought might really put a different spin on what one thinks would be to change the names of the girl's and pretend you don't know them. If you were attending a Psych 101 class and your professor is presenting a situation to you about 3 sisters living together and the things they have to deal with, would your comments change? You are not aligned with the actress or the character. They are not important to you. Your job is to pass this class with the best grade possible and therefore you must be objective.


If some feel this board has been on life-support, as nothing new can be added and all that has happening is to rehash the old burnt hash ... well if it is life you seek, shall we not try to examine another approach to stories we love but have no place else to thrive?


I have my own personal favorite, but if I follow my own creativity, maybe I will look at their actions in a different light.


I haven't started my re watch yet as I wanted to get a few things settled here before I posted. I will give you what I can recall from episode one, and if you find something tasty I will continue. If not....


Episode One .... Season One:


For those of you that were there from the beginning; I was not; I think they were trying to established who the girls were and how they dealt with each other. They each had a roll to play in the family dynamics. Prue was the oldest and put in the position of being responsible regardless if that was were she wanted to be. Piper was the go-between, who had to do a juggling act no matter how tiresome that could be. Phoebe was the baby that as usual in most families got away with murder. Okay, we all get it.


In the first episode we realize that Phoebe is desiring to return home and has contacted Piper. She knows that is the best approach as Prue might not be too receptive. Piper has ample time to tell Prue but chooses not to until the last minute. I get it, but that is taking the easy way out. She knows Prue only too well and it might be better to just wait until Phoebe walks in the door. Prue at his point will be hard pressed to say know, and besides .... there is a storm coming. (If I had two cats in residence could I honestly leave a scared, soaking wet kitty on the doorstep? Ah, NO!)


Phoebe arrived and seemed to have enough cash to get across the country but doesn't have cab fare. Really? She couldn't have worked a few more hours on the other side of the USA to cover that? No of course not. She has been allowed to depend on the older sisters to deal with this all her life. Why change now?


Take a good look at the scene in the bedroom that is the coldest room in the house. Phoebe knows this as she was born there. Does she take any responsible for her needs? Does she ask for an extra blanket. Could she not know where they were kept? Well, perhaps that was not important to her. Prue who is on top of things realizes this and brings a blanket. That gives the viewer a standard. A sister needs and she supplies, regardless of who should be responsible. I don't care which sister you like, I am seeing some serious co-dependency here. A shrink might tell us that both sisters; thought not happy with how things are streaming; are allowing things to remain. Not so healthy maybe.


So now, where is the love, ...... well, everywhere, but is it positive .... ah, NO.


So how about we change this up a bit. You are a student in a Charmed Psych 101 class and bottom lining it, you are going for a grade. Your Professor brings this to your table. The sisters are named Kathryn = Kate, Margaret = Meg and Elizabeth = Beth. You do not know them. Should Kate have brought Beth the blankets or just said, " I know this is the coldest room in the house. The extra blankets have been moved to a different closet. If you feel you need one, that is were they are".


This would start to set boundaries and allowed Beth to make a decisions for her needs, while Kate is still being concerned and caring.


Now maybe this is all silly to other patrons, but with a show that has been off the air for over a decade ...... if you want to keep this alive and a bit fresh, where can we go? Nothing new is coming our way for the time being. If you just want to rehash the old burnt hash will the board manage to remain lively?

[Deleted]

remember Star Trek's "Edge of Tomorrow".

I think you're confusing some Classic Trek episode titles here.  There was "City On The Edge Of Forever", "Tomorrow Is Yesterday", and "Return To Tomorrow".  However, there is no episode called "Edge Of Tomorrow". 

The sisters are named Kathryn = Kate, Margaret = Meg and Elizabeth = Beth.

Judging by these names, I'm guessing you've read Little Women

[ShadowCat]

Why thank you Rex for correcting this old goat who watch ST when it first started. It gave me such a postive feeling that I am at the moment dancing on sunshine.

[Elle Em]

I like your idea about looking into the psychology of their interactions, so I'll give this a shot.

For the cab fare, here's what I think. For myself, I'm the type of person to plan down to the last detail. I would have money set aside for the bus, the cab, and meals on the way, as well as emergency money. For someone like Phoebe, her goal was to get to San Francisco, which she did. While I would be annoyed if I were in Prue's position, I can't be too harsh on Phoebe for this one. She did get herself back home from New York. And I know she was an adult at this stage, but a young one. She had lived on her own for months in a new city. The cab fare is an annoying issue, but a small one. Though not true for everyone, in my own experience, that's pretty typical of the youngest child in a family.

As for the blanket thing, I don't see that as co-dependency. I'm sure Phoebe could have gotten a blanket if she were cold. I think it was more a peace offering on Prue part, or at least an offer to not openly fight.

What struck me more than any of Prue and Phoebe's interactions was Prue and Piper's interactions. Piper seemed genuinely stressed out about telling Prue that Phoebe was coming home. Once Phoebe had contacted Piper, Piper should have told Prue that she would be home in a few weeks. Or, rather, Phoebe should have told both her sisters. But I can see Phoebe feeling more comfortable reaching out to Piper, and perhaps Piper told her that she would be the one to tell Prue. Fair enough.

But then Piper doesn't tell her. And then we see her have some pretty severe anxiety over finally breaking the news. And while Prue had every right to be annoyed by Piper waiting for weeks without sharing this information, she was a bit more rude towards Piper than the situation called for. This tells me that Prue can be the type of person who vents to the person closest to her, and not necessarily the person at whom she is angry. And Piper takes it.

Then, despite the fact that Piper wants to leave the house after seeing the pointer on the spirit board move, she allows Prue to convince her to go to the basement. In fact, neither of her sisters listen to her, despite the fact that it didn't necessarily make sense to leave the house. If I am any one of the sisters in this episode, it's Piper. It is really not easy being in the middle.

I do see a lot of issues that could be discussed between the sisters, but not in this episode. Mostly those occur in the later seasons, but I'll wait until you introduce the specific episode.

[ShadowCat]

Thank you Elle Em for commenting. I wasn't sure there would be any interest in this.

I admit that my opener was a bit sloppy and rushed. I have not started the re-watch as I wasn't sure I was going to do this. On one thread I mentioned it and desiring to remain honorable I just threw this together. I agree with you that there isn't much to work with in the first episode, but I did whan to start there. I also agree with you about Piper and I was going to comment on her not telling Prue, but I felt I was getting long winded so I cut it short.

I will start my review to night and take it from there.

Another thought would be if you really want to visit snarky-land; and I have taken the bus there many times; perhaps a private post to the contributor might be a better avenue.

[adzpower]

I think episode one did a good job of establishing the dynamic and heirarchy if you will of the sisterhood. Prue the oldest and most responsible who keeps everything together, Piper the anxious middle sister and Phoebe, the youngest and most carefree, coasting through life.
I'll try to seperate this sister by sister.

Prue - We see right from the start that she is unhappy in her situation, her engagement broke off, living back at home with Piper and it seems as though she feels she has the whole weight of the world on her shoulder, her very first comment has her angry at Piper because she had to deal with the electrician, then she gets angry when Piper reveals that Phoebe is coming home, she likes to be in control, she's the type of person who plans, is regimented, follows a schedule. Disruptions in this schedule no matter how minor irritate her because they aren't things she can control. It made sense that she got telekinesis, she uses her mind, is logical, can control things with her mind. I would like to also point out that the moment Phoebe returns is the moment she seems to loosen up a bit, using the blanket as a white flag of sorts, she wants to move on, accept Phoebe back into the fold, so is making the first move, it's planned, I imagine she spent hours in her bedroom coming up with what to say and do to extend the olive branch, so it could be perfect. And then she quits her job, she's free! And to top it all off she re-connects with the handsome ex-boyfriend from her youth, Phoebe represents everything Prue wishes she was, and this is also the reason she has such a problem with Phoebe. Phoebe is the baby, the relaxed sister who gets away with everything, Prue has no such luck, she's the oldest, she feels she has to be responsible and take care of her sisters, the way she sees it no-one else will, she's envious that Phoebe has so much freedom while she's constricted, stuck in a rut. Phoebe's influence helped her move on from that way of thinking, at least for now. She takes her anger out on Piper, because Piper is the only one around to speak too about it.

Piper - Just like with Prue, we see right from the beginning what Piper is like, anxious, unconfident. Years of being in the middle have wrecked her emotional state, which, once the power of three begins, we see heal gradually over the course of the season. Just when she needed her family the most they abandoned her (Phoebe) or took their anger out on her (Prue), her only light in the dark at this point was Jeremy, her boyfriend, who ended up being evil, knocking her back down once more. It makes sense that she got the power to freeze, she can freeze and this gives her time to calm down, assess the situation, get her anxiety in check, just like we see at her job interview for Quake and when she is attacked by Jeremy at the bowling alley. I don't have much to say about Piper yet, she unravels more as time goes on, right now, she's just insecure, and alone.

Phoebe - Phoebe is everything Prue isn't, or at least everything Prue thinks she can't be. Bubbly, fun, carefree, friendly. I can't say too much about Phoebe yet either, she becomes much more interesting as the years go on, what is telling is that she accepted the blanket from Prue, she wants to make up as well, for the sake of the atmosphere, and for the sake of Piper. I will note that Phoebe was very independent in the beginning, going up to the attic much to the disgust of Prue even though she was told not too, I don't know if this is because of her rebellious teen years or because she spent time alone in New York, maybe both. She gets the power of visions because she is the sister who needs the most guidance, the one who needs a purpose. Prue dreams of being a photographer, an antiques dealer, Piper wants to own a restaurant, Phoebe wants to? Who knows at this point, she seems content to just exist, but the visions give her a purpose, they help her realise that she wants to help people. She also knows how to push Prue's buttons, the spirit board and the pharmacy incidents show us this, there's some rage there, anger that she isn't treated with as much respect, she feels she has to work hard to attain the level of respect that Prue gets. In the same way that Prue is envious of Phoebe for being fun and carefree, Phoebe is just as much envious of Prue that she has a career and aspirations. It's why she goes off to find Victor, she needs validation that she is just as important to the family as her sisters.

Anyways, that's all I have for now.

[Elle Em]

Aug 9, 2016 12:15:06 GMT -5 ShadowCat said:

Thank you Elle Em for commenting. I wasn't sure there would be any interest in this.

You're welcome. I actually find this topic really interesting. I'd love to look past the magical aspects of the show and focus instead on the various relationships between the characters, both between the sisters and also the other people on the show. 

[ShadowCat]

Aug 9, 2016 12:44:40 GMT -5 adzpower said:

I think episode one did a good job of establishing the dynamic and heirarchy if you will of the sisterhood. Prue the oldest and most responsible who keeps everything together, Piper the anxious middle sister and Phoebe, the youngest and most carefree, coasting through life.
I'll try to seperate this sister by sister.

Prue - We see right from the start that she is unhappy in her situation, her engagement broke off, living back at home with Piper and it seems as though she feels she has the whole weight of the world on her shoulder, her very first comment has her angry at Piper because she had to deal with the electrician, then she gets angry when Piper reveals that Phoebe is coming home, she likes to be in control, she's the type of person who plans, is regimented, follows a schedule. Disruptions in this schedule no matter how minor irritate her because they aren't things she can control. It made sense that she got telekinesis, she uses her mind, is logical, can control things with her mind. I would like to also point out that the moment Phoebe returns is the moment she seems to loosen up a bit, using the blanket as a white flag of sorts, she wants to move on, accept Phoebe back into the fold, so is making the first move, it's planned, I imagine she spent hours in her bedroom coming up with what to say and do to extend the olive branch, so it could be perfect. And then she quits her job, she's free! And to top it all off she re-connects with the handsome ex-boyfriend from her youth, Phoebe represents everything Prue wishes she was, and this is also the reason she has such a problem with Phoebe. Phoebe is the baby, the relaxed sister who gets away with everything, Prue has no such luck, she's the oldest, she feels she has to be responsible and take care of her sisters, the way she sees it no-one else will, she's envious that Phoebe has so much freedom while she's constricted, stuck in a rut. Phoebe's influence helped her move on from that way of thinking, at least for now. She takes her anger out on Piper, because Piper is the only one around to speak too about it.

Piper - Just like with Prue, we see right from the beginning what Piper is like, anxious, unconfident. Years of being in the middle have wrecked her emotional state, which, once the power of three begins, we see heal gradually over the course of the season. Just when she needed her family the most they abandoned her (Phoebe) or took their anger out on her (Prue), her only light in the dark at this point was Jeremy, her boyfriend, who ended up being evil, knocking her back down once more. It makes sense that she got the power to freeze, she can freeze and this gives her time to calm down, assess the situation, get her anxiety in check, just like we see at her job interview for Quake and when she is attacked by Jeremy at the bowling alley. I don't have much to say about Piper yet, she unravels more as time goes on, right now, she's just insecure, and alone.

Phoebe - Phoebe is everything Prue isn't, or at least everything Prue thinks she can't be. Bubbly, fun, carefree, friendly. I can't say too much about Phoebe yet either, she becomes much more interesting as the years go on, what is telling is that she accepted the blanket from Prue, she wants to make up as well, for the sake of the atmosphere, and for the sake of Piper. I will note that Phoebe was very independent in the beginning, going up to the attic much to the disgust of Prue even though she was told not too, I don't know if this is because of her rebellious teen years or because she spent time alone in New York, maybe both. She gets the power of visions because she is the sister who needs the most guidance, the one who needs a purpose. Prue dreams of being a photographer, an antiques dealer, Piper wants to own a restaurant, Phoebe wants to? Who knows at this point, she seems content to just exist, but the visions give her a purpose, they help her realise that she wants to help people. She also knows how to push Prue's buttons, the spirit board and the pharmacy incidents show us this, there's some rage there, anger that she isn't treated with as much respect, she feels she has to work hard to attain the level of respect that Prue gets. In the same way that Prue is envious of Phoebe for being fun and carefree, Phoebe is just as much envious of Prue that she has a career and aspirations. It's why she goes off to find Victor, she needs validation that she is just as important to the family as her sisters.

Anyways, that's all I have for now.

[ShadowCat]

What a wonderful, thought provoking comment. Now this is the magic I was dreaming of. (By the way, magic to me does not have to be supernatural). I felt in my opening post I was being a bit to petty in the points I brought to the table, but like I said I have yet to start the re-watch, and was grasping at straws. You handled this with flair and I fell what I did was serve up the appetizer, but you saved this with the entree.

I am thrilled with your insight. You really made me do a rethink of my original feelings when I first watched that episode. My difficulty I suspect has to do with the fact that I didn't get on board with Charmed until the third season. Bt then I was looking at three sisters that had changed over time. When I finally purchased the entire show some of my attitude looks to have needed an ajustment.

When I joined this site just a week ago I thought maybe this might be a place where I could examine myself, while seeing if others would like to explore the stories from a different prospective. Thank you for helping me to make the decision to continue.

PS ... I can't spell katt.


Sorry, I think I need to take a class on how to quote. Hey, I now need help on how to hook up my TV.  If I had 100 dollars for every remote I have I would be vacationing somewhere on a beach.  

[cyma]

Aug 9, 2016 13:02:55 GMT -5 Elle Em said:

Aug 9, 2016 12:15:06 GMT -5 ShadowCat said:

Thank you Elle Em for commenting. I wasn't sure there would be any interest in this.

You're welcome. I actually find this topic really interesting. I'd love to look past the magical aspects of the show and focus instead on the various relationships between the characters, both between the sisters and also the other people on the show. 

Same here. I love analysis of every teeny tiny detail when it comes to relationships so I'm definitely interested. Thanks for starting this topic ShadowCat

[Elle Em]

It was interesting to me how Prue and Phoebe got along throughout the episode. Their very first conversation when Phoebe arrived could not have been more filled with tension. Then the blanket thing showed that they both wanted to get along, but neither was quite ready to be outright friendly. It was cautious and unsure. They argued once again when Phoebe insisted the spirit board gave them a message and released their powers.

Then at Quake, we see Phoebe as the one with the answers, the one who is sure of herself, while Prue is at first disbelieving and then in panic as she realizes something supernatural is actually going on. As they leave the restaurant, it comes around to a nice balance of the two of them having a conversation. They really seemed like sisters here to me. As someone who has a sister myself, I can attest to the fact that we can be arguing in one moment and back to normal the next.

The time in the pharmacy was perhaps my most favorite of their interactions in the episode. Phoebe knows just how to press Prue's buttons, and Prue doesn't seem to be able to ignore her. It's exactly like a real big sister-little sister relationship. And then we have that great moment where Prue destroys the pharmacy aisle and they both manage to find the humor in the situation together. That to me shows such great potential for their relationship. On some levels, they simply don't get along, yet they have that ability to bond with one another nonetheless.

Back at home, we see that shared moment between them when Roger calls and leaves that condescending message for Prue. And later, when Phoebe has the premonition that Jeremy isn't dead, there is no doubt that her sisters believe her. Their trust in one another is already cemented at this point. And when he comes to the house, Prue sends her sisters upstairs with no thought to her own safety.

The next morning, there seems to be some sort of balance reached with them all. They're smiling, happy, and joking around. We can't forget the tension between Prue and Phoebe, so we know it won't be completely smooth sailing from this point forward with those two, but we see that they can all get along together despite the complications of their lives.

[ShadowCat]

Thank you all for getting on-board. I am just awful at quoting so I will work hard to keep from being sloppy.

Loved your above post Elle Em. I think the writers did a good job showing the tension so we could see how they grew in both the real and the magical world. Doing a rewatch I am noticing things I didn't pay attention to before. Prue was angry about something that transpired between Roger and Phoebe. That has always been a major problem between sisters. After meeting Roger thought I somehow doubt that Phoebe would have given him the right time of day. For starters he is too old and not spirited enough in my opinion for Phoebe. Oh, I bet she did a little flirting but could that not have been to just push Prue buttons? What did catch my attention was what Prue said prior to that conversation. "We are not selling the house." Now I don't recall that going anywhere but it looks like it was an issue with Prue. Perhaps since the house was left to all of them she might have suggested that and Prue hit the roof. Just a thought.

As for Piper telling Prue about Phoebe's arrival seconds before she got there, I can completely relate to that when I was their age. The poop is going to hit the fan one way or another. If I were Piper I am not so sure I would have wanted to fight with Prue for 2 weeks in advance knowing that Prue even if she changed the locks would have not left her outside. I liked it when Piper told Phoebe that it should have been her to contact Prue. When Phoebe called Piper chicken little, well that would be both of them. No?

Taking a better look at Andy when he was with Darryl at the crime scene I had to rethink his reactions to the murder. Now I realize that we could not know this at the time and perhaps I am introducing this too early, but I'm afraid I will forget it later. Since Andy played with the girls when they were little, and they did have active powers as children, I have to wonder if in the sub-reaches of his mind he didn't develope a slight feeling for the unexplained when a small boy. This might explain why he responded to the crime the way he did. Regardless if he knew it or not, he was open to this.

[Elle Em]

Yeah, after seeing Roger, he was so unappealing that I can't imagine how he managed to get Prue to agree to marry him. I imagine that Phoebe probably did flirt with all Prue and Piper's boyfriends just to irritate them, but with Roger, I always thought that perhaps he hit on her and tried to make some kind of move, and when she rejected him, he told Prue that Phoebe came on to him. Prue probably didn't know what to think: did her fiance betray her, or her sister? In the end, I think she knew deep down that Phoebe wouldn't go that far, and that it was probably Roger's doing, hence why she was the one to break up with him. But she also probably blamed Phoebe for leading Roger on if she did indeed flirt with him, and saw her as a trouble maker, even if she didn't think Phoebe would hurt her like that on purpose.

With the house, despite how large it was, I got the feeling that the sisters have never been rich. I can't really see how because that house had presumably been paid off long ago, but I guess the extra cost of living in an expensive city in a house that always needed repairs put somewhat of a strain on them. They may have also had to pay a lot for Grams' medical bills. So Prue might have assumed Phoebe wanted them to sell the house as a way for them all to have a bit of extra money, especially if Phoebe was bad with handling money. Also, Phoebe leaving for New York might have hurt Prue more than she let on. Prue might have assumed that if Phoebe were willing to live across the country and never contact her that she would also be willing to sell their childhood house full of memories. Her snappish reply to Phoebe that they weren't selling the house might have been a reaction to defend against Phoebe pulling the family further apart.

I hear you about Piper not wanting to be around Prue for two weeks while she knows Phoebe is coming home. But again, that makes me really feel for Piper in that situation. The only person who would be feeling Prue's anger at that time would be Piper, and Piper did nothing wrong. Phoebe is the one she should be angry at, but Piper gets that anger just for living where she does.

I love the idea that Andy has subconscious memories of magic as a young child. It might have led to him having a more open mind about life in general.

[ShadowCat]

Oh EE, I hope it's okay to call you that, you have given me some fule to fan the fires. Yes, considering what Roger was about, I just bet he came on to Phoebe. He is the type. Phoebe might have returned his advances in a playful way, but was never really going to take it to the limit. Roger is a nasty piece of work and I could see him spinning a sticky spider web, especially when Phoebe left and couldn't defend herself.

I have lived in Marin County and worked in SF. I know what things cost. You're right, they are not well to do and only have the house because it was in the family for generations.Prue I doubt would be playing electrician if they could afford to call a contractor. It was also mentioned about renting out a room. In another episode it was mentioned that they took out a second mortgage so the first one was still alive. I guess they were living on a wing and a pray. Phoebe's departure might have helped to create more cash flow problems that bothered Prue. With Grams passing and Phoebe leaving I have to wonder if Prue felt abandoned twice. She might also have felt that she was not allowed to feel that way or worse .... show it.

I think Piper was angry with Phoebe. I also suspect she kne Prue was too and didn't want to add more to Phoebe's table. I might have backed away from that myself. I would want to hurt my kid sister but help her see the light.

Yes, the Andy thing is of interest. The writers may never have intended for the viewers to go there, but they did drop some bread crumps later on.

[ShadowCat]

I just finished watching "I've Got You Under My Skin", and I became most interested in the conversation between Piper and Phoebe in the attic. We can see that the girls did have some religious training when they were younger. Both Piper and Phoebe appear to know Pastor Williams very well. Attending Sunday school is mentioned and Piper I would think was a believer, therefore she is having a tough time with this witch business.

From the girls chat we learn that Piper is not just the middle sister who is the go-between, the peace-maker, the one who is always trying to be helpful, that's who she everywhere. When Phoebe realizes Piper's fear she deals with that in a most mature and compassionate manner. For all the ways Piper was attempting to get past this, it was Phoebe that helped heal the situation. When she tells her that she is the sweetest most caring person who is always willing to help even if it is a stranger, and has been doing this all her life .... that give's us some strong insight to who Piper really is and what Phoebe is capable of bring forth. For all the times I have heard this exchange, I really didn't get it until now.

Phoebe with the lottery ticket also deserves a remark. She didn't work to zero in on the winning number, these things just come to her regardless. Her first reaction was not to win for herself but to give it to the old couple. (As I suspect she was suppose to or she wouldn't have gotten the vision in the first place.) Then a little monster whispered in her ear and she decided she would like a cut. To make this okay she tells her sisters, "Well you said we needed money". That might have worked a tiny bit if she had not purchased the dress first. So we see that Phoebe will try to grab a good deal if she sees one, but in the end did learn something from this and says so.

I know I was going to try and keep magic out of this but since it is a good portion of their lives and who they are .... it will not be possible.

[Melinda Halliwell]

This was when Piper was at her best and showed also the consequences of using magic for your own personal gain even if Phoebe got the premonition inadvertantly.

[Elle Em]

Phoebe was incredibly mature and insightful when talking to Piper in the attic. It's this type of thing that makes me see her inner advice columnist, although I don't like how it was handled later. She does have a wisdom about her, despite her young age and her irresponsibility.

Upon a recent rewatch, I was very confused by the religious aspects of this episode. And I know that although Wicca is a religion, that's really not the way this show handled that idea. This is the only instance I recall of religion being brought up in the show to such a large extent. If I had watched any other episode, I would never assume they were religious at all. Christianity does not seem like the thing that Grams would be encouraging her future witch granddaughters to learn. She didn't seem to have that type of a personality. This type of episode would fit better in a story where the girls' powers aren't passed down from their ancestors, but these three people just happen to receive them. After all, the thing about witches being evil does not seem like the thing that Grams would want her granddaughters to learn and have imprinted upon them at a young age.

Much as I like her, I was quite annoyed by Prue in this episode. Piper clearly did not mean to use her powers. Phoebe didn't seem like she intended to, but nonetheless took full advantage when she did. Then Prue lectures Phoebe on using her powers, and then uses them multiple times that same morning. I would be so irritated if someone threw a personal possession of mine out the window. Couldn't she have used her powers to press the Off button from across the room? And in the elevator, yes, she was in a hurry, but someone else might have been in a hurry too.

For a positive thing about Prue, I love how confident she is. She goes in and aces the job interview, and even stands up to Rex when he's a bit smart with her. And I know they meant to hire her all along, but the way she carried herself was still very impressive.

[Deleted]

Phoebe was incredibly mature and insightful when talking to Piper in the attic. It's this type of thing that makes me see her inner advice columnist, although I don't like how it was handled later. She does have a wisdom about her, despite her young age and her irresponsibility.

Odd how Phoebe seemed more mature in 1998 than she did in 2003.   What the heck happened!?  Shouldn't her maturity have been going forwards instead of backwards?

[Elle Em]

Aug 12, 2016 11:42:03 GMT -5 @rexandhannah1 said:

Phoebe was incredibly mature and insightful when talking to Piper in the attic. It's this type of thing that makes me see her inner advice columnist, although I don't like how it was handled later. She does have a wisdom about her, despite her young age and her irresponsibility.

Odd how Phoebe seemed more mature in 1998 than she did in 2003.   What the heck happened!?  Shouldn't her maturity have been going forwards instead of backwards?

I know. She had such potential despite her immature season 1 nature. I can think of several things that might have turned her. One, Cole made her blind to anything else. Two, she lost her oldest sister who always kept her in check. And three, she lands an easy job with her own office and later is somewhat famous. With the right person, those things would easily turn someone into a spoiled brat. It's a shame, though, isn't it?

[Melinda Halliwell]

Oh absoultely and I agree with you on the things you said which changed Phoebe that is a shame really as she was so good early on especially season 1 which her and Prue made I think.