So⌠I actually liked the ending. Surprising, I know. But let me provide a fresh perspective on why I actually donât think this is a bad ending, especially giving a bit more context behind the scene that the OP didnât include with the video.
Iâll begin with saying that I have not watched most of the reboot. The only episodes I really sat down and watched completely were the S3 finale (to compare how they sent off Macy with her death with how it was done with Prue), the S4 premiere (to see how they introduced the new âsisterââwhich I put in quotations specifically, as sheâs not really their sister, though the story how she became âCharmedâ wasnât a bad one, I felt), and the series finale (namely, because I saw the promo for the episode on Twitter and saw the quick little flash of the Halliwell Manor being included in the episode, so naturally, my curiosity got the best of me and I had to see how it was going to be incorporated). Otherwise, I caught some random parts of a few other episodes from S3 and S4. Most of my general idea of what happened from this season is from checking the Charmed hashtag via Twitter when looking for OG Charmed content. So I may not have the full picture of what Iâm about to explain about the ending scene, but I do think itâs worth looking at, in all this.
I want to include a new video here, that shows a bit more of the ending than the original video link that was shared (no fault to the OP, as this was such fresh material at that pointâThis new video was posted later the next day after the episode had aired).
As for some more context with the video...
The note we see from a âDianaâ? Diana was a whitelighter from the Halliwellâs universe, and she spoke of a powerful witch whose power of premonition grew to the point of her seeing the future of another universeâthis witch, being heavily implied it was Phoebe. Also note the room Mel, Maggie, and Kaela (the three Charmed ones) are in briefly before walking through that portal. Those are all the VHS tapes from Phoebe, who, once she started having these premonitions of the reboot universe, copied the premonitions to VHS to help save the future of their universe. (The VHS tape thing was meant to be a nod to Phoebeâs love of old classic movies, though I do question why she wouldnât have copied her premonitions over to DVD as a bit more of reliable technology if this was coming down to saving the world, but thatâs a different conversation ;P)
So that is my general understanding of some important details that happened prior to the series finale. But to any reboot fans that are on here and may see this post, please correct me if Iâm wrong here with any of this, as this is just what Iâve gathered from Twitter!
I also want to say, there were talks all of S4 (prior and during) that the reboot was going to venture into opening up a multiverse with OG Charmed. So this was not a random throw in at the end here. As another member explained in an earlier post in this thread, the writers designed this finale as both an ending to the show and a possible lead into a S5, where they wanted to explore more of this multiverse idea with bringing in more of the OG Charmed universe into the reboot, as they had no idea whether or not they would get renewed. Especially with the state of The CW at the moment.
Now with a little more context, let me explain why I actually donât mind the ending.
Whether we liked it or not, OG Charmed was coming into the reboot universe in some way, shape, or form. (Which I know there were nods to it in earlier seasons, but for me, I always worried how specific theyâd get.) So the open to interpretation ending, of what happens next after Mel, Maggie, and Kaela go into the Halliwell Manor? I like this. Because itâs not super specific. It leaves the audience imagining what could have been, and Iâd rather that kind of ending than something really, really concrete that ties the two shows together. And yes, I do hope it stays like that, with no S5 being picked up at a different network, simply because I think of how confusing it would get later with any way of continuing Charmed (not necessarily in a show, but like books and such). I already donât like accepting the Charmed comics as canon (which I donât, only what happened on my TV screen is what I accept as âtrueâ canon), so the idea of bringing in any OG characters into the reboot in a S5, would just really mess with me. Not to say I wished for their show to end, Iâm not one of those people, but I just really didnât want the two shows to get too intertwined.
Knowing the part about Phoebe and the premonitions on VHS tapes that essentially helped the Vera-Danso Charmed Ones save their world, I feel like them going through the portal and coming into the Halliwell world was probably something that Phoebe also saw happeningâand wanted to ensure that it did. Hence why Diana wanted them to go through the portal. I also think that Phoebe may have known they were coming that day, hence why that door was unlocked. So for me, I donât feel like they were intruding, just walking in like that. But rather, I see it as a sign from Phoebe to them, to say that yes, we know youâre coming, and yes, we want you to come inside.
Also, having just watched âThank You For Not Morphingâ last weekend with some of the CafĂŠ members, I actually kind of found this âunlockedâ door thing and them just letting themselves in a little humorous. Because when I watch âThank You For Not Morphingâ, I think of it as the episode of âHey, the door was unlocked, so I let myself in!â with all the jokes how the front door was always open. And, of course, I couldnât help thinking of Prue in the afterlife saying to Andy as the door closes behind Mel, Maggie, and Kaela (because yes, I do think itâs Prue who closed the door via her telekinesis from above): âItâs been 21 years since I passed, and Phoebe still canât remember to lock the front door!â Just simply because Prue assumes it was Phoebe in âThank You For Not Morphingâ who forgot to lock the door before they went to the party and then her words to her before Phoebe ends up locking her in the laundry room, LOL:
So for me, the ending actually put a smile on my face. Iâm not an avid follower of the reboot and donât really consider myself a fan of it since I know so little about it, but I still enjoyed that last little piece. I think considering they only had 13 episodes to work with this season and how it was wrapped up with the uncertainty of what the future held, it was done well. And yes, Iâve gotten some laughs and giggles over the suggestions of what would happen next after Mel, Maggie, and Kaela walk into the Manor via here, Reddit, and Twitter, but rather than be so negative towards their ending, I wanted to provide a more positive view on it, of how I saw it, especially knowing how Phoebe was tied into it leading up to the end.