Theatrical, Dramatic & Serious >>> Goofy, Funny & Silly.
Now, I want to start off by saying that does
not mean I don’t enjoy the comedy/humor or the lighter side of the show. There’s plenty of that I like as well. As I am finding as of late with rewatching S5-S8 on my own, I actually like more of these seasons than I’d remembered liking. But deep down, I know I am a true Prue era lover at heart, which is where we saw more of the “theatrical, dramatic, and serious” elements come into play. Thinking of some of my all time favorite episodes (which has changed, I’d say, since I did my introduction post last year when I first became a member) or episodes I rewatch a lot/would seek out more, a majority of them would fit under the “theatrical, dramatic, and serious” category. As examples:
1x04 - Dead Man Dating Piper and Mark’s relationship throughout the episode.
Mark’s funeral at the end, Piper having to say goodbye to Mark, “Sand And Water” playing in the background.
1x05 - Dream Sorcerer Prue’s struggle with Berman (the “Dream Sorcerer”), her being terrified of him.
1x13 - From Fear To Eternity Prue dealing with her fear of drowning and saying, “I love you”, all stemming from her mother’s death.
Phoebe dealing with her fear of losing a sister.
1x22 - Deja Vu All Over Again Prue losing her sisters in the different time loops.
Prue and Andy’s relationship.
Andy’s death.
2x08 - P3 H2O Prue dealing with her mother’s death.
2x12 - Awakened Piper becoming ill with Oroya Fever.
Prue, Phoebe, and Dan breaking down as Piper flatlines and thinking she will die.
A medical drama in the Charmed universe, which as a fan of House, M.D. (not sure anyone else here is a fan of this show), makes me love this episode.
2x16 - Murphy’s Luck Prue dealing with emotional guilt/pain of her past.
2x19 - Ex Libris Helping Charlene in moving on after she was killed by the Libris demon and Cleavant Wilson with getting justice for his daughter’s murder.
2x20 - Astral Monkey That ending, where Piper is broken about Dr. Williamson’s death, Leo orbing in to comfort her, “Letting The Cables Sleep” playing in the background.
3x05 - Sight Unseen Prue’s battle with Abbey at the end.
3x06 - Primrose Empath I know there’s some comedy in this one, especially with the dentist office scene. But when we see Prue being completely crushed by all the emotions she’s feeling as an empath, the wonderful acting by Shannen here… It really gets to me.
THE episode that got me to check out her other work.
3x16 - Death Takes A Halliwell Prue dealing with her mother’s death.
4x10 - A Paige From The Past Paige going to the past to try to understand the death of her parents.
Yes, there’s comedy with Cole and Phoebe being possessed by Frankie and Lulu, but the episode focus is really on Paige’s storyline.
4x20 - Long Live The Queen Phoebe having to vanquish Cole.
The ending, when Phoebe is crying alone in her room, Piper and Paige coming to comfort her and stay with her, with “Courage” playing in the background.
I know that’s a lot of examples, but I thought this might help show why I picked “theatrical, dramatic, and serious” over “goofy, funny, and silly”, as these are episodes I love watching.
Another reason why I say I know I like “theatrical, dramatic, and serious” more? Because most of the stories I have been inspired to write for Charmed come from these kinds of episodes. My writing would very much be classified in this category for Charmed, as well.
All in all, I am a drama fan. I have always favored these kinds of TV shows more than comedies and have been this way since I really started getting into watching TV (maybe not as a kid, but that’s besides the point ;P). Hit me in the feels. Make me feel all the emotions. Make me go through an emotional rollercoaster. I am here for it, LOL.
I feel like my explanations aren't being heard. The goofy, funny & silly moments seen in a lot of the S1-S2 episodes doesn't make the episode goofy, funny & silly. Like I said about the handcuff joke, in S1E12 The Wendigo doesn't make the episode a goofy, funny & silly episode, all of a sudden because of that fantastic joke. That episode is still considered to be a theatrical, dramatic & serious episode.
One handcuff joke, in a theatrical, dramatic & serious episode is not in the same league as S2E18 Chick Flick which is definitely a goofy, funny & silly episode.
And, just because you pick one doesn't diminish the other. Which is why I laid out episodes, as examples, to help figure out where the majority of your more preferred episodes fall under. And, I admit to the categories being defined under my perspective, but that's kind of the point, right? As I created the thread, therefore the fundamentals are being drawn from my POV.
What I find to be theatrical, dramatic & serious you might not, and that's OK, too. But, that's why I defined it already, so there's no confusion in where each episode sits. Does that make sense?
Yes, this makes sense to me
And I agree here, that Aaeiyn’s explanations are exactly being heard.
I can point examples in the above episodes I mentioned where there are goofy/funny/silly moments in them (and I have done that with a couple already, with Primrose Empath and A Paige From The Past), but at its core, the episode is really much more so “theatrical, dramatic, and serious” than “goofy, funny, and silly”. They are not dramedies, in my opinion.
The Wendigo is one example. Yes, we have the joke about Phoebe’s handcuffs. We also have Piper have some funny scenes/lines as she’s slowly turning into a Wendigo. (I think about the scene at Quake, when the food inspector comes and catches her resting meat on her forehead to cool herself down, and he asks her, “Excuse me. What are you doing with that meat?” and she responds with, “Dying.” Or, Piper’s comment to Phoebe after they’ve handcuffed her to the pipe.)
How about Ex Libris? When Phoebe is loudly eating her chips in the library with Charlene as she studies? Or when Piper finds Phoebe asleep in the kitchen and goes to wake her up and Phoebe wakes up in a panic, her glasses completely off center on her face, thinking she missed her finals? Those are two goofy/funny/silly scenes in an episode that at its core is definitely in the “theatrical, dramatic, and serious” category.
Some other examples:
Dead Man Dating:
-“I’m the Amazing Phoebe” scene.
-Prue using her telekinesis to make Andy trip over the food cart at the restaurant.
-Piper’s quip to Mark when he sees her freeze Yama. (“I panic, I put up both hands, and bad things tend to freeze.”)
-Mark popping his head through the door to check in with Prue and Piper while they’re talking about Andy (this always makes me laugh, LOL).
From Fear To Eternity:
-Piper’s superstitions.
-The joke about Andy’s “lucky” shoes. (Andy: “Prue, if you were in my shoes, what would you think?” Prue: “First of all, nobody should be in those shoes.” Darryl: “Told you.”)
Death Takes A Halliwell:
-The opening with Phoebe and her sand castle (“Phoebeville”).
-Prue saying she kicked butt when she went up against the Angel Of Death and then Cole saying she kicked air.
-The joke one of the Seekers make about assuming Prue and Cole are a couple. (“Well, well, well. The mighty Belthazor, in bed with a witch.”)
-When Bad Warlocks Turn Good (I know this episode wasn’t on my above list, but I’m going to mention it here, anyway, because I love this moment): Piper’s rocking climb date with Josh going, as she says, “Bad.
Real bad,” while on the phone with Phoebe, who’s dealing with water spewing all over the place at Quake.
These episodes, at heart, are much more “theatrical, dramatic, and serious” despite still having these goofy/funny/silly moments.
In the end, I get that Charmed is definitely a mix of both “theatrical, dramatic, and serious” and “goofy, funny, and silly”. But in my honest opinion, the Prue era feels like it leans more towards the “theatrical, dramatic, and serious” side, whereas the Paige era feels like it leans more towards the “goofy, funny, and silly” side. But as Aaieyn has explained, it is subjective, based on your perspective of what episodes qualify as which. But this question is asking which you prefer Charmed to be more—either “theatrical, dramatic, and serious” or “goofy, funny, and silly”? You can like a mix of both, but just for this poll specifically, which do you like better for Charmed? I think making a list of favorite episodes/episodes you rewatch or seek out a lot and considering scenes that stick out for you like I have done might help answer this poll’s question.
And I agree here, that Aaeiyn’s explanations are exactly being heard.