Most appealing element of Phoebe that you missed later

[openspacesp3]

We all know Phoebe is a rather controversial character and a lot of people seem to not stand her later, but I figured some positivity is in light and so what were elements you missed or appreciated the most from Phoebe? Anything from the Prue or Paige years. 

[Too Much Coffee]

I liked Phoebe with Drake, she was at her best in the later seasons when with him during those three episodes. I liked Show Ghouls so much when she teamed up with him. She felt like she was the Phoebe from S1 and S2 again. I wished Drake was her true love not Coop, or he died and Phoebe then found out she was pregnant with his child in the last episode or flashforward.

But I loved Phoebe in the Prue years pre-Cole, she was so fun, her love of magic and wanting to learn more was so much fun to watch, always helping her sisters, and giving good advice with their love lives and helping them out even if she was with nobody or was the youngest, and she had a very passionate nature about her. But her relationship with Prue was so much to watch the most, and when Prue was gone, it just wasn't the same. That was what was missing with Phoebe in the later seasons.

[codebox]

For me the thing I loved about Phoebe the most was her love of being a witch and her tendency to befriend any innocent they came across. It was the thing that made Phoebe the heart of Charmed before she changed into PhoeMe. Her witch passion represented that wonder one would have in having powers, that sense of spirit she had of being a witch. Often leading to my favorite lines

Early Phoebe: "Well I'm always gonna want to be a witch, that's for sure" or "We've done a lot of good as witches too". Easily two of my favorite lines by her that's not the coffee scene from season 1 between her and Leo (that's also not mentioning her ending of 70's Episode) I also loved how Phoebe was the one who always made sure to cheer up or speak to people they had to protect or just have a conversation with them. Like the moment Jenny and Dan move in, Phoebe makes an effort to politely talk to Jenny and just have a normal scene, even stating "they're always avaliable next door" she always made the effort to feel like someone's good friend. Or her chemistry with Charlene is a good one as well.

It shames me how all of this faded away from Phoebe after All Halliwell's Eve. If I can give later Phoebe one thing, even though she's my most hated character is that she does have an ongoing/consistent job, something early Phoebe always struggled to have. But the execution of it wasn't very good at all. Yes Phoebe wasn't always going to be free spirited about magic, but they could've kept that while making her evolve. If Paige is anything to go by, with the exception of Season 8 she was the one most into magic identically like early Phoebe. I also appreciated this sense of comedy and friendliness Alyssa gave Phoebe Pre-Cole. That also helped with Phoebe's then likability and general adaption.

[BriannaWarren2.0]

Aug 16, 2020 22:13:30 GMT -5 Too Much Coffee said:

I liked Phoebe with Drake, she was at her best in the later seasons when with him during those three episodes. I liked Show Ghouls so much when she teamed up with him. She felt like she was the Phoebe from S1 and S2 again. I wished Drake was her true love not Coop, or he died and Phoebe then found out she was pregnant with his child in the last episode or flashforward.

But I loved Phoebe in the Prue years pre-Cole, she was so fun, her love of magic and wanting to learn more was so much fun to watch, always helping her sisters, and giving good advice with their love lives and helping them out even if she was with nobody or was the youngest, and she had a very passionate nature about her. But her relationship with Prue was so much to watch the most, and when Prue was gone, it just wasn't the same. That was what was missing with Phoebe in the later seasons.

I loved Phoebe with Drake, I don't understand why they couldn't figure out a way for him to be alive and for them to be endgame without him giving up his powers. I would have actually preferred it if Phoebe married a reformed demon rather than a Cupid. 

I would have loved to see what Drake would have said about Paige being with Henry, the whole Leo situation, being another man in the house for Wyatt and Chris, maybe helping Billie with Christy, them moving into a place of their own, meeting Grams, so many possibilities.

Drake was Phoebe's twin flame. 

[Esmeralda]

Aug 16, 2020 22:13:30 GMT -5 Too Much Coffee said:

I liked Phoebe with Drake, she was at her best in the later seasons when with him during those three episodes. I liked Show Ghouls so much when she teamed up with him. She felt like she was the Phoebe from S1 and S2 again. I wished Drake was her true love not Coop, or he died and Phoebe then found out she was pregnant with his child in the last episode or flashforward.

But I loved Phoebe in the Prue years pre-Cole, she was so fun, her love of magic and wanting to learn more was so much fun to watch, always helping her sisters, and giving good advice with their love lives and helping them out even if she was with nobody or was the youngest, and she had a very passionate nature about her. But her relationship with Prue was so much to watch the most, and when Prue was gone, it just wasn't the same. That was what was missing with Phoebe in the later seasons.

You took the words right out of my fingers, TMC - I agree totally! S1-2 Phoebs will always be my favorite character on Charmed (not just sister...) and S3-8 PhoeME (with the exceptions of when she was with Drake and when she was with Wyatt in S8) is my least-favorite sister.

I also wouldn't have minded if we found out that the reason why Phoebe had so much trouble with love is that she's a lesbian who didn't admit that she was one until she realized that her REAL true love is Kyra the Seer. I think Kyra's the one Phoebe had the most chemistry with, much more than with Cole or Coop or even Drake. Of course something like that - one of the leads of a dramedy gay??!! - would've never been part of a late 90s/early 00s series any more than you'd find one of them in love with someone from a different race.

If only...

[fallingsnow6136]

I understood Phoebe losing her love for magic after becoming Queen of the Underworld to be honest but I don't understand why she never went to therapy. That was the one angle I felt they should have gone with.

[BriannaWarren2.0]

Sept 9, 2021 21:56:26 GMT -5 fallingsnow6136 said:

I understood Phoebe losing her love for magic after becoming Queen of the Underworld to be honest but I don't understand why she never went to therapy. That was the one angle I felt they should have gone with.

And Leo knew magical healers, he could have recommended one for her. 

[fallingsnow6136]

Then again, this show was made in the 90s. Maybe if it had been today, seeing a therapist wouldn't have so much stigma attached to it.

[Elle Em]

I really like season 1 Phoebe and how funny and carefree she is. She seemed like she'd be a ton of fun to hang out with, although I can understand Prue's frustrations with her sometimes. She represented fun chaos. 

[Aaeiyn]

I still disagree that S3 Phoebe wasn't the same Phoebe we saw back in S1-S2, but I digress. That being said, I don't feel Phoebe truly changed until S4E13 "The Three Faces of Phoebe". Before S4E13, Phoebe was still willing to protect innocents and was still Phoebe who was daring and open to new things. That being said, I miss her daringness. She wasn't quite as daring after S4E13. Something, Piper even mentioned was Phoebe's daring personality, that we saw back in S1. Piper clearly classifies Phoebe to be a daring individual who's not afraid of anything. That changed, when Phoebe became afraid of marriage (S4E13), afraid to love (S5-S8), afraid to use her powers (S8), etc. That's not the daring Phoebe I used to know and love who wasn't afraid to be in love (hence her whole arc in S3), use her powers (S1-S4E13), etc. Those are what I miss from Phoebe, being daring and not afraid. She became extremely closed off after S4E13 and remained that way, as seasons went on.

[sonja]

Aug 16, 2020 22:20:04 GMT -5 codebox said:

For me the thing I loved about Phoebe the most was her love of being a witch and her tendency to befriend any innocent they came across. It was the thing that made Phoebe the heart of Charmed before she changed into PhoeMe. Her witch passion represented that wonder one would have in having powers, that sense of spirit she had of being a witch. Often leading to my favorite lines

Early Phoebe: "Well I'm always gonna want to be a witch, that's for sure" or "We've done a lot of good as witches too". Easily two of my favorite lines by her that's not the coffee scene from season 1 between her and Leo (that's also not mentioning her ending of 70's Episode) I also loved how Phoebe was the one who always made sure to cheer up or speak to people they had to protect or just have a conversation with them. Like the moment Jenny and Dan move in, Phoebe makes an effort to politely talk to Jenny and just have a normal scene, even stating "they're always avaliable next door" she always made the effort to feel like someone's good friend. Or her chemistry with Charlene is a good one as well.

It shames me how all of this faded away from Phoebe after All Halliwell's Eve. If I can give later Phoebe one thing, even though she's my most hated character is that she does have an ongoing/consistent job, something early Phoebe always struggled to have. But the execution of it wasn't very good at all. Yes Phoebe wasn't always going to be free spirited about magic, but they could've kept that while making her evolve. If Paige is anything to go by, with the exception of Season 8 she was the one most into magic identically like early Phoebe. I also appreciated this sense of comedy and friendliness Alyssa gave Phoebe Pre-Cole. That also helped with Phoebe's then likability and general adaption.

I totally agree with you, almost word-for-word, so I hope I don't sound too repetitive here:

One of my favorite things about her, and something that makes me attached to a lot of other fictional characters as well, is her drive and willingness to help people in need. It was something that was her priority from the start. It was almost like an instinct to her, but also something she always actively worked towards. She was aware of her past mistakes and her weaknesses and worked to improve herself, which is also something I loved about her in the earlier seasons (something that was later lost, when she suddenly became a lot less emotionally intelligent...and irronicaly got the power of magical empathy). She was always looking for ways to help people and her sisters to make up for being selfish in the past, she went back to school and got a stable job. I feel like in later seasons the writers only remember the job part (even if they give her a job where she helps people it's just...not executed well, in my opinion, but I digress). 
Another thing that I miss about Phoebe is her power actually being useful. In the begining, premonitions are described as a rare and important power, worthy of a Charmed One. But as the show went on, her power had little to no progression, and on top of that, we were introduced to a bunch of new characters with psychic powers much more powerful and precise than Phoebe's, which always annoyed me.

[rebooted]

Jul 8, 2022 15:02:58 GMT -5 sonja said:

Aug 16, 2020 22:20:04 GMT -5 codebox said:

For me the thing I loved about Phoebe the most was her love of being a witch and her tendency to befriend any innocent they came across. It was the thing that made Phoebe the heart of Charmed before she changed into PhoeMe. Her witch passion represented that wonder one would have in having powers, that sense of spirit she had of being a witch. Often leading to my favorite lines

Early Phoebe: "Well I'm always gonna want to be a witch, that's for sure" or "We've done a lot of good as witches too". Easily two of my favorite lines by her that's not the coffee scene from season 1 between her and Leo (that's also not mentioning her ending of 70's Episode) I also loved how Phoebe was the one who always made sure to cheer up or speak to people they had to protect or just have a conversation with them. Like the moment Jenny and Dan move in, Phoebe makes an effort to politely talk to Jenny and just have a normal scene, even stating "they're always avaliable next door" she always made the effort to feel like someone's good friend. Or her chemistry with Charlene is a good one as well.

It shames me how all of this faded away from Phoebe after All Halliwell's Eve. If I can give later Phoebe one thing, even though she's my most hated character is that she does have an ongoing/consistent job, something early Phoebe always struggled to have. But the execution of it wasn't very good at all. Yes Phoebe wasn't always going to be free spirited about magic, but they could've kept that while making her evolve. If Paige is anything to go by, with the exception of Season 8 she was the one most into magic identically like early Phoebe. I also appreciated this sense of comedy and friendliness Alyssa gave Phoebe Pre-Cole. That also helped with Phoebe's then likability and general adaption.

I totally agree with you, almost word-for-word, so I hope I don't sound too repetitive here:

One of my favorite things about her, and something that makes me attached to a lot of other fictional characters as well, is her drive and willingness to help people in need. It was something that was her priority from the start. It was almost like an instinct to her, but also something she always actively worked towards. She was aware of her past mistakes and her weaknesses and worked to improve herself, which is also something I loved about her in the earlier seasons (something that was later lost, when she suddenly became a lot less emotionally intelligent...and irronicaly got the power of magical empathy). She was always looking for ways to help people and her sisters to make up for being selfish in the past, she went back to school and got a stable job. I feel like in later seasons the writers only remember the job part (even if they give her a job where she helps people it's just...not executed well, in my opinion, but I digress). 
Another thing that I miss about Phoebe is her power actually being useful. In the begining, premonitions are described as a rare and important power, worthy of a Charmed One. But as the show went on, her power had little to no progression, and on top of that, we were introduced to a bunch of new characters with psychic powers much more powerful and precise than Phoebe's, which always annoyed me.

Yeah I liked that about Phoebe - always running to save the innocent. Its sort of out of the youngest childs character to do that. But its like she learned that from Prue growing up who would be looking out for her. 

Phoebe should have always remained the youngest with Paige and Piper competing to be the lead witch and her being the in between like she was at the beginning of Season 4. 

[Aaeiyn]

Sept 12, 2021 2:38:53 GMT -5 Aaeiyn said:

I still disagree that S3 Phoebe wasn't the same Phoebe we saw back in S1-S2, but I digress. That being said, I don't feel Phoebe truly changed until S4E13 "The Three Faces of Phoebe". Before S4E13, Phoebe was still willing to protect innocents and was still Phoebe who was daring and open to new things. That being said, I miss her daringness. She wasn't quite as daring after S4E13. Something, Piper even mentioned was Phoebe's daring personality, that we saw back in S1. Piper clearly classifies Phoebe to be a daring individual who's not afraid of anything. That changed, when Phoebe became afraid of marriage (S4E13), afraid to love (S5-S8), afraid to use her powers (S8), etc. That's not the daring Phoebe I used to know and love who wasn't afraid to be in love (hence her whole arc in S3), use her powers (S1-S4E13), etc. Those are what I miss from Phoebe, being daring and not afraid. She became extremely closed off after S4E13 and remained that way, as seasons went on.

I've since changed my mind and think Phoebe has always been the same, throughout all 8 seasons. After going through my own similar experience, I relate to Phoebe more, now than I ever have and understand why she reacted to Cole the way she did, in S5. I believe her thirst for power changed (but, she's still herself) after her traumatic experience and is just more cautious in dealing with it rather than being so open and vulnerable/"an easy target".