What's wrong with Phoebe's premonitions and shift?

[openspacesp3]

One of the common things I hear from Charmed fans is the lack of usage in Phoebe's premonition power and her character? Why is that specifically? Its been a while since I last saw the show, but I remember LOVING her in Season 2. 

[codebox]

It's not that people don't mind the premonitions (other than people think Phoebe got ripped off of an offensive/useful power) but rather it's how little it contributed. For instance Phoebe's premonitions and character shift go hand in hand, because in Seasons 1-2 Phoebe had premonitions is almost every episode, if not every other one. It created good character moments and ways for them to sense innocents/danger, once Cole came into her life in Season 3 her premonition count drops drastically, and this is because magic was less of a primary focus for her, she was so wrapped up in her romance with Cole that she lost the ability to gain premonitions frequently.

Sure when she would get them they were still useful, but you could notice the count drop a mile away (I think this should be a think upon Charmed Rewatch discussions) After Season 4 though they stopped being useful for demon of the week problems aside from the Gypsies in "The Eyes have It" and once Phoebe gained Empathy in Season 6 Premonitions took a HUGE backseat. And with that came another foreshadow hint Phoebe's character had changed.

The premonitions she did get in Seasons 6-8 were ONLY related to her baby daddy destiny, firstly starting with her vision in Legend of Sleepy Halliwell, then aside from getting them back in Stynx Feet Under was only used to give her lens to their utopia created by avatars, (completely for selfish reasons) then in Season 8 with her arc of Dex being under the assumption he would fullfill her "married" destiny. Only to give up on believing in them simply because they didn't benefit her. I mean her last premonition onscreen is just one of her in Astral Mode talking to her future self in how she'd look having her kids she's desired for, notice one thing missing? INNOCENTS, DANGER!

Because Phoebe became such a self centered person this was reflected by use of her premonitions later on in the show where they were about either altering them to innocents/potential danger to just fueling whatever baby daddy or future Phoebe wanted at that time, by Seasons 7 and 8 she almost had NO premonitions related to helping people anymore.

Also once Phoebe gets her powers stripped by the Tribunal she pretty much becomes useless in battle, often relying on potions by nesscity or standing while Piper explodes them or Paige sometimes uses T Orbing or throws a potion too. Or would kick an enemy. She might as well been a mortal by that point.

With Phoebe's character, the main issue is that in Seasons 1-2 she was a free spirited/carefree sister who just made a lot of impulsuive and dumb decisions in life who wanted to move away from that who transitioned into a self obsessed narcassistis who prioritizes her own wants and desires above literally anything and everything just because love was involved or wanting men and babies.

There's also her repetitive love life cycle, and her advice column which served no point other than to make Phoebe more self involved. Everything she does she has to make it about herself or her priorities and even when she contributes something its only AFTER she decides her needs were done first (Like in Saving Private Leo wanting to go to an office party with Cole ignoring Leo's situation or in Scry Hard complaining her missing sister was less important than her column because finding her would inconvenience her column deadline) she also speaks in a constant condescending tone. Especially her following it up with sighs in Seasons 7-8.

[Melinda Halliwell]

Yeah for me the best time Phoebe's premonition power was useful we're seasons 1-2 when it helped the Charmed Ones find out which innocent needed saving.

Then that went away almost when Cole came in although she did see some innocents in danger still like Cole's landlady for instance and of course season 6 onward that was all about her baby daddy quest hence why she lost her powers for abusing her premonition power. I wished almost she never got that back unless it was her seeing people in trouble.

Also, Paige was a bit of a factor too when she orb anywhere and sense sometimes meaning there wasn't the need to show premonitions all the time if the sisters knew who their innocent was already.

[codebox]

That's a good point Melinda. Also factoring in Phoebe's premonition kinda did work the same. So yeah there was little use for her power..

[Esmeralda]

It's one of many reasons why I wish half-whitelighters had never become part of Charmed - not only did it make Phoebe's premonitions useless, it also made the Book of Shadows useless. I will always say that taking away the rules that witches only needed whitelighters during their first year as witches was the worst mistake made on Charmed, closely followed by letting dead men be able to reproduce, closely followed by them being able to pass their powers onto their children who unlike them aren't dead and haven't earned those powers by living a good life.

Had Paige just received Prue's power which would've worked identical to Prue's (while letting Paige remain a totally different character than Prue), the show would've had a better chance to go back to being what I thought was the great show it was in S1-2 before Cole entered and ruined Phoebe's life.